No. 15 Loyola (26-5, 17-1 GCAC) is coming off a record setting night against William Carey Saturday in the GCAC Tournament Semifinals. Not only did the 96-71 win over the Lady Crusaders give the Wolfpack a program best 26th victory on the season, but Trenese Smith scored her 600th point on the year. Smith had 29 points in the game and now holds the Loyola single season scoring record with 619 points this season. Trenell Smith got her first career triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and ten assists. Kim Rigg put in 15 points and Christine Mainguy scored ten.
Trenese Smith is averaging 20 points per game which is eighth in the NAIA. She has also scored 207 field goals this season two shy of breaking the Loyola single season mark.
Trenell Smith has scored 558 points on the year, third on the single season scoring list behind Trenese’s 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. Trenell is inside the NAIA’s top 20 in four statistical categories; 11th in three point field goal percentage (43.9%), 12th in assists per game (4.8), 15th in points per game scoring (18.0) and 18th in overall field goal percentage (53.9%).
Kiely Schork rounds out the Wolfpack scoring leaders on the season with 10.5 points per game on 2.7 three-pointers per contest which is 11th in the NAIA.
The 24th-ranked Gold Nuggets (26-6, 14-4 GCAC) advanced to the finals by defeating Mobile 74-72 Saturday night at The Barn. Jarryn Cleaves led all scorers with 25 points while Erica Turnbull was the only other Gold Nugget with double-digit scoring at ten points.
Jarryn Cleaves and Erica Turnbull are averaging double-figure scoring for Xavier. Cleaves is averaging 13.7 points per game, while Turnbull scores 12.7 each time out.
The Wolfpack and Gold Nuggets will use the championship game as the rubber match in the season series as the two teams split with the home team winning both games. The Wolfpack took the game in The Den 71-51 on January 31st while the Gold Nuggets won 67-64 on February 28th at The Barn.
In the game at The Den, Trenell Smith scored a game high 18 points while Trenese Smith put in 16 points. Kiely Schork had 14 points and Christine Mainguy had one of her seven double-doubles on the year with 11 points and ten rebounds in the Wolfpack win. Erica Turnbull led the Gold Nuggets with 14 points while Johnna Williams had 11 points and 14 rebounds.
Trenese Smith scored a game high 26 points in The Barn while Trenell Smith added 16 points. Christine Mainguy had her second double-double against the Gold Nuggets with 14 points and 14 rebounds. LaTashia Wise and Erica Turnbull each scored a team high 11 points while Shayla Boyd added ten in the Nugget win.
The Wolfpack clinched one of the conference’s automatic berths to the NAIA National Championship Tournament for winning the GCAC’s regular season title. With Loyola appearing in the finals, Xavier will receive the other automatic bid to the NAIA Tournament. The Wolfpack have won 26 straight games against GCAC teams inside The Den with the last loss coming against William Carey 71-63 on January 14, 2006. Since Hurricane Katrina, the Wolfpack is 33-5 (86.8%) overall inside the friendly confines of The Den, including winning their last 11 at home.
The clash for the GCAC Tournament Championship between the 15th-ranked Wolfpack and 24th-ranked Gold Nuggets tips off at 7 p.m. Tuesday night at The Den.
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