Xavier Gold Nuggets delay King's quest for his 200th victory

KELDRA HALL
6-0 CENTER, SENIOR
DALLAS, TEXAS
Molina H.S. (Angelina JC)

NEW ORLEANS — Keldra Hall scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half Tuesday to lead NAIA No. 17 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 56-47 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against SUNO at The Barn.

The Gold Nuggets (12-5 overall, 2-0 GCAC) have won 31 in a row against GCAC opponents — 26 in the regular season. They denied Elston King his 200th victory at SUNO (3-7, 1-2).

King is 199-147 in 13 seasons.

Hall grabbed seven rebounds, but her streak of consecutive double-doubles ended at three. Jasmine Grant scored eight points, all in the second half, for Xavier, and Brandi Young and Jazmoné Kelly scored seven apiece. Young had a career-high nine assists and zero turnovers in 36 minutes.

Kelly Stewart scored nine points for SUNO. No teammate had more than six points.

Stewart's basket with 13:48 remaining gave SUNO its only lead, 30-28. Then Xavier took control with a 14-2 run during the next five minutes. Grant scored all her points during that time, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Hall's layup on a pass from Paige Gauthier capped the burst and gave the Nuggets a 42-32 lead with 9:07 remaining. The Lady Knights never came closer than six points thereafter.

Young passed to Gauthier for a basket which gave Xavier a 21-12 lead at 3:48 of the first half, but SUNO scored the next eight points — including 3-pointers by Blake Holliwell and Stewart — to cut the margin to 21-20 by halftime.

Xavier outshot SUNO 36.8 to 28 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Lady Knights 45-32. It was the second straight game that the Nuggets limited an opponent to less than 30 percent, and it was the fourth time in five games that their rebound margin was 10 or more.

It was Xavier's first home game since Dec. 3, its season-high fifth consecutive victory and its 12th straight victory in a GCAC home opener. The Nuggets are 59-8 all-time against SUNO and have won six straight and 10 of the past 11 in the series.

SUNO has dropped six of seven games after winning two of its first three.

The Gold Nuggets will continue their five-game home stand at 5:30 p.m. Friday against GCAC opponent Edward Waters.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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