University of Richmond
Xavier
Spiders Run Down No. 21 Xavier
01/07/2003 | Men's Basketball
Jan 7, 2003
By JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer
CINCINNATI - Point guard Lionel Chalmers wore a protective boot on his foot and a grim expression on his face as his team wore down right before his eyes.
Until Chalmers gets healthy, No. 21 Xavier is going to be prone to fading.
Richmond took advantage of the Musketeers' short-handed bench Tuesday night as it rallied from a 14-point deficit to a 67-59 victory that demonstrated there is no longer a clear-cut favorite in the Atlantic 10.
Not as long as Chalmers is sidelined by a broken foot, anyway.
"A major factor in the game was Lionel's injury," Richmond coach Jerry Wainwright said. "Midseason injuries cause a domino effect, and this was at a very difficult time for their program."
The dominoes are tumbling for Xavier (9-4, 0-1), which has a depleted bench, a tired starting lineup and a star who lost his shooting touch and his cool.
Preseason All-America David West played 40 minutes in each of his two previous games, trying to make up for Chalmers' absence. The fatigue showed in his shot Tuesday night - only 3-of-15 from the field for a season-low 10 points.
Knowing that West and the rest of the Musketeers were running on fumes, Richmond (7-5, 1-0) used 11 players and kept the tempo fast, especially in the second half.
"We tried to pressure them on offense and defense, hoping they may get a little fatigued," Wainwright said. "That was our only chance."
After Xavier opened a 14-point lead in the second half, Jeff Myers hit consecutive 3-pointers to pull the Spiders close. Then, the Musketeers melted down, missing 13 consecutive shots during Richmond's game-ending 15-3 run.
"We didn't play the Xavier way," said Romain Sato, who played 40 minutes and had 20 points on 7-of-21 shooting. "In the second half, I don't know what happened."
Xavier knows exactly what's happening. The question is how to fix it.
Chalmers broke his foot during a two-point victory over Creighton a week earlier, costing Xavier its best guard and a senior leader. He's expected to miss four weeks.
"He's the general of this team," said West, who had 18 rebounds.
Chalmers' injury came a day after backup guard Dave Young was dismissed from the team because of philosophical differences with coach Thad Matta, leaving the Musketeers depleted at guard.
Now, it's up to freshman Dedrick Finn, sophomore Keith Jackson and Sato to carry the load and take some pressure off West, who showed his frustrations on Tuesday.
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"We tried to pressure them on offense and defense, hoping they may get a little fatigued. That was our only chance."
Coach Jerry Wainwright
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"It's my fault," West said. "I let the refs dictate early how I was going to play the rest of the game. You're out there playing like you don't want to foul."
Once the Spiders sensed that Xavier was wearing down, they pushed the paced even more. Myers scored a team-high 18 points, matching his career high, and cut the lead to 54-52 with his fifth 3-pointer.
Jamaal Scott's driving bank shot put Richmond ahead to stay, and Tony Dobbins had a fastbreak layup off a steal as the Spiders pulled away to a rare victory by a visiting team at the Cintas Center. In three seasons, Xavier is 33-3 at its arena.
Richmond also has beaten Stanford, giving the Spiders two wins over Top 25 teams in one season for the first time since 1990-91. Xavier has lost consecutive games - to then-No. 1 Alabama and Richmond - for the first time in three years.
"For whatever reason, we did not play good basketball," Matta said. "In the second half, we could not make a shot. Thank goodness it's a long season."
For Xavier, the next three weeks without Chalmers will feel like an awfully long time.
