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View Full Version : Furious second-half rally guides #3 Xavier past streaking #14 Bulldogs, 73-61



kyxu
03-20-2008, 02:51 PM
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj89/xhoops/9762cd18-76ee-48c2-94fb-27e02dddc8f.jpgFurious second-half rally guides #3 Xavier past streaking #14 Bulldogs, 73-61
By Mike Damone

With 16:10 left in the game, the #3 Musketeers were dead in the water. There was no life on Xavier’s bench, players on the floor looked frustrated and out-of-sorts, and the narrowing deficit the Musketeers had worked so hard to trim two minutes earlier was back out to 11, 43-32, when #14 Georgia’s Terrance Woodbury (16 pts, 7 reb) buried a jumper from the baseline.
No doubt about it, the 2007-08 Xavier Musketeers would have left their mark on the program, claiming yet another Atlantic 10 regular season title, a school-record in regular season victories, highest national ranking so late in a college basketball season and increased national exposure for the program. However, if the Musketeers failed to advance Thursday afternoon, the resounding mantra for this edition of Xavier men’s basketball was likely to be to the tune of: “what could have been?” With shots not falling, Sean Miller’s Musketeers (28-6) would have to use one of their most effective tools in what has been a record-setting season, thus far: free throws.
Fittingly enough, 25 seconds after the Georgia Bulldogs (17-17) matched their largest lead of 11 with 16:10 left in the game, bruising Bulldog forward Dave Bliss (6 pts, 4 reb) fouled Josh Duncan (20 pts, 7 reb), where he would make both from the foul line to cut Georgia’s lead. Xavier down 9. On Xavier’s next possession, CJ Anderson (6 pts) was fouled going up for a shot inside. He hit both. Xavier down 7. Billy Humphrey (12 pts) would push Georgia’s lead back to 10, 46-36, but the Musketeers were on to something.
Though the score was stuck for one minute after exchanged empty possessions, Duncan was fed inside again, and again he was fouled. He made both free throws. Xavier down 8 with 13:32 left. Not long after BJ Raymond (8 points) stuck back a Duncan miss to pull the Musketeers to the closest they had been since the first half, 46-40, Humphrey committed two fouls 16 seconds apart. The second of which, a defensive foul, this time sent Stanley Burrell (3 pts, 4 assists) to the line, where he made both. Xavier down 4 with 12:05 left.
It certainly wasn’t pretty, but Xavier’s methodical, workmanlike offensive approach was enough to get them back in their first-round match-up with the SEC Tournament champs at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. From this point, one could get the feeling Xavier was regaining control of the game in forcing Georgia to play less physical when racking up fouls.
More importantly, the Musketeers seemed to regain their shooting touch. After a two-minute lull where the score was stuck on 46-42, Humphrey buried a three to put Georgia back on top by seven. Anderson would draw another foul inside on Sundiata Gaines (13 pts, 6 assists) and make both, to bring Xavier back to within five.
Enter Xavier’s shooting stroke. Derrick Brown (19 pts, 11 reb) jammed home an assist by Burrell, and on the following possession, Raymond knotted the score at 49 with a three with under eight minutes left. Georgia lead: gone. Momentum: all Xavier. After Danté Jackson’s three put the Musketeers ahead to stay, 52-49 with 7:23 left, Duncan followed with another short jumper to book-end a 22-6 Xavier run. Xavier up 5, 54-49, with 6:18 to go.
Suddenly, albeit quietly, Xavier would begin to put away the Georgia Bulldogs and crush the spirits of what was an impressive and unlikely story of a sub-.500 Georgia team winning four games in four days – including three games in 30 hours – to win the SEC Tournament Championship. Of course, the Bulldogs wouldn’t leave without some bark.
A Brown hoop-and-harm off a Burrell fastbreak feed pushed Xavier to their largest lead of the game at that point, 59-51, before Georgia used a 10-4 run to keep things interesting, cutting Xavier’s lead back to three, 64-61, capped by a Bliss dunk with 1:36 left. Unfortunately for Georgia, these were their last points of the game. Drew Lavender (13 pts) started a 9-0 Xavier run – all from the free-throw line – to allow the Musketeers to survive and advance.
Xavier can thank both Duncan and Brown for the come-from-behind win, as both keyed Xavier’s interior push that ultimately decided the game. Both combined to shoot close to 79 percent from the line for the game, and both produced game-highs in rebounds. Brown’s double-double also marked the second time in his career that he would record double-digits in rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game.
Xavier advances to the second-round of the NCAA Tournament for the second-consecutive year, including the fifth time in its last six trips to the Big Dance. Xavier will now face the #6 Purdue Boilermakers (25-8) at approximately 4:40 p.m. on Saturday.

KC4X
03-20-2008, 11:55 PM
Great job, ky!