Xavier holds on for 70-67 win over Miami (Ohio)

CINCINNATI (AP) — Dante Jackson stole the inbound pass, got fouled and started celebrating.



Not so fast! Xavier had another clock controversy to close out a game.



Jordan Crawford made four free throws in the last 23 seconds Wednesday night, and Xavier overcame yet another dispute over the clock in the closing seconds, holding on this time for a 70-67 victory over Miami (Ohio).



The Musketeers (7-4) were coming off a 69-68 loss at Butler on Saturday, when the officials ruled that the clock should have run out after Butler's winning basket with 1.2 seconds to go, preventing the Musketeers from getting a final shot. This time, a clock question gave Miami (3-9) a chance to tie it.



Jackson stole Miami's inbound pass with 6.7 seconds showing on the clock and was fouled. Referee D.J. Carstensen, who also was on the crew at Butler, called the foul that got Jackson celebrating, thinking he was going to the free throw line.



Just like that, the celebration ended. One of the officials was still checking the clock when the play began, so they waved it off. The clock was correctly reset to 9.4 seconds and Miami got another chance.



"I thought I was on Candid Camera," Xavier coach Chris Mack said. "They wanted a do-over. The officials got it right. They made the correct call, though it's tough to swallow when you see your kid steal it to seal the game."



Given what happened in Indiana on Saturday, the Musketeers were stunned.



"It just kind of caused us to refocus and say to ourselves, 'Not again!'" center Jason Love said. "We just stayed with it and kept our composure."



Given the second chance, Miami got the ball to Kenny Hayes, who had two players around him when he shot an air ball from behind the 3-point arc.



Crawford led the Musketeers with 19 points. Hayes had 24 for Miami.



Xavier's 15th straight win at the Cintas Center set a record for the arena, which opened with the 2000-01 season. The Musketeers nearly let it slip away in the final minute, even without the clock controversy.



The Musketeers appeared to take control with a 17-point run in the first half, pushing the lead to 38-21. But Miami closed the half with a 10-point spurt. Julian Mavunga's 3-pointer — part of his 18-point game — cut it to 38-31 at halftime.



"We weren't playing with energy on defense and that translated to our offense," said Xavier forward Kenny Frease, who had a career-high 11 rebounds. "We were taking some bad shots."



When Mavunga was fouled while shooting a 3 and made all the free throws, Miami was up 46-46 and a back-and-forth pace had been set. There were eight lead changes before Xavier went ahead to stay, but never by enough to feel comfortable.



Xavier missed four free throws, including the front end of a pair of 1-and-1s that prevented the Musketeers from pulling away. Hayes was called for a charge with 15.5 seconds to go, and Miami fouled Crawford on the inbound play. His two free throws made it 70-65.



Miami coach Charlie Coles had a difficult time accepting the call.



"Did our guy charge? Did their guy block? I have no idea," Coles said. "I'm not going to criticize the official. I don't have any idea. Don't tell anybody this: I don't think he did, either."



It wasn't done yet.



Hayes scored on a layup with 9.4 seconds left, cutting it to 70-67. When Xavier failed to get the ball inbounds in 5 seconds for a turnover, there were 6.7 seconds showing on the clock. The officials were checking to see why the time had run off when Jackson stole the inbound pass.



The clock was fixed and Miami had its last chance.