Xavier drops hoops doubleheader at LSUA

No. 2 Generals withstand No. 23 Rush second-half rally

ALEXANDRIA, La. — In a matchup of ranked NAIA men’s basketball teams, No. 2 LSU-Alexandria held off a second-half rally from No. 23 Xavier University of Louisiana and won 76-68 Monday.

William Loyd had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Gold Rush (4-2), and Galen Smith grabbed a career-best and game-high 11 rebounds. Ed Carter had 11 points and four assists. Rayshawn Mart grabbed eight rebounds, all in the second half.

Brandon Ellis made five 3-pointers and scored 23 points for the Generals (5-0). Devin Jackson scored 14 points, William Claiborne had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and JaMichael Brown had nine assists.

A late-first-half 12-0 run gave LSUA a 42-32 halftime lead, but the Gold Rush rallied and trailed 44-42 after Carter’s 3-pointer with 16:16 remaining. LSUA extended the lead to 70-57 after Brown’s two free throws with 2:46 remaining, then a final push got the Gold Rush within six points twice in the final 75 seconds.

LSUA blocked 11 shots — five by Phillip Rankin and four by Rickey Brice — and had a 9-3 advantage in made 3-pointers.

The final scoring margin was the closest of the five all-time meetings between the Gold Rush and Generals. LSUA won the previous four games the past two seasons by an average of 18.5 points.

It was the third of six straight games against ranked opponents for LSUA, which will visit the Gold Rush at 7 p.m. Nov. 26. XULA lost for the second time in three days on the road after four straight wins.

Generals’ late surge gives Nuggets 2nd straight loss

ALEXANDRIA, La. — Courtney Dawsey led a 14-0 fourth-quarter run Monday that lifted LSU-Alexandria to a 72-64 women’s basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana.

Essence Wells and Kyla Duncan scored 15 points apiece for the Gold Nuggets (4-2) — who lost for the second time in three days on the road after four straight home wins — and Maya Trench scored 10.

Trench and Mikayla Bates had eight rebounds, four assists and four steals apiece.

Dawsey scored six points during LSUA’s surge, and her basket with 5:54 remaining put the Generals ahead to stay at 48-47. Dawsey assisted on Danyale Bayonne’s basket at 3:15 that closed the run and made it 60-47.

Bayonne scored 27 points, including 11-of-12 free throws, Dawsey scored 12, and Brittany Hall had 10 in LSUA’s first-ever victory against the Gold Nuggets.

XULA led 27-26 at halftime after both teams shot 29 percent from the floor. The Generals outshot the Gold Nuggets 54 to 38 percent in the second half. LSUA made 26-of-33 free throws to XULA’s 10-of-19.

The Gold Nuggets twice led by five, the second time at 29-24 after Trench’s basket at 9:11 of the third quarter.

Up next, XULA will travel to Hattiesburg, Miss. to play William Carey at 5 p.m. next Monday.