XU Gold Nuggets defeat Badgers 79-49 in home opener

Paige Gauthier

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana made seven first-half 3-pointers Saturday and rolled to a 79-49 women's basketball victory against Spring Hill.

Paige Gauthier scored 11 points and Whitney Gaston-Loyd 10 for the Gold Nuggets (2-0), who won their home opener for the 22nd consecutive season and extended their regular-season win streak to 14.

Xavier took a 9-1 lead through four minutes on 3-pointers by Whitney Gathright, Gauthier and Taylor Norman. The Nuggets made 7-of-10 from behind the arc -- Gathright and redshirt freshman center Kelsee Singleton were both 2-of-2 -- to build a 41-21 halftime lead.

Spring Hill (0-2) never got closer than 17 points in the second half. Xavier led by 34 points twice in the final six minutes.

The Gold Nuggets finished 8-of-14 on 3-pointers and shot 50 percent from the floor, their most accurate game since the 2011-12 season. Thirteen Xavier players scored, including Vinnie Briggs with nine points and Gathright and Singleton with eight apiece.

Gathright, who scored a career-best 19 in the Nuggets' opener a week ago, had a career-high eight assists and one turnover in 20 minutes against the Badgers.

Corinne Missi scored nine points and was 4-of-4 from the floor to lead Spring Hill.

Xavier limited the Badgers to 27.1 percent from the floor.

The Gold Nuggets will visit Mobile at 5:30 p.m. Monday. Their next home game will start at noon on Nov. 23 against Texas College during homecoming weekend. Nine of the Nuggets' next 11 games will be on the road.

Box score

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