Lady Bleu Devils' Jazzmin Smith and Ariel Mitchell lead Dillard to victory over University of New Orleans

Ariel Mitchell
 Point Guard

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana - Jazzmin Smith scored 22 points and grabbed 7 rebounds and Ariel Mitchell chipped in with 15 points and 7 rebounds as the Dillard Lady Bleu Devils defeated the UNO Lady Privateers 66-63 on Thursday afternoon on the Battlefield in Dent Hall.

In what was a highly contested and tight game throughout, the Lady Bleu Devils (2-4) held on for the improbable victory.

From the opening tip, the Lady Bleu Devils were determined to pound the Lady Privateers inside with their size advantage. The Lady Bleu Devils grabbed an early 8-3 on the strength of Jazzmin Smith's inside game and Ariel Mitchell's shooting from the outside. The Lady Privateers (0-8) roared back, using a 9-3 run to tie the game at 12-12. The Lady Bleu Devils tightened their defense and reclaimed the lead and went into halftime up 34-27.

In the second half, both teams turned up their defense intensity. The Lady Bleu Devils held on to the lead until a basket by the Lady Privateers' Keri Thomas gave UNO their first lead of the game at 47-46 with just under twelve minutes to play. Scores by Jazzmin Smith and Ariel Mitchell helped the Lady Bleu Devils reclaim the lead, but the Lady Privateers would not give up. The Lady Privateers would reclaim the lead 59-57 until two free throws and a layup by the Lady Bleu Devils' Jazzmin Smith gave Dillard a 61-59 lead. The Lady Privateers would again grab the lead until Ariel Mitchell hit a jumper with 46 seconds left to give the Lady Bleu Devils their final lead and Dillard held on for the victory.

The Lady Bleu Devils shot 50% from the field in the second half. The Lady Bleu Devil defense forced the Lady Privateers into 20 turnovers in the victory.

The Lady Bleu Devils will have a week layoff to prepare for the Loyola Lady Wolfpack on Friday, December 9th at 5:30p.m. The game will be played at the University Sports Complex on the campus of Loyola University.

By Dillard Sports Information

VISIT: DILLARD UNIVERSITY
VISIT: DILLARDBLEUDEVILS

Make Dillard University Your Avenue of Opportunity!

Xavier Gold Nuggets 5-0 in GCAC after four-set win at Dillard

NEW ORLEANS — Taylor Reuther had 19 kills and a season-high 21 digs Saturday in Xavier University of Louisiana's 24-26, 25-16, 25-12, 25-18 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's volleyball victory at Dillard.

The Gold Nuggets (10-3, 5-0) won for the ninth time in 10 matches.

Chinedu Echebelem had 10 kills and 16 digs for Xavier, Moira Kirk had 10 kills and three blocks, and Patrice Hightower had a season-high-tying 10 digs and a career-high 42 assists. Celeste Poe had 19 digs, one less than her career best.

It was the second time in the Nuggets' four-year history that they won on the road after losing the first set. It was the first time they did it on an opponent's floor, and it was the first time in four tries that they beat Dillard at Dent Hall.

"I always wanted to come to Xavier and break records," said Echebelem, who recorded her second kill-dig double-double of the season. "I'm glad to do it as a team."

Dillard (5-7, 0-2), the defending GCAC Tournament champion, opened the match with a 10-1 run. Xavier rallied for ties at 20, 21, 23 and 24, but the Lady Bleu Devils closed the set with a Monica De Alcantara kill and a Jessica Goods-Morris block.

"We just had to calm down, relax and get in a groove after that start," Hightower said. "We were shaking and nervous. Ne (Echebelem) got a kill, got us pumped up and got us going."

Xavier trailed only twice more after the first set — at 3-2 and 4-3 in the fourth. Reuther's kill put the Nuggets ahead to stay at 5-4, and she ended the match with a kill.

Reuther recorded her team-leading seventh kill-dig double. She hit minus-.333 in 15 attacks the first set but .419 in the final three sets.

Dillard's 6-1 run in the fourth set cut Xavier's lead to 13-12 and prompted first-year Xavier coach Christabell Hamilton to call timeout. Then the Lady Bleu Devils committed attack errors on each of the next four rallies, and Dillard never challenged seriously again.

"Our team had to come together quickly after that start," Hamilton said. "Dillard is the defending champion, and you don't want to give them that kind of lead at their place. We stayed in there and started to fight."

Paula Ogbevoen led Dillard with 10 kills.

The teams will meet again Nov. 5 at The Barn. Next for the Gold Nuggets will be a two-match home stand — 7 p.m. Wednesday against the University of New Orleans, then 5 p.m. Thursday against Prairie View A&M — before returning to Dillard for GCAC matches against Philander Smith and Tougaloo on Friday and Edward Waters on Saturday.

NOTES: Xavier is 36-14 all-time (16-4 home, 8-4 away, 12-6 neutral) when winning the first set and 4-62 (2-16 home, 1-29 away, 1-17 neutral) when losing the first set . . . Attendance was 800 . . . Poe had eight digs in the first set . . . Xavier was 5-17 in GCAC regular-season matches its first three seasons.

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

Bernard Griffith chosen as Dillard University basketball coach

The legendary Bernard Griffith developed
current New Jersey Nets head coach
Avery Johnson and served as an
assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks.

New Orleans - Dillard University’s search for a new men’s basketball coach began and ended inside of its own zip code with the hiring of former Saint Augustine coaching legend Bernard Griffith.

Griffith, 63, spent the past school year serving as basketball coach and athletic director at L.B. Landry High School in Algiers, but recently resigned from that position to accept the Dillard job, Dillard Athletic Director Kiki Baker Barnes and Landry Principal Lee Green said Thursday.

Griffith replaces Dale Brown, who resigned from Dillard to take the men’s basketball coaching position at Clark Atlanta University, a NCAA Division II school in Atlanta.

“He is a phenomenal coach, absolutely phenomenal,’’ Barnes said in confirming Griffith’s selection. “That’s my word for him.’’

Dillard has scheduled a press conference to announce Griffith’s hiring for next Thursday at its Gentilly campus, Barnes said. Griffith could not be reached for comment, but his move places him almost within walking distance (less than two miles) of Dillard from his Gentilly home.

READ MORE
VISIT: DILLARD UNIVERSITY
VISIT: DILLARDBLEUDEVILS

Dillard AD enjoying recent athletic success, looking to build on it

Athletic Director Kiki Baker Barnes

New Orleans -- Last year at Dillard's athletic leadership training, student-athletes received pictures of what Gulf Coast Athletic Conference championship rings would look like. At this year's training, members of the GCAC championship track and field team will receive the real thing.

The track and field team joins the volleyball team, which already received its rings, as Dillard's first conference championship programs since Hurricane Katrina. Athletic Director Kiki Barnes said they serve as examples the other athletes can aspire to match.

"Sometimes people need to see tangible things, like they need to see an actual ring," Barnes said. "Well, when our volleyball team won, that particular vision became a reality. So they're going to be walking around campus with rings. It's really going to provide a real-life visual for the other student-athletes who are still hoping and wanting to generate that. It's more of a motivation because it's real now, not paper."

Those teams' success shows the growth the Bleu Devils have experienced since Barnes, also the women's basketball coach, became the interim athletic director in 2006. Barnes had the interim tag removed in 2009 and set out to implement a plan that included hiring staff, increasing scholarships and improving facilities, steps that created a foundation for the program on which to build.



READ MORE

VIEW VIDEO
VISIT: DILLARD UNIVERSITY
VISIT: DILLARDBLEUDEVILS
VISIT: GULF COAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Dillard Lady Bleu Devils' Basketball Team Add Six Recruits

Coach Kiki Baker Barnes

New Orleans, LA - The Dillard University Lady Bleu Devils' Basketball Team has announced the signing of six players who will join the Lady Bleu Devils' program for the 2011-12 season.

Dillard University Athletic Director and Head Women's Basketball Coach Kiki Barnes and staff have secured the services of Kiante Ageous, of Harvey, LA, Jaliesa Hicks, of Jackson, MS, Ariel Harrell, of Jonesboro, LA, Brittany Smith of Richmond, TX, Keylantra Taylor, of Houston, TX, and Kierrariel Mitchell, of Jackson, MS.

Ageous is an athletic 5'11 shooting guard who originally signed with the University of Arizona coming out of high school. In 2010, Ageous was ranked the 116th best player in the nation at her position by ESPN Hoop Gurlz. Ageous averaged 21.2 points and 11.2 rebounds her senior season for Sam Houston High in San Antonio, Texas after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina. She was a McDonalds All-American nominee as well as an ESPN/RISE 3rd Team All-Area selection for the Hurricanes.

Ariel Harrell is a 6'0 forward who attended Jonesboro-Hodge High School in Jonesboro, LA. A prospect for Hoop Gurlz, Harrell averaged 13.1 points and 15.3 rebounds as a senior. She was All-District Second Team her senior year and scored a season-high 32 points vs. state champion Winnfield High School.

Kierrariel Mitchell, a guard/forward from Jackson, MS. Kierrariel attended Jim Hill High School and averaged 13.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game her senior year. She had a game-high 26 points vs. Murrah High School, 3rd best school in state of Mississippi. She was voted All-State Honorable Mention as well as All-District and All-Metro Area First-Team as a senior, leading her team to an overall record of 26-8. Mitchell is ranked the 19th best player in the Mississippi FILA Class of 2011 Top 40.



Jaliesa Hicks is a 5'5 point guard who also attended Jim Hill High School in Jackson, MS. She averaged 6.9 points, 3.1 assists and 2.2 rebounds her senior season. She was named to the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger All-Metro Team all four years of high school.

Brittney Smith is a 5'7 guard who attended George Bush High School in Richmond, TX. She averaged 16 points and 2.6 assists per game as a senior and earned 1st-Team All-District honors. Smith had a season-high 36 points vs. Fort-Bend Austin. Smith was also MVP and Team Captain her senior season.

Rounding out the class is Keylantra Taylor, a 6'0 forward who played prep ball at Klein Forest High School in Houston, TX. Taylor averaged 16 points and 14 rebounds her senior season, earning 1st-Team All District honors. She was ranked 91st overall at the wing position in the nation by ESPN Hoop Gurlz. She was voted Team Captain and MVP, leading the Golden Eagles to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in ten years.

"I am very excited about the about the six young ladies that we are adding to an already good core group of girls," said Kiki Barnes. "Not only is each one these young ladies extremely talented, but they also possess a winning attitude."

The Lady Bleu Devils open the 2011-12 regular season on Friday, November 11, 2011 in an exhibition contest at Southern University at Baton Rouge.

VISIT: DILLARD UNIVERSITY
VISIT: DILLARDBLEUDEVILS

Dillard Bleu Devils Win Inaugural GCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship

Baton Rouge, LA - The Dillard Men's Track and Field Team put on an impressive performance and won the First Annual GCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship held at A.W. Munford Stadium on the campus of Southern University and A&M College on Good Friday.

The Bleu Devils dominated SUNO, Xavier University and Edward Waters College from start to finish en route to the championship. The Bleu Devils finished with 161.50 total team points. Edward Waters College finished 2nd with 136 points.

The Bleu Devils' relay team started the competition by finishing second in the 4x100-meter relay race with a time of 43.21. The 4x400-meter relay team, which has qualified for the NAIA Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis, finished second in competition with a time of 3:24.42. Dillard's Men's 4x800-meter relay team finished first in team competition with a time of 9:29.18.

The Bleu Devils led the way in individual competition. Ladalrius Miller finished 1st in the 110-meter hurdles. Three Bleu Devils finished first, second and third in the Men's 400-meter hurdles. Emory Nash finished first in the Men's 800-meter race with a time of 2:04.22. Zachary Harmon finished first in the Men's Shot Put with a score of 9.92 meters.



Dillard Lady Bleu Devils finish 2nd in GCAC Track and Field Championship

Baton Rouge, LA-The Dillard Lady Bleu Devils' Track and Field team finished off their season with a second place finish at the First Annual GCAC Track and Field Conference Championship in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Lady Bleu Devils finished with 133 team points to Xavier University's 138.50 point total.

The Lady Bleu Devils finished in the top five in 13 of the 26 total events at the conference meet. Dillard's 4x100-meter relay team, which has already qualified for the NAIA Track and Field Championships on May 26th, put on another strong performance, finishing first in Friday's competition with a time of 48.06. Lady Bleu Devil Courtney Henry, who has qualified individually in the 100 and 200-meter dash for the NAIA Track and Field Championships, won both races on Friday. Henry finished with a time of 12.39 in the 100-meter dash and a time 26.06 in the 200-meter race.

The Lady Bleu Devils finished second in the 4x400-meter relay competition with a time of 4:09.11. In field events, Lady Bleu Devil Monique Waiters finished 3rd in women's long jump competition with a distance of 4.94 meters. Sophomore Jonquil Griffin finished tied for 2nd place in the women's triple jump with a distance of 9.90 meters.

VISIT: DILLARD UNIVERSITY
VISIT: DU BLEUDEVILS