NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana fell out of the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 on Tuesday. The Gold Nuggets, however, will have two chances this week to restore their luster.
Xavier will play No. 7 Loyola at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Philander Smith — the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference's leading vote-getter this week — at 3 p.m. Saturday. XU's Convocation Center will be the site of both games.
In the first national ranking since Dec. 9, the Gold Nuggets dropped from 19th after four straight losses, two at home, by a total of 12 points during the second half of December. Xavier (8-8) ended its skid with a 67-60 victory Monday at Talladega in its GCAC opener, but that game did not figure in this week's voting.
Loyola (12-0) is the first XU home opponent of the last 11 seasons which is unbeaten and possesses double-digit victories. The Gold Nuggets are 16-0 all-time at home against Loyola, so one team's winning streak will end Wednesday.
Xavier will try to avoid its first three-game home losing streak since the 2009-10 season.
Philander Smith (11-2), 30th in this week's national voting with 14 points, will visit this weekend with the GCAC's best overall winning percentage. The Lady Panthers are 22-6 since losing their GCAC opener last season.
Xavier received three points and tied for 35th place. Freed-Hardeman collected 9-of-10 first-place votes to remain No. 1 for the second consecutive poll. Defending national champion Oklahoma City is second.
The next poll will be announced Jan. 13.
The top 25:
1. Freed-Hardeman
2. Oklahoma City
3. Campbellsville
4. Westminster (Utah)
5. Oklahoma Baptist
6. Wiley
7. Loyola
8. Bethel (Tenn.)
9. Langston
10. (tie) Vanguard
10. (tie) Concordia (Calif.)
12. Lewis-Clark State
13. Cumberland
14. MidAmerica Nazarene
15. Montana State-Northern
16. Westmont
17. (tie) The Master's
17. (tie) Shawnee State
19. Our Lady of the Lake
20. Lyon
21. Baker
22. Lindsey Wilson
23. Columbia (Mo.)
24. Carroll (Mont.)
25. Georgetown (Ky.)
Also receiving votes, in order of points received:
Auburn Montgomery, Great Falls, Martin Methodist, Cumberlands, Philander Smith, Texas Wesleyan, Benedictine (Kan.), William Woods, Pikeville, Xavier, Biola, Wayland Baptist
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information
Director
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