Saturday, November 26, 2016

Nuggets top Langston in 10th straight XULA Classic win


NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana, fueled by a slew of career highs, earned a 75-72 women's basketball victory Friday against Langston in the final game of the Xavier Classic.

The Gold Nuggets (6-5) were the only team to go 2-0 in the four-team, two-day event. It was XULA's 10th consecutive victory dating to 2011 in the Xavier Classic.

Terriel Ross led XULA with career highs of 18 points and three steals. Rosie Davis scored a career-high 16 points — she reached double figures for the first time and made 3-of-4 3-pointers — and point guards Maya Trench and Jordan Coleman combined for 14 assists and two turnovers. Trench had nine assists and Coleman five, both career bests, and Trench grabbed seven rebounds.

Trench passed to Ross for a basket with 7:30 remaining that put the Gold Nuggets ahead to stay, 60-58. Akia Frett missed a 3-pointer for Langston on the final possession.

XULA led 43-41 at halftime after the teams combined to shoot 56 percent from the floor. Both cooled off in the second half, however, and combined to shoot 31 percent.

Kelsee Singleton and Aliyah Bell scored 11 points apiece for XULA, Bell had six rebounds, and Essence Wells matched her career best of three steals.

Frett made 4-of-6 treys and scored a season-high 19 points for the Lady Lions (2-2), who were 1-1 in the event. Che'Ron Lewis had 15 points and eight rebounds, Ri'Kell McKnight had 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals, and Reagan Widener had 10 points and seven assists — but she also committed eight turnovers.

For the game, Langston outshot XULA .43.9 to 42.9 percent from the floor and made nine 3-pointers to the Gold Nuggets' six. XULA made five more field goals than Langston and was plus-6 in turnovers.

"Not a bad effort," XULA coach Bo Browder said. "We knocked down some open shots. Our freshmen are starting to get more comfortable on offense and better understand out defensive philosophies. We go 2-0 in the Xavier Classic, and I'm excited about this team."

The victory was XULA's third in a row after a five-game losing streak.

In the other college matchup, LSU-Shreveport defeated Dillard 77-67. In a girls high school game, Ellender defeated East St. John 60-48.

XULA's next game will start at 5 p.m. Thursday at Louisiana-Lafayette of NCAA Division I.

BOX SCORE

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