By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

RICHMOND, Va. - David West always plays to win, but he wanted Saturday's game just a little more than most.

That is why he was happier than anyone after Xavier (15-4, 6-1) left Robins Center with a 66-52 win, which in West's mind made up for a home loss to Richmond Jan. 7 when West was limited to 10 points.

"Coach (Thad Matta) didn't want us to say this, but this was a payback game," West said after he scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and finished the game with an emphatic slam dunk.

West was the target of Richmond fans who questioned his toughness with loud chants. But West kept his composure and stayed out of foul trouble, unlike the first game when he had to sit because of two quick fouls.

"It's almost a compliment, the fans," West said. "If I wasn't worth a damn, they wouldn't be saying my name."

It wasn't just West's name they were saying. Fans also made up chants about West's mother, Harriett, who didn't attend the game because of the bad experience she had with fans here last season. "Where is Harriett.com?" and "Got Harriett?" signs flashed throughout the game from the student section.

"Today we were focused and we didn't get rattled by the crowd," West said. "It's a tough place to play. That's a positive for Richmond that their fans make it tough. We knew it was coming after last year."

CHALMERS' RETURN: No one knew quite what to expect when Lionel Chalmers entered the game for the first time with 13:42 left in the first half. After all, he missed a month of games and practice recovering from surgery to repair his right foot that he broke Dec. 31.

So it was no surprise he appeared a little nervous and dribbled the ball out of bounds 30 seconds after he entered the game. Chalmers eventually settled down and played 11 minutes, scoring two points on a pair of free throws. He wasn't close on four missed shot attempts, but defensively he played solid and should see more minutes Tuesday at George Washington.

Trainer Dave Fluker said Chalmers looked comfortable.

"At this stage, he looked like I expected him to, and I'm happy with his progress," Fluker said. "He had no complaints after the game."

It is unlikely Chalmers will be back to playing 30 minutes or be in the starting lineup Tuesday. That could happen as soon as next Saturday's game against Dayton depending on his progress.

"We wanted him to get into the flow and get a little confidence," Matta said.

HOT SHOTS: Xavier made 12 of 13 free throws (92.3 percent) and is shooting 75 percent for the season. The Musketeers lead the A-10 in free throw attempts and continued the trend Saturday with 13 attempts. Richmond attempted only three free throws.