NEW ORLEANS — Thirteen home games, three trips to Florida and two games against NCAA Division I opponents are among the highlights of the 2015-16 Xavier University of Louisiana women's basketball schedule.Bo Browder, back for his 17th season as head coach of the Gold Nuggets, announced the schedule Wednesday.
The Gold Nuggets will travel to central Florida to open the season Oct. 31 at Webber International and Nov. 2 at Warner, the XU homecoming opponent a year ago. They'll return to south Florida the week before Christmas to make their second consecutive appearance in the Cruzin Classic, this time against Georgetown (Ky.) and Florida Memorial. The third trip to Florida will be to Jacksonville for a Feb. 20 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference game against Edward Waters.
The Gold Nuggets will play at home four times in November, once in December, five times in January and three times in February, starting with a 6 p.m. exhibition Nov. 7 against NCAA Division II's LeMoyne-Owen. The first regular-season home game will tip off at 11 a.m. Nov. 21 against Eastern Oregon, a 26-game winner and an NAIA Division II National Tournament qualifier last season. The Mountaineers will be the Nuggets' homecoming opponent.
Xavier on Nov. 12 will visit NCAA DI's Louisiana-Lafayette for the third consecutive season and close the calendar year Dec. 29 at Northwestern State. It will be the first meeting of the Gold Nuggets and the Lady Demons since Xavier rallied from 13 down to win 54-53 at NSU on Nov. 16, 2007.
The Gold Nuggets will play four 2015 NAIA Division I National Championship qualifiers in November — Our Lady of the Lake and LSU-Shreveport in the LSUS Classic at Shreveport, La., Nov. 14-15 and Shawnee State and Langston in the Xavier Classic Nov. 26-27. Shawnee State, a first-time opponent, and Xavier will play Thanksgiving evening.
LSUS will visit Xavier Jan. 2.
Xavier will visit Auburn Montgomery and Faulkner Dec. 4-5. It will be the first meeting between the Gold Nuggets and AUM since Feb. 15, 1999, during Browder's first season as head coach.
Xavier will visit city rival Loyola, a 27-game winner and NAIA tourney qualifier last season, Feb. 17. Longtime rival William Carey will visit Xavier Feb. 11 and returns to the schedule after a year's absence.
The Gold Nuggets, second in the GCAC regular season and tournament a year ago, will open their conference schedule Jan. 4 at home against Edward Waters. SUNO, which won the GCAC regular season and tournament and reached the second round at nationals, will play host to the Nuggets Feb. 1 and visit Xavier Feb. 15.
Xavier will play its other GCAC city rival, Dillard, Feb. 6 at XU in the Crosstown Classic and Feb. 27 at Dillard's Dent Hall. The first meeting will be played on Endymion Saturday, one of the prime days of Carnival.
The GCAC Tournament will be March 4-6 in New Orleans. The winner will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA Division I National Championship March 16-22 at Independence, Mo., a Kansas City suburb. The Gold Nuggets narrowly missed a bid to nationals a year ago — just the third time in the last 21 seasons they failed to qualify.
Xavier, 18-15 overall and 9-5 in the GCAC in 2014-15, returns the majority of its letterwomen, including senior all-star point guard Whitney Gathright. Browder is 390-142 at Xavier and the program's all-time winningest coach. This will be Xavier's fourth season in the Convocation Center, a $25 million facility which seats nearly 4,000.
Xavier University of Louisiana
2015-16 Women's Basketball Schedule
Oct. 31 (Sat.): at Webber International, 5 p.m. EDT
Nov. 2 (Mon.): at Warner, 7 p.m. EST
Nov. 7 (Sat.): LeMOYNE-OWEN (DH), 6 p.m. (exhibition)
Nov. 12 (Thu.): at Louisiana-Lafayette, 7 p.m.
Nov. 14 (Sat.): Our Lady of the Lake, 2 p.m. (LSUS Classic, Shreveport, La.)
Nov. 15 (Sun.): at LSU-Shreveport, 4 p.m. (LSUS Classic, Shreveport, La.)
Nov. 21 (Sat.): EASTERN OREGON (DH), 11 a.m. (Homecoming)
Nov. 26 (Thu.): SHAWNEE STATE, 7 p.m. (Xavier Classic)
Nov. 27 (Fri.): LANGSTON, 4 p.m. (Xavier Classic)
Dec. 1 (Tue.): MOBILE (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 4 (Fri.): at Auburn Montgomery, 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 5 (Sat.): at Faulkner, 4 p.m.
Dec. 17 (Thu.): Florida Memorial, TBA (Cruzin Classic, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Dec. 18 (Fri.): Georgetown (Ky.), TBA (Cruzin Classic, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Dec. 29 (Tue.): at Northwestern State, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 2 (Sat.): LSU-SHREVEPORT, 3 p.m.
Jan. 4 (Mon.): • EDWARD WATERS (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 11 (Mon.): • PHILANDER SMITH (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 13 (Wed.): at Mobile, 6 p.m.
Jan. 16 (Sat.): • at Talladega (DH), 3 p.m.
Jan. 18 (Mon.): • TOUGALOO (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 23 (Sat.): • at Philander Smith (DH), 2 p.m.
Jan. 25 (Mon.): • TALLADEGA (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 1 (Mon.): • at SUNO (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 6 (Sat.): • DILLARD (DH), 3 p.m. (Crosstown Classic)
Feb. 11 (Thu.): WILLIAM CAREY (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 15 (Mon.): • SUNO (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 17 (Wed.): at Loyola, 7 p.m.
Feb. 20 (Sat.): • at Edward Waters (DH), 3 p.m. EST
Feb. 22 (Mon.): • at Tougaloo (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 27 (Sat.): • at Dillard (DH), 3 p.m.
March 4-6 (Fri.-Sun.): Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, New Orleans
March 16-22 (Wed.-Tue.): NAIA Division I National Championship, Independence, Mo.
Home games in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS
• Gulf Coast Athletic Conference game
All times are Central except where noted
Schedule is subject to change
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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