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Xavier 77, Portland State 59

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The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 21, 2009

Updated: 03/21/2009 12:47 am

BOISE, Idaho - C.J. Anderson scored 14 points and Xavier shot 54 percent from the field, beating Portland State to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year.

The Musketeers (26-7) stifled Portland State's usual barrage of 3-pointers and showed they could shoot from the outside, too, making eight of 19 tries and going 29-for-54 overall.

Derrick Brown, B.J. Raymond and Dante Jackson added 13 points each as Xavier overwhelmed the Big Sky Conference champion Vikings, who were in the tournament for just the second time.

While 13th-seeded Portland State (23-10) entered the tournament with the reputation for slinging 3-pointers - averaging more than 25 attempts per game - the fourth-seeded Musketeers were the better shooters from beyond the arc. Portland State didn't hit a deep try in the second half until less than seven minutes remained and Xavier already led by 20.
Portland State led by one briefly in the first half, but couldn't overcome a cold stretch in the second when even free throws were bouncing out.
Jeremiah Dominguez went 0-for-2 from the line with 9:31 left to play and Xavier already up 61-45. After the misses, Anderson muscled through a foul for a layup, then Raymond hit a 3-pointer to start a 13-0 run that put it away for the Musketeers.

The Associated Press

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