Marquette University Athletics
Marquette University
XAVIER (NIT FIRST ROUND)
Men's Hoops Falls To Xavier, 67-63
3/15/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 15, 2000
By JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer
CINCINNATI (AP) - Even in victory, Xavier was stunned.
The Musketeers switched roles on Marquette in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament, overcoming a double-digit deficit in the second half for a stunning 67-63 victory Wednesday night.
Maurice McAfee hit a 3-pointer and a free throw in the final two minutes as Xavier (21-11) overcame its nonstop mistakes with a couple of good minutes at the end.
"I'm just glad we're playing ... I think," coach Skip Prosser said.
The only thing that pleased Xavier was the score. The Musketeers trailed most of the game and were down by 10 with 15:25 left before rallying behind the front-line play of Kevin Frey and David West.
With a crowd of 5,006 - the smallest at the Cincinnati Gardens this season - on its feet, McAfee worked around a pick and hit a long 3-pointer with the shot clock running down to put Xavier ahead 63-60 with 1:45 to play.
It was Xavier's first lead since the opening minutes and it seemed to take everything out of Marquette (15-14), which hit one clutch hot after another up to that point.
"They had the momentum there a little bit. He was just feeling it, I guess," said Cordell Henry, who led Marquette with a career-high 26 points. "It was one of those things."
With Lloyd Price benched for missing practice and Darnell Williams struggling through a 1-for-13 shooting night, McAfee figured it was up to him. He'd missed 6-of-9 from the field before letting the 3-pointer fly.
"I didn't have a great game," McAfee said. "I figured I had to do something. They had been stepping up all game and hitting big shots every time we got close. I figured it was our turn to get some big shots."
Marquette made a shot to tie it at 66 with 5 seconds left, but Brian Wardle's 3-point attempt went off the side of the rim. Aaron Turner got the rebound, was fouled and hit one free throw to clinch it.
Frey led Xavier with 21 points, and West added 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Henry matched his career high with 17 points in the first half as Marquette got up by double-digits, but drew heavy coverage in the second half. John Cliff added 19 points.
It was a bookend game to their meeting Jan. 2 at Milwaukee, where Xavier blew an 18-point lead in the second half for one of its most crushing losses.
The Musketeers had won five in a row, including their upset of No. 1 Cincinnati, and were getting national attention when the Golden Eagles pulled off their big comeback.
From that game on, Xavier made a habit of blowing leads and losing close games.
Henry hit the big shots in that first game, including a 3-pointer that tied it and a basket that put Marquette ahead to stay. He pushed Xavier to the verge of its first first-round loss in seven NIT appearances Wednesday.
Henry, who averages 8.5 points, hit 8-of-10 from the field in the first half as he tied a career high reached only two other times.
"I talked to him before the game," Prosser said. "I asked him if he was going to throw in one of those late-game blue darters like he did in Milwaukee. He said he was trying to. I should have kept my mouth shut."
Price, Xavier's second-leading rebounder and third-leading scorer at 13.1 points, didn't play because he missed two practices over the weekend. Price said he needed time to clear his head after his poor play in the Atlantic 10 tournament.
