NEW ORLEANS —
Brandi Young made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 59 seconds remaining Monday, and NAIA No. 16 Xavier University of Louisiana rallied from 15 points down to earn a 48-47 women's basketball victory over Mobile.
The victory was the fourth in a row and the sixth in seven games for the Gold Nuggets (18-4). Mobile is 11-5.
Young scored all eight of her points in the second half, and her 3-pointer gave Xavier a 47-45 lead.
Mobile had a chance to send the game into overtime, but Anna Maddox missed a second free throw after making her first with one second remaining.
Marchelle Jones controlled the rebound for Xavier as time expired.
Christina Warren, with 10 points, was the lone double-figure scorer for Xavier. Freshman
Chelsea Broussard, in her second start of the season, grabbed a career-best 16 rebounds. Since the start of the 2003-04 season, no Gold Nugget has grabbed as many rebounds in a game.
Alice Honnery had 14 points, 17 rebounds, four blocked shots, three steals and two assists for Mobile, which has not beaten Xavier at The Barn since 1999.
The Lady Rams led 25-12 at halftime — Xavier was 5-of-34 from the floor in the first half — and they took their biggest lead, 27-12, on Honnery's basket with 18:06 remaining.
But the Gold Nuggets — led by three
Angelica Alexander steals and three consecutive Warren baskets — responded with a 24-3 run during the next 8½ minutes to take their largest lead, 36-30. There were three more lead changes before Young made her trey in the final minute.
Xavier, the NAIA Division I leader in scoring defense, tied a school record by allowing less than 50 points for the 14th time this season. The 1993-94 Gold Nuggets set the record, and the 2009-10 team matched it.
Xavier will play Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opponent SUNO (16-0) at 5 p.m. Saturday at The Castle.