Gold Nuggets 14th in NAIA after dropping 2 more places

NEW ORLEANS — Another loss resulted in another drop for the Xavier University of Louisiana women's basketball team.

After losing 63-56 at home Jan. 14 to Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and city rival SUNO, the Gold Nuggets fell two places to 14th in the NAIA Division I Coaches' Top 25 Poll announced Tuesday afternoon. Voting was based on games through Sunday.
    
It's the second consecutive week that Xavier dropped after ranking ninth for two consecutive polls. Moving two spots ahead of the Gold Nuggets was Bethel (Tenn.), which lost 75-67 in double overtime at Xavier on Jan. 2.
    
The Gold Nuggets are in the top 25 for the 37th consecutive time dating to Jan. 25, 2010.
    
Since the loss to SUNO, Xavier defeated Philander Smith 65-47 on Saturday and Fisk 63-41 on Monday. The Gold Nuggets are 4-2 and tied for third place in the GCAC, one game behind leaders SUNO and Talladega. SUNO collected its most points of the season, 11, in the new poll and ranks 30th.
    
Xavier will visit GCAC and city rival Dillard at 5 p.m. Saturday and Mobile at 5:30 p.m. Monday. The next poll will be released Jan. 22.

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, Jan. 20)

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Last
1	Lubbock Christian (5)	18-1	275	2
2	Freed-Hardeman (4)	18-1	270	3
3	Vanguard	12-1	264	1
4	Oklahoma City (2)	14-2	261	4
5	Westminster (Utah)	18-2	245	5
6	Lee (Tenn.)	16-1	236	6
7	Cumberland	18-1	225	7
8	The Master's	17-0	220	8
9	Westmont	13-3	205	11
10-tie	MidAmerica Nazarene	18-2	198	10
10-tie	Campbellsville	15-4	198	9
12	Bethel (Tenn.)	15-4	181	tie-13
13	Georgetown (Ky.)	12-6	166	16
14	Xavier	13-4	164	12
15	Rogers State	15-5	151	tie-13
16	Benedictine (Kan.)	18-3	138	17
17	Wiley	17-1	133	18
18	Lyon	16-3	130	15
19	Shawnee State	15-5	120	20
20	William Woods	15-2	115	19
21	Our Lady of the Lake	18-1	103	23
22	Faulkner	17-4	95	24
23	Central Methodist	17-3	74	22
24	Columbia (Mo.)	14-5	72	RV
25	Auburn Montgomery	14-5	63	21
Others receiving votes: LSU-Shreveport 54, St. Catharine 53, Carroll (Mont.) 38, Robert Morris (Chicago) 31, SUNO 11, Lindsey Wilson 3, Southern Poly 3.

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