Saturday, March 10, 2012

Gold Nuggets climb 2 places to 18th in NAIA coaches poll

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana climbed two places to 18th in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll announced Wednesday.

The Gold Nuggets (25-8) — winner of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships and the GCAC's automatic berth to the NAIA Division I National Championship — earned their highest rank since Jan. 30, when they were 17th. It's the highest rank for the XU women entering the national tourney since 2005, when they were 15th.

Xavier is in the top 25 for the 30th consecutive time dating to January 2010. It's the longest top-25 streak for the Nuggets since 34 straight polls from Jan. 13, 2003-March 8, 2005.

Talladega, the GCAC regular-season and tournament runner-up, received four points to rank 33rd.

The national tournament will begin next Wednesday at Frankfort, Ky., with eight first-round games. The other eight first-round games will be played the following day.

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Tuesday, March 6)
Rank Team Record Points Last
1 Oklahoma City (12) 30-1 312 1
2 Union (Tenn.) 31-2 302 2
3 Freed-Hardemsn 28-5 290 3
4 Westmont 29-3 284 tie-5
5 Lubbock Christian 25-5 266 4
6 Cumberlands 28-3 264 8
7 Lee (Tenn.) 30-3 253 tie-5
8 Shawnee State 27-5 244 7
9 Azusa Pacific 24-7 226 12
10 Langston 29-3 216 9
11 Olivet Nazarene 27-4 210 10
12 Lewis-Clark State 28-4 205 13
13 Vanguard 23-6 203 11
14 Saint Xavier 24-8 178 15
15 Westminster (Utah) 22-8 171 14
16 Southern Nazarene 24-9 160 16
17 Belhaven 26-6 159 18
18 Xavier 25-8 137 20
19 Georgetown (Ky.) 21-9 134 17
20 Shorter 27-6 116 19
21 MidAmerica Nazarene 24-8 111 22
22 Campbellsville 20-12 107 21
23 Columbia (Mo.) 24-9 86 24
24 Loyola 23-5 82 23
25 William Woods 23-9 68 RV

Others receiving votes: Biola 66, Rogers State 52, LSU-Shreveport 33, Lyon 18, Avila 17, Lindsey Wilson 14, St. Gregory's 6, Talladega 4, Robert Morris (Chicago) 1, Montana State Northern 1.

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

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