Coleman's late 3-pointer defeats Gold Rush, 61-58
January 14, 2010

Box score

     NEW ORLEANS — Marcus Coleman's 3-pointer near the top of the key with 2.3 seconds remaining Thursday gave Spring Hill a 61-58 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory over Xavier University of Louisiana.
     Coleman finished with 21 points — 19 in the second half — and Owen McNally added a career-high 20 for the Badgers (8-4 overall, 2-1 GCAC). Antonio Burch scored 12 and has reached double figures in all 11 of his games this season.
     Devin Andrew scored a season-high 19 points for Xavier (9-6, 0-3), and Michael Harvey, playing for the first time in three games, scored 18 and made a career-best four 3-pointers Harvey was 3-of-3 from behind the arc in the second half.
     Spring Hill trailed 32-19 at halftime but never trailed again after Coleman and Antonio Burch hit 3-pointers during a 16-0 run which gave the Badgers a 38-35 lead with 11:14 remaining. The Gold Rush tied the score three times thereafter, the last at 58 when Andrew made two free throws with 33 seconds to play.
     Coleman, the NAIA Division I leader in 3-pointers made and the Spring Hill career leader with 341, was 6-of-8 from behind the arc in the second half after going 0-of-4 in the opening period.
     Xavier committed a turnover on the inbounds pass after Coleman's winning shot and did not have sufficient time for a final shot after the Badgers' Tyler Schwab missed two free throws with 1.2 seconds remaining.
     The Rush outshot Spring Hill 43 to 37 percent from the floor — 48 to 23 percent in the first half — but committed 22 turnovers, eight more than the Badgers. Xavier made 13-of-14 free throws for a school-record 92.9 percent. The Rush broke the previous mark of 92.3 percent set twice.
     Spring Hill beat Xavier for the fifth consecutive time and the third straight year at The Barn. It was Xavier's fourth straight loss of the season.
     Xavier, tied for last place in the GCAC with HBCU and city rivals SUNO and Dillard, will play SUNO at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Castle. Spring Hill will remain in the city and play Dillard at 2 p.m.