Monday, February 28, 2000
Muskies put on show on road
BY MICHAEL PERRY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
PHILADELPHIA — Four-point lead. One minute, 10 seconds left.
Xavier senior Darnell Williams curls around a screen, catches the ball, launches a 3-point shot from the left side over the outstretched arms of 6-foot-8 Rasual Butler and falls to the floor as he gets fouled.
Williams never sees the ball go in the basket. But he hears the moan of the crowd and notices his teammates rushing toward him with big smiles.
His four-point play — he made the ensuing free throw — helped the Musketeers wrap up a much-needed 71-60 victory at La Salle on Sunday, the team's second road victory in Atlantic 10 play and its first since Jan. 9.
“I felt like it was my turn to be the attacker, like a lion in the wild, just going after it,” Williams said.
The Musketeers (18-9), who entered Sunday No.3 in the Rating Percentage Index, have won seven of their last nine games.
They are tied with George Washington for second place in the A-10 West Division at 8-6. GW finishes the regular season at Massachusetts (15-12) and at home against Temple (22-4). XU finishes at St. Bonaventure (17-8) and at home against St. Joseph's (11-14).
The second-place team gets a first-round bye in the conference tournament, but would be placed in the same bracket with East champion Temple. The third-place team would be out of Temple's bracket but would need to win four games to capture the tournament title — and the automatic NCAA berth — which has never been done.
“We're still looking to go the (NCAA) tournament, and La Salle was in our way,” XU point guard Maurice McAfee said. “We had to go through them to get a step closer, and that's what we did.”
McAfee hit a 3-pointer with 3:45 left to put Xavier ahead by nine. The Explorers answered with five straight points; a 3-pointer by Butler pulled them within 64-60 with 2:34 remaining.
But they never scored again, missing their last six field goal attempts.
“We've been in this position numerous times, and we've failed to get the job done,” McAfee said. “This is good for us to go on the road, be in the same position, and get it done. We didn't have to blow them out; we just wanted to get the win.”
Williams' basket was the last of the game. XU held on with three free throws.
Williams scored a team-high 16 points and was in double figures for the sixth straight game; that's something he hasn't done since the end of his freshman year.
Lloyd Price had 15 points and 11 rebounds — his fourth double-double of the season — for the Musketeers.
XU finished with a 44-31 rebounding advantage.
“We talked a lot the last 24 hours about focus,” coach Skip Prosser said. “It's obviously evident to anybody who's followed us we've lost focus in games. We said we were going to keep our focus from the time we get on the bus to the time we get back on the bus heading to the airport with a win, and I thought we did that.”
It didn't hurt that another opponent riled up the Musketeers.
La Salle led 26-18 with 4:23 left in the first half when reserve center Garrett Bragg hit XU sophomore Kevin Frey in the back of the head with an elbow, creating a gash that re quired seven stitches. It was ruled a flagrant technical foul, Braggs was ejected, Frey went to get stitched up, and Xavier went on a tear.
The Musketeers closed the first half on a 13-5 run to tie the game, and began the second half with eight consecutive points for an eight-point lead.
Over a 10-minute stretch, XU outscored the Explorers 21-5. La Salle never got closer than three (50-47, 9:20 to play) the rest of the way.
“Maybe that was the catalyst to us guarding and rebounding like we're capable of doing, but who knows?” Prosser said. “We certainly played very well after that.”
Xavier did the same thing Feb. 15 after Frey was hit the head by Duquesne's Simon Ogunlesi, outscoring the Dukes by 28 after that flagrant technical.
“I think we get pumped up,” West said. “At least I do. I think we kept that in the back of our minds and we gave it a little bit harder effort.
“I don't think something like that has any place, especially at this level. I just try to go out there and have fun, and when guys blatantly do stuff like that, it takes from the game. I just get mad.”
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