NEW ORLEANS — Two weeks after it regained first place in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball standings, Xavier University of Louisiana won the regular-season championship outright Monday with a 66-57 victory against Philander Smith.
     The Gold Nuggets (23-6, 13-1) will be the No. 1 seed in the GCAC Tournament at Jacksonville, Fla., and play eighth-seeded SUNO in the opening round Friday. The GCAC will announce pairings, times and venues at noon Tuesday.
     XULA's dynamic duo of Jas Hill and Essence Wells led the way again, combining for 38 points and 19-of-23 free throws. Hill produced her first double-double of the season, 21 points and 10 rebounds. Wells scored 17 points, and her 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter put XULA ahead to stay at 48-45.
     XULA's 28 free throws and 37 attempts were season highs. The Gold Nuggets were two made free throws from tying their game record.
     It was still a one-possession game when Philander Smith's Ciara Pettis made 1-of-2 free throws to cut XULA's lead to 56-53 with 2:25 remaining. But the Gold Nuggets pulled away with a 10-2 run that included five Wells free throws.
     Terralyn Dominick had 16 points and six steals for the Lady Panthers (16-14, 7-7).
     XULA seniors Mikayla Bates (seven rebounds, three steals, one blocked shot) and Jayla Nichols (five points, four rebounds, no missed shots) were honored in a postgame ceremony.
     Had XULA lost to Philander Smith, Talladega (25-4, 11-2) could have grabbed a share of the regular-season championship with a Tuesday victory at Edward Waters. But the Gold Nuggets were stingy — and unbeatable at home, finishing the season 13-0 in the Convocation Center.