Hokie ClubSAN JUAN, P.R. – Dante Jackson hit a desperation shot from beyond half court at the buzzer in overtime and Xavier defeated Virginia Tech, 63-62, in the semifinals of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip Off in San Juan, P.R. on Friday afternoon.
Jeff Allen scored on the rebound with two seconds remaining in the extra period, but the Musketeers got the ball into Jackson who banked in a half court heave as time expired for the XU victory. The game was tied at 52-52 at the end of regulation and the lead seesawed during the final five minutes, before Allen put the Hokies up 62-60 on a tip-in of a missed shot by Dorenzo Hudson.
Tech, now 3-1 on the season, led the defensive struggle, 25-23, at halftime and built a 10-point lead early in the second half. Xavier, now 4-0 overall, kept the game close throughout and held the Hokies without a point in the final 5:13 of regulation. Kenny Frease hit two free throws with 2:25 remaining to knot the game at 52-52.
Allen recorded his first double-double of the season with season-highs of 22 points and 11 rebounds, to go along with four steals and three blocked shots. Malcolm Delaney scored seven of his 15 points after half time and Hudson recorded a season-high 10 points. A.D. Vassallo struggled from the field, scoring just four points on 2-13 field goal attempts, but grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out a career-high eight assists. He also added two steals.
Derrick Brown scored 16 points and C.J. Anderson added 13 points for Xavier. The shot at the buzzer was Jackson’s only made field goal of the game, as he finished with five points.
Tech out rebounded the Musketeers, 39-37 and out shot XU, 38.3 percent to 37.7 percent. The Hokies made three more field goal attempts, including two more three-pointers, but Xavier was 19-26 from the line, while Tech made 10 of just 14 free throw attempts on the afternoon.
Tech will now have Saturday off before completing the tournament on Sunday. The Hokies will play Seton Hall at 6 p.m. AST (5 p.m. EST) on ESPNU.