Council scores 30 to help Wolfpack hold off XU Gold Nuggets

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Keiva Council scored 19 of her 30 points in the second half Saturday, and Loyola survived a late Xavier University of Louisiana rally to grab a 67-64 women's basketball victory at The Den.

The victory was the third in a row for the Wolfpack, whose 10-1 start is the best in the program's history. Loyola snapped the three-game win streak of the Gold Nuggets (7-4), ranked 16th in NAIA Division I.

Council, NAIA Division I's scoring leader with 23.1 points per game, scored nine points during a 17-6 run which gave Loyola its biggest lead, 58-43, with 8:23 remaining. Xavier closed to within one point twice in the final two minutes but missed two opportunities to tie the score in the final minute.

Council was 7-of-19 from the floor, 3-of-8 from 3-point range and 13-of-17 from the line with nine rebounds and four steals in 40 minutes. She's the first XU opposing player to reach 30 points since Langston's Matalya McBath-Belvin scored 32 in a 69-66 victory against the Nuggets on the second day of the Xavier Classic on Nov. 24, 2006.

The Nuggets' Keldra Hall missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 48 seconds remaining and Loyola leading 64-62, but Jazmoné Kelly grabbed the offensive rebound. Jasmine Grant was fouled seven seconds later, but made just the first of two free throws.

Loyola clinched the victory when Amy Moody grabbed an offensive rebound after Council's missed second free throw with 18 seconds remaining, then made two free throws for a 67-63 lead with 13 seconds to play.

SiMon Franklin had a season-high-tying 13 points and a career-best eight rebounds for Xavier. Grant and Hall scored 12 points apiece, and Kelly scored 10. Carmen Holcombe grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in 12 relief minutes.

Kelly's basket at 3:05 of the first half gave Xavier its biggest lead, 24-19, but Loyola scored nine of the next 11 points to take a 28-26 advantage at halftime. The Wolfpack went ahead to stay at 25-24 on Raven Lane's fast-break basket at 1:31.

Xavier shot a season-best 51 percent from the floor but made 10-of-19 free throws after making 27-of-31 the previous two games. Loyola shot 38 percent from the floor and made 25-of-35 free throws. Xavier had a 34-32 rebound advantage but committed 25 turnovers, five more than the Wolfpack.

Xavier will travel to Las Vegas for a pair of games in the Vegas Hoopla. The Gold Nuggets will play NAIA No. 1 Oklahoma City on Tuesday and Sterling on Wednesday. Both games will tip off at 4 p.m. PST.

BOX SCORE

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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