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Xavier fights off Butler in OT, advances to semis

Mar 13, 2015 - 6:29 AM New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Matt Stainbrook, Myles Davis and Dee Davis scored 13 points apiece as Xavier knocked off No. 22 Butler 67-61 in the quarterfinals of the Big East Conference Tournament.

Depth played a key role in the outcome, as Xavier's bench outscored Butler's 25-0 to advance and move on for a matchup against Georgetown on Friday.

"We've got a quick turnaround to play one of the best teams in the country in Georgetown, and it will be a challenge," Xavier head coach Chris Mack said.

Stainbrook also pulled down 10 rebounds for the sixth-seeded Musketeers (20-12), Jalen Reynolds added 12 points and Trevon Bluiett chipped in 11, including a clutch 3-pointer down the stretch that helped force overtime.

Alex Barlow made five 3-pointers and led third-seeded Butler (22-10) with 22 points, while Kellen Dunham and Andrew Chrabascz contributed 17 and 16 points, respectively, in a losing effort.

Neither team scored in regulation after Bluiett's 3-pointer evened things at 53-53 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining.

Butler's Roosevelt Jones missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and had a contested runner in the lane rim out in crunch time. Barlow doubled down on a driving Stainbrook in the final seconds and stripped the 6-foot-10 center to force OT.

Reynolds' three-point play broke a 56-56 tie in the extra session, and the Musketeers stayed in the front the rest of the way.

"I thought they made enough plays down the stretch, particularly getting to the foul line in overtime really hurt us," Butler head coach Chris Holtmann said.

Bluiett missed the second of his two free throws with under two minutes remaining, and Stainbrook secured the offensive rebound. Myles Davis cleaned up his own miss on the extended possession to make it a 63-58 game, and Xavier sealed the win at the free throw line.

Dee Davis hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the first half to give Xavier a 30-28 lead at the break. The basket punctuated the Musketeers' reversal of their early struggles, as Butler scored the game's first eight points and led by 10 five minutes in.

The second half began much the same way, as Butler scored 14 of the first 17 points over the opening 6 1/2 minutes. Dunham's 3-pointer yielded a 42-33 lead for the Bulldogs, but they went 0-for-8 from the field over the next nine minutes to let Xavier back in it.

Game Notes

Jones, Butler's second-leading scorer at 12.9 ppg coming in, was limited to four points on 2-of-9 shooting ... Xavier scored 23 points off turnovers, while Butler had 11 ... The Musketeers won the battle in the paint 36-26.