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DURHAM, North Carolina -- For a minute it looked as if the N.C A&T was primed to come back and upset rival N.C. Central.
But only for a minute.
After a 17-8 run cut the Eagles’ lead to three with 3:42 minutes remaining, N.C. Central buckled down on defense and hit tough contested shots. They won 69-58 and finished the conference undefeated with a perfect 16-0 record. The Eagles made their first trip in school history to the NCAA tournament in 2014 and are looking to repeat in 2015.
Senior forward Jordan Parks led the way for the Eagles with 21 points and 13 rebounds. He finished the game with an alley-hoop dunk and flexed his muscles for the cameras flashing in front of him.
PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland -- The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team concluded a phenomenal season with another impressive win over Morgan State, an 89-76 final score on Thursday evening. UMES (18-13, 11-5) finishes the regular season on a four-game winning streak, heading into the MEAC Tournament with the school's best record since the 1973-74 season.
UMES honored six Hawks prior to the contest for Senior Night with a presentation for each graduating player. Coach Collins then started seniors playing in their final home game, Ishaq Pitt, Devon Walker, Isaac Smith and junior Travis Trim who will graduate this spring. The unusual lineup did not slow things down for UMES, establishing an early 8-2 lead. Morgan State hung tough, keeping things close at 19-18 after nine minutes of action. Devin Martin rattled off seven straight points for UMES to help open up a double-digit lead. As the teams went to the locker room, UMES led comfortably at 42-29.
While Morgan State prevented the game from getting out of hand, the Bears never truly threatened in the second half. The closest margin was eight points at 53-45 with 15:47 to go, but UMES responded with 11-3 run to keep the Bears at bay. Freshman Ryan Andino hit back-to-back three-pointers, turning one of them into a four-point play, to build the lead out to 16 points. The advantage ballooned to 18 points at its largest, and eventually UMES coasted to the 89-76 final margin.
All 12 active players got on the floor for UMES, with ten players getting in the scorebook. Five Hawks cracked double digits with Martin leading the bunch with 17 points. Both Dominique Elliott and Mike Myers recorded double-doubles with 15 and 13 points respectively, and both bigs grabbing ten rebounds apiece. Sharpshooters Walker and Andino each nailed three long-range shots. Walker finished with 11 points, while Andino racked up 10 points. Pitt, a senior who was part of a two-win team during his sophomore year, added seven assists in the victory.
The Hawks' offense thrived in nearly every aspect of the game, shooting solid marks from all areas of the floor. As a team, UMES shot 50.0% overall, 52.9% from beyond the arc (9-of-17) and 82.4% from the free throw line (14-for-17). The Hawks also controlled the interior, outrebounding Morgan State by a wide margin of 44 to 27. UMES also outscored their in-state rivals in the lane by a total of 44 to 34.
With the victory, UMES sweeps their season series with Morgan State for the first time since 2012. The win is also the 18th of the year for UMES, the most for the program since the historic 1973-74 season, which culminated in an NIT appearance. The Hawks complete the season at an 18-13 overall record, and 11-5 in conference play for a third-place finish. For the Hawks, it's the best finish in the MEAC since the 1993-94 season when they tied for second place.
Next week, UMES will travel down to Norfolk, Va. for the MEAC Tournament, held at the Scope Arena from Monday March 9 to Saturday March 14. The Hawks will play on Thursday with a 6:00 p.m. scheduled tip-off against the winner of the first round matchup between the 6-seed and 11-seed. Hawk fans can listen live to the MEAC Tournament on the Hawks Radio Network, powered by SFMSports.net and Fox Sports 960 AM in Salisbury, Md.
HAMPTON, Virginia -- Hampton University's women finished in a familiar place, but traveled an uncommon path to get there.
The Lady Pirates clinched their fifth consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season title behind yet another top-shelf performance from their breakout freshman forward.
Kaylah Lupoe continued her torrid late-season emergence as Hampton bounced rival Norfolk State 64-49 Thursday in the regular season finale at the HU Convocation Center.
The Lady Pirates (18-11, 14-2 MEAC) earned the No. 1 seed in next week's MEAC tournament with their eighth consecutive win, and in the process avenged an overtime loss at Norfolk State on Jan. 31.
"I'm not belittling the tournament, because that's important," HU head coach David Six said, "but the regular season is harder to win than the tournament. It's 3-4 months, it's tough, it's a grind. I'm proud of the kids and where we came from early in the season until now."
HAMPTON, Virginia -- Norfolk State has been out of the running for the MEAC regular-season title for weeks now.
On Thursday, with their fate in their own hands, the Spartans got the next best thing.
Jeff Short scored 26 points and NSU overcame a horrendous start in an 80-69 win over rival Hampton in the final game of the regular season.
The victory locked up the No. 2 seed for the Spartans (19-12, 12-4 MEAC) in next week’s all-important MEAC tournament, which decides which one of the league’s teams earns an automatic NCAA bid.
NSU, by virtue of a first-round bye, opens the tournament Wednesday at 8 p.m. against either the No. 7 or the No. 10 seed.
On Thursday, the Spartans , thanks largely to the early hot hand of Hampton’s Dwight Meilke, fell behind by 11 midway through the first half.
J'MARKUS GEORGE
LHP, 5-10/175 SOPHOMORE
HOMETOWN: ATLANTA, GEORGIA
COURTESY HERMAN SHELTON
SPORTS INFORMATION ASSISTANT
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- For the second straight week, inclement weather in the weekend forecast has forced Southern University baseball to alter its upcoming three-game series against South Dakota State at Lee-Hines Field on the Baton Rouge campus. The Jaguars will open a three-games series against the Jackrabbits Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. before concluding the non conference series with a 11 a.m. doubleheader Saturday morning. Southern dropped a 11-3 midweek affair at Southeastern Louisiana Wednesday night in which the Jaguars used nine pitchers, scattered eight hits and stranded six baserunner. Thursday's series modification represents a growing trend around the country and much of the South region. Frigid temperatures in the South Louisiana region halted the Jaguars previous two midweek, non-conference games scheduled while rain forces its SWAC home-opener against Prairie View to move to a Friday-Saturday series from the tradition weekend slate. Baseball single game tickets are $5, doubleheader tickets are $8 and both are available for purchase at the Southern University ticket office located inside the service entrance of the F.G. Clark Activity Center. Tickets are also available on game day at the ticket booth outside Lee-Hines Field. Jaguar fans are encouraged to log on to GoJagSports.com for the latest news, scores and updates on Southern Jaguar athletics. Fans can also access the latest information on SU athletics through social media by following @SouthernUsport on Twitter and Instagram or liking the Facebook page at Facebook.com/SouthernUJaguars. COURTESY SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
SEAN KELLY
Defensive line, 6-4/270 SIOUX CITY BANDITS HOMETOWN: TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA COLLEGE: FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- If you start something, finish it.
That phrase was scorched into Sean Kelly’s mind at an early age. It was his father’s credo and it governed Kelly’s entire life and much of his football career.
Kelly carried those words with him when he played for Florida A&M University, becoming an All-American when he was just a freshman, and again when he was named Defensive Player of the Year Runner-Up while playing for the Bloomington Extreme and once more when the Sioux Falls Storm won the 2012 Indoor Football League championship, becoming its only undefeated team.
He finished strong and returned home to Tallahassee, Fla., with a championship ring, considering himself retired from playing football but expressed interest in being a coach. But something was missing; Kelly had accomplished something with each team he joined… except one.
Before Kelly played for Bloomington, he played two seasons with the Sioux City Bandits in 2009 and 2010 as a defensive lineman.
“I started something with the Sioux City Bandits and I intend to finish it,” he said. “I want to say I was part of a championship team.”
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- The Southern women’s basketball team headed to Texas in search of at least a share of a second consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season championship.
If the Jaguars (16-10, 14-2 SWAC) win at Prairie View (10-6, 13-15) on Thursday night, they’ll have a chance to claim at least a share of the title when they visit Texas Southern in the regular-season finale Saturday. The first-place Lady Tigers are 15-1 and host Alcorn State on Thursday.
Southern has won 13 consecutive games but has been chasing Texas Southern for two months, ever since the Lady Tigers beat the Jaguars 62-48 in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.
Southern coach Sandy Pugh told her team a few days ago that its season has been like climbing Mount Everest.
JACKSON, Mississippi -- No player from Jackson State has received an invite to the NFL scouting combine, at least in the last four years. That possibly extends longer.
So for former JSU players Ariane McCree, Tobias Singleton and Jaydell Roy, stepping inside Lucas Oil Stadium, during the week-long showcase, was special enough.
The three made the trip to Indianapolis last week, spending three days at the event. Although they didn't get to participate, they hope the knowledge they brought back will help them turn heads in today's pro day at the Madison Healthplex Performance Center (2:30 p.m.).
"(I learned) what they (scouts) are looking for in ...
NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana dropped from third to seventh Tuesday in the NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll. The Gold Nuggets (7-5) won 3-of-5 dual matches since the previous poll. One of the losses was 5-4 Feb. 23 to then-No. 7 Brenau, which climbed to fifth. Xavier fell out of the top three for the first time in nine polls. The Gold Nuggets are in the top 10 for the 19th consecutive time. Four of their losses this season are to NCAA Division I opponents. Defending NAIA champion Georgia Gwinnett remains unanimous at No. 1. The Gold Nuggets will play Martin Methodist at noon Friday in the AUM Invitational at Montgomery, Ala.
The top 25: 1. Georgia Gwinnett 2. Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 3. Auburn Montgomery 4. Lindsey Wilson 5. Brenau 6. SCAD Savannah 7. Xavier 8. Northwood (Fla.) 9. Oklahoma Baptist 10. Arizona Christian 11. Westmont 12. Davenport 13. Concordia (Calif.) 14. Milligan 15. Vanguard 16. Indiana Wesleyan 17. Graceland 18. Coastal Georgia 19. Cardinal Stritch 20. Lewis-Clark State 21. William Carey 22. Northwestern Ohio 23. Marian (Ind.) 24. Southeastern (Fla.) 25. Campbell Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAATHLETICS XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA https://twitter.com/xulagold https://www.facebook.com/
NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Thursday's schedule for the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Tournament has been altered due to the winter weather in that is expected in the Nashville area on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
The first women's game between No. 4 Belmont and No. 5 Jacksonville State has been pushed back an hour to 1 p.m. Central while the second game between No. 3 Tennessee State and No. 6 Morehead State will start at approximately 3 p.m. CT. The men's evening session is expected to start as scheduled with a 6 p.m. matchup between No. 4 UT Martin and the winner of tonight's No.5 Morehead State/No. 8 Southeast Missouri game and an 8 p.m. matchup between No. 3 seed Belmont and the winner of tonight's No. 6 Eastern Illinois/No. 7 SIUE game. We encourage fans to be safe as they make travel plans to attend the tournament both on Wednesday evening and on Thursday. Please check back at OVCSports.com and on Twitter (@OVCSports) for further updates.
Thursday’s Schedule at 2015 OVC Basketball Championship Women’s Games
1 p.m. – Belmont vs. Jacksonville State (originally scheduled at Noon)
3 p.m. – Tennessee State vs. Morehead State (originally schedule at 2 p.m.)
Men’s Games
6 p.m. – UT Martin vs. Winner of Morehead State/Southeast Missouri, 6:00 p.m. (as originally scheduled)
8 p.m. – Belmont vs. Winner of Eastern Illinois/SIUE, 8:00 p.m. (as originally scheduled)
MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama State University announced its 2015 football schedule today, including a new matchup for Homecoming, the Golden Bears of Miles College.
"There is always great anticipation for the start of the football season, but this one is extra special as it's my first in Hornet Nation," said New Head Coach Brian Jenkins.
The Jenkins Era of Hornets football begins with a new theme for the 2015 season: SWARM and STING. Jenkins said it's not just a slogan; it's the goal, expectation and the standard for how Hornets football will compete each week.
"SWARM and STING is how we expect to operate in every aspect of our program – to be fast, aggressive, and decisive, delivering the blow to our opponents," said Jenkins. "We have a challenging schedule as it is every year, with our conference games being at the core. As I said in my introductory press conference, the time is now for us – not I – but us to get it done. We will work diligently to have the best season we can in 2015 and look forward to the support of Hornet Nation as our '12th man' both at home and on the road."
Interim Athletic Director Melvin Hines said with the release of the new schedule, fans can make their plans to join the Hornets for an exciting season.
Alabama State's athletic administration discussed the $80 million dollars the University committed towards facilities and the plan for the athletic department. Alabama State wants to considered "a great institution that just happens to be a HBCU."
"ASU fans have been looking forward to the start of Jenkins Era football since his arrival," Hines said. "In just a few months, we'll kick off what promises to be an electrifying season on the gridiron."
ASU will open the season Sunday, Sept. 6 at Tennessee State in the John Merritt Classic. Jenkins and the Hornets will make their home debut Saturday, Sept. 12 when Alabama State hosts defending SWAC Champion Alcorn State. Alabama State returns home the follow week to host Grambling State (Sept. 19) in the 2nd Annual Prince Hall Masons Americanism Football Classic.
The Hornets will then play five of the next six games away from home, starting with road games at Mississippi Valley State (Sept. 26) and Texas Southern (Oct. 3) before returning home to face Southern (Oct. 10). The team hits the road again to play Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Oct. 17). Following an open date, the Hornets will meet the Alabama A&M Bulldogs in the 74th State Farm Magic City Classic on Halloween.
After a Nov. 7 game at Jackson State, Alabama State will play its final two regular season games at home. The Hornets will host Prairie View on Connection Day / Military Appreciation Day on Nov. 14, prior to the homecoming contest against Miles on Nov. 21.
The Toyota SWAC Football Championship is Saturday, Dec. 6 in Houston, Texas.
Date Opponent Location Time
9/6/2015 Tennessee State Nashville, TN TBA 9/12/2015 * Alcorn State Montgomery, Ala. - New ASU Stadium TBA Prince Hall Masons Americanism Football Classic 9/19/2015 * Grambling State Montgomery, Ala. - New ASU Stadium TBA
9/26/2015 * Mississippi Valley State Itta Bena, MS TBA
10/3/2015 * Texas Southern Houston, TX TBA 10/10/2015 * Southern U. Montgomery, Ala. - New ASU Stadium TBA
10/17/2015 * Arkansas - Pine Bluff Pine Bluff, AR TBA
10/31/2015 * Alabama A&M Birmingham, Ala. TBA 74th State Farm Magic City Classic
11/7/2015 * Jackson State, Jackson, MS TBA 11/14/2015 * Prairie View A&M Montgomery, Ala. - New ASU Stadium TBA 11/21/2015 Miles College Montgomery, Ala. - New ASU Stadium TBA Homecoming
Toyota SWAC Championship
12/5/2015 TBA Houston, Texas
BOLD: Home Games
*SWAC Game
WATCH IN 1080p HD, WIDE SCREEN
COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
STARKVILLE, Mississippi -- Mississippi State saw its season-opening 13-game win streak snapped with a 3-2 loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff on a rain-soaked Tuesday night at Dudy Noble Field.
Andre Davis drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the top of the eighth inning. A double play ball got the Bulldogs out of the inning but the damage was done.
UAPB (4-6) scored twice off MSU starter Jesse McCord in the top of the first inning. Rashawn Tillman led off with a single, followed by Westin Hinkel reaching as a hit batsman. After a groundout, Vladimir Gomez followed with a two-run single.
MSU (13-1) answered with two runs in the fourth inning. Wes Rea reached as a hit batsman. After a strikeout, Josh Lovelady reached on a fielder's choice. John Holland followed with a single. Seth Heck had an RBI-single, while Jake Vickerson reached on an RBI-groundout.
Ryan Gridley and Jacob Robson started the fifth inning with back-to-back singles. A double play worked the Golden Lions out of that inning.
From there, things were difficult for the Bulldogs. After a 50-minute rain delay in the sixth inning, the Bulldogs managed two base runners the rest of the way – a sixth-inning single by Seth Heck and ninth-inning single by Reid Humphreys.
McCord worked 1.2 innings, allowing two hits and two runs (both earned). Daniel Brown followed with career-best four innings of shutout relief. Zac Houston then pitched, before giving way to Ross Mitchell (3-1) who took the loss. Trevor Fitts recorded the final five outs, including issuing the bases-loaded walk.
MSU finished with six hits. Heck had two hits to lead the Bulldogs.
UAPB finished with six hits. Tillman had two hits for the Golden Lions.
Andre Davis (1-0) pitched the final four innings to earn the win. Davis allowed two hits and struck out two while facing two batters above the minimum.
MSU will open a three-game series with a 6:30 p.m. start Friday against San Diego. For more information on head coach John Cohen’s club, follow the team on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for “HailStateBB.” You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for “HailStateSnap.”
NEW ORLEANS — For the second time in three years, Xavier University of Louisiana and longtime city rival Dillard will meet in the men's basketball opening round of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.
The second-seeded Gold Rush (22-8) and the seventh-seeded Bleu Devils (5-24) will play at 7 p.m. Friday at XU's Convocation Center in the last of four men's games that day. The GCAC announced the tournament schedule Wednesday.
The XU-Dillard winner will advance to the semifinals against third-seeded Tougaloo or sixth-seeded Voorhees at 7 p.m. Saturday. The championship game will start at 5 p.m. Sunday.
The Convocation Center will be the site of all three men's rounds, plus the women's semifinals and championship. The women's first-round games will be played Friday at Dillard's Dent Hall.
The XU men allowed their fewest points of the season Saturday in a 67-41 home victory against Dillard in both teams' regular-season finale. A Convocation Center-record crowd of 3,267 watched the Gold Rush shoot 53.7 percent from the floor, commit a season-low-tying seven turnovers and produce five double-figure scorers.
Two years ago, Xavier dominated Dillard similarly in the regular-season finale at Xavier, but the eighth-seeded Bleu Devils shocked the top-seeded Gold Rush 59-56 six days later in the GCAC Tournament quarterfinals at Little Rock, Ark.
This time Xavier has home-court advantage. The Gold Rush are 7-0 against Dillard on XU's campus since Dillard's 63-50 victory at The Barn on Jan. 25, 1999.
Xavier last defeated the Bleu Devils in the postseason in 1993. The Gold Rush lead the series 82-48 and have won four straight and 19 of the past 21 meetings.
Xavier seeks its first appearance in the championship game since 2011 and its first GCAC Tournament title since 1996. Talladega defeated Philander Smith 104-95 in overtime in the championship game a year ago at the Convocation Center. This year Talladega is the tournament's top seed and No. 1 nationally.
Junior guard Morris Wright in 2014-15 became the first Gold Rush player to reach 400 points, 100 rebounds, 100 assists, 50 steals, 100 made free throws and 50 made 3-pointers in one season.
The tournament winner will receive the GCAC's automatic bid to the Buffalo Funds-NCAA Division I National Championship, which will begin March 18 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Xavier qualified for the national tournament eight times in the past 10 seasons, including 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 as an at-large selection. Xavier is ranked 18th nationally with a new top 25 to be announced March 11.
The tournament schedule:
Quarterfinals (First Round) — Friday, March 6
#4 Philander Smith vs. #5 Edward Waters, noon
#3 Tougaloo vs. #6 Voorhees, 2 p.m.
#1 Talladega vs. #8 SUNO, 5 p.m.
#2 Xavier vs. #7 Dillard, 7 p.m.
Semifinals — Saturday, March 7
Talladega-SUNO winner vs. Philander Smith-Edward Waters winner, 2 p.m.
Xavier-Dillard winner vs. Tougaloo-Voorhees winner, 7 p.m.
Championship — Sunday, March 8
Semifinal winners, 5 p.m.
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- After getting little respect in the NCAA Division II South Region poll the past two weeks, the Paine College men opened tournament play with a statement win.
Denzel Dillingham scored 20 points and the Lions rolled to a 97-71 win over Clark Atlanta on Wednesday in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference quarterfinals.
“Our confidence level is through the roof,” Paine coach Jimmy Link said. “The difference was we kind of slowed them down, because they like to push it. We got out in transition off their misses, and it was really good to see us get out and hit ahead and advance the ball, which is what we harp on a lot.”
Paine (23-5), which extended its winning streak to nine games, advances to the tournament semifinals at 4:15 p.m. Friday, when it will play the Lane-Claflin winner. Despite winning their conference and recording the school’s most wins in 21 seasons, the Lions fell from seventh in the South Region poll to unranked last week. On Wednesday, Paine checked back in at No. 10 – a meaningless spot. The top eight teams in the region will advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament when the selections are announced Sunday night.
The Lions can earn a berth to the NCAA Tournament by winning two more games and gaining the SIAC’s automatic bid.
NEW ORLEANS -- Six victories in the first seven dual matches propelled Xavier University of Louisiana to a tie for sixth Tuesday in the NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
It's the third poll of the season. The Gold Rush were eighth in the first two polls. The rank is the highest for the XU men since the 2014 preseason poll, when they were tied for sixth.
Xavier's active streaks include 62 consecutive top-25 appearances and 32 straight times in the top 10.
Xavier and Bethany (Kan.) share sixth. Defending NAIA champion Georgia Gwinnett remains a unanimous No. 1.
It's the first time in 19 polls -- since Feb. 19, 2013 -- that the XU men are ranked higher than the women. The Gold Nuggets dropped from third to seventh.
Xavier will play Martin Methodist, which received poll votes this week, at noon Friday in the AUM Invitational at Montgomery, Ala. The Gold Rush have a five-dual win streak.
The top 25:
1. Georgia Gwinnett 2. Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 3. Auburn Montgomery 4. Vanguard 5. Lindsey Wilson 6. (tie) Xavier 6. (tie) Bethany (Kan.) 8. Westmont 9. Concordia (Calif.) 10. Cumberland 11. William Carey 12. Graceland 13. Northwestern Ohio 14. Belhaven 15. Northwood (Fla.) 16. Coastal Georgia 17. San Diego Christian 18. Pikeville 19. SCAD Atlanta 20. Oklahoma Baptist 21. Lewis-Clark State 22. Aquinas 23. SCAD Savannah 24. Olivet Nazarene 25. Indiana Wesleyan Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAATHLETICS XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA https://twitter.com/xulagold https://www.facebook.com/
Jacksonville, Florida – Florida A&M (4-6, 2-1 MEAC) pounded out a season-high 12 hits and the pitching staff shutdown the Jacksonville (5-7) offense en route to a 5-1 win at John Sessions Stadium on Tuesday night. The win is the fourth straight over JU. The Rattler pitching staff held the Dolphins scoreless with only four hits over the final eight innings. Eight different Rattlers recorded a hit in the win while Jared Walker, Ryan Kennedy, Marlon Gibbs and Michael Birdsong each had two hits apiece. FAMU’s bullpen has now allowed just one earned run in the last 21 innings.
Kendal Weeks (1-1) earned the win after working a pre-determined four innings and allowed just one run on four hits with a walk for his first win of the season. Ryan Anderson picked up the save as he pitched the final four scoreless innings and gave up just one hit with two strikeouts.
JU scored one run in the bottom of the first inning for an early 1-0 lead. Cameron Gibson and Angelo Amendolare recorded back-to-back singles to start the home half of the first to put runners on the corners with no outs. Connor Marabell’s sac fly to left then scored Gibson from third for the Dolphins only run of the game.
The Rattlers answered and took the lead for good with two runs on three hits in the top of the second inning for a score of 2-1. Gibbs and Birdsong had back-to-back singles of their own to open the top of the second. Peter Jackson drew a walk to load the bases with no outs and Brian Davis singled to right to plate Gibbs from third to tie the game at 1-1. After AJ Elkins struck out, Jared Walker’s bunt popped up back to the pitcher but an errant throw to third allowed Birdsong to score the second run of the inning for the lead.
FAMU pushed across two more runs in the third inning on a pair of RBI from Gibbs and Jackson to increase its lead to 4-1. Kennedy led off the third inning with a double off the wall in left and advanced to third as Jeremy Barlow laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt. Kennedy would later score on Gibbs’ RBI single to left. Gibbs stole second on a hit-and-run play, where Birdsong struck out, and then took third on a wild pitch. Gibbs later came home to score on Jackson’s, two out, infield RBI single.
Florida A&M added one more run in the sixth inning for the final score of 5-1. Walker singled up the middle with two outs and stole both second and third. Walker would come home to score on a dropped third strike, passed ball, to Alec Wong that would have ended the inning.
Dolphin starter Shane Wise (0-1) allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks for the loss.
FAMU returns home to Moore-Kittles Field for a five-game home stretch starting with a doubleheader against Savannah State on Saturday in the MEAC home opener. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM and game two will start shortly after the conclusion of game one. Chase Jarrell (1-1) will be on the mound in game one for the Rattlers, while MEAC Pitcher of the Week David Ogilvie (0-1) will start game two.
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- A second-half comeback fell short despite taking a late lead versus Benedict, ending the season for the Stillman Tigers in the SIAC Quarterfinals, 82-78. Five players reached double-digits in points, including both seniors - Markeith Madison and Harold Ingram. After falling behind early in the opening half Stillman took the lead for the first time, 18-17, when Ingram grabbed the offensive rebound and converted with a layup. Kairo Cannon picked up the quick steal and found Madison for the fast break layup to extend the lead, 20-17, with 9:42 remaining in the opening half. After Rodnerius Lewis tied the game with 5:26 to play, 25-25, Benedict used a 19-7 run to close the half and lead by a dozen points at the intermission; 44-32. Benedict held the fist-half advantage in point in the paint, 22-14, and points off turnovers, 13-8. Stillman turned the ball over 11 times in the opening 20 minutes.
Benedict led by as many as 15 points in the second half, 55-40, before Stillman fought back to tie the game. Ingram connected with a 3-pointer to knot the score, 66-66, with 3:56 to play. Ingram tied the game one more time with a long jumper, 68-68, with just over three minutes left in the game. Lewis made the front end of a pair of free throws for the lone second-half lead for Stillman, 69-68, with 2:30 left in the game. The game ended with Benedict using a 14-9 run fueled by Benedict converting 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
Lewis scored a team-high 17 points ahead of 14 from Ingram, 13 each from Cannon and Madison, with Maurice Crenshaw adding 12 from the bench. Both Ingram and Madison pulled in a game-high nine rebounds. Stillman shot 41.9 percent from the floor and 65.5 percent - 19-for-29 - from the free throw line.
The Tigers end the 2014-2015 campaign with a 17-10 overall record, including 13-6 in SIAC action and 11-1 at home.
NEW ORLEANS — For the sixth time in seven years, the women's basketball teams of Xavier University of Louisiana and Tougaloo will meet in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.
The GCAC announced pairings Wednesday. The second-seeded Gold Nuggets (16-14) and the seventh-seeded Lady Bulldogs (4-22) will meet at 5 p.m. Friday at Dillard's Dent Hall in the opening round.
The XU-Tougaloo winner will advance to the semifinals against third-seeded Dillard or sixth-seeded Edward Waters at noon Saturday at Xavier's Convocation Center. The championship game will start at 3 p.m. Sunday at Xavier.
Dillard will play host to all four Friday women's games.
The Gold Nuggets have won 10 consecutive postseason games against Tougaloo, are 2-0 against the Lady Bulldogs this season and have won 22 of the last 23 meetings overall. But Tougaloo has something Xavier doesn't: a victory this season at Dillard.
The Lady Bulldogs shot 51 percent from the floor and made 25-of-32 free throws last week in a 79-57 rout which spoiled Dillard's Senior Day festivities. Nearly four weeks earlier, the Gold Nuggets scored their fewest points ever against Dillard in a 53-42 defeat.
Xavier gained a season split with Dillard by winning 60-57 at home Saturday, but the Nuggets are 9-10 since a season-best five-game winning streak from late November and the first half of December.
"It's been a wild year. I can't lie about that," said 16th-year head coach Bo Browder, whose Nuggets have won four of the past five GCAC tourneys. "We've been searching for consistency and hope we can make a nice run in the tournament. But we know we'll have to play extremely well for 40 minutes at a time. I know we're capable of doing that."
Xavier's largest winning margin of the season was 67-38 at Tougaloo on Feb. 16. The Gold Nuggets won 69-58 at home Jan. 12 against Tougaloo.
"It's March," Browder said. "Lots of upsets happen this time of year. No one had better be taking anyone lightly. Tougaloo played great at Dillard last week. That definitely got our attention."
As a No. 6 seed a year ago, Tougaloo rallied in the second half to upset third-seeded SUNO 81-74 in the quarterfinals at Dillard. Xavier won 60-47 at Dillard in the 2014 quarterfinals, then beat Tougaloo 84-73 in the semifinals and Talladega 66-59 in the final. XU junior guard Whitney Gathright, the team's leading scorer this season with 13.1 points per game, was the 2014 GCAC Tournament MVP.
The tournament winner will receive the GCAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I National Championship, which will begin March 18 at Independence Events Center in Independence, Mo. Xavier qualified for the national tournament 18 times in the past 20 seasons, including 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
The tournament schedule:
Quarterfinals (First Round) — Friday, March 6 at Dillard's Dent Hall
#4 Talladega vs. #5 Philander Smith, noon
#3 Dillard vs. #6 Edward Waters, 2 p.m.
#2 Xavier vs. #7 Tougaloo, 5 p.m.
#1 SUNO vs. #8 Voorhees, 7 p.m.
Semifinals — Saturday, March 7 at Xavier's Convocation Center
Xavier-Tougaloo winner vs. Dillard-Edward Waters winner, noon
SUNO-Voorhees winner vs. Talladega-Philander Smith winner, 5 p.m.
Championship — Sunday, March 8 at Xavier's Convocation Center
Semifinal winners, 3 p.m.
Tushar Mandlekar, top, and Sha'Nel Bruins are GCAC Players of the Week for Feb. 23-March 1.
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana sophomores Tushar Mandlekar and Sha'Nel Bruins are Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Players of the Week in tennis for Feb. 23-March 1. Mandlekar, from Bhilai, India, and a graduate of Deepak Nagar, was 3-0 in singles and 3-0 in doubles to help the XU men extend their win streak to five dual matches. Xavier beat NCAA Division I's Alcorn State and, against Tougaloo, extended its regular-season win streak against GCAC opponents to 48 dual matches. Bruins, from Colfax, La., and a graduate of Grant High School, was 4-0 in singles and 2-1 in doubles during the Gold Nuggets' 3-1 week which included a victory against Alcorn State. In the final completed match against Alcorn, Bruins clinched the dual with a 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (14-12) victory against Aakanksha Punj. Bruins rallied from an 8-4 deficit in the third-set super-tiebreaker. This is the first GCAC Player of the Week award of Bruins' career. The award is the third of Mandlekar's career and his first this season. Bruins is 8-3 in singles and 6-4 in doubles during the spring semester, and Mandlekar is 6-1 in singles and 6-1 in doubles. Both XU teams will play Martin Methodist in opening round of the AUM Invitational at noon Friday at Lagoon Park Tennis Center in Montgomery, Ala. The Gold Rush are ranked sixth in the NAIA, and the Gold Nuggets are seventh. Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAATHLETICS XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA https://twitter.com/xulagold https://www.facebook.com/
DURHAM, North Carolina -- For a minute it looked as if the N.C A&T was primed to come back and upset rival N.C. Central.
