TOUGALOO, Miss. — Tiffany Norris scored 13 points and Jarryn Cleaves 10 Thursday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 64-54 women's basketball victory against Tougaloo.
     It was the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opener for both schools. Xavier is 9-5, and Tougaloo is 4-6.
     The Gold Nuggets never relinquished the lead after outscoring Tougaloo 10-1 in the first four minutes. Xavier led 28-19 at halftime and 52-33 with eight minutes remaining.
     Xavier outshot the Lady Bulldogs 42 to 24 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 41-30. Tougaloo outscored Xavier 22-10 from the line.
     Travalyn Smith led Tougaloo with 19 points and nine rebounds, and Erica McElroy scored 10.
     "I thought it was a solid win," Xavier Coach Bo Browder said. "We did a good job running the offense and getting good shots, and we led the whole game to put the pressure on Tougaloo."
     Xavier won for the 38th time in its last 41 meetings with Tougaloo. The Nuggets lead the series 52-10.
     Xavier's next game will start at 5 p.m. Saturday against 20th-ranked Mobile in The Barn. It will be Xavier's first home game since the day after Thanksgiving.