Gold Rush win final four matches to topple William Carey

ZACH TAYLOR
5'- 8"160, Senior
Hometown: Monroe, LA
St. Frederick (Ventura JC)

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana won the final four singles matches Saturday to defeat William Carey 5-4 in a matchup of ranked NAIA men's tennis teams at the University of New Orleans.



Sean Richardson finished the comeback with a 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4 decision against Robin Semal at No. 6 singles.

It was the fourth straight victory for the Gold Rush (4-1), ranked ninth, and the second in a row against a ranked opponent. William Carey (0-2) is ranked 13th.

William Carey's women, ranked 12th, defeated Xavier 9-0. It was the first match of the season for both teams against a non-NCAA Division I opponent. The Lady Crusaders are 1-4, and the Gold Nuggets are 0-7.

"The men's dual was a war," XU coach Alan Green said. "I don't recall ever being in one like that since I've been coaching where we were on the brink of defeat and had to pull out grueling win after win. All our singles wins went three sets."



STEFFEN GILES-OSBORN
6'-3" 186, Senior
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Westlake High School 

Viktor Svoboda and Steffen Giles-Osborn won in singles for Xavier after dropping their first sets. Svoboda beat Thomas Rizk, ranked 46th by the ITA among NAIA players, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 for the first XU singles point. Then Giles-Osborn beat Marthinius Visser 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to cut the Crusaders' lead to 4-3.

Zach Taylor beat 31st-ranked Ricky Keppeler (WCU) 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 to tie the dual.

"This is the type of match we need to become the team we want to be," Green said. "It was a total team victory."


Taylor was the only XU player to score in singles and doubles. Taylor and Loic Didavi, ranked third in the NAIA, beat Jody Claassen and Rizk 8-5 at No. 1 doubles after the Crusaders won the first two matches.

Kourtney Howell's No. 1 singles match again provided the most suspense in the women's dual. For the seventh time in as many duals this season, Howell went three sets. But the Lady Crusaders' Maja Vuzem, ranked 41st, prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-5).



Nicole DeLoach played her most competitive match of the spring semester in a 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) loss to Joyce Oliviera at No. 5 singles.

Xavier's women will travel to Baton Rouge, La., for a noon dual with Southern next Saturday, then both XU teams will play Shorter at 2 p.m. on March 5 at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center. Shorter's men are 10th in the NAIA, and the women are 15th.

WOMEN'S RESULTS

MEN'S RESULTS

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

TSU Claims Five Titles on Final Day of OVC Indoor

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Tennessee State finished fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday held at the Gentry Center.

The Tigerbelles accumulated 83 points finishing fourth behind Eastern Illinois (149.5), Eastern Kentucky (101) and Jacksonville State (86). The Flying Tigers compiled 87 points in 16 events.

TSU earned five more individual titles on Saturday. For the Tigerbelles, Gabrielle Todd ran 56.08 in the 400-meter dash to pick up the gold medal.

Todd was part of the first leg in the 4x400-meter relay champions. Other members of that squad included Kya Riley, Breanna Adams and Ashontae Jackson. The quartet ran the mile in 3:47.70.

Jackson, a freshman for TSU, completed fourth place finishes in the 55-meter dash (7.19) and 200-meter dash (25.09).

Senior Daniecce Ward captured the women's triple jump with a leap of 12.22-meters.

Memphis native Arthur Combest came charging to claim the 55-meter hurdles title in 7.50. In the triple jump, Avian Hughes used his final attempt to leap 14.46-meters to claim the OVC crown.

Michael Johnson placed third in the 200-meter dash, sprinting in 22.23 seconds. LeQuinn Davis earned a pair of fourth place finishes in the 55-meter (6.49) and 200-meter dash (22.26).

The Flying Tigers (Johnson, Lamonte Burton, Davis, Julian Mallory) grabbed second in the men's 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:18.91.

Tennessee State opens the 2012 outdoor season on Saturday, March 10 at the Florida A&M Relays.

Tigerbelles Saturday Final Results

55m Dash Finals

Ashontae Jackson (4) 7.19

200m Dash Finals

Ashontae Jackson (4) 25.09

400m Dash Finals

Gabrielle Todd (1) 56.08

800m Run Finals

Breanna Adams (6) 2:19.06

55m Hurdles

Brielle Moore (8) 11.15

4x400m Relays

Gabrielle Todd, Kya Riley, Breanna Adams, Ashontae Jackson (1) 3:47.70

Triple Jump

Daniecce Ward (1) 12.22m

Ja'Lyn Burr (4) 11.80m

Felicia Oladokun (6) 11.52m

Weight Throw
Brittani Logan (5) 15.02m
Cierra Joshua (8) 12.84m
Jasmine Merriweather (15) 11.49m
Kai Senaya (15) 10.16m

Flying Tigers Saturday Final Results

55m Dash Finals
LeQuinn Davis (4) 6.49

200m Dash Finals
Michael Johnson (3) 22.23
LeQuinn Davis (4) 22.26
Julian Mallory (5) 22.47

400m Dash Finals

Michael Johnson (4) 49.29

Lamonte Burton (5) 50.73

Osafa Hippolyte (6) 51.48

800m Run Finals
Jamill Jackson (6) 1:55.75

Mile Run

Adrian McDaniel (8) 4:47.96

Christopher Hobbs (9) 4:51.29

Desmond Trice (10) 4:58.84

55m Hurdles Finals

Arthur Combest (1) 7.50

Triple Jump

Avian Hughes (1) 14.46m

Markeith Price (8) 13.45m

Weight Throw

Alex Griffin (7) 12.11m

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

XU Gold Rush defeat Dillard 67-43, grab share of GCAC title

DENZELL ERVES
18 pts./9 rebs.

ANTHONY SIMMONS
16 pts./10 rebs.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball team answered Saturday when opportunity knocked.

The Gold Rush, which began the day one game behind Tougaloo in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, defeated longtime city rival Dillard 67-43 at Dent Hall to get a share of the GCAC's regular-season championship.

SUNO put Xavier in position to tie for the title when it beat Tougaloo 71-65 at The Castle earlier in the day.

Denzell Erves had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Gold Rush (22-7 overall, 11-3 GCAC), ranked 25th in NAIA Division I, and Anthony Simmons had 16 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.

It's Xavier's first conference title since a share of the GCAC regular season with Tougaloo in the 2006-07 season.

All eight teams will compete Thursday in the opening round of the GCAC Tournament at Jacksonville, Fla.

Chris Iles had 10 points, five assists and four steals for Xavier.

"I'm excited for our team," ninth-year XU coach Dannton Jackson said. "I'm excited for our senior going out with a conference title. We battled adversity all year, but we played well down the stretch and put ourselves in position to challenge for the championship."

Xavier finished the regular season with eight victories in nine games, including a 67-61 home victory againsy Tougaloo on which the Gold Rush rallied from 16 down in the second half.

There was no comeback at Dillard. Xavier scored the first nine points and 23-8 in the 12th minute after Simmons made 1-of-2 free throws. Xavier led 39-24 at halftime, and the final margin was the largest of the game.

Lance Theard had 12 points and six rebounds for Dillard (1-28, 1-13), which lost its 10th in a row.

Xavier outshot the Bleu Devils 53.1 to 31.9 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 40-24.

BOX SCORE

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Milestone Night for Howard Women's Basketball in Regular Season Finale

TAMORIA HOLMES
5'-6" GUARD, JUNIOR
Hometown: Durham, NC
Hillside High School

DOVER, Delaware – Tamoria Holmes join teammates Saadia Doyle and Zykia Brown in the elite 1,000th point club as Howard (22-7, 14-2 MEAC) defeated Delaware State 67-52 in its regular season finale. The victory gives the Lady Bison the most wins in a season since 1997-98 when they went 23-7.

For the game, Holmes finished with 23 points, three rebounds, and two steals in 40 minutes of action. She is tied for fifth place on the all-time steal list with 176 behind future MEAC Hall-of-Famer Alisha Hill.

Doyle collected her 13th double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 boards. The Atlanta, Georgia native is now second on the all-time scoring list with 1,603 points – Hill holds the record with 2,179. Cheyenne Curley-Payne chipped in with nine points, five assists, and pulled down five off the glass. The 5-5 junior is now third on the all-time assist list behind Felicia Oliver with 218.

HU, who was held to just a 30 percent shooting clip (18-of-60), went a season-best 26-for-29 (89.7 percent) from the charity stripe – including a 22-for-24 mark in the second half. The Lady Bison scored 23-points off second-chance opportunities, and recorded 28 points off 22 Hornet mishaps. HU also won the battle on the glass, 37-32.

India Bradford hit a huge three for Howard, to tie the score at 28-28 heading into the half. DSU opened up scoring in the second 20 with a quick layup by Tasia Bristow within the first minute of play. From there, the lead changed hands three times over an eight-minute span.

Ignited by a Holmes fast break layup, the Lady Bison went on an 8-0 run to give Howard a slim 37-44 cushion at the 9:53 mark. Two at the stripe by Bristow cut it to 44-39, but six-straight unanswered points by HU pushed the spread to 50-39 with 6:11 remaining in regulation.

Holmes' 1,000th point came from a trey at the 4:55 mark to give the Lady Bison a 55-43 advantage. The Hornets tried to climb their way back into the game, but could not break the double-digit deficit. DSU cut it to 62-52 by a pair at the line from Uchechi Ahaiwe with 59 seconds left, but HU ended regulation with a 5-0 run en-route to its 67-52 victory.

For Delaware State, Keyanna Tate and Briscow both tallied 13 points. Tierra Hawkins finished with 10 points, while Uchechi chipped in with six.

With tonight's win, Howard will finish second place in the MEAC behind Hampton, and will await the pairings for the upcoming MEAC tournament.

BOX SCORE

Jamilah Corbitt, Assistant Director of Sports Information

VISIT: HOWARD-BISON.COM

VISIT: HOWARD UNIVERSITY

TSU Tigers Defeat Northwestern Seed, Earn No. 2 Seed

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas  - The Tigers used a balanced attack and solid pitching on Saturday morning to pick up a second win at the University of Arkansas Tournament. TSU improved to 4-3 as they defeated Northwestern State 4-1.

Tennessee State lived by the same offensive recipe for the first four innings; leadoff singles, move the runner over, clutch base hit. Tedra Alford got things started in the first inning with a sharp single through the left side of the infield and scored three batters later when Devn Amar dropped a ball into left center, giving the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.

Ashley Haynes held the honors by opening the bottom of the second with a single. Three batters later it was Tayler Shimizu who stepped up with the clutch two-out hit to plate Haynes, making the score 2-1 after two innings of play.

In the third inning, it was Jennifer Givens who took the lead role with a single back to the pitcher. After a stolen base, Jordan Rehl drove a ball through the right side of the infield allowing Givens to cross home plate and extending the lead to 3-1.

Kelly Troglin notched her first hit of the season to open the fourth. Troglin was erased at second base as Alford reached on a fielders choice. After a swipe of second base by Alford, Givens ripped a ball into center that drove in Alford for a 4-1 Tennessee State advantage after four.

Shea Morris would make the score stick as she improved to 3-1 on the season. The freshman surrendered a solo home run to Samantha Roberts in the second that tied the score at 1-1 at the time. Roberts would add a single to first base in the seventh and those would be the only two hits (Shea) Morris would allow on the day.

The pitching product from Lawrenceburg, Tenn. scattered three walks along the way and struck out a career high eight batters.

TSU finished as the #2 seed after pool play and will take on Jackson State in the first semifinal of the day. Game time is set for 2:30 p.m.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

FAMU Lady Rattlers Drop Tough Battle To Hampton 46-43

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -  The highly-anticipated matchup between the two teams tied atop the MEAC, was all that it was billed to be as the final margin was just three points. The Hampton Lady Pirates (21-4, 13-1 MEAC) defeated the Lady Rattlers of FAMU (19-7, 12-2 MEAC), 46-43, here at the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium.

FAMU's Jasmine Grice led the Rattlers with 13 points. Antonia Bennett scored only eight points, while Qiana Donald and Jamie Foreman scored seven points each. Bennett would grab 12 rebounds for the Lady Rattlers.

Hampton's Kieara Avant was the game's leading scorer with 18 points. Jericka Jenkins scored nine for the Lady Pirates. Avant would also grab 17 rebounds for Hampton.

The nip-and-tuck game would have 12 ties and 11 lead changes. The largest lead the Lady Pirates would take would be eight points at 11:08 in the second half, while the Lady Rattlers had an 11 point lead in the game.

Coach LeDawn Gibson is confident she can refocus the Lady Rattlers for Monday's game against Norfolk and Thursday's season-concluding game against Morgan State.

"We've just got to go back to what we do best. I thought our team lost a close game while not playing our best. We came in knowing we had to stop Avant, but she hurt us on the boards. She ended up with 17 rebounds and that is one of the things that hurt us the most. We didn't have a great shooting night, but we're not going to make excuses. We've got two games that we've got to win in order to put ourselves in the position we want to be in going into the conference tournament," Gibson added.

FAMU guard Kimberly Sparkman felt the Lady Rattlers just didn't make the necessary adjustments. "It doesn't feel good at all. We have to come ready to play no matter what the other team tries to do," she said.

The Lady Rattlers shot 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) from the field in the first half. In the second 6-of-35 (17.1 percent), for a game total of 15-of-63 (23.8 percent). From the three-point line, the Lady Rattlers shot 2-of-8 in the first half (25 percent) and 1-of-12 (8.3 percent), for a game total of 3-of-20 (15 percent). The Lady Rattlers shot 10-of-15 from the three-point line for the game for a 66.7 percent average.

The Pirates shot 7-of-27 from the field in the first half (25.9 percent) and 9-of-29 (31 percent) in the second half, for a game total of 28.6 percent from the field. From three-point range, the Rattlers 1-of-7 (14.3 percent) in the first half and 1-of-5 (20 percent) in the second half. From the free throw line, the Lady Pirates were 12-of-17 for the game (70.6 percent).

The defining time of the game was the start of the second half. The Lady Rattlers took a 24-21 lead into the half and built up a 27-21 lead early in the second half. The Lady Rattlers would allow the Lady Pirates to take the lead at 16:44 in the second half on a Jericka Jenkins jumper. The Lady Rattlers retook the lead at 7:24 remaining in the game on a Grice three-pointer. Hampton would battle back to tie the game at the 6:18 mark. With 3:11 remaining in the game, the Rattlers would relinquish the lead for good as Avant sunk two free throws.

The Lady Rattlers will return to action on Monday as they face the Norfolk State Spartans at 7:30 p.m. in the Al Lawson Center.

COURTESY: FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
VISIT: FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
VISIT: FAMUATHLETICS.COM

Xavier Gold Nuggets beat Dillard, win GCAC title outright

NEW ORLEANS -- Jasmine Grant scored 16 points Saturday to lead NAIA No. 19 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 59-53 women's basketball victory against Dillard which gave the Gold Nuggets the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship.

Xavier (22-8 overall, 12-2 GCAC) won the title by a game over Talladega. The Gold Nuggets will play eighth-seeded Fisk on Thursday in the opening round of the conference tournament at Jacksonville, Fla.
Grant, a senior guard, scored eight points and made a pair of 3-pointers in each half. Her 3-pointer at 5:05 of the first half put Xavier ahead to stay, 21-18.

Xavier led 27-23 and had a pair of 12-point leads in the second half, the last 47-35 when SiMon Franklin made two free throws with 6:58 remaining. Dillard then rallied to within two points twice, but Grant and Paige Gauthier each made a pair of free throws in the final 15 seconds to clinch the victory.

Franklin scored 11 points for the Gold Nuggets, who closed the regular season with four consecutive victories, and Jazmoné Kelly had game-highs of eight rebounds and four steals.

Jazzmin Smith had 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals for Dillard (13-11, 9-5), and Ariel Mitchell scored 14.

Dillard shot 30.9 percent from the floor, and Xavier shot 30 percent. Xavier outscored the Lady Bleu Devils 12-0 from behind the arc and was better at the line, making 19-of-27 free throws to Dillard's 19-of-34.
Xavier snapped Dillard's four-game win streak and beat the Lady Bleu Devils for the seventh straight time. XU won 74-60 at The Barn on Jan. 28.

Dillard finished in a three-way tie with SUNO and Tougaloo in the GCAC standings at 9-5. Talladega finished second at 11-3 following its 84-61 home victory against Fisk, and SUNO won 90-83 at home against Tougaloo.

The regular-season championship is the sixth in 13 seasons for XU coach Bo Browder and the second in three years. Although the Gold Nuggets were 6-0 in the conference a year ago, the GCAC did not award a regular-season championship because the members did not play a double round-robin schedule. Xavier will head to Jacksonville as the two-time defending tournament champion and aim for a 16th bid in 18 seasons to the NAIA National Championship.

BOX SCORE

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS