Nuggets will resume with Westmont; Ottawa canceled

 PHOENIX, Arizona — Xavier University of Louisiana women's tennis was well on the way Saturday to a fifth consecutive dual-match victory . . . and then it started raining.
     
It rained enough for the Gold Nuggets and Westmont to postpone their match — XULA led 3-1 — and for the Gold Nuggets' Saturday evening match with Ottawa (Kan.) to be canceled.
     
XULA and Westmont will resume their competition at 10 a.m. MST Sunday — unlike most of the United States, Arizona does not observe daylight saving time — and then XULA will meet NAIA No. 8 San Diego Christian in its already scheduled dual at noon.
     
The Gold Nuggets, ranked 10th, got doubles victories from the teams of Yi Chen Pao-Mariia Borodii and Angela Charles-Alfred - Farah Baklouti, then Pao made it 3-1 with her 6-0, 6-0 singles victory against Taylor Cheung-Damonte.
     
Borodii, Charles-Alfred and Manon Bonada will return to the court Sunday needing one game victory apiece to clinch their matches. Borodii led Isabel Lee 6-2, 5-0 on the first court.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Liberty hosts North Carolina A&T in first round of CIT

LYNCHBURG, Virginia -- After accepting an invitation to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) earlier this week, Liberty men's basketball will now host North Carolina A&T in the first round of the CIT on Monday, March 12, at the Vines Center.

The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tipoff. Tickets cost just $10 for general admission and Liberty students will receive free admission. Tickets for the first round can be purchased here.

A member of the MEAC Conference, the Aggies reached the semifinals in their conference tournament for just the third time in school history. On Friday, March 9, the Aggies were eliminated suffering a 96-86 loss to Hampton. This is will be the second time the Flames have faced the Aggies, having previously met in the first round of the NCAA Tournament back in 2013 in Dayton, Ohio. In that game, North Carolina A&T defeated Liberty 73-72.

This will be the third time Liberty has participated in the CIT, having competed last year and also during the 2008-09 season, during McKay's first stint at Liberty. The Flames are 3-2 all-time in the CIT.

Liberty is postseason eligible after finishing with a 20-14 overall record and a 9-9 record in the Big South. The Flames last played on Sunday, March 4, in the Big South Championship suffering a buzzer-beating loss at Radford. The Flames have had a historical run over the past two years as they became the first team in school history to post back-to-back 20-win seasons and set a new record for most wins (41) during a two-year span.

For the first time in school history, Liberty will play in back-to-back postseason tournaments as this will be the second straight season the Flames will compete in the CIT. Last year Liberty won its first two games in the CIT, defeating Norfolk State in the John McLendon Classic and picking up its second win over Samford in the second round.

Now in its' tenth year, the CIT is selected by a 10-member selection committee, consisting of current Division I athletic directors, who select the 32-team field. The tournament invites will be officially announced on Sunday, March 11 and the first round will begin on Monday, March 12.

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Bowie State Bulldogs Women's Basketball Takes Down #5 Edinboro 79-75 in NCAA Atlantic Region Semifinals

RICHMOND, Virginia -- The #8 Bowie State women's basketball marches on in the NCAA Atlantic Regionals on Saturday evening, knocking off Edinboro in the semifinals by a score of 79-75. The win improves the Bulldogs to 22-9 overall and advance Bowie State into Monday's (3/12) final against #4 Indiana (Pa.) at 7 p.m.

Sade Chatman poured in a game-high 19 points to go along with seven rebounds to lead four Bowie State double figure scorers. Kyah Proctor and Kyaja Williams chipped in 15 and 13 points respectively while Kiara Colston added 12 points and tied for team-high rebound honors with seven.

Edinboro's Fighting Scots would grab the lead early in the game and hold a 24-14 advantage after one period.

BOX SCORE

Edinboro would build the advantage to 39-24 with 51 seconds remaining in the half on a pair of free throws by Ayana Vaughn. The Bulldogs would stun the Fighting Scots with ten straight points in the final 36 seconds. What was a 15-point lead turned into a 39-34 lead at the half for Edinboro.

Bowie State opened the third quarter with a pair of baskets to make it 14 straight points before Allison Thompson's layup ended the stretch and made it 41-38. Thompson would make a pair of free throws to later extend the lead to 46-41 with 4:52 left in the period, before Bowie State claimed the lead.

A string of seven straight points, capped by Lisa Jing's layup, gave Bowie State its first lead since the opening minutes of the contest at 48-46 with 3:27 left. Michelle Jahn came back down and hit a three to give the lead back to Edinboro at 49-48. Bowie State reclaimed the lead, with Jahn's layup knotting the score at 51-51 with 2:27 left. Kyaja Williams answered with a jumper with just over two minutes remaining and Bowie State never trailed after that.

Edinboro trailed by two after three quarters at 57-55. Bowie State would open the final stanza with a 11-5 run to build its largest lead of the night at 68-60 with 5:49 remaining. The Fighting Scots would not fold, however. Still trailing 70-62, they had their won seven-point run, starting with a 3-pointer by Jontay Walton. Micahela Barnes followed with a layup to make it 70-67, and Rosten's layup brought the deficit to one at 70-69 with 2:56 remaining.

A Williams 3-point play boosted the lead to 73-69 for Bowie State, but Ayana Vaughn's layup pulled the Scots to within two at 73-71 with 2:18 to play. Williams added a layup to bring it to 75-71, and with 36 seconds to go and Chatman made one of two free throws for a 76-71 lead. Rosten's jumper in the paint made it 76-73 with 30 seconds remaining, and the Fighting Scots got the ball back on a turnover.

Vaughn drove for a layup with 23 seconds to play, making it 76-75. Proctor made two free throws with 16 seconds left to make it 78-75. Jahn came down court and got a great look at a 3-pointer, but her shot went in-and-out. Chatman pulled down the rebound and was fouled. She made one of two to end the scoring.

After getting off to an extremely hot start to start the game, Edinboro ended the night shooting 47.1 percent from the floor (24-of-51). That included an 8-for-16 chart on 3-pointers, plus 19-of-24 at the line. Bowie State shot 42.0 percent from the floor (29-of-69), including 4-of-12 on 3-pointers, and was 17-of-25 at the line.

The Bulldogs held a 40-33 advantage on the glass and pulled down 16 offensive rebounds. That led to a 20-8 edge in second chance points. Edinboro committed 15 turnovers, compared to 10 for Bowie State. The Bulldogs had a 22-12 advantage in points off turnovers.

Edinboro had four players in double figures, with Jahn and Barnes leading the way with 17 points apiece. Barnes was 5-of-9 from the floor, including 3-of-5 on 3-pointers, and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the line. Jahn made 3-of-8 3-pointers and had five rebounds.

Rosten totaled 13 points and 15 rebounds to go along with four assists and a pair of blocks. Jontay Walton contributed 12 points.



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Former FAMU football star determined to earn degree

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- He was a dynamic player with the ability to change the game at a moment’s notice.

Former FAMU star LeRoy Vann was the fifth player to reach 1,000 yards in both kickoff returns and punt returns in NCAA FCS history. Vann also was a two time All-American and a second team All-Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL).

“In every football game there are five plays that determine whether or not you win or lose. All five of those plays are in special teams,” said Joe Taylor, the athletic director at Virginia State who was Vann’s coach at FAMU. “LeRoy Vann was our special teams guru.”

Taylor led FAMU to a share of the MEAC championship in 2011 before he stepped down midway through the 2012 season. He remembers Vann on the gridiron like it was yesterday.

“One-hundred-ninety guys wanted to come out for football and LeRoy was one of the guys and I wanted to get to know why they were there,” said Taylor.

Most people looked at Vann as too competitive and aggressive to play the game, but Taylor and his staff found a way to channel that competitive spirit and make it positive.



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Norfolk State Spartans Notch 1st 2 Wins in Doubleheader Sweep of Lehigh

Norfolk, Virginia -- Justin Hayes had four hits, Stephen Baughan drove in three runs and the Spartans got clutch pitching from a quartet of players to earn their first two wins of the season in a 7-3, 5-3 doubleheader sweep of Lehigh on Saturday afternoon at Marty L. Miller Field.

The Spartans (2-11) got seven strong innings from righty Chase Anderson in the opener and five more from Jonathan Mahoney in the nightcap, and freshman relievers Seth Hockett and Joey Santos pitched a scoreless inning apiece in both games.

Game 1: NSU 7, Lehigh 3
In game one, the Spartans rode 11 hits and the pitching of Anderson, who did not allow a hit through his first six innings, to the win.

Anderson cruised through six no-hit innings before Lehigh scratched across three runs in the seventh. By that time, the Spartan offense had already plated five runs. Anderson struck out five and allowed three hits and three runs over seven innings to improve to 1-2 on the season.

NSU struck first with three runs in the third. Syeed Mahdi hit a two-out, two-run single to score Justin Burrell and Alejandro Pelaez with the game's first runs. Ismael Herrera then scored on a Lehigh error to cap the rally.

Justin Burrell's two-run single in the fifth pushed NSU's lead to 5-0.

Lehigh cut into the Spartans' lead on a two-run triple by Ryan Malloy, scoring James Bleming and Jeff Shanfeldt, who led off the seventh with the first two hits of the game against Anderson. Malloy later scored on a wild pitch to bring Lehigh within 5-3.

But the Spartans stretched their lead back to 7-3 in the eighth on a pair of two-out, RBI singles by Alsander Womack and Baughan.

Hockett and Santos closed out Lehigh by pitching scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.

Anderson allowed just three base runners in the first six innings, two which reached on NSU errors and another who walked.

Hayes went 3-for-5 in the opener, while Womack, Burrell and Mahdi each had two hits. Burrell and Mahdi also drove in two runs apiece.

Game 2: NSU 5, Lehigh 3
NSU plated four runs in the first and never looked back. Lehigh scored once in the first on an RBI single by James Bleming, but the Spartans rebounded quickly in the bottom of the first. The first four Spartans reached base, as Hayes walked and Alsander Womack singled. Baughan brought both home with a single down the right-field line and Aaron Robinson also singled. Tony Leite and Burrell drove in the other two runs in the inning with grounders to stake NSU to a 4-1 lead.

The Mountain Hawks got two back in the third on sacrifice flies by Bleming and Shanfeldt. But Mahoney worked out of the jam to keep NSU in the lead.

The Spartans plated an insurance run in the sixth as Leite led off with a double and scored on a suicide squeeze bunt by Johnny Mayer.

Hockett and Santos both pitched perfect innings in relief of Mahoney, striking out three of the six batters they combined to face. Santos fanned two to collect his first career save.

Mahoney (1-3) earned his first win as a Spartan, allowing six hits and three runs, just one earned, in five innings of work. He walked one and struck out three.

Baughan went 2-for-3 with two RBI in the nightcap and finished the day 3-for-7 with three RBIs. Hayes was 1-for-1 with two walks in the second game and finished the day 4-for-6. He reached base seven times, including twice by walk and once on an error.

Womack also collected three hits on the day.

The teams play another doubleheader beginning at noon on Sunday.

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Florida A&M Pitching dominates in double header sweep of BCU

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M opened up Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play on alumni weekend, hosting the Wildcats of rival Bethune-Cookman University for a three-game set.

Both teams were held scoreless for the first six innings of the game, but Bethune-Cookman got on the board in the top of the seventh. Chase Debonis led off the inning with a single, and advanced to second base on an error. He then advanced to third base on a hit by pitch, and also scored on a bases loaded hit by pitch before the Rattlers ended the inning.

Florida A&M answered in the bottom of the seventh, thanks in part to a lead off bunt single by Willis McDaniel. McDaniel also advanced to second base on a throwing error by the third baseman on the play. John Capra then came through with a big double to left center field to drive in McDaniel. Octavien Moyer kept the inning going with a walk, followed by a bunt single by Bret Maxwell to load the bases. John Capra scored on a wild pitch before Dallas Oliver singled up the middle to drive in Moyer and Maxwell to give the Rattlers a 4-1 lead after seven innings of play.

Florida A&M held onto this lead to get the win. Deven Shulstad was credited with the win, going 1.1 innings, giving up no earned runs on one hit. Starter Thomas Nicoll threw 4.2 innings, allowing no runs while striking out three. Jamie Grant threw 2 innings of relief, and Dylan Carlson got the save, throwing a scoreless ninth inning.

Tyler Norris was handed the loss for Bethune-Cookman, going 6 innings and giving up two earned runs. Ivan Coutinho allowed two earned runs in 0.2 innings, while Branden Frank threw 1.1 innings of relief.

Game 1 Box Score

Game 1 Play by Play

Game 2 Box Score

Game 2 Play by Play

Game 2:  – The Rattlers got off to a great start in conference play with a win in game one, and came into game two looking for a sweep of their double header.

Florida A&M jumped ahead early with a six-run second inning. John Capra reached base on a single up the middle. A hit by pitch and a walk loaded the bases for Bret Maxwell, who singled to score Capra. A bases loaded triple by Jordan Curtis drove in Octavien Moyer, Cameron Johnson and Maxwell. Dallas Oliver then singled to score Curtis, giving the Rattlers a 6-0 lead after two innings of play.

Bethune-Cookman got on the board with one run in the top of the fourth inning. Zach Spivey reached base on a walk and advanced to second base on a single by Nate Sterijevski. Brady Van Hook drove in Spivey with a base hit to shorten the Rattlers’ lead to 6-1.

FAMU increased the lead back to six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Octavien Moyer doubled to left field before and advanced to third base on a wild pitch before scoring on a base hit to center by Cameron Johnson.

The Rattlers would go on to win the game by a final score of 7-1, with Chandellor Benton earning the win. Benton threw 5 innings, striking out five while allowing only one earned runs. Ryan Anderson threw the final 2 innings of the game, allowing no runs and one hit.

Brandon Wilkes got the loss for Bethune-Cookman, allowing six earned runs through 1.2 innings of work. Brady Norris tossed 3.1 innings of relief, giving up one earned run, and Bobby Stewart threw a scoreless sixth for the Wildcats.

The Rattlers will go for the series sweep of Bethune-Cookman on Sunday, March 11th, back at Moore-Kittles Field.

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Hampton bound for NIT after 71-63 loss to N.C. Central in MEAC final

NORFOLK, Virginia -- After coming out flat to start the second half, Hampton University spent the remainder of Saturday’s Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship game playing from behind. The Pirates eventually caught up, and the score was tied at the 3-minute mark.

You’d think that would be the underdog’s cue to play its role. Instead, sixth-seeded North Carolina Central countered with 11 consecutive points and pulled away for a 71-63 win at Scope Arena.

The Eagles (19-15) won their second consecutive championship, although last year’s was as the No. 1 seed. Hampton (19-15) took home the runner-up trophy in its MEAC exit and will await word Sunday night on its National Invitation Tournament opponent.



“Everybody remembers your first, and everybody remembers your last,” said HU coach Buck Joyner, who was going for his third title in four years. “This was our last time in the MEAC, and we wanted to go out the right way. We didn’t go out with the goal we wanted, and that’s tough.”

So was how it happened. After finally digging out, Hampton tied the game at 58 on Kalin Fisher’s 3-pointer with 4:24 remaining. The Pirates wouldn’t score again for more than four minutes.

Central’s Raasean Davis, all 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds of him, backed Charles Wilson-Fisher in to put the Eagles ahead 60-58. Fisher missed a 3 on the other end, and Pablo Rivas went 2 of 2 from the free-throw line to make it a four-point game.

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Grambling wins SWAC Women's Basketball Tournament crown

HOUSTON, Texas – A 19-year title drought is over as the No. 3 seed Grambling State Lady Tigers defeated top-seeded Southern Jaguars 72-68 to win the 2018 Southwestern Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament Saturday afternoon in Delmar Fieldhouse.

Tournament Most Valuable Player Shakyla Hill led Grambling with 27 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Jazmin Boyd and Monisha Neal each added 11 points.

Southern was led by Briana Green, who scored 22 points to go with nine assists and five rebounds. Samantha Duncan added 12 points, and Courtney Parsons scored 10.

Tied 53-53 after the third, Skylar O’Bear put Southern (17-13) ahead with a three-pointer. The sides traded baskets as Grambling stayed in striking distance, keeping the margin within one possession until Hill raced out behind the Southern defense to put the Lady Tigers ahead 61-60 with 4:23 left.

Hill then buried a three-pointer to push the Lady Tigers up by four with 3:32 left. Grambling (19-13) scrapped together an 11-2 run to go ahead 68-62 with under two minutes left. Green answered with back-to-back scores to close the gap to 68-66 with 31 seconds left. Neal knocked down a free throw to make the game 69-66 with 27 ticks left. Justice Coleman then picked off a lazy pass and coasting to an uncontested lay-up. Grambling fended off the Jaguars late to win the program’s first title since 1999.

The Jaguars flew out of the gate as Grambling struggled to find offense early on. Parsons outscored the Lady Tigers on her own with six points, as Southern opened the game on an 11-4 run.

Grambling used its explosive transition offense to find its footing, and an Ariel Williams three-ball tied the game at 15-15. The Lady Tigers ended the frame on a 9-3 run, but Southern eventually took a 19-17 lead into the second.

Southern pushed its lead to 26-21 but went cold offensively, failing to connect from the field for a stretch of more than two minutes. Meanwhile, Grambling took control with a 9-0 run over an 81-second span -- capped by a swipe and score from Takerra Parsons – to go ahead 30-26 with 4:49 left in the break.

Green broke the Jaguar drought after intercepting a pass and finishing with a floater on the other end. From there, the Jaguars closed the gap before both sides traded buckets. Danayea Charles tied the game at 35 with a perfect trip to the line, but Hill responded with a slashing drive to the basket. Duncan then connected on a heave from two-thirds of the court as time expired to give Southern a 39-37 lead at intermission. The sides battled from there until Hill’s late takeover pushed Grambling over the top.

Grambling State now awaits its first-round opponent, having earned the SWAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Southern, the regular-season SWAC champion is set for an invite into the Women’s Postseason National Invitational Tournament.

The All-Tournament team is listed below.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:
Shakyla Hill, Grambling State (SWAC Women’s Tournament Most Valuable Player)
Monisha Neal, Grambling State
Taylor Robinson, Texas Southern
Briana Green, Southern
Samantha Duncan, Southern

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Texas Southern is going dancing after winning their third SWAC Tournament Title in four seasons

HOUSTON, Texas – For the fourth time in five years, Texas Southern rules the roost in the Southwestern Athletic Conference as the Tigers pulled away down the stretch for an 84-69 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, claiming the 2018 Toyota SWAC Men’s Basketball Tournament championship in the process.

Tournament Most Valuable Player Trae Jefferson led the way for the Tigers, who had four players in double figures. Jefferson scored 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Donte Clark added 14 points, Derrick Bruce scored 13 points. Trayvon Reed scored a team-best 17 points to go with 10 boards and four rejections.

Texas Southern (15-19), which used a blistering second-half of offense to pull away from Prairie View A&M during the semifinals, delivered more of the same to open the game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. After Trent Steen connected on a jumper to pull the Golden Lions to within one, Donte Clark scored eight points as he powered a 13-1 run to put the Tigers ahead by double-digits near the midpoint of the first half.

Martaveous McKnight brought Arkansas-Pine Bluff (14-20) within striking distance as the Golden Lions cut it to within five. However, the Tigers continued their hot shooting, connecting on 60 percent of its tries – including a 7-for-15 clip from deep – to take a 45-36 lead into the locker rooms.

Christian Robertson found some success against Texas Southern to open the second half, scoring six early points. However, the Golden Lions couldn’t do enough to close the gap on TSU during the early goings of the second half. After Trayvon Reed converted a three-point play to put the Tigers up 11, the Golden Lions came alive.

Terrance Baynard responded in kind on the other end, and McKnight connected on a teardrop on the following possession. Harper then cashed-in on an acrobatic finish at the rim and Robertson sank one of two at the line to close the deficit to 55-52 with 12:40 left.

Banyard knocked down a jumper at the line to pull UAPB within one possession, and after a Reed dunk, McKnight finished underneath the rim to make it 59-57 with 10:20 left. From there, the Tigers pulled away on a 14-4 run that coincided with a Texas Southern’s Robert Lewis then nailed a corner trey to push TSU back ahead by five, and Jefferson swished home a floater in the lane, making it 64-57.

Texas Southern then pulled away with a 14-4 run over a seven-minute stretch during which UAPB made just one of their 11 field-goal tries. For the game, TSU shot 59.1 percent from the floor (26-of-44) including a 10-of-21 line from deep.

Harper led all players with 21 points and seven rebounds. McKnight netted 17, and Robertson 11.

The All-Tournament Team is listed below:

All-Tournament Team: Trae Jefferson, Texas Southern (SWAC Men’Ss Tournament Most Valuable Player) Donte Clark, Texas Southern Travon Harper, Arkansas-Pine Bluff Martaveous McKnight, Arkansas-Pine Bluff Gary Blackston, Prairie View A&M.

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Morehouse Historic Season Ends in Overtime Loss

ATLANTA, Georgia -- The #1 Morehouse Maroon Tigers squandered a 21-point second half lead and lost, 98-97, to the #8 Florida Southern Moccasins.

The loss spoiled a career high 26 points by forward James Walker and ends the collegiate career of Tyrius Walker, the SIAC Player of the Year, and one of the most accomplished players in Morehouse history.

Florida advances to the South Region semifinals and will face the winner of the Valdosta State-Eckerd game.

BOX SCORE

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Claflin Advance to the 2018 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball South Region Semifinal

ATLANTA, Georgia   —  No. 3 seeded Claflin University defeated Clark Atlanta, 72-61, to advance to the 2018 NCAA DII Men's Basketball South Region semifinal.  The win pushes the Panthers record to 26-6 overall.  Clark Atlanta close out the season at 24-6.  This is the second NCAA Regional win for Claflin and the first in nine years.  The Panthers defeated Valdosta State, 54-50, on March 14, 2009 in Lakeland, Fla.  Claflin then lost its second round game to Christian Brothers (3-15-09), 72-53.
 
The 2018 regional will run through Tuesday, March 13, 2018 at Forbes Arena on the campus of Morehouse College.
 
Claflin will face No.7 seed Barry University, who upset the No. 2 seed West Florida 90-73, on Sunday, March 11 at 5 p.m.  Links for live stats and video for Sunday's game will available the day of the game and will available on the Claflin University athletics website.
 
Jaleel Charles continued to play solid, posting a double-double, 15 points-10 rebounds to pace Claflin.
 
Benjamin "Tre" Williams also scored 15 points, 11 in the second half.  He added six rebounds and four assists to his stat line.
 
The Panthers finished the game with three players in double figures as Timothy Christian II dropped in 15 points in the win.
 
Clark Atlanta was led by Damien Davis with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds.  Jalen Mitchell scored 14 and Anthony Williams recorded a double-double 10 points with 10 rebounds.
 
"Let me say hats off to Clark Atlanta, Coach Walker does a good job with his crew for it being only his second season I think he's done an excellent job," head coach Ricky Jackson said.  "We had tough opponent today.  They say it's hard to beat a team three times in a row but apparently we overcame that today and I'm just proud of my crew for the yeoman's work they put in today."
 
The Panthers held Clark Atlanta to just 34.3 percent shooting from the field and 20.8 percent from behind the arc.  Clark Atlanta entered the game shooting .453 from the field and .381 from behind the arc.
 
"We've hung our hats on defense all season because that's what get us going," said Jackson. "The game plan was pretty much the same as it was last week, we played zone and they would have to beat us from the outside."
 
Clark Atlanta opened the second half with a 7-2 run to cut the seven point half-time lead to two, 36-34.  The Panthers then used a 12-1 run of their own to regain the momentum and a commanding lead, 51-37, with 12:51 left in the contest.
 
The Panthers maintained at least a nine point lead the rest of the way en route to the nine point victory.
 
"Coach told me the game plan was to throw me the ball inside and for me to impose my will, so I just continued to do that," said Charles. 
 
Claflin outscored Clark Atlanta 38-26 in the paint.
 
"We have confidence in one another and we know what we've been through and we know what we are capable of," stated Williams.  "There wasn't one point in the game where we were overly confident we just had the confidence in ourselves, that if we did what we needed to do we could take care of this win and move on to the next round."
 
The Panthers received 16 points from its bench players.
 
Clark Atlanta opened the game with a 5-0 run in the first 30 seconds.  Claflin defense then went to work, forcing Clark Atlanta into two straight turnovers and scoring five straight points to tie the game at 5-all at the 17:38 mark.
 
The Panthers offense remained aggressive, scoring six straight points out of the media timeout (15:25) for an overall 11-0 run to take the 11-5 lead.
 
Clark Atlanta then used an 8-4 run of its own to pull within two 13-15, at the 12:04 mark.  A three-pointer by Williams gave Clark Atlanta the brief one-point lead but a short jumper by Tondric Johnson, who game off the bench to score five points with seven rebounds, ended the run to give Claflin the one point advantage.  The Panthers never relinquished the lead from that point.
 
Claflin then rattled off six straight points to take a 21-18 lead.  The Panthers would push its first half lead to nine, 34-25 before enjoying the seven point lead at intermission.
 
If Claflin wins its regional semifinal game they will advance to the regional final to face either Florida Southern, who upset the No. 1 seed and host Morehouse College, or the winner of the Eckerd/Valdosta State game.  The regional final is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March. 13.

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Gold Nuggets defeat Lewis-Clark State to reach .500

PHOENIX, Arizonia — Xavier University of Louisiana women's tennis reached .500 for the first time this season after a 9-0 victory Friday against Lewis-Clark State.

The Gold Nuggets (7-7), ranked 10th in the NAIA, have won their last four dual matches and six of their last seven.



Mariia Borodii clinched with a 6-1, 6-1 victory against Begona Andres. Charlene Goreauand Yi Chen Pao both won 6-0, 6-0 in singles.
     
Lewis-Clark — receiving votes (33rd) in the most recent NAIA coaches poll and a round-of-16 participant at last year's national tournament — is 2-8. The Warriors' other seven losses are to NCAA Division I opponents.
     
XULA, in Phoenix for five duals in four days, will play Saturday at noon MST against Westmont and 5 p.m. against Ottawa (Ariz.).

Results

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Gold Nuggets get 3rd straight road win vs. top-15 team

PHOENIX, Arizonia — Xavier University of Louisiana won three matches Thursday against nationally ranked opponents and rolled to an 8-1 women's tennis victory against Arizona Christian.
     
It was the Gold Nuggets' third consecutive dual-match triumph on the road against an NAIA top-15 opponent. XULA (6-7) is ranked 10th, and Arizona Christian (7-2) is 13th.
     
Mariia Borodii and Yi Chen Pao defeated the ITA's 24th-ranked NAIA doubles team, Autria Compton and Maria Garduno, 8-1. In singles, Borodii beat 18th-ranked Mikayla Morgan 6-1, 6-1, and Charlene Goreau defeated 24th-ranked Tia Okano 6-0, 6-0.
     
Goreau was one of three Gold Nuggets to win 6-0, 6-0 in singles. Angela Charles-Alfreddid it against Garduno, and Farah Baklouti did it against Sydney Smith.
     
Pao clinched with a 6-1, 6-1 decision against Elizabeth Kelley.
     
All six ACU singles players were regionally ranked, but XULA won a combined 72-of-79 games against them.
     
"We let a doubles match get away from us," XULA coach Alan Green said, "and that kind of got us a little more motivated in singles. We played well on all the singles courts."
     
Overall this season the Nuggets have won five duals against top-20 opponents, all on the road.
     
XULA, in Phoenix for five dual matches in four days, will play Lewis-Clark State at 2 p.m. MST Friday. The next home dual will start at noon March 18 against 15th-ranked SCAD Atlanta at XULA Tennis Center.

Results

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Gold Rush reach nationals for 11th time in 14 seasons

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball is in a familiar place — preparing for another trip to the national tournament.
     
The Gold Rush (24-8) received an at-large bid Wednesday to the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship. XULA will play Oklahoma City (23-8) at 3 p.m. March 14 — the first day of first-round games — at Municipal Auditorium (301 West 13th St., zip 64105) in Kansas City, Mo.
     
The Gold Rush qualified for the 11th time in 14 seasons and the 18th time overall.     



"We've had a great year, and I liked our body of work. But you never know," second-year head coach Alfred Williams said. "We're grateful to be selected and continue our season. We're looking forward to competing hard and advancing."
     
XULA is one of four teams seeded seventh. Oklahoma City is a No. 2 seed.
     
The meeting of XULA and Oklahoma City will be their second. The Stars won 91-69 in the opening round of nationals in 2001. The Stars were Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season co-champion with Texas Wesleyan, then lost 78-75 to Wayland Baptist in the Sooner tournament semifinals.
     
XULA maintained its No. 25 ranking in this week's coaches poll after finishing second to Dillard in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. The Gold Rush and Bleu Devils shared the GCAC regular-season championship.
     
Oklahoma City is ranked fourth.
     
The GCAC is a multi-bid league for the 22nd consecutive season. Dillard, which climbed from 20th to 18th in the poll, is in the tournament for the third consecutive year.
     
XULA was 10-20 last season — ending a streak of six consecutive appearances at nationals — before producing the greatest positive turnaround (13 games) in program history in 2017-18.
     
Second-round games will be played March 16, followed by quarterfinals March 17, semifinals March 19 and the championship game March 20. The XULA-Oklahoma City winner will play Georgetown (Ky.) or Central Baptist (Ark.) at 9 a.m. March 16.
     
Gold Rush senior Joseph Williams will have double duty in Kansas City. He'll be one of four in the dunk contest of the NABC-NAIA Shoot & Slam, also in Municipal Auditorium March 17.

PDF Bracket
 

NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through March 6)

RANK	PREVIOUS	SCHOOL	RECORD	POINTS
1	1	The Master's (Calif.) (9)	29-2	219
2	3	Pikeville (Ky.)	28-4	209
3	2	LSU-Shreveport (La.)	27-4	208
4	4	William Penn (Iowa)	27-4	198
5	6	Carroll (Mont.)	27-5	189
6	5	Columbia (Mo.)	27-4	186
7	7	Central Methodist (Mo.)	27-5	174
8	9	Oklahoma City	23-8	162
9	9	Georgetown (Ky.)	25-6	159
10	12	William Carey (Miss.)	25-5	154
T11	11	Montana Western	25-7	143
T11	8	Hope International (Calif.)	25-5	143
13	14	Westmont (Calif.)	24-7	142
14	13	LSU-Alexandria (La.)	25-7	139
15	15	Texas Wesleyan	22-10	120
16	16	Dalton State (Ga.)	24-8	107
17	17	Cumberlands (Ky.)	21-9	101
18	20	Dillard (La.)	20-9	97
19	23	Graceland (Iowa)	24-10	87
20	18	Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)	23-9	79
21	19	Our Lady of the Lake (Texas)	21-11	77
22	24	SAGU (Texas)	24-9	73
23	21	Life (Ga.)	20-11	65
24	22	Central Baptist (Ark.)	21-8	60
25	25	Xavier (La.)	24-8	45

Others Receiving Votes: Wayland Baptist (Texas) 39; Campbellsville (Ky.) 30; Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 29; Harris-Stowe State (Mo.) 26; Langston (Okla.) 13; Science & Arts (Okla.) 7; Vanguard (Calif.) 6. 

Dropped Out: None

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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