Gold Rush roar back with defense, beat Dillard 72-59
February 26, 2011

Box score

     NEW ORLEANS — Chris Iles and Wanto Joseph scored 10 points apiece Saturday, and Xavier University of Louisiana turned a nine-point halftime deficit into a 72-59 men's basketball victory over Dillard in the second game of the Crosstown Classic.
     A capacity crowd of 1,300 at The Barn watched the Gold Rush (24-6, 4-2 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference), ranked 17th in NAIA Division I, climb out of a 38-29 halftime hole and outscore the Bleu Devils 26-7 in the final 8:42.
     Xavier limited Dillard (6-17, 1-6) to 25 percent from the floor — 1-of-12 on 3-pointers —l gained 11 turnovers and outscored the Bleu Devils 43-21 in the second half.
     Devin Andrew's basket with 6:20 remaining gave Xavier its first lead, 55-54, and put the Gold Rush ahead to stay.
     Kenyon Harper scored 20 points, Terry Church 12 and Jermille Fluker 11 for Dillard, and Cameron Hill grabbed 12 rebounds. Harper scored seven points in Dillard's 15-2 run to open the game. Lance Theard's 3-pointer with 17:25 remaining gave the Bleu Devils their biggest lead, 45-31.
     Xavier shot 51.9 percent from the floor in the second half and outshot Dillard 44.4 to 32.3 percent overall. Xavier had a 44-34 rebound advantage, and Andrew led the Rush with seven.
     Dillard finished the regular season with 13 consecutive losses. Xavier won for the 20th time in its last 21 games at The Barn. Both teams will compete next week in the GCAC Tournament at Jacksonville, Fla. Seedings and pairings will be announced by Monday.