NEW ORLEANS —: Shaelynn Moore scored 16 points Saturday, and Makeedah Collins made back-to-back 3s in the final eight minutes to help Dillard hold on for a 69-64 women's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the Bleu Devil Classic at Dent Hall.
     The Lady Bleu Devils (16-7, 8-3 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) gained a two-game regular-season split with the Gold Nuggets (16-11, 5-5), who beat Dillard on a Kelsee Singleton 3-pointer at the buzzer three weeks earlier.
     This time there were no 3-point heroics for XULA, just an opportunity. The Gold Nuggets' Ireyon Keith missed a 3 with four seconds remaining and Dillard leading 67-64. Adriiana Jackson then made two free throws for the final margin.
     Moore and Collins made three 3-pointers apiece. Collins, who scored a career-best 13 points, made 3s with eight minutes remaining and at 7:32 to give Dillard a 59-50 lead. Collins entered the game with four made 3s this season.
     XULA scored eight consecutive points to take a 19-15 lead through one quarter, then shot 17.4 percent from the floor in the next period to help Dillard rally for a 31-29 halftime lead. The Lady Bleu Devils took the lead for good, 42-40, on Alexia McDonald's basket at 2:40 of the third quarter.
     Alyssa Washington had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Dillard, and McDonald had 10 points and seven rebounds.
     Singleton scored 11 points, and Keith had 10 points and six rebounds.
     Dillard outshot XULA 46.3 to 36.1 percent from the floor and made 11-of-21 free throws to the Gold Nuggets' 7-of-12. XULA outrebounded Dillard 40-35.
     XULA and Dillard split in the regular season for the third consecutive season after five straight years of Gold Nuggets sweeps. XULA will play GCAC leader Talladega in the Gold Nuggets' regular-season home finale at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Convocation Center, and seniors Singleton, Bianca Brown and Kelsey Joseph will be honored at halftime.