BRUNSWICK, Ga. — William Loyd had 14 points and 12 rebounds Saturday, and freshman TJ Jones scored all 11 of his points during 13 second-half minutes to help Xavier University of Louisiana pull away for a 65-54 men's basketball victory against Coastal Georgia.
     Next for the Gold Rush (1-1) will be the home opener at 7 p.m. Wednesday against Carver at the Convocation Center.
     XULA trailed 12-10 in the 10th minute, then scored the next 13 points and never lost the lead. The Gold Rush led 29-18 at halftime, then led by 21 points twice in the final 13 minutes.
     "TJ Jones had a span where he scored eight (points) in a row and opened up the lead," XULA head coach Alfred Williams said. "Will (Loyd) was in rare form. He could have scored 30 points, but he was selfless and spread the wealth to his teammates."
     Virgil Davison scored 10 points for XULA. Loyd, Rayshawn Mart and Cameron Wells had three steals apiece. Mart grabbed seven rebounds.
     Austin Dukes had 15 points, six rebounds and three assists for the Mariners in their season opener. Elijah Goodman had seven rebounds and three blocks.
     XULA outshot Coastal Georgia 42.4 to 28.1 percent from the floor. It was the schools' first meeting in this sport.
     "Defensively we locked in," Williams said. "Our guys defended very well and followed the scouting report. TJ and Cameron Dumas were great on the ball defensively.
     "It was the second game in a row that we didn't shoot the ball that well, but I don't think that will continue. We will break out of it really soon."