NAIA No. 5 LSUA completes season sweep of Gold Rush

BOX SCORE

ALEXANDRIA, Louisiana — Jordin Williams tied his career high of 22 points Tuesday and led LSU-Alexandria to a 77-62 victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in a matchup of ranked NAIA men's basketball teams.
     
Williams, a junior guard, scored 13 first-half points, including a trey that capped a 9-0 run and gave the fifth-ranked Generals (7-0) an 11-4 lead.
     
Jalen David, with 16 points, was the lone double-figure scorer for the 25th-ranked Gold Rush (2-5). XULA will play host to Paul Quinn at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Convocation Center.
     
LSUA swept the two-game season series from the Gold Rush.
    
The Generals took the lead for good in the second minute and led 39-28 at halftime. Four times in the second half XULA cut the deficit to 10 points, the last time at 47-37 on a Mike Williams basket with 14:56 remaining.
     
LSUA entered the game with four double-figure scorers for the season — Brandon Moss, Hayward Register, Chris Vickers and Brian Sylvester — and the Gold Rush limited them to a combined 29 points and 11-of-36 from the floor. But Williams was 8-of-12, including 2-of-3 3-pointers, and reserve Gilbert Talbot was 6-of-9 with a season-high 12 points. Moss and Register scored 11 points apiece, and Moss grabbed 10 rebounds in his second double-double of the season.
     
XULA's scoring behind David was balanced, with seven players finishing with five-or-more points. Hakeem Simon had nine points and seven rebounds, Donovan Armstrong scored seven, and Williams, Leland Alexander and Jerry Gibson produced six points apiece. Gibson, a freshman forward playing in his hometown, made two first-half 3-pointers.
     
David reached double figures for the sixth time in seven games and led XULA in scoring for the third time.
     
LSUA outshot XULA 44.1 to 37.5 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Gold Rush 47-35. XULA had the edge at the line, making 16-of-24 free throws to the Generals' 11-of-15, and committed a season-low 12 turnovers.
     
XULA lost for the fifth time in six games, with three of the losses against top-10 opponents. LSUA, in its third season as a varsity program, is 59-8 all-time and 28-0 at home.
     
Paul Quinn, XULA's next opponent, is 0-6 with a 32-game losing streak after falling 91-79 Tuesday at Southern.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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