Texas squanders second-half lead in 86-80 loss to Xavier in First Four

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Xavier big man Zach Freemantle scored six points in the final 1:48 to propel the Musketeers to an 86-80 win over Texas in the First Four of the men’s NCAA Tournament on Wednesday at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio.

Freemantle, a 6-foot-9 forward who missed all of last season and a portion of this season with injuries, buried a turnaround jumper with 1:48 left to give his team an 80-78 lead. Fittingly, it was Freemantle who was left all alone for the last field goal of the game, a two-handed dunk with a second left, after Texas failed to foul in the backcourt. He scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half.

Musketeer fans were in full throat in Dayton, about a 45-minute drive from Xavier’s campus in Cincinnati. Once they started to chip at Texas’ early lead, the building rumbled with cheers for the Big East Conference squad.

“That was one of the greatest games I’ve been part of,” Xavier head coach Sean Miller said. “Our fans took advantage of the proximity to Cincinnati. When we needed our fans, it was certainly a factor.”

Texas led by much as 13 points in the first half after shooting nearly 60% from the field, 18 for 31, including 26 points in the paint to take a 47-39 lead. Tramon Mark nailed a tough midrange jumper at the horn to give the Longhorns a shot of momentum heading into halftime.

Xavier gave the Longhorns a taste of their own medicine to shot 17-for-30 in the second half, including 7-for-14 from 3-point range. Marcus Foster was 4-for-4 from long distance with 16 of his 22 points in the second half.

The Musketeers battled back after trailing by 10 points two times in the second half, using an 8-0 run to seize control. Dailynn Swain converted a 3-point play after he was fouled on a layup with 4:36 to go, giving Xavier a 78-74 lead.

Longhorns head coach Rodney Terry said his team played one of the best first halves of the season, but tipped his hat to the Musketeers for making plays when it mattered the most.

“We withstood their first run and had a little bit of separation, but they make big shots down the stretch to finish the game,” he said. “Give them credit.”

Texas freshman Tre Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 13:14 remaining to give the Longhorns a 62-52 lead, but Foster scored Xavier’s next eight points to help cut the deficit to 64-60. Jerome Hunter tied the game 65-65 with a 3-pointer at the 8:10 mark, but the Longhorns responded to regain the lead after another Johnson 3-pointer with 6:14 left.

Xavier shot 55% for the game with 12 3-pointers and Texas shot 49% with eight 3-pointers. The Longhorns held an advantage from the foul line, sinking 18 of 24 to Xavier’s 10 of 16.

The Longhorns led for more than 30 minutes of game time and the lead changed five times.

For the Longhorns, Johnson scored a game-high 23 points on 6 of 14 shooting. Mark poured in 16 points with five assists and Kadin Shedrick scored 11 points and seven rebounds. Texas had 10 turnovers, six in the second half. Xavier scored 16 points off of Longhorns turnovers.

For the Musketeers, Swain and Ryan Conwell chipped in 11 points each. Dante Maddox Jr. scored 10 points.

Xavier (22-11) now enters the Midwest Region as the No. 11 seed and they’ll play 6-seed Illinois at 8:45 p.m. CDT Friday. Texas ends the season with a 19-16 record.

“We’ve had some great battles with Xavier and Sean (Miller) over the years. It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but I’m proud of my guys,” Terry said. “They’re going to be winners in the game of life.”

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