By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Xavier's Anthony Myles tries to pull in a rebound against Indiana's MIke Roberts (33) during the first half of the Wooden Tradition game. (AP photo)

INDIANAPOLIS - Coaches say there is no such thing as a "good loss." And now that Xavier University (3-2) has lost two consecutive games with two straight road games ahead, Saturday's 80-77 overtime loss to Indiana probably seems even worse.

But in losing a heartbreaker to Indiana in the Wooden Tradition in front of 19,213 at Conseco Fieldhouse, Xavier players performed like coach Thad Matta had wanted the four previous games. They just failed to secure a win.

Xavier used smart offensive execution and an energized defensive effort to erase a 14-point halftime deficit after another disastrous first half. The Musketeers staged a dramatic second-half comeback, took the lead and had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation.

"We got a little toughness back," Matta said. "It was good to see our team come back and compete in the second half."

As well as Xavier played in the second half, it wasn't enough to stop Indiana sophomore guard Bracey Wright in overtime. Wright scored eight of his game-high 27 points in the extra period.

The Hoosiers took the lead for good with 35 seconds left when Wright broke loose for a fast-break layup. Dedrick Finn was called for his fifth foul on the play, giving Wright a free throw to put Indiana ahead 78-77.

Xavier's Lionel Chalmers turned the ball over the next trip down the court, forcing Xavier to foul. Chalmers got one last 3-point attempt, but it bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded.

Chalmers had a chance to win the game in regulation, but his fade-away jumper hit the back of the rim at the buzzer. He finished 3-of-15 from the field with eight points.

"They're just not falling in for me right now," said Chalmers, who at one point took and missed three shots on three straight possessions in the second half. "I'm working on it in practice. It's just not going in for me right now."

Although Chalmers struggled, Xavier picked up its play remarkably in the second half after shooting just 29 percent in the first half.

Sophomore post Will Caudle became a reliable presence inside and scored 14 of his career-high 18 points in the second half and overtime. Romain Sato, fouling out in regulation, scored 13 second-half points after making just three shots in the first half. He finished with 19 points.

"Coach has been putting a lot of confidence around me lately," Caudle said. "He said 'Will, in the second half, we're going to go to you.' And that's what they did."

As impressive as Xavier's comeback was, the Musketeers squandered chances to secure a win in regulation and overtime. With Xavier leading 63-60 and 1:04 left, Sato threw away an inbounds pass that Indiana's Marshall Strickland turned into a layup. Xavier still led 67-64 with 11 seconds remaining when Wright put back an offensive rebound and was fouled on the play by Keith Jackson.

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E-mail ddow@enquirer.com

Xavier	M	FG	Att	FT	Att	R	A	F	TO	TP
Sato	36	6	15	5	5	4	1	5	2	19
Myles	12	2	6	1	2	5	0	0	0	5
Caudle	36	8	12	2	3	6	0	4	3	18
Chalmers	33	3	15	2	2	4	3	2	3	8
Finn	39	2	6	5	6	2	7	5	1	10
Cage	27	4	6	0	0	4	0	1	1	8
Doellman	17	2	2	1	2	4	1	4	0	7
Jackson	22	1	5	0	0	1	1	3	0	2
Cole	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	0
Totals	225	28	68	16	20	33	13	25	11	77

Team rebounds - 3.

Indiana	M	FG	Att	FT	Att	R	A	F	TO	TP
Wilmont	22	2	8	0	0	6	1	3	1	5
Kline	41	5	8	2	7	7	2	3	0	12
Leach	16	3	7	0	0	3	1	2	0	6
Wright	43	9	18	7	9	7	3	1	7	27
Strickland	41	4	8	2	2	4	4	2	3	11
Moye	34	4	7	3	4	5	1	3	4	11
Ewing Jr.	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	0
Perry	17	1	2	5	9	2	2	0	0	8
Roberts	7	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	0
Totals	225	28	58	19	31	45	14	16	18	80

Team rebounds - 9.

Xavier	24	43	10	-77
Indiana	38	29	13	-80

3-pointers - XU 5-12 (Sato 2-5, Chalmers 0-4, Finn 1-1, Doellman 2-2), IU5-16 (Wilmont 1-5, Wright 2-7, Strickland 1-3, Perry 1-1). Technicals - None. Officials - Corbett, Gray, Clougherty. Attendance - 19,213.