News / Sports
NCAA Tournament Scores: Xavier Puts it Together in Second Half to Overtake BYU
The nine seeded Xavier Musketeers turned up their offense in the second half and junior guard Drew Lavender took control to gain a 79-77 victory over the eight seeded BYU Cougars.
Xavier trailed 38-32 heading into the second half but put 47 points on the board, 18 from the foul-line, to surprise the Cougars. Lavender played big for the Musketeers down the stretch, scoring 9 points in the final 4:10 to seal the win.
Both teams shot 47 percent from beyond the three-point line but it was Xavier’s ability to get to the foul-line that made the difference. The Musketeers were 23-29 from the stripe while the Cougars attempted just 13 from the line, hitting 10.
Lavender finished with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists while senior Justin Doellman added 23 points and 5 boards. Xavier will now face top seeded Ohio State in the second round.
