Monday, February 29, 2016

Nuggets, DU will lead off GCAC tourney at noon Friday

NEW ORLEANS — The women's basketball teams of Xavier University of Louisiana and city rival Dillard will lead off the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament with a noon game Friday at SUNO's facility, The Castle. The GCAC announced the schedule Sunday.
    
The Gold Nuggets (19-11) tied for second place in the regular-season standings at 7-5 but are seeded third. Dillard (9-16, 4-8) is seeded sixth.
    
The GCAC Tournament offers free admission at all games for students of GCAC schools with a valid school ID. All other tickets will cost $5. This is the third consecutive year that New Orleans plays host to the GCAC Tournament.
    
The visiting team won both XU-Dillard matchups this season. Dillard won 57-52 at Xavier Feb. 6, and Xavier won 63-57 Saturday at Dillard. Bo Browder, in his 17th season as coach of the Gold Nuggets, is 6-0 against Dillard in the GCAC Tournament. The most recent victory was 60-47 in the 2014 quarterfinals at Dillard.
    
All three Friday women's games will be played at SUNO's gym. Fourth-seeded Philander Smith will play the defending champion, fifth-seeded SUNO, at 2 p.m., and second-seeded Edward Waters will play seveth-seeded Tougaloo at 5 p.m.
    
All women's and men's tournament games Saturday and Sunday will be played at XU's Convocation Center. The Xavier-Dillard winner will meet the Edward Waters-Tougaloo winner at 5 p.m. Saturday in the semifinals. The championship game will start at 2 p.m. Sunday.
    
The tournament winner will earn an automatic berth to the NAIA Division I National Championship March 16-22 at Independence, Mo. SUNO defeated Xavier 55-47 in the 2015 GCAC tourney final at Xavier.
    
The Gold Nuggets qualified for nationals 18 of the past 21 seasons but did not in 2015.

GCAC Tournament website

Xavier


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold

www.facebook.com/xulagold 

No comments: