Gold Rush win final four matches to topple William Carey

ZACH TAYLOR
5'- 8"160, Senior
Hometown: Monroe, LA
St. Frederick (Ventura JC)

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana won the final four singles matches Saturday to defeat William Carey 5-4 in a matchup of ranked NAIA men's tennis teams at the University of New Orleans.



Sean Richardson finished the comeback with a 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4 decision against Robin Semal at No. 6 singles.

It was the fourth straight victory for the Gold Rush (4-1), ranked ninth, and the second in a row against a ranked opponent. William Carey (0-2) is ranked 13th.

William Carey's women, ranked 12th, defeated Xavier 9-0. It was the first match of the season for both teams against a non-NCAA Division I opponent. The Lady Crusaders are 1-4, and the Gold Nuggets are 0-7.

"The men's dual was a war," XU coach Alan Green said. "I don't recall ever being in one like that since I've been coaching where we were on the brink of defeat and had to pull out grueling win after win. All our singles wins went three sets."



STEFFEN GILES-OSBORN
6'-3" 186, Senior
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Westlake High School 

Viktor Svoboda and Steffen Giles-Osborn won in singles for Xavier after dropping their first sets. Svoboda beat Thomas Rizk, ranked 46th by the ITA among NAIA players, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 for the first XU singles point. Then Giles-Osborn beat Marthinius Visser 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to cut the Crusaders' lead to 4-3.

Zach Taylor beat 31st-ranked Ricky Keppeler (WCU) 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 to tie the dual.

"This is the type of match we need to become the team we want to be," Green said. "It was a total team victory."


Taylor was the only XU player to score in singles and doubles. Taylor and Loic Didavi, ranked third in the NAIA, beat Jody Claassen and Rizk 8-5 at No. 1 doubles after the Crusaders won the first two matches.

Kourtney Howell's No. 1 singles match again provided the most suspense in the women's dual. For the seventh time in as many duals this season, Howell went three sets. But the Lady Crusaders' Maja Vuzem, ranked 41st, prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-5).



Nicole DeLoach played her most competitive match of the spring semester in a 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) loss to Joyce Oliviera at No. 5 singles.

Xavier's women will travel to Baton Rouge, La., for a noon dual with Southern next Saturday, then both XU teams will play Shorter at 2 p.m. on March 5 at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center. Shorter's men are 10th in the NAIA, and the women are 15th.

WOMEN'S RESULTS

MEN'S RESULTS

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

TSU Claims Five Titles on Final Day of OVC Indoor

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Tennessee State finished fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday held at the Gentry Center.

The Tigerbelles accumulated 83 points finishing fourth behind Eastern Illinois (149.5), Eastern Kentucky (101) and Jacksonville State (86). The Flying Tigers compiled 87 points in 16 events.

TSU earned five more individual titles on Saturday. For the Tigerbelles, Gabrielle Todd ran 56.08 in the 400-meter dash to pick up the gold medal.

Todd was part of the first leg in the 4x400-meter relay champions. Other members of that squad included Kya Riley, Breanna Adams and Ashontae Jackson. The quartet ran the mile in 3:47.70.

Jackson, a freshman for TSU, completed fourth place finishes in the 55-meter dash (7.19) and 200-meter dash (25.09).

Senior Daniecce Ward captured the women's triple jump with a leap of 12.22-meters.

Memphis native Arthur Combest came charging to claim the 55-meter hurdles title in 7.50. In the triple jump, Avian Hughes used his final attempt to leap 14.46-meters to claim the OVC crown.

Michael Johnson placed third in the 200-meter dash, sprinting in 22.23 seconds. LeQuinn Davis earned a pair of fourth place finishes in the 55-meter (6.49) and 200-meter dash (22.26).

The Flying Tigers (Johnson, Lamonte Burton, Davis, Julian Mallory) grabbed second in the men's 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:18.91.

Tennessee State opens the 2012 outdoor season on Saturday, March 10 at the Florida A&M Relays.

Tigerbelles Saturday Final Results

55m Dash Finals

Ashontae Jackson (4) 7.19

200m Dash Finals

Ashontae Jackson (4) 25.09

400m Dash Finals

Gabrielle Todd (1) 56.08

800m Run Finals

Breanna Adams (6) 2:19.06

55m Hurdles

Brielle Moore (8) 11.15

4x400m Relays

Gabrielle Todd, Kya Riley, Breanna Adams, Ashontae Jackson (1) 3:47.70

Triple Jump

Daniecce Ward (1) 12.22m

Ja'Lyn Burr (4) 11.80m

Felicia Oladokun (6) 11.52m

Weight Throw
Brittani Logan (5) 15.02m
Cierra Joshua (8) 12.84m
Jasmine Merriweather (15) 11.49m
Kai Senaya (15) 10.16m

Flying Tigers Saturday Final Results

55m Dash Finals
LeQuinn Davis (4) 6.49

200m Dash Finals
Michael Johnson (3) 22.23
LeQuinn Davis (4) 22.26
Julian Mallory (5) 22.47

400m Dash Finals

Michael Johnson (4) 49.29

Lamonte Burton (5) 50.73

Osafa Hippolyte (6) 51.48

800m Run Finals
Jamill Jackson (6) 1:55.75

Mile Run

Adrian McDaniel (8) 4:47.96

Christopher Hobbs (9) 4:51.29

Desmond Trice (10) 4:58.84

55m Hurdles Finals

Arthur Combest (1) 7.50

Triple Jump

Avian Hughes (1) 14.46m

Markeith Price (8) 13.45m

Weight Throw

Alex Griffin (7) 12.11m

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

XU Gold Rush defeat Dillard 67-43, grab share of GCAC title

DENZELL ERVES
18 pts./9 rebs.

ANTHONY SIMMONS
16 pts./10 rebs.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball team answered Saturday when opportunity knocked.

The Gold Rush, which began the day one game behind Tougaloo in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, defeated longtime city rival Dillard 67-43 at Dent Hall to get a share of the GCAC's regular-season championship.

SUNO put Xavier in position to tie for the title when it beat Tougaloo 71-65 at The Castle earlier in the day.

Denzell Erves had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Gold Rush (22-7 overall, 11-3 GCAC), ranked 25th in NAIA Division I, and Anthony Simmons had 16 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.

It's Xavier's first conference title since a share of the GCAC regular season with Tougaloo in the 2006-07 season.

All eight teams will compete Thursday in the opening round of the GCAC Tournament at Jacksonville, Fla.

Chris Iles had 10 points, five assists and four steals for Xavier.

"I'm excited for our team," ninth-year XU coach Dannton Jackson said. "I'm excited for our senior going out with a conference title. We battled adversity all year, but we played well down the stretch and put ourselves in position to challenge for the championship."

Xavier finished the regular season with eight victories in nine games, including a 67-61 home victory againsy Tougaloo on which the Gold Rush rallied from 16 down in the second half.

There was no comeback at Dillard. Xavier scored the first nine points and 23-8 in the 12th minute after Simmons made 1-of-2 free throws. Xavier led 39-24 at halftime, and the final margin was the largest of the game.

Lance Theard had 12 points and six rebounds for Dillard (1-28, 1-13), which lost its 10th in a row.

Xavier outshot the Bleu Devils 53.1 to 31.9 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 40-24.

BOX SCORE

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Milestone Night for Howard Women's Basketball in Regular Season Finale

TAMORIA HOLMES
5'-6" GUARD, JUNIOR
Hometown: Durham, NC
Hillside High School

DOVER, Delaware – Tamoria Holmes join teammates Saadia Doyle and Zykia Brown in the elite 1,000th point club as Howard (22-7, 14-2 MEAC) defeated Delaware State 67-52 in its regular season finale. The victory gives the Lady Bison the most wins in a season since 1997-98 when they went 23-7.

For the game, Holmes finished with 23 points, three rebounds, and two steals in 40 minutes of action. She is tied for fifth place on the all-time steal list with 176 behind future MEAC Hall-of-Famer Alisha Hill.

Doyle collected her 13th double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 boards. The Atlanta, Georgia native is now second on the all-time scoring list with 1,603 points – Hill holds the record with 2,179. Cheyenne Curley-Payne chipped in with nine points, five assists, and pulled down five off the glass. The 5-5 junior is now third on the all-time assist list behind Felicia Oliver with 218.

HU, who was held to just a 30 percent shooting clip (18-of-60), went a season-best 26-for-29 (89.7 percent) from the charity stripe – including a 22-for-24 mark in the second half. The Lady Bison scored 23-points off second-chance opportunities, and recorded 28 points off 22 Hornet mishaps. HU also won the battle on the glass, 37-32.

India Bradford hit a huge three for Howard, to tie the score at 28-28 heading into the half. DSU opened up scoring in the second 20 with a quick layup by Tasia Bristow within the first minute of play. From there, the lead changed hands three times over an eight-minute span.

Ignited by a Holmes fast break layup, the Lady Bison went on an 8-0 run to give Howard a slim 37-44 cushion at the 9:53 mark. Two at the stripe by Bristow cut it to 44-39, but six-straight unanswered points by HU pushed the spread to 50-39 with 6:11 remaining in regulation.

Holmes' 1,000th point came from a trey at the 4:55 mark to give the Lady Bison a 55-43 advantage. The Hornets tried to climb their way back into the game, but could not break the double-digit deficit. DSU cut it to 62-52 by a pair at the line from Uchechi Ahaiwe with 59 seconds left, but HU ended regulation with a 5-0 run en-route to its 67-52 victory.

For Delaware State, Keyanna Tate and Briscow both tallied 13 points. Tierra Hawkins finished with 10 points, while Uchechi chipped in with six.

With tonight's win, Howard will finish second place in the MEAC behind Hampton, and will await the pairings for the upcoming MEAC tournament.

BOX SCORE

Jamilah Corbitt, Assistant Director of Sports Information

VISIT: HOWARD-BISON.COM

VISIT: HOWARD UNIVERSITY

TSU Tigers Defeat Northwestern Seed, Earn No. 2 Seed

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas  - The Tigers used a balanced attack and solid pitching on Saturday morning to pick up a second win at the University of Arkansas Tournament. TSU improved to 4-3 as they defeated Northwestern State 4-1.

Tennessee State lived by the same offensive recipe for the first four innings; leadoff singles, move the runner over, clutch base hit. Tedra Alford got things started in the first inning with a sharp single through the left side of the infield and scored three batters later when Devn Amar dropped a ball into left center, giving the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.

Ashley Haynes held the honors by opening the bottom of the second with a single. Three batters later it was Tayler Shimizu who stepped up with the clutch two-out hit to plate Haynes, making the score 2-1 after two innings of play.

In the third inning, it was Jennifer Givens who took the lead role with a single back to the pitcher. After a stolen base, Jordan Rehl drove a ball through the right side of the infield allowing Givens to cross home plate and extending the lead to 3-1.

Kelly Troglin notched her first hit of the season to open the fourth. Troglin was erased at second base as Alford reached on a fielders choice. After a swipe of second base by Alford, Givens ripped a ball into center that drove in Alford for a 4-1 Tennessee State advantage after four.

Shea Morris would make the score stick as she improved to 3-1 on the season. The freshman surrendered a solo home run to Samantha Roberts in the second that tied the score at 1-1 at the time. Roberts would add a single to first base in the seventh and those would be the only two hits (Shea) Morris would allow on the day.

The pitching product from Lawrenceburg, Tenn. scattered three walks along the way and struck out a career high eight batters.

TSU finished as the #2 seed after pool play and will take on Jackson State in the first semifinal of the day. Game time is set for 2:30 p.m.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

FAMU Lady Rattlers Drop Tough Battle To Hampton 46-43

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -  The highly-anticipated matchup between the two teams tied atop the MEAC, was all that it was billed to be as the final margin was just three points. The Hampton Lady Pirates (21-4, 13-1 MEAC) defeated the Lady Rattlers of FAMU (19-7, 12-2 MEAC), 46-43, here at the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium.

FAMU's Jasmine Grice led the Rattlers with 13 points. Antonia Bennett scored only eight points, while Qiana Donald and Jamie Foreman scored seven points each. Bennett would grab 12 rebounds for the Lady Rattlers.

Hampton's Kieara Avant was the game's leading scorer with 18 points. Jericka Jenkins scored nine for the Lady Pirates. Avant would also grab 17 rebounds for Hampton.

The nip-and-tuck game would have 12 ties and 11 lead changes. The largest lead the Lady Pirates would take would be eight points at 11:08 in the second half, while the Lady Rattlers had an 11 point lead in the game.

Coach LeDawn Gibson is confident she can refocus the Lady Rattlers for Monday's game against Norfolk and Thursday's season-concluding game against Morgan State.

"We've just got to go back to what we do best. I thought our team lost a close game while not playing our best. We came in knowing we had to stop Avant, but she hurt us on the boards. She ended up with 17 rebounds and that is one of the things that hurt us the most. We didn't have a great shooting night, but we're not going to make excuses. We've got two games that we've got to win in order to put ourselves in the position we want to be in going into the conference tournament," Gibson added.

FAMU guard Kimberly Sparkman felt the Lady Rattlers just didn't make the necessary adjustments. "It doesn't feel good at all. We have to come ready to play no matter what the other team tries to do," she said.

The Lady Rattlers shot 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) from the field in the first half. In the second 6-of-35 (17.1 percent), for a game total of 15-of-63 (23.8 percent). From the three-point line, the Lady Rattlers shot 2-of-8 in the first half (25 percent) and 1-of-12 (8.3 percent), for a game total of 3-of-20 (15 percent). The Lady Rattlers shot 10-of-15 from the three-point line for the game for a 66.7 percent average.

The Pirates shot 7-of-27 from the field in the first half (25.9 percent) and 9-of-29 (31 percent) in the second half, for a game total of 28.6 percent from the field. From three-point range, the Rattlers 1-of-7 (14.3 percent) in the first half and 1-of-5 (20 percent) in the second half. From the free throw line, the Lady Pirates were 12-of-17 for the game (70.6 percent).

The defining time of the game was the start of the second half. The Lady Rattlers took a 24-21 lead into the half and built up a 27-21 lead early in the second half. The Lady Rattlers would allow the Lady Pirates to take the lead at 16:44 in the second half on a Jericka Jenkins jumper. The Lady Rattlers retook the lead at 7:24 remaining in the game on a Grice three-pointer. Hampton would battle back to tie the game at the 6:18 mark. With 3:11 remaining in the game, the Rattlers would relinquish the lead for good as Avant sunk two free throws.

The Lady Rattlers will return to action on Monday as they face the Norfolk State Spartans at 7:30 p.m. in the Al Lawson Center.

COURTESY: FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
VISIT: FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
VISIT: FAMUATHLETICS.COM

Xavier Gold Nuggets beat Dillard, win GCAC title outright

NEW ORLEANS -- Jasmine Grant scored 16 points Saturday to lead NAIA No. 19 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 59-53 women's basketball victory against Dillard which gave the Gold Nuggets the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship.

Xavier (22-8 overall, 12-2 GCAC) won the title by a game over Talladega. The Gold Nuggets will play eighth-seeded Fisk on Thursday in the opening round of the conference tournament at Jacksonville, Fla.
Grant, a senior guard, scored eight points and made a pair of 3-pointers in each half. Her 3-pointer at 5:05 of the first half put Xavier ahead to stay, 21-18.

Xavier led 27-23 and had a pair of 12-point leads in the second half, the last 47-35 when SiMon Franklin made two free throws with 6:58 remaining. Dillard then rallied to within two points twice, but Grant and Paige Gauthier each made a pair of free throws in the final 15 seconds to clinch the victory.

Franklin scored 11 points for the Gold Nuggets, who closed the regular season with four consecutive victories, and Jazmoné Kelly had game-highs of eight rebounds and four steals.

Jazzmin Smith had 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals for Dillard (13-11, 9-5), and Ariel Mitchell scored 14.

Dillard shot 30.9 percent from the floor, and Xavier shot 30 percent. Xavier outscored the Lady Bleu Devils 12-0 from behind the arc and was better at the line, making 19-of-27 free throws to Dillard's 19-of-34.
Xavier snapped Dillard's four-game win streak and beat the Lady Bleu Devils for the seventh straight time. XU won 74-60 at The Barn on Jan. 28.

Dillard finished in a three-way tie with SUNO and Tougaloo in the GCAC standings at 9-5. Talladega finished second at 11-3 following its 84-61 home victory against Fisk, and SUNO won 90-83 at home against Tougaloo.

The regular-season championship is the sixth in 13 seasons for XU coach Bo Browder and the second in three years. Although the Gold Nuggets were 6-0 in the conference a year ago, the GCAC did not award a regular-season championship because the members did not play a double round-robin schedule. Xavier will head to Jacksonville as the two-time defending tournament champion and aim for a 16th bid in 18 seasons to the NAIA National Championship.

BOX SCORE

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

Staying Home: Two Eagles part of ECSU recruiting class

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina - Elizabeth City State’s football recruiting class took shape on Thursday as Northeastern’s Karem Felton and Daniel Hill were recognized by the school for signing their National Letter of Intent.  Felton and Hill though will likely be at different positions than what many Eagles fans saw as they led the team to a 10-win season.

Felton, who played quarterback his senior season, was an All-State defensive back his junior season. Felton says he has been given a choice which position he will play for the Vikings.

“They basically said it was up to me (on which position I want to play),” said Felton, who also considered UNC Pembroke and Norfolk State. “It’s a chance to play in front of your home crowd. It’s like a dream.”



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Oakland Golden Grizzlies Falls in Doubleheader at Hampton 5-2, 3-2

HAMPTON, Va. - Erin Galloway went 3-for-6 driving in two runs and Alyssa Shriver added three hits as the Oakland softball team dropped two games to Hampton on Thursday afternoon 5-2 and 3-2 at Lady Pirates Softball Complex.

"When we start doing what we know to do and play as a team, the wins will come," said assistant coach Monique Johnson. "Complacency has hurt us, but we are looking ahead to the final four games of our spring trip."

In the first game, Oakland scored the first run of the game as Colleen Zimmerman scored on a wild pitch after reaching base on an error as OU led 1-0.

The Lady Pirates took the lead in the fourth inning with five runs as Nina Ferguson and Travonna Byrd had back-to-back two-RBI doubles with the bases loaded as the Golden Grizzlies trailed 5-1.

OU's Shannon Cleveland singled and eventually scored on an error and wild pitch in the fifth inning as the Grizzlies fell 5-2.

Katie Moy (0-2) threw 3.0 innings giving up four earned runs on three hits, walked three and struck out four. Hampton's Byrd (1-0) threw a complete game giving up two runs, none earned, and struck out three.

In the second game, Hampton's Maragret Wilkins broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the seventh with a game-winning, RBI single to right field to score Kelsei Saunders for a final score of 3-2.

Oakland scored first as Galloway drove in Erika Polidori on a two-out double to take a 1-0 after the first inning. The Lady Pirates took back the lead in the fifth inning as Carla Trimble hit an RBI double and Shine Huwe scored on a Wilkes fielder's choice for a 2-1 advantage.

The Golden Grizzlies tied up the game in the sixth inning as Galloway had her second RBI double of the game scoring Shriver who led off the inning with a double.

Bailee Braunreuther (0-2) threw 6.2 innings giving up three earned runs on nine hits and struck out four. Hampton's Jailynn Jackson (1-0) threw a complete game giving up two earned runs and struck out three.

Oakland will be on the diamond tomorrow as they take on Longwood in a doubleheader at Lancer Field starting at 2 p.m.

Game 1 Box Score |Game 2 Box Score

COURTESY: OAKLAND UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS

KSU beats Morehouse, 75-68

FRANKFORT, Kentucky - The Kentucky State men’s basketball team wrapped up the regular season Saturday with a home win over Morehouse College, 75-68, in overtime.

“We were more relaxed at the beginning of this game,” KSU’s William Marsh said. “We won two games and we’re trying to keep the train rolling before the conference tournament.”

Missed jumpers and turnovers plagued the Thorobreds in the early going as KSU remained scoreless for the first six minutes of the game. Earl Ruffin Jr. finally put KSU on the board with a jumper and an and-1.

Another scoreless stretch helped Morehouse extend its lead to 16-7 with 7:11 left in the half. Back-to-back threes by Troy Adams and a layup by John Gaston tied the game at 22 with three minutes left till halftime.  Morehouse ended the half on a 7-3 run and took a 29-25 lead into the locker room.

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DSU Hornets Smother Bison For 10th Straight Conference Win

DOVER, Delaware - The Delaware State men's basketball team used a stifling defense to post its school-record 10th straight MEAC win, defeating Howard 63-46 in Memorial Hall this evening.

The Hornets won for the 10th time in the last 11 games to improve to 14-12 overall and 11-3 in MEAC play. The loss snapped a two-game win streak for the Bison, which fell to 9-20 and 6-10.

DSU held Howard to 33.3% shooting from the field (15-for-45), while recording 11 blocks and 11 steals in the contest. Marques Oliver tied a school record for the second time this season with eight blocks. The Hornets were fifth among all NCAA Div. I schools in blocks at 6.6 per game entering the contest.

Howard was 1-for-12 from three-point territory in the game (8.3%).

Jay Threatt contributed to the defensive effort with four steals. Threatt was tied for the Div. I lead in steals (3.0 pg) coming into Saturday's play.

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TSU Men's Hoops Earns No. 2 Seed in OVC Tournament

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennessee State University men's basketball locked in the No. 2 seed and will play in the semifinal round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Friday, March 2 at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium.

The Tigers (19-11, 11-5 OVC) will play either the No. 3 seed Morehead State, No. 6 seed Austin Peay or the No. 7 seed Jacksonville State. TSU is a combined 3-2 against those three opponents this season.

Friday's tip time is at 8 p.m. ESPN carries the semifinal round as Bob Wischusen and Fran Fraschilla call the action.

For the first time since 1995-96, the Tigers are the No. 2 seed in the OVC Tournament. That season, Tennessee State defeated No. 7 Morehead State, 71-60, in the quarterfinals. However, TSU lost 83-62 to No. 3 Austin Peay in the semi-finals.

TSU last appeared in the NCAA tournament in 1994 after upending top-seeded Murray State 73-72 to win the OVC Tournament title. The Big Blue advanced to play the Kentucky Wildcats, falling 83-70 in the NCAA opening round.

Coach John Cooper has lifted the Tigers to a winning season for the first time in 16 years. The Tigers are just a win shy of reaching 20 for the first time since the 1978-79 campaign.

There has been several firsts for the men's basketball program including a 64-63 win over South Carolina (the first over an SEC opponent) and a 72-68 victory at No. 7/9 Murray State (the first over a NCAA D-I ranked team). The Tigers' nine-game win streak was snapped on Feb. 23 with a 80-62 loss to No. 12/14 Murray State.

Junior forward Robert Covington leads the Tigers with 18.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Covington has reached double-figures in 29 straight games. He leads the OVC with nine double-doubles and has 19 in his illustrious three-year career.

Also in double-digits, sophomore guard Patrick Miller boasts 10.9 points and a team-best 103 assists.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

TSU Softball Falls to Jackson State in Rematch

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas - Tennessee State fell behind early and could not recover as they drop their semifinal game to Jackson State at the University of Arkansas Tournament. The Tigers fall to 4-4 on the season after an 8-1 loss to JSU (8-6).

JSU jumped on top in the first inning scoring two runs on two hits, two walks and a miscue. Jackson State was looking to add more with one out and runners on second and third, but freshman Savannah Gutierrez stepped up to stop the JSU threat. The leftfielder set up perfectly on a fly ball and, after the catch, threw a strike to catcher Devin Amar who applied the tag on the would-be scorer.

The Tigers responded in the bottom of the first with a two-out rally. Jordan Rehl drove a double just out of the reach of the JSU leftfielder and scored two pitches later when Amar smoked a ball through the right side of the infield. The Tigers lone run of the game cut the lead to 2-1 after the first.

Starting pitcher Olivia Gamache (1-2) ran into more trouble in the second as she issued free passes to the first two batters, before surrendering a three-run home run to make the score 5-1 Jackson State. Kelly Troglin relived Gamache and gave up a single that plated one more run for JSU.

Troglin would settle in as the senior allowed just one earned run in her 5.1 innings of relief.

The Tigers continued their quest of trying to cut into the JSU lead as they put runners on in six of the seven innings. TSU could not find the clutch hit as they left nine runners on base, including bases loaded in the fourth and two runners stranded in both the sixth and seventh innings.

Rehl and Kate Morris led the way at the plate both going 2-for-3 in the game.

Shann'da Hamer delivered a hit in her first collegiate at bat as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning.

Tedra Alford picked up a hit in her final at bat of the game to extend her hitting streak to five games.

Amar, Ashley Haynes, Brittany Davis and Tayler Shimizu also registered hits in the Tigers ten hit attack.

The Tigers will face the loser of the Arkansas-Northwestern State semifinal, to be played Saturday evening. Sunday's game time is scheduled for 10 a.m.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Scores That Matter!!

February 25, 2012

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

SWAC

Alabama A&M 71, Prairie View A&M 49
Alabama State 52, Texas Southern 51
Jackson State 62, Arkansas Pine Bluff 45
Mississippi Valley State 67, Grambling State 63
Southern University & A&M College 35, Alcorn State 32

Conference Leaders: 2 Games Remaining
1. Mississippi Valley State, SWAC: 12-4, 15-12 Overall
2. Southern University, SWAC: 11-5, 12-11 Overall (1.0 game back)
3. Alabama A&M, SWAC: 10-5, 15-10 Overall (1.5 game back)

MEAC

Bethune-Cookman 83, Norfolk State 73
Hampton 46, Florida A&M 43
Howard 67, Delaware State 52
Maryland Eastern Shore 74, Morgan State 58
North Carolina A&T 101, South Carolina State 61
Savannah State 59, North Carolina Central 43

Conference Leaders: **2 Games Remaining;#Regular Season Completed
1. **Hampton, MEAC: 13-1, 21-4 Overall, Streak: Won 6
2. #Howard, MEAC: 14-2, 22-7 Overall, Streak: Won 9
3. **Florida A&M: 12-2, 19-7 Overall (1 game back), Streak: Lost 1
4. **Coppin State 11-3, 16-11 Overall (2 games back), Streak: Won 1
Hampton holds tie breaker over both Howard and FAMU; Howard holds tie breaker over FAMU.

GCAC

Edward Waters 55, Voorhees SC 53
Talladega 84, Fisk 61
Southern-New Orleans 90, Tougaloo 83
Xavier 59, Dillard 53

1. Xavier wins GCAC Regular Season Championship, 12-2 GCAC, 22-8 Overall

CIAA

Johnson C. Smith 78, Livingstone 55
Winston Salem State 80, Fayetteville State 55

Division Champions going into CIAA Tournament
Northern Division
1. Virginia Union, 7-3 Division, 9-7 Conf., 12-13 Overall

Southern Division
1. Shaw University, 9-1 Division, 15-1 Conf., 20-6 Overall

SIAC

Lane 69, LeMoyne-Owen 67
Paine 64, Claflin 61
Stillman 65, Tuskegee 53

Fort Valley State is regular season champion, 18-4 SIAC, 20-6 Overall

NAIA

Langston OK 83, Our Lady of the Lake, TX 74
Wiley 57, SAGU TX 49
Brewton-Parker 65, Allen SC 59
Columbia MO 84, Harris-Stowe State MO 60


MEN'S BASKETBALL

SWAC

Alcorn State 60, Southern University 40
Arkansas Pine Bluff 46, Jackson State 44
Mississippi Valley State 79, Grambling State 60
Prairie View A&M 60, Alabama A&M 52
Texas Southern 67, Alabama State 59

Conference Leaders: 2 Games Remaining

1. Mississippi Valley State -- SWAC Regular Season Champions, 16-0 Conf., 17-11 Overall; Streak: Won 16
2. Southern University, Conf. 11-5, 15-14 Overall: Streak: Lost 1 (5 games back)

MEAC

Delaware State 63, Howard 46
Hampton 74, Florida A&M 59
Maryland Eastern Shore 58, Morgan State 57
Norfolk State 75, Bethune-Cookman 72
North Carolina A&T 79, South Carolina State 75
Savannah State 60, North Carolina Central 47

Conference Leaders: 2 Games Remaining
1. Savannah State, 12-2 MEAC, 19-10 Overall; Streak: Won 11
2. Delaware State, 11-3 MEAC, 14-12 Overall; Streak: Won 2
2. Norfolk State, 11-3 MEAC, 20-9 Overall; Streak: Won 2
Delaware State holds tie breaker over Norfolk State

GCAC

Southern-New Orleans 71, Tougaloo 65
Talladega 84, Fisk 75
Voorhees SC 74, Edward Waters 63
Xavier 67, Dillard 43
 
GCAC Regular Season Co-Champions: Xavier (11-3 GCAC, 22-7 Overall; and Tougaloo (11-3 GCAC, 21-7 Overall.  All eight GCAC Men and Women Teams will compete in the GCAC Tournament in Jacksonville, Florida on March 1-3, 2012.

CIAA

Bowie State 93, Washington Adventist 90
Chowan 61, Virginia State 49
Fayetteville State 64, Winston-Salem State 54
Johnson C. Smith 89, Livingstone 77

Division Champions going into CIAA Tournament
Northern Division:
1. Bowie State, 8-2 Division, 12-4 CIAA., 21-5 Overall

Southern Division
1. Shaw University, 10-0 Division, 16-0 CIAA, 24-2 Overall

SIAC

Kentucky State 75, Morehouse 68
LeMoyne-Owen 71, Lane 66
Paine 72, Claflin 62
Stillman 99, Tuskegee 92

Tuskegee University is SIAC Regular Season Champion, 16-8 SIAC, 16-10 Overall

NAIA

Our Lady of the Lake, TX 98, Langston OK 75 (Saints wins Red River Athletic Conference)
Paul Quinn TX 71, Texas College 68
SAGU TX 91, Wiley TX 87
Mountain State WV 91, Allen SC 58
Lee TN 93, Carver Bible College 76
Daemen NY 76, Wilberforce OH 49 (AMC Tournament Championship)

Alcorn State fires Spears, hires AD

VICKSBURG, Mississippi — Alcorn State University President M. Christopher Brown announced the firing of head football coach Melvin Spears and the hiring of two new athletic employees Friday afternoon.

Patric David Simon will serve as athletic director for Alcorn, and Todd McDaniel will be the coordinator of football operations, Brown said. The announcements came at Alcorn’s National Alumni Association mid-winter conference at the Vicksburg Convention Center.

Spears, who had been on administrative leave for more than two months, was 2-8 this past season, including a 51-7 loss to rival Jackson State University. Attendance steadily declined for the Braves in 2011, with just 500 attending Alcorn’s final home game against Prairie View A&M Nov. 12, according to school reports.

Brown said at the end of 2011, interim athletic director Malvin Williams recommender to Brown that Spears be terminated. Spears elected to have a grievance hearing with a panel of his peers in January, Brown said. “They deliberated and wrote a recommendation to me as president, and their recommendation was to terminate him, which I accepted,” Brown said.

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McDaniel continuing to direct Alcorn State football

Alcorn State, Mississippi - Alcorn State is continuing to rely on assistant football coach Todd McDaniel to provide stability in a trouble offseason.

Head coach Melvin Spears Jr. was placed on administrative leave on Dec. 15 and since then the Braves have been led by McDaniels, their defensive line coach.

Over two months later, the Southwestern Athletic Conference school announced Friday it had fired Spears and added the title of coordinator of football operations to McDaniel, with the expectation that he will continue to lead the program through upcoming spring practices.

Alcorn State president M. Christopher Brown praised McDaniel's handling of the program in the offseason. He added McDaniel will later recommend a timetable for hiring a new head coach.

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Shaw men riding 20-game winning streak heading into CIAA tournament in Charlotte

RALEIGH, North Carolina - There's a reason they're called rivalries: The records don't matter but bragging rights do. St. Augustine's gave Shaw all it could handle Thursday night, but in the end, experience prevailed.

The Bears accomplished something no other men's team has done in school history - go undefeated in a conference season. The last CIAA team to go unbeaten was Virginia Union in 1992-93.

Shaw defeated its archrival 64-62 in a game that had more drama than a soap opera. The victory is Shaw's 20th straight, and gives the Bears the No. 1 seed heading into next week's CIAA tournament in Charlotte.

A relieved Cleo Hill, Jr. said he expected a tough battle.

"Oh yeah, we knew we weren't going to come in here and blow them out," the Shaw coach said. St. Aug's coach Ken Spencer "is too good a coach for that. They were prepared and so were we. That's what rivalries are."

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NCCU Announces 2012 Football Schedule

DURHAM, North Carolina - The 2012 North Carolina Central University football schedule features a trip to the home of Super Bowl XLVI for the “Circle City Classic,” a rematch with Duke University, visits to four different states, eight MEAC opponents and four home games.

“I think it’s a good competitive schedule,” said NCCU football head coach Henry Frazier III, who enters his second season on the Eagles’ sideline. “It will be a good experience for our student-athletes in terms of opening the season at home, staying in North Carolina the first three weeks, playing in the Circle City Classic, going to Florida a couple of times, and closing the regular season at home against North Carolina A&T.”

While the Eagles will play in four different states this season, they remain in their home state for the first three contests. “We open the first three weeks in North Carolina against schools that are not too far to travel, so it will help us in terms of recruiting in the state,” Frazier said.

NCCU kicks off the 2012 slate by hosting former CIAA foe Fayetteville State University on Sept. 1 inside O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium. The Eagles lead the head-to-head series 23-9, but the Broncos won the last match-up 33-22 on Aug. 31, 2008 in Durham, N.C.

On Sept. 8, NCCU will play Elon University in its first trip to Burlington, N.C., in 16 years and its first game inside Rhodes Stadium. The Eagles last played in Burlington on Sept. 14, 1996, beating Elon 17-14 at an off-campus venue, Memorial Stadium. The Phoenix have won three of the five meetings in Burlington and hold an 8-3 series advantage after a narrow 23-22 victory last season in Durham.



On Sept. 15, the Eagles will make a five-mile journey to Wallace Wade Stadium to face Duke University in a rematch of the first gridiron meeting between the two neighbor institutions on Sept. 26, 2009. The Blue Devils won that contest 49-14.

NCCU’s first trip out of the state will be to Savannah, Ga., on Sept. 22 to open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play against the Tigers of Savannah State University. The Eagles lead the series 4-2-1, but Savannah State has captured the last two victories.

After a week off, NCCU will appear in the “Circle City Classic” inside Lucas Oil Stadium, home of this year’s Super Bowl, in Indianapolis, Ind., against South Carolina State University on Oct. 6. The Bulldogs edged NCCU in a 49-38 shootout last season to take an 11-8 series lead.

Lucas Oil Stadium will be the sixth NFL venue the Eagles have played in since 2000, boasting a 4-1 record in those contests.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Circle City Classic,” Frazier said. “I’ve heard they put on a first-class show. We’re looking forward to playing in the stadium where the Super Bowl was just played. It will provide good publicity for our program and an exciting experience for our student-athletes.”

On Oct. 13, the Eagles travel to Baltimore, Md., to face Morgan State University. The Bears have won five of the last six meetings against NCCU to maintain a 22-12-2 head-to-head advantage.

After five weeks on the road, the Eagles return to their nest on Oct. 20 to host Hampton University. NCCU suffered a heart-breaking overtime setback last season in Virginia, marking the Pirates’ eighth consecutive win over the Eagles. Hampton leads the series 17-5, with NCCU’s last victory against the Pirates coming on Sept. 24, 1983 in Durham, N.C., by a score of 24-20.

NCCU makes its first of two trips to the Sunshine State on Oct. 27 to play Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Eagles’ last trip to Daytona Beach was their lone win in the three-game series, beating the Wildcats 24-5 on Sept. 24, 1994 under coach Larry Little.

Homecoming for NCCU will be celebrated on Nov. 3 when the Eagles host Delaware State. This will be the Hornets’ first game in Durham in nine years. NCCU leads the series 14-6 and has won five of the last six contests.

On Nov. 10, the Eagles will play in Tallahassee, Fla., against Florida A&M University for the first time in 73 years. NCCU has ventured south three times to match-up with FAMU, but those games were contested in Miami (1957, 1951) and Atlanta (1973). The Rattlers lead the series 5-1-1, including last season’s 31-10 win in Durham.

The regular season wraps up on Nov. 17 with the long-time rival Aggies of North Carolina A&T State University arriving on the campus of NCCU for just the second time in the past 20 years. A school record crowd of 15,173 witnessed the Eagles defeat the Aggies 27-16 two seasons ago inside NCCU’s O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

“Of course, to round out the schedule with A&T at home is special,” Frazier said. “Hopefully the game will have some conference ramifications on the line.”

NCCU football season tickets will be on sale starting March 1. Prices and packages will be announced Feb. 28.



2012 NCCU Football Schedule (PDF)

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME
9/1 Fayetteville State, O'Kelley-Riddick Stadium, Durham NC 6:00 PM
9/8 at Elon University, Rhodes Stadium, Elon, NC TBA
9/15 at Duke University, Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, NC TBA
9/22 at Savannah State, Ted Wright Stadium, Savannah, GA TBA
10/6 vs. South Carolina State, at "Circle City Classic", Lucas Oil Stadium,
Indianapolis, Indiana, 2:30PM
10/13 at Morgan State, Hughes Stadium, Baltimore, MD TBA
10/20 Hampton University, O'Kelley-Riddick Stadium, Durham, NC 2:00 PM
10/27 at Bethune-Cookman, Municipal Stadium, Daytona Beach, FL TBA
11/3 Delaware State, (Homecoming), O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium, 2 PM
11/10 at Florida A&M, Bragg Memorial Stadium, Tallahassee, FL TBA
11/17 North Carolina A&T (Senior Day), O'Kelly-Reddick Stadium


By Kyle Serba, Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations
VISIT: NCCUEAGLEPRIDE.COM
VISIT: NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY

Southeastern Louisiana defeats Gold Nuggets 7-0

HAMMOND, Louisiana — Southeastern Louisiana won every set but one Friday night in a 7-0 women's tennis victory against Xavier University of Louisiana.

Lions (4-2) rebounded from a 7-0 home loss to Houston earlier in the day and kept the Gold Nuggets (0-6) winless.

Audrey Chelini and Marion Courbis clinched the doubles point with an 8-3 victory against Ashley McGill and Kourtney Howell at No. 3. The Lions clinched the dual when Adriana Castillo defeated Amber Brown 6-1, 6-4 at No. 3 singles.

Howell, XU's No. 1 singles player, went to a third-set super-tiebreaker for the sixth time in as many duals this season. She lost 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (10-6) to Chelini.

"We fought hard but fell again," XU coach Alan Green said. "We are improving as a team, which is encouraging."

All six XU losses are against NCAA Division I opponents. Five occurred on the road.

Xavier's men and women will play Saturday at 11 a.m. against William Carey at the University of New Orleans Tennis Center. Three of those teams are in the NAIA coaches top 25. Xavier's men are ninth, William Carey's men are 13th, and William Carey's women are 12th. The XU women are receiving votes in the poll and tied for 36th.Results

RESULTS

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

Chowan Football Releases 2012 Schedule

MURFREESBORO, North Carolina - The Chowan University Department of Athletics has released the 2012 football schedule.

The 2012 season is marked with five home contests which is the most home games since the 2007 season. The Hawks will also hit the road for five games. Chowan is coming off a 3-7 season with a 5th place CIAA finish (2-5). Chowan garnered home wins against Livingstone and Shaw and ended the season with a huge road victory over Bowie State University. Head Coach Tim Place and his band of Hawks will use that momentum heading into the 2012 playing season.

"We are pleased to have a balanced schedule this season," stated Place on his playing schedule for the 2012 season. "We have the utmost respect for every team on our schedule this year. We are going to take it one game at a time and see where that leads us."



The Hawks will open the season with back-to-back road trips with stops at Livingstone College on September 1st and Virginia Military Institute September 8th. They will open their home playing season with Shorter University (GA) on September 15th. Shorter is transitioning to NCAA DII status after competing as a member of the NAIA's Mid-South Conference in Georgia.

Chowan will travel to Shaw University on September 22nd to open CIAA cross over play. The Hawks picked up a big win over the Bears last season, stunning them with a 34-32 Homecoming victory.

Chowan will turn around to host three consecutive home CIAA match ups. On September 29th the Hawks will host Fayetteville State University out of the South Division, thesecond of the team's cross over match ups. The Hawks will start divisional play on October 6th with a visit from Bowie State University. Homecoming will feature the Hawks against Virginia Union University on October 15th in another divisional match up.

Chowan hits the road for their next two CIAA North Division games with stops at Elizabeth City State on October 20th and Virginia State on October 27th. They will wrap up the regular season on November 3rd wtih a visit from Lincoln University (PA) for the annual Hall of Fame game.

CHOWAN UNIVERSITY 2012 FOOTBALL

DATE    OPPONENT    LOCATION     TIME

9/1 at Livingstone, Salisbury, NC  TBA
9/8 at Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA  TBA
9/15   Shorter, Murfreesboro, NC  TBA
9/22 at Shaw, Raleigh, NC  TBA
9/27   Fayetteville State, Murfreesboro, NC   6:00 PM
10/6   Bowie State, Murfreesboro, NC   6:00 PM
10/13 Virginia Union (Homecoming), Murfreesboro, NC   6:00 PM
10/20 at Elizabeth City State, Elizabeth City, NC   TBA
10/27 at Virginia State, Ettrick, VA   TBA
11/3  Lincoln (Pa.) Hall of Fame, Murfreesboro, NC  12:00 PM

COURTESY: CHOWAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Savannah State to play Florida State In football in 2012

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- Say what you will about Savannah State football, the program’s not shy about scheduling the big boys. The Tigers announced Wednesday they’ll be playing Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla., on Sept. 8 for their second game of the 2012 season.

SSU is opening in Stillwater, Okla., against Oklahoma State on Sept. 1.  “It’s probably the toughest first two games in college football,” Tigers coach Steve Davenport said.

It’s probably the richest two weeks for a Football Championship Subdivision team as well. Savannah State is guaranteed $475,000 for the date with the Seminoles. The Tigers are pocketing $385,000 for the Oklahoma State game. “The infusion of cash will help us build up our (athletic) programs,” SSU athletics director Sterling Steward said.



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The FSU Seminoles will play Savannah State at home in place of West Virginia

Tallahassee, Florida. - Florida State officials announced Wednesday that Savannah State will replace West Virginia on the 2012 home schedule. The Seminoles were contracted to play the Mountaineers on September 8th in Tallahassee, but West Virginia notified FSU on February 3 that they would not honor the commitment leaving Florida State with little time and few options to replace the home game.

"West Virginia's announcement at the 11th hour really put us in a very difficult position," said FSU Director of Athletics Randy Spetman. "We contacted every BCS school that had an opening in hopes of replacing WVU with a BCS opponent, but none of those few schools could make it work either because of our dates or theirs. It is important for our fans to realize that the schools we contacted during the search did not pass on the 2012 game out of concern for the competition, but because of challenges they faced with schedule changes this late in the year.

"We worked with Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, Syracuse and Pitt to name a few along with our current non-conference opponents and television partners, but reached a point where our options simply dried up. We might have been able to play on the road at some BCS schools this season, but that would cost our fans and the university one of just seven chances to play a home game and also would have a negative impact on our local economy."

Florida State will play Savannah State on September 8th and the entire 2012 schedule will be released shortly by the ACC. Savannah State will receive a guarantee of $475,000 to play the game.

"I know our administration was frustrated by West Virginia's decision and I can tell all our fans that we've done everything we could to explore all the options for a home game," said head coach Jimbo Fisher. "I believe the plans are for the ACC to go to a nine-game conference schedule once Pitt and Syracuse begin play. With Florida always on the schedule, it will leave us just two non-conference games every year so scheduling BCS teams will be more challenging from here on out for everybody."

Florida State has previously announced the dates for 2012 non-conference games against Murray State (September 1), South Florida (September 29 in Tampa) and Florida (November 24). Season tickets for 2012 are $321 each, which is a savings of thirteen percent over the purchase price of single game tickets if they are available. The single game ticket price for the Savannah State game will be $40.00.

XU changes sites, dates, times of upcoming dual matches

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana tennis coach Alan Green announced Friday some changes to his teams' schedules.

Due to repairs at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center, the XU men's and women's dual matches Saturday against William Carey were moved to the University of New Orleans Tennis Center. Starting time was pushed back to 11 a.m.

XU's men's and women's dual matches against Shorter were moved to Monday, March 5 — two days earlier than originally scheduled — at 2 p.m. at City Park.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA