Talladega beats Gold Nuggets for first-place tie in GCAC

MEGAN IlOFF
5-7 GUARD, JUNIOR
HOMETOWN: LOS ANGELES, CA
GAME HIGH SCORER: 18 POINTS,
7 Reb., 4 Assists

TALLADEGA, Alabama -- Megan Iloff scored 18 points Saturday to rally Talladega to a 68-62 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against NAIA No. 19 Xavier University of Louisiana.

The Lady Tornadoes (17-6 overall, 8-2 GCAC) moved into a first-place tie in the conference with the Gold Nuggets (18-8, 8-2), who lost for the third time in five games since winning nine in a row. Tougaloo (13-11, 8-3) missed a chance to take sole possession of first place when it lost 69-64 at Dillard.

Keldra Hall had 13 points and 11 rebounds -- her fourth double-double of the season and eighth in two years -- for Xavier, which led 34-33 at halftime. SiMon Franklin scored 12 points, and Jazmoné Kelly scored 10.

The Nuggets limited Iloff, Talladega's season scoring leader, to zero points and five turnovers in a 66-48 Xavier victory at The Barn on Jan. 21. But this time Iloff was 7-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the line with with seven rebounds and four assists.

Bianca Thomas scored a season-high 17 points and was 7-of-9 from the floor for Talladega, and Ebony Richardson scored 10 in her ninth consecutive game in double figures.

"We should've been up 12 at halftime," XU coach Bo Browder said. "We didn't take care of business. We've been down this road before. It's really frustrating."

Talladega outshot Xavier 44.4 to 36.1 percent from the floor and limited the Nuggets to 1-of-12 on 3-pointers. Both teams made 17 free throws.

Tougaloo will visit Xavier at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Gold Nuggets' final game at The Barn, which opened in 1937. It will be senior night for Hall, Kelly, Jasmine Grant, Danielle Kennebrew and Brandi Young, who will be honored during a halftime ceremony.

BY ED CASSIERE, SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

Xavier to conduct volleyball tryouts for the 2012 season

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana will offer free tryouts for the 2012 women's volleyball season from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 3 at The Barn.

Junior college players, 2012 high school graduates and current Xavier students are welcome to try out. Prospects must bring documentation from a physician of a physical examination which cleared them for participation in interscholastic or intercollegiate athletics during the 2011-12 academic year.

Prospects also are encouraged to bring a player profile or resumé, DVDs of volleyball skills and competition, and copies of academic transcripts and ACT and/or SAT scores.

Free water will be provided. Contact XU coach Christabell Hamilton at chamilt5@xula.edu for additional information.

Driving directions to The Barn, Xavier's gymnasium, can be found online by using 3999 Short St. and the 70125 zip code as the destination.

Xavier's Gold Nuggets were 23-7 in 2011, won the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships and qualified for the NAIA National Championship.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

SUNO Lady Knights Team Up With Science Major for Day of Service

New Orleans, La. - SUNO's women's basketball team united with members of the Beta Kappa Chi Scientific Honor Society and SUNO's National Institute of Science chapter to lend a helping hand to doing community service at City Park. The SUNO student athletes and science majors visited field number eighteen at Harrison and Marconi Blvds., to help lay down new clay for the softball leagues. The service project took place on Saturday, April 2nd.

"There are going to be a lot of happy players (when they see this)," said Lori Colgan, the Assistant Commissioner of the NOLA Softball League and manager of one of the teams. Colgan said that after the league bought the clay, there was no one to help the leagues do the hard part. She was going to ask the players to do the dirty work, and they would have had to play the next day. Eight leagues use the fields at City Park, inlcuding a youth league.

The SUNO students arrived at 9 a.m., and worked consistently for the next couple of hours. Later in the morning, students from Tulane University arrived to lend their backs to the process to give City Park nearly fifty volunteers on the morning.

The students were joined by Elston King, Athletic Director and Women's Basketball Coach, Roshaun Ambrose, Assistant Women's Basketball Coach, Dr. Murty Kambhampati, Professor of Biology, and Dr. Illya Tietzel, Assistant Professor of Biology.

"This is great!" exclaimed a smiling Jim Morrisson, Volunteer Coordinator of City Park. "You guys really saved the day."

VISIT: SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AT NEW ORLEANS
VISIT: SUNOKNIGHTS