Howard Women's Basketball Advances to Title Game

Sophomore Guard Cheyenne Curley-Payne #5
(Photo courtesy of Howard Bison Athletics)

Winston-Salem, NC (March 11, 2011) - Cheyenne Curley Payne scored a game-high 18 points and Saadia Doyle and Tamoria Holmes added 11 and 10, respectively to help Howard University hold off Morgan State University in the semifinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women's tournament at the Joel Coliseum. The Lady Bison (16-17), the Number 6 seed, will take on Hampton University, the Number 1 seed and regular season champion, on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Howard took control early as Doyle, the MEAC Player of the Year, tallied 9 of her points en route to a 28-21 halftime advantage. Curley Payne chipped in with seven points while the Lady Bears (17-14), the Number 3 seed, got 8 points from Erin Hawkins.

Howard continued to control the game though most of the second half despite getting little production from Doyle, who came into the game averaging over 18 points per game.

"They were sending multiple people from all different kind of angles at me," said Doyle. "Before the ball went out, I was already being boxed out. I didn't handle it very well today. I got a bit panicky and it showed."

With the Lady Bears putting much of their emphasis on containing Doyle, Curley Payne was able to make them pay. The 5-2 sophomore guard from Chula Vista, CA, hit four five shots in the second stanza and grabbed seven rebounds in the final stanza.

"She's 5-2, but she is second on the team in rebounding behind Saadia," said Howard Coach Niki Reid Geckeler. "She may be small but her heart is huge. She leads us in that way as you saw tonight."

Curley Payne's two free throws at the 2:32 mark gave Howard its biggest lead of the game at 49-39. But the Lady Bears staged a furious rally with a 12-3 run over a 2:10 stretch that cut the deficit to 52-51 with 22 seconds left on the clock.

The young Lady Bison regrouped, hit some free throws and kept the Lady Bears scoreless the rest of the way, sending them into the championship game for the first since 2001.

"What a way to end a game" said Coach Geckeler. "To have so many sophomores and to get to this point is very gratifying."

In addition to her 18 points, Curley Payne added seven rebounds and four assists. Holmes, who also had some key plays in the second half, tallied seven of her 10 after intermission and Doyle finished with a double double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Morgan State was led by Erin Hawkins and Brittany Dodson, who each scored 14 and Monesha Davis, who contributed 10 in a losing cause.

"Howard has improved all year," said Morgan State Coach Donald Beasley. "They played well. They are a good team and they deserve the win.

Hampton swept Howard this season and has won three of the last four between the two rivals. The experienced Lady Pirates are the regular season and defending tournament champions.

"That's always a good game," said Coach Geckeler. "They're tough and they play well, but at this time of year, everyone is 0-0."

By Jamilah Corbitt
Assistant Director of Sports Information
Howard University
Visit: howard-bison.com

Howard University Announces 2011 Football Schedule

WASHINGTON, DC - Howard University announces its 2011 football schedule. The Bison, under new head coach Gary Harrell, will open the season at Eastern Michigan on September 3. It will be the second meeting between the two schools. The Bison will then take on Morehouse College in the First Nation's Football Classic at RFK Stadium on September 10.

Howard will have its home and MEAC opener on September 17 against Norfolk State at Greene Stadium.

Road games will follow at East Rutherford, NJ in the New York Urban League against Morgan State on September 24, at Savannah State in Savannah, GA on October 1 and at Florida A&M University on October 8.

The Bison return home for three straight games beginning with Georgetown on October 15, against North Carolina A&T for homecoming on October 22, and against South Carolina State on October 29.

Howard then travels to Hampton, VA to take on the Pirates on November 5, and then following a bye week, will travel to Dover, DE on November 19 to close out the regular season against the Hornets of Delaware State.

September
3 at Eastern Michigan, TBA

10 vs Morehouse# 3:30 pm

17 vs NORFOLK STATE, 1 pm

24 vs Morgan State&, 4 pm

October
1 at Savannah State, TBA

8 at Florida A&M, TBA

15 vs Georgetown, 1 pm

22 vs NORTH CAROLINA A&T@, 1 pm

29 vs SC STATE, 1 pm

November
5 at Hampton, TBA

19 at Delaware State, 12 pm

MEAC Games in bold
Home Games in All CAPS
#RFK Stadium, Washington, DC (The Nation’s Football Classic™)
&NY Urban League Classic at New Giants Stadium
@Homecoming

Ed Hill Jr., Sports Information Director
Howard University, Washington, D.C.
READ MORE AT: howard-bison.com

Howard Bison Lacrosse Cruises to Second Straight Win

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Howard Bison lacrosse team captured their second consecutive win after defeating Frostburg State, 12-8 in a game grounded on solid defense.

After melting seven minutes off the clock, junior Cheryse Cox positioned her sister and fellow teammate Desiree Cox to score the opening goal of the game. Three minutes later Cheryse garnered her first goal of the game on a free position shot.

Howard (2-3) concluded the first half leading FSU (1-3), 6-5.

Howard University Women's Lacrosse Team is the first LAX Team to be fielded
by any Historical Black College or University.  The Division I Bison Lacrosse are
members of the National Lacrosse Conference (NLC) and are coached by
 Coach Sarah Schermerhorn
(2011 Team Photo courtesy of Howard University Athletics)

Upon returning from halftime, Cynthia Smalls recorded a speedy goal with 29:35 on the clock. Several goals scored on free position shots allowed the Bison to push further to the forefront with a 10-6 lead. Howard maintained their lead for the remainder of the game and allowed their opponents a mere three scores in the second period.

Desiree led the Bison in scoring for the fifth consecutive game with four goals while Cheryse recorded three goals. The Cox sisters, together, have scored 30 of Howard’s 51 goals this season. Desiree also holds an impressive .800 shot-on-goal percentage.

Smalls and Courtland Lackey added to the win over Frostburg State with two goals apiece. Ashley Lawrence also scored a goal and defensively led the Bison with three caused turnovers. Currently, the Bison lead their opponents in caused turnovers, 46-44.

Bison goalie Amber Meeks held FSU to a .276 shooting percentage, recorded 15 saves and held their opponents to the fewest points allowed in a single game thus far into the 2010-11 season.

The Bison will look to extend their winning streak to three games on March 9 when they take on Wilmington (Del.) at 3 p.m. at Greene Stadium. Visit Howard-Bison.com for more updates on the Howard lacrosse team.

Box Score         HU Women's Lacrosse Roster

NEXT GAME: Wednesday, March 9, 3:00 PM, Greene Stadium, Howard University, Washington, D.C., Bison vs. Wilmington University Wildcats

By Tiffany White
Sports Information Assistant
Visit: Howard-Bison.com

Howard University Softball Scoop Three Straight Wins

Howard University Head Coach Lauren McCoy

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Howard softball team won three of their four games this past weekend at the Campus Suites Spartan Classic hosted by South Carolina-Upstate, recording three consecutive wins over LaSalle, Oakland and Lafayette following a loss to the tournament hosts.

The Bison (3-3) opened up the tournament against an undefeated USC Upstate team (16-0) where they shutout HU, 2-0. On the mound for the Bison was Emily Johnson who gave up a homer in the third and RBI walk in the sixth.

Marisa Coats was the only Bison to record any hits against USC Upstate. Coats finished with two hits in the shutout loss, notching a double and a single.

Following the 2-0 loss, Howard rebounded in an explosive way to post their first win of the season against LaSalle (1-3), outscoring the Explorers, 9-1.

In the hitting frenzy the team notched a season high of 15 hits in the six-inning game and limited LaSalle to only five. Leading the way for the Bison at the plate was shortstop Rebecca Kirshner and Ciera Gordon with three hits, two runs and RBI a piece. Gordon would go on to complete the tournament with most hits for the Bison with seven.

Christine Sborz got things started for Howard with a lead-off double in the bottom of the first inning. She made it back across the plate to give HU the 1-0 lead after Kirshner singled to left center field.

Howard went on to score in every inning, excluding the fourth, and finished the final inning with four runs and four hits. Carly Martin received her first win of the season and struck out four and walked only two batters.

Following their dominating performance against LaSalle, Howard swept Oakland (4-8), 4-3 and then Lafayette (0-4), 8-2. Both Martin and Johnson split the mound against Lafayette. Martin gave up four hits through four innings while Johnson gave up three hits through three innings and both gave up a run a piece.

Against Oakland Samantha Gatson remained in the pitcher’s circle all seven innings. Gatson gave up eight hits, but a solid Bison defense coupled with Gatson’s four strikeouts would contain Oakland’s offense to three runs and secure HU’s third straight win.

The Bison will look to remain hot and extend their winning streak to four games when they travel to Lubbick, Tex. March 4-6 for the Texas Tech Invitational.

By Tiffany White, Sports Information Assistant
Howard University
Visit: howard-bison.com

Howard University swim team moving tradition forward

LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY

Hidden one floor beneath a college gymnasium, tucked at the end of a hallway and through two sets of heavy double doors, Matt Salerno checked his stopwatch and shouted time results to swimmers crisscrossing a small, six-lane pool whose very existence is unknown to even some students at Howard University.

As one of three historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to field a swimming and diving team, Howard faces a number of challenges - lack of recognition, for one, but also in recruiting, resources, competitiveness and its role in the continued expansion of a sport across racial boundaries. But despite those issues, many on the team believe they are on the right path toward forming a competitive program over the next few years - and one that can continue to break down barriers.

"I don't even know if they know how much of an inspiration they are to many black swimmers or African American swimmers or divers," Salerno said. "That they're doing something that's 1 in 50. And I think when they look back on it, they'll feel a lot of pride for their accomplishments."

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Howard University Starts Over With Sports

The Bison's new athletic director, Skip Perkins, wants to turn things around.

Skip Perkins became athletic director at Howard University on Monday—a month earlier than scheduled. Perkins explained that he showed up ahead of schedule because there’s “a lot to do.”

Yup, there is a lot. Howard’s major sports have done a lot of losing for a lot of years. President Obama gave the school its greatest athletic exposure in forever last month by attending the men’s basketball team’s season opener against visiting Oregon State (a team coached by Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama’s brother). With the spotlight shining, Howard lost by double-digits. The team is now 1-7 under first-year coach Kevin Nickelberry, who replaced Gil Jackson, who somehow lasted five seasons despite losing at least 20 games every year and posting a 37-118 overall record.

Howard hasn’t won a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title or been invited to the NCAA tournament in nearly two decades. For a school located in a city with as great a pool of basketball talent as any in the country, such chronic losing seems impossible and wrong.

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Howard University fires football coach Carey Bailey

Carey Bailey era ends at 8-36, 2-30 MEAC.

Howard University fired football coach Carey Bailey on Monday, according to a source who requested anonymity because details of the financial settlement are still being worked out. Bailey, who just completed his fourth season, has two years remaining on his contract.

The firing was the first order of business for Howard's new athletic director, Louis "Skip" Perkins, who started at the school Monday. Perkins, who spent the previous three years in the same position at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, can immediately put his imprint on Howard's signature sport.

One of Perkins's first hires at UAPB in 2007 was former Washington Redskins linebacker Monte Coleman as football coach.

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KEEPING SCORE - COACHING CHANGES
1. 10/18/10, North Carolina Central, Moses Rison (18-21), Interim Coach Darryl Bullock,(1-5).
2. 12/01/10, North Carolina A&T State, Alonzo Lee (5-16), Interim Coach George Ragsdale
3. 12/02/10, Delaware State, Al Lavan (41-36), Interim Coach Rayford Petty
4. 12/06/10, Howard University, Carey Bailey (8-36)
5. 12/01/10, Stillman College, L.C. Cole (7-15); New Coach Teddy Keaton, 12/3/2010.
6. 10/04/10, Miles College, William "Billy" Joe, Interim Coach Patrick Peasant

-beepbeep

Howard University names Louis "Skip" Perkins Athletic Director

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Louis “Skip” Perkins Jr., athletics director at University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (UAPB), has been named Howard University’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics effective Jan. 1, 2011, University President Sidney A. Ribeau announced today.

“At Howard, we are committed to building and bolstering our intercollegiate program to ensure that student-athletes succeed in the classroom and compete at the highest levels in their respective arenas,” Ribeau said. “We sought a leader who is committed to academic and athletic excellence; we found that in Skip Perkins.”

Perkins will assume responsibility for Howard’s 19 varsity athletic programs, including Division 1 football and Division 1 basketball. Other sports programs include soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field for men and women; and four programs – bowling, lacrosse, volleyball and softball – in which only women participate.

"It’s a truly humbling and exciting experience for me to have the opportunity to return to the Washington, D.C. area to lead Howard University’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics,” Perkins said. “I believe Howard’s and President Ribeau’s emphasis on academic and athletic excellence will serve as the foundation for returning Bison Athletics to national prominence. "

During Perkins' three-year tenure, Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Department of Athletics steadily improved. The UAPB athletic program won a total of five championships – highlighted by titles in women’s cross country (2007 and 2009); men’s cross country (2009); women’s soccer (2009) and men’s basketball (2010).

Under his leadership, the UAPB athletic facilities were significantly improved. The newly constructed, state-of-the-art, $5 million J. Thomas May Athletic Field House and football practice field currently serves as one of the premier athletic facilities in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and in the Southeast Arkansas Region.

A.D. Skip Perkins marketing the UAPB program (Archive Video: 8/7/2008)


Prior to his appointment at UAPB, he was the assistant director of Athletics at his alma mater North Carolina Central University (NCCU). He was instrumental in the institution’s transition from Division II to Division I ranks. Perkins’ year-long fundraising campaign yielded $1.8 million to benefit student-athletes.

He also served as the executive director of Communications and External Affairs at St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C. He developed and directed communications strategies, which included the development of publications and institutional policies.

Perkins holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a pair of Masters degrees in public administration and instructional media from North Carolina Central University. He was an Academic All-American in both 1994 and 1995 as a member of the NCCU tennis team, where he was a four-year team captain.

Perkins is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, NCAA Division I Recruiting Cabinet and Athletics Personnel Issues Cabinet, United States Tennis Association, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Inc. and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 10/20/10
CONTACT:
Kerry-Ann Hamilton
Media Relations Manager
k_hamilton@howard.edu
202.238.2332

Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 12 schools and colleges. Founded in 1867, students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. Since 1998, the University has produced two Rhodes Scholars, two Truman Scholars, a Marshall Scholar, 21 Fulbright Scholars and 11 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, call 202-238-2330, or visit the University’s Web site at http://www.howard.edu/