Simmons, Erves jump-start Rush for second-half victory  Ed Cassiere November 6, 2010

    NEW ORLEANS -- Sophomores Anthony Simmons and Denzell Erves combined for 27 second-half points Saturday to rally Xavier University of Louisiana to an 83-64 men's basketball victory over Carver College.

    The Gold Rush, 2-0 for the ninth consecutive season, earned its sixth consecutive regular-season victory and sixth straight victory at The Barn. Carver is 0-2.

    Simmons, who finished with career highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds, had consecutive 3-point plays during Xavier's 19-2 run to start the second half. Erves scored a career-best 14 points, all in the second half.

    Jeremy Lee added 12 points and Devin Andrew 10 for Xavier.

    Nicholas Hood scored 17 points, Demetrius Baldwin 16 and Bernard Parks 10 for the Cougars.

    Hood scored 15 points -- he was 4-of-4 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the line -- to lead Carver to a 34-26 halftime advantage. But Hood managed just two points after halftime, and the Rush outscored the Cougars 57-30 in the final 20 minutes. Erves' basket with 18:34 remaining gave Xavier its first lead, 35-34. The Rush maintained the lead thereafter and took its largest advantage, 69-48, on Simmons' 3-point play at 6:23.

    Xavier outshot the Cougars 46 to 33 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 47-35. The Rush shot 54 percent in the second half.

    Both teams' next game will start at 7 p.m. Friday. Xavier will play St. Thomas (Fla.) at The Barn, and Carver will visit West Alabama