Unbeaten Owls rally late to defeat Gold Nuggets
December 18, 2010

Box score

     BABSON PARK, Fla. — Jestine Gerber and Sharron Andrews made 3-pointers in the final 66 seconds Saturday, fueling an 8-0 run which rallied William Woods to a 48-43 victory over Xavier University of Louisiana in a neutral-site matchup of ranked NAIA Division I teams.
     No. 13 William Woods (12-0) has won 62 of its last 68 games. No. 15 Xavier (12-3) lost for just the fourth time in its last 37 games.
     Xavier trailed the majority of the game but held its biggest lead, 43-40, with 1:20 remaining after Jazmoné Kelly's steal set up Brandi Young's basket. But the Gold Nuggets didn't score again.
     William Woods, 0-of-9 on 3-pointers through the first 38 minutes, finally found the mark when Gerber made a 3 to tie the score at 43 with 1:06 remaining. Rachel Baker blocked and rebounded Kelly's shot on the next XU possession, then Andrews — 1-of-13 on 3-pointers in the Owls' first 11 games — made her only attempt of the game from behind the arc to make it 46-43 with 21 seconds to play.
     Baker stole the ball from Young with 10 seconds remaining, and Andrews capped the comeback with two free throws with seven seconds to play.
     "We had our chances," Xavier Coach Bo Browder said. "We're up three late, and if we get one more stop they'll have to start fouling us. But we made some careless mistakes on defense and let them hit a couple of wide-open 3s.
     "We let this one get away. It's disappointing."
     Baker, a third-team NAIA All-American the last two seasons, led William Woods with 14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a career-high eight steals. Teammate Miranda Loesch scored 10 points.
     Christina Warren, Xavier's only double-figure scorer, had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists. Young and Keldra Hall scored seven points apiece, and Hall and Kelly each grabbed six rebounds.
     Xavier, 2-1 against ranked opponents this season, shot 24.5 percent from the floor, and William Woods shot 31.1 percent. Both were season lows. Xavier made 16-of-23 free throws, and William Woods made 18-of-24.
     "Hopefully we'll learn something from this game," Browder said. "We've got to keep working to get better."
     The Gold Nuggets will break for Christmas, then play six of their first seven January games at home. The next game will start at 6 p.m. Jan. 5 against Dallas Christian at The Barn.