NEW ORLEANS —
Erica Turnbull scored 17 points Thursday to tie her
career high and lead NAIA No. 23 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 69-49 Gulf Coast Athletic
Conference women's basketball victory against Spring Hill at The Barn.
Jarryn Cleaves added 12 points and
Dominee Matthews 11 for the Gold
Nuggets (17-6 overall, 9-1 GCAC), who won for the 10th time in 11 games
and clinched their sixth consecutive winning season and their 14th in 15
seasons.
Xavier, the GCAC leader by a game over Loyola, led 37-24 at halftime and
twice by 24 points in the final three minutes.
Keisha Forbes scored 15 points and Rashanda Bolton 14 for Spring Hill
(4-14, 4-6), which lost to Xavier for the ninth consecutive time and second
time in three weeks.
Xavier outshot the Lady Badgers 48 to 42 percent from the floor and
outrebounded them 36-22. The Nuggets' shooting percentage was a season high.
Also contributing for the Nuggets were
LaTashia Wise and
Rynika Hebert with
nine points apiece and
Brittney Abernathy with eight. Wise recorded career highs
for points and assists (5), and Abernathy tied her career scoring high.
Point guard
Alissa Thompson, starting for the first time since mid-November,
had six assists and a career-high-tying five steals.
Xavier entered the game with only six scholarship players available
because of injuries. But walk-ons
LaShelle Brawner and
Karmynah Helaire, who
joined the team this week, combined for 22 minutes, one point, one assist
and two steals and gave their new teammates some needed rest. Brawner and
Helaire spent the final 7:16 in the game.
The Nuggets extended their winning streak at The Barn against GCAC
opponents to 31 games. They've won 56 of their last 62 GCAC games and 45 of
their last 46 games at The Barn.
Xavier's next game will start at 5:30 p.m. Monday against Tougaloo at
The Barn.
