There was Lionel Chalmers on Saturday night, driving up and under for a scoop layup. There was Chalmers spinning for an opposite-hand layup, drawing a foul. There was Chalmers banging in a 3-pointer. In short, there was the Chalmers that Xavier needs: a productive floor general.

Lionel Chalmers, guarding Missouri's Wesley Stokes, had a career-high 23 points. (AP photos) | ZOOM |

        The second-year player had his finest game Saturday against Missouri, totaling a career-high 23 points with four assists and just two turnovers. He made nine of his first 10 shots, keeping Xavier close with numerous driving layups.

        “Lionel was excellent,” XU coach Thad Matta said. “He showed me what I knew he had. The biggest thing was he was leading our team out there.”

        Chalmers averaged 8.9 points per game last season but in the preseason appeared to be poised for big numbers, averaging 15 points in two exhibitions.

        He declined credit for his play Saturday, saying, “I really just took what they gave me.” But that awareness is what made Matta most proud.

        “I thought he read situations better,” Matta said. “He's getting good at reading angles to the basket. (Missouri) was very consumed with what was going on with other guys, so things really opened up for him. He's got good speed and quickness, and he took advantage of that.”

        Chalmers was the only Musketeer passing effectively; the rest of the team totaled just two assists. And Matta agreed when Chalmers said he could have played better defense: Missouri's Wesley Stokes scored 14 points on him.

        “Lionel lost Stokes too much, and he's got to do a better job — as we all do,” Matta said. “But what Stokes did was a bit unexpected. He was 2-of-13 on 3-pointers coming in, and he goes 4-of-5 (from that range) against us.”

        FREY STRUGGLES: Matta said he's not yet concerned about Kevin Frey's shooting struggles. The senior forward was 1-of-9 Saturday and is shooting 13 percent (3-of-23) this season.

        “Kevin's taking good shots,” Matta said. “They're going to go in for him.”

        Frey is still working on his conditioning following a long layoff this fall after ankle surgery.

        “He can't get down on himself. We all believe in him,” Matta said.

        BIG MINUTES: XU's five starters averaged 34.4 minutes in Saturday's game, but Matta said that won't be the norm.

        “When you get in a game like that, you kind of go with guys that have been in that situation before,” he said.

        Missouri was playing its fifth game of the season, and XU just its second. XU was to have played Siena last Tuesday, but in late summer that game was moved to Dec.31.

        “Another game (to prepare) would have helped us with our rotations, getting some guys some more experience,” Matta said.

Story on Saturday's game

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