Wednesday night Xavier completed a thrilling comeback in the first four of March Madness. At one point, the Musketeers trailed by 13 points agains the Texas Longhorns.
The teams played in Dayton, Ohio, a neutral location just 47 miles away from the Xavier campus in Cincinnati. Being so close gave the Musketeers the feeling of a home court advantage. The intensity and excitement of their crowd gave them the extra push to pull of the second-half comeback, defeating the Longhorns 86-80.
The Musketeers gained momentum with the help of their guard, Marcus Foster, who ended the night with a season-high of 22 points. They also had the help of star payer Zach Freemantle, who ended the night with 15 points.
With just four minutes left, the Musketeers went on an 8-2 run bring the score to 78-74, taking the lead of the game for the first time since the start of the first half. With just under two minutes left, Freemantle secured the win with a basket bringing the score to 80-78.
“It was a very hard-fought game. That’s a very good team we just played, and I’m just thankful to be a part of it,” said Freemantle
The No.11 seeded Xavier Musketeers will face the No.6 seeded Illinois on Friday in the firs round of the Midwest Regionals.