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| JOSH FREEMAN GUARD, 5'-10"/160 JUNIOR CHICAGO, ILLINOIS RICHARDS HIGH SCHOOL/KENNEDY-KING CC |
The Gold Rush (11-4), ranked 22nd, ended the 29-game home winning streak of the Crusaders (8-2), ranked fifth, and defeated a top-10 opponent on the road for the first time in nearly seven years.
Wright scored six points during a 10-0 run fueled by five William Carey turnovers in the first 2:42 of overtime. The Crusaders never came closer than six points thereafter.
Xavier scored an NAIA Division I-record 24 points in overtime after LaSheddrick Edmondson's putback with two seconds remaining in regulation tied the score at 68 for William Carey.
Texas Lutheran held the previous NAIA DI record for points in an overtime period, 22 against Concordia (Texas) in 1995.
"We fought through a lot of challenging situations," XU coach Dannton Jackson said. "We defended well, made free throws in overtime and came out with a big win."
Xavier had not beaten a top-10 team on the road since a 75-72 overtime decision against NAIA No. 3 LSU-Shreveport on Jan. 23, 2008.
Sydney Coleman had 16 points and seven rebounds for the Gold Rush. Jarvis Thibodeaux had 14 points -- he made 10-of-13 free throws -- and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds. Anthony Goode scored 12, and Wesley Pluviose-Philip matched his season high with 11 points.
Deoine Weeks scored 17 points, Leo Garrett 16 and Donta Pittman 12 for William Carey. Those three combined for all 11 of the Crusaders' 3-pointers.
Xavier shot 50 percent from the floor for the second consecutive game and limited the Crusaders to 41.5 percent. Outrebounded by two in a 69-59 home loss to William Carey on Dec. 1, the Gold Rush held a 45-36 advantage this time. Reserve guard Josh Freeman, who entered the game with 10 rebounds in 10 games, grabbed a career-best seven.
"It was a team victory with a lot of guys contributing," Jackson said.
Xavier trailed 12-7 through the first 5 1/2 minutes but rallied to take a 39-33 halftime lead. There were five ties and 10 lead changes in the second half before the Crusaders forced overtime with four consecutive points to erase Xavier's 68-64 lead in the final 1:37.
It was the second straight season that Wright starred in a victory against William Carey. He scored six of his career-high 26 points in overtime in a 90-80 home decision on Dec. 3, 2013.
"This win was about toughness, about survival," Jackson said. "It was like two heavyweight fighters going after it. You get smacked in the mouth, you get knocked down, but you get up."
Goode opened overtime with a 2-pointer, then Xavier pulled away when the Crusaders committed turnovers on each of their first four possessions.
"Our guys did a great job in overtime taking away William Carey's dribble penetration," Jackson said. "We got our hands on the basketball, got some points in transition and seized momentum early."
It was the third consecutive victory for Xavier after losing 3-of-4, including two straight home defeats. Xavier is 4-1 on the road this season and 2-0 in overtime.
"We've been through a lot the last few weeks," Jackson said. "This was a great win before Christmas against a tough opponent."
It was William Carey's first home blemish since a 63-58 loss to Loyola on Feb. 23, 2012, and the Crusaders' 11th loss overall in their last 72 games.
William Carey was the first of three consecutive NAIA top-10 opponents for the Gold Rush. Xavier will play No. 9 Concordia (Calif.) at 7 p.m. Dec. 30 at XU's Convocation Center, then open its Gulf Coast Athletic Conference schedule Jan. 5 at No. 6 Talladega.
Box score
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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