Gold Nuggets to march into home stretch with No. 23 ranking

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana women’s basketball has climbed into the NAIA Division I top 25 for the first time this season. The Gold Nuggets were No. 23 when the NAIA announced its seventh poll of the season Tuesday.

“Traditionally, we have been a top 25 team,” said Bo Browder, whose Gold Nuggets made the 138th top-25 appearance of his 20 seasons as head coach. “I am proud of this team for getting us back there — but we still have a lot of work to get done in March.”

XULA (23-6) won an outright Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship when it defeated Philander Smith 66-57 at home Monday. The Gold Nuggets will be seeded first at the GCAC Tournament at Jacksonville, Fla., and play eighth-seeded city rival SUNO in opening round Friday.

XULA was among “others receiving votes” and in 28th place in the previous two polls. The Gold Nuggets ended the longest top-25 drought of the Browder era, 23 polls. They had not been in the top 25 since Feb. 2, 2016, when they were 24th.

The GCAC’s second-place team, Talladega, fell from 11th to 13th. For the first time since 2014, the GCAC will have two top-25 women’s teams entering its postseason tournament.