ROME, Georgia — Jasmine Grant's 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining Wednesday gave Xavier University of Louisiana a 60-59 women's basketball victory against Shorter in a matchup of ranked NAIA Division I teams.
The Gold Nuggets (10-5), ranked 16th, won their third in a row and defeated the Lady Hawks (10-2), ranked 18th, for the second time this season.
Grant, who led the Nuggets with 15 points, made her fifth 3-pointer of the game after Shorter's Brittney Smith missed two free throws with 29 seconds remaining. The Lady Hawks still had two chances to win, but they committed a turnover with five seconds remaining, then missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer after XU's Brandi Young missed the front end of a 1-and-1.
Shorter, playing for the first time in 23 days, didn't score again after Allison Danner's basket gave the Lady Hawks a 59-54 advantage with 1:07 remaining. Xavier and Shorter traded misses, then SiMon Franklin's 3-pointer, her third of the season, cut the margin to 59-57 with 30 seconds remaining.
2011/12 XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
GOLD NUGGETS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM
HEAD COACH: ROBERT "BO" BROWDER (13th SEASON)
ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH: DARRILYN BROUSSARD (11th SEASON)
(Click Photo Enlarge)
Keldra Hall, recording a double-double on the road for the second straight day, had 14 points and 17 rebounds. Since the start of the 2003-04 season, no Gold Nugget has grabbed as many rebounds in a game. Franklin was 5-of-7 from the floor and had 12 points and three assists.
Kelly Ellison had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Shorter but committed the turnover which followed Grant's winning shot. Smith scored 11 points, and Shelby Farrer had nine points and 10 rebounds.
Shorter outshot Xavier 37.5 to 31.9 percent from the floor, but the Nuggets had a 49-39 rebound advantage. Both teams made seven 3-pointers.
Grant made her most 3-pointers since tying the school record of seven against Paul Quinn on Nov. 19, 2010. The senior guard missed the final 26 games of 2010-11 because of a knee injury, but she has bounced back this season with 35 3-pointers in 15 games.
Xavier scored the first four points and never lost the lead until Smith's basket gave Shorter a 31-30 advantage with 18:11 remaining. There were three more lead changes and two ties before Grant's winning shot.
Xavier, the 2011 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament champion, will stay on the road and play its conference opener at 2 p.m. Saturday against GCAC newcomer Philander Smith in Little Rock, Ark.
NOTES: Xavier beat Shorter 56-51 at The Barn on Dec. 3 in their other meeting this season . . . Smith's two missed free throws in the final minute came after Shorter made 10 in a row . . . Grant ranks third at Xavier with 158 career 3-pointers. Courtney Simon (1992-96) made 204, and Jarryn Cleaves (2003-08) made 283 . . . Jazmoné Kelly had three steals to increase her team-leading total to 39. She needs two steals to become the 19th Gold Nugget with 200 in a career . . . Kelly needs two rebounds to reach 500 for her career . . . Shorter committed 10 fewer personal fouls than Xavier but attempted one more free throw than the Nuggets.
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XULAATLETICS
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