West

        WASHINGTON — Suddenly Xavier is the best road warrior since Mad Max. And more and more, the NCAA Tournament seems this season's final destination.

        The Musketeers triumphed Tuesday in another tough environment, edging George Washington 76-74. It was their sixth straight victory away from home, another night when they found a way to win a game they would have lost last year.

        “That's why we think things are different this year,” sophomore center David West said. “We're setting ourselves apart. It may not be pretty, but we're getting "W's.'”

        XU (13-3, 4-1 Atlantic 10) nearly lost a seven-point lead in the final 1:10 but survived when GW's Valery Khamenia missed a potential winning 3-point try with four seconds left.

        “We were lucky,” XU coach Skip Prosser said. “It's like Lionel (Chalmers) hitting the shot for us at Toledo, except GW missed this one.”

        The victory sets up a big matchup Saturday at Cintas Center against A-10 leader St. Joseph's (13-3, 5-0). XU can claim a share of first place with a victory.

        XU's away-from-home streak is its longest since winning the same number in a row in the 1989-90 season. Five have been road games and one a neutral-site contest.

        The school's longest streak of victories away from home is nine straight, set in the 1987-88 season. That was seven road games (the longest streak ever) and two neutral-site games.

        “Once you do it once (win on the road), it gives you confidence to do it again,” senior captain Maurice McAfee said. “We've been talking about making this a special year, and we've believed that ever since the season started.”

        The game was won inside. XU had a 44-34 rebounding advantage and totaled 18 offensive boards. It pounded the ball inside and totaled 50 free throws to GW's eight. And West took advantage of GW's reluctance to double-team him by totaling 26 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, three assists and two blocks.

        “We've got David West, so that's why you go inside,” junior forward Kevin Frey said. “He's unbelievable.”

        XU led by 10 points with 10 minutes left, then weathered a series of runs by GW (7-10, 1-3 A-10).

        But the Colonials scored 10 points in 57 seconds. When Bernard Barrow hit a 3-pointer with 12.5 seconds left, it was 75-74.

        Lloyd Price was fouled with 11.9 seconds left and made the second of two free throws. Khamenia, who had just entered the game for the first time, missed his long 3-point try with four seconds left.

        McAfee totaled 13 points — including his 1,000th career point — and Sato had 12, Frey 11 and Price 10. XU didn't shoot especially well, hitting 39.2 percent from the field and making just 31 of its 50 foul shots (62.9 percent).

        But it found a formula which worked: drawing fouls. GW committed 33 and XU just 15. GW coach Tom Penders got into a shouting match with an official in a hallway afterward, yelling, “You're cheating our kids!”

        “We always want to make more free throws than the other team shoots,” Prosser said, and that formula has held. XU is 308-for-438 this year from the line; its opponents 181-for-280.

        St.Joe's beat Temple on Tuesday to take sole command of first place in the A-10. XU is tied with Temple for second at 4-1.

XAVIER (76)
                      fg    ft    rb
               min   m-a   m-a   o-t  a pf   tp
Price           35  2-11   4-7   1-6  1  4   10
Butler          11   0-0   1-2   1-2  0  1    1
West            37  8-14 10-14  3-10  3  2   26
Sato            36  3-11   4-7  4-12  1  2   12
Mcafee          35   2-4  9-13   1-5  3  3   13
Chalmers        17   1-3   1-3   1-1  1  1    3
Frey            26   4-8   2-4   3-4  0  2   11
Young            2   0-0   0-0   0-0  0  0    0
Brown            1   0-0   0-0   0-0  0  0    0
_______________________________________________
TOTALS         200 20-51 31-50 14-40  9 15   76
_______________________________________________


Percentages: FG-.392, FT-.620. 3-Point Goals:
5-15, .333 (Price 2-4, Sato 2-7, Mcafee 0-1,
Chalmers 0-1, Frey 1-2). Team rebounds: 4.
Blocked shots: 4 (West 2, Price, Frey).
Turnovers: 16 (Frey 4, Mcafee 4, Butler 3,
Chalmers 2, Price 2, West). Steals: 6 (West 3,
Chalmers, Frey, Mcafee).


GEO WASHINGTON (74)
                      fg    ft    rb
               min   m-a   m-a   o-t  a pf   tp
Monroe          35   4-9   5-5  3-12  4  4   15
Ngongba         12   0-1   0-0   0-1  0  4    0
Cosby           30   4-7   0-0  1-10  0  5    8
King            40  4-13   2-2   3-5  3  2   11
Barrow          24   2-4   0-0   1-1  4  2    5
Roma             6   0-1   0-0   0-1  0  0    0
Khamenia         0   0-1   0-0   0-0  0  0    0
Brown           26 10-19   0-1   1-1  1  5   22
Miller           2   0-1   0-0   0-0  0  1    0
Iturbe           3   0-0   0-0   0-0  0  1    0
Chandler        17   4-9   0-0   1-1  0  5   10
Smith            2   0-0   0-0   0-1  0  1    0
Collucci         3   1-1   0-0   0-0  0  2    3
_______________________________________________
TOTALS         200 29-66   7-8 10-33 12 32   74
_______________________________________________


Percentages: FG-.439, FT-.875. 3-Point Goals:
9-31, .290 (Monroe 2-5, Cosby 0-2, King 1-5,
Barrow 1-2, Khamenia 0-1, Brown 2-9, Chandler
2-6, Collucci 1-1). Team rebounds: 1. Blocked
shots: 5 (Cosby 4, Roma). Turnovers: 13 (Cosby 4,
Barrow 2, Brown 2, King 2, Monroe 2, Roma).
Steals: 9 (Barrow 3, Brown 2, King 2, Chandler,
Smith).
__________________________________
Xavier             37   39  -   76
Geo Washington     35   39  -   74
__________________________________
Technical fouls: Geo Washington 1 ().  A: 4,768.
Officials: Robert Donato, Reggie Greenwood, Larry
Lembo.

---

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