An upset bid by the Xavier University of Louisiana Gold Nuggets in the opening round of the NAIA tournament fell just short, succumbing to a go-ahead three-pointer in the final seconds in an 88-87 loss to William Carey.
Despite some hot shooting in the first half, including a combined 21 points by Leon Williams and Wayne Randall-Bashay on 10-of-11 shooting from the field, XULA trailed for the entirety of the first half.
William Carey started the game on a 10-0 run and would lead by as many as 16 points, with the free throw disparity proving to be the deciding factor.
With both teams shooting an equal 57% from the field in the first half, William Carey’s 7-1 advantage at the free throw line allowed them to take a 47-40 lead into halftime.
In the second half, XULA got itself back in the game, eventually taking the lead thanks to a push from its bench, namely Seviuhn Turner.
After not seeing the floor for the entire first half, Turner played nearly the entire second half, giving the team a much-needed offensive boost with 17 points, with all three of his shots from the field coming from three-point range.
The Gold Nuggets began the second half on a 19-4 run, punctuated by a Turner three-pointer to take a 59-51 lead with 12:13 remaining.
William Carey would keep itself within striking distance, but XULA did not allow them to go on any significant run, taking an 85-76 lead with 2:21 left.
However, from that point on, the Gold Nuggets did not get another attempt at a field goal, missed three of their last five free throws, and committed three turnovers.
William Carey capitalized on XULA’s late-game blunders, getting the ball with a chance to win the game, trailing 87-85 with 38 seconds remaining.
After missing the initial shot to tie the game at the elbow, they grabbed the rebound, swinging the ball around to Troy Dunn, who hit a three to give his team the lead with 13 seconds left.
Xavier called a timeout after nearly turning the ball over again while pushing the ball up the floor, drawing up a good look at a potential game-winner, but could not connect.
Xavier University of Louisiana ends the season with a 20-11 overall record.
