Box Score NEW ORLEANS —
Devin Andrew's basket with two seconds remaining lifted NAIA No. 13 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 66-64 men's basketball victory over city rival Loyola.
The Gold Rush (16-2) won for the 14th straight time at The Barn and improved to 33-1 in non-conference home games during the last four years.
The Wolfpack (7-8) erased an 11-point lead in the final 10 minutes and tied the score at 64 on Robert Lovaglio's two free throws with 1:14 remaining. But Andrew, who scored all 11 of his points in the final 12:07, bailed out Xavier when he drove the lane and scored from 10 feet.
After a Loyola timeout, Xavier's
Kevin Miller, near midcourt, stole Richard Kohnke's inbounds pass to end the game. It was the second time this season that Miller preserved a Xavier victory with a game-ending steal. He did it Nov. 29 in a three-point victory at St. Thomas (Texas).
Anthony Simmons and
Jamaan Kenner added 10 points apiece for Xavier, and Simmons led the Gold Rush with seven rebounds.
Lovaglio, a freshman, scored a career-high 29 points for Loyola and grabbed seven rebounds. Corey Gray scored 17 points, including five 3-pointers in seven attempts.
Gray's 3-pointer during the eighth minute gave Loyola its largest lead at 19-12, then
Michael Harvey and
Jeremy Lee scored six points apiece to rally Xavier to a 34-26 advantage at halftime. But Lovaglio scored 18 second-half points and finished the game 11-of-13 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the line. His 3-pointer with 2:02 remaining tied the score at 62.
Xavier shot 52.4 percent from the floor, and Loyola shot 50 percent.
Xavier, a 19-point winner at Loyola on Dec. 6, swept the season series for the first time since 2007-08. The next Gold Rush game will start at 7 p.m. Monday against Spring Hill at The Barn.