image via Yamlak Tsega
Courtesy of XULA Athletics
63
DILLARD
64
Winner XULA
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DILLARD | 8 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 63 |
| XULA | 14 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 64 |
NAIA No. 21 Xavier University of Louisiana held on in the final two minutes Tuesday to earn a 64-63 women’s basketball victory against Dillard in the Crosstown Classic.
It was the final regular-season game for both teams. The Gold Nuggets are 26-2 — their winningest season since 2011-12 — and the Lady Bleu Devils are 18-7.
XULA was outscored in each of the last three quarters and got its final points with 2:12 remaining — a Patricia Sosa Lora basket after her offensive rebound — but allowed just one point in Dillard’s three possessions thereafter. Sosa Lora rebounded Skyler Christmas’ 6-foot right-side jumper as time expired.
Dillard had a chance to tie with 18 seconds remaining, but D’Mya Ferguson missed her second free throw after making the first.
Janiya Reed scored 14 points, Sosa Lora 13 and Campbell 10 for XULA, which defeated its longtime city rival for the eighth consecutive time. Sosa Lora grabbed eight rebounds, and Reed and Sierra Headquist had seven apiece.
Christmas had 20 points and six assists for the Lady Bleu Devils, whose six-game winning streak ended, and Cassidy Lowe had 16 points and seven rebounds.
Attendance at XULA’s Convocation Center was a season-high 1,278. Campbell, Headquist, Reed, Sosa Lora, Lauren Banks, Zaria Harleaux, Emmia Johnson and Kam Shelley were honored at halftime during a ceremony for seniors and fifth-year players.
XULA will compete Feb. 27 as the No. 1 or 2 seed in the quarterfinals of the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament at Rapides Parish Coliseum in Alexandria, La.
