Xavier's David West (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        OXFORD — The plan sounded simple. Make some outside shots so the defense can't just swarm David West. Then let West carve people up one-on-one.

        Xavier ran that inside-outside attack to perfection Wednesday in its 87-58 victory at Miami, making 10 3-pointers to free up West for a career-high 29 points and 17 rebounds.

        Thad Matta's homecoming to Oxford, where he and assistants Sean Miller and Bill Comar all previously worked, was a triumphant one. In beating former boss Charlie Coles, Matta got XU (2-1) its first win at Miami in eight years and handed Miami its worst loss in Millett Hall history and third-worst home loss ever.

        “We're still learning what this team is all about,” Matta said. “We haven't shot the ball this well (60 percent) yet. They definitely got our best effort.”

        West made 10 of 11 shots, and his only miss was his first attempt, a 3-pointer. He scored 27 of his points in a 20-minute span, beginning with 5:21 left in the first half. At one point, the XU fans in attendance began chanting “All-American.”

        “West was having all kinds of fun,” Coles said. “He looked over one time (with a glare) ... and I was like: "Hey, I believe. I'm a believer! Now take it easy on me.'”

        Miami (1-2) suffered its worst loss ever to XU; its previous worst margin of defeat was 21 points, on two occasions. It marked Miami's largest margin of defeat overall since a 30-point loss to Cincinnati in 1997. Only a Tim Schenke 3-pointer in the final seconds prevented it from being Miami's biggest defeat in 21 years.

        The RedHawks shot just 37.3 percent and were outrebounded 38-23.

        The key that allowed XU to spread its offense was its 59.1 percent shooting (10-of-18) on 3-pointers. XU entered with a .250 mark on 3-pointers (6-of-24) and had shot just .303 from that range last year, its worst 3-point mark ever.

        Yet it attempted 3-pointers Wednesday on its first five shots and eight of its first 11, making five 3s in the first 14 1/2 minutes.

        “They hit some jump shots, and I think we panicked,” Coles said. “They're not going to be a great shooting team all year. But they're going to be a great inside team if you go on the outside and guard their shooting.

        “So we fell for it, and then the roof caved in. And when it caved in, boy was it bad.”

        After his missed 3-point try, West didn't attempt another shot until the 5:21 mark, at which point Miami had rallied from seven points down to forge a 22-22 tie. XU redirected its offense inside, and it resulted in a 16-4 run to build a 12-point lead just before halftime.

        West scored eight points in 2 1/2 minutes, and it became clear he had his shooting touch. “Those (shots) were all a half-inch from the basket; I'd better make those,” he said.

        Romain Sato (12 points) had four 3-pointers and Lionel Chalmers (17 points) made three. Five different Musketeers hit from outside the arc.

        “We've been shooting a lot in practice, but it hasn't been dropping (in games),” Chalmers said. “Tonight, it dropped. I think if we continue to shoot them, they'll keep dropping.”

        The rarity of winning at MU wasn't lost in the buzz about the record-breaking numbers.

        “When (former XU) coach (Skip) Prosser sees this on ESPN on the bottom of the screen, he'll say, "I can't believe it!'” West said. “We know the home team never loses in this series. We're trying to show we're a different team this year.”

        Coles said his team played “scared,” refraining from proper ball movement. The RedHawks had six assists, just four by their guards.

        Said Coles: “After tonight, if they improve, you're going to say, "This guy (Coles) is a genius. The last time we saw them, they were the worst college basketball team in America.'”

        XU now owns a 45-44 series lead.

 

           *** NCAA Boxscore - Xavier at Miami-Ohio ***
                  (Wednesday, November 28th)
                    From The Sports Network
 
 Xavier (87)
 
 Frey 3-7 3-3 10, Young 3-5 0-0 7, West 10-11 9-10 29,
 Chalmers 4-7 6-9 17, Sato 4-8 0-2 12, Williams 1-4 2-2 5,
 Coleman 0-0 0-0 0, Johnson 0-0 2-2 2, Brown 0-1 0-0 0,
 Jackson 1-1 1-2 3, Baronas 1-1 0-0 2, Caldwell 0-0 0-0 0.
 Totals 27-45 23-30 87.
 
 Miami-Ohio (58)
 
 Johnson 2-6 0-0 6, Shorts 5-18 4-4 14, Edwards 0-1 2-2 2,
 Mason 5-12 0-0 10, Davis 4-8 0-2 9, Jameson 1-2 0-1 2,
 Drake 0-1 0-0 0, Helmers 0-0 2-2 2, Schenke 1-1 0-0 3,
 Reed 2-3 0-0 5, Horace 2-7 1-1 5. Totals 22-59 9-12 58.
 
 Halftime - Xavier 38-28. Three-Point goals - Xavier 10-18
 (Sato 4-7, Chalmers 3-5, Young 1-1, Frey 1-2, Williams 1-2,
 West 0-1); Miami 5-13 (Johnson 2-4, Davis 1-1, Schenke 1-1,
 Reed 1-2, Shorts 0-1, Jameson 0-1, Drake 0-1, Mason 0-2).
 Rebounds - Xavier 38 (West 17), Miami 23 (Shorts, Mason,
 Horace 5). Assists - Xavier 16 (Chalmers 6), Miami 6
 (Johnson, Mason 2). Total Fouls - Xavier 17, Miami 22.
 Fouled Out - Mason. Technicals - None. Attendance - 6,817.
 

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