NAIA's 9th-ranked team beats Nuggets in Xavier Classic

NEW ORLEANS — Kayla Styles and Teanna Curry scored 19 points apiece Monday to lead NAIA No. 9 Lindsey Wilson to a 69-60 women's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the Xavier Classic.

The Blue Raiders (12-2) never trailed and took the lead for good in the 10th minute.

Styles and teammates Reagan Turner and Gerda Paulauskaite grabbed 10 rebounds apiece. Turner and Devin Cheatum scored 11 points apiece.

Mikayla Bates and Essence Wells scored 13 points apiece for the Gold Nuggets (6-4), who have dropped 2-of-3 since a five-game winning streak. Maya Trench scored 11 points, and Dasia Pitre scored 10. Bates had eight steals, and Gina Smith grabbed 17 rebounds — both career highs.

Lindsey Wilson made seven 3-pointers, all in the first half, and led 41-27 at halftime. XULA never got closer than four points in the second half.

Lindsey Wilson outshot the Gold Nuggets 39.2 to 30.6 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 49-40.

Smith's rebound total matched the most by a Gold Nugget since the start of the 2003-04 season. Keldra Hall also grabbed 17 rebounds at Shorter on Jan. 4, 2012. Bates's steals are the most since Jarryn Cleaves had eight against Dillard on March 1, 2008.

Dillard defeated Virgin Islands 67-48 in the other women's game.

The Gold Nuggets will break for Christmas, then begin a three-game trip at 6 p.m. Dec. 28 at Auburn. The next home game will be Jan. 17.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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