TALLADEGA, Alabama — Qua Doster scored 18 points and made four 3-pointers Saturday to lead NAIA No. 8 Talladega in a wire-to-wire 70-55 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against 14th-ranked Xavier University of Louisiana.
XU senior guard Morris Wright, named Friday to the 100-member watch list for the inaugural Bevo Francis Award, scored a career-high 28 points. He reached double figures for the 28th consecutive game and became the 15th Gold Rush player to reach 1,300 career points.
The Tornadoes (14-3, 2-0) made 3-pointers on each of their first three possessions, the last by Doster, to take a 9-2 lead. Talladega led 40-30 at halftime, and the final margin was its largest of the game.
But the Gold Rush (14-6, 1-2) threatened in the second half, getting six points from Wright and five from Elex Carter in a 11-0 run that cut Talladega's lead to 46-45 with 13:27 remaining. Then the Tornadoes answered with 11 straight points, and Generra Varmall's 3-pointer at 9:26 capped the surge and made it 57-45. Xavier did not get closer than seven points thereafter.
Wright, who made a season-high five 3-pointers for the sixth time this season, was Xavier's only double-figure scorer. Carter scored seven and grabbed eight rebounds. All of Carter's rebounds came in the second half.
Jordan Washington had 15 points and five assists for Talladega, which has an eight-game win streak, and Courtney Mack had nine points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Xavier outshot the Tornadoes 45.5 to 41.4 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 35-31. Talladega had a 10-6 advantage in made 3-pointers and was plus-10 in turnovers, committing a season-low five and gaining 15. The Tornadoes committed one turnover in the second half.
Xavier will play its fourth game in eight days when it meets GCAC opponent Tougaloo at 7:30 p.m. Monday at XU's Convocation Center. The Bulldogs were 25th in the NAIA coaches of poll Jan. 5 before dropping out this week.
NOTES: Xavier will get a rematch at home with Talladega Jan. 25, one week from Monday . . . Wright has 1,315 career points in 85 games (15.5 points per game). Next on the Gold Rush career list are Derrick Collins (1983-87) in 14th place with 1,319 points and Rodolfo Gill (1981-85) in 13th place with 1,339 points . . . Wright's previous point high was 27 against Mid-America Christian in the opening round of the 2015 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Divison I National Championship at Kansas City, Mo.
Ed
Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAgold.com
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Saturday, January 16, 2016
Dry spell dooms Nuggets in loss at No. 21 Talladega
TALLADEGA, Alabama — Xavier University of Louisiana suffered a long dry spell Saturday and lost 54-47 to Talladega in a matchup of ranked NAIA women's basketball teams from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.
The Gold Nuggets (13-6, 2-1 GCAC), ranked 13th, led 7-2 in the fifth minute, then was outscored 34-15 during the next 23 minutes. The Lady Tornadoes (13-3, 2-0), ranked 21st, took the lead for good shortly before halftime and led by 18 in the second half.
"We struggled offensively and made too many unforced turnovers," XU coach Bo Browder said.
Xavier shot 25 percent from the floor to match a season low, failed to make a 3-pointer and committed 27 turnovers. XU reserve guard Alesha Smith scored a season-high 12 points and had three steals to match her career high. Trana Hopkins scored nine points, and Hopkins, Kelsee Singleton and Mikayla Bates grabbed five rebounds apiece.
Tajanee Wells scored 11 points for Talladega, Tashieba Henry scored 10, and Latisha Brown had nine points and 12 rebounds. The Lady Tornadoes shot 28.2 percent from the floor.
Xavier led 9-6 through the first quarter, but Talladega led 20-14 at halftime and 41-27 through three quarters. Henry's two free throws with 6:12 remaining made it 48-30.
Making her XU debut was Ariel Sneed, a 6-foot junior forward from Harvey, Ill. Sneed, who attended Southern Mississippi during the fall and was a standout at Kirkwood (Mo.) Community College last season, had two points and three rebounds in 15 minutes.
The teams will meet again Jan. 25 — one week from Monday — at 5:30 p.m. at XU's Convocation Center. Next for the Gold Nuggets will be their fourth game in eight days — 5:30 p.m. Monday against GCAC opponent Tougaloo at XU's Convocation Center.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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The Gold Nuggets (13-6, 2-1 GCAC), ranked 13th, led 7-2 in the fifth minute, then was outscored 34-15 during the next 23 minutes. The Lady Tornadoes (13-3, 2-0), ranked 21st, took the lead for good shortly before halftime and led by 18 in the second half.
"We struggled offensively and made too many unforced turnovers," XU coach Bo Browder said.
Xavier shot 25 percent from the floor to match a season low, failed to make a 3-pointer and committed 27 turnovers. XU reserve guard Alesha Smith scored a season-high 12 points and had three steals to match her career high. Trana Hopkins scored nine points, and Hopkins, Kelsee Singleton and Mikayla Bates grabbed five rebounds apiece.
Tajanee Wells scored 11 points for Talladega, Tashieba Henry scored 10, and Latisha Brown had nine points and 12 rebounds. The Lady Tornadoes shot 28.2 percent from the floor.
Xavier led 9-6 through the first quarter, but Talladega led 20-14 at halftime and 41-27 through three quarters. Henry's two free throws with 6:12 remaining made it 48-30.
Making her XU debut was Ariel Sneed, a 6-foot junior forward from Harvey, Ill. Sneed, who attended Southern Mississippi during the fall and was a standout at Kirkwood (Mo.) Community College last season, had two points and three rebounds in 15 minutes.
The teams will meet again Jan. 25 — one week from Monday — at 5:30 p.m. at XU's Convocation Center. Next for the Gold Nuggets will be their fourth game in eight days — 5:30 p.m. Monday against GCAC opponent Tougaloo at XU's Convocation Center.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Grambling rallies to defeat Prairie View
The win was Grambling’s first over PVAMU since 2005.
Four GSU players scored double digits, with Deonte Hearns leading the team with 21 points.
“I was really disappointed, angry, with my team at halftime,” GSU coach Shawn Walker said after the game. “Prairie View is a difficult team to play against Our team has been down every game. I really don’t concern myself with how far we’re down. I challenged them all the way through the game.”
Prairie View built a halftime ...
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Short-handed Southern has no problem beating Arkansas-Pine Bluff 69-55
PINE BLUFF, Arkansas — Southern played without two starters, but it mattered little as the Jaguars defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 69-55 on Saturday night in the H.O. Clemmons Arena.Center D’Adrian Smith missed his fifth straight game because of a sprained ankle and guard Trelun Banks was sidelined because of a sprained ankle he aggravated against Jackson State on Monday.
But Adrian Rodgers scored 15, Jared Sam had 13 points and Rashad Andrews 12. Sam grabbed a game-high eight rebounds as the Jaguars outrebounded the Golden Lions 42-27 to win their third consecutive game.
“I thought we did a pretty good job of rebounding the basketball,” Southern coach Roman Banks said. “I thought we guarded them well, and we played with a whole bunch of energy.”
Southern (11-7, 3-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) is expected to be without Allen and Banks again when it visits Mississippi Valley State on Monday. UAPB fell to 1-3, 3-15.
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Jackson State rally falls short against Texas Southern
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Wayne Brent didn't want to leave Jackson State's home court with a loss on Saturday, but Texas Southern left him no choice.TSU, the defending SWAC champion, led by as many as 20 points in the second half, and held off a frantic JSU rally to earn a 71-65 victory at the Lee E. Williams AAC on Saturday night.
Jackson State (8-10, 3-2 SWAC) crept to within four points with 1:03 remaining, but Texas Southern's Malcolm Riley pulled down a clutch offensive rebound during the ensuing possession, which eventually led to a Christ Thomas layup to put a stop to the bleeding.
The win allowed Texas Southern (5-11, 4-0) to remain in first place in the conference standings and was the first by a road team at Jackson State this season.
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Former WSSU coach’s case dismissed
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Jason Mai, a former assistant coach at Winston-Salem State, had a domestic dispute case against him dismissed Friday.
Mai, 34, was arrested in October after his ex-wife, Amanda Jean Garnett, called police and accused him of pushing her against a wall.
Mai was suspended by WSSU for the final two games of the season and was fired in December.
The school gave no reason for Mai being let go. At the time of the firing, athletics director Tonia Walker said only that Mai was “no longer employed by the university” and that it was “a personnel matter.”
The case was set to be heard Dec. 11, 2015, but the arresting officer didn’t appear and it was moved to Friday.
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Mai, 34, was arrested in October after his ex-wife, Amanda Jean Garnett, called police and accused him of pushing her against a wall.
Mai was suspended by WSSU for the final two games of the season and was fired in December.
The school gave no reason for Mai being let go. At the time of the firing, athletics director Tonia Walker said only that Mai was “no longer employed by the university” and that it was “a personnel matter.”
The case was set to be heard Dec. 11, 2015, but the arresting officer didn’t appear and it was moved to Friday.
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Wright on watch list of 100 for Bevo Francis Award
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Morris Wright was announced Friday as one of 100 student-athletes on the first watch list for the inaugural Bevo Francis Award.
The award will be presented in April to the men's basketball player who has the finest overall season among small colleges in NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA Division I, NAIA Division II, the NCCAA and the USCAA.
Wright, a 5-foot-10 senior guard from Zachary, La., and a former Zachary High School and Baton Rouge Community College standout, ranks 20th in NAIA Division I through Thursday with 18.8 points per game. He ranks fifth in NAIA DI and first in Louisiana (all 4-year colleges) with 59 made 3-pointers. Wright is a two-time first-team All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference selection and was the 2015-16 GCAC Preseason Player of the Year. He is the reigning GCAC Player of the Week and has won that award twice this season.
The watch list will be pared to 50 players Feb. 15 and to 25 players March 15. Finalists will be announced April 1.
The award is named for Clarence "Bevo" Francis, a 6-foot-9 center who was a prolific scorer for Ohio's Rio Grande College (now the University of Rio Grande) more than 60 years ago. Francis averaged 46.5 per points per game — still the NCAA all-division season record — in 1953-54. Francis also holds scoring records in the NAIA. Francis died in June at age 82.
The website smallcollegebasketball.com is the sponsor of the Bevo Francis Award.
Xavier, 14-5 and ranked 14th in NAIA DI, will play No. 8 Talladega in a GCAC game at 5 p.m. Saturday at Talladega, Ala. The next Gold Rush home game will start at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Convocation Center against the GCAC's Tougaloo.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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The award will be presented in April to the men's basketball player who has the finest overall season among small colleges in NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA Division I, NAIA Division II, the NCCAA and the USCAA.
Wright, a 5-foot-10 senior guard from Zachary, La., and a former Zachary High School and Baton Rouge Community College standout, ranks 20th in NAIA Division I through Thursday with 18.8 points per game. He ranks fifth in NAIA DI and first in Louisiana (all 4-year colleges) with 59 made 3-pointers. Wright is a two-time first-team All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference selection and was the 2015-16 GCAC Preseason Player of the Year. He is the reigning GCAC Player of the Week and has won that award twice this season.
The watch list will be pared to 50 players Feb. 15 and to 25 players March 15. Finalists will be announced April 1.
The award is named for Clarence "Bevo" Francis, a 6-foot-9 center who was a prolific scorer for Ohio's Rio Grande College (now the University of Rio Grande) more than 60 years ago. Francis averaged 46.5 per points per game — still the NCAA all-division season record — in 1953-54. Francis also holds scoring records in the NAIA. Francis died in June at age 82.
The website smallcollegebasketball.com is the sponsor of the Bevo Francis Award.
Xavier, 14-5 and ranked 14th in NAIA DI, will play No. 8 Talladega in a GCAC game at 5 p.m. Saturday at Talladega, Ala. The next Gold Rush home game will start at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Convocation Center against the GCAC's Tougaloo.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Rush, Nuggets will play 9 duals apiece vs. NCAA DI's
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana, an NAIA men's and women's tennis power accustomed to playing NCAA Division I opponents, will gain some of its most exposure ever to that level in 2016.
The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will play nine dual matches apiece against NCAA DI's. Of those 18 duals, 10 will be at XU Tennis Center.
Alan Green, in his 13th season as coach of the XU men and women, announced the schedule Friday.
Xavier's men, an NAIA national quarterfinalist each of the past four seasons, will open the spring semester Monday with a morning/afternoon doubleheader at DI Louisiana-Lafayette. The Gold Nuggets, an NAIA semifinalist in 2013 and 2014, will play their first dual Jan. 30 at home against city rival Loyola. The Gold Rush home opener will be that same day against Loyola.
DI opponents visiting Xavier will be the men of Troy, the women of Western Kentucky, Southern Miss and Southern and the men and women of Prairie View A&M, Jackson State and Alcorn State.
During Green's first 12 seasons, his teams averaged nearly six men's duals and nearly seven women's duals per year against NCAA DI's. The Rush and Nuggets have a combined 60 victories against NCAA DI's during that time.
Xavier also will play NAIA powers William Carey and Northwestern Ohio, and the Rush and Nuggets will compete Feb. 19-21 in the Green and Gray Invitational of Georgia Gwinnett, the NAIA men's champion and women's runner-up in 2015.
Green said he is attempting to add more opponents to the schedule.
| 2016 Xavier Tennis Schedule | ||||
| Team(s) | Date(s) | Opponent | Site | Time(s) |
| Men | Jan. 18 (Mon.) | at Louisiana-Lafayette (DH) | Lafayette, La. | 10 and 3 p.m. |
| Both | Jan. 30 (Sat.) | LOYOLA | XU TENNIS CENTER | 10 a.m. |
| Both | Feb. 6 (Sat.) | WILLIAM CAREY | XU TENNIS CENTER | 11 a.m. |
| Both | Feb. 14 (Sun.) | at Nicholls State | Thibodaux, La. | 11 a.m. |
| Both | Feb. 19 (Fri.) | TBA | Lawrenceville, Ga. (1) | TBA |
| Both | Feb. 20 (Sat.) | TBA | Lawrenceville, Ga. (1) | TBA |
| Both | Feb. 21 (Sun.) | TBA | Lawrenceville, Ga. (1) | TBA |
| Women | Feb. 24 (Wed.) | Grambling | Baker, La. | 3 p.m. |
| Men | Feb. 25 (Thu.) | TROY | XU TENNIS CENTER | 3 p.m. |
| Men | Feb. 28 (Sun.) | Presbyterian | Lafayette, La. | 3 p.m. |
| Both | March 4 (Fri.) | at William Carey | Hattiesburg, Miss. | 3 p.m. |
| Women | March 5 (Sat.) | LSU-ALEXANDRIA | XU TENNIS CENTER | Noon |
| Both | March 6 (Sun.) | WILLIAM WOODS | XU TENNIS CENTER | 11 a.m. |
| Women | March 10 (Thu.) | WESTERN KENTUCKY | XU TENNIS CENTER | 3 p.m. |
| Both | March 12 (Sat.) | at Tougaloo # | Jackson, Miss. (2) | 10 a.m. |
| Both | March 12 (Sat.) | at Jackson State | Jackson, Miss. | 2 p.m. |
| Both | March 29 (Tue.) | NORTHWESTERN OHIO | XU TENNIS CENTER | 2 p.m. |
| Women | March 31 (Thu.) | SOUTHERN MISS | XU TENNIS CENTER | 3 p.m. |
| Both | April 2 (Sat.) | PRAIRIE VIEW A&M | XU TENNIS CENTER | 11 a.m. |
| Women | April 6 (Wed.) | SOUTHERN | XU TENNIS CENTER | 3 p.m. |
| Both | April 10 (Sun.) | JACKSON STATE | XU TENNIS CENTER | 1 p.m. |
| Both | April 14 (Thu.) | ALCORN STATE | XU TENNIS CENTER | Noon |
| Both | April 15 (Fri.) | at New Orleans | New Orleans, La. | 2:30 p.m. |
| Both | TBA | NAIA Unaffiliated Group Tournament | TBA | TBA |
| Both | May 17 (Tue.)- May 21 (Sat.) | NAIA National Championships | Mobile, Ala. | TBA |
| # Gulf Coast Athletic Conference dual match (DH) doubleheader (1) Georgia Gwinnett Green and Gray Invitational (2) at Jackson State University Home matches (in bold and CAPITAL LETTERS) are played at XU Tennis Center (capacity 200), Xavier University campus, New Orleans TBA — to be announced All times are Central, except where noted Schedules are subject to change Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold | ||||
Nuggets' late surge gives them 64-59 victory at Mobile
MOBILE, Alabama — Whitney Gathright scored 14 points Wednesday and put NAIA No. 13 Xavier University of Louisiana ahead to stay in the 38th minute of a 64-59 women's basketball victory at Mobile.
The Gold Nuggets (13-5) stretched their win streak to four games and won on the road for the first time in more than a month.
Starla Daggan's two free throws gave the Rams (10-6) a 56-55 lead with 3:06 remaining, but the Gold Nuggets closed with a 9-3 run, permitting just a 3-pointer in Mobile's final five possessions. Gathright's basket in the paint at 2:14 gave the Gold Nuggets a 57-56 advantage, and Emoni Harvey's steal and pass set up Donyeah Mayfield for another basket and a 59-56 lead with 1:52 remaining.
Xavier made 5-of-6 free throws, three by freshman Mikayla Bates and two by Gathright, in the final 30 seconds to clinch the decision and a two-game season sweep of Mobile.
Gathright also had six rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Kelsee Singleton scored 10 points, Mayfield and Trana Hopkins scored nine apiece, and Jasmine Bush matched her career high of eight points, all in the first half. Mayfield grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and reached double figures for the second consecutive game.
Daggan scored 17 points for Mobile, which entered with a 4-game win streak, and Kali Koenig had 11.
Mobile shot 54.2 percent from the floor in the first half, but Xavier collected 13 steals and led 36-34 at halftime. There were three ties and six lead changes in the second half, and Mobile held its largest lead, 54-51, after Daggan's two free throws with 7:56 remaining.
Mobile finished at 37.5 percent from the floor after shooting 20.8 percent in the second half. The Gold Nuggets made a season-low one 3-pointer but shot 42.9 percent from the floor in each half. Xavier finished with 17 steals, four by Harvey and two apiece by Mayfield, Bates and Hopkins. Xavier outrebounded Mobile 35-31, winning the boards for the first time in nine games and on the road for the second time this season.
The Gold Nuggets will travel to Talladega, Ala., to play NAIA No. 21 Talladega in a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference game at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Nuggets' next home game will start at 5:30 p.m. Monday against GCAC opponent Tougaloo.
BOX SCORE
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Gold Rush use 17-0 run to beat Auburn Montgomery
NEW ORLEANS — RJ Daniels scored 17 points, and freshman Kevin Murph made three consecutive 3-pointers during a first-half run Wednesday which lifted NAIA No. 14 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 64-55 men's basketball victory against Auburn Montgomery.
The Gold Rush (14-5) won for the fifth time in six games and are 12-1 at home this season.
Daniels was 6-of-8 from the floor and made 5-of-6 free throws in 25 1/2 minutes. The senior grabbed six rebounds to share team honors with Chris Ward.
Xavier trailed 27-22 after Romoane Eager's 3-pointer at 9:31 of the first half, but the Gold Rush scored the next 17 points, with Murph making 3-of-3 from long range during the run. Elex Carter's two free throws at 4:30 ended the surge and gave Xavier a 39-27 lead. The Gold Rush led 46-33 at halftime.
Carter's basket at 18:54 of the second half gave Xavier its largest lead, 48-33. The Warhawks (9-7) cut the margin to 54-50 in the 34th minute but got no closer.
Morris Wright scored 12 points, all in the first half, for Xavier. Murph and Carter scored nine points apiece. Carter and Lucas Martin-Julien had four assists apiece; Carter's total was a career best.
Eager led Auburn Montgomery with 17 points and seven rebounds. Tristen Harrell scored eight points, and Desmond DeRamus had seven points, six assists and four steals.
Xavier outshot the Warhawks 48.9 to 35.6 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 36-23.
It was the teams' 21st meeting but their first since Dec. 16, 1996. AUM leads the series 15-6.
Xavier will travel to Talladega, Ala., for a 5 p.m. Saturday game in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference at NAIA No. 8 Talladega. The next Gold Rush home game will start at 7:30 p.m. Monday against GCAC opponent Tougaloo at the Convocation Center.
BOX SCORE
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Friday, January 15, 2016
College Baseball Countdown: 34 Days to Go- Bethune-Cookman Wildcats
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Earlier in the countdown, we talked about how consistent Oral Roberts has been throughout the years. If there’s any program out there that can match the conference dominance shown by ORU, it’s Bethune-Cookman in the MEAC.The Wildcats’ dominance in their league under former head coach Mervyl Melendez was staggering. Melendez coached the program for 12 seasons, 11 of which ended in regional appearances. Perhaps more impressively, for a stretch between 2006 and his last year at the helm in 2011, the Wildcats lost no more than two conference games in any single season, and in three of those seasons, they went undefeated in MEAC play.
In 2011, Melendez left to take on a new challenge as the head coach at Alabama State, and Jason Beverlin took over. To this point, the results haven’t changed much, even if they have been a little less emphatic. In his first three years as head coach, Beverlin’s Wildcats finished first or tied for first in the MEAC, and in two of those three seasons, they won their league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
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How Howard’s ‘J-Byrd’ Daniel became college basketball’s leading scorer
WASHINGTON, D.C. — It’s been a frantic, furious comeback, from a halftime deficit of 19 to a favored William & Mary team that couldn’t miss from three-point range early. But only in the final couple minutes does it actually look like Howard, led by the smallest man on the floor, might actually pull off a miracle comeback in front of a few hundred enthusiastic fans who have trekked out to Burr Gymnasium on Georgia Avenue, smack in the middle of D.C., on an overcast Saturday afternoon after Thanksgiving.The Tribe crack the door ajar one final time, missing the front end of a 1-and-1, and the Bison get the ball back. 5-foot-11 point guard James “J-Byrd” Daniel III rushes it up the floor. Everyone knows he wants to take the shot, that he’s Howard’s best chance, down by one, the final seconds ticking away. He’s already netted 36 of the Bison’s 76 points on 10-23 from the floor and 13-15 at the line.
In the land of Georgetown and Maryland, of strong mid-major programs like George Washington and VCU, of recent NCAA Tournament runs from George Mason and even American, Daniel is the shining light for D.C.’s long-overlooked program, a school full of pride and tradition for everything but its basketball program.
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Grambling assistant Mickey Joseph leaving for Tech
GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Louisiana Tech has hired just about every type of coach off the list during the past few years when looking for assistant coaches.Whether it's retread coaches looking to resurrect their careers, up-and-comers or simply those with ties to certain coaches on staff, the Bulldogs have kept it fresh with their approach.
So how about a local coach this time?
Tech went down the road just a couple miles to fill one of its three vacancies with the hiring of Grambling associate head coach and wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph as Tech's new running backs coach.
BleedTechBlue.com first reported the news. The school later announced the hire Friday.
"When I sat down and interviewed him, I was just really impressed with the job that he does with the young men and how he gets involved with them," Tech coach Skip Holtz told The News-Star on Friday. "He coaches more than football. He coaches life."re
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Why did DeVante Kincade leave Ole Miss for Grambling?
OXFORD, Mississippi - Quarterback DeVante Kincade won’t have to drive so far to see his mother anymore.
The redshirt sophomore transferred from Ole Miss to Grambling State this month in an effort to be closer to his mother, Latonya Boyd, who lives in the Dallas area. She suffered a stroke two years ago and has been battling blood clots in her legs and has had an aneurysm.
Kincade consistently made the 16-hour round-trip to check on her and care for her, sometimes going once a week and staying for a day or two. From Grambling to Dallas will be nine hours shorter.
“So hard,” he said. “It was a stress, man, because I was thinking about my mom and I wanted to practice plus I had homework on top of that. I told her I just want to come home and be closer to her so I won’t have to be going back and forth that far.”
Kincade may also become Grambling’s ...
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This is Tony Hughes' chance at making his own history
JACKSON, MissThere’s a deep-rooted sense of history inside Tony Hughes, one that has pushed him in his free time to explore anything from the 1850s-1970s to the transformation of the South to Jackson State’s past. He may not have lived it, but he knows everything about the 17 SWAC championships and the legends like Walter Payton, Jackie Slater and Lem Barney that made the Tigers who they were.
Hughes traveled the roads of Mississippi with Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen, the two talking history when not football. Hughes’ professional life has been spent helping Mullen and others win football games, as a tireless assistant coach that was a fervent recruiter not only because of his devotion to it, but because he could not help being who he was and knowing everything and everyone.
Now, instead of studying it or serving as the man behind the man who gets his name in the history books, Hughes will get to create his own record. He’ll do so for Jackson State, helping rebuild a once-proud program that, at age 56, finally gave Hughes a chance to be a head coach.
“For a very long time, he wondered about it,” said Hughes’ wife, Marion. “But he never lost hope.”
Hughes’ faith was rewarded exactly one month ago Thursday when JSU introduced him
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Hughes traveled the roads of Mississippi with Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen, the two talking history when not football. Hughes’ professional life has been spent helping Mullen and others win football games, as a tireless assistant coach that was a fervent recruiter not only because of his devotion to it, but because he could not help being who he was and knowing everything and everyone.
Now, instead of studying it or serving as the man behind the man who gets his name in the history books, Hughes will get to create his own record. He’ll do so for Jackson State, helping rebuild a once-proud program that, at age 56, finally gave Hughes a chance to be a head coach.
“For a very long time, he wondered about it,” said Hughes’ wife, Marion. “But he never lost hope.”
Hughes’ faith was rewarded exactly one month ago Thursday when JSU introduced him
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Thursday, January 14, 2016
Former Southern pitcher Cody Hall traded to Diamondbacks
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Former Southern right-hander Cody Hall has had a whirlwind few days.
Hall, who finished last season with the San Francisco Giants, learned Monday that he had been dropped from the organization’s 40-man roster to make room for newly acquired outfielder Denard Span.
But things got better for Hall on Wednesday when the Giants traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a player to be named or cash considerations.
“He’ll have a better chance with Arizona,” said Southern coach Roger Cador, citing the Giants offseason acquisitions of standout pitchers Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija and their trickle-down effect on the roster.
Cador said Hall, who had a 6.48 earned run average in seven appearances in his first major-league stint last season, called him after being dropped from San Francisco’s roster. The coach called a friend of his – Diamondbacks senior vice president and general manager Dave Stewart – to put in a good work for the 28-year-old Hall, a 19th-round draft choice in 2011.
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Hall, who finished last season with the San Francisco Giants, learned Monday that he had been dropped from the organization’s 40-man roster to make room for newly acquired outfielder Denard Span.
But things got better for Hall on Wednesday when the Giants traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a player to be named or cash considerations.
“He’ll have a better chance with Arizona,” said Southern coach Roger Cador, citing the Giants offseason acquisitions of standout pitchers Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija and their trickle-down effect on the roster.
Cador said Hall, who had a 6.48 earned run average in seven appearances in his first major-league stint last season, called him after being dropped from San Francisco’s roster. The coach called a friend of his – Diamondbacks senior vice president and general manager Dave Stewart – to put in a good work for the 28-year-old Hall, a 19th-round draft choice in 2011.
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Southern remaking football staff, but won’t have spring practice
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern coach Dawson Odums is making progress in remaking his staff, but the new group won’t be able to conduct spring practice.For the second consecutive year the Jaguars will not have spring practice to fulfill lingering NCAA sanctions from 2012 related to insufficient Academic Progress Rates.
Odums said Wednesday that Southern chose the forfeiture of spring practice rather than accept a postseason ban for last season.
At a news conference to discuss the hiring of new defensive coordinator Trei Oliver, Odums revealed additional staff changes. Oliver, who had coached the outside linebackers at North Carolina A&T, will also oversee the Jaguars secondary. He will choose whether to coach the safeties or the cornerbacks and special teams coordinator Steve Adams, who coached the safeties last season, will coach whichever group Oliver doesn’t choose.
Last year’s cornerbacks coach, Chris Scott, was among three defensive assistants Odums fired shortly after last season. The other two were defensive line coach Myron Jackson and linebackers coach Lorick Atkinson.
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Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Nuggets climb one spot, earn three-way tie for 13th
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana climbed into a tie for 13th place Tuesday with Freed-Hardeman and Oklahoma City in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
The Gold Nuggets, 12-5 after a 68-61 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference home victory Monday against Philander Smith, will take a 3-game win streak into a 6 p.m. Wednesday non-conference game at the University of Mobile. This is Xavier's third consecutive top-15 appearance, and it's the second time in 10 seasons that the Gold Nuggets have ranked that highly in at least three straight polls. Xavier in 2012-13 was top 15 in 12 consecutive polls.
Xavier was No. 14 this past week. This is the 147th time in Bo Browder's 17 seasons as head coach that the Gold Nuggets have been in the top 25.
GCAC member Talladega is in the top 25 for the second consecutive week. The Lady Tornadoes, who climbed from 23rd to 21st, will play host to Xavier at 3 p.m. Saturday.
For the second straight week, Westmont is No. 1 after receiving 8-of-9 first-place votes.
The Gold Nuggets' next home game will start at 5:30 p.m. Monday against GCAC opponent Tougaloo at XU's Convocation Center.
NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Jan. 10)
Rank Team Record Points Last
1 Westmont (8) 14-1 219 1
2 Campbellsville 15-3 206 3
3 Bethel (Tenn.) 13-3 201 4
4 Our Lady of the Lake 12-2 195 6
5 Carroll (Mont.) 13-2 189 5
6 Columbia (Mo.) (1) 16-0 185 8
7 Benedictine (Kan.) 14-1 180 7
8 Montana State-Northern 13-2 179 2
9 Shawnee State 15-2 160 tie-9
10 MidAmerica Nazarene 11-3 158 tie-9
11 Lyon 13-2 153 11
12 Vanguard 9-3 148 12
13-tie Xavier 11-5 123 14
13-tie Freed-Hardeman 11-5 123 13
13-tie Oklahoma City 7-4 123 15
16 The Master's 12-2 118 16
17 Pikeville 16-0 115 20
18 Langston 9-3 105 17
19 Cumberland 11-5 92 18
20 Lewis-Clark State 13-3 79 RV
21 Talladega 12-3 76 23
22 Lindsey Wilson 14-3 69 25
23 Wayland Baptist 8-4 60 RV
24 Wiley 10-1 57 RV
25 Loyola 11-3 49 RV
Dropped from rankings: No. 19 John Brown, No. 21 Baker, No. 22 Rocky Mountain, No. 24 Martin Methodist
Others receiving votes: Great Falls 43, Central Methodist 43, John Brown 18, Rocky Mountain 18, Auburn Montgomery 14, Culver-Stockton 6, Baker 3, Hope International 3, William Woods 3
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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By doing Wright, XU guard earns GCAC award again
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Morris Wright, who matched his season highs of 26 points and five 3-pointers in a victory against Edward Waters, is the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week in men's basketball for Jan. 4-10.Wright, a 5-foot-10 senior guard from Zachary, La., and a former Zachary High School and Baton Rouge Community College standout, won the award for the second time this season and the fifth time in his career. Wright led the Gold Rush to a 71-52 victory against EWC in the GCAC opener Jan. 4 and reached 20 points for the eighth time this season. No XU player has had more 20-point performances in one season during the last nine years.
Wright made his first four 3-point attempts against Edward Waters — giving him a two-game streak of nine consecutive made treys — and he finished with five 3-pointers for the fifth time this season.
Only Denzell Erves, with six career GCAC Player of the Week awards from 2009-13, has won more times at Xavier than Wright. In third place with four career awards is Anthony Simmons (2010-13).
Wright — who is averaging 19.2 points per game this season and shooting 48.3 percent from 3-point range — tied for third in voting for the Louisiana Sports Writers Association's Louisiana Player of the Week award.
Xavier (13-5) will conclude a 5-game home stand when it meets Auburn Montgomery (9-6) in a 5 p.m. Wednesday non-conference game at the Convocation Center.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Culver: FAMU’s baseball rise continues with facilities upgrades
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- What a difference a few years makes.When Jamey Shouppe took over as Florida A&M’s head baseball coach before the 2013-14 season, the Rattlers were in some deep trouble.
The facilities, as Shouppe put it, were “sub-high school.” The team itself won just seven games in its previous season. There was a lack of confidence surrounding the program, despite a rich history and fans eager to see a return to prominence.
Shouppe had is work cut out for him. And there’s no denying he’s risen to the challenge. He’s already upgraded the team, which last season won its first MEAC tournament title since 1994. Now he’s going to work on the facilities.
Before the start of next season the Rattlers will have a netting behind home plate instead of the old chain-link fence that used to obscure the view from the bleachers. Plus, there’s a clubhouse in the works specifically for the baseball field.
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NJ Mourns Loss of Hall of Fame Baseball Star Monte Irvin (Lincoln University Star)
ORANGE, New Jersey - The baseball world stopped Tuesday for a moment to give homage to one of the sport’s great contributors, Monte Irvin from Orange, NJ.
Before the Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson and made him Major League Baseball's first African-American player, the team owners in the Negro League believed that one day Monte Irvin would be the one to break baseball's color barrier. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. After his playing career, Irvin was a baseball scout and held an administrative role with the MLB commissioner's office.
At the time of his death, Irvin was the oldest living former Negro Leagues player, New York Giant and Chicago Cub.
Born Monford Merrill Irvin in February 25, 1919 and nicknamed Monte, Irvin was an American left fielderand right fielder in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB). Irvin was born in Haleburg, Alabama and raised in Orange, NJ.
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Before the Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson and made him Major League Baseball's first African-American player, the team owners in the Negro League believed that one day Monte Irvin would be the one to break baseball's color barrier. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. After his playing career, Irvin was a baseball scout and held an administrative role with the MLB commissioner's office.
At the time of his death, Irvin was the oldest living former Negro Leagues player, New York Giant and Chicago Cub.
Born Monford Merrill Irvin in February 25, 1919 and nicknamed Monte, Irvin was an American left fielderand right fielder in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB). Irvin was born in Haleburg, Alabama and raised in Orange, NJ.
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DSU Hornets Announce 2015 Football Schedule
The Hornets will play three non-conference games and eight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference contests next season.
Delaware State will kick-off the 2016 season on Thursday Sep. 1 at the University of Delaware in the seventh meeting between the state’s two Division I football programs. Each of the previous games in the series has been played at UD’s Tubby Raymond Field. The Hornets and Hens did not meet in 2015 after battling the previous four years. DSU is seeking its first win in the series. A member of the Colonial Athletic Association, Delaware was 4-7 overall and 3-5 in conference games in 2015.
The Hornets will play their 2016 home opener on September 10 against Monmouth University. The Hall-of-Fame Weekend contest is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Alumni Stadium. This will be second contest between the Hornets and Hawks. Monmouth won the first meeting 53-21 in 2014. The Hawks posted a 5-6 overall record and 3-3 mark in the Big South Conference last season.
After an open week, DSU will visit the University of Missouri of the Southeast Conference on Sep. 24, marking the third straight year and seventh time in team history that the Hornets will face a major college opponent. The Tigers are coming off a 5-7 overall record and 1-7 SEC mark during the 2015 season.
Delaware State will begin MEAC play the following Saturday (Oct. 1) at Morgan State in Baltimore, Md. The Hornets will try to snap a three-game losing streak to the Bears, who won last year’s contest 26-6 at DSU’s Alumni Stadium to open up a 35-24 series lead. Morgan State was tied for sixth in the MEAC with a 4-4 league record and posted a 4-6 overall mark in 2015.
The Hornets begin two-game MEAC homestand on October 8 against the Hampton Pirates. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Alumni Stadium. DSU will try to avenge a 21-7 road loss to the Pirates last season. Hampton holds a 27-14 lead in the series after winning the last three games. The 2015 Pirates had a 6-5 overall record and were fifth in the MEAC with a 5-3 mark in the conference.
The Hornets remain home the following Saturday (Oct. 15) to take on the Florida A&M Rattlers in the annual homecoming contest at 2 p.m. This will be the 34th meeting between the MEAC rivals. Florida A&M has won the last two contests, including the 2015 meeting in Tallahassee, Fla. The Rattlers are coming off a 1-10 overall record (1-7 MEAC) last season.
DSU will begin a tough two-game road swing on Oct. 22 at South Carolina State in Orangeburg, S.C., for the 44th meeting between the rivals. The Hornets and Bulldogs have split their last two meetings. SC State (7-4 overall; 6-2 MEAC in 2015) won last year’s contest at DSU’s Alumni Stadium.
The following Saturday (Oct. 29), Delaware State will visit Bethune-Cookman in Daytona, Fla. The Wildcats have won or shared five of the last six MEAC championships. BCU shared the crown with North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central in 2015. The Wildcats have won the last five games between the teams, although the all-time series is tied at 19-19. BCU has won nine or more games in each of the last four years, including a 9-2 overall record and 7-1 mark in the MEAC last year.
The Hornets return home on November 5 to face 2015 MEAC co-champ North Carolina Central at 2 p.m. The Eagles were 8-3 overall and 7-1 in the conference, including a victory over DSU in Durham, N.C., last season.
Delaware State will wrap up its 2016 home schedule against reigning Black College National Champ North Carolina A&T on Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. The Aggies shared the 2015 MEAC championship with Bethune-Cookman and NC Central, and defeated SWAC champion Alcorn State in the inaugural Celebration Bowl. NCA&T has won the last two games, although the Hornets have an 8-3 lead in the last 11 meetings to hold a 22-21-1 edge in the series. The Aggies had a 10-2 overall record and were 21st in the final STATS FCS Top 25 poll in 2015.
The Hornets will close out the 2016 regular season against its oldest rival Howard University in Washington, D.C. Delaware State captured its lone victory of the 2015 season against the Bison 32-31 in Dover, Del. The Hornets have faced Howard each year since 1958 and a total of 72 times overall. DSU has won 13 of the last 17 meetings, and leads the series 37-34-1.
Delaware State and Howard were each 1-10 overall and 1-7 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2015.
The 2016 season will be the second for Kenny Carter as head coach of the Hornets.
PRINTABLE DSU HORNETS 2016 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
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