Gold Nuggets ranked 20th after moving up three places

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana is in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 for the third consecutive week. The Gold Nuggets (17-7) climbed three places to No. 20, their highest rank since the preseason.

No team in this week's top 25 climbed more than Xavier. No. 5 Campbellsville and No. 16 John Brown also moved up three places.

The Gold Nuggets, who have won 13 of their last 15 games, are in the top 25 for the 48th time in the last 51 polls.

The other Gulf Coast Athletic Conference team in the top 25 is Talladega, which is 22nd.

Vanguard received 9-of-10 first-place votes and is No. 1 for the seventh time in as many polls this season. Vanguard and No. 2 Freed-Hardeman are the only unbeaten teams in the division.

Xavier will visit GCAC and city rival SUNO at 3 p.m. Saturday. New rankings will be announced next Tuesday (Feb. 11).

The top 25:

1. Vanguard
2. Freed-Hardeman
3. Westminster (Utah)
4. Oklahoma Baptist
5. Campbellsville
6. Oklahoma City
7. MidAmerica Nazarene
8. Georgetown (Ky.)
9. The Master's
10. Our Lady of the Lake
11. Westmont
12. Wiley
13. Lewis-Clark State
14. Columbia (Mo.)
15. Bethel (Tenn.)
16. John Brown
17. Hope International
18. Baker
19. Montana State-Northern
20. Xavier
21. Martin Methodist
22. Talladega
23. Cumberlands
24. LSU-Shreveport
25. Mobile

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
https://www.facebook.com/xulagold