NEW ORLEANS -- Denzell Erves' dunk with 48 seconds remaining Saturday lifted
NAIA No. 14 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 68-66 Gulf Coast Athletic
Conference men's basketball victory against SUNO at The Castle.
The Gold
Rush (22-6 overall, 9-3 GCAC) snapped a two-game losing streak and remained in a
first-place tie in the conference with Philander Smith, which won at home
against Edward Waters.
Erves led Xavier with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Renard Smith had 14 points, four assists and a career-high five steals, and
Wanto Joseph had 12 points, six assists and three steals.
Freshman RJ
Daniels passed to Erves for the winning dunk on the right baseline. SUNO missed
two field-goal attempts in the final 36 seconds and was unable attempt a shot
after rebounding the second of Joseph's two missed free throws with 0.9 seconds
remaining.
Xavier trailed 41-33 at halftime and 61-56 with six minutes
remaining, then scored nine consecutive points. SUNO took its last lead after
Joshua Major's sixth 3-pointer of the game made it 66-65 at 2:19.
Major
led the Knights (12-7, 6-6) with 19 points. Clyde Moore had 18 points and nine
rebounds, and Russell Hill -- in his SUNO debut after transferring from Southern
-- scored 10 points in 15 reserve minutes. SUNO made 12-of-23
3-pointers.
Both teams shot 46.9 percent from the floor.
Xavier
won both regular-season meetings with SUNO by two points. The other was 70-68 in
overtime on Jan. 14. Seven of the last nine meetings were decided by four points
or fewer. Xavier swept SUNO in the regular season for the first time in three
years and won its sixth straight at The Castle.
Xavier will visit
Tougaloo at 7:30 p.m. Monday, then play Dillard at 5 p.m. next Saturday in the
regular-season-ending Crosstown Classic at XU's new Convocation Center.
Reserved tickets, priced at $5, will go on sale at the Convocation Center box
office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday and be available through Thursday. Tickets
purchased on game day will cost $10. Students can pick up one free ticket with a
valid XU ID from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning Monday at the Student Activities
Office in room 208 (second floor) of the University Center.
NOTES: Xavier
has led or shared the lead in the GCAC after every conference date this season.
Xavier shared the regular-season championship with Tougaloo a year ago after
rallying from 2½-games behind in the final 13 days . . . Philander Smith will
play its remaining two GCAC games at home -- Monday against Talladega and
Saturday against Fisk. Both opponents lost in double overtime to Philander Smith
in January . . . Erves, Joseph and Anthony Simmons moved closer to 1,000 career
points. Erves has 977, Joseph 973 and Simmons 943 . . . The men's and women's
GCAC tournaments will begin Feb. 28 in Little Rock, Ark., and conclude March
2.
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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