Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Gaston-Loyd's late basket gives XU 46-45 victory against LSUS


 
NEW ORLEANS -- Whitney Gaston-Loyd's basket with 6.3 seconds remaining Monday lifted Xavier University of Louisiana to a 46-45 women's basketball victory against LSU-Shreveport at the Convocation Center.

Gaston-Loyd, with 13 points, was the only double-figure scorer for the Gold Nuggets (3-1), who are ranked 11th in NAIA Division I.

Xavier outscored the Lady Pilots (3-1), ranked 19th, 9-3 after Sharde Henry's free throw gave LSUS a 42-36 lead with 6:44 remaining. Gaston-Loyd scored the Nuggets' final four points, including a basket at 2:10 which gave them their first lead in more than 13 minutes.

Henry scored 15 points and Jenna Diakos 13 for LSUS, and Victoria Smith had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Henry missed a running 3-pointer from the right side with two seconds remaining, and Diakos, who grabbed the rebound, could not beat the buzzer with a final shot.

Danielle Tucker had eight points and a season-best nine rebounds for Xavier, and Carmen Holcombe had a season-high seven points, a career-high-tying two blocked shots and a career-best four steals.

LSUS outshot Xavier 37.8 to 30.8 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Nuggets 42-38. Xavier got 33 points from its bench and had a 20-5 advantage in points off turnovers.

Angelica Alexander's basket gave Xavier its largest lead, 19-8, at 9:58 of the first half. Smith tied the score at 22 with two free throws,, and Tucker's basket with three second remaining gave the Nuggets a 24-22 halftime advantage.

Smith's basket with 16:59 remaining gave LSUS its first lead, 28-27.

Xavier will play NAIA No. 14 Langston at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Xavier Classic at the Convocation Center. It will be the Nuggets' third consecutive game against a ranked opponent. The other games Thursday will match Wiley against Tuskegee at 3 p.m. and Texas College against Dillard at 5 p.m.


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



No comments: