Thursday, December 1, 2016

Dwight Richard, Jr. sparks Central State Marauders in 81-72 road win over Claflin

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- The Central State Marauders opened up Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a 81-72 road win over Claflin on Tuesday night.

In a game that featured 11 lead changes, the Marauders leaned on an efficient shooting performance from beyond the arc through the first half. CSU opened the game hitting 6 of 10 shots from the three point line to build a 35-26 lead with 2:08 left before halftime. Claflin responded in final 120 seconds with a 8-0 run to cut the deficit down to one at the break.

Neither team gained much separation in the early stages of the second half. A Dymiere Finch layup at the 12;02 mark gave the Marauders a 53-52 lead and sparked a 12-2 run to push the SU lead up to 9 with 8:10 remaining. Finch added two free throws at the 3:50 mark to give the Marauders their largest lead of the night, 75-62. A good three pointer by Dwight Richard, Jr. sealed the deal with 1:05 left in the game and the Marauders cruised to a nine point victory.

As a team, CSU shot 45% from the field and an impressive 48% from three point range. CSU also had their best performance of the season at the free throw line making 73% of their attempts. Led by Richard, Jr., the Marauder reserves outscores the Claflin bench, 46-15.

Richard, Jr. was consistent throughout the game. The junior from Fort Wayne, Ind. made 8 of 10 shots from the field and finished with a game-high 25 points.

"I told Dwight that he is a big part of what we do as a team. He has really accepted his role coming off the bench and had been sensational for us so far this season," CSU head coach Joseph Price said. "As a team, our goal is to continue to improve on execution as we enter another tough SIAC contest against Benedict College on Thursday."

Senior Markese McGuire had his best game as a Marauder, scoring 18 points Frank Barber III scored all 9 of his points in the second half. Finch came off the bench to finish with 9 points and a game-high 5 assists to help Central State improve to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

Claflin was paced by Ryan McNeill-Moses' 20 points, 3 blocks and 6 rebounds. The Panthers fell to 2-3 on the year with a 0-1 mark in SIAC play.

Central State will attempt to win three games in a row when they travel to play Benedict on Thursday at 7:30 pm.

Fans can follow the game on the following links:

Live Stats - http://www.sidearmstats.com/benedict/mbball/
Video - https://boxcast.tv/view/benedict-vs-central-state-839408

CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Barton, Jordan lead K-State in SIAC opener

AUGUSTA, Georgia — Senior forward Julius Barton notched his first double-double of the season as Kentucky State University men’s basketball team claimed an 88-76 victory over Paine College at the HEAL Complex on Wednesday night.

“I would like to celebrate, but I’m already thinking about tomorrow when we head to Claflin,” KSU head coach Jamaal Jackson said.

The Thorobreds (2-3, 1-0) picked up their first SIAC win of the season and will look to add to the total with games at Claflin University tonight and at Benedict College Saturday.

KSU continued to set the pace as the top scoring offense in the SIAC, but it was the play of Barton leading the way for the Thorobreds in the victory. The West Memphis, Ark., native recorded a season-high 24 points and a season-high in rebounds with 14.

But, it was Barton’s highlight dunk that caught the attention of the fans.

CONTINUE READING

5 questions Jackson State faces this offseason



JACKSON, Mississippi -- Year 1 of the Tony Hughes era is in the books at Jackson State. The rebuilding process he set in motion at this time last year now faces a crucial off-season.

Will he be able to address the problems that led to the Tigers’ 3-8 finish? Will they be able to get over the hump and beat somebody other than Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Mississippi Valley State and Texas Southern?

A lot of that depends on whether or not Hughes and company can address these five burning questions:

The Tigers had 25 seniors on the roster, and they made up 14 of the 22 starters on both sides of the football. Each position group had one or two leaders – Markus Cook and Christian Marshall on the offensive line, Josh Bates for running backs and Javancy Jones for the defensive line, etc.

The coaches can only do so much from the sidelines, and with all those guys moving on, it falls on the eight juniors who started games in 2016 to be the team’s next leaders.

Quarterback Jarin Morikawa, receiver Jevon Floyd and offensive guard Vincent Hunter could all take leadership roles on offense, and defensive lineman Keontre Anderson can lead by example if he just recreates his remarkable 2016 season. The junior finished with a ridiculous 25.5 tackles for a loss and nine quarterback sacks.

CONTINUE READING

SWAC 2016 Football Championship Notes

TOYOTA SWAC FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Grambling State vs. Alcorn State
NRG Stadium | Houston, Texas| Dec. 3
TV: 3 PM CT/4 PM ET | ESPNU/WatchESPN

Alcorn State News and Notes:
- Alcorn State seeks to become just the second team to win three straight SWAC Champinship games. The only team to do it thus far? the 1999-2001 Grambling State Tigers.

- Quarterback Noah Johnson has accounted for 12 touchdowns in his past three games. This stretch was highlighted by an near record-breaking performance when he was responsible for eight total scores -- including seven passing scores -- in Alcorn State’s 61-7 win over Mississippi Valley on Nov. 12.

- Of the SWAC teams that have played in multiple SWAC Championship Games, Alcorn State is the only team that has yet to lose in the contest.

- Alcorn State’s rush attack comes into the game firing on all cylinders, as the Braves have rolled up at least 255 rushing yards or better in each of their last four contests. Alcorn was held to 168 total yards rushing -- its third-lowest output of the year -- during the regular-season meeting with Grambling.

- The Braves’ offense comes to play when the lights are on bright. Alcorn State has averaged 43.5 points per game in the SWAC Championship, which is by far the best such per-game outing in the game’s history. Last year’s performance was one for the record books, as Alcorn set new championship game records for points (49), rushing yards (411) and total offense (613).

- Alcorn State’s nine sacks surrendered ranks them among the top 10 nationally in pass protection. That will be tested by Grambling’s aggressive defense, which ranks fourth in the nation in sacks this season (32).

Grambling State News and Notes:

- Grambling State is the only team in the nation that holds the distinction of fielding a top-5 scoring offense (44.0 PPG; 4th) and top-5 scoring defense (16.4 PPG; 5th).

- Of all the players in FCS that have thrown 25 touchdown passes or more this season, quarterback Devante Kincade’s three interceptions is the least amount thrown by any signal-caller this season. However, two of his picks have come in the last three weeks of the season.

- Location, Location: While no team has made more trips to the big game than Grambling, much of the Tigers’ success in the championship has come against Alabama schools. Grambling is 5-0 in the title game against teams in Alabama, but just 1-2 against teams located in Mississippi, where Alcorn State is based.

- Grambling State gamebreaker Martez Carter appears to be peaking at the right time, as he has rushed for 100 yards or better in each of the Tigers’ last two games. ‘Mr. Excitement’ has averaged 12 yards per carry over that time, and has five total scores and three plays of 60 yards or more.

- Regular-season success isn’t always indicative of how the championship will go, as Grambling State can attest. In the last five seasons, the regular-season winner of the championship matchup is just 2-3 when the title is on the line.

- If Broderick Fobbs’ Tigers are able to down Alcorn State, he will join former GSU coach Rod Broadway as coaches who avenged losses in their first appearance in the title game by winning a rematch of the game in the following season.

SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS

Southern basketball legend Tommy Green to be inducted into SWAC Hall of Fame

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Tommy Green brought a certain type of flare to the Southern basketball program.

From the way he dressed with his high socks as a player and fine suits as a coach to the charismatic way he spoke to his infectious, mustached smile, he was a personality that defined his era on the Bluffs.

Green passed away in October of last year at the age of 59. But Thursday, Green’s flare will forever be enshrined in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Houston in conjunction with the conference’s football championship game this weekend.

Green, a member of the Southern University Hall of Fame’s class of 1991, is one of nine former athletes being inducted by the SWAC.

“He would’ve been so excited,” Green’s widow, Sabrina Green, said. “It would be very befitting of a man who loved the game. He devoted the majority of his life to the game of basketball. He played the game with the utmost respect and integrity, and he coached it the same way. Even until the day that he died he loved basketball. That’s just the way he was.”

CONTINUE READING

Win over UNCG is a good sign for UMES Hawks women's hoops

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland -- Tuesday night was another good sign for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s women’s basketball team.

The Hawks used a 13-0 run to retake the lead inside the Hytche Center in Princess Anne, closing out a 60-53 win over the University of North Carolina-Greensboro Spartans. The victory served as another signal that these Hawks are much better than they were a year ago.

“I do have a good feeling about this team,” said Fred Batchelor, Eastern Shore's head coach. “I think they’re just really strong and they want to win. This is a tough game, coming right off of Thanksgiving break. They have a strong will though. They don’t care about anything else but winning and that’s a mentality we have to continue to maintain.”

The Hawks weren’t all that bad last year. Batchelor’s side had a winning record in the MEAC, going 10-6, and they were 12-17 overall. But in their 2015-16 campaign, the Hawks lost to UMBC and UNCG, and they weren’t competitive whatsoever against the mighty Maryland Terrapins.

Five games in, the Hawks have righted those blunders.

This season, they’ve avenged two of those losses – beating UMBC on the road and topping UNCG at home – and they put up a better fight against the Terps.

CONTINUE READING

S.C. State Athlletics Director Resigns; Named AD at Grambling

PAUL BRYANT
Courtesy: S.C. State Athletics
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- South Carolina State University's Director of Athletics, Paul Bryant, announced today that he will resign from his position on Dec. 15, 2016.

"I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I have had at SC State University," Bryant said. "I want to thank the administration and athletic staff for their support and for believing in my vision to build a strong athletics program that is committed to the success of our student-athletes.

SC State President James Clark extends best wishes to Bryant, saying, "I thank Paul Bryant for his service to SC State University, and I wish his family continued success as he pursues this significant opportunity presented to him."

Bryant, who has led the SC State Athletics Department since August 2014, was named Director of Athletics at Grambling State University, effective Jan. 1, 2017. SC State's interim athletics director will be announced at a later date.

In Bryant's first two years at the helm at SC State, the athletics department made several positive strides. In less than 24 months, Bryant increased athletic donations by over 200 percent, enhanced season and single-game ticket sales and game attendance and improved alumni participation. Additionally, he created the Athletic Director's Honor Roll to which 132 student-athletes were named between 2014 and 2016.

Under Bryant in 2014-15, the SC State football team claimed a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship title and the men's tennis team represented the MEAC in the first round of the NCAA Division I Tennis Championship.

The following year, Bryant created the Kennel Club, a VIP tailgating membership club that provided SC State fans with a first-class tailgating experience. Other accomplishments of the 2015-16 season included winning the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Athletic Director's Association (ADA) Most Improved APR Award, winning the 2016 Men's and Women's MEAC Tennis Championships and having the men's basketball team finish as the runner-up in the 2016 MEAC Basketball Tournament. Bryant was also one of 15 recipients of the 2015-16 FCS ADA Stipend Award, which is granted to administrators from across the country to attend the annual NACDA and Affiliates Tournament.

Karen M. Carty, Director of Athletic Marketing
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS