SWAC Announces Complete Basketball Tournament Bracket

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - The Southwestern Athletic Conference released its bracket and seeding for the 2014 Toyota SWAC Basketball Tournament with Southern and Texas Southern men and women teams earning the top seeds.

The 2014 Toyota SWAC Basketball Tournament will be played Tuesday through Saturday, March 11-15, at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. All tournament game times are central.

SU, the winners of the men and women regular season titles, claim the No. 1 seed in both brackets with TSU seeded at No. 2.

With a 71-66 win over Texas Southern on Saturday, the Lady Jaguars (19-7, 16-2) captured their six overall regular season championship including its third in five seasons. Both teams earn first round byes.



For the men, the Jaguars (19-12, 15-3) clinched its ninth regular season crown with a win over Alcorn State on March 2. Texas Southern and Alabama State finished 12-6, but as a result of splitting head-to-head match-ups, the Tigers enter the tournament at the No. 2 slot owning the largest margin of victory in the point difference.

Jackson State (14-14, 12-6) and Prairie View A&M (11-17, 11-7) enter the women's tournament as the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, respectively, with Alabama State (16-13, 9-9) and Mississippi Valley State (9-20, 8-10) rounding out the first-round byes as the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds.

The women will tip off at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, as No. 7 Grambling State (10-19, 7-11) takes on No. 10 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-25, 2-16), followed by No. 8 Alcorn State (8-21, 7-11) facing No. 9 Alabama A&M (5-23, 3-15) at 5:30 p.m. Despite finishing with the same conference mark, GSU earned the higher seed over ALCN due to point differential as both split the regular season meetings.

The slate for Wednesday posts No. 2 seed TSU matching up against the victor of GSU/UAPB at 10:30 a.m. No. 1 seed SU will play the winner of the ALCN/AAMU game at 5:30 p.m. Thursday's session tips off with No. 3 JSU facing No. 6 MVSU on March 13 at 10 a.m. as No. 4 PVAMU will meet ASU at 5:30 p.m.

The men's bracket includes No. 3 ASU (18-11, 12-6), No. 4 UAPB (13-7, 11-7), No. 5 AAMU (13-15, 10-8), and No. 6 ALCN (12-18, 9-9) earning byes and will begin tournament play in the quarterfinals.

For Tuesday, No. 7 JSU (11-19, 7-11) will face No. 10 GSU (4-23, 3-15) with tip-off slated for 12:30 p.m. No. 8 PVAMU (8-22, 6-12) takes on No. 9 MVSU (9-22, 5-13) in the second session at 8 p.m.

No. 2 TSU will meet the winner of JSU/GSU game to open Wednesday's session before No. 1 SU awaits the outcome of the PVAMU/MVSU match-up. Thursday's line up includes No. 3 ASU squaring off against No. 6 ALCN at 12:30 p.m. before No. 4 UAPB and No. 5 AAMU end the session with an 8 p.m. tip.

Friday's semifinals begins at 12 p.m. with the second session starting at 6 p.m. The Toyota SWAC Tournament finals will be played on Saturday, March 15, with the women opening the championship round at 12 p.m. The game will air live on ESPN3 with replay on ESPNU on March 16 at 12 a.m.The men's final is slated for 3:30 p.m. and will air live on ESPN2.

Nine different programs have won the men's tournament with seven garning the women's tourney. Southern holds eight titles on the men's side, including last year's crown, to lead all conference teams. Jackson State leads the women tournament champions with seven followed by GSU and ALCN with six apiece.

Complete tournament bracket and central, including game times and television information, can be found on swachoops.org.

COURTESY SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS

MEAC Tournament: Preview, CBSSports.com prediction, TV info

What: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship.
When: March 10-15.
Where: All games held at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia
Bracket: View tournament field here.
TV: Championship game on ESPNU (March 15, 6 p.m.).
Last year's champ: North Carolina A&T (19-16, No. 16 seed)

What matters: This is a league that would greatly benefit from getting its top seed into the field. North Carolina Central is far and away the best team the MEAC has this season. The Eagles went 25-5 overall, 15-1 in the league and in fact have won 17 in a row. It ranks 99th in KenPom and 111 in RPI, both strong numbers for a MEAC club. The team allows less than 60 points per game.


NCCU'S JEREMY INGRAM NO. 7 ON SPORTSCENTER TOP 10

Hampton is the No. 2 seed, having finished 18-11 overall, 13-3 in the MEAC.  Morgan State and Norfolk State are the three and four (11-5 in league play). The MEAC is like the big-conference tournaments in that it's day after day after day, as opposed to most smaller leagues, which either spread out their brackets or only have three days tops of consecutive play. This one starts Monday and ends Saturday.

CONTINUE READING

FAMU Rattlers sweep, clinch series at Savannah State

SAVANNAH, Georgia  -- Florida A&M scored three runs in the top of the seventh to erase a 2-0 deficit and earn a series-clinching 3-2 victory Saturday over defending MEAC champion Savannah State. In game one, freshman Chase Jarrell (1-1) earned his first collegiate win, tossing six innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts in a 10-7 win. 

Senior David Duncan (1-1) earned the win in game 2 with six solid innings, scattering six hits as the Rattlers improved to 5-10 on the season, 2-3 in conference play.

Courtesy: Florida A&M Sports Information
Brandon Fleming earned his first save of the season in
Florida A&M's 3-2 win over Savannah State on Saturday.

Florida A&M entered the final inning down 2-0 and was held to just one hit over the first six innings by Tigers' starter Austin Denny. But FAMU rallied for three runs in the final frame thanks to a lead-off double by Bennie Robinson and a walk to Ryan Kennedy. Pinch runner Peter Jackson stole second base, and Ryan Hutson added an RBI single to score Robinson and make the score 2-1.

One out later, catcher Jeremy Barlow put down an RBI-bunt single to score Jackson and tie the game 2-2. The Rattlers then took a 3-2 lead on an RBI single by second baseman Kendall Weeks.

Fleming, who finished game one with two scoreless innings, would come on to pitch a scoreless bottom of the seventh to earn his first save of the season and seal the series win. Freshman Matthew Schaeffer is slated to take the mound for the Rattlers in the series finale scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Twenty-Two LU Blue Tigers Earn All-Region Honors

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri  -- Twenty-two Lincoln athletes combined to earn 35 all-region awards, the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced on Wednesday (March 5). The top five individuals in each event, as well as the top three relay teams, in each region earn the annual honors. Lincoln's indoor track & field teams, which will combine to send 20 athletes to next week's NCAA Division II Championships, compete in the Central Region.

Donna-Lee Hylton led the way with four all-region honors, earning the distinction in the 200m and 400m as well as part of LU's 4x400m and distance medley relay teams. Tamara Keane, who is also on the 4x400m relay squad, was next with three awards, as she also picked up the honors in the 200m and 400m. Kimberly Bailey and Lovan Palmer were the other Blue Tigers who were honored for the 4x400m relay.

Yanique Ellington and Janae Johnson earned two all-region accolades apiece, both in the 60m and 200m, and Twishana Williams earned honors for both the mile and the distance medley relay. Monique Thompson and Shakeisha Miller were also multiple-award winners, with Thompson earning the distinction in both 800m and distance medley while Miller was honored in both the 60m hurdles and the long jump. Willomena Williams was the fourth and final honoree from the distance medley squad.

Six other members of the Lincoln women's indoor track & field team were named all-region, including Ladonna Richards and Juneille Barker, who were both honored in the 60m hurdles. Rounding out Lincoln's award-winners in the track events was Latoya King, who was recognized in the 60m dash. In the field events, Nickeisha Beaumont was honored in the long jump while both Daniele Newman and Jonelle Campbell were honorees in the triple jump.

Michael Ashley, Jermaine Blake and Romel Lewis led the Lincoln men's indoor track & field team with two all-region honors apiece. Ashley pick up his awards in both the 400m and 4x400m relay while Blake was recognized in the 800m and the 4x400m relay. Lewis, meanwhile was honored in the 60m and 200m.

Three other members of the Blue Tiger men's team were recognized, including Winston Edwards and Roger Blake, who both received their awards for competing in the 4x400m relay. The final Lincoln honoree was Romone Hill, who received his distinction in the 60m.

All of Lincoln's all-region award winners, except for King and Newman, will represent the Blue Tigers at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, which will be held in Winston-Salem, N.C. from March 14-15.

COURTESY LINCOLN UNIVERSITY BLUE TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION

Lady Pirates Again Top Seed in MEAC Tournament

2014 MEAC Tournament Women's Bracket

HAMPTON, Virginia  -- The Hampton University women's basketball team will be the No. 1 seed for the 2014 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament, which will be held Monday through Saturday at the Norfolk Scope.

It is the fourth straight top seed for the Lady Pirates (25-4, 16-0 MEAC), who have won 15 straight games and are looking for their fifth straight conference tournament crown – a feat never accomplished in the MEAC.

Hampton will play in Wednesday's quarterfinal round at 12 p.m., taking on either No. 8 Howard or No. 9 North Carolina Central. Those two teams will play a first-round match-up on Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Six teams have gone unbeaten in conference play in MEAC history, and the Lady Pirates have accomplished that feat in back-to-back years.

North Carolina A&T will be the No. 2 seed, with Coppin State claiming the No. 3 seed and the final first-round bye.

The semifinals will be held on Friday at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., and the championship game will be held on Saturday at 3 p.m. That game will be televised on ESPNU via tape-delay, and the broadcast will air on Sunday, March 16, at 11 a.m.

To learn more about the 2014 MEAC Tournament, visit www.meachoops.com.

For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.



2014 MEAC Tournament Men's Bracket

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Big Day For Sabrina Anguiano As B-CU Sweeps UMass-Lowell

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  -- Sabrina Anguiano had a game-winning hit and her first collegiate shutout as Bethune-Cookman swept UMass-Lowell Saturday at Sunnyland Park.

Anguiano's two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the seven scored Destinee Williams to give the Wildcats (8-14) the come-from-behind 2-1 win. In the second game, Anguiano scattered five hits and struck out four as the Wildcats posted a 3-0 decision.

Kelsey Rodney drove in two runs in the second game and three of the Wildcats' four runs for the day.

UMass-Lowell (1-8) kept B-CU hitless for four innings and took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth.

The Wildcats answered when Rodney broke the no-hitter by drilling a two-out single to right to score Destinee Williams to tie the game.

In the seventh, Williams and Calesha Shelley reached on error.  After two outs, a double steal advanced to Williams and Shelley to third, and the Riverhawks elected to pitch around Bailey Conner and intentionally walked her.

Anguiano made them pay with a single up the middle for the win.

Bailey Conner struck out a season-high nine to get the first game win. She walked five, but gave up four hits.

B-CU’s bats showed up early in the second, as back-to-back doubles from Shelley and Rodney gave the Wildcats a quick 1-0 lead.

The Wildcats added runs in the third when Williams scored on a Kaitlin Alamprese single and in the fifth when Williams scored her third run of the day, this time on a Rodney sacrifice fly.

Anguiano, now 3-6 on the season, only allowed one runner past second base, and got an infield pop-up double play to get out of that potential jam.

B-CU travels to Stetson Sunday morning to face Memphis at 10 a.m. and South Dakota at noon as part of the Stetson Invitational.

BOX SCORE GAME 1

BOX SCORE GAME 2



COURTESY BETHUNE-COOKMAN ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Stillman College Releases 2014 Football Schedule

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama  – The Stillman Department of Athletics releases its 2014 football schedule with a calendar that includes a tough CIAA opponent, three in-state non-conference adversaries and a tough SIAC slate.

"The 2014 season will be a tough, but competitive one for us," said head coach Teddy Keaton.  "From the beginning of the schedule to the end are teams that each present a different challenge.  However, I do believe that we will be up for each one."

The season begins with the start of a new in-state "classic" as Stillman hosts West Alabama in "Tiger Bowl 2014 on September 6.  The inaugural Tiger Bowl will mark the fourth time the two programs square off, with UWA currently holding a 3-0 series lead.  The following Thursday, Stillman travels to Birmingham to take on the Samford Bulldogs, 2013 co-champions of the Southern Conference.  The last time these two programs met was in 2011 when Samford downed Stillman 45-6 in Birmingham.

On September 20, Stillman welcomes St. Augustine's to Tuscaloosa looking to even the all-time series against the Falcons.  The month ends with the opening of SIAC play as Stillman and Kentucky State meet at Stillman Stadium on September 27.  Last season, Stillman left Frankfort with a 26-21 win over the Thorobreds and are currently riding a four-game series win streak against KSU.

"We are expecting the 2014 campaign to be special. With the good group of returning players along with a talented group of newcomers, we are hoping for good things to occur.  However, we are not going to overlook anyone on our schedule, nor will we take anyone lightly.  We are going to take each game one at a time, each play one at a time and look to be successful along the way," said Keaton.

The month of October features five games against SIAC Western Division foes.  On October 4, Stillman will travel to Jackson, Tennessee to take on Lane College and look to rebound from last season's 27-28 loss at the hands of the Dragons.  The following week, Stillman will again take to the road, this time a trip to Columbia, S.C. to face the Benedict Tigers.  Stillman has defeated Benedict the last three meetings and six of the last ten contests. 

 

On October 18, the Stillman campus will be alive as the Tigers welcome the Tuskegee Golden Tigers to Stillman Stadium. Following that contest, Stillman will take to the road for the third time in October as they travel to Wilberforce, Ohio for an October 25 game against Central State.  The Tigers defeated a tough CSU squad 35-33 in Tuscaloosa with several big plays in the final minutes of regulation. 

 

The month ends with the annual renewal of the rivalry between Stillman and Miles.  Stillman enters the game looking to avenge a one-point loss, 31-30, at the hands of the Bears in 2013.

"The SIAC portion of our schedule will be critical in 2014," said director of athletics Paul Bryant.  "Each game should be tough for the programs on the field and enjoyable for the fans in the stands."

November opens with Stillman hosting Clark Atlanta for Homecoming 2014.  Stillman defeated the Panthers 27-6 in 2013 and currently have a three-game win streak over the Atlanta-based institution.  The season comes to a close on Saturday, November 22 as Stillman will again travel to Montgomery, Ala. for the Turkey Day Classic against Alabama State.

"Playing Alabama State was a good experience for us last season; we look forward to the challenge as we participate in this year's Turkey Day Classic," said Bryant.

Last season, the Tigers finished 6-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
 

2014 Stillman Tigers Football Schedule
 

September	6	West Alabama	Tiger Bowl 2014	Stillman Stadium	3 p.m.
	11	at Samford		Birmingham, Ala.	TBA
	20	Saint Augustine's		Stillman Stadium	3 p.m.
	27	Kentucky State%		Stillman Stadium	3 p.m.
October	4	at Lane%		Jackson, Tenn.	2 p.m.
	11	at Benedict%		Columbia, S.C.	2 p.m. EST
	18	Tuskegee%		Stillman Stadium	1 p.m.
	25	at Central State%		Wilberforce, Ohio	1:30 p.m. EST
	30	at Miles College%		Fairfield, Ala.	6 p.m.
November	8	Clark Atlanta%	Homecoming 2014	Stillman Stadium	1:00 p.m.
	22	Alabama State	91st Turkey Day Classic	Montgomery, Ala.	TBA

BOLD: Home Games

% SIAC Game

 

COURTESY STILLMAN COLLEGE TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION