Box Score      NEW ORLEANS — Nicholas Washington's two free throws with seven seconds remaining Saturday lifted SUNO to a 55-54 men's basketball victory over NAIA No. 13 Xavier University of Louisiana.
     The Knights (10-11, 4-2 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) won their third straight, snapped the 18-game home win streak of the Gold Rush (24-4, 3-2) and beat Xavier for the first time in their last 13 attempts.
     Recardo Porter scored 15 points, Brent Leduff 13 and Andre Davis 11 for SUNO. Michael Harvey scored 17 points and Kevin Miller 11 for Xavier.
     Xavier's biggest lead was 31-17 after Harvey's basket with 1:32 remaining in the first half. But SUNO scored 11 consecutive points during the next 3½ minutes — six points by Porter, five by Leduff — then took its first lead since the fourth minute when Davis scored with 9:38 remaining to make it 44-42. There were three ties and three lead changes thereafter, and Xavier took its final lead, 54-53, on Devin Andrew's basket with 29 seconds remaining.
     Washington, fouled by Anthony Simmons as he drove the baseline on SUNO's winning possession, was an unlikely hero. He entered the game averaging 2.3 points and was 7-of-17 from the line. Washington finished with four points.
     After Washington sandwiched his free throws around a Xavier timeout, Andrew committed a frontcourt turnover with two seconds remaining.
     The loss was the second in three games for Xavier, which has 13- and nine-game win streaks this season. It was the first Gold Rush loss at home since Feb. 6, 2010.
     Third-year SUNO Coach Dale Valdery earned his first victory in six tries against Xavier. Valdery, a Xavier graduate and former player, coached the Gold Rush from 1990-2002 and is the program's winningest coach.
     Xavier will close the regular season with 7 p.m. home games against St. Thomas (Texas) on Tuesday and Dillard on Saturday in the Crosstown Classic.