MOBILE, Ala. — Brittany Powell and SiMon Franklin scored 14 points apiece Friday to lead five Xavier University of Louisiana players in double figures in a 72-50 women's basketball victory against Talladega in the Port City Tip-Off Classic.
     It was the opener for both teams.
     Jazmoné Kelly scored a career-high-tying 12 points for the Gold Nuggets, and Danielle Kennebrew scored a career-high 12. Christina Warren, playing her first game for Xavier, scored 11 off the bench and led all players with nine first-half points.
     Morgan Bennett scored 23 points, 18 in the second half, for Talladega and was her team's only double-figure scorer. Tamiko Round scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
     Xavier outshot Talladega 62 to 23 percent from the floor in the first half and led 39-19 at the break. The Nuggets took their biggest lead, 61-27, on LaTashia Wise's basket with 9:43 remaining.
     The Nuggets scored on 15 consecutive possessions during an eight-minute stretch covering parts of both halves. Talladega allowed 40.6 points per game this past season to lead NAIA Division I in scoring defense.
     "We're more experienced than a year ago," 11th-year Xavier Coach Bo Browder said. "Our team chemistry is better. We've just got to keep working. We don't want to resemble last year's team."
     Xavier was 23-9 this past season but failed to qualify for the NAIA Division I National Championships for just the second time in 15 seasons.
     "Some people would take 23-and-9 and be happy with it," Browder said. "We're trying to get better. There's nothing wrong with reaching for the stars."
     Xavier's opening lineup consisted of one senior, Powell, and four sophomores: Franklin, Kelly, Kennebrew and Marchelle Jones. It was the first collegiate start for Kennebrew and the second for Kelly.
     Mobile defeated Martin Methodist 74-55 in the second game Friday. The tournament will conclude Saturday with Xavier playing Martin Methodist at 1 p.m. and Talladega playing Mobile at 3.