Newcomers help Gold Rush prevail against Buccaneers

SAINT THOMAS, Virgin Islands — Newcomers Jevon Berry and Ahmed Coulibaly combined to make 7-of-7 3-pointers Sunday in NAIA No. 23 Xavier University of Louisiana's 78-74 men's basketball victory against the University of the Virgin Islands.
     
The XULA men (2-0) will play their home opener at 7 p.m. Thursday against Carver College of Atlanta at XULA's Convocation Center.
     
Berry, a freshman guard, scored a game-high 20 points and made all three of his 3-point attempts. Couliably, a junior forward/center, scored 17 points and was 4-of-4 from behind the arc. Both were 6-of-7 from the floor overall.
     
The Gold Rush scored the first 17 points, led 28-3, then trailed by six in the second half before rallying.

BOX SCORE
     
"We learned that our team is able to handle adversity," third-year head coach Alfred Williams said. "We have a team of fighters, not quitters . . . guys who are going to compete for 40 minutes. They were resilient."
     
The Gold Rush got 66 points from newcomers, including 10 points from William Loyd and eight from Ed Carter, who made a pair of 3s. The only returnees to score were Rayshawn Mart with seven points and Donovan Armstrong with five.
     
Josh Goss scored 18 points for the Buccaneers (0-2), a second-year NAIA member, and Harold Cardwell and Keith Gilmore scored 15 apiece. UVI will visit XULA Dec. 19.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications
Department of Athletics & Recreation
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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