NEW ORLEANS — Jarryn Cleaves scored 21 points Saturday to lead NAIA No. 24 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 68-53 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory over Dillard at New Orleans Arena in the Crosstown Classic presented by Siemens.
     Johnna Williams and Erica Turnbull scored nine points apiece for the Gold Nuggets (24-6 overall, 14-4 GCAC), who finished second in the conference for the second consecutive season. Williams grabbed eight rebounds.
     Jacquita Williams scored 14 points for Dillard (10-19, 5-13), and Sandra Nweke and Meaquell Lewis had 13 apiece. Nweke grabbed 16 rebounds.
     The Nuggets never trailed and led 21-9 after 11½ minutes. After Alreion Bevins made two free throws to cut Xavier's lead to 26-25, the Nuggets scored seven points in the final 39 seconds of the half to take a 33-25 lead into the break.
     Xavier beat Dillard for the eighth consecutive time and is 5-0 in New Orleans Arena against the Lady Blue Devils.
     It was the final regular-season game for both teams. Xavier earned the No. 2 seeding for the GCAC Tournament, which will begin Monday. The Nuggets have a first-round bye and will play seventh-seeded Spring Hill or 10th-seeded SUNO at The Barn at 7 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals. Ninth-seeded Dillard will visit eighth-seeded Tougaloo in a first-round game at 7 p.m. Tuesday.