Late Rally Pushes Xavier (La.) Gold Nuggets to GCAC Conference Championship

A late flurry of steals and layups pushed the Xavier University (La.) Gold Nuggets past LSU-Shreveport 56-51 to win its third Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women’s basketball championship in three years, and its 21st consecutive victory.

The Nuggets produced five steals in the next six LSUS possessions and scored after every steal to take a decisive 56-48 lead with 40 seconds remaining. Kelly’s steal at 4:04 — the Nuggets’ 500th of the season — led to SiMon Franklin’s basket at 3:45 to put Xavier ahead to stay, 47-46. “It was nothing I told them,” Browder said of his Nuggets. “They got after it late. They knew they’d have to step it up defensively to win the game. That’s how we’ve been winning all year.”

The brackets for the NAIA National Championship Tournament will be announced tomorrow afternoon live at CollegeFanz.com.

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