Livingstone celebrates success in tourney

The atmosphere was electric in Varick Auditorium Wednesday as Salisbury Mayor Susan W. Kluttz was on hand for a celebration honoring Livingstone College’s men’s basketball team for its historic performance at last week’s CIAA Tournament.

The Blue Bears made it to the championship game of the CIAA Tournament for the first time in school history after pulling off three consecutive victories against St. Paul’s College, Virginia Union University and Fayetteville State University. Livingstone was defeated by Shaw University 72-69 in the final game, but on Wednesday that hardly mattered to administrators, faculty, students and staff.

The pep band played, the cheerleaders cheered and numerous times throughout the 90-minute assembly the audience was on its feet showering the men’s basketball team and its coaches with much-deserved applause.

But the men’s basketball team wasn’t all Livingstone officials celebrated on Wednesday, as the Blue Bears women’s team and a few individual students were also recognized for their accomplishments.


Videographer: UrbanSportsITG; Inside The Game: Livingstone vs. Shaw - CIAA Men's Championship

City of Salisbury Proclaims March 9, 2011 as Livingstone College Men's Basketball Day

SALISBURY, NC – The Livingstone women’s and men’s basketball teams were honored Wednesday at a special assembly hosted on campus.

Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr., Livingstone President and Salisbury Mayor, Ms. Susan W. Klutz recognized both teams for their achievements throughout the season.

The women’s basketball team was recognized for its numerous individual honors, its NCAA regional ranking for three consecutive weeks and for being awarded the 2011 John B. Mclendon award for sportsmanship at the CIAA Tournament.

The men’s basketball team who reached the CIAA Championship for the first time in the school’s history was also recognized for their many achievements. Mayor Klutz gave a special presentation, presenting a proclamation that proclaimed March 9, 2011 as Livingstone College Men’s Basketball Day in the City of Salisbury.

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Shaw University Raheem Smith's Late Free Throws Clinch CIAA Championship

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Raheem Smith scored 28 points including two free throws with 2.3 seconds left in the game to give Shaw a 72-69 win over Livingstone Saturday for its second CIAA men's championship in school history.

Victory wasn't assured until a desperation three-pointer by Livingstone misfired, setting off a celebration inside Time Warner Cable Arena. Smith was named Tournament MVP, and he joined the Bears' Tony Smith and Devon Mclendon on the All-Tournament team. They led the Bears (22-8 overall), the No. 2 Southern Division seed, to victory over a game Livingstone squad making its first CIAA finals appearance.

Charlotte Observer Photos: Championship games 

"I can't say enough about this team," Shaw Head Coach Cleo Hill, Jr. said. "I'm proud of them and we fought throughout this tournament."

Mclendon added 19 points and 14 rebounds and Tony Smith scored 11 points for the Bears, who shot 52 percent from the floor including 54 percent in the second half. Livingstone, who put Darius Cox and Greg Henry on the All-Tournament team, shot 46 percent for the game including 50 percent in the second half, to make the game close.

The win gave Shaw a sweep of the men's and women's tournaments, which is a first for the private Raleigh, N.C., school. Hill, Jr., claimed his first crown in only his third season as head coach after being an assistant coach on the 2001-02 team which won the CIAA Tournament with former NBA player Ronald "Flip" Murray, who was the NCAA Division II player of the year for the Bears at the time.


Videographer: Cwallace281; Shaw University Choir joins Wake Forest Baptist Church in Wake Forest North Carolina, featuring soloist Brandi Hancock. Song: Lord Make Me An Instrument

Blue Bears Fall 72-69 to Shaw in CIAA Championship

CHARLOTTE, NC – The Livingstone men’s basketball team fell in its bid to win the 2011 CIAA Championship Saturday, falling in its first-ever title game, 72-69 to the Shaw University Bears at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Livingstone finishes its 2010-2011 campaign with a 17-12 overall record.

The Blue Bears were led by game MVP and All-Tournament Team selection Darius Cox who finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Fellow All-Tournament Team selection Greg Henry finished with 10 points and six boards. Also in double figures was Nasir Austin with 11 points and Carl Boswell who added 10 points.

Mush as they had all tournament, the Blue Bears jumped out to an early lead on Saturday. Livingstone led 12-5 with 13:42 left in the first half, but a 14-4 run by Shaw gave the Bears a 19-16 edge with 8:58 remaining in the opening half. Towards the end of the first half the Blue Bears stayed close and went into the break only down two, 32-30.

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By Livingstone College and Shaw University Media Relations

Livingstone Blue Bears Advance to CIAA Semi-Finals in Thrilling 59-58 Upset Victory Over Virginia Union

CHARLOTTE, NC – For only the second time in school history the Livingstone men’s basketball has advanced to the semifinals of the 2011 CIAA Basketball Tournament after a thrilling 59-58 upset victory over the Panthers of Virginia Union University, the second-seeded team out of the CIAA’s Northern Division.

“This win says a lot about our program with a victory over a team like Virginia Union,” CIAA Coach of the Year James Stinson said. “It shows our players that we are not second-rate to anyone.”

Livingstone, the third seed out of the Southern Division, advances to Friday’s semifinals against the winner of the Winston-Salem State/Fayetteville State contest. The semifinal contest is scheduled for a 9 p.m. tip on Friday at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, NC. This is Livingstone’s first trip to the semi-finals since 1998.

Livingstone Shocks VUU in CIAA Tourney 59-58

Virginia Union University's Braxton Byerson scored 21 points while teammate Gregory Redford grabbed 11 rebounds, but Livingstone College downed VUU 59-58 in the quarterfinals of the 2011 CIAA Tournament on March 3 in the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C.

The loss ended VUU's season and gave the Panthers a final record of 15-9.

VUU trailed by 10 at halftime, 39-29, but fought back in the second half to take a three-point lead with 1:15 left in the game, but Livingstone was able to hit the shots to win the game.

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CIAA Basketball: Livingstone 82, J.C. Smith 65

The Livingstone men’s basketball team picked up a crucial divisional victory Saturday, downing the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls 82-65 and earning the third seed out of the Southern Division for the 2011 CIAA tournament.

Trone Jackson led the Blue Bears with 17 points off the bench accompanied by Nasir Austin who scored 15 points and had five rebounds. Greg Henry was the leading scorer among the starters with 12 points to go with his seven rebounds.

Livingstone (14-11, 9-8) will open the conference tournament on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against St. Paul’s College who is the sixth seed out of the CIAA Northern Division.

Livingstone victory leaves Bulls blue

SALISBURY, N.C. - Saturday was Senior Night at Livingstone, but the Blue Bears' subs were the heroes. Livingstone's bench poured in 51 points during an 82-65 win against Johnson C. Smith at Trent Gym. Livingstone (14-11, 5-5) earned the CIAA South Division's third seed for this week's league tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena and dropped arch rival J.C. Smith (15-10, 4-6) to fourth.

"Before the game even started, coach (James Stinson) told us to come out and play 40 minutes of basketball and execute," said Livingstone reserve forward Nasir Austin, who scored 15 points with 6-for-11 shooting. "If we do that, it's easy for us to win."

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CIAA Basketball: Livingstone 81, Winston-Salem State 73

WINSTON-SALEM — The Livingstone men’s basketball team pulled off a big road upset Saturday against Winston-Salem State 81-73.

With the victory, James Stinson’s Blue Bears (12-5, 7-3 CIAA) improved to 3-1 in the division and move into a tie with the Rams for first place in the Southern Division at 3-1. The Rams (15-4) came into the contest as the fourth-ranked team in the latest NCAA Atlantic Region rankings.

Donte Durant had his best offensive output of the season, leading the Blue Bears with 18 points. Darius Cox fell just short of a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds while Quentin Redfern added 13 points with 11 of them coming at the charity stripe.

Rams lose to Blue Bears 81-73

Winston-Salem State failed to answer the bell against Livingstone on Saturday night at the Gaines Center. Playing their sixth straight home game the Rams thought they could turn it on whenever they needed to but that wasn’t the case as the Blue Bears won 81-73. It was the Blue Bears first victory at the Gaines Center since the 1997-98 season.

“We can’t just flip a switch,” said guard Shelton Carter of the Rams, who was one of many who struggled and scored just seven points. “We need to defend better and not just in spurts – we need to do that the entire 40 minutes.”

The Rams (15-4, 3-1) finally flipped the switch late but...

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Videographer: UrbanSportsITG; Fayetteville State vs. Winston-Salem State 1/28/11

Livingstone Blue Bear Women Down St. Augustine's 84-80 In Rollercoaster Affair

Lady Blue Bear Coach Angelyne Brown

SALISBURY, NC – The Livingstone women’s basketball team battled hard Monday evening to overcome a pesky St. Augustine’s team and grab an 84-80 victory.

Livingstone (12-4, 7-2, 2-1) was led by Brittany Wright who recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out of the game. Cassaundra Rhodes also added 16 points while Jasmine Murray scored 10.

Livingstone got off to another slow start as the Falcons (11-8, 5-4, 0-3) jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead, but the Blue Bears battled back on a 7-0 run to grab a 9-8 lead with 15:20 left in the opening half. Over the next three minutes the lead changed hands four times. Livingstone found itself down two with 12:16 to go, but went on a 7-0 run to go up 18-13 with 10:28 left.

Blue Bear Coach James Stinson

Livingstone Overcomes 14-Point Deficit to Upend St. Augustine's 75-74 In Overtime

SALISBURY, NC – The Livingstone men’s basketball team erased a 14-point, second-half deficit Monday evening and defeated the St. Augustine’s Falcons 75-74 in overtime.

The Blue Bears trailed the Falcons by 14 points with 7:35 to go in game and less than four minutes later the Blue Bears had clawed their way within four with 3:59 to play. St. Augustine’s briefly regained a seven-point edge before Livingstone went on a 5-0 run to get within two with 2:44 left in regulation.

The Falcons went back up by four with 2:12 to go, before Darius Cox hit a jumper with 1:42 left and was fouled. Cox converted the free throw to bring Livingstone within one. St. Augustine’s continued to hit clutch shots down the stretch and went back up by three with 1:25 remaining. Livingstone had multiple opportunities on its next possession to score, but couldn’t. The Blue Bears fouled St. Augustine’s Darrell Glass to proceeded to miss both free throws.

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CIAA Basketball: Livingstone 82, Lincoln 60

One knockout punch should have been enough for the Livingstone men’s basketball team Saturday night. But it a took a second haymaker — delivered late in the second half — to drop visiting Lincoln University to the canvas in an 82-60 CIAA victory.

“The first time we got the big lead we didn’t bury them like we should have,” LC forward Darius Cox said at Trent Gym, where the Blue Bears (5-3, 1-1) snapped a two-game losing streak. “We weren’t very good at using the clock and working for high-percentage shots. And on defense we didn’t make them work for their buckets.”

Winning coach James Stinson wasn’t exactly turning cartwheels after Livingstone earned its first conference win. He was upset that his team team allowed a 21-point second-half lead to shrink to 66-57 with 4:31 remaining.

WINSTON-SALEM STATE 77, VIRGINIA UNION 48

Tiffany Clarke scored 10 points, but VUU (0-8, 0-1 CIAA) fell to Winston-Salem (7-4, 3-0), which was led by Courtney Medley's 16 points.

SAINT AUGUSTINE'S 67, SAINT PAUL'S 43

Jasmine Stewart scored 10 points, but Saint Paul's (1-8, 0-3 CIAA) shot only 25 percent from the field and lost to Saint Augustine's (8-4, 2-0).

JOHNSON C. SMITH 60, ELIZABETH CITY STATE 52

Shavonda Price scored 18 for the Golden Bulls (9-0, 2-0 CIAA), who used a 14-4 second-half run to win at Elizabeth City State (8-4, 1-1).

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