Box Score     NEW ORLEANS — Junior guard Morris Wright scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half Monday to help NAIA No. 20 Xavier University of Louisiana earn a 71-61 men's basketball victory against SUNO at The Castle.
    The Gold Rush (21-8, 10-3) completed a two-game regular-season sweep of the Knights (4-20, 1-11).
    Wright led Xavier in scoring for the 12th time this season and reached double figures for the 23rd time.
    Sydney Coleman scored 15 points, Anthony Goode 13 and Wesley Pluviose-Philip 10 for the Gold Rush. Pluviose-Philip was 5-of-5 from the floor. Jarvis Thibodeaux grabbed 10 rebounds and reached double figures for the sixth time this season.
    Coleman had seven rebounds, and Gary Smith grabbed a career-high six.
    Will Bailey and Thaddeus Showers scored 17 points apiece for SUNO, and Thaddeus Fortune scored 13. Bailey made four of the Knights' eight 3-pointers.
    The Gold Rush led for the final 33 minutes. Xavier led 29-20 at halftime and twice by 15 points, the last time at 55-40 after two Thibodeaux free throws with 5:41 remaining.
    Xavier outshot the Knights 53.1 to 41.3 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 33-24. It was the 13th time this season that Xavier reached 50 percent and the fifth time in the past seven games.
    Xavier will conclude the regular season in a 7 p.m. Saturday game against Dillard in the Crosstown Classic at XU's Convocation Center. The GCAC Tournament will begin March 6 with men's quarterfinal games at Xavier and the women's quarterfinals at Dillard's Dent Hall. All tournament games March 7-8 will be played at Xavier.

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