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No. 11 Xavier tops Vanderbilt in OT

Nov 29, 2011 - 4:24 AM Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Mark Lyons sank a game-tying layup with 6.5 seconds left in regulation, and Tu Holloway's long-distance shots keyed a dominant overtime that Xavier used to beat Vanderbilt, 82-70.

Holloway drilled back-to-back three-pointers near the middle of overtime to give the 11th-ranked Musketeers a 74-66 advantage, and made four free throws in the final minute to help cement the victory.

Holloway finished with 24 points and Lyons ended with 19 for Xavier (5-0), which was playing its first road game of the season.

John Jenkins ended with 20 points for the No. 20 Commodores (5-2), who had won their last four games. Lance Goulbourne and Jeffery Taylor both scored 18 points in the setback.

Xavier played behind for much of the game, and faced a 46-36 deficit with just under 16 minutes to play. Goulbourne drilled a three and Taylor followed with a dunk to provide the 10-point Vanderbilt lead.

The Musketeers eventually came back and went in front thanks to a 10-0 run that Lyons fueled with six points. Travis Taylor capped it with a layup to give Xavier a 52-51 edge with 11:51 to go.

Vanderbilt moved back ahead, and held 66-62 advantage with four minutes to play after Jenkins hit a three. But the Commodores didn't score for the rest of regulation, allowing Xavier to tie the game.

The Musketeers didn't have a lot of offensive success in the same time frame. After Lyons hit two free throws to cut their deficit to two, they missed two shots and turned the ball over twice.

But they got another shot to tie the game when Jenkins missed a jumper with time winding down. Andre Walker, who transferred from Vanderbilt to Xavier, grabbed the rebound and Lyons came up with the tying points. He stutter- stepped to get his defender off balance, then spun to his left to get a clear look at the basket, and sank the bucket.

"The whole time I was hoping that Mark would not settle to pull back and take a three, but bust to the basket and make a tough shot and maybe even get fouled," said Xavier head coach Chris Mack. "He made a tough shot."

The game went to overtime after Goulbourne missed a jumper at the other end.

The Commodores' offensive woes continued in the extra period. They didn't score for the first 2 1/2 minutes of overtime, and by that point it was essentially too late because of Holloway's threes.

A pair of Jenkins buckets had Vanderbilt within four, but the Commodores missed the rest of their shots. Xavier dominated the defensive glass down the stretch to get to the free throw line, making 6-of-6 in the final minute-plus.

"That was a really disappointing game to lose. We had it under control in the second half, had a few of our reserves in, and they gave the lead away quickly," said Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings. "We put in our starters and fought to get it back to a two- to four-point lead and couldn't hit shots in the end."

In a back-and-forth first half, Jeffery Taylor made a layup and three-pointer to give Vanderbilt a 29-23 lead with a little under six minutes left. The Commodores carried a 34-29 edge into the break.

Game Notes

Walker finished with 14 rebounds and six points for the Musketeers, who got 11 points and seven boards from Travis Taylor...Xavier has won all five meetings. The teams' last matchup was in the first round of the 1997 NCAA Tournament...Vanderbilt guard Brad Tinsley had a game-high seven assists.