XU Nuggets to play exhibition at LSU, 9 games vs. NAIA qualifiers

Gold Nuggets Head Coach Bo Browder
(Photo credit: XULA Athletics)

NEW ORLEANS — Bo Browder the 13th-year women's basketball coach at Xavier University of Louisiana, calls his team's 2011-12 schedule "the most difficult we've had in 10 years."

On Friday Browder announced the schedule, which includes nine games against qualifiers for last season's NAIA National Championships. Five of those teams won 27 or more games. Six won regular-season conference or divisional championships and five won conference tournaments.

The Gold Nuggets' first contest will be a Nov. 2 exhibition at LSU — their first meeting with an SEC opponent — then they'll open the regular season two days later at The Barn against NAIA Division II tournament qualifier Florida Memorial.

The other NAIA D-II tourney qualifiers on the schedule are:

• Indiana Wesleyan — Nov. 11 in the Elswick Classic at Georgetown, Ky.
• Holy Names — Nov. 25 on the second and final day of the Xavier Classic.
• Sterling — Dec. 21 in Las Vegas.

Xavier will play five games against NAIA D-I tourney qualifiers:
• Langston — Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving night) at the Xavier Classic.
• Shorter — Dec. 3 at The Barn and Jan. 4 at Shorter.
• Oklahoma City — Dec. 20 in Las Vegas. The Stars eliminated Xavier in the second round of nationals last season.
• Southern Polytechnic — Jan. 3 at Southern Poly.

Xavier, 27-7 last season and two-time defending Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament champion, will play its first GCAC game Jan. 7 in Little Rock, Ark., against first-year member Philander Smith. The conference will employ its traditional double round-robin scheduling after an unbalanced league schedule last season. Second-year member Edward Waters and Jacksonville, Fla., will play host to the GCAC Tournament for the second straight year.

In addition to LSU, Xavier's first-time opponents are Indiana Wesleyan, Georgetown (Ky.), Shorter, Southern Polytechnic and second-year GCAC member Fisk.

The schedule includes the annual GCAC home-and-away matchups with city rivals SUNO and Dillard — Dillard will visit Xavier on Jan. 28 for the Crosstown Classic, part of Rush/Nuggets Alumni Weekend — and the Nuggets will visit city rival and 20-game winner Loyola on Dec. 17.

The GCAC will crown a regular-season and tournament champion, and the latter will receive an automatic bid to nationals. But this season's NAIA tournament will be played in Frankfort, Ky., after 22 consecutive years in Jackson, Tenn. Xavier qualified for nationals 15 of the past 17 seasons — 10 of 12 times since Browder became head coach.

"I have another great group of young ladies this season," Browder said, "and we're working hard to get ready for all the challenges this schedule will give us."

2011-12 Xavier University Women's Basketball Schedule Click here for an additional link to the basketball schedule Nov. 2 (Wed.):  at LSU, 7 p.m. (exhibition) Nov. 4 (Fri.):  FLORIDA MEMORIAL, 7 p.m. Nov. 8 (Tue.):  SPRING HILL, 7 p.m. Nov. 11 (Fri.):  Indiana Wesleyan, 2 p.m. EST (Elswick Classic) Nov. 12 (Sat.):  at Georgetown (Ky.), 6 p.m. EST (Elswick Classic) Nov. 19 (Sat.):  HUSTON-TILLOTSON (DH), noon (Homecoming) Nov. 21 (Mon.):  at LSU-Shreveport, 6 p.m. Nov. 24 (Thu.):  LANGSTON, 7 p.m. (Xavier Classic) Nov. 25 (Fri.):  HOLY NAMES, 6 p.m. (Xavier Classic) Nov. 29 (Tue.):  WILLIAM CAREY (DH), 5:30 p.m. Dec. 3 (Sat.):  SHORTER (DH), 2 p.m. Dec. 17 (Sat.):  at Loyola (DH), 2 p.m. Dec. 20 (Tue.):  Oklahoma City, 4 p.m. PST (Vegas Hoopla) Dec. 21 (Wed.):  Sterling, 4 p.m. PST (Vegas Hoopla) Jan. 3 (Tue.):  at Southern Polytechnic, 6 p.m. EST Jan. 4 (Wed.):  at Shorter, 6 p.m. EST Jan. 7 (Sat.):  • at Philander Smith (DH), 2 p.m. Jan. 10 (Tue.):  • SUNO (DH), 5:30 p.m. Jan. 13 (Fri.):  • EDWARD WATERS (DH), 5:30 p.m. Jan. 14 (Sat.):  • FISK (DH), 5 p.m. Jan. 16 (Mon.):  • PHILANDER SMITH (DH), 5 p.m. Jan. 21 (Sat.):  • TALLADEGA (DH), 5 p.m. Jan. 23 (Mon.):  • at Tougaloo (DH), 5:30 p.m. Jan. 28 (Sat.):  • DILLARD (DH), 5 p.m. (Crosstown Classic and Rush/Nuggets Alumni Weekend) Jan. 30 (Mon.):  at William Carey, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 6 (Mon.):  • at SUNO (DH), 5:30 p.m. Feb. 11 (Sat.):  • at Talladega (DH), 5 p.m. Feb. 13 (Mon.):  • TOUGALOO (DH), 5:30 p.m. (Senior Night) Feb. 18 (Sat.):  • at Edward Waters (DH), 2 p.m. EST Feb. 20 (Mon.):  • at Fisk (DH), 5:30 p.m. Feb. 25 (Sat.):  • at Dillard (DH), 5 p.m. (Allstate Sugar Bowl Bleu Devil Classic) March 1-3 (Thu.-Sat):  GCAC Tournament, Jacksonville, Fla. March 14-20 (Wed.-Tue.):  NAIA Division I National Championship, Frankfort, Ky. Home games in (in bold and CAPITAL LETTERS) are played at The Barn (capacity 1,300), Xavier University campus, New Orleans • Gulf Coast Athletic Conference game DH — doubleheader with Xavier's men TBA — To be announced All times are Central except where noted Call (504) 520-7329 for ticket information

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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