The Bearcats would hold would make it a 76-73 game with thirty seconds left after a DeJulius made three, but the madness wouldn’t stop there after the DeJulius got a defender to jump and completed a four-point play to tie this at 77 after a huge 12-1 run in the biggest moment of this game. The Bearcats were locked in on defense after holding the Musketeers without a field goal the final three minutes of this one and Xavier was looking to find an answer for the Bearcats.
The Musketeers would take a 78-77 lead following a layup by Souley Boum with 11 seconds left. However, Bearcats head coach Wes Miller called timeout with no timeouts left, which resulted in a technical foul. The Musketeers would knock down both free throws to make this an 80-77 game with 0.7 seconds left after Miller ate the technical foul.
“I checked with the lead official Joe and said Joe if I get a technical on the miss, we get the ball back and get a chance to throw it long and it still be a one possession game even if he makes both free throws. I told Joe, I want it if they miss, you play the odds in that situation. If I had to make that decision again, I would do the same thing because I think it’s the right decision,” said Miller postgame.
The Bearcats would eventually fall 80-77 after a huge second half as the Bearcats outscored the Musketeers 53-39 in the second half. This was a prime example of why this rivalry is the best in all of college basketball after this afternoon’s game. The fans were electric at Fifth Third and played a massive role in the Bearcats late efforts. The Musketeers were led by Souley Boum who finished with 21 points, followed by 15 from Colby Jones. The Musketeers saw a huge day from Zach Freemantle who finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds and was a huge factor for the Musketeers.
However, the Bearcats were led by David DeJulius who finished with a game high 22 points, (17) in the second half including two big threes in the final seconds. The Bearcats knew they would have to have a big day from Viktor Lakhin and he had just that as he finished with 16 points, on 7-of-9 shooting, along with eight rebounds and brought the energy for the Bearcat rutkus this afternoon. The Bearcats willed their way back in this one after trailing 17 at the break, but ultimately fell short but you have to be proud of how this team responded after a slow first half.
The Bearcats now fall to (6-4) on the season and will be back in action this Wednesday when they welcome in Miami of Ohio.
