Double-O heaven for Wildcats

For the loser, there was pride. For the winner, there was exhaustion, but a chance to play another day.

By the time Kansas State finally outlasted a stubborn Xavier team, pulling off a 101-96 double-overtime victory Thursday in a West Regional semifinal at EnergySolutions Arena, everyone involved seemed clear on one thing.

“That was the best basketball game of the tournament,” Kansas State Coach Frank Martin said. “That was two teams that were not going to give in.”

Finally, Xavier did, but only after the sixth-seeded Musketeers extended their season by two overtimes.

Jacob Pullen finally put Xavier out of its misery in the second extra period. He sank back-to-back three-pointers, then made two free throws to give Kansas State a 99-96 lead with 24 seconds left. Denis Clemente’s two free throws clinched the spot for the Wildcats (29-7) in Saturday’s regional final against Butler.

To get there, Kansas State had to survive a Xavier team that had more grit than quit.

Twice Kansas State appeared to have the game won; both times the Wildcats’ Chris Merriewether helped keep the game alive.

The Wildcats had a 72-69 lead after two Pullen free throws with nine seconds left. But Merriewether waited too long to foul Xavier’s Terrell Holloway, grabbing him as he went up for a three-pointer. Holloway’s three free throws sent the game into overtime.

Merriewether missed one of two free throws at the end of overtime, which allowed Jordan Crawford’s three-pointer to tie the score with six seconds left.

“Every time we went to the free-throw line, you could see in their eyes that they were not going to quit,” Pullen said. “This was a tale of two teams that didn’t want to go, didn’t want their season to end.”

Pullen finished with 28 points, eight in the second overtime, and Clemente had 25, 21 coming in the second half and overtimes.

The victory gives Kansas State a chance to reach its first Final Four since 1964.

The opportunity seemed a sure thing at the start of the evening. The Musketeers (26-9) were beaten badly by Kansas State, 71-56, this season and started slowly Thursday. The Wildcats jumped to a 17-4 lead in the first seven minutes behind Pullen’s seven points.

“You can’t let a team bulldoze you like that,” said Xavier center Jason Love, who had 11 points and 15 rebounds.

The lead eroded slowly, but steadily, as Holloway began making plays. He blocked a Pullen shot on one end and sank two free throws on the other to cut the deficit to 28-26. It was part of a 13-3 run that left Xavier with a 32-31 lead at halftime.

Kansas State built small leads in the second half, only to see the Musketeers claw their way back behind Crawford (32 points) and Holloway (26).

“We can hold our heads high,” Love said. “We didn’t quit. A bounce or two and we win that game.”

chris.foster@latimes.com