NEW ORLEANS —
Jarryn Cleaves had 17 points, six rebounds and six steals Saturday
to lead NAIA No. 21 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 79-58 Gulf Coast Athletic
Conference women's basketball victory over William Carey at The Barn.
LaTashia Wise added a career-high-tying 14 points for the Gold Nuggets (15-3 overall,
5-1 GCAC), who won their fourth in a row and their 11th in 12 games.
Shayla Boyd scored
a career-high 13 points and tied her career best of four assists, and
Erica Turnbull
had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Fallon Hartfield led William Carey (6-6, 2-4) with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Hartfield, the NAIA Division I rebounding leader, recorded her 10th double-double
of the season and her seventh in a row.
Taphne Jackson and Melanie Bush scored nine points apiece for the Lady Saders.
Cleaves scored 14 first-half points and made five of the Nuggets' season-high
nine 3-pointers. Xavier led 39-25 at halftime and took its biggest lead, 71-46,
on Wise's basket with 4:24 remaining.
Xavier has won 12 straight at home — 10-0 this season — and 60 of its past
62 games at The Barn.
Xavier outshot William Carey 41 to 32 percent from the floor and outrebounded the
Lady Saders 45-40. William Carey committed 25 turnovers, 19 caused by Xavier steals.
The Lady Saders lost for the first time in three games and dropped their fifth
straight on the road.
Xavier's next game will start at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at LSU-Shreveport.