DAYTON, Ohio (Ticker) -- Romain Sato and Lionel Chalmers struggled from the outside, but David West typically dominated inside.

West had 27 points and 12 rebounds as 10th-ranked Xavier set a school record with its 16th straight win, a 78-73 victory over George Washington in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament.

The A-10 Player of the Year, West made 8-of-10 shots from the floor and 11-of-14 free throws as Xavier (25-4) broke the school record for consecutive wins set in the 1987-88 season.

"We set out to do what we were suppoosed to do, we knew they were going to be tough and scrappy," West said. "The basketball game is going to be a 40-minute game. I do whatever my team needs. We were having a little problem early with the press so coach wanted me to take the ball and break the press."

Sato, who drew the tough defensive assignment of guarding Chris Monroe, had 20 points and eight rebounds. But the 6-5 Sato made just 1-of-8 shots from behind the arc. Chalmers scored 14 points, but was just 1-of-9 from 3-point range.

Monroe scored 22 points and Tamal Forchion added 15 for George Washington (12-17), which has lost five straight and eight of its last nine meetings with Xavier.

"He's a good player, he's the leading scorer in the league," Sato said about Monroe. "I just tried to do my best."

The Musketeers used a 9-2 burst to grab a 39-29 lead when Chalmers made 1-of-2 free throws 1:38 before halftime. Mike Hall, who had seven points and 10 rebounds, made a jumper 21 seconds later and George Washington trailed by eight points at the break.

Xavier outscored George Washington in the paint, 20-14, in the first 20 minutes.

The Musketeers took their biggest lead with 13:48 remaining, when West hit a pair of free throws to make it 54-40. The Colonials used a 9-0 run to close within, 57-54, on a dunk by Omar Williams with 7:08 remaining. It was Williams' only basket in seven attempts from the field.

The Colonials got no closer as West answered with a bank shot in the lane and made a free throw after getting fouled.