Box Score NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana built a 21-point second-half lead Friday and held on for a 75-67 men's basketball victory against Texas College at The Barn.
Sophomore
Kelechi Okoroha, in his collegiate debut, scored 16 points in 16 minutes for the Gold Rush, which played its first regular-season game since 2004-05. Xavier did not field teams in 2005-06 because of the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
Mark Stewart added 13 points,
Olumide Olafioye 12 and
Alfred Williams 10 for Xavier, which scored the final seven points after the Steers reduced a 53-32 deficit to 68-67 with 1:39 remaining.
"We did a good job in spurts," Xavier Coach Dannton Jackson said. "We've got to get better defensively. I wish we could have held on to that big lead, but we kept our poise when Texas College made a run. We were resilient."
Shaun Dumas, who led NAIA Division I in steals as a freshman in 2004-05, had nine steals and nine assists for Xavier. He missed the Rush's Tuesday exhibition at Arkansas because of an injury and was not expected to play against Texas College.
"Shaun has unbelievable hands," Jackson said. "He wasn't a hundred percent, but he was OK."
Mike Dale scored 22 points and Czyz Bennett 18 for Texas College (0-1).
Xavier outshot Texas College 44 to 36 percent from the floor.
The Rush will travel to Austin, Texas, for a pair of 7 p.m. games next week. Xavier will play the University of Texas in a Monday exhibition, then resume its regular-season schedule Tuesday against Huston-Tillotson.
