Xavier Advances to Elite 8 with Thrilling win over West Virginia
B.J. Raymond scored all 8 of his points in overtime as the Musketeers advanced to the Elite 8 with a 79-75 win in front of 18,103 at US Airways Center.
Xavier (29-6) opened the game on an 8-0 run and led by as many as 16 in the first half. The Mountaineers, led by Joe Alexander, would bounce back cut the halftime deficit to 7. Alexander finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead West Virginia (26-10).
It was an Alexander fueled run in the second half which gave WVU their first lead with nearly 10 minutes left in the game. The two teams swapped leads down the stretch and eventually played to a 64-64 tie at the end of regulation.
In overtime, B.J. Raymond took over. No baskel was bigger than a three pointer made with the shot clock running down and only 30 seconds left in the game. The bucket gave Xavier a four point lead and served as the dagger for WVU.
Sean Miller, a former Herb Sendek assistant, was proud of his team's performance and is looking forward to their next challenge.
The Musketeers now await the winner of UCLA and Western Kentucky. The Championship of the Phoenix Regional will take place on Saturday at US Airways Center at a time to be announced.
last updated on 08.03.27 at 9:53 PM