NEW ORLEANS — Four from Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball — Lance Williams, Kaleb Huggins, Seviuhn Turner and Wayne Randall-Bashay — made a combined 27-of-29 free throws Saturday to help the Gold Rush defeat NCAA Division I Alcorn State 62-56.
        XULA played the game as an exhibition, so it will not count in the Gold Rush schedule and statistics. But the Braves — a 100-59 loser Monday at Utah and a 101-46 loser Wednesday at Utah State — counted it and dropped to 0-3.
        XULA will be 0-1 when it opens its Red River Athletic Conference schedule at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against Our Lady of the Lake at the Convocation Center.
        Williams made 11-of-12 free throws, Huggins 6-of-6 — all in the second half — Turner 6-of-7 and Randall-Bashay 4-of-4.
        Williams had 15 points and three steals, and Turner had 13 points, a game-high 11 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Jathen Ross scored eight points.
        Jalyk Gaines-Wyatt scored 14 points for Alcorn State, and New Orleanian Michael Pajeaud scored nine.
        Turner's dunk in the third minute put XULA ahead to stay. His basket in the 16th minute gave XULA its largest lead, 31-14.
        The head-coaching matchup featured two XULA alums: Alfred Williams of the Gold Rush and Landon Bussie of the Braves.
        Attendance was 2,264 in the second game of XULA's homecoming doubleheader. Grambling defeated XULA's women 69-55 in the opener. Leading the homecoming court were Miss Xavier, Youma Diabira, and Mr. Xavier, Chamberlain Newman.