13th-ranked Golden Eagles eliminate Gold Nuggets at NAIA nationals

SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. — Tarrah Stephens’ 21 points and eight rebounds Friday led 13th-ranked John Brown to a 61-50 victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the 2024 NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship Opening Round presented by Ballogy.

The Gold Nuggets, in their 23rd appearance at nationals, finished 25-7.

Taylor Dewitt scored 12 points, Mary Wilkins 10 and Zaria Harleaux eight for XULA. Harleaux grabbed seven rebounds and produced a game- and season-high five assists.

XULA never led, and there was a tie at 4 in the third minute. The Golden Eagles (29-3) led 34-28 at halftime and scored eight consecutive points to take a 50-38 lead at 8:35 of the fourth quarter. The Gold Nuggets never got closer than nine points thereafter.

Stephens — a 5-foot-11 forward, a graduate student and the Sooner Athletic Conference Player of the Year — was 9-of-15 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the line with two blocks in 32 minutes.

John Brown outshot the Gold Nuggets 47.2 to 33.3 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 40-28. XULA committed 10 turnovers, a season low, and gained 14.

The victory was John Brown’s 27th in a row. The Golden Eagles will play host to sixth-seeded Indiana Tech or 11th-seeded St. Thomas (Fla.) at 4 p.m. Saturday, and that winner will advance with 15 other teams to the NAIA National Championship final site presented by Bomgaars March 21-26 at Sioux City, Iowa.