NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT / MIDWEST REGIONAL AT INDIANAPOLIS : Georgetown, Purdue Join Ranks of Stunned Teams : Xavier: Unheralded Musketeers gamble by twice deciding to foul the eighth-ranked Hoyas in the closing seconds. It pays off in 74-71 victory.

Every team spends a lot of time practicing shooting. But unheralded Xavier (Ohio) also practices fouling, and it pays off. They did it very well Sunday in a stunning, 74-71 victory over eighth-ranked Georgetown.

“We didn’t want to let them tie the game with a three-pointer,” said Xavier Coach Pete Gillen, who twice told his players to foul the Hoyas in the closing seconds of their second-round Midwest Regional game.

It paid off. The Hoyas’ David Edwards twice missed the front end of one-and-one free-throw opportunities in the final eight seconds to preserve the victory.

The Musketeers (28-4), ranked 25th and seeded sixth in the regional, will play 10th-seeded Texas on Thursday in Dallas. Texas (22-8) upset 10th-ranked Purdue in Sunday’s other second-round game at the Hoosier Dome.

Xavier, which won only one game in six previous NCAA tournaments, beat Kansas State in the opening round.

“We practiced giving a foul all week,” Gillen said. “We took a chance, but we didn’t want to give them a shot to tie it.”

Both fouls against Edwards in the closing seconds were called on guard Jamal Walker, whose two free throws with 23 seconds left gave the Musketeers their three-point lead.

“It was just practice and concentration,” said Walker, who had 15 points and nine assists. “I was thinking, ‘Just go out, make those two and get back on defense.’ ”

The Xavier defensive effort--including the gamble that the two fouls against Walker would not be called intentional, thus giving possession of the ball back to Georgetown--stopped a second-half rally by the Hoyas.

Former Palisades High star Derek Strong led the Musketeers with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

The Musketeers, never trailing after the opening moments of the game, built an 18-point lead late in the first half. But the Hoyas used outside shooting by David Edwards and Mark Tillmon to cut into Xavier’s lead, eventually tying the game, 68-68, on a three-point shot by Edwards with 3:18 left.

There was one more tie before a rebound basket by freshman Aaron Williams put Xavier ahead, 72-70, with 1:35 left. Edwards, who led Georgetown with 19 points, made one of four free throws after that.

“It was obvious we got in a hole,” Georgetown Coach John Thompson said. “Give Xavier credit for that. Their pressure bothered us and got us out of our game plan.

“We’re not the best passing team in America, and once we got behind, we had to make the game ragged and scramble to get back in. We did that and had a chance to win.”

The Hoyas (24-7) still had a chance to win when Edwards went to the free throw line.

Thompson had a plan, but that didn’t work either.

“We wanted to make the first and miss the second,” Thompson said, “but we never made the first.”

Tyrone Hill, who fouled out with six minutes left, and Jamie Gladden had 13 points apiece for Xavier. Alonzo Mourning added 15 points for Georgetown before fouling out with six seconds left.