Williamsburg, Ky. – William Carey erased a nine-point second-half deficit and survived a frantic finish to defeat Xavier University of Louisiana 88–87 Friday night in the First Round of the NAIA National Tournament.
"Basketball is a funny game," said Head Coach
Steve Knight. "Momentum is so important and we had it for most of the 1st half, but Xavier turned the tables in the 2nd half. We made awesome plays down the stretch, never gave up and Troy hit the big 3 to give us the lead. Really proud of our guys for stepping up and making the plays that we needed to pull out the win. That ending was not good for the faint at heart! Go Saders."
The Crusaders set the tone early, forcing multiple Xavier turnovers in the opening minutes and converting them into points at the other end.
Jamar Jenkins knocked down a pair of early three-pointers to ignite a 10–0 run, while
Randarius Hughes and
Malik Franklin added transition buckets as Carey surged to a 17–5 lead five minutes into the contest.
William Carey continued to apply pressure offensively, stretching the advantage to 25–10 on six straight points from Hughes. Xavier responded by settling into its offense, rattling off an 11–0 run over the next three minutes to pull back within striking distance. Jenkins stopped the momentum with a three-pointer, and
Makeem Roberts followed with one of his own to restore a double-digit lead with eight minutes remaining in the half.
The Crusaders appeared to seize control down the stretch, pushing the margin to a game-high 41–25 on a Franklin three-pointer with four minutes left. Once again, Xavier answered, closing the half on a 15–6 run to trim the deficit to 47–40 at the break.
Xavier carried that momentum into the second half, continuing its run to cut the lead to one possession before Kerel Dean buried a three-pointer to tie the game at 51–51 with 14 minutes remaining.
The Gold Rush kept pressing, taking a 59–51 lead over the next two minutes. Franklin halted the surge with a left-wing three-pointer at the 11-minute mark, the Crusaders' first field goal of the half. From there, the teams traded baskets as Xavier maintained control, answering every Carey push to keep the lead intact.
With just over a minute to play, Jenkins converted a layup to bring William Carey within four at 85–81. Xavier managed just one of two free throws on each of its next two possessions, allowing
Anthony Robinson to score back-to-back layups and cut the deficit to 87–85 with 38 seconds remaining.
The Crusader defense delivered when it mattered most, forcing a turnover to give Carey the chance they needed. Roberts' jumper rimmed out, but Robinson soared in for the offensive rebound and kicked it back out to the perimeter. With the defense scrambling, Roberts swung the ball to the right wing, where
Troy Dunn buried the go-ahead three-pointer, sending the Crusaders ahead 88–87 for their first lead since the opening half.
Xavier had one final opportunity, but its last shot missed, sealing the dramatic comeback victory for the Crusaders.
With the win, William Carey advances to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament and will face No. 18 University of the Cumberlands on Saturday, March 14. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CST at the O. Wayne Rollins Center.
