Nuggets move from 32nd to 35th in NAIA coaches poll

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana, unbeaten since the previous NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches Top 25 Poll, lost ground Tuesday when the newest rankings were announced.
     
The Gold Nuggets are in the "others receiving votes" category for the eighth time in the last nine polls. They're 35th overall with four points. In the previous poll (Dec. 6), they were 32nd with 11 points. Two teams behind XULA in the Dec. 6 voting passed the Nuggets despite a combined three losses between polls.
     
"Can't worry about that," XULA coach Bo Browder said. "We're just trying to get our young team better."
     
XULA, 9-6 and winner of three straight and six of its last seven games, will play its Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opener at 3 p.m. Saturday against Tougaloo at XULA's Convocation Center. The Gold Nuggets tied for second in the GCAC regular season a year ago, then won the GCAC Tournament for a league-record 15th time.
     
Freed-Hardeman is No. 1 for the second consecutive poll. The next poll will be announced Jan. 17.

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Jan. 1)

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Last
1	Freed-Hardeman (9)	13-0	250	1
2	Lewis-Clark State (1)	15-0	242	2
3	Westmont	12-1	231	4
4	Lindsey Wilson	13-0	228	5
5	MidAmerica Nazarene	9-2	216	3
6	Vanguard	12-1	207	tie-6
7	Campbellsville	14-2	206	tie-6
8	Oklahoma City	11-1	192	9
9	Lyon	10-2	182	8
10	Shawnee State	17-1	180	10
11	Montana State-Northern	11-2	172	11
12	Columbia (Mo.)	12-2	156	13
13	Great Falls	11-2	153	tie-14
14	Baker	9-3	150	12
15	Cumberland	11-2	135	19
16	Central Methodist	10-2	130	17
17	The Master's	9-3	123	16
18	John Brown	9-4	108	20
19	Benedictine (Kan.)	7-5	101	tie-14
20	Loyola (N.O.)	11-2	91	22
21	Bethel (Tenn.)	8-6	90	18
22	Our Lady of the Lake	8-6	85	21
23	Pikeville	11-4	72	24
24	Lindenwood-Belleville	9-4	63	23
25	Carroll (Mont.)	11-3	47	25
Dropped from previous rankings:  none Others receiving votes:  Montana Western 40, Wayland Baptist 39, Talladega 33, Biola 19, Harris-Stowe 8, Wiley 8, William Penn 8, Martin Methodist 6, William Woods 6; XULA 4. Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA  twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold