TOUGALOO, Miss. — Andravious Smith had 23 points, 17 rebounds and three steals Saturday to lead Tougaloo in a 73-57 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana.
     Denarius Odell also scored 23 for the Bulldogs (10-14, 5-6), who beat the Gold Rush (10-19, 6-6) for the first time in their last 13 meetings.
     Smith, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward, produced his fourth consecutive double-double against XULA and the fifth of his career. It was the third consecutive time he reached 20 points and 10 rebounds against the Gold Rush. His rebound total is the most by a XULA individual opponent since Tougaloo's Patrick Bass grabbed 18 on Jan. 15, 2004.
     Seth Jackson scored 12 points for XULA. Donovan Armstrong and Jalen David scored 11 apiece, and Leland Alexander scored 10. Mike Williams grabbed seven rebounds and had three steals to match his career highs, and Alexander grabbed six rebounds.
     Tougaloo never trailed and led 40-30 at halftime. The Bulldogs outshot the Gold Rush 46.9 to 35.1 percent from the floor.
     Both teams will play Friday in the opening round of the GCAC Tournament at Dillard's Dent Hall. Pairings have not been determined. Tougaloo will close its conference schedule Monday at home against GCAC regular-season champion Dillard, which has a first-round tournament bye. Friday's games are scheduled for noon, 2 and 5 p.m.