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| Photo Gallery: XU men's basketball vs. Philander Smith — at Xavier University Convocation Center photos by Yamlak Tsega |
The Gold Rush (12-6, 1-1 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference), ranked 24th, outscored the Panthers (10-4, 1-1), ranked 16th, 20-1 in the final 10:45 -- 18-0 after Braylon Spicer's free throw with 8:31 remaining.
"Sometimes we find ourselves stuck in a hole, but we know how to get out of it," said junior guard Morris Wright, one of three XU players with 12 points. "Our team has a lot of fight in it. The defense picked it up in the second half, and the offense got better."
Wright scored five points in the Xavier rally, and his layup with 2:06 remaining put the Rush ahead to stay, 54-53. On the next XU possession, Wright swished a 3-pointer from the left side for a 57-53 lead at 1:17.
Philander Smith led 52-41 after Ronald March's 3-pointer with 10:53 remaining. But the Panthers were 0-of-8 from the floor and 1-of-8 from the line thereafter and finished at a season-low 35.7 percent from the floor. They entered the game shooting 55.9 percent to rank first in NAIA Division I.
Xavier outrebounded the Panthers 18-6 in the final 11 1/2 minutes and won the boards 45-29. Philander Smith entered No. 2 nationally in rebound margin.
Anthony Goode and Wesley Pluviose-Philip also scored 12 for the Gold Rush. Pluviose-Philip's nine rebounds and Wright's seven were season highs, as were Pluviose-Philip's points. Jarvis Thibodeaux had seven rebounds and a career-high two blocked shots.
March scored 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and Broderick Brandon had 11. But the Rush limited four of Philander Smith's five double-figure season scorers to a combined 23 points. Aquill Baynard, who entered with 18.5 points per game, finished with eight points on 3-of-11 from the floor and committed a season-worst seven turnovers.
Baynard, Brandon and Teviin Morris scored seven points apiece to lead Philander Smith to a 36-32 halftime advantage.
Xavier shot 41.5 percent from the field and committed a season-high 27 turnovers but gained a season-high-tying 22 turnovers. Pluviose had a career-high three steals, and Wright and Goode had two steals apiece.
At the line, Xavier finished 14-of-19 to Philander Smith's 6-of-16.
Philander Smith, which entered averaging 91.3 points, scored its fewest points in a game since December 2010.
It was Xavier's second victory of the season against a ranked opponent, and it came in the Gold Rush's fourth consecutive game against the top 25. Xavier will visit Philander Smith on Valentine's Day.
Next for Xavier will be a 7:30 p.m. Monday GCAC game against Tougaloo at the Convocation Center. Tougaloo is 2-0 in the conference after winning 92-72 Saturday at SUNO.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director 
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