Gold Rush rally past Privateers 75-69 for season sweep
February 1, 2012

Box score

     NEW ORLEANS — Senior point guard Chris Iles scored 15 points on a career-best five 3-pointers Wednesday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 75-69 men's basketball victory against the University of New Orleans at The Barn.
     The Gold Rush (17-6), ranked 25th in NAIA Division I, completed a two-game season sweep of the Privateers (13-11).
     Cordell Hadnot scored 13 points, Kevin Miller 12 and Denzell Erves 11 for Xavier. Brandon Canady scored a career-high 17 points for UNO, and Lovell Cook scored 16. Brandon Knight had nine assists, and Antonio Wertz grabbed nine rebounds for the Privateers.
     UNO led 32-30 at halftime. There were 10 second-half lead changes before Iles passed to Hadnot for a layup with 5:37 remaining, putting Xavier ahead to stay at 61-59. Erves added a 3-point play at 5:03, and Hadnot scored on a pass from Wanto Joseph to make it 66-59 and cap a 7-0 Gold Rush run.
     With Xavier leading 66-63, the Privateers' Max Banchy missed a 3-pointer, and the Gold Rush controlled the rebound. Xavier made 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute to clinch its 11th victory in 13 games and its seventh straight at home.
     Xavier outshot the Privateers 50 to 41.1 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 35-25. Erves grabbed seven rebounds and Anthony Simmons six for the Gold Rush.
     Xavier's next game will start at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and city rival SUNO. The Knights are 7-2 in the conference, a half-game behind leader Tougaloo (7-1) and a half-game ahead of Xavier (6-2).
     NOTES:  Xavier's other victory against UNO this season was 79-70 on Jan. 4 . . . Xavier has extended its school record of consecutive winning seasons to 12 . . . XU also is assured of its 21st consecutive season at .500 or better. The last losing season was in 1989-90 . . . UNO is an NCAA Division I independent which is transitioning to Division II.