Gold Nuggets, Gold Rush climb in the rankings
For immediate release . . . January 3, 2007

NEW ORLEANS — The men's and women's basketball teams at Xavier University of Louisiana gained support in the NAIA Division I rankings released Wednesday.

The Gold Nuggets (8-5), who defeated then-fourth-ranked Montana Western 45-44 Saturday in the South Padre Island Shootout at Los Fresnos, Texas, remained among the "also receiving votes" but received a season-best 19 points, ranking them 30th overall. The Gold Rush (7-3), which had season highs for points and winning margin in a 92-66 victory Sunday against Wiley at Shreveport, La., received nine points and ranks 35th overall.

In the last rankings before Christmas (Dec. 13), Xavier's women were 33rd with six points, and the men were tied for 40th with one point.

Two of the teams in this week's women's top 25 have lost to Xavier. In addition to Montana Western, which fell to seventh, 22nd-ranked Westmont lost 79-72 in overtime to Xavier in the season-opening Robert Morris Las Vegas Classic on Nov. 3. The Nuggets beat Westmont when the Warriors were unranked.

Who's No. 1? The Robert Morris Eagles of Chicago on the men's side and the Vanguard Lions of Costa Mesa, Calif., on the women's. Robert Morris (15-0) has been No. 1 in all four polls, and Vanguard (8-0) has been first in the last three polls after ranking second in the preseason.

Both Xavier teams will face ranked Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opponents at home in The Barn in the next few days. The women will play 20th-ranked Mobile at 5 p.m. Saturday, and the men will play fifth-ranked LSU-Shreveport at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Both games will be part of doubleheaders — the men will play Mobile at 7 p.m. Saturday, and the women will face LSUS at 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Xavier will open its GCAC schedule Thursday at Tougaloo. The women will play at 5:30 p.m., with the men to follow at 7:30.