Rush rout Rams on road

AUSTIN, Texas — Xavier University of Louisiana produced five double-figure scorers and set a school record for 3-point accuracy Saturday in an 80-65 men’s basketball victory against Huston-Tillotson.

Nigel Allen and Rayshawn Mart scored 15 points apiece for the Gold Rush (9-3). Ed Carter scored 11 points, and Cameron Wells and William Loyd scored 10 apiece.

XULA made 75 percent of its 3-pointers: 9-of-12. The previous school record was 72.2 percent (13-of-18) at William Carey on Feb. 2, 2008.

Next for XULA will be 10-0 city rival Loyola at 7 p.m. Tuesday in XULA’s Convocation Center. XULA has won five straight — three of those in the last four days. Loyola is ranked 17th in NAIA Division I.

Allen made 3-of-3 3-pointers — he’s 7-of-8 from long range in the last three games — and Loyd grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds in his second straight double-double and fourth this season.

Dominique Elliot scored 14 points for the Rams (1-6), and Davon Parmer and James Jenkins scored 10 apiece. This was Huston-Tillotson’s home opener.

“Three games in four days is a tough stretch, and we did it two weeks in a row,” XULA head coach Alfred Williams said. “Our team has definitely been battled tested. I’m proud of how we fought. Huston-Tillotson went on a run, and we answered with a run of our own.

“Our bench was solid. Great contributions from Nigel Allen, Donovan Armstrong with solid defense, Cameron Wells and Ed Carter. Our bench helped us with this game. This has been a rough November, but we fought and clawed and now we get to come back home.”

It was XULA’s sixth double-double digit victory of the season and second on the road in as many nights. The Gold Rush won 100-86 Friday at Texas College.

Huston-Tillotson’s Jeremy Soloman opened the scoring with a 3-pointer at 19:16, but XULA scored the next 11 points and did not lose the lead. The Gold Rush led 43-23 at halftime after making 6-of-7 3s and held a couple of 22-point leads in the second half — the last when Cameron Dumas made 2-of-2 free throws at 6:01.

XULA outshot the Rams 49.1 to 40 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 35-29. Cam Wilson grabbed seven rebounds, his season high, for the Gold Rush.