Xavier gets hot in win over Purdue

WASHINGTON -- Xavier played its usual brand of in-your-face defense against Purdue, which seemingly couldn’t get to the bench during a timeout without being hounded by a player in a white jersey.

The Musketeers were also surprisingly efficient on the other end of the court, and that ultimately made the difference in an 85-78 victory Saturday that put the Musketeers in the West Regional semifinals.

C.J. Anderson and Drew Lavender each scored 18 points and Josh Duncan had 16 for third-seeded Xavier (29-6). The Musketeers shot 54% in breaking the school record for wins in a season and setting up a meeting with seventh-seeded West Virginia, a surprise winner over Duke, on Thursday in Phoenix.

Keaton Grant scored 19 for the Boilermakers (25-9), who have won 10 consecutive first-round games but have exited without another win in half those tournaments -- including two in a row.