Jason Carter made two free throws with 10.1 seconds remaining, and No. 18 Xavier beat Connecticut 75-74 in double overtime on Friday to advance to the final of the Charleston (S.C.) Classic.
Naji Marshall had 21 points for the Musketeers, including 13 straight Xavier points in the second half and first overtime.
Xavier (6-0) will meet Florida in the final on Sunday. Connecticut (3-2) will oppose Miami in the third-place game.
Xavier's Paul Scruggs added a season-high 19 points, Tyrique Jones had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and freshman Zach Freemantle had five blocked shots, inducing one late in the second overtime.
Freshman James Bouknight had 19 points in his second game of the season to lead a balanced UConn attack. Alterique Gilbert had 14 points, and Tyler Polley and Josh Carlton had 10 apiece for the Huskies.
Bryce Moore's lone 3-pointer of the game gave the Musketeers a 72-69 lead in the second overtime, and Dahmir Bishop hit a free throw to make it 73-69. Gilbert was fouled on a three-point attempt and made all three free throws with 1:05 left to cut the deficit to one.
After Moore missed a 3-point attempt, Bouknight sank a layup for a 74-73 Huskies lead with 21 seconds remaining. However, 11 seconds later, Bouknight was called for the decisive foul on graduate transfer Carter, who improved to 15-for-15 from the free-throw line this season.
The Musketeers have won their first six games for the first time since the 2016-17 team began 7-0. That year, Xavier lost to Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight.
UConn shot only 30 percent the field but made 25 of 27 free throws. Xavier shot 37.9 percent and was 16 of 26 from the foul line.
Marshall scored five points in the final 33 seconds of regulation, including a deep 3-pointer with 19.1 seconds that tied the game. He scored Xavier's first seven points in overtime after Bouknight hit two free throws.
The Musketeers lost a five-point lead in the final 22 seconds of the first overtime. Gilbert made two free throws before Bouknight was fouled while sinking a 7-foot follow shot. He added the free throw with 7.8 seconds left to tie the score.
In a game in which 50 fouls were called, Marshall, Scruggs and point guard Quentin Goodin fouled out for Xavier. Carlton, Bouknight and Isaiah Whaley fouled out for UConn.
--Field Level Media
Xavier | Connecticut | |
Naji Marshall 21 | Scoring | James Bouknight 19 |
Quentin Goodin 4 | Assists | Alterique Gilbert 5 |
Tyrique Jones 11 | Rebounds | Christian Vital 12 |
Tyrique Jones 7 | Free Throws Made | Alterique Gilbert 9 |
Zach Freemantle 2 | Steals | Christian Vital 4 |
Zach Freemantle 5 | Blocks | Akok Akok 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Xavier | 75 | 37.9 | 9-24 | 16-26 | 12 | 44 | 9 | 7 | 21 |
Connecticut | 74 | 30.0 | 7-23 | 25-27 | 10 | 39 | 6 | 8 | 16 |