By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

ATLANTA - Xavier's three seniors didn't want to end their careers short of the Final Four, but they expressed sentiment after having played their last college game in Sunday's 66-63 Elite Eight loss to Duke.

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos from Sunday's game

"I wanted to leave here as one of the best guards to ever play here, and I feel I accomplished that," said senior point guard Lionel Chalmers, who averaged 21.8 points in Xavier's four NCAA Tournament games. "I've been a part of some great teams, and it's been tremendous for me. I love Xavier, and I think Xavier is a great place."

Romain Sato scored 10 points to move into third place on Xavier's career scoring list with 2,005 points.

"We did something nobody ever did at Xavier," Sato said of Xavier's four-game Tournament run. "I just didn't want the season to end. I'm happy. It hurts now, but we have to keep our heads up."

Anthony Myles played one of his most effective games at Xavier since transferring from junior college prior to last season. He scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds before fouling out.

"To watch the game go down like that, knowing I should have been out there, it hurts," Myles said. "But I hold my head up high. Everybody had us counted out, but we made it to the Elite Eight."

LAST-SECOND SPECIALIST: Dedrick Finn came up big just before halftime for the second time in three games.

After Duke's J.J. Redick missed a baseline jumper with six seconds left in the half, Mylesgrabbed the rebound and threw an outlet pass to Finn. The sophomore guard dribbled up the right side of the court, stopped 25 feet from the basket and hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Xavier a 30-28 halftime lead.

In Xavier's second-round win against Mississippi State last Sunday, Finn hit a halfcourt shot to lift Xavier to a halftime lead as well.

"It feels good to do that," Finn said. "There was a little bit of luck on both of them. Looking back, it was a great time, a great ride. I just wish we could have come out with a 'W.'  "

FOUR OF A KIND: Xavier's four all-time leading scorers were in the Georgia Dome for Sunday's game. All-time leading scorer Byron Larkin was calling the game on radio for WLW-AM (700). Last year's national player of the year, XU second-leading scorer David West, flew in from New Orleans, where he plays for the NBA's Hornets.

Sato moved into third place on the all-time list by scoring 10 points to pass Tyrone Hill, who attended Xavier's Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games.

RILEY-SMITH LEAVES: Penn State transfer DeForrest Riley-Smith has left Xavier University for personal reasons. His future with the team is uncertain.

Riley-Smith, a shooting guard, would become eligible during the second semester of the 2004-05 season and be classified as a junior.

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E-mail ddow@enquirer.com