Two good starts help Rush take sting out of Hornets
November 23, 2009

Box score

     NEW ORLEANS — Michael Harvey scored 19 points Monday, and Xavier University of Louisiana had double-digit runs to start both halves of a 69-54 men's basketball victory over Concordia (Ala.) at The Barn.
     The victory was the third in a row for the Gold Rush (6-1). Concordia (1-6) has dropped five straight.
     Devin Andrew added 15 points for Xavier, and freshmen Jeremy Mansel and DeRonn Scott scored 10 apiece.
     John Nixon, with 24 points, was Concordia's only double-figure scorer. He scored 17 first-half points to turn the Hornets' 11-0 deficit into a halftime tie at 30.
     But Xavier answered with a 15-0 run to start the second half — Harvey had 10 of the points, including a pair of 3-pointers — to take a 45-30 lead with 12:50 remaining. The Gold Rush kept its double-digit lead thereafter.
     Concordia twice held one-point leads in the first half — 28-27 after Nixon's 3-point play at 3:28 and 30-29 after Nixon's basket at 1:45. Andrew opened the second half with a 3-point play at 18:50 to put Xavier ahead to stay.
     Xavier outshot Concordia 52 to 31 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Hornets 43-28. Concordia entered the game averaging 75.3 points.
     Xavier is 6-1 or better for the ninth consecutive season and has won 21 of its past 24 at The Barn dating to February 2008.
     The Gold Rush will conclude an eight-game home stand with a 7 p.m. contest Dec. 4 against Philander Smith. Concordia will play host to Faulkner next Monday.