JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Wanto Joseph scored 18 points Saturday and led a second-half rally which carried NAIA No. 16 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 67-58 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against Edward Waters.
It was the conference opener for both teams. Xavier, the defending GCAC regular-season co-champion, is 13-3 and has won 7-of-8 on the road. Edward Waters is 2-8.
Joseph, a 5-foor-9 senior guard from New Orleans and a graduate of O. Perry Walker High School, has scored in double figures in every game this season. He accounted for all the points — scoring 10 and assisting on a pair of 2-pointers — during a 14-0 run which lasted 5½ minutes and turned a 52-47 deficit into a 61-52 lead with 47 seconds remaining. Jospeh scored 14 second-half points.
Denzell Erves had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Xavier — his third consecutive double-double, his 10th of the season and 17th of his career — Renard Smith scored a career-high 14 points, and Anthony Simmons had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Xavier trailed 32-28 at halftime. Smith, Simmons and Erves scored six points each for the Rush in the first half.
Nathaniel Hill scored 19 points, 14 in the first half, for the Tigers.
Xavier outshot Edward Waters 48.9 to 41.4 percent from the floor — 48 to 28.6 percent in the second half — and outrebounded the Tigers 33-29. Xavier made six 3-pointers — Smith had a career-high three, and freshman reserve RJ Daniels made 2-of-3.
It was the second time this season the Gold Rush won after trailing at halftime. It was the first time the Rush accomplished that on an opponent's court since December 2010. Xavier won its GCAC opener for the third consecutive season.
Xavier will remain on the road and play Talladega at 7 p.m. Monday. The next Rush home game will start at 5 p.m. next Saturday against Tougaloo in XU's new Convocation Center.
Box score
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
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