NEW ORLEANS – Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) produced five double-figure scorers Wednesday in a 91-44 women’s basketball victory against Southeastern Baptist at the Convocation Center.
It was the opener for both teams.
“We played with a lot of energy and a lot of intensity,” 22nd-year XULA head coach Bo Browder said. “We still have a lot of work to do, particularly on offense, but this is an exciting team to be around.”
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XULA’s top four scorers were newcomers. Victory Udechi scored 15, LaMonica Plater had 14, Rayna Ross scored 13 and Jelisa Smith had 12. XULA’s other double-figure scorer was two-year letterwinner Da’Jha Virgil with 10.
XULA led 29-11 after one quarter, 47-19 at halftime and 66-26 through three quarters. XULA outshot SBC 34.4 to 21.8 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Lady Chargers 68-43. XULA committed 12 turnovers and gained 32, 24 by steals.
In addition to her game-high point total, Udechi – a transfer from SUNO, which dropped intercollegiate athletics after the 2019-20 academic year – led everyone with nine rebounds. Plater grabbed eight rebounds, and reserve Lailaa Bashir – a two-time ITA NAIA national tennis doubles champion in her XULA basketball debut – grabbed seven.
Temeshia Gray scored 12 points for Southeaster Baptist, and Cardrina Nolen had nine.
“They work extra hard every day in practice,” Browder said of his team. “It’s a very coachable group of young ladies. I think we’re going to be a balanced team from a scoring standpoint, with multiple players who can score and contribute.”
XULA’s next game will start at 5:30 p.m. next Wednesday against Carver.