Gold Nuggets wallop Fisk 71-28, earn seventh consecutive victory

NEW ORLEANS - Keldra Hall scored 14 points Saturday to lead NAIA No. 17 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 71-28 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against Fisk.

The Gold Nuggets (14-5 overall, 4-0 GCAC) won their seventh in a row and produced their largest winning margin in conference since an 84-40 home victory against William Carey on Jan. 13, 2003.

Hall, who played 12 minutes, scored in double figures for the seventh consecutive game.

SiMon Franklin had 10 points for Xavier. Fourteen XU players scored, and none played more than 18 minutes. Jasmine Grant and Paige Gauthier each made a pair of 3-pointers for Xavier. Jazmoné Kelly had four of Xavier's 20 steals and moved into a tie for 15th place on XU's career list with former Gold Nugget Sherlett Hendy. Both have 208 steals.

Simona Newman had nine points for Fisk (3-10, 0-4), a second-year GCAC member.

Xavier scored the first nine points and led 35-8 when Grant passed to Franklin for a basket at 7:44 of the first half. The Gold Nuggets led 37-18 at halftime, and the final margin was their largest of the game.

The Gold Nuggets outshot the Lady Bulldogs 39.3 to 20 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 46-34. It was the fourth straight game that Xavier limited an opponent to less than 30 percent, and it was the fifth straight game that the Nuggets had a double-digit rebound advantage. Fisk made 6-of-17 free throws and committed 30 turnovers.

Xavier has won 33 in a row against GCAC opponents, 28 in the regular season.

Both teams will play GCAC games Monday. Xavier will play Philander Smith at 5 p.m. at The Barn, and Fisk will play SUNO at noon at Dillard's Dent Hall.

BOX SCORE

By Ed Cassiere,Sports Information Director
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