Gold Rush beat Spring Hill, clinch another winning season
January 17, 2011

Box score

     NEW ORLEANS — Junior forward Cordell Hadnot scored eight of his season-high 11 points in the second half Monday to help NAIA No. 12 Xavier University of Louisiana rally for a 64-58 men's basketball victory against Spring Hill.
     The victory was the third in a row for the Gold Rush (17-2). Xavier won its 15th straight at The Barn — the Gold Rush have Louisiana's longest current home win streak — and clinched a school-record-tying 11th consecutive winning season.
     Xavier trailed 29-26 at halftime and 33-28 in the 23rd minute before taking control with an 11-2 run in which Hadnot scored twice. Jeremy Lee's basket with 12:58 remaining put the Gold Rush ahead to stay at 41-40.
     Iles clinched the victory when he rebounded his missed shot, drew a foul and sank two free throws for a 63-58 lead with 28 seconds remaining.
     The Gold Rush shot 27.6 percent from the floor in the first half but 60.9 percent thereafter.
     Anthony Simmons added 10 points for Xavier, and Jamaan Kenner and Iles each made a pair of 3-pointers to finish with eight points apiece. Iles had nine assists. Hadnot grabbed seven rebounds and Denzell Erves six to lead the Gold Rush to a 34-26 advantage.
     Steve Edwards was 5-of-9 from 3-point range and led Spring Hill (6-8) with a career-high-tying 21 points. Alex Looney scored nine. Nick Brown, the Badgers' season scoring and rebounding leader, played only 15 minutes because of foul trouble and finished with eight points and one rebound.
     It's the first time since the 1940s that Xavier produced 11 consecutive winning seasons. The Gold Rush also clinched a 20th consecutive non-losing season, which includes .500 records in 1996-97 and 1998-99. The Gold Rush are 17-2 for the first time since 2003-04.
     Xavier and Spring Hill will meet again Feb. 7 at Spring Hill. The next Gold Rush game will start at 7 p.m. Saturday at The Barn against NAIA No. 21 Tougaloo in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opener for both teams.