Box Score NEW ORLEANS — Senior guard
Xavier Rogers scored
a career-high 23 points Thursday to lead NAIA No. 19 Xavier University of
Louisiana to an 86-73 men's basketball victory against Wiley.
The Gold Rush are 4-0 for the 10th time in 11 seasons.
Rogers made four 3-pointers and scored 14 points to
lead Xavier to a 45-39 halftime advantage. Wiley (1-1) closed the gap to
45-44 with 16:52 remaining and trailed 60-56 at 6:47 before Xavier sophomore
RJ Daniels scored six points during a decisive 11-3 run.
It was the second consecutive game that Rogers scored
his career best.
Daniels, who did not start, finished with a career-high
17 points in 15 minutes.
Morris Wright and
Sydney Coleman scored 16 apiece for
the Gold Rush. Coleman added seven rebounds, five assists and four steals and
became the first Gold Rush newcomer since the 2003-04 season to score in double
figures in his first four games.
Rogers and Wright had five assists apiece, and Xavier
finished with a season-high 23 assists on 30 made field goals.
Phillip Miller, who scored 31 points in Wiley's opener,
led the Wildcats with 17. Henry Sidney and Corey Blake scored 16 points apiece.
Sidney made 3-of-3 3-pointers.
Xavier shot better than 50 percent from the floor
for the fourth consecutive game. The Gold Rush finished at 50.8 percent and
limited Wiley to 38.6. Xavier committed 22 turnovers but gained a season-high 26.
Xavier's next game will start at 7 p.m. Tuesday against
city rival Loyola at XU's Convocation Center.
