By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

It might have come against some of the weaker teams in the Atlantic 10, but Xavier's recent offensive output could be a sign that the team is not only winning, but improving despite injured guard Lionel Chalmers' absence from the lineup.

In four consecutive wins since dropping their league-opening game to Richmond, Xavier (13-4, 4-1) has averaged 89.5 points while allowing 65.3 points a game. All five starters are scoring in double figures in conference play, led by Romain Sato, who is averaging 19.0 points against A-10 competition.

The team production is in stark contrast to early January, when after two straight losses, David West said if he wasn't playing well, Xavier wouldn't win.

"It's a lot different now," Sato said. "Our teammates are closer and the chemistry is working good. Everybody is touching the ball. We don't worry about who's having a big night. We just worry about winning."

Xavier's stats may be bloated because three of the last four games have been at Cintas Center, and the combined A-10 record of its last four opponents is 6-14. Saturday should bring more of the same when Xavier, ranked 24th in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll, plays at Fordham, which is 2-14 overall and 1-4 in the A-10.

"Some of the teams we beat, it has taken other teams a little bit of effort to beat," West said. "They're good teams that we beat."

West was referring to La Salle and Duquesne, each of which played Dayton tough on the road.

Dayton, which leads the A-10 West, and Xavier play at Cintas Center Feb.8 and at Dayton Feb. 22.

The Musketeers are passing more and finding open players near the basket, which is why they have made more than 48 percent of their shots the past four games.

Xavier leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.19. That wasn't the case earlier in the season, when West said certain players would not pass to each other.

"Guys are starting to settle into their roles," West said. "And we're playing well together now."

Coach Thad Matta said Xavier is getting better by winning regardless of who is on its schedule.

"We're almost into February," Matta said. "We want guys to have confidence in how they're doing things, and winning helps that."

Matta hopes that confidence carries over to next week when Xavier goes on a two-game road trip at Richmond and George Washington. Richmond overcame a nine-point halftime deficit and defeated Xavier at Cintas Center Jan. 7in XU's second game without Chalmers, who is expected to return for the rematch at Richmond Feb. 1.

Matta thinks Chalmers will return to a better team than the one he last played with Dec. 31.

"When he comes back, now we've got other guys in the rotation," Matta said, referring to Keith Jackson, who took over Chalmers' spot in the starting lineup, and Keenan Christiansen, who comes off the bench as a guard.

When Chalmers does return, he won't have the pressure to score in double figures every game as he did before. He was averaging 12.5 points when he broke a foot against Creighton.

At the time, Chalmers, Sato and West were the only consistent double-digit scorers. Now everyone is getting into the act, including Christiansen, a walk-on who has threatened to score in double figures twice, finishing with seven- and nine-point games.

"It helps (Sato and West) to relax and keeps them from thinking, 'I have to get 20 points for us to win,'" Jackson said. "In order for us to be great, we have to have balanced scoring. So it makes you want to step up even more and contribute."

INJURY REPORT

West still wears a protective bandage covering the bruised right knuckle of the index finger he injured in practice Monday. The tape bandage prevents his finger from moving, and West said he will wear it until he can move his finger comfortably without it.

Chalmers will begin practicing with the team next week, but at this point it is too early to tell how much he will play against Richmond Feb. 1.

E-mail ddow@enquirer.com

Xavier starters in A-10 games

Player	PPG
Romain Sato	19.0
David West	18.2
Anthony Myles	12.0
Dedrick Finn	11.2
Keith Jackson	11.0