Dillard beats Harris-Stowe in XU Holiday Classic opener

PHOTO GALLERY: Dillard vs. Harris-Stowe women's basketball in XU Holiday Classic

NEW ORLEANS -- Ciara Morgan and Alena Evans scored 12 points apiece Monday to lead Dillard to a 65-55 women's basketball victory against Harris-Stowe in the opening game of the Xavier Holiday Classic.

The Lady Bleu Devils (7-4) won for the fourth time in five games. They never trailed and led for all but 21 seconds.

Morgan scored all her points on 3-pointers and made her first four attempts.

Brittany Smith scored 10 points for Dillard. The Lady Bleu Devils had a season-high 19 steals, five by Rashida Ademosu and four by Shantrell Lumar.

Mia Wesley had 19 points and eight rebounds for Harris-Stowe (3-5), and Kyera Smith grabbed nine rebounds.

Dillard outshot the Lady Hornets 38.2 to 32.7 percent from the floor.

Dillard scored eight points in the first 54 seconds, but Harris-Stowe rallied to tie the score at 10 on KeAris Vaughn's 3-pointer at 17:09. Lumar made two free throws at 16:56 to put the Lady Bleu Devils ahead to stay, 12-10, and they led 39-32 at halftime.

This was Dillard's only game in the five-team, two-day event. Harris-Stowe will play NAIA No. 19 Xavier University of Louisiana -- a 66-62 overtime loser to LSU-Shreveport -- at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The Lady Bleu Devils return home to host eighth-ranked Loyola at The Battlefield in Dent Hall Tuesday night at 5:30 pm.

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