NEW ORLEANS -- Sophomore guard Braylon Spicer scored six of his 18 points in the second overtime Saturday to lift Philander Smith to a 106-102 men's basketball victory against NAIA No. 12 Xavier University of Louisiana in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament at XU's Convocation Center.The Panthers (20-10), seeded fourth and the defending champion, will play second-seeded and seventh-ranked Talladega (27-5) for the championship at 5 p.m. Sunday at Xavier. The Gold Rush (23-8) -- the tournament's top seed and winner of three consecutive GCAC regular-season championships -- will await a possible at-large bid to the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship. That tournament's 32-team bracket will be announced Wednesday.
Spicer, who made all 14 of his free-throw attempts, sank two with three seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score at 85 and send the game to overtime. Xavier trailed by five in the first overtime but forced a second extra period when Anthony Goode made two free throws with 29 seconds to play.
D'Alvin Brown's 3-pointer at 3:34 of the second overtime broke the game's 21st tie and put the Panthers ahead to stay, 98-95.
Juvon Demerson had 24 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots for Philander Smith. Brown scored 23, Aquill Baynard had 17 points and 15 rebounds, and Andre Clark had 11 points and seven rebounds. Spicer had eight assists.
Morris Wright scored a career-high-tying 26 points for Xavier. Goode had 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Sydney Coleman scored 18.
Xavier was 2-0 against Philander Smith in the regular season, including a 103-99 overtime home victory Feb. 17. The Gold Rush are 3-2 in overtime this season.
If Xavier is invited to the national tournament, it would be the fourth in a row for the Gold Rush and the eighth in the last 10 seasons.
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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