AUSTIN, Texas — Abryhia Irons and Nahrie Pierce combined for 21 first-half points Friday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana in a 69-65 women's basketball victory against Huston-Tillotson.
     The Gold Nuggets (7-4) completed a two-game regular-season sweep of the Lady Rams (3-3), who lost 69-67 at XULA Nov. 11.
     Irons and Pierce were a combined 8-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the line — 11 points for Irons, 10 for Pierce — to lead the Gold Nuggets to a 41-26 halftime advantage. Huston-Tillotson rallied to tie the score at 52 on a Daizja Plummer 3-pointer at 2:36 of the third quarter, but Maya Trench answered with six points in an 8-1 run that put XULA ahead to stay.
     Irons, a freshman, finished with 16 points, a game-high three steals and a game- and career-high nine rebounds. Nina German scored 12 points, and Pierce and Essence Wells scored 10 apiece.
     Traeli Calhoun scored 18 points and Kayla Barber 17 for Huston-Tillotson.
     XULA's traditional Thanksgiving tournament will not be played this season. Next for the Gold Nuggets will be a 2 p.m. visit Nov. 30 to William Carey in Hattiesburg, Miss.