Men's Basketball Improves to 5-0 With Win Over Xavier

NEW ORLEANS (Nov. 14, 2024) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) men's basketball team opened Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) play with a 76-71 win against Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA). The Saints jump to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the RRAC. The Gold Rush move to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in conference.  

Head Coach Marcus Thompson commented, "This was a tough road win in a tough environment! Xavier battled until the end and we knew they would be tough. They are a well coached group. It is a game of runs and we got sloppy for a stretch which cannot happen. I'm beyond proud of our group as we continue to handle adversity in tough moments. We definitely have things to continue to chip away at but our resiliency has been great to see."

History

The Saints were 0-5 against the Gold Rush prior to the game.

Basics

OLLU's defense limited the Gold Rush to only 25 points in the first half. The Saints scored 37 points with eight coming from Trey Law. Davonte Durst and Wahkil Lopez had five rebounds apiece off the bench. The Gold Nuggets shot 4-of-11 from the charity stripe while the Saints marked 46.9 percent from the field. The Saints also grabbed 24 rebounds while the Gold Rush had 17. The Saints took a 12-point lead into the break. 

The Gold Rush outscored the Saints in the second half, but OLLU was able to fend off a comeback. Xavier battled to lead by two points with 5:09 remaining. The Saints drew fouls and hit key free throws down the stretch to go up 71-67 with just over a minute left. Law made a jump shot with 21 seconds remaining as the Saints went up by five points, which was enough to eventually win 76-71. 

Offensive/defensive standouts

Law led the Saints with 19 points, followed by Lonzo Rand with 14. Breion Powell and Lopez had seven rebounds apiece. Rob Gil and Lopez led the Saints with three assists each. 

Xavier was led by Seviuhn Turner with 15 points. Corey Dunning led the squad with seven rebounds. James Weathers had four assists for the Gold Rush.

Inside the box

OLLU combined for 27-of-60 from the field for a percentage of 45. XULA shot 25-of-59 for a percentage of 42.4. OLLU added 44 rebounds to XULA's 30, while the Gold Rush committed 12 turnovers, and OLLU had 17.

Up next

The Saints take on Louisiana Christian University on Nov. 16 at 3 p.m. The game will be played at The Fort in Alexandria, La.