NEW ORLEANS — Kae'ron Baker, the NAIA men's basketball scoring leader, and KJ Bilbo scored 18 points apiece in the second half Monday to lead Louisiana Christian to an 87-77 Red River Athletic Conference upset of Xavier University of Louisiana.
        The Wildcats (12-12 overall, 7-6 RRAC) won their third straight, all on the road, and snapped the season-best seven-game win streak of the Gold Rush (18-5, 9-4). That streak started with a 69-65 victory at LCU three weeks ago.
        Baker finished with 28 points — his 12th consecutive game with 20 or more — and raised his season average to 25.7 points per game. Bilbo, who entered averaging seven points per game, scored a season-high 25, including a game-high four 3-pointers.
        LCU never trailed in the final 34 minutes and took the lead for good at 60-58 when Malik Cooper made two free throws with 8:44 remaining. Five minutes later, a Baker basket gave the Wildcats a 76-66 lead, and the Gold Rush never got closer than six points thereafter.
        Baker, a 6-foot-2 fifth-year guard, also had five rebounds, eight assists and a game-high three steals. He made 10-of-12 free throws, all in the second half. Bilbo, a 6-4 senior forward, grabbed nine rebounds.
        Cooper finished with 14 points, and teammate Ferontay Banks had a game-high nine assists.
        Makye Richard scored 23 points for XULA, and Corey Dunning and Lance Williams scored 11 apiece. Dunning had nine rebounds and two blocks, and Williams had five assists and two blocks — but the two were a combined 2-of-9 on free throws.
        LCU outshot XULA 50 to 44.4 percent from the floor and was plus-7 in turnovers, committing 13 and gaining 20. The Wildcats became the first Convocation Center visitor in three years to reach 80 points and win by double digits.
        Next for XULA will be RRAC road games against Southwest Thursday in Hobbs, N.M., and Paul Quinn Saturday in Dallas.