NEW ORLEANS — Erica Turnbull scored 11 points Thursday, including her team's final five, to help NAIA No. 24 Xavier University of Louisiana hold on for a 67-64 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory over No. 15 Loyola at The Barn.
     The Gold Nuggets (23-6 overall, 13-4 GCAC) ended Loyola's 16-game winning streak and snapped the Wolfpack's 33-game winning streak against conference opponents. Loyola's GCAC streak started after a 75-70 overtime loss at Xavier on Jan. 13, 2007.
     LaTashia Wise scored 11 points and Shayla Boyd 10 for Xavier, which extended its home winning streak to 17 games, 15 this season. The Nuggets have won 65 of their past 67 games at The Barn and 41 of their past 42 GCAC games in their campus gym.
     Twins Trenese and Trenell Smith combined for 42 points for Loyola (23-5, 16-1). Trenese Smith scored 26 points, and Trenell had 16. Christine Mainguy had 14 points and 14 rebounds.
     Xavier trailed 8-2 before Turnbull and Wise combined for nine points in a 16-2 run which put the Nuggets ahead to stay. Xavier led 38-28 at halftime and 66-55 after Turnbull made two free throws with 3:44 remaining.
     Loyola cut the margin to 66-64 with 36 seconds remaining when Trenese Smith made the first of two free throws. The teams traded turnovers, then Turnbull made the second of two free throws with three seconds remaining. Loyola was unable to attempt a shot on its final possession.
     The Nuggets, a 71-51 loser at Loyola on Jan. 31, outshot the Wolfpack 44 to 33 percent from the floor. Contributing greatly to that statistic was Xavier's bench, which was a combined 12-of-19 (63.2 percent).
     Xavier's next game will start at 5 p.m. Saturday at New Orleans Arena against Dillard in the Crosstown Classic presented by Siemens.