NEW ORLEANS — Sophomore guard Anica Gacevic got the roll on a 3-pointer on the final possession Saturday to give Xavier University of Louisiana a 79-78 women's basketball victory against city rival Loyola at The Den.
     The Gold Nuggets (9-4) won their third straight. They'll play Mobile at 3 p.m. Tuesday at home at the Convocation Center in their final game before Christmas. Loyola, ranked 17th in NAIA Division I, is 7-2.
     Essence Wells passed to Gacevic on an inbounds play for the winning shot. Gacevic's shot hit the rim, bounced up, then fell through the basket to complete a XULA rally from a 14-point deficit. XULA outscored Loyola 31-23 in the fourth quarter after the Wolf Pack won each of the first three quarters.
     "Assistant coach Tarniesha Scott made a great suggestion during the timeout before the shot," XULA head coach Bo Browder said. "She told Anica to sprint to the corner. She was open when Loyola overplayed our other 3-point shooter, Shaelynn Moore.
     "Our first option was to get a backdoor lob for a 2, but Anica was open. Essence did a great job finding her in a hurry."
     Another sophomore, Da'Jha Virgil, scored a career 20 points for XULA. Kaila Anthony scored 26 for the Wolf Pack.
     Anthony's basket at 6:57 of the third quarter gave Loyola a 51-37 lead and capped a 12-0 run that included the first nine points of the second half. The Wolf Pack led 69-62 at 4:32 of the fourth quarter when Tay Cannon made 2-of-2 free throws, then XULA rallied to tie the score five times and take a pair of one-point leads — the last at 1:35 when Moore made 2-of-2 free throws — before Gacevic's buzzer beater.
     Moore scored 14 points, 10 in the fourth quarter, and Kyla Duncan 11 for XULA. Cannon and Paige Franckiewicz scored 13 apiece for Loyola; Franckiewicz made 3-of-3 3-pointers.
     Gacevic scored her other 3 of the game at 2:23 of the first quarter, then missed three treys in a row before her winning shot.
     The Gold Nuggets won at The Den for the first time in six years.