Tuesday, January 13, 2015

XU Rush do it the Wright way, beat Tougaloo with late FTs

PHOTO GALLERY: XU men's basketball vs. Tougaloo —
at 
Xavier University Convocation Center


Photos by Yamlak Tsega
NEW ORLEANS — Morris Wright's two free throws with three-tenths of a second remaining gave NAIA No. 24 Xavier University of Louisiana a 76-74 men's basketball victory against Tougaloo.

The Gold Rush (13-6, 2-1) moved into a second-place tie in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference with the Bulldogs (4-7, 2-1) and Philander Smith.

Wright scored the winning points after Malcolm Sanders fouled him as he drove into the key on Xavier's final possession.

Tougaloo trailed 58-45 with 10:40 remaining but tied the score on Kelsey Howard's basket with 11 seconds remaining.

Sydney Coleman scored a season-high 17 points for Xavier, and his eight rebounds were one less than his season best. Anthony Goode had 15 points — he made three of Xavier's five 3-pointers — and tied his career high of six assists. Wright had 13 points and seven assists, and Jacques Johnson matched his career high of 12 points in his first double-figure game since late November.

Quintarius Porter had 22 points and six 3-pointers, both season highs, and four steals for Tougaloo. Howard scored 16 points, Andravious Smith had 14, and Kardrailous Kemp scored 11. Jarmell Anderson had a career-high nine assists.

Johnson's two baskets in the final 1:23 erased a Tougaloo lead and gave Xavier a 37-34 halftime advantage. The Bulldogs led by six twice in the opening half, the last time at 29-23 on Kemp's basket at 5:39.

Xavier — led by Coleman's 7-of-8 shooting and Wesley Pluviose-Philip's 4-of-5 — matched its season high by shooting 59.6 percent from the floor. It was the eighth time this season that the Gold Rush reached 50 percent and the fourth time in the last six games.

Xavier equaled its season high of 20 assists and outrebounded Tougaloo 30-20.

The Bulldogs shot 46 percent from the floor and made 20-of-24 free throws.

Xavier's will play GCAC and city rival SUNO at 7:30 p.m. next Monday at XU's Convocation Center.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director 

No comments: