MEAC Announces Women's Basketball All-Conference Honors

MALIA TATE-DeFREITAS
 HAMPTON UNIVERSITY LADY PIRATES
2015 MEAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

NORFOLK, Virginia – Hampton sophomore guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas was named the 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year, announced by the conference on Friday. Norfolk State’s Kayla Roberts was selected as the Rookie of the Year, while Alexis Udoji from Maryland Eastern Shore earned the Defensive Player of the Year honor. Savannah State Head Coach Cedric Baker was named the MEAC Coach of the Year.

All awards are voted on by the conference’s head women’s basketball coaches and sports information directors.

Tate-DeFreitas led the conference in scoring, averaging 22.0 points and was second in steals per game (3.1) after starting in all 29 games for the Lady Pirates. She ranked 11th nationally in points and 14th in steals per game. Tate-DeFreitas recorded a career-high 39 points in a 106-57 victory against Howard and added 37 points in a road win against South Carolina State. A five-time MEAC Player of the Week, Tate-DeFreitas totaled 123 rebounds, 89 steals, 74 assists and 11 blocks.

Roberts averaged 12.4 points and a conference-high 9.6 rebounds per game. She registered five 20-point games, including a career-high 26 points in a victory over Hampton. A seven-time MEAC Rookie of the Week selection, Roberts played in all 27 games and grabbed 258 rebounds with 199 off the defensive glass.

Udoji, a two-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Week honoree, totaled 179 rebounds, including 99 on the defensive end, along with 49 blocked shots and 30 steals in 22 games for the Lady Hawks. She registered a season-high 12 rebounds against ACC opponent Virginia Tech and garnered a season-high six blocks against Georgetown. Offensively, she poured in 22 points, on 9-of-10 shooting, against Monmouth.

Baker was named the Coach of the Year for the first time after guiding the Lady Tigers to an 18-10 overall mark, including a victory over Florida at home. He guided the Lady Tigers to a 13-3 conference mark and earned the No. 2 seed at the 2015 MEAC Basketball Tournament.

Tate-DeFreitas is joined on the 2015 All-MEAC First Team by Savannah State’s Ezinne Kalu and Jasmine Norman, Delaware State’s Tierra Hawkins and Bethune-Cookman’s Kailyn Williams.

Hampton clinched the MEAC regular season title on the last day, with a 64-49 victory over Norfolk State. The Lady Pirates will enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed and will face the winner of the No. 8 Maryland Eastern Shore/No. 9 North Carolina Central matchup on Tuesday, March 10 at noon. Savannah State finished as the runners-up and earned the second seed. The Lady Tigers will meet the winner of No. 7 Morgan State/No. 10 Coppin State.

The 2015 regular season champion, regular season runners-up, first team members and top honorees, including Player, Rookie, Defensive and Coach of the Year selections, will be recognized in pre-game presentations prior to their first games of the 2015 MEAC Basketball Tournament. Tournament play tips-off March 9-14 at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.

 2014-15 Women’s Basketball All-MEAC Teams

As voted on by the Conference’s Head Women’s Basketball Coaches and Sports Information Directors

Player of the Year: Malia Tate-DeFreitas, Hampton

Rookie of the Year: Kayla Roberts, Norfolk State

Defensive Player of the Year: Alexis Udoji, Maryland Eastern Shore

Coach of the Year: Cedric Baker, Savannah State

First Team

Name	Pos.	Cl.	School	Hometown
Ezinne Kalu	G	Sr.	Savannah State	Newark, N.J.
Malia Tate-DeFreitas	G	So.	Hampton	Harrisburg, Pa.
Jasmine Norman	G/F	Sr.	Savannah State	Alexandria, Va.
Tierra Hawkins	F	r-Sr.	Delaware State	Clinton, Md.
Kailyn Williams	C	r-So.	Bethune-Cookman	New Orleans, La.

Second Team

Name	Pos.	Cl.	School	Hometown
Rae Corbo	G	r-Sr.	Norfolk State	Englewood, N.J.
Tracey Carrington	G	Sr.	Morgan State	Baltimore, Md.
Kourtney Williams	G/F	Sr.	South Carolina State	Warren, Ohio
Kayla Roberts	F	Fr.	Norfolk State	Miami Gardens, Fla.
Aprill McRae	C	r-Jr.	North Carolina A&T State	Raleigh, N.C.

Third Team

Name	Pos.	Cl.	School	Hometown
Jessica Long	G	Sr.	Maryland Eastern Shore	Fort Washington, Md.
Debbie Smith	G	r-Sr.	North Carolina A&T State	Hampton, Va.
Ryan Jordan	G/F	Jr.	Hampton	Manassas, Va.
Alexis Udoji	F	r-Jr.	Maryland Eastern Shore	Randolph, Mass.
Tiyonda Davis	C	So.	Savannah State	Athens, Ga.

Rookie Team

Name	Pos.	Cl.	School	Hometown
Breannan Farrar	G	Fr.	Morgan State	St. Louis, Mo.
Dawn King	G	Fr.	Florida A&M	Waxahachie, Texas
Genesis Lucas	G	r-Fr.	Coppin State	Brandywine, Md.
Kayla Roberts	F	Fr.	Norfolk State	Miami Gardens, Fla.
Moengaroa Subritzky	G	r-Fr.	Maryland E. Shore	Auckland, New Zealand

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Nuggets pull away from Tougaloo, reach GCAC semis

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GCAC TOURNAMENT: XAVIER VS. TOUGALOO

NEW ORLEANS -- Senior Vinnie Briggs scored 10 of her 16 points in the second half Friday, leading Xavier University of Louisiana to a 65-45 women's basketball victory against Tougaloo in the quarterfinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament at Dillard's Dent Hall.

The Gold Nuggets (17-14), seeded second and the defending champion, won in the quarterfinals for the 12th time in their last 13 attempts. They'll play sixth-seeded Edward Waters at noon Saturday in the semifinals at Xavier's Convocation Center.

Both women's semifinals will be Saturday at Xavier. Regular-season champion SUNO will play fourth-seeded Talladega at 5 p.m.

Whitney Gathright had 14 points, four assists and four steals for the Gold Nuggets, and Trana Hopkins scored 13. Donyeah Mayfield grabbed 11 rebounds and reached double figures for the third consecutive game and the seventh time in the last eight games.

Xavier led 30-23 at halftime, but the Lady Bulldogs (4-23) tied the score at 31 on Dymond Jackson's two free throws with 16:44 remaining. Then Xavier took control, getting eight points from Briggs in a 16-1 run during the next 7 1/2 minutes.

Reyada Stinner scored 16 points for Tougaloo. Montoria Jackson, named GCAC Freshman of the Year on Thursday, had 13 points and 15 rebounds. Jackson had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Xavier outshot Tougaloo 36.7 to 27.5 percent from the floor, 42.3 to 20 percent in the second half. Xavier made 19-of-24 free throws to Tougaloo's 14-of-26. Eleven Nuggets scored, and Xavier had a 28-2 advantage in bench scoring.

Edward Waters advanced with a 61-43 upset of third-seeded Dillard. SUNO defeated Voorhees 86-63, and fourth-seeded Talladega beat Philander Smith 55-44.

Box score

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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MEAC Announces Men's Basketball All-Conference Honors

KENDALL GRAY
DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY
2015 MEAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
2015 MEAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Delaware State’s senior center Kendall Gray was named the 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player and Defensive Player of the Year, announced by the conference on Friday. Ryan Andino of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore was selected as Rookie of the Year. Maryland Eastern Shore’s Bobby Collins was named the MEAC Coach of the Year.

All awards are voted on by the conference’s head men’s basketball coaches and sports information directors.

Gray averaged 12.4 points and 12.4 rebounds, while starting all 30 games. He leads the nation in total rebounds, defensive rebounds and rebounds per game, hauling in a total of 371 boards this season, including 106 on the offensive end. He also ranks seventh in the NCAA in double-doubles with 17. Gray concluded the season with 83 blocks, 33 assists and 13 steals. In his final game of the season he recorded 33 points and 30 rebounds in a 104-92 victory over Coppin State. This is the second time in conference history that a student-athlete earned both Player and Defensive Player of the Year honors during the same season. In 2011-12, Norfolk State’s Kyle O’Quinn became the first MEAC student-athlete to earn both honors in the same season.

Andino totaled 229 total points (7.4 avg.), 32 rebounds, 21 assists and 16 steals in 31 games. He ranked second in the MEAC in 3-point field goal average, hitting 43-percent of his shots (62-of-146). He earned Rookie of the Week honors in December and closed the 2014-15 regular season with a career-high 18 points against Delaware State.

Bobby Collins was named Coach of the Year after guiding the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks to an 11-5 MEAC mark and 18-13 overall finish. In his first year at the helm, Collins led the Hawks to a third-place finish in conference standings, greatly improving upon the team success that notched just four MEAC victories in the 2013-14 season and finishing last in the MEAC standings.

Gray is joined on the 2015 All-MEAC First Team by teammate Amere May, Norfolk State’s Jeff Short, North Carolina Central’s Nimrod Hilliard, and Howard’s James Carlton.

North Carolina Central recorded its second straight MEAC regular-season title this season with an unblemished 16-0 conference mark and 24-6 overall finish. The Eagles were the only team in the conference to post a 20-win season and finished with an eight-game win streak, including winning the last 9-of-10 contests. The Eagles finished the season with a 12-0 record at home.

N.C. Central earned the first-round bye and will open up play on Wednesday, March 11 beginning at 6 p.m. They will face the winner of the No. 8 Bethune-Cookman/No. 9 Coppin State matchup set for Tuesday, March 10 at 6 p.m.

Norfolk State finished as runners-up with a 12-4 MEAC record and 19-12 overall finish.

The 2015 regular season champion, regular season runners-up, first-team members and top honorees including Player/Defensive, Rookie and Coach of the Year selections will be recognized in pre-game presentations prior to their first games of the 2015 MEAC Basketball Tournament. Tournament play tips off March 9-14 at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.

2014-15 Men’s Basketball All-MEAC Teams As voted on by the Conference’s Head Men’s Basketball Coaches and Spo rts Information Directors Player of the Year: Kendall Gray, Delaware State Rookie of the Year: Ryan Andino, Maryland Eastern Shore Defensive Player of the Year: Kendall Gray, Delaware State Coach of the Year: Bobby Collins, Maryland Eastern Shore First Team Name Pos. Cl. School Hometown Jeff Short G r-Jr. Norfolk State Bronx, N.Y. Nimrod Hilliard G Sr. North Carolina Central Madison, Wis. Amere May G/F Sr. Delaware State Covert, Mich. James Carlton F Sr. Howard Winterville, N.C. Kendall Gray C Sr. Delaware State Dover, Del. Second Team Name Pos. Cl. School Hometown James Daniel G So. Howard Hampton, Va. Anthony McDonald G Sr. North Carolina Central Aberdeen, Miss. Sterling Smith G/F Jr. Coppin State Chico, Calif. Jordan Parks F Sr. North Carolina Central Queens, N.Y. Karamo Jawara C Sr. North Carolina Central Bergen,Norway/Olsvikaasen Third Team Name Pos. Cl. School Hometown Taariq Cephas G Sr. Coppin State Bear, Del. Deron Powers G Jr. Hampton Williamsburg, Va. Dante Holmes G/F r-Jr. North Carolina Central Baltimore, Md. Mike Myers F Sr. Maryland Eastern Shore Camden, N.J. Dominique Elliott C Jr. Maryland Eastern Shore Savannah, Ga. Rookie Team Name Pos. Cl. School Hometown Ryan Andino G Fr. Maryland Eastern Shore Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Jorge Rosa G Fr. Florida A&M Orlando, Fla. Edward Stephens G Fr. South Carolina State Columbia, S.C. Khalen Pinkett G Fr. Savannah State Norcross, Ga. Jordan Butler F Fr. Norfolk State Hartford, Conn.

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XU Rush, Nuggets beat Martin Methodist in AUM Invitational

2014-15 team photo, XU women's tennis
ROSTER

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Xavier University of Louisiana's men's and women's tennis teams extended several streaks Friday in victories against Martin Methodist in the opening round of the AUM Invitational.

The Gold Rush, ranked sixth in the NAIA, won 7-2. The Gold Nuggets, ranked seventh, won 9-0.

The XU men (7-1) have won their last six duals, their longest streak since the second half of the 2012 season. The Gold Nuggets (8-5) have won four in a row.

Gold Rush highlights included:

•  Nikita Soifer improving to 5-0 in singles and 5-0 in doubles this semester. After teaming with Kyle Montrel for an 8-6 doubles victory against Ramiro Vargas and Cristian Arias, Soifer beat Arias 7-5, 6-4.

•  Montrel winning his sixth consecutive singles match, 6-2, 6-2 against Vargas at the top flight. Montrel is 8-0 in doubles this semester, 4-0 with Soifer.

•  Manav Chakma and Tushar Mandlekar extending their doubles win streak to six. They defeated Salomon Persson and Daniel Emirzian 8-3. Mandlekar won for the sixth straight time in singles, a 6-3, 6-2 decision against Nicolas Galleguillo which clinched the dual.

Gold Nuggets highlights included:

• Nour Abbes beating Gema Bolada Yusta 6-1, 6-0 for her 39th singles victory in 40 XU decisions. Abbes is 22-1 this season and 9-0 this semester.

• Brion Flowers and Brandi Nelson defeating Victoria Ryjak and Laura Ariza 8-1. Flowers and Nelson are 4-0 in doubles this semester.

•  Newcomers Caroline Vernet and Jana van der Walt producing their third consecutive singles victories. Vernet defeated Brenda Rique 6-2, 6-1, and van der Walt beat Ariza 6-0, 6-0.

Clinching the dual for the Gold Nuggets was Flowers, who defeated Michaela Maher 6-0, 6-1.

Martin Methodist's men are 1-4, and the women are 0-5.

Both XU teams will play Cumberland at noon Saturday. Cumberland's men are No. 10 in the NAIA, and the women received votes in this week's coaches poll.

Results:  Men    Women 

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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MEAC Men’s Basketball Bracket Set for 2015 Basketball Tournament

NORFOLK, Virginia  -- The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced its men's pairings for the 2015 MEAC Basketball Tournament, March 9-14, at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The North Carolina Central Eagles clinched the No. 1 seed, for the second straight year, after posting an unblemished 16-0 conference record.

N.C. Central earned the first-round bye and will open up play on Wednesday, March 11 beginning at 6 p.m. They will face the winner of the No. 8 Bethune-Cookman/No. 9 Coppin State matchup set for Tuesday, March 10 at 6 p.m.

Men’s action starts on Monday with No. 5 Delaware State taking on No. 12 Savannah State beginning at 6:30 p.m. Hampton (No. 6) faces off against Morgan State (No. 11) at 9 p.m. to end the first day of competition.

2015 MEAC TOURNAMENT BRACKET

Norfolk State (No. 2) earned the runners-up trophy with a 12-4 record and will face the winner of the No. 7 S.C. State vs. No. 10 North Carolina A&T State matchup scheduled for Tuesday, March 10 at 8 p.m. Maryland Eastern Shore earned the No. 3 seed, to receive a two-day bye, and will take on the winner of the No. 6 Hampton vs. No. 11 Morgan State game on Thursday, March 12 at 6 p.m. Monday, March 9 slated for 9 p.m.

No. 4 Howard, also received a two-day bye, and will play the winner of the No. 5 Delaware State vs. No. 12 Savannah State matchup on Thursday, March 12 beginning at 8 p.m.

The 2015 regular season champion, regular season runners-up, first-team members and top honorees, including Player, Rookie, Defensive and Coach of the Year selections, will be recognized in pre-game presentations prior to the honorees first games in tournament play.

The 2015 MEAC Basketball Tournament tips-off Monday, March 9, and will conclude on Saturday, March 14 with the men's and women's championship games. The men's game will start at 1 p.m. and will broadcast live on ESPN2. The women’s finale will begin thirty-minutes after the men’s finish and will broadcast taped delayed on ESPNU beginning at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 15. The preliminary games are streamed on ESPN3. Live statistics of all games will be available on the conferences' official website and the tournament's official website, www.MEAChoops.com.

2015 MEAC TOURNAMENT BRACKET

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MEAC Women’s Bracket Set For 2015 Basketball Tournament

2015 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BRACKET

NORFOLK, Virginia -- The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced its women's pairings for the 2015 MEAC Basketball Tournament, March 9-14, at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The five-time defending MEAC Tournament champion Hampton Lady Pirates will enter the tournament as the top seed after concluding the regular-season with a 14-2 mark in MEAC play.

The Lady Pirates earned the tournament’s first-round bye and will open up play on Wednesday, March 12 at noon. They will face the winner of the No. 8 Maryland Eastern Shore vs. No. 9 North Carolina Central matchup slated for Tuesday, March 10 at noon.

Games will start on Monday, March 9 with No. 4 Norfolk State vs. No. 13 Delaware State at 11 a.m. and No. 5 South Carolina State vs. No. 12 Howard at 1:30 p.m.

Savannah State finished the season with a 13-3 mark to secure the number two seed and the runners-up trophy, while North Carolina A&T State earned the third seed with a 12-4 mark in MEAC play. The Lady Tigers will meet the winner of No. 7 Morgan State vs. No. 10 Coppin State on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.

The Lady Aggies of North Carolina A&T State will face the winner of No. 6 Bethune-Cookman/No. 11 Florida A&M on Thursday, March 12 at 12 p.m. South Carolina State and Howard open tournament play on Monday, March 11 at 11 a.m. The Lady Bulldogs won the tiebreaker over Bethune-Cookman to secure the No. 5 spot.

The 2015 regular season champion, regular season runners-up, first-team members and top honorees including Player, Rookie, Defensive and Coach of the Year selections, will be recognized in pre-game presentations prior to the honorees first games in tournament play.

The 2015 MEAC Basketball Tournament tips-off Monday, March 9, and will conclude on Saturday, March 14 with the men’s and women’s championship games. The women’s game will begin at 4 p.m. and will be tape-delayed on ESPNU. It will air the following day, Sunday, March 15, at 11 a.m. The men’s finale will begin at 1 p.m. and will broadcast live on ESPN2. The preliminary games will also be streamed live on www.ESPN3.com. Live statistics of all games will be available on the conferences’ official website and the tournament’s official website, www.MEAChoops.com.

For tournament information, log on to www.MEAChoops.com. For the latest on MEAC sports, visit www.MEACsports.com.

2015 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BRACKET

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Grambling on the verge of another winless D-I season

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Grambling’s basketball program is running out of time to avoid finishing winless against Division I teams for the second time in three years.

The Tigers, fresh off a 78-46 loss to first-place Alabama State on Thursday, sit at 2-25 (0-17 Southwestern Athletic Conference) with one regular season game left and at least one game in next week’s SWAC tournament.

Since a pair of wins against NAIA foes Lyon College (Arkansas) and Selma University (Alabama) in November and December, Grambling has lost 20 straight games.

“We’re just eager to win as ...

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Rush on target in rout of Dillard at GCAC quarterfinals

NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Goode scored 18 points Friday, and NAIA No. 18 Xavier University of Louisiana shot a season-best 63.8 percent from the floor in a 75-52 men's basketball victory against Dillard in the quarterfinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament at the Convocation Center.

The Gold Rush (23-8), the tournament's No. 2 seed, will play third-seeded Tougaloo in the semifinals at 7 p.m. Saturday at Xavier.

Goode made three of Xavier's six 3-pointers and matched his career high of six assists.

Xavier made all 15 of its 2-point attempts in the first half. Xavier's full-game percentage was its highest since shooting 71.1 percent against Wiley on Nov. 24, 2012.

Sydney Coleman scored 14 points -- he was 7-of-7 from the floor -- and Morris Wright had 13 points and six assists for the Gold Rush. RJ Daniels was 6-of-6 from the floor and had 12 points and a game-high seven rebounds.

Daniels is 26-of-31 from the floor -- 83.9 percent -- in the past 10 games.

Kristopher Allmon scored 14 points and made four 3-pointers for the Blue Devils (5-25). Marcel Daniels, younger brother of RJ Daniels, scored 10.

Xavier's 27 assists were its most since collecting 34 in a season opener against Wesley (Miss.) on Nov. 6, 2007. Freshman Troy Salvant had a career-high five assists.

After a pair of 1-point deficits, the Gold Rush took the lead for good, 23-22, on Wright's basket at 8:12 of the first half. Xavier led 46-34 at halftime, and the final margin was its largest of the game.

Xavier routed its longtime city rival at home for the second time in seven days. The Gold Rush lead the series 83-48 with 20 victories in the past 22 meetings.

Dillard shot 42 percent from the floor, 26.9 percent in the second half.

Tougaloo advanced with a 100-89 victory against Voorhees. Top-seeded Talladega, the NAIA's No. 1 team, beat SUNO 92-74. Fourth-seeded Philander Smith defeated Edward Waters 80-70.

Talladega will meet Philander Smith in the first men's semifinal at 2 p.m. Saturday. It will be a rematch of last year's championship game, which Talladega won 104-95 in overtime.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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TSU Advances to OVC Championship with 71-59 Win

 

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – On the 20^th Anniversary of the Tennessee State women’s basketball team’s last OVC Championship Game appearance, the Lady Tigers are back again in 2015 after a 71-59 win over SIUE, Friday.

 

The TSU (17-12) post players were the team’s main offensive weapon, as Jayda Johnson (17), Chelsea Hudson (17) and Briana Morrow (11) all scored in double figures.

 

The Lady Tigers also had success shooting from outside and were 10-of-21 from beyond the arc. Those 10 triples were the second-most for the team this season.

 

SIUE (19-12) also had three players score in double-figures led by Tierny Austin’s 20.

 

Morrow paced the Lady Tigers early on, netting her team’s first five points of the game. Despite her effort, TSU still trailed, 9-5, after a three-pointer by SIUE’s Austin at the 15:06 mark.

 

The Lady Tigers fought back, draining five-of-six to spark a 10-0 run and a 17-11 advantage. TSU’s defense started the run by forcing a pair of turnovers and four consecutive Cougar misses.

 

TSU shooters went cold later in the half and the squad went on a scoring drought that lasted 4:45. SIUE took advantage and rattled off nine straight points to go back on top, 23-19, with 4:24 remaining in the half.

 

Morrow finally broke the spell with a layup and Jemilah Leonard scored five-straight to put her team ahead by three.

 

After another lead change, Rachel Allen canned a deep three to give the Lady Tigers a, 31-28, edge heading into the locker room.

 

The sides played it close in the opening stanza as turnovers (nine), rebounds (18), bench points (10) and assists (eight) were even.

 

Brianna Lawrence got TSU off to a good start in the second period, netting her first points of the game on a triple. The hoop gave the Lady Tigers their largest lead of the game up to that point at, 38-32.

 

Two technical fouls on Tennessee State let SIUE get back into the game and nine straight Cougar points gave SIUE the lead, 49-47.

 

A huge three-pointer by Hudson as the shot clock was expiring hit its mark and halted the SIUE momentum and put TSU back on top with seven minutes to go.

 

After trading the lead two more times, Hudson later nailed a jumper and Johnson tossed up a wild, high-arcing three-pointer that somehow found the back of the rim and went in. The hoops put the Lady Tigers up, 61-55, with 3:29 to play.

 

TSU would not take the foot off the pedal and a slicing layup from Allen with 1:41 to go gave the Lady Tigers a double-digit lead.

 

All that was left was making the ensuing free throws and the Lady Tigers made good on those, making 11-of-14 for the game.

 

The Lady Tigers will play for the OVC Championship and a berth of the NCAA Tournament by taking on UT Martin tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the Municipal Auditorium.

 

BOX SCORE

 

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Gold Nuggets' Gathright selected All-GCAC again

WHITNEY GATHRIGHT

NEW ORLEANS -- Repeat selection Whitney Gathright is Xavier University of Louisiana's lone representative on the 2014-15 All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball team.

Gathright, a 5-foot-4 junior guard from New Orleans and a graduate of John Curtis Christian Academy, leads the Gold Nuggets in a slew of statistical categories, including scoring (13.1 points per game), assists (111), steals (59), free-throw percentage (.785) and 3-point field goal percentage (.418).

Gathright also has climbed steadily up several XU career lists. She is the Gold Nuggets' all-time leader in 3-point accuracy (.386), second in free-throw percentage (.769), fifth in made 3-pointers (110) and seventh in made free throws (269). She is 25th with 895 career points and will take aim at becoming the 20th Gold Nugget to reach 1,000.

If Gathright maintains her team scoring lead, she'll become the fourth Gold Nugget to lead the team in scoring as a sophomore and junior. The others were Kay Williams (1978-79 and 1979-80), Henrietta Mitchell (1987-88 and 1988-89) and Jarryn Cleaves (2004-05 and 2006-07).

The All-GCAC women's and men's teams were announced Thursday at a GCAC team luncheon at the Crowne Plaza New Orleans Airport hotel in suburban Kenner, La. The GCAC Tournament will begin Friday in New Orleans.

The Gold Nuggets (16-14), the defending champion and winner of four of the past five GCAC tourneys, are seeded second. They'll play seventh-seeded Tougaloo (4-22) at 5 p.m. at Dillard's Dent Hall in the opening round.

If the Nuggets win, they'll play third-seeded Dillard or sixth-seeded Edward Waters at noon Saturday at XU's Convocation Center. The championship game will start at 3 p.m. Sunday at Xavier.

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All-GCAC: Wright 1st team, Coleman, Goode 2nd team

From left, Xavier's Sydney Coleman, Anthony Goode and Morris Wright 

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Morris Wright, Sydney Coleman and Anthony Goode have been selected All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference in men's basketball for the 2014-15 season.

Wright and Coleman were All-GCAC a year ago.

Awards were announced Thursday at a GCAC team luncheon at the Crowne Plaza New Orleans Airport hotel in suburban Kenner, La. The GCAC Tournament for men (Xavier's Convocation Center) and women (Dillard's Dent Hall) will begin Friday with quarterfinal games at two New Orleans sites. Xavier will be the site of the men's and women's semifinals and finals.

Wright, a 5-foot-10 junior guard from Zachary, La., and a former Zachary High School and Baton Rouge Community College standout, leads Xavier this season with 14.0 points per game. He 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.

Coleman, a 6-7 senior forward from Meridian, Miss., and a graduate of Meridian High School, ranks third on the Gold Rush with 11.6 points per game and second in rebounding at 5.1. He is shooting a team-best 61.4 percent from the floor.

Goode, a 6-foot senior guard from Baltimore, Md., and a graduate of Milford Mill Academy, made All-GCAC for the first time after averaging 12.4 points and making 55 3-pointers. He has made 86.8 percent of his free throws in 2014-15 and ranks No. 4 on Xavier's all-time season list.

Xavier — 22-8, ranked 18th in NAIA Division I and seeded second in the GCAC Tournament — will play seventh-seeded city rival Dillard (5-24) at 7 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals at Xavier. Friday's other men's matchups are Philander Smith against Edward Waters at noon, Tougaloo against Voorhees at 2 p.m. and Talladega — NAIA Division I's top-ranked team — against SUNO at 5 p.m.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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TSU Earns Berth in the Semi-Finals After 81-66 Win

NASHVILLE, Tennessee --  Rachel Allen and Chelsea Hudson scored 20 points apiece and the Tennessee State women’s basketball team won an OVC Tournament game for the first time since 2009, beating Morehead State 81-66 on Thursday afternoon.

Hudson was 7-of-16 from the field and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season.

Allen was a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the three-point line and added six assists and four rebounds for Tennessee State (16-12).

Brianna Lawrence chipped in with 19 points and seven rebounds. She also had three triples, helping TSU to a 9-of-17 (53 percent) mark from downtown.

Morehead State (12-18) also had three players in double-figures led by Almesha Jones’s 19.

Allen dominated the early portion of the game, scoring nine of her 14 first-half points on three triples within the first five minutes to put the Lady Tigers in front, 11-7.

The TSU offense sputtered later in the half and was held without a point for over five minutes, allowing Morehead State to go on a 10-0 run to take a, 25-19, lead with under seven minutes left in the half.

The Eagles’ offense, meanwhile, kept rolling and the squad nailed five-straight shots to pad their advantage to a half-high 10 at the 3:38 mark.

Allen finally broke the spell with her fourth triple of the half and Jayda Johnson canned TSU’s sixth-straight freebie to cut the lead to five with just under two minutes to go in the half.

Lawrence was fouled near her own basket and made one-of-two free throw attempts on the other end with 0.8 seconds left and TSU went into the locker room down, 35-32.

The Lady Tigers shot just 30 percent (10-of-33) during the opening 20 minutes, but forced nine turnovers on the defensive end, leading to nine TSU points.

MSU converted two old-fashioned three-point plays early in the second stanza to open up a nine-point lead with four minutes gone in the period. The shooting disparity continued to be a problem for TSU as the Eagles made three straight, while the Lady Tigers were 2-of-9 nine during the same stretch.

Lawrence got the Lady Tigers back on track with a pair of corner three-pointers and then Hudson drew a charge on the defensive end, igniting the TSU fan base.

Hudson and Allen continued to pump up the crowd while taking the ball down the court and Allen fed off the energy by nailing a deep triple. Her hoop put the Lady Tigers ahead 59-58 and forced MSU to call timeout at the 7:57 mark.

TSU never relinquished the lead.

Hudson continued her effort on the defensive end, drawing another charge and hitting the floor for long rebounds. Her persistence paid off as a Davis layup on the other end put TSU in charge, 68-61, with 3:45 to go.

A Lawrence lay-in at the 1:25 mark provided the final dagger that her team needed and Johnson hit a deep three-pointer for good measure on the Lady Tigers’ next possession to help Tennessee State to an, 81-66 round one victory.

The Lady Tigers will play No. 2 seeded SIUE tomorrow at 2 p.m. in the semi-finals of the OVC Tournament in Municipal Auditorium.

BOX SCORE

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Second Half Blitz Lifts Rattlers Past SSU, 64-57

TALLAHASSEE, Florida --The FAMU Men’s Basketball team closed out a challenging 2014-15 campaign with a sweet Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory Thursday night, 64-57 over visiting Savannah State at the Al Lawson Center.

FAMU (2-27, 2-14 in MEAC) ended their season Thursday, as NCAA academic sanctions ban them from any postseason tournament, but the final game left a good taste in their mouths as they overcame a halftime deficit with a white hot shooting second half.

The Rattlers shot 63.6 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes, erasing their 28-23 halftime deficit with a 41-29 winning surge.

Craig Bowman's layup with 8:29 left gave FAMU the lead for good at 45-44, and Jermaine Ruttley put on a dominating performance down the stretch, scoring 21 of his game-high 28 in the second half.

Junior guard Jermaine Ruttley led all scorers with 28 points on 10 of 15 shooting, with a pair of three-pointers and six-of-nine free throws.

Graduate student Quentin Bastian, who was honored as a senior prior to Thursday’s game, added 11 points and a team high six rebounds.

Savannah State (9-21, 5-11 in MEAC) was led by Khalen Pinkett’s 11 points and 10 more from Hikeem Champaigne.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Four-guard lineup sparks SU men to 77-73 win over PVU

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — Trailing by 15 points midway through the second half, Southern was running out of big men and time.

Keith Davis just picked up his fourth foul. Frank Snow was already sitting with three, and Jared Sam couldn’t get back in the game after trying to play on a sprained ankle.

So, the Jaguars did the only thing they could do — put out a four-guard lineup and hope for the best.

Christopher Hyder and Trelun Banks delivered just that in a dramatic 77-73 win over Prairie View at the William Nicks Building.

“It’s one of the gutsiest wins we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Southern coach Roman Banks said. “To come back like we did — I don’t know if you can do that again and get away with it.

“I know this team isn’t the most talented team we’ve ever had, but it was one of the best wins we’ve had in a long time.”

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Southern women rout Prairie View

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- With a conference title showdown looming Saturday, the Southern women’s basketball team had one order of business to take care of first.

It didn’t take long.

Southern used a 20-0 run in the game’s first 12 minutes to run away with a 78-50 victory over Prairie View on Thursday night at the Williams Nicks Building.

Freshman Briana Green scored a career-high 23 points, while Kendra Coleman added 20 as the Jaguars coasted toward their 14th straight win.

More importantly, the victory gives Southern a chance for at least a share of Southwestern Athletic Conference title with a win against Texas Southern on Saturday.

“We want to play for a championship and we know if we didn’t get this win tonight, we can’t do that,” Southern senior Jasmine Jefferson said. “We were very focused. That’s all we had our mind on.”

The Jaguars (17-10, 15-2) didn’t waste any time taking care of business, shooting 55 percent from the field — including 5-of-7 from 3-point range — and made 15 of 20 free throws.

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