ESPN3: Western Illinois Returns Home to Face Chicago State Saturday at 3:00 p.m. EST

#WIUGAMEDAY INFORMATION

Western Illinois Leathernecks (2-5) vs. Chicago State Cougars (2-4) WHEN AND WHERE: Saturday, December 3 | 2 p.m. Macomb, Ill. | Western Hall (4,553) 2016-17 WESTERN ILLINOIS STATS:  HERE 2016-17 CHICAGO STATE STATS:  HERE OPPONENT WEBSITE:  GoCSUCougars.com

COVERAGE

VIDEO STREAM: ESPN3 RADIO: Flagship: 94.3 FM WRMS Affiliates: 102.7 FM WJEQ 106.7 FM WPWQ 107.5 FM KWBZ AUDIO STREAM:  WRMSFM.com LIVE STATS:  GoLeathernecks.com

SOCIAL MEDIA

TWITTER: @WIUMensHoops @WIUAthletics FACEBOOK: Western Illinois Men's Basketball Western Illinois Athletics INSTAGRAM: Western Illinois Athletics

PRESEASON INFORMATION

2016-17 Quick Facts (.PDF) 2016-17 Preseason Record Book (.PDF) 2016-17 Schedule Release 2016-17 Media Day (Video)

MACOMB, Illinois -- Western Illinois (2-5) continues the non-league portion of its schedule Saturday afternoon (Dec. 3) when Chicago State (2-4) comes to Macomb... The Leathernecks and Cougars are slated to tipoff at 2 p.m. inside Western Hall, and the afternoon tilt is slated to be streamed live on ESPN3.
 

OPENING TIP

- Western Illinois men's basketball dropped its nonconference road game at American 57-50 Tuesday evening (Nov. 29)... Senior Garret Covington finished with a game-high 20 points... Sophomore Jordan Hughes played a career-high 16 minutes and grabbed a career-high and team-best nine rebounds.

- Mike Miklusak continued his fast start...  After recorded the team's first double-double of the season in 36 minutes of action at Miami (14 points, 11 rebounds), the senior scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in 31 minutes at American. Miklusak came off of the bench in each game.

- Covington leads WIU in scoring, averaging 21.1 points per game... He has scored 15-plus points in all seven games this season, and 20-plus points in each of WIU's last four games (22 at EIU | 26 vs. Crown | 29 at Miami | 20 at American).

- Covington has 1,487 career points and most recently moved into eighth place all-time at WIU... H passed Ceola Clark III and is not the program's all-time leader in total points during the program's NCAA DI era... Covington is 10 points from moving into seventh, and 22 away from sixth.

- Covington, who also ranks second all-time in career 3-pointers (234 3-pointers), is only 14 triples away from being the program's all-time leader.

- Senior guard Jabari Sandifer has 357 career assists and is five away from moving into the Top 3 in WIU's program history.

SERIES HISTORY: The Leathernecks lead the all-time series with Chicago State 24-13... The most recent contest came last season at Chicago State when the Cougars downed the Leathernecks, 77-70... The first ever meeting between the two programs occurred on February 5, 1972 with Western defeating CSU 124-91 (The 124 points scored by WIU ranks fifth-most in the program's history)... That meeting marked the only 1-of-3 meetings between the two programs before Western moved up to NCAA Division I... Chicago State was a member of The Summit League when it was known as the Mid-Continent Conference, joining the league in 1994 and departing in 2006... During that time period WIU went 16-8 against the Cougars, never facing them in the league's tournament... Since CSU left the league the two teams have only played one other time prior to last season on Jan. 20, 2007 when the Cougars defeating the Leathernecks 82-72 in Macomb... WIU's program record for blocks in a game of nine by Shelby Thompson happened against Chicago State during the 1992-93 season.

WHAT'S NEXT?: Western plays the back end of its home-and-home series with Eastern Illinois inside Western Hall on Saturday, Dec. 10... The contest is Western's final nonconference home game of the season.

THE LAST TIME OUT: Western Illinois men's basketball dropped its nonconference road game at American 57-50 Tuesday evening (Nov. 29). The Leathernecks, who led by nine points at halftime, lost their lead early in the second half after the Eagles opened the period on a 10-0 run. American eventually built its lead up to seven, 49-42, with 5:42 to play in regulation. WIU wouldn't give in though as the Leathernecks answered with a 6-0 run to get back within a point at the final media timeout, 49-48. AU and Western exchanged baskets and the Leathernecks again found themselves down one with 26 seconds to play, but WIU missed its opportunities to regain the lead before eventually falling to 2-5 on the season. Senior Garret Covington finished with a game-high 20 points. It marked his fourth straight game with 20 or more points, and the Edwardsville, Ill. native also passed Ceola Clark III on WIU's career points list to gain sole possession of eighth place (1,487 points). Covington added four rebounds and two assists as well.

AT HOME: Western is 46-24 (.657) inside Western Hall since the beginning of the 2011-12 season... The Leathernecks went 10-4 (.714) during their 2011-12 campaign, 12-2 (.857) during the 2012-13 league slate, 7-5 in 2013-14 (.583), 8-6 (.571) in 2014-15, 7-6 (.500) in 2015-16, and WIU is 2-1 on LeRoy A. Ufkes Court inside Western Hall so far this season.

WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

ESPN3: Cleveland State Vikings Return Home to Host Bethune-Cookman at The Q on Saturday at 12:00 Noon EST

GAME #7
Bethune-Cookman (2-5) at Cleveland State (1-5)
Saturday, December 3 | 12:00 pm ET
Cleveland, Ohio | Quicken Loans Arena
Live Stats | ESPN3 | AM 1420 WHK

PDF GAME NOTES
Bethune-Cookman at Cleveland State

GAME PREVIEW:
    •     Cleveland State returns home for the first time in almost three weeks when the Vikings host Bethune-Cookman on Saturday (Dec. 3) at 12:00 pm at Quicken Loans Arena.
    •    The Vikings are 1-5 and concluded a four-game road swing with a 78-51 setback at Arkansas State on Wednesday (Nov. 30).
    •    Bethune-Cookman is 2-5 this year and has not played since a 93-65 setback at Samford on Nov. 26.
    •    Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app with Al Palowski and Pat Vuyancih providing the commentary.
    •    Pawlowski and Vuyancih will also have the call on AM 1420 and AM 1440.

THE BETHUNE-COOKMAN SERIES:
    •     Saturday's game will be the first-ever meeting between CSU and Bethune-Cookman in men's basketball.
    •    This will be the third of five teams that CSU will be playing for the first time in program history this year (UT-Martin, Arkansas State, Bethune-Cookman, Purdue, Lake Erie).

GAME 6 REVIEW: ARKANSAS STATE 78, CSU 51 (11/30/16)
    •     CSU concluded a four-game road swing with a 78-51 setback at Arkansas State.
    •    Demonte Flannigan led CSU with 14 points and six rebounds in his first start of the season.
    •    Kenny Carpenter scored 10 points with five rebounds, while Jibri Blount added eight points and three rebounds.
    •    Terrell Hales and Kasheem Thomas both had two steals in the contest.

CSU AT "THE Q":
    •    Saturday's game will be the first of two games that CSU will play at Quicken Loans Arena this year.
    •    CSU also hosts Western Michigan on Wednesday (Dec. 7) at Quicken Loans Arena.
    •    This marks the second year that the Vikings will play a select number of home games at the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
    •    Last year, CSU played five games at The Q, hosting Kent State and Ohio in non-conference action and Youngstown State, Valparaiso and Wright State in the League slate.

FOR THREE:
    •    CSU has hit a three-pointer in a school-record 572 consecutive games.
    •    The Vikings have hit at least three three's in 120 straight games.
    •     The last time CSU failed to make a three-pointer was Feb. 21, 1998, when the Vikings were 0-for-8 in a 60-57 win over Detroit.

FLANNIGAN BACK IN STARTING LINEUP:
    •    Demonte Flannigan made his first start of the season on Wednesday (Nov. 30) at Arkansas State.
    •    Flannigan posted 14 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes.
    •    He missed the first four games of the season and made his season debut at Duquesne (Nov. 27), playing 19 minutes off the bench.
    •    The lone senior on the 17 player roster this year, Flannigan was second on the team in scoring (11.4) and rebounding (5.4) last year.
    •    He posted five double-doubles as a junior and poured in a career-high 30 points in a win at Youngstown State (Feb. 13).

CARPENTER PROVIDES SPARK OFF BENCH:
    •    Junior Kenny Carpenter has provided the Vikings with a spark off the bench over the last two games.
    •    In games at Duquesne (Nov. 27) and Arkansas State (Nov. 30), Carpenter has averaged 11.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting 9-of-19 (.474) from the field.
    •    He scored 13 points with four rebounds at Duquesne and tallied 10 points and five rebounds at Arkansas State.

EDWARDS NETS CAREER HIGH:
    •     Sophomore Rob Edwards scored a career-high 28 points in the Nov. 23 setback at No. 1 ranked Kentucky.
    •    Edwards also set career-highs in field goals made (12) and attempted (21) against the Wildcats.
    •    His old career-high was 26 points set last season at Detroit.
    •    Edwards has six career 20-point games, including two this year.

... AND PROVES WORTHY OF PRESEASON HONOR:
    •     Sophomore Rob Edwards was named to the preseason All-Horizon League second team.
    •    He ranks seventh in the Horizon League in scoring (15.7) and is 13th in field goal percentage (.473; 35-74).
    •    Edwards is 14-of-18 at the free throw line this year, ranking 14th in the League with a .778 percentage.
    •    Last year, he averaged 12.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game last year, earning a spot on the Horizon League All-Freshman team.
    •    He started 30 games last year, the most for a freshman in CSU history, and also logged a CSU freshman record 994 minutes.

KASH DROPPING DIMES:
    •     Freshman Kasheem Thomas ranks third in the Horizon League with 4.5 assists per game.
    •    Thomas' 27 assists are the fourth most by a Horizon League player this year.
    •    He has recorded at least six assists in three games this year with nine in the season opener vs. Kent State (Nov. 12), seven against Canisius (Nov. 15) and six assists at Duquense (Nov. 27).
    •    Thomas has a 1.9 assist-to-turnover-ratio, committing just 14 turnovers to his 27 assists to rank fifth in the League.

... AND HE'S JUST A FRESHMAN:
    •     Kasheem Thomas is averaging 7.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists this year, playing 26.7 minutes per game.
    •    Thomas became the first CSU freshman to start a season opener since 2003-04 (Walt Waters) when he drew a starting assignment vs. Kent State (Nov. 12).

ALL IN THE FAMILY:
    •     Sophomore Jibri Blount is the son of NFL Hall of Famer and former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Mel Blount who played 14 seasons for the Black and Gold.
    •    As a starting forward this year, Blount is averaging 8.0 points and a team-leading 4.5 rebounds per game.
    •    Blount tied his career-high with 11 rebounds at UT-Martin (Nov. 18).
    •    Blount had a strong freshman season, averaging 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 29 games, including five starts.

WORD UP:
    •     Junior Bobby Word made his CSU debut against Kent State (Nov. 12). He sat out last season after transferring from Oral Robets.
    •    He ranks 26th in the League in scoring (10.3) and ninth in three-pointers (2.2).
    •    Word scored a team-high 17 points in the season opener against Kent State (Nov. 12), hitting four three-pointers and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
    •    As a sophomore at ORU, Word averaged 8.4 points and was tops on the team with 56 three's.
    •    He scored in double figures 14 times, including a career-high 22 points in the second round of the CBI against Loyola (Ill.).

SLOAN STEPS IN:
    •     With Demonte Flannigan out of the lineup to start the season, junior Derek Sloan stepped in to start the first five games of the season.
    •    Sloan has responded well, averaging 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds, while shooting .650 (13-20) from the field.
    •    Sloan set career highs in points (10) and rebounds (7) against Canisius (Nov. 15), hitting five of his seven shots from the floor in just 17 minutes.
    •    He made 4-of-5 field goals at UT-Martin (Nov. 18), tying his career high with 10 points.

UP NEXT:
    •    CSU will play its second and final game of the season at Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday (Dec. 7) when the Viking host Western Michigan at 7:00 pm.
    •    The Vikings travel to Purdue for a 12:00 pm game next Saturday (Dec. 10). The Boilermakers are ranked 15th in this week's AP Top-25 poll and 16th in the USA Today Coaches poll.

CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

WSSU freshman Colon making immediate

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- It’s hard to imagine just how good freshman Robert Colon of Winston-Salem State will get once he gets a little more experience.

The good news is he’s already making quite an impact.

Colon, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound shooting guard, has made the transition from high school to college look as easy as the perfect rotation on his jump shot. He’s confident without being cocky, and that’s a trait that has already endeared him to teammates.

“He hasn’t had a bad game,” coach James Wilhelmi of the Rams said. “As a freshman, you are going to have ups and downs. We believe in him and we’re going to keep going to him because he’s an outstanding player.”

The Rams (3-4) will head into today’s 7 p.m. game at home against Virginia Union with Colon as their leading scorer. He is averaging 19.7 points a game and loves taking the big shots.

CONTINUE READING

One more piece of hardware at stake Saturday from Grambling: The SWAC title in showdown with Alcorn State in Houston

HOUSTON — For the second straight year, Grambling swept its way through the Southwestern Athletic Conference, bringing its regular-season conference winning streak to 18 games.

Broderick Fobbs was named coach of the year for the third straight year, and the Tigers landed 14 players on the all-conference team, including the offensive and defensive players of the year.



Despite all of the regular-season accolades, there is still one big piece of hardware missing from Grambling’s recent list of accomplishments: the SWAC championship, which the Tigers haven’t won since 2011.

Grambling will get the opportunity to put that exclamation point on a dominant season at 3 p.m. Saturday when the Tigers take on Alcorn State in a rematch of last year’s SWAC title game at NRG Stadium.

“Eighteen straight wins sound good, but we are chasing the ring right now,” Grambling all-SWAC offensive lineman Justin Miller said Friday. "We were undefeated in the conference last year and lost in the championship game. So we have to stay humble and just go out and do what we do.”

CONTINUE READING

ESPN3: SIU Men's Basketball hosts Texas Southern on Saturday at 5 p.m. EST

SIU ATHLETIC

CARBONDALE, Illinois -- Southern Illinois (4-3) hosts Texas Southern (4-3) on Saturday at 4 p.m. at SIU Arena. The Salukis have never played Texas Southern. In fact, SIU has only played five games total against current members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Southern Illinois is 3-2 all-time against the SWAC. The most recent meeting was an 82-63 win over Alabama State on Dec. 12, 2009.

This contest marks the eighth-straight road game for the Tigers. Texas Southern plays its first 16 games on the road this season — the longest streak in the nation. The Tigers won't play at home until they host Grambling State on Jan. 14. TSU is coached by Mike Davis, who coached two games against the Salukis while he was the head coach at Indiana (2000-06). He led the Hoosiers to an 85-63 win over SIU in Bloomington, Indiana on Dec. 2, 2000. The following year, Southern pulled off the upset at home, topping the No. 24-ranked Hoosiers, 72-60, in a sold-out game on Dec. 1, 2001. Indiana advanced to the national title game that season, while the Bruce Weber-coached Salukis went to the Sweet 16.

• WATCH
• LISTEN
• LIVE STATS
• GAME NOTES

The leading scorer for Texas Southern is junior G Zach Lofton (20.3 points). Saluki fans might remember him from his sophomore season at Illinois State in 2013-14. He averaged 11.3 points for the Redbirds and scored 18 points in the game versus SIU in Normal, Illinois, and 11 points in the game in Carbondale.

Saluki head coach Barry Hinson press conference transcript

Texas Southern has played a lot of road games so far. What do you see out them coming into this game?
I think there are several story lines here. You have Mike Davis, an extremely respected coach with over 300 wins. You've got a guy that has won the league in the SWAC and gone on to the NCAA Tournament. You have possibly the best offensive rebounder that you're going to see all year round in [Derrick] Griffin. You've got a kid named [Zach] Lofton that's very familiar with playing in this building that used to be at Illinois State and is shooting the ball anywhere from 17 to 18 times a game. Then you have a 7-foot, athletic, Marvin Jones that plays on the perimeter that we recruited out of Highland Community College. We're very familiar, not only with this program, but how good they are and they're certainly the most athletic bunch that we've played to date. That includes everybody. 

Arizona was able to score in transition against them, that's been a big part of your offense. How do you control the tempo?
I think the only way we can run is if we get stops. We don't run unless we can stop somebody. If somebody scores on us we're not going to run, but Arizona is a little different than us. They've got two 7-footers and one of them went 5-for-6 from three. I do think that you've seen this ball club culminate in the last three games defensively. If we can continue to do what we do defensively I think we have a chance to have a good basketball team. I still believe we can shoot the basketball. We're last right now in the Missouri Valley Conference in three point shooting but I don't think we're a last-place team. I think we have the capabilities of being a top-tier team shooting the three. 

Was improving the interior presence a point of emphasis in recruiting this year?
I think for us the interior deal was, yes. We have to have somebody that can alter or block shots inside. We haven't had that since I've been here. We've had height, but they couldn't block shots nor could they finish shots. We think that Thik Bol is that guy. We know he's missed some lobs here and he's had some trouble handling passes, but when you go back and you look at it on film, you find out that in most cases the passes weren't great or it was given to him in a position where it would be difficult for him to have a positive outcome. 

Lofton and Dulani Robinson lead the team for Texas Southern. They'll take a lot of shots from outside of the 3-point line. How is that similar challenge to Murray State?
I think the thing with Lofton and Stark is very similar. Lofton is going to shoot the ball every time he touches it. He shoots 17 to 18 shots a game. Our leading shot taker is seven times a game. They've got a guy shooting 11 more times than our leading shooter. The other thing with Robinson is that he has great depth. This is a senior. It is not his first rodeo. He gets it. He's a really good player. He goes downhill. He knows what to do. He's a phenomenal passer. You've got Jones and Griffin coming off of those ball screen and he just throws it up. They've got two Thik Bols. Griffin was recruited to be a wide receiver for Johnny Manziel when he was a quarterback at Texas A&M. This kid is a big-time athlete. He's a big-time player. There's a reason he was player of the year as a freshman and was picked as the preseason player of the year. That's pretty impressive.

How do they use him?
He's shooting about 80% inside the paint. What he does is he gets the rebound. When the shot goes up he will get it. He's a lot like Dennis Rodman. He's one of those guys that if anyone misses around the basket he goes and gets it. This will be one of our bigger challenges that we've faced all year.

Do you know Mike Davis personally?
I don't know Mike. I've followed his career. I certainly remember when he took Indiana to the National Championship. I'm extremely impressed with Mike and what he has done. I'm even more impressed with what he's done this year taking 16-straight road games. Their first home game is January 14th. That's an unbelievable challenge and you don't see him ever whining in the paper or in his game notes about it. I'm really impressed with Mike Davis.

How did this game come about?
The game came about when we had the mess up with the tournament we had. One of the byproducts was they helped us get Texas Southern in here. It certainly wouldn't be an opponent that we would go out and schedule because I know how good they are often. There are no more easy games. Every game will go down to the wire from here on out. I think every team we play will have a winning record except with the exception of one team. Every team we play from here on out is really good. We have no more games that our fans show up or our players will think, 'eh, we can just show up and play.' There are no more of those. 

You said Armon Fletcher has worked on his three point shot a lot this summer. How much has that helped his confidence.
I think you've seen that even when he's not making shots he still has the confidence to go ahead and shoot the basketball. He can shoot much better than he has been and right now he's sitting at the 43 or 44 percent mark. I believe he's an even better shooter than that. I think its helped him a tremendous amount. Armon is his own biggest challenge. Armon has an opportunity to be paid to play one day. He's got the body. He's got the athleticism. He needs to have the want more, but I think that will happen with a little more maturation. Armon is a young player. I do think you'll see he will make great improvement as it goes on.

What is Rudy Stradniek's role right now?
I think right now what people are missing is that he has 10 offensive rebounds. Sean O'Brien and Thik Bol have 13 a piece. And they're playing twice the minutes that Rudy is. He's got 10 offensive rebounds in half of the minutes. We've asked Rudy to rebound for us. He's a different type of player. He understands how to screen and slip and get open and pick and pop. If he keeps rebounding that gives us that guy that backs up Thik when he is in foul trouble or fatigued. For us right now, that's a big key. Who will be the backup center? I think since SIUE, you've seen a great bit of confidence in Rudy.s

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Alcorn Eyes Three-Peat in SWAC Championship Against Grambling State

Alcorn Game Notes

HOUSTON, Texas  –  On a quest to win its third consecutive SWAC Championship, the Alcorn State University football program will play Grambling State in the title game for the second year in a row at 3 p.m. Saturday at NRG Stadium.

The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU with Eric Clemons on play-by-play, Jay Walker as analyst and Sherree Burress on the sidelines. It can also be heard on 91.7 WPRL FM with play-by-play voice Charles Edmond on the call.

Alcorn (5-5, 5-4 SWAC) is playing for its 16th conference championship in program history. The Braves are in a similar situation as last season as they are going up against a Grambling State (10-1, 9-0 SWAC) squad that enters the game unbeaten against SWAC competition.

In last year's championship, the Braves beat the Tigers 49-21. Junior quarterback Lenorris Footman recorded four touchdowns including three in the air and one on the ground.

Footman's status for this year's contest will be a game-time decision as he's been nursing a hand injury. Freshman quarterback Noah Johnson has played in nine games this year and has posted 11 passing and 10 rushing touchdowns.

The Braves feature one of the premier ground attacks in the country. They average 217.8 rushing yards per game which ranks second in the SWAC and 18th in FCS. Junior De'Lance Turner leads the team with 61.8 rushing yards per game. He's coming off a career-high 129 rushing yards against Jackson State.

Thursday morning Alcorn earned six SWAC All-Conference honors. Seniors Darien Anderson and Eric Foster were named to the All-Conference First-Team on defense. Senior Detonio Dade and junior Timothy Gardner took All-Conference Second-Team nods on the offensive line, and senior Michael Hurns and junior Michael Brooks were selected to the All-Conference Second-Team defense. Click here to view the release.

Grambling won every SWAC game this year by at least 20 points. Its only blemish on the record came in a non-conference affair at Arizona on Sept. 10 when the Tigers jumped out to a 21-3 lead at half but fell 31-21. The Tigers led the conference in both total offense (507.6 ypg) and total defense (323.6 ypg).

Junior quarterback Devante Kincade, the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year, led the league in total offense with 290.4 yards per game and has thrown for 28 touchdowns. His favorite target is senior Chad Williams who has caught 10 touchdown passes and averages a league-leading 119.1 receiving yards per game.

NOTES
- The Braves are trying to three-peat for the second time in school history after previously doing it from 1968-70.

- Alcorn is looking to become the first team from the SWAC East Division to win three consecutive championships since the title game started in 1999.

- The Braves went undefeated against its SWAC East Division opponents for the second straight year. They've won eight straight games against division foes.

- Alcorn enters the SWAC Championship game on back-to-back regular season wins. It dominated Mississippi Valley State 61-7 and then shutout Jackson State in the second half for a 36-15 victory on Senior Day.

- The Braves have rushed for at least 155 yards in nine of their 10 games this season, including at No. 20 Arkansas. They've run for at least 255 yards in all of their last four games.

- Alcorn ranks top-10 in FCS and first in the SWAC in sacks allowed, only giving up 0.90 per game. On the flip side, the Braves rank 11th in FCS in total sacks, led by senior linebacker Darien Anderson who ranks fourth in the nation individually with 1.00 per outing.

- Anderson is on the Buck Buchanan Watch List which is awarded to the best defensive player in FCS. He's one of seven players on the list. In addition to his sacks, Anderson is also 14th in FCS in tackles for a loss (1.7).

- In the regular season meeting against Grambling this year, Anderson turned in a monster performance which included 12 tackles and a career-high four sacks. As a result, he went on to win Hero of the Week by HERO Sports.

- Alcorn is 5-0 this season when it holds the opposition to under 30 points.

- The Braves have come through with big defensive special teams plays all year. They've blocked five kicks which is the second-most in FCS. Turner has blocked two of them, while freshman Solomon Muhammad returned one back for a touchdown in the regular season finale against Jackson State.

- Alcorn's 54-pont margin of victory over the Delta Devils was its most lopsided victory since Oct. 5, 2013 when it beat Warner 57-0. It was Alcorn's largest win over a Division I opponent since Oct. 11, 2003 when it topped Prairie View A&M 66-0. Johnson had a historic day, setting a school record with eight total touchdowns which was one shy of tying the all-time FCS record. He threw for seven scores and ran for one. As a result, Johnson was named SWAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, College Sports Madness SWAC Offensive Player of the Week and College Football Performance FCS Performer of the Week.

- Senior linebacker Michael Hurns ranks 12th in the SWAC with 6.2 tackles per outing. He recorded a career-high 12 tackles against Alabama State in the SWAC opener. Hurns was named Student Government Association Senior Class President and took his seat in office Aug. 22. He will hold his SGA position for the entire 2016-17 fiscal year.

- Alcorn moved up a spot to No. 7 in this week's BOXTOROW HBCU Top-10 Rankings. The Braves, who have been ranked in the poll each week this year, have been as high as No. 2 this season.

ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Wiley Wildcats: Pena, Hernandez, Duran Named NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athletes

MARSHALL, Texas -- The Wiley College men's soccer team won several accolades for their performance on the field. Three players were rewarded for their success in the classroom by being named NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athletes.

Luis Pena-Marquez, Jesus Hernandez (SR/Juarez, Mexico) and Efrain Duran (SR/La Joya, Texas) met the requirements. Athletes must be at least a junior and hold a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.5. Pena, a junior biology major, holds a 4.0 GPA this semester and had a career GPA of 3.8. Hernandez, a senior physical education major, has a 3.8 GPA this semester and an overall 3.7 GPA. Duran is a senior physical education major. He has a 3.5 GPA this semester and an overall GPA of 3.6.

All three athletes were inducted into the Wiley College Wildcat 3.0 Club this fall.

WILEY WILDCATS ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Lincoln Men Ready for the Show Me State Classic

Complete Game Notes

Game #8: Harris Stowe (2-5*)  vs. Lincoln (5-2)
Date: Saturday, December 3, 2016
Time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Site: Hyland Arena (3,000) in St. Charles, Mo.
Tickets: General Admission - $10
Live Stats: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/lincoln/
* - Harris Stowe Plays on Dec. 1

THE TIP OFF:  The Blue Tigers will be back at a neutral site this Saturday (Dec. 3) as the Lincoln men's basketball team plays Harris Stowe at 3:00 p.m. CST. The game will be played at Hyland Arena on Lindenwood University's campus in St. Charles, Mo., and will be LU's final non-conference test before the Blue Tigers open MIAA play at home next week. The game will be part of the Show Me State Classic, with Lincoln's women's team playing the Hornets beforehand at 1:00 p.m. CST. For both games of the double-header, Lincoln will be the home team.

FAST BREAKS
- This will be the 21st meeting between Harris Stowe and Lincoln, the only two HBCUs in Missouri, in a series that dates back to 1980. The Blue Tigers have a 19-1 lead in the series, with Harris Stowe's lone win coming in the inaugural Show Me State Classic last season.

- Lincoln is 3-0 in neutral site contests this season and has a 5-1 record in such games over the past two years. The lone loss came in the quarterfinals of the MIAA tourney in Kansas City last year. 

- Lincoln is 5-2 on the season, marking its third-best start to a campaign through seven games. LU started the 1984-85 season 7-0 and went 6-1 to open the 2000-01 campaign.

- This marks the first 5-2 start to a season for Lincoln since 1981-82.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Jaylon Smith is one of the best all-around players in the MIAA, averaging 25.0 points and 8.9 rebounds with three double-doubles on the year. Anthony Virdure is averaging 19.9 points and 3.9 assists while Richie Lewisand Maurice Mason are each averaging 8.6 points.

HEAD COACH JOHN MOSELEY:  In his third year as the head coach of Lincoln, Moseley is the first coach to take LU to the postseason since 1986-87. Last season, Moseley led Lincoln to its first winning campaign since 2001-02 and its most league wins since 1980-81. Moseley has coached three All-MIAA honorees, including a second team selection in Anthony Virdure.

LAST TIME OUT:  Every player who dressed for Lincoln scored at least two points and grabbed at least two rebounds as the Blue Tigers rolled to a 105-55 win over Robert Morris-Springfield this past Tuesday (Nov. 29). Anthony Virdure led LU with 18 points and seven assists while Jaylon Smith scored 17. Maurice Mason dropped six dimes and scored 12 points. Darrius Spencerand Tacourrus Mattox each added 11 points while Chase Morfeld provided 10 points.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS:  Jalen Fletcher has a team-best 20.8 scoring average and leads the Hornets in rebounding with 7.3 per contest. Also atop the scoring chart for HSSU are Michael Gregg (10.5 ppg.) and Tyrone Alston (10.3), with Malik Wineglass next at nine points per night. Julian Clarkson leads Harris Stowe in both steals (14) and assists (29).

HSSU HEAD COACH BRION DUNLAP:  An 18-year coaching veteran, Dunlap is in his first year as the head coach of the Hornets. Before coming to Harris Stowe, Dunlap spent five seasons as an assistant at Holy Cross, helping the Crusaders win their first postseason game since 2005. He also has coached at Mount St. Mary's and at the high school level.

MR. SMITH:  Jaylon Smith has been dominant through the non-conference schedule, as he leads LU with 25.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Smith currently ranks among the top-10 in the MIAA in seven categories, including first in scoring and third in rebounding. Smith additionally ranks fourth in steals (2.0) and third in defensive rebounds (6.7).

ANT-MAN:  LU has another dominant scorer in Anthony Virdure, an all-conference second team honoree last season who is averaging 19.6 points per night. Virdure has reached double figures in six of Lincoln's seven games and has reached the 20-point plateau four times.

SCORE!:  Scoring has not been a problem for LU, which is third in the MIAA with 84.4 points per contest this year. Lincoln's +13 scoring margin is the third-best in the league, and has been aided by some hot shooting; the Blue Tigers are second in field goal percentage (.497). 

HOT ROD:  Rod Ollison got the season off to a very hot start, making all four of his shots against Mary before going 8-for-9 from the floor against Minnesota-Crookston. Ollison leads the team with a .677 field goal percentage and is fifth among the Blue Tigers with 6.3 points per game.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME:  Lincoln created a dominant home court advantage last season, as the Blue Tigers went 12-2 in Jason Gym. That total included beating Emporia State in the first round of the MIAA tournament as well as a win over No. 25 Northwest Missouri.

BALL CONTROL:  Lincoln excelled in taking care of the ball last year, as LU entered the post season ranked 17th in Division II in turnover margin (+3.5). Lincoln also was 30th nationally in fewest turnovers per game (11.2) and 74th in DII in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2). The Blue Tigers have been just as good this year, winning the turnover margin in six of their first seven games.

ON THE REBOUND:  Jaylon Smith, who averaged just 4.2 rebounds last year, leads the Blue Tigers with 8.9 rebounds per night this season. Smith grabbed at least nine boards in each of the first six games and has posted a double-double in three of LU's seven contests. Smith currently ranks 48th in NCAA Division II in total rebounds (62) and 53rd in the country in defensive rebounds (6.7).

NATIONAL LEADER:  In addition to his rebound totals, Jaylon Smith is currently seventh in Division II in points per game (25.0), second in total field goals made (67) and eighth in total three-pointers made (26). Smith additionally ranks seventh in total points (175), 21st in double-doubles (three) and 20th in treys made per game (3.7).

BAND OF THIEVES:  Lincoln once again is one of the best teams in creating turnovers in the country, as LU ranks first in the MIAA and 34th nationally with 9.3 steals per game. Lincoln's 65 total steals are the 23rd-most in NCAA Division II. Richie Lewis, who led the MIAA in steals last year, is 14th nationally with 17 total takeaways.

D-D-D-DEFENSE:  A big factor in Lincoln's 5-2 start has been its play defensively. The Blue Tigers have held all seven opponents to under .500 shooting, and have had a better field goal percentage in all but one contest. Lincoln, which is fourth in the MIAA in field goal defense (.413), has also out-rebounded its opponent five times.

BLUE DECEMBER:  Lincoln is heading into the 12th month of the year hoping for a repeat of 2015. Last year, LU went 5-1 during December, including beating Northwest Missouri, which was nationally ranked. As a result of Lincoln's stellar play, the 2015-16 Blue Tigers were named the HERO Sports Division II Team of the Month.

RESERVATIONS:  You can reserve your seats for all of Lincoln's home games today! Reserved seats cost $100 and include admission to all of LU's regular season home games. To purchase your seats, visit www.lincolnu.edu/basketball-tickets.

GEAR UP FOR THE GAME:  Lincoln fans can get everything they need for the game at www.BlueTigersStore.com, the official online store for LU athletics. Everything from jerseys to office supplies can be found on the site, with a portion of all sales going to benefit Lincoln athletics.

NEXT UP:  Lincoln opens MIAA play at home on Thursday (Dec. 8) as LU hosts Missouri Southern for a 7:30 p.m. CST contest.

Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

2016-17 Lincoln Women's Basketball Media Guide Now Online!

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri -- The 2016-17 Lincoln University Women's Basketball Media Guide is now available online. This 64-page publication features player bios, statistics and photos as well as game-by-game results and an expanded MIAA section. This guide also includes an all-time roster as well as Lincoln's career records. The publication additionally contains all-time series records, photos of Blue Tigers past and present and much, much more. All information within this guide is accurate as of Dec. 1, 2016.

2016-17 Lincoln Women's Basketball Media Guide


Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Started from the bottom: GSU seniors eye SWAC title

GRAMBLING — Sometime this weekend, Justin Miller, Chad Williams and the rest of Grambling's senior class will walk out on NRG Field in Houston, take a deep breath and visualize their career path.

They started from the bottom. Now they're at the top. Saturday night, they hope the top includes the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship trophy the Tigers have chased for years.

"We stayed grounded through it all," Grambling wide receiver Chad Williams said. "It's just like now the tables have turned. Everyone looks at you like the little brother you used to pick on, but now we're looking at everybody like we're going to pick on you guys for a change."

To say Grambling was picked on in 2013 would be a nice way of putting it.

Seniors like Williams, Miller, Jestin Kelly, Verlan Hunter, Trey Goins and Trent Scott, to name a few, were either freshmen or redshirt freshman during a season most wanted to forget.

CONTINUE READING

Southern Jaguars prepare to face Florida A&M Dec. 3

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern men’s basketball looks to secure its first road victory this weekend when they travel seven hours down Interstate 10 to square off with the Florida A&M Rattler in Tallahassee, Fla. Saturday.

Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. Central Time/4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

WATCH LIVE VIDEO

For Associate Head Coach Morris Scott, Saturday's clash between two schools known as perennial rivals in football serves as a homecoming on the hardwood.

“It’s always good to go back home to play a game against your Alma Mater” said Scott, who has been with the SU coaching staff since 2011.

Scott was a star point guard for the Rattlers from 1997-2001 and was known as a defensive pick-pocket averaging over three steals a game throughout his career, which still ranks second in the MEAC in steals with 253.

During his career with the Rattlers, Scott was known as a multi-talented floor general that possessed great hands, quickness on both ends of the floor with tremendous court awareness and knowledge of the game. Fast forward 16 years later, Scott is teaching, mentoring and coaching young men at Southern University who remind him of himself during his days on the hardwood.

For five years, he has worked hard preparing the Jaguars to face a different challenge offensively and defensively every time they hit the court. After being apart of two SWAC tournament titles and two NCAA Tournament Appearances, Scott was blessed to travel to Croatia with Global Sports Organization as Head Coach on a 10-day basketball goodwill tour.

“It was a great experience, being able to take (Trelun Banks and Jared Sam) along with a group of guys taught me a lot."

Through five games, senior forward Prudhomme is the Southwestern Athletic Conference scoring and three-point leader and is coming off a career game knocking down eight 3-point baskets and scoring 37.

“Our guards did a good job attacking the basket giving me good looks to be able to knock down some shots.” said Prudhomme. Jared Sam also recorded his first double-double of the season while Tre’Lun Banks dished out a season high 11 assists.

The Jaguars return to the state of Louisiana to take on the Green Wave of Tulane, Wednesday, December 7th at 7 p.m. before returning home to the F.G. Clark Activity Center to host Loyola-New Orleans on Saturday and Ecclesia College on Sunday.

Both games are scheduled to tipoff at 3 p.m.

Fans are urged to keep current with the Men's Basketball program by following the Jaguars on Twitter at @JaguarHoops.

For more information on Southern University Athletics log on to Gojagsports.com for the latest news, scores, and updates. Fans can also access the latest information on SU Athletics through social media by following @SoutherUsports on Twitter and Instagram or liking the Facebook page at Facebook.com/Southern Jaguars.

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Xavier's Temple earns Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete for 2016

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana volleyball continued its streak of Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes when Kaelan Temple was named to the 2016 team Friday.
     
Temple — a junior biology major and outside hitter/defensive specialist and a graduate of Houston's Lamar High School — is the sixth Gold Nugget in this sport to earn this honor. It's the fourth straight year and the fifth time in seven years that XULA volleyball has one-or-more honorees.
     
Temple is one of 481 — a 12-percent increase from 2015 — from 153 schools to receive the Daktronics-NAIA award this season.
     
Student-athletes are nominated by their institution, must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved junior academic status to qualify for Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete. All-time at XULA, 17 student-athletes in eight sports have earned this award a collective 31 times.
     
This is the fourth volleyball-related academic honor for Temple, who is a two-time member of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Honor Roll and was a second-team Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar a year ago.
     
The Gold Nuggets were 16-17 this year, and for the sixth consecutive season they won GCAC regular-season and tournament championships and qualified for the NAIA National Championship. Temple this season produced 17 kills, nine aces and 123 digs in 23 matches.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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