The road was rockier than most anticipated back in the fall, but the Xavier Musketeers are officially headed to the Sweet 16 after edging Lehigh 70-58 in the third round of the South regional on Sunday.
Lehigh, fresh off a Cinderella-esque victory over No. 2 Duke, led by as many as 15 points in the first half but struggled to maintain its scoring pace as the game wore on. In the end, Xavier's inside-outside combination of Kenny Frease and Tu Holloway proved to be too much for the 15th-seeded Mountain Hawks to withstand.
Frease set a season-high with 25 points on 11-for-13 shooting along with 13 rebounds, and created issues for Lehigh's frontcourt all night.
Lehigh junior C.J. McCollum, who was a fan favorite after his performance against the Blue Devils, struggled to find his shot against Xavier's athletic guards, and finished the night 5-for-22 from the floor.
As the Mountain Hawks desperately tried to mount a comeback in the final minute, Xavier looked to the defensive end to get the job done. Here's Xavier forward Andre Walker with a game-sealing rejection to keep the Musketeers in the dance:
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