Xavier Falls in Overtime to Providence in BIG EAST Semifinals

Friday, March 9

Madison Square Garden

6:30 PM

Xavier University

Providence

OT 1

PROVIDENCE

XAVIER

Xavier Falls in Overtime to Providence in BIG EAST Semifinals

03.09.18 | Men's Basketball

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Paul Scruggs scored career-high 15 points; Naji Marshall grabbed career high 12 rebounds

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

NEW YORK – A second-half surge for the No. 5 seed Providence erased a Xavier first-half lead, giving the No. 1 seed Musketeers the overtime loss, 75-72, and ending Xavier's BIG EAST Tournament run in the Semifinals. Xavier held a 14-point lead at the break, but PC chipped away at the advantage to pull into a tie in the closing minutes of regulation to force overtime where PC secured the three-point win. Xavier moves to 28-5 on the season and awaits its 2018 NCAA Tournament fate, to be announced on Sunday, March 11 at 6:00 p.m. on TBS.

Kerem Kanter led all scorers with 18 points and Paul Scruggs added a career-high 15 points. Naji Marshall led the Musketeers on the boards with a career-high 12 rebounds.

FIRST HALF

Xavier took the lead early, trading baskets with the Friars until a 9-3 run for the Musketeers, capped by a pair of dunks off steals, pushed the lead out to eight, 18-10, forcing Providence to call a time out with just under 12 minutes remaining in the first half.
The run extended to 14-3, including nine straight for the Musketeers, as Xavier continued to build its advantage, leading by as many as 16, 28-12, with seven minutes remaining before the break.
After the Musketeers built the 16-point advantage, PC responded with five-straight points, starting an 8-2 run for the Friars to cut the lead down to 10, 30-20.
Providence would get as close as nine, 38-29, with just over a minute remaining before the break before Xavier scored five straight to close the half, going into the break up 14, 43-29.
Paul Scruggs matched his career high in the first half, scoring 13 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including a pair of looks from behind the arc, and 3-of-3 from the free throw line.
Kerem Kanter added 10 in the first half, connecting on 4-of-5 shots from the floor.
Xavier shot 46 percent from the floor in the first half, including going 13-of-24 from inside the arc. The Musketeers owned a sizable advantage on points in the paint, outscoring the Friars 22-10 down low in the first half.
Naji Marshall grabbed a team-high seven rebounds as Xavier outrebounded Providence 24-16 in the first half.

SECOND HALF

In the first five minutes of the second half, Xavier extended the lead out to 17, 52-35, before an 8-0 PC run cut the Xavier advantage down to nine. The run started a three-minute stretch where the Friars outscored the Musketeers 12-2 to cut the lead down to seven.
A Kerem Kanter basket and free throw pushed the Xavier lead back out to 10, 59-49, with nine minutes remaining before an 8-0 burst for PC cut the lead back to two, 59-57, the closest the margin had been since the opening minutes of the game.
Kanter hit a three to stop the run, pushing the Xavier lead back to five, but after trading baskets, five straight for PC tied the game, 64-64, with under four minutes remaining.
In the final two minutes of the game, Xavier retook the lead on a pair of Trevon Bluiett free throws, but PC responded with a pair of its own, putting the game at 66-66 with under 40 second remaining.
Sean O'Mara hit a jumper with 35 seconds remaining to put the Musketeers up, but PC responded with a pair of free throws to tie the game at 68 and send it to over time.
Kanter's eight points led the Musketeers in the second period.
Naji Marshall had four boards in the second half to lead Xavier as the Musketeers was outrebounded by the Friars 18-15 in the second half.
After committing only two turnovers in the first half, Xavier committed seven in the second half, leading to 12 points for the Friars.
Xavier connected on 8-of-27 field goals in the second half, which PC hit 16-of-29 from the floor.

OVERTIME

Trevon Bluiett gave Xavier a two-point lead to open overtime before Providence scored five unanswered to take its largest lead of the game 73-70 with under a minute remaining.
Bluiett hit a pair of free throws with 40 seconds remaining to cut the PC lead down to one. The Musketeers.
In the closing seconds, PC hit a pair of free throws to make the lead three, 75-72 with six seconds remaining. On the last play of the game, Kerem Kanter hit a three, but it was just after the buzzer to give PC the 75-72 win.
Bluiett scored all four points for the Musketeers in overtime.

NOTABLES

Kerem Kanter led all scorers with 18 points, hitting 7-of-9 from the floor to lead three Musketeers in double figures.
Paul Scruggs set a new career-high at 15, shooting 4-of-5 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the free throw line.
Trevon Bluiett finished with 13 points, including going 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
Naji Marshall grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds to lead the Musketeers as they outrebounded PC, 45-38.
The loss ends a four-game winning streak for the Musketeers and moves Xavier to 2-1 in overtime games this season.
Xavier moved to 23-1 on the season when holding opponents to 80 points or less.