Xavier's Lionel Chalmers drives past LaSalle's Mike Cleaves in the first half. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        Xavier was ahead by 18 points with less than 12 minutes to go when Dave Young dove to the court. The ball was loose, and as far as Young was concerned, it was his to have.

        It was a microcosm moment for the Musketeers. With the game Thursday — and an NCAA Tournament bid — all but assured, this still was no time to rest.

        “Last year at this time, we tailed off at the end, ran out of gas,” XU center David West said. “We're trying to change things, make sure it's not the same as last year. We're winning games late (in the season), and hopefully we'll win some games in the (Atlantic 10) Tournament.”

        XU's energy showed up in an active defense Thursday in a 68-53 victory over visiting La Salle, as the Explorers shot just 25 percent (7-of-28) in the second half. That aggressiveness helped the Musketeers (21-5, 13-2 A-10) secure the top overall seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament and, according to “bracketology” experts Joe Lunardi (www.ESPN.com) and Jerry Palm (www.CollegeRPI.com), attain the last victory they would need for an NCAA invite.

        Even with another game looming 38 hours later, XU coach Thad Matta didn't let this championship go unnoticed.

        “When Coach came in (the locker room), he said, "They said this team can't win the A-10.' We were picked third (overall),” Young said. “We're going out there trying to prove everything. Every game, we just go hard, try to get our respect.”

        How's this for respect:

        • One more victory by the Musketeers (21-5, 13-2 A-10) or loss by Saint Joseph's (18-9, 12-3) would clinch the league's best overall record outright for XU; it shared that honor with Saint Joe's in 1997 (both were 13-3).

        • XU has won 21 or more games in six consecutive seasons. Its total of 13 league wins matches its previous best set in '97.

        • If XU beats Massachusetts on Saturday to finish 14-2, it would match the best A-10 mark by any team over the past six seasons. Saint Joe's last season and Temple two years ago were the others to go 14-2 in that span.

        The Musketeers had four double-figure scorers Thursday: West scored 18 points with Young adding 16, Romain Sato 15 and Lionel Chalmers 13. They never trailed, surging to a 10-point halftime lead despite allowing the Explorers (13-15, 6-9) to shoot 48.3 percent in the half.

        Then the defense clamped down. LaSalle made just two of its first 15 shots after intermission and four of its first 24, falling behind by as many as 20 points.

        Now comes UMass (12-14, 6-9 A-10), which swept XU in two meetings last year. A national TV audience will watch on ESPN.

        NOTEWORTHY:

        XU might play UMass in back-to-back games. The Musketeers' A-10 quarterfinal will be at noon next Thursday against the winner of a game between UMass and the East Division's fifth seed, either Duquesne or George Washington.

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