Raven James pours in 20 points as Villanova outlasts Xavier, 64-56.
James Lifts Villanova Over Xavier In Overtime Thriller
Box Score | Villanova Quotes | Xavier Quotes
CHICAGO — Guard Raven James scored a game-high 20 points — including a pair of critical 3-pointers in overtime — to lead No. 7 seed Villanova to a 64-56 Big East first-round victory over 10th seeded Xavier on Friday at Wintrust Arena.
The victory gave the Wildcats (18-12) a quarterfinals date with No. 2 seed Marquette at 6 p.m. (CT) Saturday.
The efforts by Raven, who went 6-of-8 from beyond the arc, helped right Villanova after Xavier (3-27) had rallied down the stretch to force an extra session.
Villanova beat Xavier for the third time this season and now owns a 15-1 all-time series lead. The teams had not previously met in the Big East tournament.
Forward Mary Gedaka added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the winners. A’riana Gray led the Musketeers with 17 points, Ayanna Townsend had 13 while Aaliyah Dunham added 11.
Villanova, which led 11-8 after one quarter and 24-22 at halftime, never trailed in the first half although Xavier did force three ties.
The Musketeers took their first lead on Townsend’s free throw with 6:17 showing in the third made it 27-26. Xavier extended it to 29-26 less than a minute later on a Carrie Gross layup.
Gedaka’s 3-point play forced a 29-29 tie and Villanova opened a 32-29 lead on Mackenzie Gardler’s 3 point field goal. But the Wildcats followed with four missed three pointers that could have extended the advantage.
Villanova entered the final quarter with a 37-35 advantage, maintained a slight edge through the final two minutes and led 49-46 before Xavier’s Dunham hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer — the Musketeers’ first of the game after 10 failures — and forced a 49-49 tie and overtime.
The Big East honored retiring Villanova coach Harry Perretta with a video salute from both conference and non-conference rivals prior to Friday’s game.
Perretta, stepping down after 42 seasons, is among four Big East basketball coaches with 300 or more victories and has coached Wildcat teams in all 38 Big East Conference women’s tournaments.