NEW ORLEANS —
Senior guard
Jathen Ross had Tuesday what he called his best game of the season: 17 points,
six rebounds, seven steals and one block in 19 minutes off the bench
in Xavier University of Louisiana's 76-42 Red River Athletic Conference men's basketball victory
against Jarvis Christian.
Ross, not completely healed since a mid-December groin
injury, was a self-diagnosed 95-percent healthy this time. The XULA game record holder
with 10 made 3-pointers (Feb. 24, 2023), Ross was 5-of-6 from long range against the Bulldogs —
4-of-4 during a second half in which he scored 14 points in nine minutes.
"It felt more natural tonight," Ross said.
"I could run off screens and get open."
The Gold Rush (16-5 overall, 15-4 RRAC)
never trailed and used a 20-5 first-half run —
James Weathers scored nine points —
to lead 27-12 through 16 minutes. It was 34-18 at halftime
and 69-30 when Ross made his final 3 with 7:05 remaining.
"Jathen is getting well and getting hot at the
right time," XULA head coach Alfred Williams said.
Ross' steals were a career high and the most in a game by a Gold Rush player
in four years.
Seviuhn Turner had 17 points, six rebounds and three steals for XULA,
Lance Williams had 11
points and eight assists, and Weathers had 10 points, six rebounds and three steals.
Jamari Robertson, with 16 points, was the only
double-figure scorer for the Bulldogs (9-12, 9-9). XULA snapped Jarvis Christian's four-game winning streak.
XULA outshot the Bulldogs 48.4 to 24.5 percent from the floor —
the third time in the last five games that the Gold Rush limited an opponent to less than 30 percent —
and had a 41-36 rebound advantage.
The XULA men will play their final five
Red River games on the road. Their next one will tip off at 7:30 p.m. Thursday
against Texas A&M-Texarkana. Saturday will be an afternoon rematch at Jarvis. The final XULA home appearance of the regular season will be the Crosstown Classic
doubleheader Feb. 18 against Dillard at the Convocation Center.
