XU Gold Nuggets set records in GCAC sweep of Voorhees

XU women's volleyball vs. Voorhees (23 photos)

NEW ORLEANS -- Sophomore Ralitsa Hadzhistoyanova served a Convocation Center-record seven aces Monday in Xavier University of Louisiana's 25-8, 25-9, 25-7 women's volleyball victory against Voorhees.

The Gold Nuggets (9-2 overall, 6-0 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) also set Convocation Center team records with 13 aces and a .446 hitting percentage. The victory was Xavier's ninth in a row -- the second-longest winning streak in program history.

Claudia Haywood and Jodi Hill had nine kills apiece for the Gold Nuggets, CeCe Williams had eight kills, and freshmen Kaelan Temple and Jelena Vujicic had five apiece. Five players hit .500 or higher, led by Haywood with a season-high .667 in 12 attacks and Williams with a career-best .615 in 13 attacks.

Hadzhistoyanova's 22 assists were a career best. Hill served three aces.

Xavier scored the first seven points of the match and led 12-0 in the third set. The Gold Nuggets also had a 9-0 run in the first set -- Hadzhistoyanova served five aces -- and an 11-0 second-set run which included two Kayla Jones aces.

Xavier had a 43-6 advantage in kills and limited Voorhees (4-9, 0-6) to a minus-.184 hitting percentage.

The Gold Nuggets have won 49 consecutive matches against GCAC opponents, 40 in the regular season.

Xavier will visit SUNO -- the only other GCAC team which is unbeaten in conference -- at 7 p.m. Wednesday at The Castle. The Gold Nuggets' next home match will start at 6 p.m. on Oct. 10 against Spring Hill.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Jackson's 14th Runner of Week award is GCAC record

Xavier's Kwame Jackson is the GCAC
record-holder in men's cross country with
 14 career Runner of the Week awards.

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana's Kwame Jackson set a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's cross country record Tuesday when he was chosen Runner of the Week for the 14th time in his career.

Jackson, a senior from Kingwood, Texas, and a graduate of Kingwood Park High School, ran four miles in a school-record 21 minutes, 21.7 seconds Saturday at the McNeese Cowboy Stampede in Lake Charles, La. Jackson placed 36th out of 74 runners.

It was Jackson's second XU timing record this season. He set the record for 5,000 meters on Sept. 6.

Jackson broke a tie with former teammate Matt Pieri for most career GCAC awards. Jackson also tied a GCAC record with his fifth weekly award of the season. Jackson also won five awards in 2013, as did Pieri in 2010 and Xavier's Mark Dotson in 2009.

Next race for XU's men and women will be the GCAC Championships at City Park in New Orleans on Oct. 18. The women's 5K race will start at 8 a.m., followed by the men's 8K at 8:30. Xavier is the host school and the eight-time defending men's and women's team champion.

 

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Abbes, 26-0 in XU singles career, wins South Regional

XU sophomore Nour Abbes of Tunisia remained unbeaten as a collegiate singles player this weekend, defeating Georgia Gwinnett's Valeria Podda 6-3, 6-2 to win the ITA/USTA NAIA South Regional women's title. The victory qualified Abbes - who is 26-0 in singles at Xavier - for the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships at Sumter SC Oct. 9-12.

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana's Nour Abbes remained unbeaten as a collegiate singles player by defeating Georgia Gwinnett's Valeria Podda 6-3, 6-2 Sunday to win the women's title of the ITA/USTA NAIA South Regional Championships at XU Tennis Center.

The victory qualified Abbes -- a sophomore who is 26-0 at Xavier -- for the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships at Sumter, S.C., from Oct. 9-12. Abbes missed qualifying in doubles when she and Carmen Nelson lost 6-0, 7-5 to Auburn Montgomery's Claudine Maheu and Alice Baudeign in the final.

It's the second straight year that the Gold Nuggets qualified for the National Small College Championships and the first time in singles. Xavier's men qualified in singles and doubles in 2011.

The singles final was a rematch of the No. 2 and 3 players from the 2013-14 ITA NAIA postseason ranking. Abbes defeated Podda by the same score at XU on April 26 when Xavier beat Georgia Gwinnett in the championship dual of the NAIA Unaffiliated Group 2 Tournament.

On Sunday, Podda broke Abbes' serve to tie the first set at 3. Then Abbes won nine of the next 11 games and broke Podda's serve 5-of-6 times.

"I felt really good during the singles final," Abbes said. "I think I played some very good tennis, and I felt confident."

"I can't say enough good things about Nour and what she has accomplished in such a short time at Xavier," XU coach Alan Green said.

Rain shortly before 1 p.m. forced Xavier, the host school, to move the remaining matches downtown to the indoor courts at the Hilton Riverside. It was there that both doubles champions and the men's singles champion were decided.

Abbes and Nelson, seeded fourth, dropped the first doubles set in 19 minutes, then put the outcome in doubt when they rallied from a 3-2 deficit to take a 5-4 lead. But Maheu and Baudeign, who were unseeded, won the final three games.

"The fact that we had to play doubles indoors made us lose the rhythm," Abbes said. "The indoor courts were fast, so we didn't play our best tennis until 3-2 in the second set but it was too late, because AUM was very confident."

Abbes defeated AUM's sixth-seeded Paula Diaz 6-0, 6-1 in the singles semifinals.

In men's doubles, Xavier's Kevin Chaouat and Tushar Mandlekar lost 8-5 in the semifinals to AUM's third-seeded Nicolas Pinones and Miguel Grifol.

Georgia Gwinnett's top-seeded Jordan Cox defeated third-seeded teammate Matias Hatem 6-4, 6-2 in the men's singles final. Georgia Gwinnett's unseeded Connor Clements and Lachlan McPhee beat Pinones and Grifol 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 for the men's doubles title.

"I'm proud of our effort throughout this tournament," Green said. "My guys played well overall, and Tushar to me had a really good tournament. We just have to keep working because the team national champions will come out of this region next spring."

NOTES: It was the second straight year that Xavier played host to the South Regional . . . The singles title was Abbes' second in as many tournaments this fall. She won the A-flight main draw of the HBCU Championships on Sept. 20 . . . Abbes is 21-4 at XU in doubles and has played with three partners . . . It was the first time since that Xavier competed at the Hilton Riverside since men's and women's dual matches against Mobile in February 2009 . . . After Abbes competes at nationals, Xavier's final fall tournament will be Oct. 24-25 in the Big Easy Classic at the University of New Orleans.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Florida A&M Lady Rattler Basketball Schedule Announced

HEAD COACH LeDAWN GIBSON
Courtesy FAMU Athletics

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- The 2014-15 FAMU Women’s Basketball Schedule has been released and the coming season opens Friday, November 14 at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.

FAMU opens their home schedule the following Tuesday, November 18 against Alabama State at 7:00 p.m. in the Al Lawson Center, jumpstarting a three-game homestand which features a late morning bout against Webber International (11:30 a.m.) on Thursday, November 20, and a clash against Troy University on Monday, November 24 at 7:00 p.m.

The Lady Rattlers of Coach LeDawn Gibson then head to Dallas for the SMU Thanksgiving Tournament, Friday and Saturday, November 28-29, facing off against host SMU on Friday, followed by either Southern Cal or Sam Houston State on Saturday.

FAMU’s road tour continues into December and January, with seven games away from Tallahassee, starting Saturday, Deecember 6 with the MEAC opener at South Carolina State, followed by a pre-Christmas trip to the Bayou State of Louisiana, to face Southern University, on Wednesday, December 17, followed by a Saturday, December 20 matchup at Southeastern Louisiana.

After Christmas, the Lady Rattlers will be off to South Florida for the University of Miami’s Post Christmas Tournament at Coral Gables, where they will face host Miami on Sunday, December 28, then will tangle with either LSU or UNC Greensboro on Monday, December 29.

In January, FAMU opens with a Peach State swing, at Kennesaw State on Friday, January 2 and at Mercer in Macon, on Sunday, January 4.

MEAC play resumes for the duration of the schedule, beginning with a weekend home set against Norfolk State (Saturday, January 10) and Hampton (Monday, January 12), before hitting the road the following weekend (Saturday-Monday, January 17 and 19) against Morgan State and Coppin State in Baltimore.

The next three games will be home contests, on Saturday, January 24 against Howard; Monday, January 26 against Maryland-Eastern Shore, and Saturday, January 31 agaubst archrival Bethune-Cookman.

February begins with two road games on consecutive Mondays – February 2 at North Carolina Central and February 9 at Delaware State, before the North Carolina duo of North Carolina A&T (Saturday, February 14) and North Carolina Central (Monday, February 16) come to the Lawson Center.

FAMU finishes February on the road at Bethune-Cookman (Saturday, February 21), Savannah State (Monday, February 23) and North Carolina A&T (Saturday, February 28).

The Lady Rattlers will close their regular season schedule at home against Savannah State on Thursday, March 5, before heading to Norfolk, Va., for the 2015 MEAC Tournament, Monday through Saturday, March 9-14 at The Scope.

Florida A&M University Women's Basketball 2014-15 Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location	Time (ET)

Fri, Nov 14 Alabama at Tuscaloosa, AL 5:00 pm

Tue, Nov 18 ALABAMA STATE HOME 7:00 pm

Thu, Nov 20 WEBBER UNIVERSITY HOME 11:30 am

Mon, Nov 24 TROY UNIVERSITY HOME 7:00 pm

SMU THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT

Fri, Nov 28 SMU at Dallas, TX 7:00 pm

Sat, Nov 29 USC/Sam Houston State at Dallas, TX 5/7 PM

Sat, Dec 06 South Carolina State * at Orangeburg, SC 4:00 pm

Wed, Dec 17 Southern University at Baton Rouge, LA 7:00 pm

Sat, Dec 20 SE Louisiana at Hammond, LA 2:00 pm

MIAMI POST CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT

Sun, Dec 28 University of Miami at Coral Gables, FL 1:00 pm

Mon, Dec 29 LSU/UNCG at Coral Gables, FL TBA

Fri, Jan 02 Kennesaw State at Kennesaw, GA 7:00 pm

Sun, Jan 04 Mercer University at Macon, GA 2:00 pm

Sat, Jan 10 NORFOLK STATE * HOME 4:00 pm

Mon, Jan 12 HAMPTON HOME 6:00 pm

Sat, Jan 17 Morgan State * at Baltimore, MD 2:00 pm

Mon, Jan 19 Coppin State * at Baltimore, MD 5:30 pm

Sat, Jan 24 HOWARD * HOME 4:00 pm

Mon, Jan 26 MARYLAND-EASTERN SHORE * HOME 6:00 pm

Sat, Jan 31 BETHUNE-COOKMAN * HOME 1:00 pm

Mon, Feb 02 North Carolina Central at Durham, NC 5:30 pm

Mon, Feb 09 Delaware State * at Dover, DE 5:30 pm

Sat, Feb 14 NORTH CAROLINA A&T * HOME 4:00 pm

Mon, Feb 16 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL * HOME 6:00 pm

Sat, Feb 21 Bethune-Cookman * at Daytona Beach, FL 2:00 pm

Mon, Feb 23 Savannah State * at Savannah, GA 6:00 pm

Sat, Feb 28 North Carolina A&T * at Greensboro, NC 4:00 pm

Thu, Mar 05 SAVANNAH STATE * HOME 6:00 pm

MEAC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Mon, Mar 09 TBA at Norfolk, VA TBA

* Conference Games

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS 

Alabama A&M rolls over Mississippi Valley

ITTA BENA, Mississippi -- Defense was the key.

The Bulldogs held Mississippi Valley State to 77 yards rushing and a smothering pass rush had 8 sacks and 13 tackles for loss and contributed to two interceptions, including one for a touchdown.

Special teams were the key.

Freshman Octayvius Miles set a school record with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown (though he was 3 yards deep in the endzone) and the kickoff and punt return units combined for 255 yards.

Offense was the key.

Freshman Harvey Harris rushed for 109 yards in a 265-yard rushing attack that was complemented by 170 yards passing.
In all, it was a team effort Saturday as Alabama A&M defeated Mississippi Valley State 42-20.

Anthony Lanier had 8 tackles, 2 ½ sacks and 4 tackles for loss,  Bryan Brower had 8 tackles, 1 ½ tackles for loss and a half-sack  and David Dagrin had 5 tackles, 2 ½ sacks and 2 ½ sacks to pace the Bulldogs who improved to 1-1 in the Southwest Athletic Conference and 2-3 overall. The Bulldogs also picked off two Valley passes, one in the Delta Devils' endzone for a touchdown.

Miles' kickoff return to open the second half broke the school record set by Ulysses Banks in 2006. A&M led 28-6 after that return.

Harris had 21 carries and scored two touchdowns and Byran Brower had another 56 yards on 16 carries. The Bulldogs relied on the ground game, running 53 of the teams 68 offensive plays. Through the air, Jaymason Lee and Brandon Wells combined for 9-of-15 and 170 yards with no interceptions and one touchdown – a 55-yarder from Lee to Kalais Robertson run.

The Bulldogs, though, started slowly as Valley jumped on the scoreboard first as quarterback  Quantavius  Peterson rushed for a 37-yard touchdown run.  Valley tried for two-point conversion but the run failed.

The Bulldogs settled into their offense, starting on their on 29-yard line. The Bulldogs pushed the ball down the field when Harris broke free up the middle to score on a 37-yard touchdown, capping the eight-play,  74-yard scoring drive.

Valley's ensuing play wasn't what they expected deep in their own territory. Peterson's pass was intercepted by Germain Calmes in the endzone giving the Bulldogs the 14-6 lead. 

The Bulldogs got the ball back and Brandon Eldemire rushed into the end zone for a four-yard scamper, with 1:40 left in the half and a 21-6 lead.

The team traded touchdowns the rest of the way with Harris scoring on a 1-yard run and Robertson's 55-yard touchdown pass from Lee with 6:53 left in the game.

The 42 points was the most scored by A&M this season.

The Bulldogs host Grambling State on Saturday in their first home game of the season.  It is also Homecoming and the Louis Crews Classic.

Box Score 

COURTESY ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS 

FAMU Releases 2014-15 Men’s Basketball slate

FAMU MEN'S HEAD BASKETBALL COACH
Courtesy FAMU Athletics

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M University released its’ 2014-15 Men’s Basketball schedule, a slate which features six-game western road tour in November.

The Rattlers, under new head coach Byron Samuels, will open the schedule on Friday and Saturday, November 14 and 15 against Clemson and USC Upstate, before heading out west the following week.

That western tour will begin on Wednesday, November 19 at the University of San Diego, before taking on Grand Canyon in Phoeniz, Arizona on Friday, November 21.

Also on the western tour is Wyoming (Monday, November 24); New Mexico State (Wednesday, November 26); Stetson University and Northern Colorado (Saturday and Sunday, November 29-30 in Greeley, Colorado).

FAMU opens Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play on Saturday, December 6 at South Carolina State, then will open their home schedule after Fall Semester finals on Friday, December 19 against North Florida (7:00).

They head to East Carolina for a Monday, December 22 pre-Christmasbout, then after Christmas will host Florida International on Monday, December 29 (7:00).

The Rattlers will face Stetson University for the second time in 35 days, taking on the Hatters in Deland on Saturday, January 3, before returning home for a three-game stand beginning Tuesday, January 6 against Jacksonville (7:00) in their final non-conference game of the year.

MEAC play resumes Saturday and Monday, January 10 and 12 as the Virginia Boys, Norfolk State (6:00) and Hampton (8:00) come to the Lawson Center.

FAMU then heads to Baltimore for a weekend set against Morgan State and Coppin State, Saturday and Monday, January 17 and 19, before return to the Lawson Center for another three-game set.

Saturday and Monday, January 24 and 26, FAMU hosts Howard (6:00) and Maryland-Eastern Shore (8:00), before closing out the first month of 2015 against archrival Bethune-Cookman (3:00).

FAMU is on the road on consecutive Mondays to open February at North Carolina Central (February 2) and Delaware State (February 9), before returning to Lawson for a weekend set Saturday and Monday, February 14 and 16 against North Carolina A&T (6:00) and North Carolina Central (8:00).

The following weekend (Saturday and Monday, February 21 and 23), FAMU is on the road at Bethune-Cookman and Savannah State, before closing at home Thursday, March 5 against Savannah State (8:00).

Florida A&M University 2014-15 Men's Basketball Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location	Time (ET)

Fri, Nov 14 Clemson University at Clemson, SC 7:00 pm
Sat, Nov 15 USC Upstate at Spartanburg, SC 7:30 pm
Wed, Nov 19 University of San Diego San Diego, CA 7:00 pm Pacific
Fri, Nov 21 Grand Canyon at Phoenix, AZ 7:00 pm MT
Mon, Nov 24 Wyoming at Laramie, WY 7:00 pm MT
Wed, Nov 26 New Mexico State at Las Cruces, NM 7:00 pm MT
Sat, Nov 29 Stetson University at Greeley, CO 3:00 PM
Sun, Nov 30 Northern Colorado Greeley, CO 2:00 pm MT
Sat, Dec 06 South Carolina State * at Orangeburg, SC 4:00 pm
Fri, Dec 19 NORTH FLORIDA HOME 7:00 pm
Mon, Dec 22 East Carolina at Greenville, NC 7:00 pm
Mon, Dec 29 FIU HOME 7:00 pm
Sat, Jan 03 Stetson University at Deland, FL 1:00 pm
Tue, Jan 06 JACKSONVILLE HOME 7:00 pm
Sat, Jan 10 NORFOLK STATE * HOME 6:00 pm
Mon, Jan 12 HAMPTON * HOME 8:00 pm
Sat, Jan 17 Morgan State * at Baltimore, MD 4:00 pm
Mon, Jan 19 Coppin State * at Baltimore. MD 4:00 pm
Sat, Jan 24 HOWARD * HOME 6:00 pm
Mon, Jan 26 MARYLAND-E.S. * HOME 8:00 pm
Sat, Jan 31 BETHUNE-COOKMAN * HOME 3:00 PM
Mon, Feb 02 North Carolina Central * at Durham, NC 7:30 pm
Mon, Feb 09 Delaware State * at Dover, DE 7:30 pm
Sat, Feb 14 NORTH CAROLINA A&T * HOME 6:00 pm
Mon, Feb 16 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL * HOME 8:00 pm
Sat, Feb 21 Bethune-Cookman * at Daytona Beach, FL 4:00 pm
Mon, Feb 23 Savannah State * at Savannah, GA 7:00 pm
Thu, Mar 05 SAVANNAH (Ga.) STATE * HOME 8:00 pm

* Conference Games

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Albany State defense shines in victory over Miles

ALBANY, Georgia — The ball squirted out near the goal line and junior cornerback Fred Holton wasted no time when he saw the loose ball dribbling on the Albany State University Coliseum turf Saturday night.

##Holton scooped up the ball and ran down the Miles College sideline 97 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, helping the Rams pick up a 14-7 victory, their first of the season in their home opener.

##More importantly, the Rams won their second straight over the Golden Bears (1-3).

##But Holton, the junior transfer from Georgia Tech, gave the Rams a commanding 14-0 lead when he scored with 13:38 left in the second quarter. His touchdown turned out to be the margin of victory.

##“I was pretty much surprised,” Houston said. “I saw one of my teammates pretty much demolish their running back. The next thing I know, I saw the ball come out and I knew it was my time. I caught it, it came straight to me, then I just took off. I credit my teammate for that … that was his play.”

CONTINUE READING 

Quick Start Propels DSU Past Savannah State in MEAC Opener

Dover, Delaware --- Delaware State scored four touchdowns in the first quarter, including three in a one-minute-14 second span, en route to a 35-10 win over Savannah State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener for each team at Alumni Stadium this evening.

The Hornets won for the first time this season (1-4; 1-0 MEAC), while the Tigers fell to 0-4 (0-1 MEAC).

DSU led 28-0 after the first quarter. It was the most points in a quarter by the Hornets since scoring 28 in the second quarter of a 63-28 win over St. Francis (Pa.) in the first night game at Alumni Stadium on Sep. 9, 2006.

The school record for most points in a quarter is 30 in a 58-7 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 1988.

The Hornets scored their first touchdown on defense when linebacker Kareem Leaver  stripped the ball from Savannah State running back Alex Simmons on a short run. Leaver recovered the fumble and returned the ball 44 yards to the endzone for the first score of the game. Mitchell Ward’s extra point kick gave the Hornets a 7-0 lead with 7:05 left in the first quarter.

It was Delaware State’s first defensive touchdown of the season.

The Hornets took advantage of good field position to score their second touchdown.

FULL STATS

Starting at its own 46 yard line, Delaware State needed just seven plays to reach the endzone. Reserve fullback Lamar Shaw capped off the drive with a 16-yard touchdown run on a fourth-down-and-one play. The other big play in the drive was a 32-yard pass from Gilbert Rivera to Aris Scott on third-down-and-13 to the Savannah State 25. Ward’s extra point gave the Hornets a 14-0 lead with 2:52 remaining in the opening quarter. The touchdown was Shaw’s first of the season and third of his career.

Savannah State’s second turnover of the game quickly led to the Hornets’ third touchdown. 

Two plays after Terrick Colston forced and recovered a fumble at the SSU 10, Rivera found wide receiver Malik Golson in the endzone for a five-yard touchdown pass. It was Golson’s second TD catch of the season.  The score gave the Hornets a 20-0 lead with 2:00 left in the first quarter.  The extra point kick by Ward was unsuccessful.

Savannah fumbled the ball away again on its next possession.

On the next play from scrimmage, wide receiver Milton Williams III scored on a 44-yard catch and run for the Hornets’ third touchdown in a span of 74 seconds.  A two-point run by Nagee Jackson after the touchdown gave the Hornets a 28-0 lead with 1:38 left in the opening quarter.  

             

Savannah State kept the Hornets off the board for the next two quarters, while scoring a touchdown in the second quarter and adding a field goal in the fourth to pull to within 28-10.

The Hornets closed out the scoring on their final possession of the game. The five-play, 59-yard drive was capped off by an 18-yard touchdown pass from reserve quarterback Marlon Kelly to Williams III with 1:00 left to play. Running back Nagee Jackson had 56 yards rushing on four carries, including a career-best 39-yard run, during the drive.

The Hornets rushed for a season-high 204 yards in the contest, their most since posting 221 vs. Hampton in 2012.

Malcolm Williams led the way with 89 yards rushing on 21 attempts, while Jackson tallied 60 yards on eight tries. Shaw chipped in with 37 yards on just three carries.

Kelly entered the game when Rivera suffered a knee injury in the second quarter.

Williams III had five catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns for the first time in his career. He now has 100 receptions for 1377 yards and nine touchdowns in his career.

Delaware State outgained Savannah State 316-230 in the contest.

Colston tied for game-high honors with nine tackles, including seven unassisted. He also had an interception, a forced fumble and fumble recovery in the contest.

Linebacker Alex Perry contributed nine tackles (five solo), two fumble recoveries and a pass break-up to the win.

The Hornets had a season-high six sacks in the game. Linemen Rodney Gunter and Gabe Sherrod had 2.5 sacks each.   

The Hornets return to action next Saturday (Oct. 4) at MEAC preseason favorite Bethune-Cookman. Game time is 4 p.m. in Daytona Beach, Fla. DSU returns home Oct. 18 to take on North Carolina A&T in the annual homecoming contest. Game time is 2 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.   

COURTESY DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

East: Southern has reasons to believe its’s much better than it looked in lopsided loss at Alcorn State

LORMAN, Mississippi — Southern survived September.

It might be fair to add the qualifier “barely” in the wake of the 56-16 thrashing that Alcorn State administered to the Jaguars on Saturday in Spinks-Casem Stadium.

The Braves are one of the best teams in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and may prove to be the best. As such, they were able to expose Southern’s vulnerability.

“It is a loss, it is a big loss and it is one-sided,” running back Lenard Tillery said. “But we’re definitely still growing. Every week we get better at some aspect, and every week we get exposed in some area.”

Alcorn exposed a few things.

CONTINUE READING 

Battle of the Bands: Southern University Human Jukebox vs. Alcorn State University Sounds of Dynomite 9/27/14

Alcorn State routs Southern

LORMAN, Mississippi -- Alcorn State was the last team to beat Southern before the Jaguars began their run to the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship last season.

The Braves beat Southern again Saturday, 56-16 at Spinks-Casem Stadium, and they looked like a team capable a making a run at a SWAC title of their own.

Alcorn overcame four turnovers by accumulating 682 yards, including 410 rushing, as it posted three times as many third downs as the Jaguars (39-13). It held the Jaguars scoreless in the second half and improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the SWAC.

“I told the players, ‘Hey, we got beat tonight. We admit that,’ ” Southern coach Dawson Odums said. “Does the score indicate they were much better than us? That’s what the score says. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Alcorn’s John Gibbs Jr. led the way by passing for 224 yards and a touchdown and running for 34 yards and a touchdown.

CONTINUE READING

WSSU Rams Control Second Half To Roll Past Elizabeth City State, 35-7

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WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- The #15 Winston-Salem State University Rams overcame a sluggish first half start, to outscore the Elizabeth City State Vikings 21-0 in the second half, as they came away with a 35-7 victory.

With the win WSSU moves to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the CIAA, while Elizabeth City falls to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the CIAA. Winston-Salem State also pushes their winning streak to 30 consecutive games over HBCU's and 25 straight in the CIAA.

After a scoreless first quarter that saw neither team be able to sustain a decent drive, the teams exchanged five punts through the first 15:00 minutes of the game.

Another three and out by the Vikings saw Phillip Sims lead the Rams on their first scoring drive of the night.

Sims would complete five of five passes and a six yard run of his own before connecting with Eric Williams for a 15 yard scoring strike to give WSSU a 7-0 lead.



Elizabeth City State would come right back, going 80 yards in nine plays, capped off by a Tyrell Houghton to Lovie Banks-Rose touchdown pass and catch from 28 yards out to tie the score at 7-7.

Winston-Salem State would seem to settle down and get into an offensive rhythm, and Rudy Johnson would come in and lead a scoring drive of his own. WSSU would go 65 yards in eight plays, highlighted by a Johnson pass to Demeeko Jones for a 21 yard touchdown pass to put the Rams back out in front, 14-7.

The Vikings would get one more opportunity before halftime, but a 35 yards field goal attempt at the buzzer allowed WSSU to take the 14-7 lead into the locker room at the half.



The Rams came out in the second half firing on all cylinders, and Rudy Johnson would take the team on an 89 yard drive in 10 plays capped by a pass to Brenden Felder who dove at the corner of the endzone for an 11 yard touchdown to push their lead to 21-7.

Elizabeth City State would move the ball on their next series but the Rams defense that played bend but not break the whole night, came up with a big interception by Matthew Browning to give the ball back to WSSU.

Winston-Salem State would take advantage of the Vikings miscue and Phillip Sims would direct the Rams down the field in six plays, covering 73 yards and finished off with a 39 yard scoring strike from Sims to Eric Williams to give the Rams a 28-7 lead.



Once again the Vikings would move the ball on WSSU's defense and they worked their way down to the Rams 21 yard line. But as before the Rams defense stiffened and held the Viking s on fourth down to turn the ball back over to the hot WSSU offense.

In the fourth quarter, WSSU scored the only points, as they would go 67 yards in 12 plays and tyree Massey plunged over the goal line to give WSSU the final score of 35-7.

Winston-Salem State accumulated a season high 454 yards, although the Rams did give up a season high 303 yards passing. The one caveat, WSSU held Elizabeth City State to 0-5 in the red zone, and blanked them on the scoreboard in the second half.

Offensively for WSSU, Tyree Massey led the rushing attack with six carries for 40 yards and one touchdown, while Maurice Lewis rushed 14 times for 33 yards. Rudy Johnson picked up 25 yards on five carries and Phillip Sims rushed four times for 20 yards.

Phillips Sims finished the evening 13 of 16 for 178 yards and two touchdowns, and Rudy Johnson went 14 of 20 for 171 and two scores.



Marcel Caver led the Rams receiver corps with nine catches for 104 yards, while Brenden Felder finished with seven catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. Eric Williams had four catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Jamal Haizlip had two catches for 40 yards, and Demeeko Jones, Michael Benis, Jalen McDaniel, Mustafa Greene and Maurice Lewis each had one catch. Demeeko Jones' 21 yard catch resulted in a touchdown.

Defensively, Larry Hearne, Terry Ross and Conor O'Neal all led the Rams with five tackles each, while Hearne also had a tackle for a loss and a pass breakup, and Ross had 0.5 tackles for a loss. James Hickman had four tackles and 0.5 tackles for a loss, and Casey Davenport also had four tackles to go with two quarterback hurries. Matthew Browning finished with three tackles and an interception he returned for 21 yards, and D'Metrius Smith also had three tackles and a pass breakup.

Winston-Salem State will hit the highway next weekend, as they will travel to Murfreesboro, NC to take on the Chowan Hawks at 7:00 pm.


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Livingstone Blue Bears seize victory over BSU in last seconds

SALISBURY, North Carolina -- Livingstone College secures first conference win and continues 4-0 winning streak. The Blue Bears faced Bowie State Saturday (Sept 27) at Alumni Memorial Stadium where the Blue Bears snatched the 36-33 victory with just seconds left on the clock.

Kicker Leonardo Manzo was the edge that the Blue Bears needed to send them over into victory. Manzo nailed a 25-yard field goal with just seconds left in the fourth quarter with a tied game of 33 a piece.

Junior Arthur Bowden was also a crucial player for the Blue Bears leading in 2 touchdowns, for the team overall. Bowden opened up the contest with a 9-yard pass from Drew Powell setting the tone of the game 7-0.

The Bowie State Bulldogs answered back with a touchdown making the score 7-7.

Receiver Jalen Hendricks had a 49 yard punt return early in the game giving the Blue Bears a little edge over the Bulldogs.

The contest remained tight with back–to-back touchdowns from each side for majority of the game.

In the second quarter the Bulldogs were leading with 21-13, but Brandon Bennett closed the score deficit with a 41 yard pass from quarterback Drew Powell, sending the score to 21-19 at halftime.

With the continued vitality from the team, Arthur Bowden once again shows up early in the third quarter, knocking down a 10-yard pass from key player Drew Powell, making the score 21-26.

The boys continued to fight hard, although the Bulldogs would not be outdone yet, by countering with 2 back-to-back field goals by kicker Aviles Diaz.

At this point ,the adrenaline was boiling as the Bulldogs made one more 8-yard run making the score 33-26. The Blue Bears were not defeated with 8:13 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, Hendricks caught a clutch 6-yard pass fromDrew Powell, with the added in kick, making the score a nail bitting tied score of 33-33.

The Livingstone Blue Bears were running out of time, they were down but not out for the count. With just 3 seconds left, no time outs, and adrenaline pumping, kicker Leonardo Manzo went for the kick, and it was good! The Livingstone Blue Bears snatch the win of the game, scoring overall 36-33, to make them undefeated,with a 4-0 overall record. ,

Quarterback Drew Powell finished the game with 4 passing touchdowns, all to help send the Blue Bears into another winning victory.

Head Coach Daryl Williams, who directed the Blue Bears to the defeat said, "Everyone did a great job today playing the full 60 minutes. From the coaches, to the trainer to the players I am glad to see that we all stuck in there and played the hardest until the end". Although the offensive line may have gave up some big plays, they were a great in helping kickerLeonardo Manzo nail the kick to win the game"

Livingstone College takes on their next away game against Elizabeth City. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM.

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ASU Football Hornets Defense Tames TSU Tigers

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Texas Southern came into Montgomery averaging over 41 points and 463 yards per game in building their 4-0 record. Tonight the Alabama State defense held the Tigers high-powered offense to only three points and 221 total yards in a 38-3 victory over the previously unbeaten Tigers.

"I think Coach (Kevin) Ramsey and the defensive staff is doing a good job of continuing to develop our guys, our starters and those back up guys are playing meaningful time," Head Coach Reggie Barlow said. "Coach Ramsey coached a lot of those guys and recruited a lot of them and he kind of new what the can and can't do. I thought he had an outstanding game plan together to force them to get the ball out of their hands (quarterbacks) quick."

Texas Southern (4-1/ 2-1 SWAC) rushed for 122 yards, with 71 of those coming in the fourth quarter when the game was no longer in doubt.

Barlow added, "We were really worried about them running around, but our guys did a good job of sustaining and containing the edge. We were able to get some sacks and some turnovers and our defense really played combative and that's exactly how you want to play it."

In knocking the Tigers from the ranks of the undefeated, the Hornets held the dangerous passing game of TSU to only 99 yards passing on 12 of 31. ASU had one pick and sacked the TSU quarterbacks on six times.

Daerius Washington led ASU with 10 total stops (5 solo) while Kourtney Berry had nine (eight solo). Washington had two of the team's six sacks while Berry added a sack and 1.5 tackles for lost yardage.

Torrey Davis continues to have a solid season, finishing with seven tackles, a sack, two tackles behind the line of scrimmage and forcing two fumbles.

Senior Marcus Berg had his second interception of the season while Edward Mosley and Darien Barrett each had fumble recoveries.

The Hornets (4-1/3-0 SWAC) offense managed to accumulate 492 yards of offense on 83 plays, averaging 5.9 yards per play. ASU once again rushed for over 200 yards, finishing with 273 yards rushing on 48 attempts.

Malcolm Cyrus continued to pile up the yards finished with a game-high 118 yards. He only carried the ball 16 times, and only twice in the third quarter as ASU played four other running backs in the second half.

Quarterback Daniel Duhart had a solid performance rushing for a career-high 63 yards and a single-game and career-high two touchdowns, one from 25 yards out and his final score from three yards. He also completed 18 of his 32 pass attempts for 209 yards, including a 40 yard touchdown pass to DeMario Bell.

"Offensively Coach (Fred) Kaiss and his offensive staff are getting the guys prepared and the players are buying into that philosophy and they are going out and playing with a lot of passion," Barlow said.

Of all the big numbers from the Hornets, none were bigger than the freshman Clark. His five field goals was a career-high and now gives him 10 on the season. He also had a solid outing punting the football, averaging 39.5 yards per punt, including a career-long 54 yarder. Two of his four punts were downed inside the 20 and none of them were returned.

"Tonight I had the five-for-five and I actually struggled in practice this week," Clark said. "Tonight I came out and stuck to my technique and did my thing out there and came through with it."

ASU did most of their offensive damage in the opening half as the full starters only played two series in the third quarter. ASU did manage to score a safety when Deontrelle Silmon tackled a TSU quarterback in the endzone after a Clark punt had been downed on the one yard line.

The other scores came on Clark's fifth field goal of the game and Duhart's final touchdown run to push the final advantage out to 38-3. The Hornets defense held TSU scoreless in the second half.

The first half was all ASU as the Hornets rolled up 314 yards in building a 26-3 lead. ASU ran 48 first-half plays while scoring on each of its six possessions.

Most of the scoring came off the foot of Clark who kicked four of his five field goals. He hit from 18, 31, 29 and the final from 31 yards out on the final play of the half.

The other scores came on a Duhart 25-yard run and a 40-yard pass to Bell in the endzone. Bell was able to out jump two Tiger defenders in the scoring play.

ASU's defense held the high-scoring Tigers to only 115 total yards and three points on a Eric Medina 29 yard field goal in the second quarter.

Barlow added, "This was a really good game. Obviously there are some things we have to clean up, but it was a solid performance by our guys.

The Hornets will once again have a short week as they will travel to Alcorn State for a Thursday night ESPNU broadcast game. The game is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. Both teams enter the game undefeated in the East Division. The game will be ASU's fourth game in 20 days.

"I don't know if I have ever played that many games in that few of days," Barlow said. "We just have to have a good plan. We don't have a lot of time to prepare for Alcorn and you never want to look past an opponent like a Texas Southern, so we have figured out how we are going to practice, and we only have two days really."

"We have to let these guys heal, and get treatment, and we have to make sure we are doing study hall. Then Monday get a practice in and Tuesday another one in and Wednesday we will be traveling out. It's a huge challenge for us next week. We have a lot of respect for Alcorn and Coach Hopson and those guys are doing a great job and playing lights out."

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Ivy leads Jackson State to its first SWAC victory

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas – The pocket-passing quarterback was told he needed to run more.

So that's just what he did.

Jackson State's LaMontiez Ivy saw an opening to his right, sprinted for the 15-yard game-winning touchdown and handed JSU its first Southwestern Athletic Conference win.

The Tigers defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 33-30 in overtime Saturday at Golden Lion Stadium and grabbed a much-needed victory after back-to-back losses.

"People been talking to me about running, so I put it in my head that if I have an opportunity to run I'll run," Ivy said. "So on the last play, the play before that, we had trips (formation). And nobody lined up on the same receiver side. So I told Coach to go to the draw on the other side, and I would just have to beat one person. So we called it, and I got to the end zone. And I beat him."

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Bethune-Cookman fends off Florida Tech upset bid, 34-33

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — Florida Tech traveled to Daytona Beach to pull off an upset.

The Panthers came within one play of accomplishing their mission.

Bethune-Cookman thwarted FIT's 2-point conversion attempt with 19 seconds left and escaped the second-year Division II program's upset bid with a 34-33 victory Saturday at Municipal Stadium.

“All I know is we won,” B-CU coach Brian Jenkins said. “Good, bad, ugly, whatever. A win is a win. I don't think at the end of the day they judge how pretty the win was.”

For a while, it looked like Florida Tech (3-1) would celebrate with a big victory for the second consecutive week. The Panthers knocked off D-II No. 12 Tarleton State on Sept. 20. This time, they set their aim on the 14th-ranked Division I FCS Wildcats.



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TSU beats FAMU with defense

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  Tennessee State's offense made an appearance Saturday night, but as usual, it was the defense that won the game for the Tigers.

TSU beat Florida A&M 27-7 in the Tigers' homecoming before an LP Field crowd of 29,225.
After the Rattlers (0-4) threatened throughout the second half, TSU defensive end Roc-M Nesbitt hit backup quarterback Carson Royal and jarred the ball loose near the goal line.

Defensive tackle Samquan Evans scooped it up and ran untouched 12 yards into the end zone with 6:56 remaining. It was the only score of the second half for TSU (4-1).

"Coach (Rod Reed) saw that (Royal) was out there and said we had to get after him because he is not a mobile quarterback," Evans said. "We had a defensive line stunt on. When I came around, I saw the sack and the ball was loose. I'm an athlete, so I bent my knee, picked it up and scored."

RELATED: TSU scores again off interception



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Jackson breaks 4-mile school record at McNeese meet

LAKE CHARLES, La. -- Kwame Jackson broke the Xavier University of Louisiana men's cross country record for four miles Saturday at the McNeese Cowboy Stampede.

Jackson, a senior, finished 36th out of 74 runners in 21 minutes, 21.7 seconds. The previous XU record was 21:24.37 by Ray Walston in 2008. This was the second time at Xavier that Jackson competed at four miles; his previous best was 21:46.1.

It was the second time this season that Jackson broke a school record. He set a 5,000-meter mark of 15:30.90 on Sept. 6.

"My next goals are to win conference and try to break the 8K school record there," said Jackson, the 2011 and 2013 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference individual champion.

XU sophomore Christopher August placed 49th in 22:12.7, the ninth fastest in Gold Rush history. Emmanuel Detiege was 61st in 24:30.4.

The Gold Rush did not qualify for team scoring. Jarrett LeBlanc of McNeese alumni won the race in 19:08.3, and Tulane's Moses Aloiloi (19:16.1) was the first collegiate finisher.

Xavier's women originally were scheduled to compete but did not. Next race for both XU teams will be the GCAC Championships at City Park in New Orleans on Oct. 18.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Abbes and Nelson beat top seed, reach regional final

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana's Nour Abbes and Carmen Nelson won 8-6 against Auburn Montgomery's top-seeded Paula Diaz and Anna Rudolfova on Saturday in the women's doubles semifinals of the USTA / ITA NAIA South Regional Championships at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center.

Abbes and Nelson, the No. 4 seed, will play Sunday for the championship against Brenau's third-seeded Maria Perdomo-Medina and Patricia Recalde or AUM's Claudine Maheu and Alice Baudeign.

Abbes and Nelson won 8-5 in the quarterfinals against Georgia Gwinnett's Judith van Fraaijenhoven and Luma Schwab.

Abbes, the No. 1 singles seed, defeated Maheu 6-4, 6-2 in the round of 16, then advanced to the semifinals when Georgia Gwinnett's Chiara Di Salvo retired because of injury with Abbes leading 3-0.

Abbes will play sixth-seeded Diaz in the semifinals at 9 a.m. Sunday. The other semifinal will match Baudeign and Georgia Gwinnett's second-seeded Valeria Podda, who eliminated Xavier's Brion Flowers 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinals.

Flowers beat Rudolfova 6-3, 6-3 in the round of 16.

In men's doubles, XU's Kevin Chaouat and Tushar Mandlekar defeated AUM's Sergi Espias and Othmane Lalami 8-5 to reach the semifinals.

XU senior Nikita Soifer defeated Mobile's Marcio Dal Pont 8-6 to win the men's singles consolation championship. A No. 4 seed, Soifer won four matches -- three on Saturday -- after being upset in the main draw on Friday. Soifer led 3-0 against Dal Pont, then dropped four consecutive games before rallying for the victory.

All remaining matches will be played at XU Tennis Center. The three-day tournament is scheduled to conclude Sunday, weather permitting. The National Weather Service is predicting a 60-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 2 p.m.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Echebelem doubles up again, leads Xavier past Dillard

NEW ORLEANS -- Senior Chinedu Echebelem, recording back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in her career, had 14 kills and 12 digs Saturday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 25-18, 25-16, 25-10 women's volleyball victory against Dillard at XU's Convocation Center.

The victory was the eighth in a row for the Gold Nuggets (8-2, 5-0 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference). Xavier has won 48 consecutive matches against GCAC opponents, 39 in the regular season.

It was the fourth double-double of the season for Echebelem, who hit .379 in 29 attempts, and the 18th of her career. She had 10 kills and 13 digs Friday in a three-set home sweep of Loyola.

"We carried over our energy from the third set against Loyola," Echebelem said. "We played better than we thought we would. Our new players overcame any anxieties they had about playing Dillard, and we didn't let anything distract us."

Claudia Haywood had 10 kills and hit .500 for the Gold Nuggets -- she's hitting .481 this season against conference opponents -- and Jodi Hill, CeCe Williams and Jada Broussard had six kills apiece. Franziska Pirkl had 36 assists, eight digs and two aces, and Darian Harris had 17 digs to reach double figures for the eighth consecutive match.

Mercades Chevis had six kills for Dillard, and Demetria Horton had 16 digs.

Xavier closed the first set with an 11-2 run after trailing 16-14. Echebelem had four kills during a 12-3 second-set run which erased an 11-9 deficit, and Haywood had four kills and Echebelem three during a 13-2 run in the third.

Xavier outhit Dillard .267 to .019 -- .290 to minus-.029 in the final two sets -- and had match advantages of 43-22 in kills, 4-0 in aces and 52-42 in digs.

Xavier defeated its longtime city rival for the 10th consecutive time. They'll meet again Nov. 6 at Dillard to close the regular season.

Xavier's next match will start at 7 p.m. Monday against GCAC member Voorhees at the Convocation Center.

Photo Gallery: XU women's volleyball vs. Dillard

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Week 5 HBCU Football ScoreCard

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SATURDAY, September 27, 2014

OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE
Tennessee State 27, Florida A&M 7

MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
North Carolina Central (Bye Week)
North Carolina A&T 38,  Howard 22
South Carolina State 17, Hampton 10
Norfolk State 15, Morgan State 14
Bethune-Cookman 34, Florida Tech 33
Delaware State 35, Savannah State 10
Tennessee State 27, Florida A&M 7

SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Alabama A&M 42, Mississippi Valley 20
Grambling State 26, Prairie View 20 at Dallas (State Fair Classic)
Alcorn State 56, Southern 16
Alabama State 38, Texas Southern 3
Jackson State 33, Arkansas Pine Bluff 30 O.T.



OTHER CONFERENCES
Fairmont State 24, West Virginia State 12
Edward Waters 40, Point U. 7
Hardin-Simmons 30, Langston 29
West Georgia 42, Clark Atlanta 2
Oklahoma Panhandle State 70, Texas College 27
Bethune-Cookman 34, Florida Tech 33
Saint Francis (Pa.) 80, Virginia University Lynchburg 0
Delta State 72, Central State (Ohio) 8
Kutztown 74, Cheyney 0
West Alabama 60, Concordia-Selma 7
Truman State 29, Lincoln (Mo.) 20

CENTRAL INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Shaw 38, Lincoln (Pa.) 27
Livingstone 36, Bowie State 33 
Saint Augustine's 33, Chowan 31
Virginia Union 27, Johnson C. Smith 26
Virginia State 35, Fayetteville State 14 
Winston-Salem State 35, Elizabeth City State 7 

SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Tuskegee 44, Lane 3 
West Georgia 42, Clark Atlanta 2
Morehouse 20,  Paine 10
Stillman 34, Kentucky State 20 
Fort Valley State 33, Benedict 30
Delta State 72, Central State (Ohio) 8 
Albany State 14, Miles College 7