Late Gold Rush free throws preserve 65-58 victory over Fisk

CORDELL HADNOT (#0)
6-7/250 FORWARD, SENIOR
HOMETOWN: LOS ANGELES, CA
WESTCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL

NEW ORLEANS -- Cordell Hadnot scored 14 points Saturday, and NAIA No. 18 Xavier University made 8-of-11 free throws in the final 3½ minutes to preserve a 65-58 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against Fisk.

The Gold Rush (12-5 overall, 3-1 GCAC) won for the fifth time in six games and remained a half-game behind conference co-leaders Tougaloo and SUNO.

Hadnot scored 10 first-half points to help Xavier grab a 32-30 halftime advantage. There were four ties and five lead changes in the opening period.

Xavier never lost the lead in the second half and twice led by 10 before surviving a Fisk rally which twice closed the margin to one point in the final six minutes.

Chris Iles, who finished with 10 points, made 4-of-6 free throws in the final 38 seconds for Xavier, which won for the 28th time in its past 32 games at The Barn.

The Gold Rush won because of better free-throw shooting. Xavier made 21-of-29, and Fisk (5-12, 1-3) made 14-of-27. The Bulldogs were 11-of-23 in the second half.

Anthony Simmons grabbed a career-high-tying 13 rebounds for the Gold Rush. Simmons reached 12 rebounds for the third time in four games, and Xavier outrebounded Fisk 43-29.

Jewaun Wynn led Fisk with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Cameron Lewis scored 11 points, and Harold Jenkins had 10. Xavier limited Fisk's leading scorer for the season, Darrell Miller, to three points and 1-of-7 from the floor. Miller was one of two Bulldogs to foul out.

Xavier outshot Fisk 46.5 to 30 percent from the floor to offset 24 turnovers, seven more than the Bulldogs.

Although Fisk is a second-year GCAC member, this was the teams' first meeting since November 1999. Xavier leads the series 12-5 and beat the Bulldogs for the first time since the 1970-71 season.

Both teams will play GCAC games Monday. Xavier will play Philander Smith at 7 p.m. at The Barn, and Fisk will play SUNO at 2 p.m. at Dillard's Dent Hall.

BOX SCORE

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