NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana, playing for the first time in 21 days, shook off the rust in the second half to earn a 96-74 men's basketball victory Tuesday against Texas College.
     William Loyd scored 27 points and Rayshawn Mart 24 for XULA (12-4), which won for the eighth time in nine games. The Gold Rush are ranked 14th in NAIA Division I.
     Dominique Phlegm scored 18 points, all on 3-pointers, and had six assists for the Steers (7-8).
     XULA led 51-43 at halftime, then pulled away by outscoring Texas College 21-8 in the first eight minutes of the second half.
     "We looked like a totally different team in the second half," XULA head coach Alfred Williams said. "We started defending. We did a better job taking care of the small things, and we finished more plays in the second half."
     Joining Loyd and Mart in double figures were Makye Richard with 13 points, Nigel Allen with 12 and Virgil Davison with 10. Seldom-used Jerry Gibson grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in 14 1/2 minutes, and Ed Carter had five of XULA's 26 assists.
     Mart and Allen had three steals apiece, and Mart blocked three shots to match his career best.
     XULA made all 17 of its free-throw attempts — Loyd was 7-of-7, Mart 4-of-4 — after three days of practices which included wind sprints after missed free throws. "I didn't think we'd go 17-of-17," Williams said, "but after all the running we did in practice, our team appreciated the opportunity to make free throws in a game."
     XULA outshot the Steers 47.4 to 45.9 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 44-30. The Steers made 15 3-pointers, matching the most ever by a XULA opponent in a game. XULA was plus-8 in turnovers, committing 12 and gaining 20.
     XULA will open its Gulf Coast Athletic Conference schedule at 4 p.m. Saturday in Little Rock, Ark., against Philander Smith.