TSU Tigers Travel to Georgia Southern for the Eagle Classic

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Tigers hit the road for their final non-conference tournament away from Tiger Field. TSU will take part in the three-day Eagle Classic hosted by Georgia Southern. The Tigers will face the host school to open and close the tournament. Friday will consist of a single game for TSU at 4:30pm CT versus GSU. On Saturday, the Tigers play at 10:30am versus Troy and at 12:30 against Middle Tennessee. On the final day, TSU will open with MTSU at 9:00am and close at 11:00am with the Eagles.

 

LIVE action can be heard for all TSU games on TSUTigers.com.

 

Tennessee State finished 1-4 in their first home action as they hosted the Tiger Classic. TSU picked up a 7-5 win over Temple on Saturday evening. The Tigers dropped games to Youngstown State (1-0), Western Michigan (3-2), Dayton (4-3) and Indiana State (3-0).

 

Sophomore Lindsey Burgess led the team by hitting .571 (8-of-14), while adding a double, a home run and three walks. Burgess now leads the Tigers with a .375 average. Sophomore Kiarra Freeman finished with her best weekend of the young season by picking up seven hits in 16 at bats for a .438 average.

 

Freshman Courtney Gearlds is hitting .368 and has reached base another 11 times, two walks and nine hit-by-pitches, for a team leading .510 OBP. The nine HBP’s for Gearlds has put her fourth in the TSU single season record book.

 

Junior pitcher Shea Morris has 50 strikeouts on the season to raise her career total to 435. Morris is just three away from tying Amanda Vaught, and is four away from becoming the all-time leader in Tiger history. Vaught was a member of the TSU squad from 2007-08.

 

Georgia Southern (9-4)

2013 Record: 33-30

Conference: Southern

2013 Finish: 14-9/3rd

Series Record: First Meeting

Last Time Played: N/A

Last Win: N/A

 

Sarah Purvis has fanned 43 batters in 39 innings as she leads the Georgia Southern staff with 4-2 record and a 1.08 earned run average. Brooke Red brings support to Purvis (2.05) with a 4-1 record and 27 strikeouts in 27.1 innings. Marla Thompson (1-1, 2.14) completes the staff with 13 K’s in 16.1 innings of work. Taylor Rogers was the early leader for the Eagles hitting .563 (9-for-16). Since then, Morgan Robinson, Shelby Morrill and Kourtny Thomas have sparked the hot hitting GSU offense. Averaging over four runs a game with a .281 batting average, the Eagles look to the trio to lead the charge. Robinson is batting .394, while Morrill (.355) has provided the pop with two doubles, a triple, three home runs and 10 RBI. Thomas (.314) brings added support with four bombs and 15 RBI.

 

Troy (5-8-2)

2013 Record: 21-32

Conference: Sun Belt

2013 Finish: 7-14/7th

Series Record: 0-18

Last Time Played: 3/19/13, L, 3-7

Last Win: N/A

 

Offensively, Troy is led by a trio of hitters who are .300 or better. Ebony Wright is at the top of the list batting .360 (9-for-25) and is followed closely by Erica Davis (.333) who is leading with 14 hits, half of which are doubles (7). Michelle Phelps is batting .300 and has been the main threat in run production with three longs balls and 17 RBI. Sara Mock and Jaycee Affeldt have teamed up to throw 74 of the 99 innings for Troy. Mock is 2-1 with a 1.28 ERA in 27.1 innings. Affeldt is 1-5 with a save, despite a 2.55 ERA in 46.2 innings. Affelt has been the workhorse for the Trojans starting eight games and has piled up 42 strikeouts.

 

Middle Tennessee (5-12)

2013 Record: 7-47

Conference: Conference USA

2013 Finish: 1-21/9th

Series Record: 5-39

Last Time Played: 4/21/10, L, 1-5

Last Win: 4/25/07, 5-4

 

MTSU features four hitting .300 or better, led by Laura Dukes who also leads the Blue Raiders with six doubles and 10 walks for a .517 on base percentage. Kayla Toney is hitting .300 and tops MTSU with four home runs and 13 RBI. The main speed threat has come from LaRi Mitchell (.302) who has team leading marks in runs (10) and stolen bases (8). The Blue Raiders have split their time in the circle with Jordy Fisherback (31.2 IP), Shelby Stinnett (40.1) and Caitlin McClure (41.0). Fisherback has the top ERA at 2.87 and is 2-3, while Stinnett is 1-6 with two saves and a 3.82 ERA. McClure
rounds out the staff at 2-3, 5.12.

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AAMU Lady Bulldogs sweep Tuskegee on cold afternoon

COURTESY AAMU ATHLETICS

NORMAL, Alabama  --  Freshman third basemen Haylee Moran-Rowen RBI single was enough as the Lady Bulldogs defeated the Golden Tigers of Tuskegee University 5-4 in extra innings, on a frigid Wednesday afternoon.

In the bottom half of the first inning A&M got on the score board with three runs on two hits.  Moran-Rowen led the inning off with a walk, then advanced to second on a pass ball.  Freshman infielder Aleah Garth then singled off a bunt to advance Moran-Rowen.  The Stockton, California native then scored the Lady Bulldogs first run of the game on an Anisa Britt's single.  A Golden Tiger error resulted in Garth plating a run while Britt advanced to third and then scored the third run for the Lady Bulldogs on a wild pitch.

In the top half of the third TU scored as Chante Warner doubled to score Angel Crawford.

The sixth inning saw the Golden Tigers tie the game at four. TU loaded the bases when Bria Young came to the plate and connected on a double to clear the bases tying the score at four all.

The game would not be decided in the final inning and would need to go into extras.

Once she reached base in the bottom of the eighth inning senior infielder Raven Grubbs stole second and third. A singled to left field from Moran-Rowen scored Grubbs for the game winning run.

Britt was credited with the win as she pitched all eight innings.  She faced 35 batters and struck out five walking four.

A&M will travel to Birmingham, Alabama for their next contest.  The Tiny Laster HBCU Classic awaits the Lady Bulldogs on Saturday, March 1, through the Sunday, March 2.

COURTESY ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

ASU Lady Hornets Finish Ninth At South Alabama Invitational

MOBILE, Alabama  -- The defending SWAC champion Alabama State women's golf team finished in ninth place in the 15-team South Alabama Invitational as the 54-hole even concluded Tuesday.

Alabama State posted a team score of 318 in the 18-hole final round for a tournament score of 937.

Dismary Marquez shot four-over par 76 Tuesday to finish tied for a third with a seven-over 223.

Jenelle Kraakman shot 83 to finish with a three-round total of 239, (77-79), three shots ahead of teammate Sylvia Masango (242). Shanon Spinuzzi and Mia Campbell each shot 245 for Alabama State.

"Our women's program played closer to their potential and I was pleased with their overall performance," head coach Dr. Gary Grandison said. "If we focus on the many learning experiences from this tournament, we should continue to develop as a team."

Both the women's and men's teams will be in action Monday in the SWAC Texas Open in Alexandria, La.

Final results

Team results 1) Memphis, 300-304-301—905 (+41); 2) Jacksonville St, 303-300-304—907 (+43) 3) South Alabama, 310-300-299—909 (45); 4)Troy,  298-309-308—915 (+51); 5) Samford, 300-306-314—918 (54); 6) Eastern Kentucky, 309-305-305—919 (+55); 7) Arkansas-Little Rock 316-305-309—930 (+66); 8) Louisiana Monroe, 315-308-310—933 (+69); 9) Alabama State University, 311-308-318—937 (+73); 10) Southern Illinois, 310-312-316—938 (+74); 11) Western Kentucky, 318-311-315—944 (+80); T12) University of New Orleans, 318-326-327—981 (+117); T12) UAB, 326-322-333—981 (+117); 14) Spring Hill College, 332-347-362—1041 (177); 15) Jackson State University, 363-340-354—1057 (+193)

Individual Results
1) Leighann Cabush, UM, 73-73-74—220 (+4); 2) Anne Kathrin Albrecht, J'ville St., 73-74-75—222 (+6); T3)Dismay Marquez, ASU, 73-74-75—223 (+7); T3) Fatima Fern Cano, Troy, 73-73-77—223 (+7); T3) Maya Parsons, J'ville St., 74-75-74—223 (+7); 6) Sydney Needham, SU, 75-76-73—224 (+8); T7) Elisa Axelsen, USA, 76-75-74—225 (+9); T7) Rachel Welker, EKU, 75-75-75—225 (+9); T7) Carianne Wright, USA, 77-73-75—225 (+9); T7) Taylor McGraw, Troy, 76-73-76—225 (+9)


COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA SPORTS INFORMATION

Alabama State Complete Mid-Week Sweep of Youngstown State

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- The Alabama State baseball team completed a two-game sweep of Youngstown State with an 8-3 win over the Penguins Wednesday night at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.

Freshmen Drake Hloska and Patrick Coffin combined to scatter seven hits and three runs over six innings, while positions 5-9 in the Hornets' lineup combined for seven of Alabama State's 10 hits, scoring five times and driving in seven runs.

"I was very satisfied with the effort on the mound from Drake in his first collegiate start," head coach Mervyl Melendez said. "I thought he did a pretty good job, giving up two runs in three innings, and threw the ball well. We knew Youngstown State's approach at the plate was going to be better, so Drake and Patrick, having back-to-back freshmen on the mound, did a good job and we're happy about that."

Trailing 1-0 in the second inning, Emmanuel Marrero was hit by a pitch with one out. After an infield single by Marcus Swint, Branden Castro, who tied a career-high with three hits, singled to right field, scoring Marrero. After Castro advanced to second on a wild pitch, Dexter Price's sacrifice fly scored Swint and moved Castro to third. Einar Muniz' single up the middle on a 1-2 pitch scored Castro to give the Hornets a 3-1 lead.

Tied at 3-3 in the sixth, Alabama State (8-3) regained the lead for good. Cesar Rivera singled through the left side to leadoff the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Waldyvan Estrada reached on an error and advanced to second on a wild pitch, Marrero was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Rivera then scored on a fielder's choice, followed by an RBI single by Castro, scoring Marrero. Swint, who reached on a fielder's choice, scored on a throwing error for a 6-3 ASU lead.

The Hornets added a pair of runs in the seventh on two-out, two-run double by Marrero.

"We picked our spots tonight to have three good offensive innings," Melendez said. "It was a very good job by the bottom of the lineup. One at bat that stands out was Einar's hit up the middle (an RBI single in the second inning) with two outs. It was a productive at bat. It was good see Branden get three hits and a pair of RBI to set the tone for us. He'd been struggling a bit at the plate, but I think he's finding his groove now."

Alabama State begins Southwestern Athletic Conference play at home this weekend against Mississippi Valley State in a pair of doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday. First pitch each day is at 1 p.m. at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.

Box Score

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Watch Thursday's CIAA Baskeball Tournament Live @ Livestream

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association is proud to announce the seeding for the 2014 Men's and Women's Basketball Championship, February 25 through March 1, at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. Tournament tickets are still available for purchase by visiting the Ticketmaster website.

Women's Bracket | Men's Bracket

Watch the action live at our Livestream feed below:

ciaa on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free
.

Thursday, February 27

Men’s Quarterfinals

#1S Livingstone vs. Saint Augustine's 4S/5N/6S 1:00 p.m.

#1N Bowie State vs. Johnson C. Smith 4N/5S/6N 3:00 p.m.

#2N Lincoln (PA) vs. #3S Fayetteville State 7:00 p.m.

#2S Winston-Salem State vs. #3N Elizabeth City State 9:00 p.m.

Friday, February 28

Women’s Semifinals
Virginia Union vs. Fayetteville State, 1:00 p.m.
Virginia State vs. Shaw, 3:00 p.m.

Men’s Semifinals

7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 1

Women’s Championship - 5:00 p.m.

Men’s Championship - 8:30 p.m.

COURTESY THECIAA.COM

JCSU Men's Basketball Moves Forward with an 82-63 Win Over Virginia State in CIAA Tournament

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- The Johnson C. Smith University men's basketball ousted the Virginia State University Trojans from the 2014 CIAA Tournament on Wednesday, February 26th in an 82-63 decision at the Time Warner Cable Arena.

JCSU, the fifth seed out of the Southern Division, advances to Thursday's quarterfinal round with the victory. The Golden Bulls will take on Bowie State, the defending CIAA Tournament champions, at 3:00 p.m.

Virginia State, the Northern Division's fourth seed, saw their season come to a close with a 14-13 mark on the year. Elijah Moore led the effort with 14 points in the loss. Lamar Kearse and Larry Savage added 11 and 10 points respectively.



"I don't think we played particularly well on either side of the floor…we weren't aggressive in going to the basket…they played better than we did tonight. We are a better shooting team than what we showed," commented Virginia State head coach Lonnie Blow, Jr.

All-CIAA junior forward Emilio Parks (Ashtabula, OH) led all players in the contest with 21 points in the victory for the Golden Bulls. Junior guard LaMarquis Letchaw (Dallas, TX) produced 20 points, including a 14-14 outing at the charity stripe. Senior forward Antwan Wilkerson (Greensboro, NC) notched a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds.

"Hats off to Virginia State; they played an excellent game," said Golden Bulls head coach and 2014 CIAA Hall of Fame inductee Stephen Joyner, Sr. "Defensively, I thought we executed an outstanding game plan and we will have to continue to do that in order to stay in this tournament."

Free throws played a critical role in the contest as JCSU had 44 attempts at the line in comparison to 16 opportunities for the Trojans. The Golden Bulls made good on 37-44 of those trips, while Virginia State went 10-16 from the charity stripe. Additionally, the Trojans finished the contest shooting 3-22 from three point land.

Wilkerson opened up the contest with a bucket for JCSU. Savage quickly tied things up with a basket for the Trojans at the 18:28 mark. Virginia State built an 11-8 lead six minutes into the contest before a 9-0 run by the Golden Bulls gave them a 17-11 advantage at the midway point of the first half.

The Trojans trailed for the remainder of the half, but pulled within three points at the 7:08 mark after a layup by Savage. The Golden Bulls pulled away by nine points on three different occasions before taking a 33-28 advantage heading into halftime.

JCSU came out firing after halftime as Parks tacked on seven points to the Golden Bulls' lead. Savage answered with a layup for Virginia State, but JCSU surged again for a 5-0 run. The Trojans faced a 42-30 deficit with 17:12 left in the contest.

VSU trailed the Golden Bulls 49-36 at the first media timeout of the second half.

The Golden Bulls continued to dominate through the midway point of the second half. At the 9:20 mark, Virginia State made things interesting when free throws by Savage sparked a 5-0 run and pulled the Trojans within five points (55-50). JCSU escaped the threat and pulled ahead 62-52 with 4:56 remaining.

Though the Trojans continued to fight and put points on the board, it proved too little too late as the Golden Bulls cruised to the 82-63 victory.

JCSU played the Bulldogs of Bowie State in their first game of the 2014 calendar year. The Golden Bulls managed to pull out an 84-73 win on their home floor.

COURTESY JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Lady Broncos Stampede Johnson C. Smith 70-47 in CIAA Quarterfinals

Four Fayetteville State Players Score in Double Figures

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- All-CIAA center Deja Middletonhad 18 points and 17 rebounds to lead four players in double figures for Fayetteville State University in a 70-47 CIAA women's quarterfinal basketball victory over Johnson C. Smith in the CIAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday, February 26, 2014.

The Lady Broncos, the Southern Division's top seed, head to the semifinals to play Virginia Union, the No. 3 Northern Division seed, at either 1 p.m. on Friday, February 28. The Golden Bulls, the No. 5 Southern Division seed, ended their season at 14-13 overall.

Akysia Resper added 16 points, Amber Calvinadded 14 points and JeLena Robertson scored 10 points for the Lady Broncos (20-6 overall). Karnina Bunch scored 14 points for the Golden Bulls.

"I thought we came out focused form the beginning," Fayetteville State Head Coach Eva Patterson-Heathsaid. "Johnson C. Smith is an excellent basketball team, a well-coached basketball team. Our student-athletes knew it was going to come down to our defensive effort today. We challenged the bench, the posts, and the guards to give their best efforts. In tournament games, you never know what is going to happen and you need to be able to rely on everyone."

Middleton had 11 points and 11 rebounds in the second half as the Lady Broncos turned the contest into a rout. The Lady Broncos outscored the Golden Bulls 44-28 in the second half to break open the contest after leading 26-19 at halftime.



The Lady Broncos started fast in the second half, scoring the first five points to open a 31-19 lead. The lead climbed to 16 points at 37-21 on a follow shot by Middleton.

Middleton scored again for a 46-29 lead with under 10 minutes left. The Lady Broncos stretched the lead to 50-32 on a layup by Bria Robinson. Calvin added two free throws and Resper scored on a layup after a Calvin steal for a 54-32 lead with 7:55 remaining.

Middleton continued to dominate inside, scoring a layup for a 61-36 lead late in the contest. Resper added a jumper for a 27-point Lady Broncos' lead.

"First and foremost, hats off to Fayetteville State," Johnson C. Smith Head Coach Stephen Joyner, Jr., said. "They played a great game. Everybody on their team showed up. I have no problem losing a ball game as long as we fight but I'm disappointed because we did not do that. We've got to get more heart, more hustle, more effort. I know what this team is capable of and we came up way short. We've got to understand that we did not fight the way we're capable of fighting in order to advance in the future. We will use this as motivation."

The Lady Broncos shot 50 percent in the second half while the Golden Bulls struggled from the floor, making only 33 percent of their shots. For the contest, the Lady Broncos outshot the Golden Bulls 42 to 31 percent and won the rebounding battle 44-29, thanks to Middleton.

In the first half, Calvin hit the second of back-to-back three-pointers to give the Lady Broncos a 9-7 lead. Her three-pointer ignited the Lady Broncos, who went on a 8-1 run for a 17-8 lead.

A basket by Quinesha Lynch stopped the run and started a Golden Bulls' run. They climbed back within 17-13 while holding the Lady Broncos scoreless for five minutes. The drought ended when Resper scored a layup off her steal for a 19-13 lead. The lead reached 21-13 on a short bank shot by Middleton.

Middleton scored again for a 23-17 lead, but Bunch scored on a driving bank shot to pull the Golden Bulls within four points. Calvin hit another three pointer right before the half for a 26-19 lead.

Calvin led the Lady Broncos with 11 points in the first half. Bunch had seven points for the Golden Bulls.

Final Stats

COURTESY FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SAU Lady Falcons Fall To Virginia State In CIAA Quarterfinals

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- Sophomore guard Porscha Walton (Chesterfield, VA) scored 13 points for Saint Augustine's University in an 85-60 women's basketball quarterfinal loss to nationally-ranked Virginia State University in the CIAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday, February 26, 2014.

Sophomore guard Regime McCombs (Greenville, SC) added nine points for the Lady Falcons (13-15 overall), the No. 4 seed in the Southern Division. The trio of sophomore guard Jeanne-Marie Wilson (Temple Hills, MD), senior guard Ebony Spencer (Chesapeake, VA) and sophomore forward Terri Jacobs (McDonough, GA) each had eight points. Jacobs added 11 rebounds.

Tiffanie Adair scored 18 points to lead five double-figure scorers for the Lady Trojans (25-1 overall), who will move on to the tourney semifinals against Shaw University at either 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. on Friday, February 28. The Lady Trojans, are ranked 13th nationally in the USA Today/Coaches poll.

The Lady Falcons barely lost to the Lady Trojans 69-68 in their only regular season meeting on February 5 after holding a late lead. On Wednesday, the Lady Falcons never led after tying the score 2-2 on two free throws by senior forward Victoria Davis (San Diego, CA). The Lady Trojans reeled off seven straight points for a 9-2 lead and never looked back.

The Lady Trojans opened a double-digit lead late in the half at 29-15. The Lady Falcons cut the deficit to 29-19 on a layup by Wilson but the Lady Trojans made a late run for a 44-25 halftime score.

McCombs of the Lady Falcons opened the second half with a three-pointer to cut the lead to 46-29. Spencer added a jumper to pull the Lady Falcons within 15, but that was as close as they would get.

"It was a tough game," St. Aug Head Coach Rachel Bullard said. "We didn't come ready to play. We got hit first and couldn't bounce back."

McCombs and Walton each recorded three steals for the Lady Falcons, who totaled 13 steals as a team. The Lady Falcons scored 24 points off 25 Lady Trojan turnovers, but the Lady Falcons committed 27 turnovers which led to 30 Lady Trojan points.
The Lady Trojans shot 46 percent for the game including 52 percent in the first half. The Lady Falcons shot 37 percent including 23 percent in the first half.

"You get knocked down, you have to figure out a way to pick yourself back up, and we didn't do that," Bullard said.

The Lady Falcons lose two key seniors in Davis and Spencer. However, they return 11 players including their sophomore nucleus of Walton, McCombs, Jacobs, Wilson and guard Lakiya Rouse (Greensboro, NC). Walton is an emerging playmaker in the league and McCombs is one of the CIAA's top three-point shooters. Jacobs is one of the best rebounders in the conference.

The Lady Falcons were extremely competitive on the court. Off the court, they hit the books hard which led to their fifth consecutive CIAA Team Highest Grade Point Avera

"We played hard and we played with class," Bullard said about her team. "They work hard on and off the court."

COURTESY SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
ge Award in women's basketball.

JCSU Golden Bulls Women's Basketball Eliminated with a 70-47 Loss to Fayetteville State

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- The Johnson C. Smith University women's basketball team suffered elimination from the 2014 CIAA Tournament with a 70-47 quarterfinals loss to Fayetteville State University on Wednesday, February 26th at the Time Warner Cable Arena. JCSU finishes the season with a record of 14-13 overall and 8-8 in the CIAA.

Fayetteville State, the Southern Division's top seed, heads to the semifinals to play Virginia Union, the No. 3 Northern Division seed, at either 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. on Friday, February 28.

In the first half, Amber Calvin hit the second of back-to-back three-pointers to give the Lady Broncos a 9-7 lead. Her three-pointer ignited the Lady Broncos, who went on an 8-1 run for a 17-8 lead.

A basket by freshman guard Quinesha Lynch (Rocky Mount, NC) stopped the run and started a Golden Bulls' run. They climbed back within 17-13 while holding FSU scoreless for five minutes. The drought ended when Akysia Resper scored a layup off her steal for a 19-13 lead. The lead reached 21-13 on a short bank shot by CIAA Defensive Player of the Year Deja Middleton.

Middleton scored again for a 23-17 lead, but senior guard Karnina Bunch (Vicksburg, MS) scored on a driving bank shot to pull the Golden Bulls within four points. Calvin hit another three pointer right before the half for a 26-19 lead.

Calvin led the Lady Broncos with 11 points in the first half. Bunch paced JCSU with seven points at the break.

Middleton had 11 points and 11 rebounds in the second half as the Lady Broncos created some distance. Fayetteville State outscored the Golden Bulls 44-28 in the second half to break open the contest after only leading 26-19 at halftime.

Middleton continued to dominate inside, scoring a layup for a 61-36 lead late in the contest. Resper added a jumper for a 27-point Lady Broncos' lead.

"First and foremost, hats off to Fayetteville State," said JCSU head coach Stephen Joyner, Jr. "They played a great game. Everybody on their team showed up. I have no problem losing a ball game as long as we fight, but I'm disappointed because we did not do that. We've got to get more heart, more hustle, more effort. I know what this team is capable of and we came up way short. We've got to understand that we did not fight the way we're capable of fighting in order to advance in the future. We will use this as motivation."

JCSU struggled shooting from the floor in the second half, connecting on just 33 percent of their attempts. For the contest, the Lady Broncos outshot the Golden Bulls 42 to 31 percent and won the rebounding battle 44-29.

Bunch finished with a team-high 14 points for the Golden Bulls. Senior guard Deanna Downer (Elberton, GA) followed that effort with eight points, four rebounds, and two assists. All-CIAA center Ashley Porter (Winston-Salem, NC) had six points, five boards, and three blocks.

Middleton had 18 points and 17 rebounds to lead four players in double figures for Fayetteville State. Resper added 16 points, Calvin added 14 points and JeLena Robertson s
cored 10 points for the Lady Broncos (20-6 overall).

Box Score            

COURTESY JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Shaw Falls To Saint Augustine's 74-59 in Second Round of CIAA Tournament

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- Shaw University men's basketball team fell victim to a strong second half performance from their cross-town rival Saint Augustine's, falling 74-59 in the second round of the CIAA Tournament.

 

The Bears conclude their season with a 10-17 mark, while Saint Augustine's improves to 13-15 and will face Livingstone Thursday at 1:00 p.m.

 

Shaw's Andre Paulk notched 20 points for the Bears in the loss.  Joe Reid and Larry Richardson added 11 and 10 points respectively.

 

Head coach Cleo Hill, Jr. stated, "I just thought overall for us to be playing our biggest rival, our energy level was extremely low…I thought there was a point where we threw in the towel.  Coach Sheals is a very good coach and he's going to do well the rest of the tournament.  In the end, I think they wanted the basketball game more."

 

Hill continued, "I don't know what it is.  We came out flat to play our rival.  When we went down by 15 in the second half, I could tell in the body language they were giving up.  I tried to put in some of our higher energy guys, but it just didn't work."

 

Tashuan Stockdale paced the Falcons with 20 points while Jonathon Crawley and Xavier Saddler-Mae each tallied 11 points.  Joel Kindred rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points in the win.  He also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds (one offensive, nine defensive).

 

Tony Sheals, head coach of the Falcons, noted, "Tonight was a night where we thought we had a favorable match-up because we felt that we could defend them.  When I look at the difference I see that we were plus-14 in rebounds and that was definitely the difference in the ball game." 

 

The first half was an all-out battle for control of both the momentum and score as both teams fought to establish dominance.  The first twenty minutes of play featured eleven ties and nine lead changes.

 

Andre Paul scored the first bucket of the game with a jumper for Shaw.  Tashaun Stockdale responded with a score for the Falcons at the 19:26 mark.  A made free throw by Koron Reed, three-pointer by Paulk and a jumper by Joe Reid put the Bears ahead 8-2 at the 16:06 mark.   The six point lead by Shaw was the largest of the half by either team.

 

The Falcons fought back over the next two minutes to knot the score 8-8.  From that point forward, Shaw and St. Augustine's matched each other bucket for bucket, intensely working to give their team a commanding lead.

 

With 1:14 left in the half and the score tied 25-25, Xavier Saddler-Mee hit a jumper for the Falcons for a 27-25 lead.  Shaw's Jeffrey LeGree answered back with a bucket at the buzzer to knot the game at 27 heading into halftime.

 

The Falcons started the second half with back-to-back scores from Amere May and Stockdale to take a 31-27 lead.  St. Augustine's then took advantage of two turnovers from Shaw and used a Saddler-Mee layup and Stockdale dunk to secure a 35-27 lead.

 

With the score 36-29 in favor of the Falcons, Jonathon Crawley completed the three-point play at the 16:17 mark to leave Shaw trailing by ten.  Back-to-back three pointers by Raheem Joliff solidified a 49-34 lead for St. Augustine's with 11:12 remaining in the contest.

 

From there it was all about the Falcons as they maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest.  A resounding dunk by Joel Kindred with 1:40 left in the contest extended the Falcons' advantage to 71-55.  Crawley added a dunk of his own with 18 seconds left in the game to propel St. Augustine's to the 74-59 win.

 

In addition to his 20 points, Paulk pulled in seven rebounds.  Koron Reed led the team with eight boards.  Aquil Younger paced the squad with three assists.

Box Score

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Ram Ramblings: End of an era with retirement of Bill Hayes

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  Bill Hayes has a good-size ego. Donald Reaves, the chancellor of Winston-Salem State, also has a good-size ego.

Whether those egos clashed one time too many is something we may never know.

What we do know is that Hayes, who at age 70 doesn’t act like it except for the occasional afternoon nap, is no longer the athletics director at WSSU.

Hayes decided to retire after four years in what could only be termed as a very successful run.

I wasn’t around for the end of the Big House Gaines era in ...

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Texas Southern Tigers Split with New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS  --  A two-day series switched to a double header when Texas Southern traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana to face the University of New Orleans.

The threat of bad weather led the teams to play two late games rather than chance a rainout.

In game 1, New Orleans scored in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.  Texas Southern came back and scored three runs in the third inning to go up 3-0.  TSU's first run crossed the plate when Chris DeLeon got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.  An error by the first baseman allowed the Tigers to score again and Luis Armas' single to third base gave TSU their third run of the inning.

"You can see the improvement as we get some of our key guys healthy," said head coach Michael Robertson.  "We just got Luis [Armas] back and he had a great game against UNO."

UNO scored two runs in the 4^th inning to tie the game 3-3.  TSU lost the game on a homerun at the top of the 5^th inning for a final score of 4-3.

Texas Southern had 7 hits with 7 men left on base.  Marquis Webb led the Tigers with 2 hits. Zach Howell, DeLeon and Armas each had 1 RBI.  Larry Romero pitched 3.1 innings with 3 strikeouts, 8 hits and 3 earned runs for the loss.  Darius McClelland pitched 4.2 innings with 3 strikeouts, 3 hits and 1 earned run.

The Tigers evened the score with a win in game 2.  The game was scoreless until the 5^th inning. Sayvon O'Neal gave Texas Southern their first run when he scored on an error by the second baseman.  Armas then got his second RBI of the series with a single to left field.  TSU held a 2-0 advantage in the 5^th inning.

Samuel Terry added to the Tigers' lead with a solo homerun to left field.  It was Terry's and the teams' first homer of the season.

UNO scored one run in the bottom of the 6^th inning but TSU took the 3-1 win.

The Tigers had 9 hits in game 2 with 8 men left on base.  Rios Ryan pitched 6 innings with 3 strikeouts, 4 hits and 1 earned run for the win.

Felix Gomez got the save after closing out with 1 strikeout. Jakari Bass and Jamell Blue each pitched an inning in relief.  Bass had 1 strikeout and 1 hit while Blue had 2 strikeouts and 2 hits.

"Our pitching is ahead of our defense and hitting. That's the way we want it because the defense and hitting will come as the season progresses. We are moving in the right direction" said Robertson.

Texas Southern begins conference play this weekend when they travel to Grambling for a three game series.  The first game is Saturday, March 1^st at 1:00pm.

"This past week has given us momentum going into conference this weekend against Grambling.  I feel real good about us.," Robertson said.    
Box Score 1 | Box Score 2    
By Rodney Bush TSU Sports Information Director
COURTESY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Boateng named MVSU women's soccer coach

ITTA BENA, Mississippi – The beginning of a new era for the Mississippi Valley State women's soccer program has begun.

N. Fabio Boateng has been named the third head coach in school history for the Devilettes, succeeding Sonia Curvelo who recently accepted the same position at Cleveland State. Boateng will take over a MVSU soccer program that won a SWAC Tournament championship in 2012 and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, the third in school history.

He arrives at MVSU after a successful four-year stint at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, where last season he led the Lady Lions to a school-record 8-5-2 finish.

Last season, two Lincoln University student-athletes were named Second Team All-Atlantic. Boateng also coached the 2013 ECAC Division II Women's Soccer Rookie of the Year (Christian Harris) and Tara O'Brien, who was tabbed ECAC All-Star. Not only did the Lady Lions excel on the playing field, but also in the classroom. Three Lincoln University women's soccer student-athlete were selected Honorable Mention to the 2013 NSCAA College Division Women's Scholar All-East Region Team for maintain above a 3.30 cumulative grade point average. Also, the Lady Lions were honored with the 2012-13 Team Academic Award from the National Soccer Coaches of America for accumulating a 3.48 GPA during the 2012-13 academic term.

Prior to his time at Lincoln, Boateng served for two seasons as an assistant coach at Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C. At Converse College, a NCAA Division II institution, he was instrumental in all of the program's operations, including recruiting, game planning, scouting and game-day managing. Converse earned its second All-Converse honor under his guidance.

He also served as the head coach in South Carolina at Boiling Springs High School during the 2010 spring season and led the boy's to their most successful season ever. It included six conference wins and a trip to the second round of the state championships. Four players were named to the all-region team, a first in school history.

Prior to his stint at Converse and Boiling Springs, Boateng served as a graduate assistant for two seasons at Division I Virginia Commonwealth University. During the 2006-07 year, all 15 students he mentored maintained a 2.5 GPA or higher required by the NCAA.

From May 2004 to August 2006, Boateng served both the men's and women's soccer programs at the University of Ghana. While assisting the men, he became the first head coach of the women's program. The women were 23-5-2 and earned two goal medals (2004, 2006) at the Ghana University Sports Association Games, the equivalent of NCAA titles in that country.

During that period, he transformed from player to coach, as he was a four-year starter at the University of Ghana from 2000-2004, which included a gold medal in West Africa's University Games in his freshman season and an appearance in the finals in his senior campaign.

Boateng holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a minor in the study of religion from the University of Ghana, a Master's of Science in Sports Leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University and earned a second Master's degree in Business Administration in Risk Management.

COURTESY MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

GSU Football Season Tickets go on Sale March 22nd

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  -- Season Tickets for the 2014 Grambling State University Football season will go on sale March 22nd at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center as a part of the Spring Football Game festivities. The Tigers will have three big home games this season at Robinson stadium as a part of the schedule.

Grambling will celebrate High School Day on Saturday, October 11th and will face Alcorn State University at 2 p.m. Homecoming 2014 will be the following week on October 18th at 2 p.m. against the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff. The final home game of the season will be on Saturday, November 15th at 2 p.m. against Alabama State University. That game will be First Responders and Military Day as we honor those, who protect and serve our community and our country.

Season ticket holders will also have the opportunity to purchase Bayou Classic Tickets before they go on sale to the general public. For more information, call the GSU Ticket office at 318-274-2625.

COURTESY GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

ASU Hornets Dominate Youngstown State

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- The Alabama State baseball team opened an 11-game homestand with an 11-2 win over Youngstown State Tuesday at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.

Michael Estevez (2-0) set the tone with five consecutive strikeouts to begin the game. He pitched a career-best six innings, allowing only four hits, one walk, and a career-high six strikeouts.

"It was an amazing performance," head coach Mervyl Melendez said of Estevez, who has not allowed a run in 11 innings pitched this season in his first year as a starter. "He has had back-to-back outings where he's thrown the ball very well. The five strikeouts were all on fastballs. He did very well tonight."

Emmanuel Marrero set career highs with four hits and four RBI as the Hornets won their third straight game.

"He swung the bat extremely well," Melendez said of Marrero. "Every hit he had he squared the baseball on the bat; he didn't have any cheap hits. When a hitter is seeing the ball like that, it looks like a beach ball, and I think that was the case for him tonight."

The Hornets scored two runs in the first inning, and four in the second inning. Richard Amion, who went 3-for-3 with two runs scored, and two RBI, led off with a walk. He stole second, and scored on Richard Gonzalez' RBI single to right field. With two outs,  Gonzalez stole second, and scored on Marrero's single up the middle for a 2-0 lead.

In the second, Branden Castro led off with a single to left, and advanced to third on a one-out double by Einar Muniz. Amion then singled to left, scoring Castro and Muniz. With two out, Cesar Rivera and Waldyvan Estrada were hit by pitches to load the bases. Marrero then singled down the right field, scoring Amion and Rivera to give the Hornets a 6-0 lead.

Leading 8-0 in the seventh, Marrero singled and scored on a Marcus Swint's triple, with Swint scoring on a throwing error on the play. Marrero completed his four-hit, four RBI night with a two-out single to right field, scoring Chase Waters who doubled.

The Hornets and Penguins conclude their two-game series Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.

Box Score

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Nuggets' Abbes repeats as GCAC Player of the Week

Nour Abbes

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Nour Abbes is the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week in women's tennis for the second consecutive week.
    
Abbes, a freshman from Tunis, Tunisia, and a graduate of Lycée Sportif d'El Menzah, received the honor for Feb. 17-23 after producing singles victories at the top flight against two NCAA Division I opponents. Abbes defeated McNeese State's Klaudia Gawlik 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 (10-3) on Friday and Southeastern Louisiana's Renee Villarreal 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday. She also teamed with Kourtney Howell at No. 1 doubles for an 8-1 victory against Villarreal and Reginka Nychytailova.
    
Xavier, 4-4 and ranked sixth in the NAIA, is scheduled to travel to Jackson, Miss., for GCAC duals against Fisk and Tougaloo on Saturday. The Gold Nuggets' next home dual will start at 2 p.m. on March 12 against Oral Roberts at XU Tennis Center. The next XU men's dual will start at 1 p.m. Friday against West Florida — the third-ranked team in NCAA Division II — at Pensacola, Fla. The Gold Rush are ranked eighth in the NAIA.


By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
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Balanced Attack Pushes Shaw Past Lincoln Lady Lions

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- The Shaw University women's basketball team came out on top of a 71-56 decision against The Lincoln University Lady Lions on Wednesday afternoon in Time Warner Cable Arena in the second round of CIAA Tournament play.  The Lady Bears now advance to the semifinals with a 19-8 mark on the year while the Lady Lions end their season with a 12-15 record.

 

Shaw entered the contest as the number two seed out of the Southern Division with Lincoln as the sixth seed from the Northern Division.  The Lady Bears will take on the winner of the Virginia State and St. Augustine quarterfinal contest Friday at either 1:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m.

 

Shaw had four players score double-digit points in the victory.  Diamond Mitchell and Kamiya Burwell both tallied 15 points.  Kaula Jacks added 13 while Verdine Warner contributed 10 points for the Lady Bears.  Micah Brooks grabbed 13 rebounds (four offensive, nine defensive).

 

Shaw head coach Jaques Curtis commented, "We played really tentatively in the first half…[but] we were able to make some things happen in the second half…[and] that's ultimately what made the difference in today's game."

 

Zephrah Pam led all players in the contest with 16 points for the Lady Lions.  She also hauled in a game-high 14 rebounds (five offensive, nine defensive).  Dejah Taylor chipped in 10 points for Lincoln in the loss.

 

The Bears had the hotter shooting hand, hitting 40 percent of their shots from the field, while Lincoln hit 30.6 percent.

 

In what was, at times, a sloppy game, both teams struggled from the three-point line, with the teams going a combined three for 30.  Shaw hit one of ten of their shots, while Lincoln sank two of 20.

 

Both teams committed 24 turnovers each.

 

Cynthia Johnson opened up the contest with a jumper for the Lady Lions and Mieana Gaines followed with a basket of her own to give Lincoln a 4-0 lead early in the contest.  A bucket by Micah Brooks put the Lady Bears on the board at the 18:18 mark.

 

With the score tied 6-6 and 16:25 on the clock, Kaula Jacks and Verdine Warner hit back-to-back layups for Shaw, making the score 10-6 and giving the Lady Bears their first lead of the contest.

 

Pam's layup at the 11:52 mark knotted the score once more (14-14).  The game was tied at total of nine times in the first half, as each team battled for control of the momentum and the score.

 

Lisa Saunder's three-pointer for Lincoln with 23 seconds on the clock put the Lady Lions ahead 30-28, but two made free throws by Kamiya Burwell iced the game 30-30 as the teams headed into the locker room at halftime.

 

The Lady Bears came out firing at the start of the second half as Shaw used a 17-2 run capped by a three-pointer by Ariel Hatcher to pull away 47-32 with 14:27 remaining in the game. The deficit proved to be insurmountable for the Lady Lions, as they were never able to recover from a slow start to the second half.

 

Lincoln clawed their way back to move within eight points (53-45) using a layup by Clark, with 6:42 left in the game and continued to try to chip away at the score.  Warner's basket for the Lady Bears on the next possession gave Shaw back the double-digit lead.

 

Pam answered with a score of her own for Lincoln which cut the Lady Bears' lead to nine points (55-46).  That's as close as Lincoln would get as Shaw maintained a double-digit advantage for the final six minutes of play en-route to the 71-56 win.

 

Eleven of Burwell's 15 points came at the free throw line, where she hit 11 of 13.  She also had eight assists to lead both squads.  Brooks added seven points to her 13 rebounds.

Box Score

COURTESY SHAW UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

VUU Lady Panthers Surge into CIAA Semis with 73-53 Win Over Bowie State

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  --  The Virginia Union University women's basketball team persevered through an early deficit to earn a 73-53 win over Bowie State University on Wednesday morning in Time Warner Cable Arena.  The Lady Bulldogs entered the game as the second seed out of the Northern Division with the Lady Panthers as the third seed from the North.

"We asked our team to work hard today.  When you work hard you have fun.  And when you have fun, you can play with the energy that's hard for the other team to match," stated Lady Panthers' head coach Barvenia Wooten-Cherry.

Virginia Union advances with an 11-15 record and will take on the winner of Wednesday's 2:40pm contest between Fayetteville State and Johnson C. Smith.  Bowie State ends their season with an 11-14 record.

Ashle Freeman led all players in the contest with 25 points in the win for Virginia Union.  Melyse Brown added 20 points while Jasmin Dancy chipped in 13 points to guide the team to victory.  Donia Naylor paced Bowie State with 20 points in the loss.  She also grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds (three offensive, 14 defensive).

"Virginia Union is a good ball club and they were more disciplined down the stretch than we were," stated Bowie State head coach Renard Smith.

Naylor opened up the contest with a jumper and Moriah Goodman followed with a bucket to give the Lady Bulldogs a 4-0 lead early in the contest.  Brown put the Lady Panthers on the board with a score of her own at the 17:36 mark.  Uchechi Ahaiwe completed the three-point play for the Lady Bulldogs to push Bowie State's lead to 7-2.

Freeman responded with a layup for Virginia Union to make the score 7-2 at the first media timeout.  A 3-0 run by the Lady Panthers made it a two-point game with 13:48 on the clock.



Both teams exchanged baskets over the next three minutes of play until a jump shot by Dancy for the Lady Panthers put Virginia Union within one point (10-9).  Bowie State held on to a one point lead (12-11) heading into the second media time out of the contest.  Ashley Castle gave the Lady Bulldogs some cushion with a layup at the 7:02 mark.

With 5:31 left before halftime, Shahadah Barret hit a free throw and Lady Walker grabbed a rebound and put-back to give the Lady Panthers a 15-14 lead, their first of the game.

Down 18-17 with 3:49 left before halftime, Alessandra Flores' drove to the basket for a score for Bowie State, returning the lead to the Lady Bulldogs.  From there, Bowie State remained on top and held on to a 24-23 advantage heading into halftime.

Naylor's layup at the start of the second half put the Lady Bulldogs ahead 26-23.  Virginia Union resiliently battled back using a 4-1 run to knot the score 27-27 with 18:29 left in the game.

The Lady Panthers and Lady Bulldogs traded leads over the next three minutes until a three-pointer by Freeman swung the momentum back to Virginia Union.

Holding a 34-32 advantage, the Lady Panthers clung tightly to the lead.  Bowie State refused to go away quietly and remained close on Virginia Union's heels, never trailing by more than six points until the 4:53 mark.  Brown went to work at that point, draining two free throws and scoring two baskets to build the Lady Panther lead to 58-48 with 3:29 on the clock.

Virginia Union led by as many as 16 points (66-50) as late as the 1:22 mark before closing out the contest with the 73-53 victory.

Box Score

COURTESY VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Watch Today's CIAA Baskeball Tournament Live @ Livestream

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association is proud to announce the seeding for the 2014 Men's and Women's Basketball Championship, February 25 through March 1, at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. Tournament tickets are still available for purchase by visiting the Ticketmaster website.

Women's Bracket | Men's Bracket

Watch the action live at our Livestream feed below:

ciaa on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Wednesday, February 26

Women’s Quarterfinals

#2N Bowie State vs. 3N/6S winner 10:00 a.m.

#2S Shaw vs. 3S/6N winner 12:20 p.m.

#1S Fayetteville State vs. 4N/5S winner 2:40 p.m.

#1N Virginia State vs. 4S/5N winner 5:00 p.m.

Men

#4S Shaw vs. 5N/6S winner 7:20 p.m.

#4N Virginia Sate. vs 5S/6N winner 9:40 p.m.

Thursday, February 27

Men’s Quarterfinals

#1S Livingstone vs. 4S/5N/6S 1:00 p.m.

#1N Bowie State vs. 4N/5S/6N 3:00 p.m.

#2N Lincoln (PA) vs. #3S Fayetteville State 7:00 p.m.

#2S Winston-Salem State vs. #3N Elizabeth City State 9:00 p.m.

Friday, February 28

Women’s Semifinals

1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Men’s Semifinals

7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 1

Women’s Championship - 5:00 p.m.

Men’s Championship - 8:30 p.m.

COURTESY THECIAA.COM

JCSU Golden Bulls Advance in the 2014 CIAA Tournament with an 89-85 Win Over Virginia Union

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- The Johnson C. Smith University men's basketball team advances to the next round of the 2014 CIAA Tournament with an 89-85 overtime victory over Virginia Union

All-CIAA junior forward Emilio Parks (Ashtabula, OH) scored 18 points to lead four double figure scorers.

Junior guard LaMarquis Letchaw (Dallas, TX) added 15 points, sophomore guard Joshua Linson (San Antonio, TX) chipped in 11 points and senior guard Richard Daniels, Jr. (Winston-Salem, NC) scored 10 points for the Golden Bulls (16-11), who trailed almost the entire game. The Golden Bulls were down 13 late in the second half, but managed to come back in their hometown.

Senior forward Antwan Wilkerson (Greensboro, NC) had eight points and 12 rebounds for the Golden Bulls, who outscored the Panthers 16-12 in the extra session including eight consecutive free throws.

CIAA Defensive Player of the Year Omar Briggs was a force inside for the Panthers, scoring 25 points and pulling down 19 rebounds. CIAA Rookie of the Year Ray Anderson also had 25 points and Avery Jirmnson scored 12 points for the Panthers (6-20), who were in control much of the contest.

Anderson wasted no time showing why he garnered the league's top rookie honor. He scored 14 points to give the Panthers a 16-12 lead. He hit another jumper to push the Panthers' lead to 10 at 26-16 at the 10:47 mark of the first half.

The Golden Bulls went on a brief run to trim the deficit to 28-23 on a free throw by Wilkerson. But the Panthers put together another run to get the lead back to double digits.

Anderson made another jumper for a 10-point lead and Briggs scored for a 37-25 lead late in the first half. Their lead reached 40-27 on a layup by Jirmnson.

JCSU made one last run before halftime. They scored seven straight points capped by a behind-the-back pass from Letchaw to sophomore center Alandre Davis (Wilson, NC) for a layup. The Golden Bulls went into halftime with momentum as they trailed 40-34 after falling behind by double digits in the first half.

Anderson led all scorers with 18 first-half points. Briggs added nine points and Jirmnson scored eight points for the Panthers. Letchaw led the Golden Bulls with eight points and Parks, the Food Lion MVP, scored seven points for the Golden Bulls.

The Golden Bulls' momentum vanished in the first few minutes of the second half. The Panthers scored the first four points to lead by 10 once again. The Golden Bulls converted a three-point play and Patrell Rogers hit two free throws to bring the margin to five.

A three-pointer by Daniels got JCSU within two at 48-46. The Golden Bulls knotted the game at 48-48 on an inside shot by sophomore forward Christan Williams (Chesapeake, VA). The Panthers responded with 13 straight points for a 61-48 lead. The Golden Bulls responded with nine consecutive points including two three-pointers from Linson.

A three-pointer from Linson pulled JCSU within 61-60. Mantez Holmes gave the Panthers a three-point lead on a layup, but the Golden Bulls tied the game on a three-pointer by Wilkinson.

The Golden Bulls took their first lead of the game 66-63 when Parks converted a three-point play at the 4:56 mark. Parks added a follow shot for a 68-63 lead. Letchaw made two free throws for a 70-63 Golden Bulls' lead with 3:43 left.

Anderson scored on a coast-to-coast layup to cut the Panthers' deficit to five, but Lechaw converted another three-point play for a 73-65 lead.

It was the Panthers' turn to rally. They scored eight straight points capped by a three-pointer by Ken' Pankey to tie the game at 73-73 with 40 seconds left.

The Golden Bulls missed two free throws, but the Panthers were called for an offensive charge with 9.3 seconds left. The contest went into overtime.

Parks scored the first basket for a 75-73 Golden Bulls' lead. Briggs tied the game at 75-75 on a bank shot, but Parks followed with a dunk to put the Golden Bulls up by two again.

Michael Wynn of the Panthers tied the game with a layup but Parks scored on a follow shot as the Golden Bulls led by two again. Two free throws by the Panthers tied the score again.

Sophomore guard Raston Brown (Hephzibah, GA) hit both free throws as the Golden Bulls led 81-79 and senior forward Robert Williams (Atlanta, GA) added two more free throws for an 83-79 lead. Daniels drained two free throws to extend the Golden Bulls lead to 85-79 with 28.2 seconds left. Williams made two more for an 87-79 lead with 28.2 seconds left.

Pankey hit a trey from the corner to cut the deficit to 87-82. Brown's emphatic two-hand dunk gave the Golden Bulls a seven-point lead and sealed the win for them.
University on Tuesday, February 25th at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Golden Bulls will play Virginia State University (#4N) in the next round on Wednesday, February 26th at 9:40 p.m.

Box Score  

COURTESY JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS 

VUU Lady Panthers Oust Livingstone in CIAA Tournament

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- The Virginia Union Lady Panthers will see another day at the CIAA Tournament after earning a decisive 73-50 victory over Livingstone College on Tuesday morning in Time Warner Cable Arena.

The Lady Panthers entered the contest as the third seed out of the Northern Division and will take on Bowie State on Wednesday at 10:00am.  They advance to the second round with a 10-15 overall record.  Livingstone, the sixth seed out of the Southern Division, ends their season with a 12-15 mark on the year.

Virginia Union head coach, Barvenia Wooten-Cherry stated, "We're excited.  Today our main focus was defense.  Defense wins championships.  We got a lot of transition points, got into the lane and finished our shots.  Before the game we talked about shot selection, and the team answered the call."



Ashle Freeman led all players in the contest with 22 points in the win.  Melyse Brown and Jasmin Dancy added 19 and 15 points respectively.  For Livingstone, Tiffany Evans notched a team-high 14 points while Ashley Walker added 12 to help the cause.  Alexis Hicks added 10 points for the Lady Blue Bears.  The Lady Panthers converted 21 Livingstone turnovers into 20 points and outscored the Lady Blue Bears 44-22 in the paint.

Angelyne Brown, head coach of Livingstone, noted, "Obviously we are disappointed with the outcome but we would like to give credit to Virginia Union in their victory.  They executed their plan and did exactly what we expected them to do.  We didn't respond well."

Freeman opened up the contest with a jumper for the Lady Panthers.  Three-pointers by Barret and Brown extended Virginia Union's lead to 8-0.  Wende Foster put the Lady Blue Bears on the board with a jumper with 16:42 left in the half.

From there, it was all about the Lady Panthers as Brown's jumper sparked a 9-0 run, handing Virginia Union a 19-2 advantage with 13:16 on the clock.  Walker's jumper for Livingstone broke a five minute scoring drought and put the Lady Blue Bears back in the game, but Freeman's bucket for the Lady Panthers gave Virginia Union a 21-4 lead heading into the second media timeout of the contest.

Virginia Union built their lead to 25-4 before the Lady Blue Bears scored six unanswered points to make the score 25-10 with 6:11 left before halftime.  The teams exchanged baskets with the Lady Panthers enjoying a 32-16 advantage at the end of the first half.

Walker tacked on a bucket to start out the second half.  Hicks completed the three-point play for the Lady Blue Bears to make the score 34-19.  Cierra York's three-pointer for Livingstone made it a 12 point game with 17:56 on the clock.

Baskets by Freeman, Denesha Tatum and Dancy for Virginia Union were matched by jumpers from Livingstone's Evans and Hicks resulting in a 40-26 score with 15:44 left in the contest.

After the first media time out of the second half, Dancy hit a jumper for the Lady Panthers.  Evans responded for the Lady Blue Bears with a three pointer to make the score 42-29.  The teams exchanged baskets as time on the clock ticked away but Livingstone was unable to overcome the deficit.  Though the Lady Blue Bears battled, they trailed by as many as 17 points (50-33) with 11:35 left in the game

Enjoying a 52-36, advantage with 10:48 on the clock, Virginia Union orchestrated an 11-3 run to pull away 63-39 with just under five minutes left in the contest.  The Lady Panthers maintained a lead of 20 points or more for the remainder of the game en-route to the 73-50 win. 

Box Score

COURTESY VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Lady Falcons Topple ECSU 57-48 In CIAA Tourney First-Round Game

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- Sophomore guard Jeanne-Marie Wilson (Temple Hills, MD) scored 12 points and senior forward Victoria Davis (San Diego, CA) added 11 points as Saint Augustine's University spurted away late for a 57-48 women's first-round basketball victory over Elizabeth City State University in the CIAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on Saturday, February 25, 2014.

The Lady Falcons, seed No. 4 in the Southern Division, advance to the quarterfinal round on Wednesday, February 26, where they will face nationally-ranked Virginia State University, the top seed out of the Northern Division. Game time is 5 p.m.

Sophomore forward Terri Jacobs (McDonough, GA) added eight points and five rebounds and freshman forward Kaleisha Moore (Kinston, NC) had eight points and six rebounds for the Lady Falcons (13-13 overall). Sophomore guard Porscha Walton (Chesterfield, VA) chipped in seven points and sophomore guard Regime McCombs (Greenville, SC) had five points. DaShera Boone scored 10 points for the Lady Vikings (7-19 overall).

Davis and Walton led a strong defensive effort against the Lady Vikings. Davis, named the Food Lion MVP for the Lady Falcons, finished with a game-high five steals and Walton added three steals for the Lady Falcons, who finished with 10 overall. The duo sparked a dynamic full-court press which forced 24 Lady Viking turnovers leading to 16 points for the Lady Falcons.

"Our defense fuels our offense," St. Aug Head Coach Rachel Bullard said. "When our defense is clicking, we are good to go."

Their defense helped the Lady Falcons take over the contest after the Lady Vikings led 39-35 with 13:23 remaining. The Lady Falcons outscored the Lady Vikings 22-9 the rest of the way. Davis had nine points and three steals and Wilson added eight points in the second half for the Lady Falcons, who scored 12 points off 13 ECSU turnovers in the second half.

"I'm not ready to go home yet," said Davis about her stellar second-half performance. "I've been here [CIAA Tournament] twice and this is my last opportunity to come out on top."

Led by six points from Moore and five from Walton, the Lady Falcons led 25-19 at halftime. They ended the half on an 8-2 run to break a 17-17 tie. The Lady Vikings opened the second half with a 20-10 run for a four-point lead before the Lady Falcons snatched control.

The Lady Falcons will face a Virginia State squad which is ranked 13th in the nation in the latest USA Today/Coaches Rankings. However, the Lady Falcons nearly stunned the Lady Trojans in their only regular season meeting on February 5. The Lady Falcons fell 69-68 at home after holding a six-point lead with five minutes left.

"We've been under pressure situations this season," Bullard said. "If we give a little more effort on offense and defense, we will be OK."

Box Score

COURTESY SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

May Scores 37 for SAU Falcons In CIAA Tourney Win Over Chowan

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- Junior guard Amere May (South Haven, MI) poured in 37 points as Saint Augustine's University shot 51 percent in a 79-73 men's first-round basketball contest in the CIAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on Tuesday, February 25, 2014.

With the win, the Falcons head to the quarterfinal round to face crosstown rival Shaw University at 7:20 p.m. on Wednesday, February 26, 2014. The Falcons were 1-1 against the Bears in their regular-season series. The Bears are the No. 4 seed in the Southern Division.

"It is a rubber match between us and Shaw," said St. Aug Head Coach Tony Sheals, who captured his first CIAA Tournament coaching victory in his first game. "We are good neighbors. Both teams are evenly matched."

May, an All-CIAA guard, was 11-of-16 from the floor including 5-of-8 from three-point range. He also made 10-of-12 free throws and snatched nine rebounds. The sharpshooting guard was named Food Lion MVP of the game for his performance.

Senior guard Joel Kindred (Raleigh, NC) added 13 points, including three straight free throws in the final 12 seconds to clinch the victory for the Falcons, who snapped an eight-game losing streak. The Falcons led 76-73 before Kindred sealed the win with his free throws. Kindred also had seven rebounds.

"The main thing was to make [the free throws] and advance to the next day," Kindred said. "Like coach says; slow down, take your time and put it through the net."

Phoenix Butler-Poole led the Hawks with a career-high 31 points. The All-CIAA forward made 10-of-16 shots and 8-of-11 free throws. Ashante Ross added 14 points and Kyree Bethel scored 10 points for the Hawks, who shot 38 percent.

Butler-Poole scored Chowan's first seven points, including a three-pointer, for a 7-4 lead. Ross added a jumper for a five-point margin.

The Falcons began to heat up from that point. They scored 21 consecutive points for a 25-9 lead.

The Hawks rallied within three points on a three-pointer and two free throws from Ross. May drained back-to-back threes for a 37-28 Falcons' lead with 1:32 remaining in the half. His fourth trey right before the half put the Falcons up 40-30.

May had 20 points at halftime on 8-for-10 shooting including 4-of-5 three-pointers for the Falcons, who shot 59 percent in the first half. Butler-Poole scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting for the Hawks, who shot 35 percent.

The Falcons opened the second half with a 12-point lead on baskets by Kindred and junior forward Tashaun Stockdale (Poplar, SC). St. Aug maintained control until the 8:02 mark when Tiron Brown of the Hawks nailed a three-pointer to slice the Falcons' lead to 59-58.

Kindred scored a layup for a 72-64 lead, but Bethel hit a three and Ross converted a three-point play to get the Hawks within 72-70 with 2:54 left.

The Falcons made seven of eight free throws down the stretch to get the win. Senior center Jonathan Crawley (Richmond, VA) and freshman guard Anthony Gaskins (Greenville, NC) both made two free throws and Kindred was 3-of-4 including the last three free throws to send the Falcons to the quarterfinals.

The Falcons defeated the Hawks for the third time this season after sweeping the regular-season series. But May knew the Hawks would be a handful in the CIAA Tournament.

"Chowan is a great team," May said. "It is hard to beat a team three times in a row."

The Falcons needed a big game from May in addition to defense, rebounding and clutch free throw shooting to keep its season going. The Hawks simply had no answer for the Falcons' top scorer.

"He was a handful to keep in front of us," Chowan Head Coach Brett Vincent said.

The Falcons outrebounded the Hawks 39-28. The Falcons also made 25-of-33 free throws for 76 percent compared to 20-of-30 free throws for 67 percent for the Hawks.

Box Score

COURTESY SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION