CHARLESTON, S.C. – Xavier basketball showcased its resolve when the Musketeers rallied from back-to-back 19-point losses to blow out Old Dominion at Cintas Center, 99-69.
The Musketeers showed resiliency again in the opening round of the Charleston Classic Nov. 21, even in defeat.
Playing its second high-major opponent of the season, Xavier rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit against Georgia, took the lead in the final minute, but fell to the unbeaten Bulldogs, 78-77.
“To come back, fight, get the lead, it was great,” Xavier head coach Richard Pitino said.
Xavier Musketeers fall to Georgia Bulldogs in final seconds
Xavier led 77-75 after guard All Wright hit a 3-pointer with 1:37 remaining. Georgia guard Marcus Millender responded with the game-winning triple with 9.9 seconds remaining.
On the final possession of the game, Wright’s baseline jumper was off the mark. Tre Carroll grabbed the offensive rebound for Xavier and tried to put up a game-winning shot attempt but was met by a Georgia defender as the horn went off.
Pitino and the Xavier bench erupted looking for a foul call, but the officials signaled game over, ran off the court and Xavier fell to 3-3.
“That’s sports. You can’t complain about ‘what-ifs?’ and ‘should we have gotten a foul?’ It doesn’t matter,” Pitino said.
Xavier rallies in second half in near upset of Georgia
Xavier outscored Georgia, 36-25, in the second half. The Musketeers were a double-digit underdog heading into the night but fought back behind a zone defense that stymied Georgia for large portions of the second half.
Georgia, which entered Friday No. 7 in the nation in scoring offense (99.4 points per game) shot just 32.3% from the field in the second half.
Georgia had 40 points in the paint after averaging 48.4 per game over its 5-0 start. The Bulldogs had struggled from the perimeter. Xavier held Georgia to 7-of-28 from deep with a zone that welcomed attempts from beyond the arc. Georgia was 1-for-15 from 3-point range in the second half before Millender’s game-winner.
“It changed the game,” Pitino said of his team’s defense. “We just thought with Georgia’s speed and athleticism, they haven’t shot the 3 well. They shoot a lot of them, but they have not shot the 3 well. It was something that we worked on the last couple of days. It certainly saved us and almost stole a win.”
Offensively, Xavier had four players in double figures, led by Jovan Milicevic (19) and Carroll (19). Wright ended up with 17 and Filip Borovicanin had 12. Milicevic’s fourth 3-pointer of the night with 6:41 left made it 71-68.
Malik Messina-Moore’s only made field goal of the night came at the 2:28 mark with a 3-pointer late in the shot clock to cut Georgia’s lead to 75-73. Xavier’s offense shot just 38.6% overall but committed just eight turnovers against a Georgia defense that attacks with full-court pressure and ranked No. 2 in KenPom in turnover percentage.
“A lot of really, really good moments,” Pitino said. “Disappointed, certainly devastating, the kid (Millender) makes a tough 3. We make a play down the stretch; it doesn’t go our way.”
Borovicanin had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Xavier went toe-to-toe with Georgia on the glass, with the Bulldogs winning the rebounding battle, 43-42.
Georgia stretches lead with late first-half surge
Georgia’s size and quickness eventually wore down the small-ball lineup that Xavier has stuck with over the last three games. Over the final 3:58, the Bulldogs outscored the Musketeers, 15-5, to take a 12-point lead (53-41) into the locker room.
Georgia shot 57.6% from the field in the first half, doubled up Xavier at the free-throw line and had 24 points in the paint.
The Musketeers got little production from its non-starters as Georgia’s bench outscored Xavier’s, 39-4. In the end, only six Xavier players logged more than eight minutes. Georgia had 10 players out there for double-digit minutes.
“I’m really, really proud of them when they (Georgia) had some fresh guys,” Pitino said. “For us, our tank was on empty, and it was just will and heart to get through it.”
Xavier-Georgia battle in up-tempo first half
Georgia plays at the No. 9 tempo in college basketball, according to KenPom, and Xavier welcomed a fast-paced first half with both slides flying up and down the floor.
Xavier led for nearly eight minutes early as the Musketeers were able to match Georgia’s speed. Milicevic knocked down three 3-pointers in a row to give the Musketeers a 16-10 advantage at the opening media timeout. Milicevic’s putback at the 8:56 mark gave Xavier a 29-24 advantage.
What’s next for Xavier basketball?
Xavier will play West Virginia in the final round of the Charleston Classic as part of the Palmetto Bracket on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 3:30 p.m. West Virginia let a second-half lead slip away in its 70-67 loss to Clemson on Friday.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: ‘Really, really proud.’ Takeaways from Xavier’s loss to Georgia
Reporting by Shelby Dermer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
