Isaiah Jackson (44) offers Rodney Bullock (5) congratulations. Bullock

tied Alpha Diallo for a team-high 17 points in the Friars upset victory

over No. 1 seed Xavier in the Big East Tournament semifinals.









Senior point guard Kyron Cartwright scored 15 points and dished out six assists—including 12 points and five assists during the frantic second-half comeback. Sophomore Alpha Diallo and senior Rodney Bullock each scored 17 points, while freshman Nate Watson poured in 14 points off the bench.





The Musketeers led 43-29 at intermission and maintained a 14-point lead through the first three minutes, until a breakaway dunk by Diallo closed the gap to 12.





Xavier’s lead stood at 13 with just under 14 minutes left in regulation when freshman Makai Ashton-Langford came off the bench and provided a spark by scoring consecutive buckets, before Diallo finished through contact to trim the Musketeers lead to nine, 52-43.





Cartwright then hit a runner in the lane and followed that by drilling a fall-away at the baseline to cut the Xavier advantage to seven, 56-49 with 9:45 left in regulation.





Watson provided the biggest lift for the Friars, entering the game and immediately dominating the offensive paint. When the Arlington, Va., native scored straight at the rim, Xavier led by 59-57 with 6:30 left in regulation. Bullock, who, like Watson, calls Arlington, Va., home, completed the comeback, driving the lane and hitting a floater to knot the score at 64 apiece with 3:33 remaining in regulation.





The Friars had a couple of chances to take the lead but failed to convert, and two free throws by Musketeers star Trevon Bluiett gave Xavier a 66-64 edge.





The game went into overtime tied, 68-68, when a Bluiett bucket gave Xavier the first lead of the extra stanza, 70-68.





Watson hit one-of-two at the line, and after an Xavier miss, Diallo banged in a turnaround in the lane to put the Friars up by the thinnest of margins, 71-70, with a minute left in OT. Cartwright native, then nailed a pull-up jumper that gave PC a 73-70 lead with 49 seconds remaining in overtime.





After Xavier cut the Friar lead to 73-72, the Musketeers had a chance to take the lead. But Cartwright did a magnificent defensive job, stepping in to force a charge on J.P. Macura with 7.7 ticks left, giving the Friars the ball.





Diallo took the inbounds pass and was immediately fouled, sending the New York native to the free-throw line where, playing in front of his hometown fans, he hit the front end of a one-and-one. Diallo missed the second, but the swarming Friar “D” prevented Xavier from getting off a potentially game-tying shot that could have sent the game into a second OT session.





With the victory, the Friars became just the second team in Big East Tournament history to win back-to-back overtime games. (Syracuse is the other, having won quarterfinal and semifinal games in OT in 2009.) The win also marked the first time ever the Friars defeated Top-5 teams three times in the same season. In addition, the 14-point halftime deficit is tied for third largest comeback in Big East Tournament history.





The win also sends PC to the Big East Tournament Championship against Villanova. The No. 2/3 ranked Wildcats are the No. 2 seed in the BET. This will be the Friars' third all-time appearance in the Big East Tournament Championship game, and their first 2014. For the record, the Friars are 2-0 in Big East Tournament Championship games, having claimed the title in 1994 and 2014.Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally on FOX. The game, as always, will also be broadcast on WEEI 103.7 FM with Joey Hassett and John Rooke calling the action.

—with staff reports

In a comeback of epic proportions, the Providence College Friars overcame a 17-point second-half deficit and upset Xavier75-72 before a rocking house at Madison Square Garden on Friday night. The Musketeers, who entered the BET as the No. seed with a 28-4 record, were considered a lock for a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Now, maybe not so much…