NEW YORK (AP) -- Matt Stainbrook had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Xavier finally hit the free throws it needed to hold off a furious rally by No. 23 Georgetown and secure a 65-63 victory Friday night in the Big East Tournament semifinals.
After struggling at the foul line while the second-seeded Hoyas (21-10) whittled a 21-point deficit to one, the Musketeers made five of six in the final 10.3 seconds to hold on. Trevon Bluiett drained a big 3-pointer for the second consecutive night, and Xavier advanced to the championship game in just its second season in the conference.
The sixth-seeded Musketeers (21-12) will play fourth-ranked and top-seeded Villanova for the crown Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
Xavier led by 20 with 7:53 remaining when a scrum under the basket led to a technical foul on Musketeers forward Jalen Reynolds, who feigned winding up for a punch as he showed coach Chris Mack what he had done when he returned to the huddle.
That helped the Hoyas get started on a 15-1 run as Xavier, the top free throw-shooting team in the Big East, missed six of seven from the line.
Georgetown freshman Isaac Copeland sparked the rally, scoring 11 points in a little more than four minutes. A driving layup by D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera trimmed the deficit to 60-59 with 14.7 seconds left.
But the Musketeers would not collapse. Dee Davis sank two foul shots and Myles Davis added two more, making it 64-61 with 4.6 seconds to go.
Jabril Trawick, who led the Hoyas with 19 points, hit his first free throw with 1.9 seconds on the clock and was supposed to miss the second on purpose. But he made it anyway by accident, shaking his head along with coach John Thompson III after the ball dropped right through.
James Farr hit a foul shot at the other end, and when he missed his second attempt Georgetown was unable to get off a desperation heave in time.
