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Burrell, Xavier use big second half to rout Richmond

Mar 9, 2008 - 6:37 AM CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- A dominant start to the second half by Xavier got it back to its winning ways.

Stanley Burrell scored five of his 11 points during a big run after halftime as No. 11 Xavier rolled to an 86-61 victory over Richmond on Saturday in the Atlantic 10 regular-season finale for both teams.

B.J. Raymond led the way with a career-high 22 points and Derrick Brown added 13, eight rebounds and a career-high four blocks for the Musketeers (26-5, 14-2 A-10), who captured their 12th win in the last 13 games.

With 26 total wins, Xavier stands just two shy of tying the school record, set by the 1989-90 squad that went on to reach the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

Having already clinched its second straight regular-season title, Xavier saw its 11-game winning streak snapped in a 71-66 loss at Saint Joseph's on Thursday.

Although they had to play without starting point guard Drew Lavender, who sat out to rest a nagging ankle injury, the Musketeers displayed a much better effort in the first half, shooting 48 percent (12-of-25) in taking a 32-26 lead at the half.

"We're not going to make any excuses. I'm really proud of how we stepped up in Drew's absence," Burrell said. "Guys have to step up. C.J. (Anderson) really set the tone for us and pounded the ball inside, a man against boys."

As well as that opening half was, it was no comparison to what Xavier accomplished in the first eight-plus minutes after the break.

Behind a balanced effort that included five different players contributing three or more points, the Musketeers opened the second half with a 22-3 run that gave them a 54-29 lead with 11:51 left.

Xavier continued to roll, shooting 62.5 percent (10-of-16) and converting an eye-popping 31-of-36 free throws over the final 20 minutes en route to its sixth straight win over Richmond.

"I liked our pace tonight on offense," Xavier coach Sean Miller said. "I thought we played really hard. I thought we played at a high level."

Josh Duncan also scored 13 points and C.J. Anderson added 12 for the Musketeers, who finished with five players in double figures, improving to 20-0 when four or more players score 10 or more points.

Burrell made 7-of-8 foul shots and moved up to 14th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,559 points, passing Lionel Chalmers.

Kevin Anderson had 20 points for the Spiders (16-13, 9-7), who finished with just 17 free-throw attempts compared to the season-high 43 for the Musketeers.

Justin Harper added 11 points for Richmond, which finished 38 percent (22-of-58) from the field and was outrebounded, 40-21.

Xavier held an opponent to fewer than 62 points for the fourth time in five games.

"Defensively, any time you can hold Richmond to 38 percent (shooting) and 8-for-24 from threes, that's winning basketball," Miller said. "If you look at us defensively in the last five or six games, we've been at our best."