NEW ORLEANS — Brittany Powell and Jasmine Grant scored 14 points apiece Thursday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 65-55 women's basketball victory over SUNO which completed a rare perfect run through the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.
     The Gold Nuggets (25-5 overall, 18-0 GCAC) became the second GCAC women's team to go 18-0 in the conference. The other was Xavier in 1997-98. This is the conference's 29th season.
     Six Nuggets scored during a 14-0 first-half run which turned a 7-5 deficit into a 19-7 lead with 10:26 remaining. Xavier led 31-17 at halftime, and Powell's free throw with 13:02 remaining gave the Nuggets their biggest lead, 46-22.
     Jazmoné Kelly scored 10 points for Xavier, which has won nine straight at The Barn and 89 of its last 95 games there.
     Tyesha Robinson, with 21 points, was the only double-figure scorer for SUNO (13-10, 7-10).
     Xavier outshot the Lady Knights 38.9 to 33.3 percent from the floor and outrebounded then 45-32.
     This is 11th time the Gold Nuggets have won 25 games and the sixth time in Bo Browder's 11 seasons as head coach.
     Xavier has a first-round bye in the GCAC Tournament and will play Dillard or Belhaven in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Wednesday at The Barn.