Jan. 19, 2005

Xavier hosts Mobile in battle for conference supremacy

MOBILE, Ala. -- The University of Mobile men’s and women’s basketball teams will look to keep their undefeated conference records in tact as the two teams travel to New Orleans, La., for a showdown with always pesky Xavier University Thursday night in The Barn.

For the women’s team (14-3, 5-0) it will mean a showdown with the top two teams in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference as each team enters the match-up with undefeated conference records. Also at stake will be a chance for No. 16 Mobile to end Xavier’s 30-game home winning streak.

The Gold Nuggets (16-1, 5-0) enter the game ranked No. 8 in the NAIA Top 25 poll riding a 14-game winning streak. The Gold Nuggets only loss came back on Nov.8, 2004 against currently ranked No. 3 Houston Baptist University. The 14-game winning streak includes wins over NCAA Division I rivals Tulane University, University of New Orleans and Nicholls State University.

Mobile enters the game riding a six-game winning streak of their own, including their first five conference games.

On the year, junior, forward, Crystal Coston, leads the team with 19.9 points per game and 10.9 rebounds a contest. However, since conference play has begun, junior, Kinga Rybarczyk has led the team at 22 points per conference game with Coston right behind her averaging 20.4 points per conference game.

In men’s action, the University of Mobile (16-3, 5-0) brings a 10-game winning streak to The Barn when they face off against Xavier University tomorrow evening at 7:30 p.m. in New Orleans.

The seventh-ranked Rams are fresh off last Saturday’s 108-101 win over then No. 11-ranked LSU-Shreveport. Senior, Tramaine Perry, scored 40 points in leading the Rams to the triple digit victory.

Perry currently leads all Mobile scorer’s on the season averaging 16.5 points a game.

Xavier (12-6, 2-3) is coming off a 79-68 win over Spring Hill College at home on Saturday night and will be looking for their sixth win at home in their last seven tries.

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