Xavier Uses Raymond's 3-Pointers To Beat Western Virginia in OT

Phoenix, AZ (AHN) - Xavier bungled an opportunity to close it at the end of regulation but B.J. Raymond came through with back-breaking triples in the extra period and the Musketeers smothered the Mountaineers 79-75 in the West Region semifinals Thursday at the U.S. Airways Center.

The Musketeers failed to move ahead earlier when Drew Lavender's 18-foot try rimmed out as time expired but the third-seeded Xavier still had plenty of ammunition in overtime. Raymond drained consecutive 3-pointers to help the Musketeers take a 78-74 lead in the last 30 seconds.

It also helped that the Mountaineers finished 1-of-11 from beyond the arc and missed some crucial free throws down the stretch. Now, the Musketeers, who defeated Purdue in the second round, are in the regional finals for the first time since 2004.

Josh Duncan led everyone with 26 markers and C.J. Anderson had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Xavier, which shot 11-of-19 from rainbow territory.

The Musketeers will play the winner between top-seeded UCLA and Western Kentucky on Saturday for a place in the Final Four.

The Mountaineers drew double-digit performances from four players but still fell short down the stretch with Joe Alexander missing a free throw in the final 14.2 seconds of regulation. That would have pushed West Virginia on top by one 65-64.

Alexander led the Mountaineers with 18 points and 10 rebounds, Da'Sean Butler chipped in 16 points, Alex Ruoff had 14 and Joe Mazulla 10.