ALEXANDRIA, La. — Third-seeded Xavier University of Louisiana dominated the final 14:45 to rally for a 79-63 men’s basketball victory Sunday against top-seeded LSU-Shreveport in the championship game of the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament.
Tournament MVP Xavier Reaves produced his second straight double-double, 20 points and 10 rebounds. All-tournament TJ Jones scored 23 points and was 10-of-14 from the floor.
The Gold Rush (22-8) won a conference tournament for the third time in four years and earned an automatic bid to NAIA nationals. Opening rounds will be played March 7-8 at 16 sites.
XULA denied the Pilots — 24-7 and ranked 17th nationally — a fourth consecutive RRAC Tournament title. LSUS was 2-0 against XULA during the regular season.
Also on the 10-member all-tournament team was reserve guard Jathen Ross, who scored six points over the final two games but made a major impression with his XULA-record 10 made 3-pointers and career-high 30 points against Southwest (N.M.) in the quarterfinals.
Alfred Williams became the first XULA men’s basketball coach to win three tournaments at the conference or NAIA district level. Williams, in his seventh season leading the Gold Rush, broke a five-way tie with Giles Wright, Bob Hopkins, Denny Alexander, and Dale Valdery.
{Courtesy: Xavier Athletics}