Xavier Green scored 14 second-half points to lead Old Dominion past WKU, 62-56, in the title game at the 2019 Air Force Reserve C-USA Men’s Basketball Championship presented by Baylor Scott & White Sports Performance Center at The Star in Frisco. The top-seeded Monarchs (26-8) followed up their first C-USA regular season championship with a postseason title and receive an automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Championship Central
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With WKU holding a 37-34 lead nearly midway through the second half, Green reeled off nine consecutive points to spark the Monarchs into the lead and would not lead again. Included was a key fallaway three-pointer with 1:34 left, as the 30-second shot clock was about to expire, to give the Monarchs a 54-48 lead. Green finished with 16 points and was named championship MVP after averaging 15.7 points in ODU’s three victories.
"It’s a great feeling,” said an emotional ODU head coach Jeff Jones immediately following the game. “I’m just trying to hold it together right now. We’ve got great kids. We told them 40 minutes to go where we wanted to go all season."
It was a tough game (.382) and tournament (.394) for the Monarchs shooting the ball, but not in the final 3:09 of this one. Old Dominion finished the night making their final three field goal attempts and all six free throw attempts over that stretch to seal the victory.
In addition to Green, first team All-Conference guards B.J. Stith and Ahmad Caver reached double figures, posting 13 and 10 points, respectively. Stith added six rebounds and Caver dished out a game-high nine assists.
WKU freshman Charles Bassey added to his league-leading double-double, notching his 17th by scoring 12 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.
Josh Anderson contributed 11 points and six rebounds for the Hilltoppers. He averaged 14 points and 7.0 boards during WKU’s three games in the championship.
Old Dominion will learn its first NCAA Tournament opponent in eight years during the selection show Sunday at 5 p.m. CT.
2019 ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Xavier Green, Old Dominion (MVP)
Ahmad Caver, Old Dominion
Josh Anderson, WKU
Taveion Hollingsworth, WKU
Zack Bryant, UAB
NOTES:
*This marks the first conference tournament title for Old Dominion since winning the 2011 Colonial Athletic Conference postseason crown.
*Old Dominion will be making the 12th NCAA Championship appearance in school history and its first since 2011.
*The title game matchup between No. 1 seed Old Dominion and No. 2 seed WKU was the seventh time in 24 C-USA Championships that the top two seeds have met in the final game. The No. 1 seed has now won six of the seven matchups.
2019 No. 1 Old Dominion 62, (2) WKU 56
2014 No. 2 Tulsa 69, (1) Louisiana Tech 60
2013 No. 1 Memphis 91, (2) Southern Miss 79 (ot)
2008 No. 1 Memphis 63, (2) Tulsa 39
2006 No. 1 Memphis 57, (2) UAB 46
2002 No. 1 Cincinnati 77, (2) Marquette 63
1998 No. 1 Cincinnati 71, (2) Charlotte 57
*Old Dominion becomes the 12th different school to win the C-USA Championship title game in the league’s 24 years.
*WKU became the first team to lose the C-USA Championship Final after losing in the Final the previous season since UTEP in 2011 and 2010.
*Tonight marked the third time that Old Dominion defeated WKU this season, winning the three games by a total of 13 points. The Monarchs posted a 69-66 win on Jan. 5 and then took a 67-63 victory on Feb. 23 to open bonus play in C-USA.