FRANKFORT, Ky. – (Box Score) Xavier University (La.) closed Day 1 of the 34th annual NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Championships by doing something no team has ever done in tournament history, knocking out the defending champ in the first round.

The fifth-seeded Golden Nuggets led throughout the game and held off a second-half charge by fourth-seed Westmont (Calif.) to win 66-53 and advance to the second round, where Xavier will meet No. 1 seed Campbellsville (Ky.) on Friday at 2:15 p.m. EDT.

Whitney Gathright hit a 3 to give the Golden Nuggets a 3-2 lead and Xavier never looked back. Xavier (24-9) shot 46.2 percent in the first half and built a 42-21 halftime lead.

Westmont (20-10) evened the score, 8-8, but Xavier answered with a 7-0 run to build a three-possession lead, which it held until junior Esther Lee pulled the Warriors back within four, 22-18, with 7:38 left in the half. However, Xavier’s zone defense helped shutdown Westmont again, sparking an 11-0 run to take its first double-figure lead of the game. The Golden Nuggets continued to pull away, including a short jumper at the buzzer by Danielle Tucker to give Xavier its 21-point halftime lead.

The Warriors charged out of the locker room on an 11-0 run to pull back within 10 points, 42-32. Xavier didn’t find the basket until the 15:15 mark of the second half on a basket by Paige Gauthier.

Westmont continued to battle and looked to be making a run, as Kelsie Sampson hit a mid-range jumper with 11:33 to cut the margin to single digits, 47-38. However, a block by Vinnie Briggs one minute later ignited the Xavier bench. Briggs scored on the next possession to go back up by 11, and the Golden Nuggets began to respond again on offense. Xavier countered Westmont down the stretch, never letting the Warriors closer than nine.

Whitney Gaston-Loyd paced Xavier through the game with 15 points and six boards, while Briggs finished with 11 points and Danielle Tucker added 10.

Sampson scored her NAIA tournament career-high of 26 points to lead Westmont, one more than she scored in the 2013 championship win over Lee University. Lee, a returner from the 2013 All-Tournament team, finished with 16 points, while Lauren Sende led all players with 10 rebounds.

Xavier, the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference champion, will carry a seven-game win streak into its second round matchup against Campbellsville (31-3), which won the Mid-South Conference title and rides an eight-game win streak.