NEW ORLEANS, Louis-- The University of Mobile men's basketball team moved to 5-0 in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference action by knocking off #16 Xavier University 64-54 Thursday evening.

The Rams (10-5, 5-0), built up an 11-point lead at the half and led the whole way to take down the 13-4 Gold Rush.

In game-making opening period, the Rams out shot Xavier 50% to 38% from the field and hit 5-of-9 three-point buckets, thanks in large part to a 3-for-3 effort from deep by Derrell Moreaux.

In the second half, it looked like the home team was going to make a comeback, but some key baskets by the Rams kept the team afloat. Mobile nearly self-destructed with under 8 minutes to play, as back-to-back-to-back turnovers trimmed the Rams' lead to 3 at 49-46 with 6:55 remaining.

But, after teams traded buckets, Mobile responded. Robert Jones started the spurt with a 3-pointer and after a defensive stop, Moreaux sank a driving lay up to push the lead back to a comfortable 8 points, and the Rams held on.

The Rams continued their solid defensive effort in the second frame, holding the home team to 33% shooting from the field, and 0-for-8 from downtown.

Mobile was led by 16 points from Jones, 14 from Moreaux and 10 from Steve Pellan.

The victory sets up a first-place GCAC showdown this Saturday at 4:00 pm when undefeated LSU-Shreveport comes to Mobile to do battle. It was also be a chance for revenge, as the Pilots knocked the Rams out of the GCAC Tournament last year.