OHIO Xavier whips host Miami

Dayton rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat Louisiana-Lafayette.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
OXFORD -- In a game with few open shots, one long one by Romain Sato made all the difference.
Sato's 3-pointer -- Xavier's first of the game -- started a 14-point run midway through the second half that swept the Musketeers to a 55-36 victory Tuesday over Miami of Ohio.
Xavier (4-2), playing for the first time since an overtime loss to Indiana nine days ago, was out of sync against Miami's slowdown style until Sato got the offense rolling with his 3-pointer from the right corner.
"That's when we got back in the game," said Sato, who finished with 14 points. "After I hit that shot, we started playing harder."
Aiding the cause
Lionel Chalmers added 12 points for Xavier, which was only 3-of-16 from behind the arc.
Chet Mason had 14 points for Miami (2-3), which was held under 40 points for the second consecutive game. The RedHawks shot only 35.9 percent from the field and had a season-high 20 turnovers in their worst home defeat since an 87-58 loss to Xavier on Nov. 28, 2001.
For much of the game, it didn't even feel like home. The Xavier fans drowned out the RedHawks fans in the crowd of 6,101.
"I'd like to play on a home court one of these nights," Miami coach Charlie Coles said. "You're playing all of these away games."
The 36 points were the fewest allowed by Xavier since a 30-28 loss to Oklahoma City on Jan. 23, 1982, before the 35-second shot clock.
No. 25 Dayton 66, Louisiana-Lafayette 59
DAYTON -- Dayton coach Brian Gregory doesn't want his big men to be shy. He says that's what sunk the Flyers in the first half of their game against Louisiana-Lafayette.
But No. 25 Dayton stormed back from a nine-point halftime deficit to defeat Lafayette, thanks in part to more aggressive play under the boards.
Gregory said his centers were not attacking the rim in the first half.
"Our big men were finding spaces in the zone instead of getting contract," Gregory said. "Post up, get contact and keep going inside. These guys executed the offense to perfection in the second half."
Ramod Marshall's two 3-pointers in the final 1:33 broke the back of a scrappy Lafayette team.
Gregory said Marshall was a "non-factor" in the first half because he was playing too far outside. In the second half, Marshall "completely dominated" the game by pushing the ball up the court and making passes, Gregory said.
"And he made those big shots down the stretch for us," the coach said.
Responding
When Lafayette's Brad Boyd hit a 3-pointer with 2:02 remaining to tie the game at 57, Marshall answered with a 3-pointer from the base line to give the Flyers the lead.
And after Boyd missed a 3-point attempt from the top of the key, Marshall hit another 3 to seal the victory.
Keith Waleskowski scored 18 points, and Sean Finn and Mark Jones each had 16 for the Flyers (7-0). Finn, a 7-foot center, also had 11 rebounds for his second career double-double.
Boyd had 20 points and Antoine Landry added 19 for Louisiana-Lafayette (1-2).