Filip Borovicanin knocked down a go-ahead, fadeaway jumper as time expired, and Tre Carroll scored 21 points to help Xavier overcome an 18-point, second-half deficit, to win 68-66 over visiting DePaul in Big East play Saturday in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Moments after DePaul’s CJ Gunn ended a 15-0 Xavier run by tying the game at 66 on a contested 3-pointer with 9.1 seconds remaining, Borovicanin (16 points) dribbled just to the left of the paint, near the baseline, then stepped away, while guarded, to hit the game-winning floater before the final horn.
Meanwhile, Carroll, the Big East’s leading scorer who entered averaging 18.2 points, helped pace the comeback for Xavier (12-10, 4-7), which trailed 57-39 with 13:35 to play in the contest. However, the Blue Demons (12-10, 4-7) managed just nine points the rest of the way, going 4-of-16 from the field after starting the second half 9-of-14.
Malik Messina-Moore added 13 points for Xavier, which shot 54.5% in the second half, and an important 13-of-14 from the free-throw line through the final 20 minutes. The Musketeers, who had lost three in a row entering this contest, took their first lead of the game at 64-63 on Jovan Milicevic’s free throw with 56.9 seconds remaining in regulation.
Gunn finished with 19 points, and NJ Benson scored 14 for the Blue Demons, who missed several layups and close-up baskets in the second half. DePaul also committed 11 turnovers and missed its only free-throw attempt of the game.
DePaul shot 55 percent in the first half and used a 20-8 advantage in the paint to help build a 35-23 lead with a little more than two minutes remaining before halftime. However, the Musketeers used a 7-0 run, highlighted Messina-Moore’s third 3-pointer of the day, to make it a five-point contest at the break.
Xavier shot 39.3% overall through the first 20 minutes but hung around thanks to a 5-of-11 effort from beyond the arc during the first half.
–Field Level Media
