Xavier University Athletics
Saturday, March 25
San Jose, Calif.
6:09 p.m.
Xavier University
24-14
59
vs
83
Gonzaga University
36-1
1
2
F
Xavier
39
20
59
Gonzaga
49
34
83
Musketeers Fall to Gonzaga in NCAA Tournament West Regional Final
03.25.17 | Men's Basketball
Bluiett, Macura named to West Regional All-Tournament Team; Xavier close out the season at 24-14
SAN JOSE, Calif. – No. 11 seed Xavier's run in the NCAA tournament ended in the West Regional Final on Saturday, as the Musketeers fell 83-59 to the No. 1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs on Saturday at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.
The Musketeers closed out the season with a record of 24-14 overall and 9-9 in BIG EAST play. Gonzaga advances to the Final Four where they will meet the winners of the East Regional Final game between Florida and South Carolina to be played in New York on Sunday.
Trevon Bluiett was named to the 2017 West Regional All-Tournament Team after averaging 21.3 points per game through four NCAA Tournament games. Bluiett shot 41.4 percent from three over the four-game span and grabbed a total of 85 points.
J.P. Macura also earned a spot on the 2017 West Regional All-Tournament Team. Macura averaged 13 points through the Musketeers' four NCAA Tournament games.
Eight Musketeers scored against Gonzaga, led by Macura with 18 points, connecting on 7-of-13 shots from the floor.
Bluiett added 10 for the Musketeers against the Bulldogs.
Bluiett also grabbed seven rebounds, matching Kaiser Gates for team-high. Both teams grabbed 41 boards each.
Quentin Goodin added nine points and five rebounds. The freshman guard averaged 5.5 assists per game in the NCAA Tournament.
In NCAA Tournament play, Malcolm Bernard shot 52.4 percent from the floor, including 50 percent from the beyond the arc. Bernard averaged a team-high 5.3 boards per game during the tournament.
Sean O'Mara averaged 10.5 points and five rebounds in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Xavier closed out the season with a record of 24-14.
After trading leads to open the game, Gonzaga jumped ahead, leading by as many as five in the first 10 minutes after shooting 57 percent from the floor to open the game, including hitting three early threes.
The Musketeers countered with six early points for Bluiett and five for Goodin as Xavier turned three early Bulldog turnovers into six points.
Xavier stayed within a possession of Gonzaga until a four-minute stretch where the Bulldogs outscored the Musketeers 11-4 to push the lead out to multiple possessions. Gonzaga hit 7-of-12 outside shots to push the lead to by as many as 11, 41-30, with less than three minutes to play in the first half.
GU led 44-33 with a 1:36 to play before the break when four unanswered points for the Musketeers, including a three by Bluiett, the first of the game for a Musketeer, to cut the lead down to seven with a minute to play before the Bulldogs took a 10-point lead into the break.
Bluiett led the Musketeers with 10 points in the first half and Macura added nine.
Xavier owned a 21-16 advantage on the boards in the first half, led by four boards a piece for Gaston and Macura.
GU used a 10-3 run at the start of the second half to push its lead out to 17 with 16 minute to play.
Macura chipped in a team-high nine points in the second half, hitting 50 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes.
Xavier held Gonzaga to under 40 percent from the floor in the second half, but the Musketeers connected on just 8-of-30 shots from the floor in the final 20 minutes as the Bulldogs steadily built the lead out to 20 points. Xavier would climb to within 16 in the final 10 minutes, but the Bulldogs built the lead back out to 24, leading 83-59 at the final horn.
Xavier was edged on the boards 25-20 in the second half, led by five for Gates grabbed five boards in the second half.
Xavier Faces Gonzaga in the Elite Eight by Xavier Musketeers on Exposure
The Musketeers closed out the season with a record of 24-14 overall and 9-9 in BIG EAST play. Gonzaga advances to the Final Four where they will meet the winners of the East Regional Final game between Florida and South Carolina to be played in New York on Sunday.
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NOTABLE |
Trevon Bluiett was named to the 2017 West Regional All-Tournament Team after averaging 21.3 points per game through four NCAA Tournament games. Bluiett shot 41.4 percent from three over the four-game span and grabbed a total of 85 points.
J.P. Macura also earned a spot on the 2017 West Regional All-Tournament Team. Macura averaged 13 points through the Musketeers' four NCAA Tournament games.
Eight Musketeers scored against Gonzaga, led by Macura with 18 points, connecting on 7-of-13 shots from the floor.
Bluiett added 10 for the Musketeers against the Bulldogs.
Bluiett also grabbed seven rebounds, matching Kaiser Gates for team-high. Both teams grabbed 41 boards each.
Quentin Goodin added nine points and five rebounds. The freshman guard averaged 5.5 assists per game in the NCAA Tournament.
In NCAA Tournament play, Malcolm Bernard shot 52.4 percent from the floor, including 50 percent from the beyond the arc. Bernard averaged a team-high 5.3 boards per game during the tournament.
Sean O'Mara averaged 10.5 points and five rebounds in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Xavier closed out the season with a record of 24-14.
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FIRST HALF |
After trading leads to open the game, Gonzaga jumped ahead, leading by as many as five in the first 10 minutes after shooting 57 percent from the floor to open the game, including hitting three early threes.
The Musketeers countered with six early points for Bluiett and five for Goodin as Xavier turned three early Bulldog turnovers into six points.
Xavier stayed within a possession of Gonzaga until a four-minute stretch where the Bulldogs outscored the Musketeers 11-4 to push the lead out to multiple possessions. Gonzaga hit 7-of-12 outside shots to push the lead to by as many as 11, 41-30, with less than three minutes to play in the first half.
GU led 44-33 with a 1:36 to play before the break when four unanswered points for the Musketeers, including a three by Bluiett, the first of the game for a Musketeer, to cut the lead down to seven with a minute to play before the Bulldogs took a 10-point lead into the break.
Bluiett led the Musketeers with 10 points in the first half and Macura added nine.
Xavier owned a 21-16 advantage on the boards in the first half, led by four boards a piece for Gaston and Macura.
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SECOND HALF |
GU used a 10-3 run at the start of the second half to push its lead out to 17 with 16 minute to play.
Macura chipped in a team-high nine points in the second half, hitting 50 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes.
Xavier held Gonzaga to under 40 percent from the floor in the second half, but the Musketeers connected on just 8-of-30 shots from the floor in the final 20 minutes as the Bulldogs steadily built the lead out to 20 points. Xavier would climb to within 16 in the final 10 minutes, but the Bulldogs built the lead back out to 24, leading 83-59 at the final horn.
Xavier was edged on the boards 25-20 in the second half, led by five for Gates grabbed five boards in the second half.
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PHOTO GALLERY |
Xavier Faces Gonzaga in the Elite Eight by Xavier Musketeers on Exposure
Team Stats
XU
GON
FG%
.355
.475
3FG%
.125
.500
FT%
.591
.520
RB
41
41
TO
11
10
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward/Center
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