NEW ORLEANS — Eastern Oregon shut down Xavier University of Louisiana's top four scorers, but XU got plenty of help elsewhere to defeat the Mountaineers 66-52 in women's basketball Saturday.
     Freshman Joi Simmons scored a career-high 15 points for the Gold Nuggets (4-2), ranked 21st in NAIA Division I, junior Kelsee Singleton scored 11 to match her career best, and sophomore Jasmine Bush scored a career-high eight.
     It was homecoming for Xavier, and it was the Gold Nuggets' 15th consecutive victory in a regular-season home opener.
     Nikki Osborne had 14 points and nine rebounds for Eastern Oregon (1-4), ranked 14th in NAIA Division II, and Jordan Klebaum scored 11, including three 3-pointers.
     Xavier's top four season scorers entering the game — Whitney Gathright, Donyeah Mayfield, Trana Hopkins and Kiera Robinson — scored a combined 17 points and were 7-of-28 from the floor. But their teammates made a combined 21-of-39.
     Simmons, a freshman guard/forward who hasn't started since the second game, also had five rebounds, a career-high-tying two assists and four steals in 20 minutes. Singleton made 5-of-6 from the floor and blocked two shots, and Bush grabbed four rebounds to match a career high.
     Xavier outscored Eastern Oregon in every quarter and led 30-20 at halftime. The Gold Nuggets outshot the Mountaineers 41.8 to 38 percent from the floor and were plus-12 in turnovers. Half of the Mountaineers' 30 turnovers were the result of Xavier steals, and XU freshman Mikayla Bates had a career-high four steals.
     The victory was Xavier's second of the season against a ranked NAIA opponent. The Gold Nuggets will play a pair of ranked teams from NAIA Division I — No. 16 Shawnee State at 7 p.m. Thursday and No. 18 Langston at 5 p.m. Friday — in the Xavier Classic.