NEW ORLEANS — SiMon Franklin scored 12 points Saturday to lead NAIA No. 16 Xavier University to a 66-48 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against Talladega.
     The Gold Nuggets (16-5 overall, 6-0 GCAC) took sole possession of the conference lead by a half-game over Dillard, which was idle. Xavier has a nine-game win streak and has won 35 in a row against GCAC opponents, 30 in the regular season.
     Franklin, who scored six points in each half, was Xavier's only double-figure scorer. Dalila Robinson made 3-of-5 3-pointers and scored nine points. Danielle Kennebrew grabbed a season-best nine rebounds, and Jazmoné Kelly had six of the Nuggets' season-high 22 steals.
     Shakila Cole scored 15 points, Ebony Richardson 12 and Bianca Thomas scored 11 points for Talladega (11-5, 3-1). Xavier limited the Lady Tornadoes' Megan Iloff, who entered with a GCAC-leading 17.3 points and four steals per game, to zero points and zero steals in 15 minutes.
     Talladega scored the first two points, then Kelly and Franklin combined for 11 points in a 19-2 run which but the Nuggets ahead to stay. Robinson capped the burst with a 3-pointer, less than 30 seconds after she entered the lineup, and Xavier led 19-4 at 11:56.
     Xavier led 32-24 at halftime and held a double-digit advantage for the final 17½ minutes.
     The Nuggets outshot the Lady Tornadoes 37.1 to 27.1 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 55-44. All six of Xavier's conference opponents have scored less than 50 points and shot less than 30 percent from the floor.
     Xavier's bench accounted for 31 points and 32 rebounds.
     The victory concluded a five-game home stand. Xavier will visit Tougaloo in a GCAC game at 5:30 p.m. Monday.