ALEXANDRIA, La. — In a matchup of ranked NAIA men's basketball teams, No. 2 LSU-Alexandria held off a second-half rally from No. 23 Xavier University of Louisiana and won 76-68 Monday.
     William Loyd had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Gold Rush (4-2), and Galen Smith grabbed a career-best and game-high 11 rebounds. Ed Carter had 11 points and four assists. Rayshawn Mart grabbed eight rebounds, all in the second half.
     Brandon Ellis made five 3-pointers and scored 23 points for the Generals (5-0). Devin Jackson scored 14 points, William Claiborne had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and JaMichael Brown had nine assists.
     A late-first-half 12-0 run gave LSUA a 42-32 halftime lead, but the Gold Rush rallied and trailed 44-42 after Carter's 3-pointer with 16:16 remaining. LSUA extended the lead to 70-57 after Brown's two free throws with 2:46 remaining, then a final push got the Gold Rush within six points twice in the final 75 seconds.
     LSUA blocked 11 shots — five by Phillip Rankin and four by Rickey Brice — and had a 9-3 advantage in made 3-pointers.
     The final scoring margin was the closest of the five all-time meetings between the Gold Rush and Generals. LSUA won the previous four games the past two seasons by an average of 18.5 points.
     It was the third of six straight games against ranked opponents for LSUA, which will visit the Gold Rush at 7 p.m. Nov. 26. XULA lost for the second time in three days on the road after four straight wins.