Gold Nuggets hold on to defeat Lady Rams 60-57

NEW ORLEANS — Mikayla Bates's 3-pointer with two minutes remaining put Xavier University of Louisiana ahead to stay in a 60-57 women's basketball victory against Mobile.
     
The victory was the fourth in a row for the Gold Nuggets (9-3), who snapped the two-game win streak of the Lady Rams (3-5).
     
Bates's trey, her only points of the game, came from the left corner to make it 56-54. It was the seventh lead change of the quarter. Mobile twice cut its deficit to one point and missed a chance to regain the lead when Kelsey Pinera was called for traveling under her basket with three seconds remaining. XULA's Jas Hill followed with two free throws for the final margin.
     
Mobile's Kendra Langham missed a 3-pointer the buzzer.
     
Hill scored a game-high 18 points and reached double figures for the eighth time this season. Essence Wells scored 12 points, all in the second half, and had a career-high-tying two blocks and a season-high three steals. Da'Jha Virgil scored a career-high nine points, and Jayla Nichols had a season-high eight points.
     
Janae Strode scored a season-high-tying 17 points for Mobile, and Lauren Bodino scored nine.
     
"I was disappointed that we did not play with a lot of energy after a nice win Friday at Southeastern Louisiana," XULA coach Bo Browder said. "Our defense was good enough to win the game. Not a lot of energy, but we'll get better at that.
     
"Mobile," Browder added, "played extremely hard."

BOX SCORE
     
Mobile outshot XULA 49 to 34.9 percent from the floor. The Gold Nuggets outrebounded the Lady Rams 36-30 — XULA's Nahrie Pierce grabbed a season-high seven — and was plus-4 in turnovers, committing 18 and gaining 22. Mobile blocked nine shot, five by Artasia McDowell, who also had a game-high nine rebounds.
     
"Essence Wells and Jayla Nichols played well for us off the bench," Browder said.
     
XULA defeated Mobile for the seventh straight time and the 15th time in the last 17 meetings. Mobile has lost 17 straight to the Gold Nuggets at XULA since its last victory in 1999.
     
It was the final game before semester exams for XULA, which will resume its schedule at 2 p.m. Dec. 15 at Louisiana-Lafayette.

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