Gold Rush to get rematch with Dillard in GCAC final

NEW ORLEANS — Jalen David scored 16 of his season-high-tying 21 points in the second half Saturday to lift NAIA No. 25 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 79-69 men's basketball victory against Talladega in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament at XULA's Convocation Center.
     
The Gold Rush (24-7) will play 20th-ranked Dillard (19-9) for the championship at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at XULA. Tickets are $5, and students from GCAC schools will be admitted free with their college ID.
     
David, a senior guard/forward who was named first-team All-GCAC Thursday, also grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds.
     
Virgil Davison scored 17 points for the Gold Rush, Rayshawn Mart had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Jeff Dixon had 11 points and seven assists.
     
GCAC Player of the Year Devonte Dixon led the Tornadoes (20-11) with 19 points. Chauncey Blakely had 14 points and eight rebounds, Arcuas McGhee had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Rayford Albright scored 12.
     
XULA trailed 36-35 at halftime after leading by five. David's basket with 15:52 remaining tied the score at 40, then the Gold Rush took the lead for good on its next possession when Elex Carter made his only field goal of the game.
     
Two Donovan Armstrong free throws with 33 seconds remaining gave XULA its largest lead, 77-63.
     
XULA outshot Talladega 42 to 32.2 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Tornadoes 42-37. 

XULA made 33-of-47 free throws to Talladega's 24-of-36. David attempted 19 free throws — the most by a Gold Rush player in nine years — and made 11. Davison was 7-of-8, Mart was 5-of-5, and Armstrong was 5-of-6.
     
Dillard, a 99-86 winner against Philander Smith in first semifinal, will try to become the first men's team to win the GCAC Tournament three consecutive times since former member LSU-Shreveport won it five straight years from 2006-10. Dillard was 2-0 against the Gold Rush during the regular season, including a 79-65 victory at XULA Feb. 17, and has beaten its longtime city rival six straight times.
     
XULA seeks its first GCAC Tournament championship since 1996.
     
Also Sunday, Director of Athletics & Recreation Jason Horn will award two $500 scholarships if 500 XULA students attend the Gold Rush game. One scholarship will be for a student wearing gold; the other will be for the best sign.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold