Box Score NEW ORLEANS — Junior guard
Anthony Goode scored a season-best 18 points
Monday to lead NAIA No. 24 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 65-59 men's basketball victory against Spring Hill.
The Gold Rush (14-4) have won five in a row, a season high.
Goode, who did not start, reached double figures for the fifth time this season.
He was 7-of-10 from the floor, made his only 3-point attempt and was 3-of-4 from the line in 22 minutes. Goode scored 11 second-half points.
Lucas Martin-Julien had 12 points, four assists and three steals for Xavier, and
Sydney Coleman,
Xavier Rogers and
Wesley Pluviose-Philip scored nine apiece. Pluviose, a freshman, grabbed 10 rebounds to reach double figures for the third time.
Jackson Fos scored 12 points, all on 3-pointers, for the Badgers (2-13). Jarrett Calhoun scored 11 points, and Alex Looney had nine.
There were seven ties and 16 lead changes. Martin-Julien's basket with 3:57 remaining, part of a 7-0 run, but Xavier ahead to stay, 57-52.
Spring Hill made nine 3-pointers to Xavier's one, but the Gold Rush had an 18-2 advantage in
second-chance points and a 20-10 margin in points after turnovers. Xavier outshot the Badgers 48.1 to 46.7 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 32-23.
Xavier committed nine turnovers, a season low, for the second consecutive game.
Xavier led 31-28 at halftime after Goode and Coleman scored seven points apiece.
The Gold Rush completed a two-game season sweep of Spring Hill
and denied the Badgers a second consecutive victory against a ranked NAIA opponent. Xavier has
won nine of its last 10 games overall and five straight at home.
Xavier, 3-0 in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, will continue a six-game home stand with a 5 p.m. GCAC game Saturday against Edward Waters.