NEW ORLEANS, LA – A late comeback effort from the Louisiana State University of Alexandria women's basketball team was stymied by Xavier University (La.) in a 69-58 loss.
 
"I thought we fought hard tonight," LSUA Head Coach Billy Perkins said. "But we just couldn't get it done."
 
Sydney Person recorded a team-high 19 points for the Generals (6-9, 5-5 RRAC), while McKAyla Price recorded 13, and Blair Smith added 10. Smith finished with a double-double, hauling in 14 rebounds.
 
Laila Sigure led the Gold Nuggets (7-7, 4-5 RRAC) with 18 points. Jala Williams' 14 points was the only other double-digit scoring effort for XULA.
 
The Gold Nuggets led the entire game and saw the score tied only twice, both times in the first four possessions of the game. Xavier went ahead by double digits in the final 30 seconds of the first quarter.
 
A 6-0 run midway through the second quarter cut the Generals' deficit to just four, 21-17, thanks to jumpers from Kelly Norris and Reese Stephens, as well as a pair of free throws from Person. Xavier once again reclaimed a double-digit lead in the final minute of the second quarter, 34-24.
 
LSUA cut the gap down to four again in the third quarter, out scoring XULA 10-5 in the first five minutes of the third. A run from the Gold Nuggets pushed their advantage to 15, 52-37, but LSUA scored the final four points of the quarter on jumpers from Person and Price.
 
An early flourish of scoring from Price, Stephens, Smith, and Courtlynn Rideau dropped Xavier's lead to single digits, 59=51. A jumper from Norris and a three from Person made it a one-possession game with just under five minutes to play. Less than a minute later, Person knocked down a pair of free throws to narrow the gap to just one, 59-58, with 4:07 left in regulation. The Gold Nuggets held the Generals off the board for the remainder of the game to secure the win.
 
LSUA takes on Southwest (N.M.) on Thursday, January 15) at 5:30 PM in The Fort.