NEW ORLEANS — Freshman guard Lance Williams made 7-of-9 3-pointers and scored 23 points Monday to lead NAIA No. 22 Xavier University of Louisiana in an 84-57 men's basketball victory against William Carey.
        The Gold Rush (7-1) have won six straight and completed a two-game regular-season sweep of the Crusaders (5-5). This is XULA's best eight-game start since the 2014-15 season, when the Rush also went 7-1.
        Williams made 5-of-6 3s in the first half to power XULA to a 37-23 halftime advantage. XULA scored its largest winning margin ever against William Carey, a longtime rival.
        Rayshawn Mart scored 15 points, Makye Richard 11 and TJ Jones 10 for XULA. Jones had six assists. Jalen King had eight points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, and Chris Ward had eight points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
        Williams is the second XULA freshman to make seven-or-more 3s in a game. The first was Percy Bland, who made a school-record eight at Louisiana College — now known as Louisiana Christian — during the 1988-89 season.
        Zarkeichious Martin scored 19 points, and Emile Kazeneza had 16 points and 14 rebounds for William Carey, which has lost four of its last six games.
        Alfred Williams — no relation to Lance — earned his 100th victory as XULA head coach. Williams is 100-55 (.645) in his sixth season. He is the sixth XULA coach — the fourth in a row — to reach 100 victories.
        XULA will break for semester exams, then travel to Honolulu for games Dec. 17-18 in the Hoops in Hawaii Holiday Classic.