March 20 (UPI) -- The Xavier Musketeers overcame a sluggish start, rallied from a 13-point deficit and rode a raucous wave of fan support to shock Texas in the First Four, advancing to the first round of the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
Senior guard Marcus Foster scored 22 points, including 16 in the second half of the 86-80 triumph Wednesday at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, just 47 miles from Xavier's Cincinnati campus.
"That's one of the greatest games I've been a part of," Musketeers coach Sean Miller told reporters. "Obviously the energy of the crowd, our fans certainly took advantage of the proximity to Cincinnati.
"And that emotion when we needed them, it was certainly a factor in the game."
The Musketeers (22-11) allowed a season-high 47 points in the first half, when they were outscored 26-16 in the paint in the battle between No. 11 seeds.
Longhorns guards Tramon Mark and Tre Johnson scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, over the opening 20 minutes. The Musketeers held the Longhorns (19-16) to a 37.4% shooting clip in the second half, when they allowed just 33 points.
Musketeers senior forward Zach Freemantle scored 13 of his 15 points over the final 20 minutes of the victory.
"We were really a lot more of a tight group," Freemantle said of the Musketeers' second-half effort. "We made a big emphasis at halftime to get in the gaps, get in the paint. They are a much more attack-the-basket type of team.
"So we had to clog the lane on them, and we did a good job of doing that, trusting each other."
The lead changed hands three times over the opening five minutes. Mark and the Longhorns then went on a 13-2 run to take control. They extended their advantage to 13 points on a Johnson layup midway through the first half. The Longhorns carried a 47-39 edge into the second.
The Musketeers eventually rallied, with Jerome Hunter making a game-tying 3-pointer with 8:10 remaining. Fellow senior forward John Hugley IV later made another 3-pointer for a lead during a 10-0 run and the Musketeers never trailed again.
Senior forward Jayson Kent tied the game at 78-78 with a layup for the Longhorns with 2:53 remaining. The Musketeers then outscored their foes 8-3 -- with six points from Freemantle -- down the stretch to secure the victory.
Johnson scored a game-high 23 points for the Longhorns. Mark chipped in 16 points in the loss. Sophomore forward Dailyn Swain and junior guard Ryan Conwell scored 11 points apiece for the Musketeers. Fifth-year guard Dante Maddox Jr. scored 10 points off the Musketeers bench.
The No. 11 Musketeers will battle No. 7 Illinois (21-13) in the first round at 9:45 p.m. EDT Friday in Milwaukee.
Earlier Wednesday, Mount St. Mary's (23-12) beat American (22-13) in a First Four matchup between No. 16 seeds. Senior forward Jedy Cordilia scored a game-high 22 points for the Mountaineers, who will take on No. 1 Duke (31-3) at 2:50 p.m. Friday in Raleigh, N.C.
