Gold Nuggets win at Tougaloo after trailing by 14

TOUGALOO, Mississippi -- Amara Person-Hampton's basket with 49 seconds remaining Saturday lifted NAIA No. 23 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 66-65 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against Tougaloo.

The Gold Nuggets (17-6, 7-0) have won five straight and 13 of their last 14 games.

Tougaloo (7-12, 1-6) scored its final points on Chasity Kearney's basket for a 65-62 lead with 2:43 remaining. But the Lady Bulldogs missed their final six field-goal attempts.

Whitney Gathright's two free throws with 1:26 remaining cut Tougaloo's lead to 65-64, then Gathright passed to Person-Hampton for the winning basket after a Kearney missed shot.

Vinnie Briggs had 20 points and 10 rebounds and was Xavier's only player to score in double figures. Whitney Gaston-Loyd had nine points and five rebounds, and Gathright had eight points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Person-Hampton, a sophomore, was 4-of-6 from the floor and scored a career-best eight points.

Xavier's Paige Gauthier had seven points and 10 rebounds.

Kearney had 25 points and 16 rebounds for Tougaloo, and Portia Craft scored 16.

Tougaloo outscored Xavier 7-0 in the first two minutes and held its biggest lead, 34-20, after Craft made 1-of-2 free throws at 3:27. But the Gold Nuggets trimmed the margin to 38-31 by halftime.

Xavier's other lead was 60-59 when Gathright made two free throws with 6:14 remaining. The Gold Nuggets led for 77 seconds overall.

The Gold Nuggets will stay on the road and visit Philander Smith at 5:30 p.m. Monday in Little Rock, Ark.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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