Gold Rush fall to Dillard in Crosstown Classic

NEW ORLEANS — Jalen McGaughy's fifth consecutive double-double, 22 points and 12 rebounds, led NAIA No. 14 Dillard in a 104-71 men's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the Crosstown Classic before 3,191 fans at XULA's Convocation Center.

McGaughy, a 6-foot-10 junior, also blocked eight shots, five in the first half, and had three steals. He made all three of his 3-point attempts and is 13-of-19 from behind the arc in his last six games.

The Gold Rush (7-13, 3-2 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) opened the game with consecutive 3-pointers and led 8-2 in the third minute. But the Bleu Devils (15-5, 6-0) answered with runs of 7-0, 9-0 and 12-0 to take a 48-28 halftime lead.

"Dillard beat us in transition, they beat us at the free-throw line, they beat us in rebounds," XULA coach Alfred Williams said. "We've got to keep working to get better."

Quinton Jackson scored 20 points, Demetric Austin 16, Dennis Hightower 12 and Patrick Thompson 10 for Dillard. Hightower and Montrey Thomas had eight assists apiece, and Jackson had seven.
Mike Williams scored 23 points and Jalen David 11 for the Gold Rush. XULA made 12 3-pointers, its most in a game since February 2008. Williams made four treys to match his career high, and Jerry Gibson made a career-best 3-of-3.

Dillard outshot XULA 54.4 to 30.4 percent from the floor and made 22-of-25 free throws to XULA's 17-of-21. The Bleu Devils had a 49-29 rebound advantage.

The winning margin was the largest in the longtime series since 1969. Dillard scored its biggest-ever victory margin against the Gold Rush at XULA. The previous best was 23 points in 1960.

Attendance was the second largest in the five-year history of the Convocation Center.

XULA will travel to NAIA No. 15 Talladega for a 7:30 p.m. GCAC game Monday. The Gold Rush and Philander Smith are tied for second in the conference, and Talladega is a half-game behind at 2-2.

BOX SCORE

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