Xavier Defeats Arizona to Advance to Third Elite Eight in School History

Thursday, March 23

San Jose, Calif.

10:09 p.m.

Xavier University

24-13

Arizona

32-5

Xavier

Arizona

Xavier Defeats Arizona to Advance to Third Elite Eight in School History

03.24.17 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

Musketeers face No. 1 seed Gonzaga on Saturday

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The No. 11 seed Xavier Musketeers (24-13, 9-9 BIG EAST) used a 9-0 run to erase a seven-point deficit to the No. 2 seed Arizona Wildcats in the final three minutes of the NCAA West Regional Semifinal to advance to the Elite Eight for the third time in program history. The Wildcats finish the season at 32-5 overall and 16-2 in Pac 12 play.

Three Musketeers finished in double figures, led by Trevon Bluiett's 25 points. Malcolm Bernard and J.P. Macura each finished in double figures as the Musketeers move on to face the No. 1 seed Gonzaga in the NCAA West Regional Final at the SAP Center in San Jose on Saturday, March 25. The Musketeers and Bulldogs face off at 6:09 p.m. ET on TBS for a chance to go to the Final Four.

NOTABLE

The Musketeers erased a seven-point lead in the final three minutes of the game, scoring nine unanswered in the final 2:37 to secure the two-point win.

Trevon Bluiett led the Musketeers with 25 points after scoring 18 in the first half.

Malcolm Bernard scored a career-high 15 points, all in the second half, going 5-of-5 from the field after halftime and shooting 100 percent from three.

J.P. Macura finished with 14 points and grabbed a career-high matching seven rebounds to lead the Musketeers.

Xavier now has a 27-26 record in NCAA Tournament games.

The win over Arizona sends the Musketeers to the Elite 8 for the third time in program history, and the first time since 2008.

This marks Chris Mack's first trip to an NCAA Regional Final as a head coach.

Both Xavier and Gonzaga will be looking to advance to the Final Four for the first time in program history.

VIDEO

BACK-AND-FORTH BATTLE

Arizona took a 7-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game before a bucket for Bluiett put the Musketeers into the scoring column.

The Wildcat lead grew to as many as eight, 10-2, before the Musketeer settled in on offense, scoring seven straight to cut the lead to one, 10-9, eight minutes into the game.

Bluiett started the game 4-of-4 from the floor, scoring nine in the first 12 minutes of the game as another 7-0 run for the Musketeer put the Musketeers ahead for the first time, 18-17, with just under nine minutes to play in the first half.

After eight ties and five lead changes in the final 10 minutes of the first half, the two teams went into the final 10 seconds of the half knotted at 35 before an AU basket at the buzzer sent the teams into halftime with Arizona ahead, 37-35.

Bluiett hit his first seven shots from the floor, going 7-of-8 on field goals in the first half for a game-high 18 points.

Xavier shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, matching Arizona with 18 points in the paint.

The Wildcats owned a 19-13 advantage on the boards, including grabbing 11 offensive boards to four for the Musketeers to outscore Xavier 13-5 on second-chance points.

MUSKETEERS FINISH STRONG

Arizona pushed its lead out to four in the opening moments of the first half before a 7-0 run for the Musketeers, fueled by five points for Bernard, put the Musketeers ahead by three, 48-45, with 15 minute to play.

Bernard scored 15 in the second half as the lead changed five times in the during the first 15 minutes of the second half.

Xavier held a four-point lead, its largest of the game, with seven minutes to play when Arizona scored 12 straight to push the lead back out to eight, 69-61, with 3:44 to play, matching its largest lead of the game.

A Bluiett three stopped the Wildcat run, but Arizona took a seven-point lead into the final three minutes.

Bernard scored five points in 30 seconds of game time to get the Arizona lead down to a single possession, 71-69, going into the final two minutes.

A pair of free throws from Bluiett tied the game and bucket from Sean O'Mara put the Musketeers up, 73-71, with 40 seconds to play.

The Wildcats had two looks in the final 30 seconds, but neither fell, giving the Musketeers the win. Xavier held Arizona scoreless over the last 2:52, closing the game on a 9-0 run.

Bernard's 15 led the Musketeers in the second half, hitting 5-of-5 from the floor, including three shots from outside.

Bluiett added seven and Macura and O'Mara added six each in the final 20 minutes.

The Musketeers shot over 55 percent from the floor in the second half, including 40 percent from three.

The Wildcats owned a 16-14 advantage on the boards in the second half, but the Musketeers limited the opportunities off the offensive glass. Both teams grabbed three offensive rebounds, but the Musketeers owned a 6-4 advantage on second-chance points.

UP NEXT: ELITE EIGHT

Xavier advances to the third Elite Eight in program history, facing off with the No. 1 seed Gonzaga in the NCAA West Regional Final on Saturday, March 25. The Musketeers and the Bulldogs will face off at 6:09 p.m. ET on TBS at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.

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Xavier Advances to Elite Eight by Xavier Musketeers on Exposure