Tigers Mount Comeback to Beat Xavier

Memphis, Tn -  Wesley Witherspoon and Joe Jackson keyed a furious Memphis comeback over the final 6 minutes against Xavier to add a quality win to the Tigers' resume.

Jackson had 14 points and Witherspoon scored all 12 of his points in the second half as Memphis used a late rally for a 72-68 win over Xavier on Saturday.

Jackson connected on all 12 of his free throws including six in the final 2:12, part of Memphis (16-7) closing the game with a 21-6 rally.

"We needed this win," Jackson said when asked about the final flurry. "It's going to be very important for our NCAA bid. That was a good team. That's an NCAA tournament team. We had to defend our home-court more than anything, and that's what we did."

Will Barton and Tarik Black finished with 13 points apiece for Memphis, but it was Witherspoon who keyed the comeback after Memphis trailed 62-51 with 6:16 remaining.

The Tigers then went on a 17-1 rally to take the lead for good.

"Wes and Joe sparked it all, and they kept it going really," said Black, who also finished with nine rebounds. "They were the advocates for the run. If it wasn't for them, we would have found a way to win, but this was their night. They were the way (Saturday)."

Dezmine Wells led the Musketeers (15-8) with 19 points, and Mark Lyons had 14. Tu Holloway, Xavier's leading scorer at 16.4 a game, scored 12 points on 3 of 12 shots from the field. Kenny Frease had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Xavier.

Xavier coach Chris Mack saw his team pull away from the Tigers in the second half and appeared in control before the Musketeers succumbed to the Memphis defensive pressure.

"The game sort of avalanched on us down the stretch," Mack said. "I feel bad for the guys in the locker room because for about 35 minutes, we played as well as we have all year."

The Musketeers appeared in control with their 11-point lead after a 3-point play by Wells late in the second half, but Witherspoon would answer with a 3-pointer and later would have a three-point play in the game-clinching rally.

Antonio Barton's drive with 1:27 left gave Memphis the lead at 65-63, and the Tigers converted 7 of 8 free throws in the final 31.6 seconds to seal the win.

"They amped up their defensive intensity more than they had the first 34 minutes of the game," Mack said. "It was hard for us to get a clean look because of their length.Until you are on the floor with them, it's hard to put into words how athletic, how quick, how long they are as a defensive unit."

Xavier led 35-34 after a closely-played first half that saw eight ties and five lead changes. Neither team led by more than the Musketeers' five points at one juncture.

Both teams had trouble handling the ball early with seven early turnovers apiece, but were more under control after the midway point of the half.

Xavier benefited from hitting 3 of 7 (42.9 percent) from outside the arc in the first half, including a pair from Brad Redford.

Wells' 15-footer with 6 minutes left in the half gave the Musketeers a 23-18 lead, but Memphis chipped away at the advantage the remainder of the half.

Memphis was anxious to go inside to Black in the first half, particularly when Frease was taking a breather for Xavier. But Black only got five shots in the half and six in the game.

Xavier began to create some space by scoring the first nine points of the second half for a 44-34 advantage, as the Tigers missed their first seven shots after the break.

Holloway, who was held scoreless in the first half for the Musketeers, hit a pair of field goals, including a 3-pointer in the stretch. While the Tigers were struggling from the field, the Musketeers opened the half converting 8 of 12 shots.

Each time Memphis chipped away at the advantage, Xavier answered the challenge, pushing the margin back to double digits. Lyons' 3-pointer put Xavier up 59-49 with 8:27 left. Wells' three-point play would make it 62-51 with 6:16 to go, setting the stage for the Memphis rally.

Memphis coach Josh Pastner said the late comeback was indicative of how his team has improved since the Christmas break. The Tigers are 10-2 over that time frame.

"Pre-Christmas, if we were down 11 or 10 with 4 or 5 minutes to go," Pastner said, "we might not win the game."

The late-game setting was also about the time Memphis began turning up its defensive intensity. Black said that assistant coach Damon Stoudamire challenged the team during a timeout.

"He told us if we don't find the extra gear, we were going to have the same results we'd been getting -- which was a 10-point deficit," Black said.

"He told us to find another gear, and it was Wes and Joe."

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)