Xavier wins 72-58 at Southern, moves to 12-0
Ed Cassiere 12/20/10

BATON ROUGE -- Senior guard Michael Harvey scored a season-high 20 points Monday to lead NAIA No. 9 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 72-58 men's basketball victory over Southern University.The Gold Rush are 12-0 for the first time since 1983-84 and the second time since World War II. Xavier scored its first regular-season victory against an NCAA Division I opponent since a 76-71 decision at Southern on Nov. 13, 2000.

Harvey scored 10 points in each half and matched his career high of four 3-pointers made.Anthony Simmons scored 14 points and Devin Andrew 10 for Xavier, which has a 16-game regular-season win streak, its longest since the 1981-82 season. Andrew, Simmons and Cordell Hadnot each grabbed seven rebounds, and Chris Iles had nine points, eight assists and three steals.Jameel Grace scored a season-high 15 points for Southern (1-9), which has lost seven in row. Julius Ingram scored 11 and Brandon White 10.

Xavier never trailed, led 12-2 after 4½ minutes and 32-20 at halftime. Blake Sanford's basket with 11:17 remaining cut XU's lead to 47-43, but the Gold Rush answered with six straight points -- including a Harvey basket, then a Harvey pass to Andrew for a 3-pointer -- to make it 53-43 with 7:32 remaining. The Jaguars never got closer than eight points thereafter.Xavier outshot the Jaguars 50 to 37.7 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 41-29. The Gold Rush made a season-high eight 3-pointers and shot a season-best 85.7 percent from the line, making 18-of-21 free throws.

The double-digit victory was Xavier's ninth of the season.Xavier will break for Christmas, then resume its schedule at 4 p.m. EST on Dec. 29 against Webber International in the Miami Gardens Classic at Miami Gardens, Fla. Southern will play host to Tulane at 7 p.m. Thursday.