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| ANTHONY SIMMONS 6-8/245 JUNIOR, FORWARD HOMETOWN: ROCHESTER, N.Y. ALLENDALE COLUMBIA H.S. XU GOLD RUSH |
NEW ORLEANS — Anthony Simmons scored 13 of his season-high 17 points in the second half Wednesday to help Xavier University of Louisiana earn a 79-70 men's basketball victory against the University of New Orleans at Lakefront Arena.
The Gold Rush (9-4), ranked 21st in NAIA Division I, handed the Privateers (9-8) their fourth consecutive defeat and beat them for the first time since 1974. It was the teams' first meeting since 2000 and sixth overall.
Simmons scored seven points during a 9-2 run which erased UNO's only second-half lead. Simmons' basket and free throw with 9:36 remaining put Xavier ahead to stay, 52-49.
But Xavier did not seal the victory until it made 6-of-6 free throws in the final 46 seconds.
Five XU players scored in double figures. Wanto Joseph had 14 points, six assists and zero turnovers. Chris Iles and Jamaan Kenner scored 12 points apiece, and Cordell Hadnot had 10 points and seven rebounds,
Max Banchy scored 16 points and made 5-of-6 3-pointers for UNO, an NCAA Division I independent which is transitioning to Division II. Brandon Knight had 14 points and six assists. Lovell Cook scored 13 points and Antonio Holmes 11.
Banchy's 3-pointer with 11:15 remaining gave the Privateers a 49-47 lead. UNO also led 23-22 and 25-24 before Xavier rallied for a 31-30 halftime advantage.
Kenner, a senior guard, scored 11 points in the final nine minutes to produce a season high and reach double figures in consecutive games for the first time in his career. Hadnot scored in double figures for the seventh straight game, a personal best, and Iles led the Rush with a career-best eight rebounds.
Xavier shot 52.7 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the line, both season highs, and outrebounded the Privateers 37-29. UNO shot 43.1 percent and made a season-high 11 3-pointers in 21 attempts.
The Gold Rush will play its Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opener at noon Saturday against Philander Smith in Little Rock, Ark. Philander Smith, in its first GCAC season, already has victories against defending GCAC Tournament champion Tougaloo and NCAA D-I Central Arkansas.
NOTES: It's the first time in nearly 40 years that Xavier earned victories against NCAA D-I opponents in consecutive seasons. The Gold Rush won at Southern a year ago . . . UNO leads the series 4-2 . . . The teams will meet again at 7 p.m. on Feb. 1 at The Barn . . . It was Xavier's fifth of six consecutive road games . . . XU junior guard Nick Haywood made 2-of-2 free throws and has made 24 straight during the past nine games. By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
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