MEAC/SWAC SPORTS MAIN STREET™: XU Nuggets extend GCAC streak with a Hall-acious victory

Sunday, January 8, 2012

XU Nuggets extend GCAC streak with a Hall-acious victory

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Keldra Hall scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds Saturday, and NAIA No. 16 Xavier University of Louisiana extended its Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball win streak with a 63-39 decision against Philander Smith.

Hall's third consecutive double-double — all on the road in the past five days — helped the Gold Nuggets (11-5 overall, 1-0 GCAC) earn their 30th consecutive victory against a conference opponent. Twenty-five of those victories occurred in the regular season.

Xavier has won a season-high four in a row and recorded its eighth double-digit victory.

Hall had 10 points and seven rebounds in the first half and secured her double-double with a defensive rebound with 6:54 remaining. The senior center — who was GCAC Tournament MVP and GCAC Newcomer of the Year in 2010-11 — amassed 54 rebounds and 44 rebounds in 60 minutes during the past three games. On Wednesday Hall grabbed 17 rebounds — the most by an XU female since the start of the 2003-04 season — in a 60-59 victory at 18th-ranked Shorter.

Just missing a double-double for Xavier was Jazmoné Kelly, who didn't score but grabbed a career-high-tying 14 rebounds to go with a career-best nine assists. SiMon Franklin scored 11 points to reach double figures for the sixth time in nine games, and reserve Chelsea Broussard scored a career-high-tying 10 points in her most productive game since opening night.

Xavier scored the first seven points, led 13-2 after Broussard's basket at 12:41 and 31-16 at halftime. Hall's basket with 5:08 remaining gave the Nuggets their biggest lead, 59-29.

The Nuggets overcame a season-worst 37 turnovers by limiting the Lady Panthers (1-12, 0-2) to 23.4 percent from the floor and outrebounding them 57-29. Xavier and Philander Smith produced the same rebound totals in their last meeting before Saturday, an 82-43 XU homecoming victory at The Barn on Nov. 20, 2010.

Reserve Latrice Walton led Philander Smith, in its first GCAC season, with 15 points and seven rebounds.

The Nuggets allowed less than 40 points in a GCAC opener for the second time and the first time since a 73-37 victory at Loyola on Jan. 9, 1997. It was the fifth time this season that Xavier limited an opponent to less than 50 points.

It was the last of six straight road games for Xavier, which will play GCAC and city rival SUNO at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at The Barn. PSBlive.com will webcast the game live.