XU Gold Rush defeat New Orleans Privateers for the first time since 1974

ANTHONY SIMMONS
6-8/245 JUNIOR, FORWARD
HOMETOWN: ROCHESTER, N.Y.
ALLENDALE COLUMBIA H.S. 
XU GOLD RUSH

NEW ORLEANS — Anthony Simmons scored 13 of his season-high 17 points in the second half Wednesday to help Xavier University of Louisiana earn a 79-70 men's basketball victory against the University of New Orleans at Lakefront Arena.

The Gold Rush (9-4), ranked 21st in NAIA Division I, handed the Privateers (9-8) their fourth consecutive defeat and beat them for the first time since 1974. It was the teams' first meeting since 2000 and sixth overall.

Simmons scored seven points during a 9-2 run which erased UNO's only second-half lead. Simmons' basket and free throw with 9:36 remaining put Xavier ahead to stay, 52-49.

But Xavier did not seal the victory until it made 6-of-6 free throws in the final 46 seconds.

Five XU players scored in double figures. Wanto Joseph had 14 points, six assists and zero turnovers. Chris Iles and Jamaan Kenner scored 12 points apiece, and Cordell Hadnot had 10 points and seven rebounds,

Max Banchy scored 16 points and made 5-of-6 3-pointers for UNO, an NCAA Division I independent which is transitioning to Division II. Brandon Knight had 14 points and six assists. Lovell Cook scored 13 points and Antonio Holmes 11.

Banchy's 3-pointer with 11:15 remaining gave the Privateers a 49-47 lead. UNO also led 23-22 and 25-24 before Xavier rallied for a 31-30 halftime advantage.

Kenner, a senior guard, scored 11 points in the final nine minutes to produce a season high and reach double figures in consecutive games for the first time in his career. Hadnot scored in double figures for the seventh straight game, a personal best, and Iles led the Rush with a career-best eight rebounds.

Xavier shot 52.7 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the line, both season highs, and outrebounded the Privateers 37-29. UNO shot 43.1 percent and made a season-high 11 3-pointers in 21 attempts.

The Gold Rush will play its Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opener at noon Saturday against Philander Smith in Little Rock, Ark. Philander Smith, in its first GCAC season, already has victories against defending GCAC Tournament champion Tougaloo and NCAA D-I Central Arkansas.

BOX SCORE

NOTES: It's the first time in nearly 40 years that Xavier earned victories against NCAA D-I opponents in consecutive seasons. The Gold Rush won at Southern a year ago . . . UNO leads the series 4-2 . . . The teams will meet again at 7 p.m. on Feb. 1 at The Barn . . . It was Xavier's fifth of six consecutive road games . . . XU junior guard Nick Haywood made 2-of-2 free throws and has made 24 straight during the past nine games.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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Grant's 3 gives Xavier Gold Nuggets season sweep of 18th-ranked Shorter

ROME, Georgia — Jasmine Grant's 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining Wednesday gave Xavier University of Louisiana a 60-59 women's basketball victory against Shorter in a matchup of ranked NAIA Division I teams.

The Gold Nuggets (10-5), ranked 16th, won their third in a row and defeated the Lady Hawks (10-2), ranked 18th, for the second time this season.

Grant, who led the Nuggets with 15 points, made her fifth 3-pointer of the game after Shorter's Brittney Smith missed two free throws with 29 seconds remaining. The Lady Hawks still had two chances to win, but they committed a turnover with five seconds remaining, then missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer after XU's Brandi Young missed the front end of a 1-and-1.

Shorter, playing for the first time in 23 days, didn't score again after Allison Danner's basket gave the Lady Hawks a 59-54 advantage with 1:07 remaining. Xavier and Shorter traded misses, then SiMon Franklin's 3-pointer, her third of the season, cut the margin to 59-57 with 30 seconds remaining.

2011/12 XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

GOLD NUGGETS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM

HEAD COACH: ROBERT "BO" BROWDER (13th SEASON)

ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH: DARRILYN BROUSSARD (11th SEASON)

ROSTER

(Click Photo Enlarge)

Keldra Hall, recording a double-double on the road for the second straight day, had 14 points and 17 rebounds. Since the start of the 2003-04 season, no Gold Nugget has grabbed as many rebounds in a game. Franklin was 5-of-7 from the floor and had 12 points and three assists.

Kelly Ellison had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Shorter but committed the turnover which followed Grant's winning shot. Smith scored 11 points, and Shelby Farrer had nine points and 10 rebounds.

Shorter outshot Xavier 37.5 to 31.9 percent from the floor, but the Nuggets had a 49-39 rebound advantage. Both teams made seven 3-pointers.

Grant made her most 3-pointers since tying the school record of seven against Paul Quinn on Nov. 19, 2010. The senior guard missed the final 26 games of 2010-11 because of a knee injury, but she has bounced back this season with 35 3-pointers in 15 games.

Xavier scored the first four points and never lost the lead until Smith's basket gave Shorter a 31-30 advantage with 18:11 remaining. There were three more lead changes and two ties before Grant's winning shot.

Xavier, the 2011 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament champion, will stay on the road and play its conference opener at 2 p.m. Saturday against GCAC newcomer Philander Smith in Little Rock, Ark.

NOTES: Xavier beat Shorter 56-51 at The Barn on Dec. 3 in their other meeting this season . . . Smith's two missed free throws in the final minute came after Shorter made 10 in a row . . . Grant ranks third at Xavier with 158 career 3-pointers. Courtney Simon (1992-96) made 204, and Jarryn Cleaves (2003-08) made 283 . . . Jazmoné Kelly had three steals to increase her team-leading total to 39. She needs two steals to become the 19th Gold Nugget with 200 in a career . . . Kelly needs two rebounds to reach 500 for her career . . . Shorter committed 10 fewer personal fouls than Xavier but attempted one more free throw than the Nuggets.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATLETICS

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Xavier beats Sterling 74-60 to gain a split in Vegas Hoopla

LAS VEGAS — Keldra Hall scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds Wednesday, leading NAIA No. 16 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 74-60 women's basketballl victory against Sterling in the Vegas Hoopla.

SiMon Franklin and Jasmine Grant added 12 points apiece for Xavier (8-5), which snapped a two-game losing streak and earned a split of its two games in this event.

Megan Kelly scored a season-high 24 points and made 6-of-7 3-pointers for Sterling (5-6).

Sterling made 6-of-7 3-pointers in the first half, but the Gold Nuggets made 5-of-6 and shot 62 percent from the floor to take a 45-34 lead at the break. It was Xavier's most first-half points this season — the previous best was 35 — and it was the Nuggets' highest-scoring first half on the road since getting 53 at Mobile on Feb. 21, 2009.

Kayla Eilert's layup in the seventh minute gave Sterling its largest lead, 15-10, but the Nuggets answered with a 22-2 run which gave them the lead to stay. Sterling trimmed Xavier's lead to 57-55 with 10:36 remaining, but the Nuggets closed the game with a 17-5 burst.

Xavier finished at 48.3 percent from the floor and outrebounded Sterling 39-27. Five Gold Nuggets made 3-pointers, with Grant and Dalila Robinson getting two apiece and sophomore Carmen Holcombe making her first as a collegian.

Sterling shot 45.2 percent from the floor and was 8-of-14 on 3-pointers but committed 22 turnovers, seven more than Xavier. The Nuggets collected 15 steals, four apiece by Jazmoné Kelly and Brandi Young.

The Nuggets will break for Christmas, then resume their schedule with three road games the first week of January — against Southern Polytechnic on Jan. 3, 18th-ranked Shorter on Jan. 4 and Philander Smith on Jan. 7 in Xavier's Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opener.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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Hamilton and Reuther earn All-Louisiana honors for Xavier

Christabell Hamilton
COACH OF YEAR

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Christabell Hamilton, who guided the Gold Nuggets to a record-setting turnaround in her debut season, is the Coach of the Year on the 2011 All-Louisiana collegiate women's volleyball team. Xavier's Taylor Reuther was chosen to the second team and tied for second in voting for Freshman of the Year.

A Louisiana Sports Writers Association panel selected the team, which was announced late Saturday. It's the first time that Xavier received All-Louisiana recognition in this sport.

Hamilton, hired less than 11 weeks before the Gold Nuggets' season opener, led Xavier to a 23-7 record — the program's first winning season — after finishing 11-26 in 2010. The 15½-match turnaround was the fourth best in the NAIA this year. Xavier won the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships without dropping a match and earned
its first berth in the NAIA National Championship.

The Gold Nuggets were 9-1 in matches longer than three sets, and they set school records for victories, consecutive victories (8 — twice), home victories (8), conference victories (10), victories on opponents' courts (6) and winning percentage (.767).

Hamilton is the third coach — the second since the 1930s — to win a conference championship in a debut season at Xavier.

Taylor Reuther
2nd TEAM
ALL-LOUISIANA VOLLEYBALL 

Reuther, a 5-foot-7 outside hitter from Metairie, La., and a graduate of St. Mary's Dominican High School, led Xavier in kills (324), aces (55) and digs (325). She was All-GCAC, GCAC Tournament Co-MVP and GCAC Player of the Week three times.

Reuther ranked 13th in the NAIA — third among freshmen — in aces per set. She produced a team-best 12 kill-dig double-doubles, nine more than Xavier had in 2010. Reuther had 16 matches with 10 or more kills and 18 matches with 10 or more digs.

Reuther received three votes for Freshman of the Year to share runner-up honors with LSU's Malorie Pardo. Northwestern State's Stacey DiFrancesco received five votes to earn the award.

2011 All-Louisiana Women's Volleyball Team
FIRST TEAM
Keelie Arneson, freshman, Northwestern State
Nicole Bowden, senior, McNeese State
Stacey DiFrancesco, freshman, Northwestern State
Desiree Elliott, sophomore, LSU
Madie Jones, junior, LSU
Meghan Mannari, junior, LSU
Cori Martone, sophomore, Tulane
Malorie Pardo, freshman LSU

SECOND TEAM
Becky Bekelja, junior, McNeese State
Zuzana Markova, junior, Louisiana-Monroe
Lesley Mirarchi, senior, Louisiana-Lafayette
Taylor Reuther, freshman Xavier
Stephany Salas, junior, Louisiana Tech
Michele Williams, senior, LSU
Anna Wruck, freshman Tulane

HONORABLE MENTION
Paige Dollison, senior, Southeastern Louisiana
Nikki Osuna, senior, Tulane
Clara Vido, sophomore, Louisiana Tech
Samantha Worsham, junior, Loyola

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Madie Jones, LSU
Voting: Jones 5, Bowden 3, DiFrancesco 3, Salas 1
LIBERO OF THE YEAR: (tie) Keelie Arneson, Northwestern State; Meghan Mannari, LSU
Voting: Arneson 5, Mannari 5, Salas 2
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Stephany Salas, Louisiana Tech
Voting: Salas 7, Markova 5
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Stacey DiFrancesco, Northwestern State
Voting: DiFrancesco 5, Pardo 3, Reuther 3, Christal Hollins (SUNO) 1
COACH OF THE YEAR: Christabell Hamilton, Xavier
Voting: Hamilton 5, Ernest Vazquez (Louisiana-Monroe) 3, Tommy Harold (Loyola) 2, Fran Flory (LSU) 1

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Gray's play makes Xavier Gold Rush blue; Loyola wins in 3 OTs

Nick Haywood
Xavier University Gold Rush

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Corey Gray scored seven of his 23 points in the third overtime Saturday to lift Loyola to a 95-91 men's basketball victory against NAIA No. 21 Xavier University of Louisiana at The Den.

The Wolfpack (8-4) completed its first season sweep of the Gold Rush (7-3) and won at home against its city rival for the second time in 17 attempts. Loyola won 66-59 at Xavier on Nov. 29. Xavier leads the series 29-6.

Gray scored all his points after halftime and had 12 points in the extra 15 minutes. His basket with 10 seconds remaining in regulation tied the score at 62, and the game went to overtime when Xavier's Chris Iles missed a running 12-footer from the right baseline at the buzzer.

Nick Haywood's 3-pointer with six seconds remaining tied the score at 72 for Xavier and forced a second overtime. The Gold Rush missed a chance to win in the second overtime when Wanto Joseph missed a second free throw after the making the first with 21 seconds remaining. That left the score tied at 83.

Loyola's McCall Tomeny then missed at the buzzer.

Loyola never trailed in the third overtime and took the lead for good, 90-88, on Chris Joseph's basket with 1:16 remaining. Gray's 3-pointer made it 93-89 with 25 seconds to play, and he scored the game's final points on a pair of free throws with 18 seconds remaining.

Tomeny scored 19 points, Cameron Cates 16, Chris Joseph 15 and Robert Lovaglio 13 for Loyola.

Xavier had six scorers in double figures. Denzell Erves had 17, Wanto Joseph and Haywood had 15 apiece, Iles had 12 and Cordell Hadnot and Jamaan Kenner scored 10 each. Hadnot grabbed a career-high-tying 12 rebounds, and Joseph had a career-high nine assists.

The Gold Rush outshot the Wolfpack 48.5 to 41.4 percent from the floor, but Loyola had a 45-36 rebound advantage and dominated at the line, making 29-of-39 free throws to Xavier's 15-of-21. The Gold Rush committed a season-worst 31 fouls, and Erves and Anthony Simmons both fouled out in the second overtime.

Xavier made 10 3-pointers to tie a season high. Haywood made three treys, and Iles, Kenner and Kevin Miller made two apiece. Gray and Chris Joseph made three treys apiece for Loyola.

Loyola outscored Xavier 7-0 in the final four minutes of the first half to trim the Gold Rush advantage to 30-28. Xavier led 54-46 after an Erves basket with 8:49 remaining in regulation.

It was the first time Xavier and Loyola played overtime. It was the first time the Gold Rush played multiple overtimes since an 80-72 home victory against Mobile on Jan. 29, 2004. XU records on three-overtime games are incomplete, but the Gold Rush won in triple overtime at Dillard during the 1992-93 season and against Loras in the National Catholic Tournament at Dubuque, Iowa, during the 1990-91 season.

Xavier will break for Christmas, then resume its schedule with games in Miami Gardens, Fla., against Florida Memorial on Dec. 28 and St. Thomas on Dec. 29.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Council scores 30 to help Wolfpack hold off XU Gold Nuggets

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Keiva Council scored 19 of her 30 points in the second half Saturday, and Loyola survived a late Xavier University of Louisiana rally to grab a 67-64 women's basketball victory at The Den.

The victory was the third in a row for the Wolfpack, whose 10-1 start is the best in the program's history. Loyola snapped the three-game win streak of the Gold Nuggets (7-4), ranked 16th in NAIA Division I.

Council, NAIA Division I's scoring leader with 23.1 points per game, scored nine points during a 17-6 run which gave Loyola its biggest lead, 58-43, with 8:23 remaining. Xavier closed to within one point twice in the final two minutes but missed two opportunities to tie the score in the final minute.

Council was 7-of-19 from the floor, 3-of-8 from 3-point range and 13-of-17 from the line with nine rebounds and four steals in 40 minutes. She's the first XU opposing player to reach 30 points since Langston's Matalya McBath-Belvin scored 32 in a 69-66 victory against the Nuggets on the second day of the Xavier Classic on Nov. 24, 2006.

The Nuggets' Keldra Hall missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 48 seconds remaining and Loyola leading 64-62, but Jazmoné Kelly grabbed the offensive rebound. Jasmine Grant was fouled seven seconds later, but made just the first of two free throws.

Loyola clinched the victory when Amy Moody grabbed an offensive rebound after Council's missed second free throw with 18 seconds remaining, then made two free throws for a 67-63 lead with 13 seconds to play.

SiMon Franklin had a season-high-tying 13 points and a career-best eight rebounds for Xavier. Grant and Hall scored 12 points apiece, and Kelly scored 10. Carmen Holcombe grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in 12 relief minutes.

Kelly's basket at 3:05 of the first half gave Xavier its biggest lead, 24-19, but Loyola scored nine of the next 11 points to take a 28-26 advantage at halftime. The Wolfpack went ahead to stay at 25-24 on Raven Lane's fast-break basket at 1:31.

Xavier shot a season-best 51 percent from the floor but made 10-of-19 free throws after making 27-of-31 the previous two games. Loyola shot 38 percent from the floor and made 25-of-35 free throws. Xavier had a 34-32 rebound advantage but committed 25 turnovers, five more than the Wolfpack.

Xavier will travel to Las Vegas for a pair of games in the Vegas Hoopla. The Gold Nuggets will play NAIA No. 1 Oklahoma City on Tuesday and Sterling on Wednesday. Both games will tip off at 4 p.m. PST.

BOX SCORE

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 

Hadnot stays hot, as does XU defense in win at William Carey

HATTIESBURG, Mississippi -- Senior forward Cordell Hadnot scored a season-high 16 points Tuesday, and NAIA No. 21 Xavier University of Louisiana produced another stellar defensive performance in a 57-42 men's basketball victory against William Carey.

Hadnot was 7-of-7 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the line to lead the Gold Rush (7-2) in scoring for the second straight game. Hadnot has made his past 11 shots from the floor and past four from the line.

Xavier limited William Carey (5-6) to 27.9 percent from the floor and allowed its fewest points to the Crusaders in 70 meetings. It's the first time since November 2004 that the Gold Rush allowed fewer than 50 points in consecutive games.

Renard Smith had 11 points for Xavier, which has won three in a row, and Denzell Erves and Kevin Miller scored nine apiece. Smith made a pair of 3-pointers for the third straight game.

Xavier limited Carey's top two season scorers, Brandon Givens and Roderick Little, to a combined 15 points -- two in the second half -- and 3-of-19 from the floor. Givens, who entered the game averaging 18.8 points, scored a season-low 10. Little, who entered averaging 16.2 points, scored a season-low five.

The Gold Rush led 28-27 at halftime and took the lead for good, 31-30, on Nick Haywood's 3-point play with 18:36 remaining. Xavier led by at least eight points for the final 11:55, and the final margin was its largest of the game.

Xavier shot 41.7 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Crusaders 34-31. The Gold Rush committed 16 turnovers and gained 22.

Stefan Sartori's 3-pointer in the seventh minute capped a 10-2 run and gave William Carey its biggest lead, 14-11, but five Xavier players scored in a 10-0 run to give the Rush a 21-14 advantage at 9:14.

Xavier will travel to city rival Loyola for a 4 p.m. game Saturday.

By Ed Cassiere, SID

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Xavier Gold Nuggets 16th and Gold Rush 21st in NAIA polls

NEW ORLEANS — Back where they were in the preseason. That summarizes the position of the Xavier University of Louisiana basketball teams in the third NAIA Division I coaches polls of 2011-12.

The Gold Nuggets (7-3) climbed from 17th to 16th in the women's poll, and the Gold Rush (6-2) returned to 21st in the men's poll after falling out of the top 25 a week ago.

The new rankings were announced late Monday afternoon. The next polls will be conducted Jan. 9.

It's the first time in Dannton Jackson's nine seasons as head coach that the Gold Rush dropped out of the top 25, then returned in the next poll. Coach Bo Browder's Gold Nuggets made their 21st consecutive appearance in the top 25 — their longest streak since appearing in 34 straight top 25s from Jan. 13, 2003-March 8, 2005.

The XU women, who did not play this past week, will travel to city rival Loyola at 2 p.m. Saturday. Loyola received 32 poll points to rank 28th.

The XU men, a 62-45 winner at home this past week against Mobile, will travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., for a 7 p.m. game Tuesday against William Carey. The Gold Rush will visit Loyola at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Xavier is the only Gulf Coast Athletic Conference school in either top 25. Tougaloo's men, tied for 20th a week ago, fell to 26th and missed the top 25 by three points. Tougaloo's women, who have not received a vote this season, beat then-No. 23 Belhaven 64-60 at Tougaloo on Saturday to help knock the Blazers out of the top 25.

Oklahoma City's women are a unanimous No. 1 for the second straight week. In the men's poll Concordia (Calif.) and Robert Morris (Chicago) are 1-2 after sharing the top spot one week ago.

Oklahoma City will be the Gold Nuggets' opponent at 4 p.m. PST on Dec. 20 in the Las Vegas Hoopla. It will be the Nuggets' first game against a top-ranked team since losing 91-53 to Oklahoma City in the opening round of the NAIA Division I National Championship at Jackson, Tenn., on March 21, 2003.

Xavier is one of 12 schools, three more than a week ago, with women's and men's teams in the top 25. The other schools are Azusa Pacific, Campbellsville, Cumberlands, Freed-Hardeman, Georgetown (Ky.), Lindsey Wilson, Saint Xavier, Shorter, Southern Nazarene, Robert Morris and Rogers State. The women and men of Azusa Pacific and Cumberlands are in the top 15.

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, Dec. 11)
Rank Team Record Points Last

1 Oklahoma City (11) 7-0 281 1

2 Union (Tenn.) 11-1 272 2

3 Freed-Hardeman 9-2 263 4

4 Lewis-Clark State 9-1 252 5

5 Westmont 10-1 243 6

6 Shawnee State 10-2 233 7

7 Langston 9-0 226 8
8 Vanguard 6-1 215 10

9 Lee (Tenn.) 9-1 207 9

10 Saint Xavier 9-2 195 13

11 Azusa Pacific 5-3 192 3

12 Campbellsville 9-3 188 14

13 Olivet Nazarene 10-2 170 11

14 Cumberlands 10-1 169 15

15 Southern Nazarene 6-3 156 16

16 Xavier 7-3 143 17

17 Lubbock Christian 6-3 136 19
18 Shorter 9-1 128 18
19 Bethel (Tenn.) 6-4 112 12
20 Georgetown (Ky.) 10-3 102 21
21 Robert Morris (Chicago) 9-1 100 22
22 Lindsey Wilson 8-3 89 25
23 Columbia (Mo.) 8-4 86 20
24 Rocky Mountain 10-2 68 24
25 Rogers State 9-3 52 RV

Others receiving votes: William Woods 46, Biola 39, Loyola 32, Avila 22, Belhaven 19, LSU-Shreveport 12, Lyon 6, Park 5, Westminster (Utah) 4, Benedictine (Kan.) 3, St. Gregory's 3, Montana Western 1, The Master's 1, St. Francis (Ill.) 1, St. Catharine 1.

NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, Dec. 11)

Rank Team Record Points Last

1 Concordia (Calif.) (8) 9-0 309 tie-1

2 Robert Morris (Chicago) (4) 10-0 304 tie-1

3 Oklahoma Baptist 9-0 293 3

4 Shorter 11-0 282 5

5 Rogers State 8-0 265 6

6 Georgetown (Ky.) 11-1 261 4

7 Texas Wesleyan 6-1 258 7
8 Martin Methodist 9-2 236 8
9 Azusa Pacific 7-2 233 10
10 Westminster (Utah) 10-2 215 11
11 Mountain State 9-4 212 9

12 Cumberlands 9-2 198 12

13 Southern Poly 8-2 192 18

14 Evangel 10-3 181 14

15 Biola 7-2 163 15

16 Southern Nazarene 6-2 161 13

17 Freed-Hardeman 9-3 155 19

18 Lindsey Wilson 7-3 136 16

19 Montana State Northern 12-2 130 17

20 John Brown 10-2 116 tie-20

21 Xavier 6-2 112 RV

22 Saint Xavier 8-3 101 23

23 Our Lady of the Lake 7-3 70 24

24 Fresno Pacific 6-3 62 25

25 Campbellsville 8-3 61 NR

Others receiving votes: Tougaloo 58, Southwestern Assemblies of God 50;, Columbia (Mo.) 40, Montana Western 31, Cumberland 19, Oklahoma Christian 17, Shawnee State 14, MidAmerica Nazarene 6, Baker 5, Westmont 5, Great Falls 1, Lee (Tenn.) 1, Spring Hill 1, Hope International 1, Oklahoma City 1; Voorhees 1, Pikeville (Ky.) 1.

By Ed Cassiere, SID

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

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Upcoming Games at The Barn
Jan. 10 (Tue.) — Women's Basketball vs. SUNO, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 10 (Tue.) — Men's Basketball vs. SUNO, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 13 (Fri.) — Women's Basketball vs. Edward Waters, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 13 (Fri.) — Men's Basketball vs. Edward Waters, 7:30 p.m.

SUNO doubleheader: $5 admission for XU students with valid XU identification card
FIRST 300 XU STUDENTS WILL BE ADMITTED FREE TO SUNO DOUBLEHEADER
Free admission for XU students to the Edward Waters doubleheader

XU Gold Rush defense takes control in 62-45 home victory

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Cordell Hadnot scored 10 points Tuesday, and Xavier University of Louisiana excelled defensively in a 62-45 men's basketball victory against Mobile.

The Gold Rush shut down Mobile scoring leader Ji Kimbrough and allowed its fewest points in nearly a year.

Kimbrough, who entered the game averaging 19.7 points, scored a season-low four points in 36 minutes. He was 0-of-5 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the line.

Xavier used 11 players, and 10 scored. Chris Iles and Wanto Joseph had nine points apiece, and Denzell Erves and Renard Smith scored eight apiece. Erves grabbed 10 rebounds, his most since the season opener, and had two steals and two blocks.

Brock Dockery led Mobile (3-5) with nine points and six rebounds.

Hadnot, a senior forward who led the Gold Rush in scoring for the first time this season, scored eight second-half points on 3-of-3 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the line.

Mobile led 7-4 in the fifth minute before Xavier took control during the next 8½ minutes with an 19-2 run which included 11 consecutive points.

Kevin Miller's 3-point play, his only points of the game, put the Gold Rush ahead to stay at 9-7 with 13:09 remaining. Smith and Iles scored five points apiece during the burst, which Smith capped with a 3-pointer to give Xavier a 23-9 lead at at 6:31.

Xavier led 34-18 at halftime and maintained its double-digit lead thereafter. Twice the Rush led by 19 in the second half.

The Gold Rush outshot the Rams 44.9 to 37.5 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 36-25. Xavier committed 15 turnovers but gained 20 on a season-best 12 steals.

Xavier allowed its fewest points since a 69-42 victory against Webber International on the road last Dec. 29. Xavier allowed its fewest points at The Barn since a 65-45 victory against Mobile on Feb. 22, 2010.

The Gold Rush defeated the Rams for a school-record fifth consecutive time and swept Mobile for the second straight season. Xavier won 80-71 at Mobile on Nov. 14 with Kimbrough scoring 27 points. Xavier is 41-2 in non-conference home games the past four seasons.

Xavier will break for fall semester exams, then resume its schedule at 7 p.m. next Tuesday at William Carey.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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XU women 17th in NAIA coaches poll; men drop out of top 25

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana's women's basketball team dropped from 16th to 17th in the NAIA Division I coaches poll. XU's men missed the top 25 by eight points after ranking 21st in the preseason.

Both polls, which were announced late Monday afternoon, are the first of the regular season.

The Gold Nuggets (7-3) have two victories against teams in the top 25, including a 56-51 home decision Saturday against Shorter, which climbed from 21st to 18th. The other XU victory was 79-76 on Nov. 12 at Georgetown (Ky.), which moved into the rankings at 21st. Two Xavier losses are to unbeaten teams.

The Gold Rush (5-2), ranked in every top 25 this past season, received 54 points to rank 26th. Fresno Pacific is 25th with 62 points.

Xavier's men won their first four games before losing 78-67 at Wiley on Nov. 26 and 66-59 at home to city rival Loyola this past Tuesday. The Gold Rush rebounded by winning 78-61 at home against Concordia (Ala.) on Saturday.

There will be another ranking of the men and women next Monday, followed by the third regular-season polls in early January.

Oklahoma City, Xavier's opponent Dec. 20 in the Vegas Hoopla event at Las Vegas, replaced defending champion Azusa Pacific as the No. 1 women's team.

Robert Morris (Chicago) and Concordia (Calif.) share the No. 1 men's ranking. Pikeville, the defending men's champion and preseason No. 1, dropped to 22nd.  The only Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's team in the top 25 is Tougaloo, which fell from 13th into a tie for 20th with John Brown.

The Gold Rush will play Mobile at 7 p.m. Tuesday at The Barn. The Gold Nuggets are idle until a 2 p.m. game Dec. 17 at Loyola.

By Ed Cassiere, SID

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

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Upcoming Games at The Barn

Dec. 6 (Tue.) — Men's Basketball vs. Mobile, 7 p.m.

Jan. 10 (Tue.) — Women's Basketball vs. SUNO, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 10 (Tue.) — Men's Basketball vs. SUNO, 7:30 p.m.

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Xavier rallies past Shorter in matchup of ranked NAIA teams

NEW ORLEANS -- Brandi Young scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half Saturday to help Xavier University of Louisiana rally for a 56-51 women's basketball victory against Shorter.

The Gold Nuggets (7-3), ranked 16th in NAIA Division I, won their third in a row and gave the 21st-ranked Lady Hawks (8-1) their first loss of the season.

Xavier never led in the first half and trailed 31-28 at halftime, then took the lead for good with a 13-1 run in the first 3½ minutes of the second half. Young, Jazmoné Kelly and Jasmine Grant made two baskets apiece during the burst, with Young's 2-pointer giving Xavier its largest lead, 41-32, with 16:55 remaining.

Grant and SiMon Franklin scored 10 points apiece for Xavier, which defeated a ranked opponent for the first time in three tries this season.

Kelly Ellison, the NAIA leader in assists per game, had 14 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals for Shorter. Robyn Foster had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Brittney Smith had 10 points, six rebounds, two blocked shots and three steals. Ellison and Foster each made three 3-pointers. Shorter was within one point of Xavier on three occasions in the final 14 minutes, the last at 50-49 when Abbie Daniel made the second of two technical free throws. Young answered with a basket for a 52-49 lead, followed by a Shorter turnover and three XU offensive rebounds before Chelsea Broussard scored for a 54-49 Xavier advantage with 3:01 to play.

Smith scored Shorter's final two points with 2:04 remaining. Ellison committed a turnover and missed the front end of a 1-and-1 in the Lady Hawks' next two possessions before Franklin clinched the game with two free throws with seven seconds remaining.

Xavier outshot Shorter 35.8 to 33.9 percent from the floor and offset the Lady Hawks' eight 3-pointers by outscoring them 15-5 in free throws. Xavier had a 38-33 rebound advantage, with Kelly grabbing eight. Franklin and Kelly had five steals apiece, with Franklin recording a career high and Kelly matching her season best.

The Gold Nuggets will break for fall semester examinations, then resume their schedule Dec. 17 with a 2 p.m. game at city rival Loyola.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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Haywood's scoring burst leads Xavier past Concordia (Ala.)

Nick Haywood

NEW ORLEANS -- Nick Haywood scored 14 of his 19 points in the first half Saturday to lead NAIA No. 21 Xavier University of Louisiana in a 78-61 men's basketball victory against Concordia (Ala.) at The Barn.

The Gold Rush (5-2) produced five double-figure scorers to snap a two-game losing streak.

Haywood was scoreless the first eight minutes, then scored 14 points during a nine-minute stretch to give Xavier a 40-25 lead at 2:28 of the first first half. Haywood capped his burst by making three consecutive 3-pointers. It was Haywood's third consecutive game in double figures after averaging 5.2 points in the first four contests. He finished with four 3-pointers and has made 14 in the past three games.

Denzell Erves

Denzell Erves had 16 points -- his first double-figure game since the season opener -- eight rebounds and two blocked shots for the Gold Rush. Cordell Hadnot had a season-high 14 points, seven rebounds and a career-high-tying four steals. Renard Smith scored a season-high 13 points, and Wanto Joseph had 10 points and a career-high-tying eight assists. 

Travis Rasco scored 22 points for Concordia (3-8), and Wesley Conor scored 11. The Hornets have dropped a season-high three straight decisions and five of their past six.

Xavier never lost the lead after outscoring the Hornets 7-0 in the first 2½ minutes. The Gold Rush led 44-33 at halftime and by 26 points on three occasions in the second half.

Xavier, winning at home for the 24th time in 26 games, shot a season-best 49.1 percent from the floor, limited the Hornets to 40.4 percent and outrebounded them 36-26.

The next Gold Rush game will start at 7 p.m. Tuesday at home against Mobile.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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Loyola controls second half and beats Gold Rush 66-59

The 2011-12 Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball team.
(Click here for Roster and Schedule)
Head Coach: Dannton Jackson (ninth season)
Assistant Coach: Alfred Williams
(click photo to enlarge)

 NEW ORLEANS -- Robert Lovaglio had 15 points and 11 rebounds Tuesday, leading four Loyola scorers in double figures in a 66-59 men's basketball victory against NAIA No. 21 Xavier University of Louisiana at The Barn.

Corey Gray scored 13 points for the Wolfpack (6-2), and Cameron Cates and Steve Davis scored 10 apiece.

Nick Haywood scored 14 points and Wanto Joseph 10 for Xavier (4-2), which has lost two straight.

An 8-0 Loyola run in the final 4½ minutes of the first half tied the score at 20. The Wolfpack led for all but 38 seconds of the second half and took the lead for good at 42-40 on Kyle Simmons' two free throws with 8:41 remaining.

Xavier outshot Loyola 44.2 to 36.7 percent from the floor, but the Wolfpack had the advantage at the line, making 28-of-37 free throws to the Gold Rush's 16-of-27. Loyola made 22-of-30 from the line in the second half, Xavier missed seven free throws in the final eight minutes. Loyola made 9-of-10 free throws in the final 1:46.

Haywood, the reigning Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week, made three 3-pointers to give him 10 in the past two games.

Lovaglio, the first Loyola player in five seasons to record a double-double against Xavier, grabbed nine first-half rebounds and helped the Wolfpack finish with a 36-28 advantage.

The loss was the second in Xavier's past 25 home games and 41 non-conference home games. Loyola snapped Xavier's 20-game home win streak against non-conference opponents and won for the fifth time in 34 meetings with its city rival.

Xavier will play Concordia (Ala.) at 4 p.m. Saturday at The Barn.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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This Week

at The Barn

Saturday, December 3 — Women's Basketball vs. Shorter, 2 p.m. live webcast • live stats 

Saturday, December 3 — Men's Basketball vs. Concordia (Ala.), 4 p.m. live webcast • live stats

Hall's hot second half helps Xavier beat William Carey

NEW ORLEANS -- Senior center Keldra Hall scored 15 of her 17 points in the second half Tuesday to lead NAIA No. 16 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 55-38 women's basketball victory against William Carey.

The Gold Nuggets (6-3) won their second in a row and snapped the four-game win streak of the Lady Crusaders (4-4).

Hall scored all her second-half points in the final 14 minutes, including consecutive 3-point plays which gave Xavier a 47-27 lead with 4:20 remaining. For the game Hall was 7-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the line in 15 minutes. Xavier is 5-0 this season when Hall scores in double figures.

Haleigh Arcement scored 14 points, 10 in the second half, for William Carey. The Lady Crusaders were 1-of-16 on 3-pointers after shooting 39 percent from long range in their previous five games.

The Gold Nuggets outshot the Lady Crusaders 37 to 24.4 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 39-29. Xavier shot a season-best 92.3 percent from the line, making 12-of-13, and beat William Carey for the 19th consecutive time at The Barn. Xavier leads the series 48-19. The teams will meet again on January 30 at William Carey.

Xavier's next game will start at 2 p.m. Saturday at The Barn against NAIA No. 21 Shorter.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS 

VISIT: GCACSPORTS 

This Week

at The Barn

Saturday, December 3 — Women's Basketball vs. Shorter, 2 p.m. live webcast • live stats 

Saturday, December 3 — Men's Basketball vs. Concordia (Ala.), 4 p.m. live webcast • live stats