NEW ORLEANS — Zoie Miller scored 23 points Thursday to lead hot-shooting Loyola to a 76-45 women's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana at The Den.
     It was the season opener for both city rivals. The Wolf Pack are ranked 20th in NAIA Division I. The Gold Nuggets received votes in that same preseason poll.
     Miller was 10-of-14 for the floor. Loyola outshot XULA 51.8 to 17.9 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Nuggets 49-33.
     Essence Wells scored a career-high 11 points for the Gold Nuggets. Jalyn Hodge and Taylor Jacob scored nine points apiece, and Hodge made three of the Nuggets' seven 3-pointers. Jacob is a freshman.
     Megan Worry had 13 points and eight rebounds for Loyola, and Di'Mond Jackson scored 12.
     The Wolf Pack led 39-18 at halftime. A Miller 3-pointer with 4:39 remaining — her final points of the game — gave Loyola its largest lead, 74-34. XULA then closed with an 11-2 run.
     The Gold Nuggets' best feature was free-throw shooting. They made 14-of-15.
     The losing margin was XULA's largest in an opener since an 84-48 defeat to Grambling in 1977. That was the Gold Nuggets' first season of the Title IX era.
     XULA will play its home opener at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Convocation Center against Southeastern (Fla.), 28-1 last season and ranked fourth this season in NAIA Division II.