By Dustin Dow and John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

ORLANDO, Fla. - To beat Mississippi State Sunday, Xavier knew it would have to limit Lawrence Roberts' shot attempts.

Mississippi State's first-team All-American came into the game averaging 17.1 points and 10.2 rebounds. In the teams' first meeting Dec. 13, Roberts scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 12-point MSU win.

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos from Xavier game

"When you go against a guy like him, you're trying to play great position defense, which we were," Xavier coach Thad Matta said. "We didn't feel that we had the ability to front him, but when he catches it down there, a lot of times we were just hoping he would miss."

Roberts missed seven times Sunday in Xavier's 89-74 win. The combined defensive efforts of Anthony Myles and Brandon Cole limited Roberts to 11 points and seven rebounds on 4-of-11 shooting. Myles grabbed 14 rebounds.

"We did a pretty good job on him," said Cole, who blocked one of Roberts' shots near the end of the first half. "With a player like him, you have to feel where he wants to go."

SUPER FRESHMAN: In the course of 5 seconds, Justin Doellman had just committed a turnover and a foul. That would usually get a freshman a seat on the bench in an NCAA Tournament game.

Xavier coach Thad Matta didn't think about it, even though Doellman was 1-for-6 from the field at that point. "I said, 'Look, you're going to take the biggest shot to win the game for us,' " Matta said. "My point is I have all the confidence in the world in Justin."

Doellman didn't hit any one shot that turned around the game, but he did score nine straight points in a 45-second stretch that pushed Xavier's lead from two at 55-53 to 10 at 64-54. Mississippi State would not get closer than seven the rest of the way. "I just try to play my role," Doellman said, "get guys open and hit open shots."

Doellman, the 6-foot-9 freshman from Ryle High, scored 13 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had three assists and two blocked shots Sunday.

Doellman, the son of former Northern Kentucky University star Dan Doellman, is not playing like a freshman.

"I think during the game his heart rate is about 40 beats a minute," Matta said. "He's so calm."

"That's the way I've always been," he said. "I've always been pretty mellow. I don't let things get to me."

Doellman has averaged 10.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists over the last eight games.

Last year this time he was finishing up his senior season at Ryle. Now, he's going to the Sweet 16.

GET WELL SOON: Matta had more than just the game to think about Sunday. His 3-year-old daughter Emily suffered pneumonia and was taken to an Orlando hospital Saturday night. She remained there Sunday for the game with Matta's wife, Barbara, but made sure her Dad received a play she drew up.

Matta's sister-in-law gave him Emily's note Saturday night, which read, "Daddy, run this play. Love Emily."

"She smiled," Matta said after he saw Emily back at the hospital following XU's win Sunday. Matta said Emily was doing better, and hoped she could make the team's flight home Sunday night.

EXTRA MOTIVATION: Sophomore Dedrick Finn always plays well against Mississippi State, but his 22-point, five 3-pointer game Sunday was his best game ever in two years at Xavier.

It's no surprise that it came against MSU. Finn almost went to Mississippi State, but his recruiting visit was scheduled for right after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and he never made the trip.

Finn hit two of the biggest shots of Sunday's game, a half-court 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer and another 3-pointer that gave Xavier a 12-point lead with 3:44 to play.

TICKETS: Xavier tickets for Atlanta will be distributed among season-ticket holders. General public tickets are available by calling 404-222-6222. The tickets are good for Friday and Sunday sessions and cost $110 for lower level and $100 for upper level in the Georgia Dome.

On the march

Senior guard Lionel Chalmers is the primary reason the Musketeers went from the bubble to the Sweet 16. Here are highlights of the past two weeks:

Last week: Named Most Outstanding Player in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

Friday: Had 25 points, six assists in first-round win over No. 10 seed Louisville.

Sunday: Scored 31 points on 11-of-13 shooting in the second-round win over No. 2 seed Mississippi State.

Last six games: 21.0 scoring and 3.8 assist average.

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E-mail ddow@enquirer.com