Nuggets rally in final 6 minutes for 72-68 win vs. Dillard
February 5, 2011

Box score

     NEW ORLEANS — Christina Warren scored 20 points, including the go-ahead basket with 3:19 remaining, and NAIA No. 14 Xavier University of Louisiana rallied late for a 72-68 women's basketball victory against Dillard.
     The Gold Nuggets (21-4, 3-0 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) won their seventh in a row by erasing a four-point deficit in the final six minutes. It was Xavier's 21st consecutive GCAC regular-season victory.
     Dillard (10-13, 1-3) led 59-55 and had possession, but three consecutive XU steals led to three straight baskets and a 61-59 lead for the Gold Nuggets with 4:40 remaining. After Dillard's Ariel Mitchell made two free throws at 3:39 remaining to tie the score, Xavier took the lead for good at 63-61 on Warren's basket in the lane with 3:19 to play.
     Danielle Kennebrew made two free throws with four seconds remaining to ice the victory, Xavier's 12th in its last 13 meetings with its city and HBCU rival. Xavier leads the series 53-19.
     Warren, who had a career-best 25 points Wednesday against Belhaven, was Xavier's only double-figure scorer. Ariel Mitchell led Dillard with 21 points — the junior forward surpassed 1,000 career points — and Jazzmin Smith scored 17.
     Xavier scored nine consecutive points to build a 27-13 lead by the 16th minute, but Mitchell and Smith combined for seven points in the final 3:11 to cut Xavier's advantage to 31-27 by halftime.
     Warren's basket with 16:21 remaining extended the Nuggets' lead to 40-33, but Dillard rallied to take a 49-48 lead on Mitchell's 3-point play at 10:06. Mariah Demery's basket — her only points of the game — at 8:31 gave Dillard a 55-51 advantage and its first of two four-point leads.
     Xavier outshot the Lady Bleu Devils 42.6 to 36.1 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 39-36. Five Nuggets, led by Keldra Hall with three, combined for a season-high nine blocked shots.
     The teams will meet again Feb. 26 at Xavier.
     Xavier's next game will start at 6 p.m. Monday at William Carey.