WSSU Rams dismiss Holloway from the team

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  -- Attrition is starting to take a toll on the Winston-Salem State men’s basketball team.

Coach Bobby Collins said Tuesday that center Victor Holloway, a 6-7 senior who was averaging 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds, has been kicked off the team for disciplinary reasons.

“We just decided it was in the best interest that he is no longer on our team,” Collins said before practice.

Holloway was averaging 15.6 minutes in eight games. He had his best game Nov. 9 in a 76-73 win against Concord at the Gaines Center, coming off the bench to score a career-high 17 points and grab 15 rebounds in 22 minutes.

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Terps basketball offers new hope for new year with 70-56 win over N.C. Central

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland — In Maryland’s final nonconference game, on the last day of the calendar year, coach Mark Turgeon seemed to coax from his team the sort of relentless defense that had often eluded it.

Maryland’s 70-56 victory Tuesday before an announced 9,554 at Comcast Center did not come against a name opponent. But North Carolina Central had a 10-point win over an Atlantic Coast Conference team to its credit and features a top-notch scorer in senior guard Jeremy Ingram, who entered averaging 24.6 points per game.

Ingram was held to 11 points on 4-for-19 shooting from the floor by the Terps (9-5). The Eagles (7-4) shot 32.7 percent overall.

Junior guard Nick Faust (City), who entered shooting 35 percent, led Maryland with 19 points, matching his career high. He gave a fist pump to the crowd after converting his third 3-pointer to push Maryland’s lead to 68-45.

CONTINUE READING 

Southern sets NCAA record in rout

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- Southern set an NCAA record by scoring the first 44 points of the game en route to a 116-12 blowout of Champion Baptist College on Monday.

The Jaguars (4-9) broke the all-divisions record that used to be held by Seton Hall, which scored the first 34 points against Kean College on Nov. 19, 1998. They did not set a record for margin of victory. Long Island University beat Medgar Evers 179-62 on Nov. 26, 1997.

Tre Lynch scored 27 points to lead Southern. Calvin Godfrey had 17 points and 15 rebounds, Trelun Banks had 21 points, Frank Snow had 10 rebounds, and Christopher Hyder had 10 assists.

Champion Baptist, which finished 3-for-44 (6.8 percent) from the field, did not get on the board until Kris Connor made two free throws with 5:10 left in the first half. The score was 57-6 at halftime.

The Tigers, located in Hot Springs, Ark., are an independent member of the Association of Christian Colleges.

CONTINUE READING

SCSU Bulldogs Win Season Sweep Over CCU

CONWAY, South Carolina — Senior's Theron Stephens and Matthew Hezekiah tossed in a game-high 15 points each as South Carolina State completed a season sweep knocking off Coastal Carolina, 68-58, Monday at The HTC Center.

The Bulldogs snapped their two year road winless streak with the win, when SC State knocked off Kennesaw State 104-98(11/26/11) on the road in two overtimes.

"It's a great win to come on the road and beat a well coach team like Coastal Carolina," said SC State head coach Murray Garvin. "This was our first road win since 2011 and it's great for our program and I am very proud of these young men."

Stephens, the 5-9 senior, in his first start was deadly from behind the arch connecting on 5-of-9 three-pointers, while Hezekiah added a team-high eight rebounds.

Freshman point guard Jalen White seemed to be the difference maker down the stretch finishing with 12 points, six rebounds, seven assist and three steals. White scored 10 of his 12 points with less than five minutes to play in the victory.

South Carolina State (4-8) jumped out to a 15-point lead at half. Coastal Carolina's Badou Diagne made a layup to pull the Chanticleers within one, 53-52 with 5:24 to play. White was fouled on the next possession, and hit one of two free throws to give South Carolina State a 54-52 lead. The Bulldogs sealed the deal closing out on a 14-6 run.

The Chanticleers (6-7)was led in scoring by Josh Cameron with 12 points and forward Badu Diagne with 10 points. Forward Michel Enanga grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds and tossed in nine points in the loss.

Garvin stated, "We (coaching staff) talked to the players about finishing 2013 how we want to start 2014 to able to compete strong during conference play."

SC State returns to action on Friday (Jan.3) against intrastate rival South Carolina in a 7 p.m. non-conference matchup at Colonial Life Arena.

COURTESY SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

DSU Hornets Falter Down Stretch in Loss to St. Francis Terriers

DOVER, Delaware -- Delaware State was outscored 13-5 in the last six-and-a-half minutes in a 60-57 loss to St. Francis Brooklyn in Memorial Hall today.

The Hornets led 52-47 after a lay-up by A.J. Thomas with 6:29 left to play. The Terriers answered with an 8-0 run, and pulled ahead 55-52 on a three-point basket by Brent Jones with 3:12 remaining.

Delaware State trailed 56-53 when Kendall Gray hit a short jumper to pull the Hornets to within one with 24 seconds to go.

Ben Mockford knocked down two free throws with 14 seconds left  to give the Terriers a 58-57 lead.

On the ensuing possession, Delaware State had a chance to tie the game with a three-point shot, but committed a turnover to give the ball back to St. Francis with 4.7 seconds remaining.

Jalen Cannon hit two free throws with four seconds on the clock to seal the win for the Terriers.

The score was 25-25 at halftime. The game was tied at 32 when St. Francis began to pull away. Mockford hit three three-point shots over the next five minutes to key the Terrier rally. His fourth three-pointer of the game gave St. Francis a 45-38 lead with 12:03 left to play.

Delaware State answered with a 12-0 run, and opened up a 50-45 lead on two free throws by Gray with 7:25 remaining in the game. Gray had six points and Albert Thomas four during the spurt.

The Terriers missed each of its four shots and committed two turnovers during the Delaware State rally.

Gray led the Hornets with 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. He has reached double figures in scoring and rebounds in each of the last two games. Gray has 24 rebounds in the last two contests to increase his team leading average to 6.3 per game.

Kendal Williams added 13 points and three assists, while Casey Walker had 12 points for DSU. Williams has scored in double figures in four straight and five of the last six games. He has climbed into a tie for second on the Hornets in scoring at 10.3 points per game.

The Hornets played without leading scorer Tyshawn Bell (10.6), who is out indefinitely with an ankle injury.

Cannon (9-9 FTs) was tied for game-high scoring honors with 17 points for St. Francis. He also led the Terriers with 12 rebounds.  Mockford came off the bench to also tally 17 points for the visitors. His performance was highlighted by five three-point field goals (5-9).

The Terriers were eight-for-30 from three-point territory, while Delaware State had one three-pointer on just seven attempts.

Delaware State was 21-for-50 from the field (42.0%), while St. Francis was 19-of-50 (38.0%). The Hornets were 14-of-22 at the free throw line (63.6%). The Terriers hit 14 of their 19 shots at the line (73.7%).

DSU had two more turnovers (13-to-11), while each team had 35 rebounds.

The Terriers won their fourth straight game to improve to 9-5. The Hornets dropped their fifth in a row to fall to 2-10.

Delaware State returns to action on Thursday (Jan. 2) at home against Gardner Webb. Game time is 7:00 p.m. in Memorial Hall.

DSU v SFC_stats_plays



COURTESY DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Hawaii Men's Basketball Battles Past Norfolk State

HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team used a strong second half to get past Norfolk State, 77-66, Monday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbows Warriors moved to 10-3—the program's best start since the 2004-05 season—with its eight win in its last nine contests.

The Rainbow Warriors looked out of sync early and trailed by one at the half,  but  came out firing on all cylinders after the break to win by double-digits. UH was led by the duo of Christian Standhardinger (29 points) and Garrett Nevels (21 points) who combined for 50 of the team's 77 points.

The Spartans (8-5) used its length and athleticism to control the pace in the first half and held a slim one-point lead, 28-27, at the break. NSU out-rebounded UH 18-13 in the first half and got eight second-chance points, while also holding the 'Bows without a field goal for a five-minute stretch.

UH, however, came out strong in the second half. The Rainbow Warriors went on a 16-6 run to start the half to take a lead it wouldn't relinquish. UH led by as many as 14 points pushing the ball in the open court, while forcing 13 Spartan turnovers in the second half. UH got 24 points off 19 NSU turnovers and exploded for 50 points after the break.

UH shot 57 percent and out-rebounded the Spartans 15-8 in the second half.

The Rainbow Warriors will wrap up their five-game homestand when they take on Omaha in their first game of the New Year on Friday, Jan. 3. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Box Score

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Detroit Mercy Titans Conclude Non-Conference with 73-53 Topping of Bethune-Cookman

DETROIT, Michigan -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team had five players score in double figures and led wire-to-wire en route to a 73-53 win over Bethune-Cookman Monday night at Calihan Hall.

The Wildcats trimmed UDM's lead to six, 44-38, with 13:05 left in regulation, before the Titans closed the game with a 29-15 run to record their third-straight non-conference win at home.

Detroit (7-8) was led by junior forward Juwan Howard Jr. with 15 points, while Carlton Brundidge and Evan Bruinsma added 11 apiece and Jarod Williams and Anton Wilson pitched in 10. Bruinsma also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to record his third double-double of the season.

Detroit opened the game with a 16-3 run over the first six minutes of action, with three-pointers from Williams, Howard and Wilson, before the Wildcats trimmed the lead to 24-15 with 4:42 left. Detroit then closed the half with a 12-5 run including a three-pointer from Grant to take a 36-20 lead into the locker room. Howard and Williams led Detroit with seven points apiece, while Brundidge and Wilson added five.

Detroit looked liked it would runaway early in the second half after scoring the first basket off a Brundidge layup, but the Wildcats answered back with an 18-6 run to trim the Titans lead to 44-38. But that would be as close as the score would get as Detroit responded with a 10-1 run, including a pair of monster jams from Patrick Onwenu and Jermaine Lippert, to extend its lead to 54-39 with 7:20 left. B-CU would cut the lead to 56-46 with six minutes left, before the Titans closed with a 17-7 run.

Detroit finished shooting 50 percent (24-of-48) overall, while holding Bethune-Cookman to just 27.7 percent (13-of-47). The Titans finished 7-of-20 from downtown, while the Wildcats finished 7-of-27 from beyond the arc. Detroit also forced 11 turnovers, with nine steals, while dishing out 14 assists.

Malik Jackson led Bethune-Cookman (2-14) with a game-high 18 points, while Maurice Taylor added seven points and six rebounds.

Detroit will tip-off Horizon League play on Saturday, Jan. 4 when it hosts Wright State at historic Calihan Hall. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. and will be televised live on WADL TV 38. The game can also be heard on 97.1 The Ticket's webstream with Dan Leach the voice of Titans Basketball.

GAME NOTES: Detroit leads the all-time series 3-0 … Juwan Howard Jr. has scored in double figures 14 times this season … Evan Bruinsma has recorded a team leading three double-doubles this season … Five Titans scored in double figures in the same game for the first time since Jan. 26, 2013 vs. Loyola … Detroit has improved to 5-2 at home this season.

Box Score



COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Gold Nuggets beat Mobile for 5th consecutive victory

NEW ORLEANS -- Whitney Gathright and Whitney Gaston-Loyd scored 13 points apiece Monday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 72-60 women's basketball victory against Mobile in the Xavier Classic.

LSU-Shreveport defeated Faulkner 75-65 in the opening game.

The Gold Nuggets (9-5) won their fifth in a row overall and extended their home winning streak to 10. All the victories during their home streak are by double digits.

Gaston-Loyd scored 10 points and Gathright seven to help Xavier take a 35-26 halftime lead. Mobile never got closer than five points in the second half.

Vinnie Briggs had 10 points and five rebounds for Xavier. Chelsea Broussard had seven points and a season-high eight rebounds, Emoni Harvey had a career-best five steals, and Alesha Smith scored a career-high seven points.

Deonica McCormick scored 20 points and Jakela Johnson 12 for Mobile (7-3). McCormick scored 15 in the second half, 11 in the first four minutes. Johnson and Kierra Anderson grabbed eight rebounds apiece.

Xavier outshot the Lady Rams 42.2 to 38.6 percent from the floor, committed 18 turnovers and gained 25. Xavier made 5-of-12 3-pointers -- Gathright made two -- and Mobile made 1-of-6.

Gathright scored in double figures for a team-leading 10th time this season. Tucker grabbed three rebounds to reach 500 for her college career.

Xavier avenged a 64-59 loss at Mobile from Nov. 11.

The two-day event will conclude Tuesday. Mobile will play LSU-Shreveport at 3 p.m., and Xavier will play Faulkner at 5 p.m.

 

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

XULAATHLETICS

XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 

TONIGHT: FAMU Rattler Pride Video Special On New Year's Eve

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  FAMU Athletics  will broadcast a special live on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m called “Rattler Pride”.  The special is a recap of the year so far and a look forward to the Spring semester. 

The special will be highlighted by a very special one-on-one interview with former FAMU football player Maurice Freeman, coach of the Brooks County Trojans.  Freeman’s story is about how the coach instantly became one of the most important people in the county, and how the county came together on one accord after a tragedy.

The one hour show will be broadcasted in full 1080p HD.  The piece will include an interview with interim athletic director Michael Smith about some welcome changes coming to FAMU Athletics.   He will also make a few important announcements about FAMU Athletics during his piece.  In addition we will have interviews from throughout the year including Darlene Moore and Wayne Angel, coaches of the MEAC champion cross country teams.

The show will be broadcast live on Rattler Vision free of charge.  We will also have some pieces from around campus.

One of the highlights of the hour special will be a look around the Florida Classic.  Our interns went around to capture all the tailgating and fun surrounding the family and school reunion, known as the Florida Blue Florida Classic.  There will also be pieces from homecoming 2013.

While the pieces will all be pre-produced, your interaction via social media during the show will be live.  We will air posts from our Facebook and Twitter pages, live on the show.  So, it’s your chance to watch the show and get in the action.

We want every Rattler fan to tune in for this special so you can laugh, cry, be thankful and filled with Rattler Pride.   Check it out at http://www.famuathletics.com.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

DE Javancy Jones leaving Jackson State

JACKSON, Mississippi  --  Jackson State’s Javancy Jones is transferring to Southwest Mississippi Community College.

Jones was named SWAC Freshman of the Year, finishing with 54 tackles, 14 TFL and 5 sacks. The defensive end initially planned on transferring since joining the program but had second thoughts as the season progressed. But the firing of Rick Comegy as head coach and the football coaching staff made his decision to leave a no brainer, Jones said.

“I enjoyed my time at Jackson State,” Jones said. “I’m not taking anything about from Jackson State. The coaching staff treated me like a son. I felt like I meant something to them.”

The Macon (MS) native chose JSU over Duke to be closer to home for personal reasons.



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Brown Women's Basketball Edged by Alabama State in Overtime, 82-81

Georgia Tech Holiday Tournament at Atlanta, Georgia

ATLANTA, Georgia  -- Lauren Clarke's buzzer-beater sent the game to overtime, but it wasn't enough as Brown suffered an 82-81 loss to Alabama State on Monday at McCamish Pavilion.

 

Brown falls to 5-6 while the Hornets improve to 7-4 with the overtime victory on Monday.

 

Sophie Bikofsky (Newton, Mass.), Carly Wellington (Lake Oswego, Ore.), Lauren Clarke (Colts Neck, N.J.), Jordin Alexander (Fishers, Ind.), and Rebecca Musgrove (Plainview, N.Y.) all scored in double figures for Brown on Monday.  Wellington's 16 points were a career-high while Alexander shot 70.6 percent from the field (12-of-17) over the two games at Georgia Tech.

Musgrove added seven assists for the Bears - tying her season-high in helpers.  The freshman guard also notched seven assists against Rhode Island on December 4.

 

Clarke tossed in 17 points and grabbed a team-best seven rebounds while connecting on 4-of-7 attempts from long distance.

 

Brown jumped out to an early 9-4 lead at the first media timeout, paced by Clarke's five points and the team's three steals in the opening four minutes of play.

 

Continuing their success of creating turnovers, Alexander picked off an errant pass and scored to give the Bears their largest lead at 18-10 at the 11:27 mark. Brown finished with 11 steals overall, the fifth time they tallied double-digits in thefts this season.

 

After the Hornets battled back to grab a one-point lead, treys from KJ Veldman (Spirit Lake, Iowa) and Bikofsky gave the Bears a five-point cushion with just under four to play in the half.

 

The 15-2 run late in the half on the strength of Bikofsky's put back at the 1:25 mark gave the Bears their largest lead of the game at 12.  Alabama State closed the gap with a 6-0 run in the final minute to draw within six points at the half.

 

Alexander found senior Carly Wellington (Lake Oswego, Ore.) on a nice backdoor feed to put the Bears up by five again with under 14 minutes to play.

 

A 6-0 run, capped by Danielle Ewert's free throws gave Alabama State its first lead since the halfway through the opening half at 53-52 with just over 10 minutes to play.

 

Facing its biggest deficit of the day at five, the Bears got a crucial trey from Bikofsky to make it a two-point game with eight minutes to play.  Alexander's back-to-back layups gave Brown the lead once again just a few moments later at 59-57.

 

The Hornets battled back, taking a 73-69 into the final minute before Clarke's trey cut the deficit to one with 30 seconds left. The Bears had the ball, trailing by two as Bikofsky's three was short, but Clarke grabbed the rebound and laid it in at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.

 

The teams battled in the extra frame as Alabama State clung to an 82-81 lead with just seconds to play.  Wellington's bid from long range with the clocking running down rimmed out, the Bears grabbed the offensive rebound but weren't able to get another shot off before time expired.

 

Monday marked the first overtime loss for the Bears since falling 71-69 to Rhode Island on December 8, 2010.

 

Brown will return to the friendly confines of the Pizzitola Sports Center on Friday to battle New Hampshire at 7 p.m.

COURTESY BROWN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Second Half Surge Leads Georgia Tech Past Hampton

ATLANTA, Georgia  --  The Georgia Tech women's basketball team (10-3) used a strong second half to defeat Hampton University (10-4), 89-70, and win the Georgia Tech Holiday Tournament.

Senior Tyaunna Marshall led the Yellow Jacket's scoring effort, recording 22 points against the Pirates. Marshall also dished out four assists and recorded three steals on her way to being named the MVP of the tournament. The senior was also named the MVP of the LIU Turkey Classic earlier this season. Marshall averaged 19 points and eight rebounds over the past two days.

Both Kaela Davis and Sydney Wallace were named to the Georgia Tech Holiday Tournament All-Tournament Team. Davis scored 19 points against the Pirates and recorded three steals. In the win against Alabama State, the freshman led the Yellow Jackets with 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Wallace scored 11 points against Hampton and recorded 10 against Alabama State.

Not only did Marshall's 22 points lead the Jackets, but they moved the Upper Marlboro, Md. native into third place on the Jackets' all-time scoring list with 1,726 career points. Marshall is now just 230 points from breaking Kisha Ford's all-time record of 1,955 points.

With the win against the Hornets, Tech finished the non-conference season with a 10-3 record and went 7-0 at home. Georgia Tech averaged 92 points per game during home nonconference games this season.

The first half was close between the two non-conference opponents, as the two teams headed into the locker room at halftime tied 36-36. Following the 15 minute break, the Jackets came alive in the second half, outscoring Hampton, 53-34, on their way to their second-straight victory.

The Yellow Jackets began to pull away at the 11:44 minute mark thanks to an 8-0 that lasted 1:31 and put them ahead by eight, 60-52. Davis contributed four points during the run and assisted on Katarina Vuckovic's fast break layup at 10:02.

Vuckovic would then join forces with Aaliyah Whiteside to put together a 13-0 run. Whiteside would score eight points during the run while Vuckovic contributed five to put Tech 16 points ahead of the Pirates, 73-56, with 6:51 on the clock.

Whiteside scored 13 points overall against the Pirates and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds.

The Jackets would maintain their lead for the remainder of the game and they took their largest lead of the contest, 21 points, with 1:04 remaining after Marshall hit a jump shot to put Tech up, 89-68.

From the start of the game, the Jackets had to battle back from being down to Hampton. The Pirates jumped to an early 10-4 lead but Marshall and Wallace led the Jackets to tie it, 14-14. Marshall and Wallace combined to score the Jackets' first 11 points of the game, with Marshall scoring seven of the 11.

Back-to-back layups from Nariah Taylor pulled the jackets within two of the Pirates 20-18 lead at 9:32.

Hampton made five three pointers in the first 11 minutes of the game on its way to a 25-20 lead.

A Tech scoring surge at the end of the half would tie up the game, 36-36. The Jackets utilized a 7-0 run to tie it up the game that began after Marshall hustled for a steal at midcourt. She then found Whiteside who made her layup while being fouled. Whiteside sank the foul shot to complete the 3-point play and the game was tied at 34-34.

Hampton's Kenia Cole would hit two free throws on court to give the Pirates a 36-34 lead.

Whiteside would tie it up again, hitting both shots of her one-and-one, tying up the game heading into halftime, 36-36.

Davis would give the Jackets its first lead of the game 20 seconds into the second half, after sinking two free throws to make it 38-36 in favor of Tech.

Davis would break a tie again, this time at 43-43, scoring two-straight baskets to put Tech ahead, 47-43 with 11:43 left. The Jackets began their game-changing run shortly thereafter.

Hampton was led by Malia Tate-Defreitas who scored 27 points against the Jackets. Alyssa Bennett had a double-double for the Pirates, recording 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Yellow Jackets open up conference play on January 5 at 2 p.m. when they host Duke at McCamish Pavilion. For an inside look at the program, follow Georgia Tech women's basketball on Twitter, @GTWBB, Instagram, GTWBB, and like the Yellow Jackets on Facebook, GTWomensBasketball.

Final Stats




Georgia Tech Holiday Tournament All-Tournament Team
Quentori Alford (Alabama State)
Malia Tate-Defreitas (Hampton)
Kenia Cole (Hampton)
Kaela Davis (Georgia Tech)
Sydney Wallace (Georgia Tech)
MVP: Tyaunna Marshall (Georgia Tech)

COURTESY GEORGIA TECH ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Ram Ramblings: Coaching search continues for Maynor's replacement

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  -- I didn’t bother calling Bill Hayes, who is WSSU’s very busy athletics director, today to get an update on the coaching search.

One reason I didn’t call is he’s going to be busy going through eight phone interviews with the candidates to replace Connell Maynor.

Now that I’m back from vacation there will be plenty of basketball to cover but there’s also the coaching search to keep me busy.

 

Hayes has kept me updated through e-mails but he’s been in this business long enough - and I’ve been doing this long enough - to know he’s not going to give me names.

 

When Maynor announced his decision to leave for Hampton a few days before Christmas, Hayes knew he would be ...

 

CONTINUE READING

Alabama A&M hires James Spady to Lead Football Program

JAMES SPADY
HEAD FOOTBALL COACH
AAMU BULLDOGS
(Courtesy AAMU Athletics)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Director of Athletics, Bryan Hicks, announced the hiring of Nevada assistant coach, James Michael Spady as the next Head Football Coach at Alabama A&M University.

He is in his fourth year as the Tight Ends and Co-Offensive Line coach with the Wolf Pack staff.  Spady was the Offensive Coordinator at Grambling from 2007-2009.  He also had coaching stops at North Carolina Central and South Carolina State.  He began his coaching career in 1995 at his alma mater (UTEP) where he started at center for the Miners from 1985-1988.

He also completed two NFL Minority Coaches Internships with the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles.  In 2008, the NCAA selected Spady to participate in the highly regarded Expert Football Coaches Academy, a program focused on assisting qualified, minority, assistant coaches with the skills and tools they need for career advancement.

"I am excited that Coach Spady has accepted our offer to join the Bulldog Family"! said Hicks.  "He represents another giant step on our journey toward excellence in athletics.  Many thanks to President Hugine, Dr. Kevin Rolle and the Board of Trustees for their continued support."

Brian Polian, Head Football Coach at Nevada had this to say about Spady, "Congratulations to James Spady and his family on this wonderful opportunity to lead the Alabama A&M football program.  James is a terrific football mind, teacher, and an exceptional recruiter who will no doubt raise the standard of Bulldog football.  I know that he will have a positive effect on every student-athlete he encounters and in the community as well.  We wish James and Barb nothing but the best as they begin this new journey."

A press conference to introduce Coach Spady will be held on Friday, January 3^rd at 11:00 am in T.M. Elmore Gymnasium.

COURTESY ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELEASE

Detroit Titans Host Bethune-Cookman Tonight at Historic Calihan Hall

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

DETROIT, Michigan – The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will continue its holiday home stand when it hosts Bethune-Cookman on Monday, Dec. 30. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and will be televised live on Comcast 900. The Titans women's team is also scheduled to play Madonna at 5:00 p.m. on Dick Vitale Court before the men's game against the Wildcats.

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Titan fans can follow every UDM game this season through men's basketball GAMEDAY CENTRAL page located on the Titans Athletic Website that will keep fans one click away from all the action. This page will feature links for live stats (audio and video when applicable) as well as links for all the latest info while also making it easy to find the Titans on social media and to purchase photos and game tickets. The Game Day Central page also carries all the information on each opponent from who is leading the all-time series to who won the last game.

LAST OUTING
Detroit went into the Holidays with a smile on its face as the Titans dominated from beginning to end in a 93-50 victory over the Indiana Tech Warriors on Monday at historic Calihan Hall.

Four Titans (6-8) scored in double figures as the team shot over 50.0% from the field (33-of-63), including 13-of-26 from behind the arc, and holding Indiana Tech (10-4) to just 26.7% (16-of-60).

Junior co-captain Juwan Howard Jr. led the way with a game-high 22 points, while sophomore Anton Wilson continued his torrid three-point shooting nailing six treys and finishing with 18 points. Junior Patrick Onwenu tallied his first collegiate double-double with a career-best 17 points and 12 rebounds, while freshman Matthew Grant added 10 points and five boards off the bench.

ABOUT THE WIDLCATS
Travis Elliott scored a career-high 14 points in Bethune-Cookman's 68-64 loss to North Florida Saturday (Dec. 21) in UNF Arena.

The Wildcats (2-13) tied it at 64 on Clemmye Owens's three-pointer with 10.6 seconds to play. UNF's Beau Beech and Jalen Nesbitt each hit two free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining to give the Ospreys (6-7) the victory.

Mikel Trapp leads B-C in scoring with 11.9 points per game, while Malik Jackson is averaging 10.3.

SERIES WITH BETHUNE-COOKMAN
This will be the third meeting between Detroit and Bethune-Cookman, with the Titans leading the all-time series 2-0. Detroit won the last meeting 84-50 at Calihan Hall during the 1998-99 season.

WILLIAMS FEATURED BACK HOME
Nick Gueguen recently featured Detroit freshman guard Jarod Williams in his hometown paper the Danville Register & Bee. Williams who was the 2013 All-Metro Boys Basketball Co-Player of the Year, has started 10 games for the Titans and is averaging 8.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

Click Here to read the entire feature posted on GoDanRiver.com.

UP NEXT
Detroit will tip-off Horizon League play on Saturday, Jan. 4 when it hosts Wright State at historic Calihan Hall. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. and will be televised live on WADL TV 38. The game can also be heard on 97.1 The Ticket's webstream with Dan Leach the voice of Titans Basketball.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY MEDIA RELATIONS

Selling Out Black College Football to Make a Buck

Florida A&M's legendary football coach Alonzo Smith "Jake" Gaither watches Bob Hayes before the 1964 season.  Hayes is the only man to win both an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl ring. 
(COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS) 

Looking back at 2013, we view this article to be the top story of 2013, written by George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine; is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA), and author of “Jake Gaither: America’s Most Famous Black Coach.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. --  I cringed as the scores came in over a recent weekend. Ohio State 76, Florida A&M 0. Florida State 54, Bethune-Cookman 6. Miami 77, Savannah State 7. Our HBCUs have traded their proud, rich football heritage for money. And I don’t think it’s worth it.

There’s only one reason our HBCUs schedule games against schools whose head coaches make more than their entire athletic budgets: they earn a big payday, even if that means being publicly humiliated along the way.

The irony is that the SEC wouldn’t continue to have a lock on national football championships were it not for their Black players. And it wasn’t all that long ago that Blacks were as unwelcomed in the SEC as they were at KKK rallies.  But when Sam Cunningham ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries in 1970 when the University of Southern California routed Alabama 42-21 in Birmingham, the conference got the message that they couldn’t win without Black talent.

Until then, if Black athletes wanted to play in the South, they had to attend HBCUs. It was never a question of talent. More than 1,200 players from Black colleges have played in the NFL, including 150 who have made it to the Super Bowl. NFL stars from HBCUs include ...



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Unsportsmanlike Conduct: The Exploitation of Black Athletes

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NNPA) -- Under its television deal, each Big-10 university will receive $24.6 million annually. The Pac-12′s new television deal will pay each member $22 million a year. Each member of the Big 12 will get $20 million and ACC universities will receive $17 million when each academic year kicks off.

To put those figures in perspective, the annual payout for a single institution in those conferences is larger than the combined gross revenue ($16 million) of four Black conferences—the CIAA, MEAC, SIAC and SWAC.

The salary of a football and a basketball coach, Alabama’s Nick Saban ($4.8 million) and  Kentucky’s John Calipari ($3.7 million base/$31.65 million deal),  is greater than the combined salaries of the 96 head coaches of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Division 1AA and Division II basketball and football teams, and nearly 50 percent of their combined $16 million revenue. And that’s the income of just two coaches.

Although almost all of the head coaches at major universities are White, most of the money is generated by Black athletes.

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Vikings Relieve Leslie Frazier of Coaching Duties

Former Alcorn State University legend is out as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minnesota – The Minnesota Vikings have relieved Leslie Frazier of his head coaching duties.

“We have tremendous respect and appreciation for Leslie and what he has done for the Minnesota Vikings,” said Vikings owner Zygi Wilf. “He stepped in and established a strong positive culture here and he has been the consummate professional as our head coach and in this community. Making this change is difficult, but what we determined is best for the organization.”

“Unfortunately, we did not achieve consistent success and did not achieve the progress we expected,” said Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman. “We believe a coaching change is needed to help build a successful team moving forward.”

There will be a 2:00 p.m. press conference held at the Winter Park Fieldhouse.

Video: NFL Network: Frazier Out In Minnesota

Frazier, who has a year left on his contract, was 21-33-1 after taking over for Brad Childress with six games left in the 2010 season. The team weathered adversity that included the collapse of the Metrodome roof late that season, and Frazier was named permanent coach following it.

 

The Vikings were 3-13 in 2011, but made the playoffs at 10-6 last season. Rather than extend Frazier’s contract, the team picked up an option for 2014, making this season make-or-break.

 

The Vikings finished 5-10-1, losing four games despite leads late in the fourth quarter, and tying another under the same circumstances. Quarterback Christian Ponder was ineffective and eventually benched, and the team’s defense came within four points of setting a Vikings record for most points allowed in a season.

COURTESY MINNESOTA VIKINGS MEDIA RELEASE

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Hawaii Men's Basketball Hosts Norfolk State Monday Night

Game 13 Tip-off Notes
Who: Hawai'i (9-3, 0-0 Big West) vs. Norfolk State (8-5, 2-0 MEAC)
Date: Monday, Dec. 30, 2013
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Stan Sheriff Center (10,300) - Honolulu
Television: Live on OCSports – Channels 16 (SD) and 1016 (HD). Kanoa Leahey (play-by-play) Tony Sellitto (color) and Artie Wilson (color) on the call.
Streaming Video: BigWest.tv
Radio: Live on ESPN 1420 AM with Bobby Curran and Jeff Portnoy. Neighbor islands can listen live on KNUI on Maui, KHLO in Hilo, KKON in Kona and KTOH on Kaua'i.
Audio Webcast: Live audio streaming on espn1420am.com
Live Stats: Live in-game stats are available at HawaiiAthletics.com
Ticket Information: $26 (lower); $18 (upper-adult); $16 (upper-sr. citizen); $5 (upper-youth, ages 4-HS); UH Manoa students free with validated ID. Parking $6.
Promotions: The Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa is the game sponsor and will award a two-night stay in an Ocean Front Junior Suite during the halftime contest.
Coaches: Gib Arnold is in his fourth year at UH (61-47). Robert Jones is in his first season at Norfolk State (8-5).
Series Information: UH leads, 2-0.
  
Game Notes

HONOLULU, Hawaii  –  The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team is back in action at the Stan Sheriff Center when it hosts Norfolk State in a non-conference tilt on Monday, Dec. 30.  Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

The Rainbow Warriors are coming off a 2-1 performance in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, including wins over Saint Mary's and Oregon State. UH has won seven of its last eight games with its sole loss a one-point setback to Boise State on the opening night of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. The team's 9-3 start matches the best start for UH since head Coach Gib Arnold's debut season (2010-11).     

All five starters are averaging double-digit scoring for a Rainbow Warrior offense that leads the conference and ranks in the top 25 nationally. Senior Christian Standhardinger is the team's top scorer (17.5 ppg) and rebounder (7.1 rpg), while junior point guard Keith Shamburger is averaging close to 5.0 apg, including a career-high 10 assists in UH's last win versus Oregon State.

UH will play Norfolk State, an NIT squad last year, for just the third time ever and the first time in a dozen years. UH won the previous two meetings in Honolulu.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

SSU Women's Basketball Ties School Scoring Record With 93-84 Win Over Troy University

SAVANNAH, Georgia  -- After a season long 10-game road stretch, the Savannah State Lady Tigers returned home on Sunday to tie a school record for scoring in a single game with a 93-84 win over the Troy Trojans in Tiger Arena.

The single game scoring record was set on February 26, 2007 against Allen University. SSU was led by senior Ezinne Kalu who scored 22 points and grabbed a career-high 9 rebounds. Junior transfer Bria Dorsey was on Kalu's heels with 20 points.

The Lady Tigers offense was balanced outside the top scorers, as Jasmine Norman and Jasmine Kirkland each had nine points, Tiyonda Davis and Kenyata Hendrix each had eight points, and Jerryshia Williams added seven points.

This is the sixth game this year in which the Lady Tigers have scored more than 70 points. They are averaging 63.2 points per game. They scored 64 of their points in the paint. They improve their overall record this season to 6-7. Troy falls to 4-7 overall.

For the Trojans, Joanna Harden led the field with 27 points, Ronita Garrett put up 21 points and grabbed 19 boards and Brooke Bowie added 10 points.

Both teams shot under 40 percent from the field, but SSU was dangerous from the charity strip, hitting 23-of-36 attempts (61.1 percent), to Troy's 57.6 percent (19-for-23).

Teams got off to a slow start in the high scoring contest. Norman opened up with a 3-pointer at the 18:26 mark, and was answered from Garrett with a 3-pointer at the 18:10 mark.

With 12:13 to play, Troy took their largest lead of the game, 17-12, behind a layup from Brianna Lancaster.

SSU fired back with a 6-0 run capped by a layup from Williams for the Lady Tigers second lead of the game, 18-17. With 10:35 to play, Kourtney Coleman tied the game for the third time with a good free-throw.

SSU responded midway through the opening period with a 7-0 run. Dorsey capped the run with a layup with 7:29 to play for a 25-18 SSU advantage.

In the final minutes of the first half, SSU pushed out to their largest lead of the half, 35-23, behind a layup from Charmaine Green with 2:14 to play.  SSU maintained a 39-30 lead into the locker room.

Teams turned on the steam in the second half. SSU improved their shooting from 34.3 percent from the field to 50 percent (17-for-34). Troy improved from 34.7 percent in the first half to 59.4 percent (19-for-32). Both teams scored 54 points in the second period and both shot better than 50 percent from the charity strip.

Kalu sank a layup on a fast break to lift SSU to a 10 point, 47-37 lead with 16:46 to play. SSU held a double-digit lead for the subsequent two minutes.

Troy opened a 7-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Bowie, to cut the Lady Tigers lead to 51-47 with 13:57 to play.

Minutes later, the Lady Tigers regained a double-digit lead behind a layup from Kalu for a 61-51 advantage. With 7:36 to play, Kalu lifted SSU to their largest lead of the game, 69-53, with a layup.

Troy responded with a 9-0 run, again capped by a 3-pointer from Bowie, to cut the home team's lead to 69-62 with 5:56 to play.

In the final minutes, Troy managed to get within four points of SSU's lead, but was never able to take a lead. Norman sank two good free-throws with 5 seconds left, and Harden drained a free-throw in the last second for the final score.

The Lady Tigers scored 38 points in the paint and never gave up their lead. They are 6-2 this season when leading at the half and 6-0 when leading with three minutes left.

Savannah State returns to action on January 4 with their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener, against Maryland Eastern Shore. Tipoff in Tiger Arena is set for 6 p.m.

Box Score            

COURTESY SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Nuggets, Rush resume their schedules on Monday

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana's basketball teams will end layoffs of more than 10 days on Monday.

The Gold Nuggets (8-5), winner of their last four games, will play Mobile at 7 p.m. in the Xavier Classic at the Convocation Center. The opening game of the two-day, four-team event will match LSU-Shreveport and Faulkner at 5 p.m.

The Gold Rush (9-4), ranked 25th in NAIA Division I, will travel to Jackson, Miss., to play Belhaven at 2 p.m. at the Blazers' Rugg Arena. The XU men have won four of their last five.

Tuesday's games in the Xavier Classic will match Mobile against LSUS at 3 p.m. and Xavier against Faulkner at 5.

The Gold Nuggets have not played since a 69-22 victory against American-Puerto Rico in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, on Dec. 17. The Gold Rush have not played since a 62-53 loss at NAIA No. 17 Faulkner on Dec. 19.

Both XU teams will open defense of their Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championships with a doubleheader against Fisk in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday.

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

USC Breezes Past Howard, 82-60

LOS ANGELES, California  -- Byron Wesley led Southern Cal with 20 points, scoring 14 of them in the second half, and the Trojans defeated Howard University 82-60 on Sunday.

USC (9-4) led Howard 29-26 at intermission while grabbing 22 rebounds in the first half, to Howard's 11 but they also had 12 turnovers, and converted just five of 14 free throws.

Photo Gallery 

The Trojans turned things around in the second half, however, and eventually coasted to an 82-60 win over Howard, shooting 56 percent from the floor.

Solomon Mangham and Prince Okoroh had 11 points apiece for Howard , who shot only 38 percent from the field.

Howard (3-13) played without freshman guard and leading scorer James Daniel (19.8 points per game). Daniel missed his fourth consecutive game with a toe injury.

The Trojans posted their first nine-win season over nonconference opponents since 2011 and open Pac-12 play against UCLA on Jan. 5.

Box Score
Photo Gallery 

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Oregon Ducks Topple Morgan State, 97-76

EUGENE, Oregon  --  Oregon coach Dana Altman said there probably isn't a team in the country satisfied with how it's playing right now and his is no different.

The 12th-ranked Ducks just look better doing it than most.

Joseph Young scored 24 points and Oregon continued its best start in eight seasons with a 97-76 victory over Morgan State on Sunday.

Richard Amardi had a season-high 16 points in his first start of the season, and Damyean Dotson scored 15 points for the Ducks (12-0), who are off to their best start since going 13-0 in 2006-07.

Oregon opens Pac-12 Conference play on Thursday at Utah and Altman said there are many areas the Ducks need to improve.

''We've got a lot of work to do,'' Altman said, a sentiment echoed by Young and Jalil Abdul-Bassit, the two players made available to the media after the game.

''I didn't think we did too good,'' Young said. ''We didn't take a step like we needed too.''

And yet, it was plenty good enough for a 21-point win.

It had been eight days since Oregon defeated BYU in overtime and the Ducks looked more rested than rusty after the long layoff.

Oregon, the national scoring leader coming in, increased its average to 90.8 points per game and were a 3-pointer from a school-record fifth 100-point game this season.

The Ducks got there with a balanced and efficient scoring attack. Six players scored seven or more points and Oregon shot 54 percent from the field overall, 7 for 15 from 3-point range and 22 for 26 from the free throw line.

Young, who had three 3-pointers, was 9 for 13 from the field and Amardi made all but one of his nine shots.

''They're good. They're really good,'' Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman said. ''There's a reason why they're undefeated. Dana does a good job with them guys and they keep coming at you. They can sub in five guys and there's not that big a drop off.''

Justin Black scored 22 points for the Bears (3-9), and Anthony Hubbard added 15 and Ian Chiles had 13 points and tied the Matthew Knight Arena record with five blocks.

The Ducks led 54-30 at halftime behind 17 points from Young and 12 from Amardi.

Oregon used a 16-1 run to lead 16-5 4 minutes into the game.

The Ducks put the game out of reach with one last surge in the first half, outscoring the Bears 20-6 over the final 5:30 to turn a 10-point lead into the 24-point halftime advantage.

Morgan State made the first two baskets of the game but went just 6 for 22 the rest of the half. The Bears made just one field goal after a jumper by Black made it 34-24 with 6:40 to play.

The second half opened with layups by Johnathan Loyd and Dotson as the Ducks extended their lead to 58-30. They led by as many as 30 points.

But the Ducks were outscored 46-43 and committed 13 of their 18 turnovers in the second half. They sent the Bears to the free throw line 35 times and despite outrebounding them 42-26, Oregon gave up 14 second-chance points.

''Everybody can score on this team,'' said Abdul-Bassit, who had a career-high nine points. ''Anybody can go for 20 every night, but we really need to focus on our defense and stopping other teams.''



Oregon-Morgan State Box Score (PDF)

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Winthrop Eagles Drops Hard Fought Double-Overtime Contest At Hampton, 101-95

HAMPTON, Virginia  -- Turnovers proved costly as Winthrop dropped its third straight game in a 101-95 double-overtime hard fought loss at Hampton, Sunday afternoon in non-conference men's basketball action.

With the loss the Eagles fall to 6-5 on the year and will remain on the road as they will open the New Year with a 2 p.m. battle at Dayton on Wednesday, Jan. 1. Hampton improves to 6-7 on the year and 4-1 at home.

The two teams combined for 79 free throws in the game as the Eagles were 34-38 (89.5%) and the Pirates were 30-for-41 (73.2%). The game featured 18 lead changes and 14 ties. Winthrop finished the game shooting 37 percent from the floor and just 23 percent in overtime as Hampton shot 46 percent and 43 percent in overtime.

"I give all praise to Hampton for playing their rear ends off and I give a lot of credit to our kids for fighting their butts off in a really, really hard fought game," said Winthrop head coach Pat Kelsey. "There were a couple of crucial stretches when the game was hanging in the balance and we had a couple of crucial turnovers in crucial situations that we had an opportunity to kind of seal the deal, or put the nail in the coffin so to speak."

Winthrop held an early 89-88 lead in double-overtime after freshman Keon Johnson drained a three before Hampton grabbed the lead back on a Ramon Mercado three-pointer. Winthrop had a couple of chances to tie the game trailing 93-91, but couldn't get shots to fall and Hampton made just enough plays down the stretch to hold on for the win. Mercado had only played five minutes in regulation and didn't even attempt a shot, but came through for the Pirates with seven points and two assists in the two overtime periods.

Johnson led all scorers with a career-high 24 points on 7-for-13 shooting and 4-for-6 behind the arc. Keon Moore also had a career-high 22 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists. Johnson and Moore were two of five Winthrop players in double-figures.

In regulation, Winthrop led 76-72 after James Bourne made two free throws with 37 seconds to play. The Pirates were able to get to the foul line to stop the clock and make it a one possession game after Deron Powers made two free throws with 31 seconds left. Winthrop had a chance to send the game back to a two possession lead but an errant pass by Andre Smith was snatched by Hampton, who went down and tied the game on a lay-up by Powers with 17 seconds left. The Eagles had a chance to win the game at the end, but Joab Jerome drove the lane as the clock ran down and lost the ball out of bounds with two seconds left as the game went to overtime tied at 76-76.

Overtime didn't start off well for the Eagles as Du'Vaughn Maxwell scored inside and was fouled as he made the free throw to complete the three-point play and give Hampton a 79-76 lead. Moore responded with a jumper, but the Pirates came right back as Emmanuel Okoroba made two free throws for another three-point advantage.

The Eagles took their first lead in overtime when Keon Moore made two free throws, but Powers took a pass from Mercado and drained a contested three to push Hampton back into the lead, 84-82 with 1:40 to play. Johnson tied the game with two free throws, but Hampton grabbed the lead again with 19 seconds to play in overtime after Mercado made two free throws. After Winthrop called a timeout, Johnson came through in the clutch with a runner off the glass that tied the game and sent it to double-overtime.

In the second half Winthrop worked its way to a 48-47 lead behind an 11-2 run capped off by a Larry Brown layup with 13:15 to play. Joab Jerome made it a one-point game after he scored on an easy basket after a long pass from Brandon Vega to beat the Pirates down court.
From that point the two teams went back-and-forth until the end of regulation.

Winthrop fell behind by 12 points in the first half after the Pirates started a 17-0 run midway through for a 28-16 lead with 6:24 to play. Brian Darden connected on four of his five first half triples during the run that came to an end after Christian Farmer knocked down a short jumper. Johnson followed with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to seven points, but back-to-back possessions with turnovers allowed Hampton to push the lead back to double-figures at 32-21.

Over the final four minutes of the first half, Winthrop battled its way back to a 37-32 deficit at the break. Moore made 1-of-2 free throws to make it a 10-point Hampton lead before Smith hit a three with 2:46 on the clock to cut the lead to seven points. Three more free throws for Hampton made it a 10-point advantage with less than two minutes to play before Johnson hit another three as Hampton led 35-28. Winthrop made four free throws over the final minute and 13 seconds while Hampton was 2-for-2, which made it a five-point game at the half.

Winthrop shot just 31 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes, but matched Hampton behind the arc with six threes made and also finished the first half 8-for-10 at the foul line. Both teams combined for 20 first half turnovers with Hampton scoring nine points on nine Winthrop turnovers and the Eagles getting just six on 11 for the Pirates.

"I was proud of our kids' efforts," added Kelsey. "They fought and were worthy of wearing that Winthrop jersey today."

Smith finished the game with 15 points as he came off the bench to play 30 minutes as he also had two assists. Bourne finished with 11 points as he was 10-for-12 from the foul line and had 10 rebounds to record first career double-double. Farmer added 11 points as he made his first start as an Eagle and also added two rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes.

Maxwell led Hampton with 20 points and 10 rebounds as well as five blocks as he was one of five Hampton players in double-figures. Darden finished with 19 points while Dwight Meikle added 16.

The Eagles finished the game 11-for-29 behind the arc as the 11 triples are the most under a Kelsey led team in two seasons and the fifth time the team has hit 10 or more in a game. Winthrop's 95 points were the most by a Winthrop team on the road since Jan. 31, 2007 in Lexington, VA with a 109-96 win at VMI.

Box Score 

COURTESY WINTHROP UNIVERSITY EAGLES ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS            

FDU Concludes Florida Trip With 62-52 Loss to Florida A&M

MIAMI, Florida  -- The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team concluded the FIU Sun & Fun Classic on Sunday with a 62-52 loss to Florida A&M from Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena. With the victory, the Lady Rattlers improve to 7-8 on the season, while the Knights fall to 1-10 overall.

The first half was a sloppy affair that saw the two sides combine for 18 turnovers, 34 free throws and poor shooting percentages from the field. FAMU would lead the entire game.

With FDU trailing 14-11 after a pair of free throws from freshman Valerie Oyakhilome at the 10:54 mark, the Lady Rattlers would outscore the Knights by nine the rest of the first half to go into the break leading 34-22.

FDU converted on only 17 percent (4-of-23) of its shots but converted 14-of-21 from the charity stripe. FAMU shot 11-of-31 (35.5 percent) and outscored the Knights by 12 from three-point range.

The second half appeared to be much of the same in the opening minutes, with each team only scoring two points by the first media timeout. After that, the offenses awoke, as FDU outscored the Lady Rattlers 30-28 over the course of the second half, which included a 10-0 run beginning at the 5:38 mark.

Juniors Amanda Andrades and Tiffany Grant hit back-to-back threes, followed by a senior Desiree Crawford's layup during the run. Ultimately, FAMU would hold on to and extend its lead back to double digits until the final whistle.

Desiree Crawford had a monster game for the Knights despite battling an illness, finishing with a career-high 19 points to go along with a season-high 12 rebounds and two blocks, while converting 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Andrades finished with 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and a block while playing the entire 40 minutes.

FDU shot much better from the field in the second half (40 percent) and finished the contest shooting 30.2 percent (16-of-53) overall from the field. The Knights outscored FAMU 24-10 in the paint and 13-4 on second-chance points due to their 14 offensive rebounds.

"We played a very good second half, outscoring them, did a great job on the boards, outrebounding them (44-38) against what I think is a good rebounding team," Head Coach Peter Cinella said. "Desiree Crawford had a very good all-around game. Anastasia Williams did a good job on the boards as well, and Amanda Andredes had a good all-around effort in the second half."

The Lady Rattlers' star performer, graduate student Jasmine Grice, finished the game with 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals.

After the final game, Desiree Crawford was named to the All-

Coach Cinella on Crawford: "Desiree showed a lot of toughness this weekend and great leadership. She responded with a career game and a double-double effort today against Florida A&M. Her All-Tournament selection is well deserved."

FDU will return to action Saturday, Jan. 4 when it starts Northeast Conference play at Bryant, with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m.

Box Score 
Tournament team. The senior averaged 12 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks on 8-17 shooting over the two games.

COURTESY FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS  

NSU Defeats UMBC 56-43 to Claim 1st Road Win of the Season

HARRISONBURG, Virginia – Senior Rachel Gordon and junior Quineshia Leonard each scored 11 points to give NSU a 56-43 victory over UMBC in the JMU Invitational on Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center. The win against UMBC is the Spartans' first win away from Echols Hall this season.

NSU moved to 5-6 on the season while UMBC fell to 1-10 overall.
Gordon also tallied 11 rebounds in her effort to claim her fifth double-double of the season. She now has 864 rebounds in her career. Gordon needs 11 more rebounds to tie Beverly Davis for seventh all-time career rebounding at NSU.

UMBC started the first half with a layup from Liz McNaughton at the 19:47 mark that sparked an 8-0 run. Tayler McCarley closed the run on a jumper in the paint with an assist from Emily Russo with 16:48 to go before halftime.

From there it was all NSU as freshman Logan Powell scored the first bucket of the game for the Spartans with 16:34 on the clock. Powell's basket started a 24-3 run for NSU that included field-goals from freshmen Kieera Basey and Koryn Lawrence. Leonard and junior Ebony Brown also contributed in scoring during the run. Gordon ended the run on a layup with 7:08 remaining in the half to give NSU a 24-11 lead over UMBC. Gordon's basket was the last field-goal of the half for the Spartans.

UMBC closed out the half with a 6-1 run as McNaughton drained a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:35 left to send the Retrievers into halftime trailing NSU, 25-17. This the second time this season that NSU has held an opponent to 20 points or less in a half. The last time the Spartans held an opponent under 20 points in a half was against Virginia University-Lynchburg on Dec. 20. VUL only scored 16 points in the second half.

NSU came out hot in the second half as Corbo nailed a 3-pointer with 19:14 on the clock to ignite a 17-2 run. Corbo ended the run on a jumper at the 15:19 mark to give NSU a 42-21 lead over UMBC. This was the Spartans' largest lead of the game.

UMBC finally came to life in the second half after Janelle Saling knocked down a 3-pointer with 14:58 on the clock. Bridget O'Donnell closed out UMBC's 15-4 run with a jumper, but the Retrievers still trailed NSU, 46-36, with 8:30 remaining in the game.

Ebony Brown answered on the other end with another 3-pointer to keep NSU ahead by 13 with 7:36 to go in the half. The Spartans' last field-goal of the half was from Leonard with 3:45 left that gave NSU a 55-37 lead over UMBC.

The Spartans ended the game shooting 41.2 percent (21-of-51) from the field and 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from the free throw line. NSU shot only 22.2 percent (2-of-9) from beyond the arc on the afternoon. Aside from Leonard and Gordon, Ebony Brown contributed nine points, Corbo posted eight points to go along with her three assists and Lawrence finished the game with six points.
The Spartans outrebounded the Retrievers 38-31 on the afternoon. NSU outscored UMBC in the paint, 28-14, and also outscored UMBC on second chance points, 18-3.

UMBC shot 34.0 percent (16-of-47) and was 60.0 percent (6-of-10) from the free throw line. The Retrievers also shot only 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from 3-point range. Saling and McCarley led UMBC in scoring with 12 points each. O'Donnell contributed eight points, six rebounds and three blocks, while McNaughton totaled seven points and two assists.

The Spartans will face James Madison tomorrow in the JMU Invitational. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m.

Box Score

By Chaundrea Lee, Media Relations Assistant
COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS