NCAA Tourney: Union women beat Albany State (Ga.)

JACKSON, Tennessee -- In a gym nearly filled to capacity, with a large group of students chanting and shouting eager for the school's biggest true home game in recent memory, Union began its NCAA tournament journey Friday night.

And as they have done for years in big moments, the Lady Bulldogs found success.

The top seed Lady Bulldogs avoided an upset with a 92-83 win over eighth seed and SIAC tournament champion Albany State in Friday night's South region quarterfinal. Union (27-3) hosts West Florida at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in a game with identical stakes.

Senior guard Amy Philamlee, the leading scorer nationally in NCAA Division II, contributed 34 points and 14 assists. Junior guard Kelsey Risner had 27 points with 10 rebounds.

Take your pick for player of the game. Without either of those two, Union's season is over.

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Central State University to become full member of Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

WILBERFORCE, Ohio --  Central State University President Cynthia Jackson-Hammond announced today that Central State will join the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (S-I-A-C).

"Joining the SIAC is a great opportunity for Central State University. The SIAC provides additional exposure for Central State and enhances the collegiate and academic experience," Dr. Cynthia Jackson-Hammond said. "We look forward to the camaraderie and athletic competition with some of the best universities in the country."

Presidents of the SIAC institutions voted unanimously last month on the decision to grant full membership status to Central State University. CSU, which had established partial membership with football in 2013, will see all its sports compete under the rules and by-laws of the SIAC beginning this Fall.

SIAC Presidents Council Chairman and Miles College President Dr. George T. French said, "Central State's participation in the conference is exciting because it will not only add to the competitive spirit that already exists among conference members but will strengthen our conference as a leader within NCAA ranks."

Central State currently competes as a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference in cross-country, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's tennis, women's tennis, women's track & field, and men's track & field. CSU will officially exit the conference at the conclusion of the 2015 spring sports season.

"We (SIAC) are very pleased to welcome Central State University as a full member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference," said SIAC Commissioner Gregory Moore. "Central State is an outstanding academic institution with a rich athletic tradition. We look forward to working with President Dr. Cynthia Jackson-Hammond and her staff as they make the transition to full membership."

Founded in 1913, the SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities. Its headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. The primary mission and purpose of the SIAC is to leverage intercollegiate athletics to the benefit of its student-athletes and to advance the overarching strategic interests of SIAC member institutions. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions. They are: Albany State University, Benedict College, Central State University Claflin University, Clark Atlanta University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Paine College, Spring Hill College, Stillman College, Tuskegee University. The institutions which are located within a contiguous six-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio).

"Joining the SIAC is an investment into our program. It shows our commitment to enhancing our brand and broadening our fan base," CSU Athletic Director Jahan Culbreath said. "We are excited to start this new era of Marauder sports as a part of the SIAC family."

Central State has been a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference since its inception in 2011. CSU recently celebrated a 10-year anniversary of achieving NCAA Div. II status, which dates back to 2004. Prior to joining the NCAA, Central State competed as a member of the NAIA.

For more information on the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, please visit - http://www.thesiac.com/

COURTESY CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Livingstone Receives No. 8 Atlantic Region Seed

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- The NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Committee announced the field of 64 teams that will compete in the 2015 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship.

Twenty-two conferences have been awarded automatic qualification. The remaining 42 teams were selected at large by the committee.

Livingstone College will represent the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) with its third consecutive trip to the Atlantic Region Tournament. The Blue Bears (19-9 overall) won its second consecutive conference championship and automatic qualification.

West Liberty University won the Mountain East Conference (MEC) championship and an automatic qualification as the No. 1 seed. The Hilltoppers (26-3 overall) - last year's national runners-up – have won the last four Atlantic Region championships and are serving as regional tournament hosts for the fifth time in the past six seasons.

Livingstone will travel to West Liberty, West Virginia to take on West Liberty for the second time in post-season play.

The Atlantic Region Tournament will be conducted March 14, 15 and 17. The eight regional champions will advance to the quarterfinals in conjunction with the 2015 NCAA Division II Men’s Elite Eight at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

Central Missouri defeated West Liberty, 84-77, to win the 2014 NCAA Division II Men’s Elite Eight championship game in Evansville, Indiana.



NCAA Division II Men's Basketball
Atlantic Region Tournament

Saturday, March 14
Regional Quarterfinals (at West Liberty, W.Va.)
No. 1 WEST LIBERTY (26-3) vs. No. 8 Livingstone, N.C. (19-9), 6:00 PM - LIVE STATS
No. 4 Fairmont State (21-10) vs. No. 5 Mercyhurst, Pa. (20-8), 8:30 PM
No. 3 Indiana, Pa. (26-6) vs. No. 6 Glenville State (22-10), 12:00 PM
No. 2 Gannon, Pa. (23-8) vs. No. 7 Slippery Rock, Pa. (20-10), 2:30 PM

Sunday, March 15
Regional Semifinals
West Liberty/Livingstone winner vs. Fairmont/Mercyhurst winner, 5:00 PM
Indiana/Glenville winner vs. Gannon/Slippery Rock winner, 7:30 PM

Tuesday, March 17
Regional Championship
Sunday's winners, 7:00 PM

Follow the NCAA DII interactive map at: http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/basketball-men/d2

COURTESY CIAA MEDIA RELATIONS

In the FCS Huddle: MEAC spring football primer

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania -- The lack of a win in the FCS playoffs since 1999 and a big annual payday have the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference considering significant change to its postseason plans.

The MEAC could relinquish its automatic bid to the playoffs to have its champion face the top team from the other historically black conference in the FCS, the Southwestern Athletic Conference, in an ESPN-funded postseason bowl, similar to MEAC-SWAC Challenge each opening weekend (this year, it's South Carolina State taking on Arkansas-Pine Bluff).

The estimate with a bowl game is that each conference would received $1 million to split among members. Floyd Kerr, the athletic director of last year's MEAC playoff qualifier Morgan State, said in a December radio interview that it's going to happen.

Even if the idea doesn't come off this year, the competitiveness within the 11-team MEAC will be high. Morgan State, Bethune-Cookman, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central and South Carolina State combined on a five-way tie for the title a year ago, and each remains in this year's title picture in a conference boasting four new head coaches ... as well as questions across the quarterback position.

Here's a look across the ...

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Southern stings ASU in SWAC Semifinals, 68-66

HOUSTON, Texas  – On paper, the Alabama State men's basketball team shouldn't have been in contention with 2.8 seconds remaining in Friday's Southwestern Athletic Conference semifinal.

The second-seeded Hornets (19-10) were outshot 42.6 percent to 30.2 percent and didn't score their first field goal against third-seeded Southern (18-16) until more than 8 minutes into the game.

But ASU built a 10-point second-half lead, before falling to the Jaguars, 68-66, in the semifinals on Friday afternoon at the Toyota Center.

Southern senior forward Keith Davis was driving to the lane when ASU senior guard DeMarcus Robinson was called for a foul.

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XU's Mandlekar, Vernet earn 2nd GCAC weekly awards of '15

Caroline Vernet: Beat NAIA's No. 21 singles player



Tushar Mandlekar: 3-0 in singles, 2-0 in doubles

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Caroline Vernet and Tushar Mandlekar are the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Players of the Week in tennis for March 2-8. Both are two-time recipients this season.       Vernet, a home-schooled freshman from Lyon, France, won all three of her singles matches this past week and is 7-2 this semester. Sunday she defeated Auburn Montgomery's Paula Diaz, No. 21 in the ITA's NAIA rankings, 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-5) at the AUM Invitational in Montgomery, Ala.       Mandlekar, a sophomore from Bhilai, India, and a graduate of Deepak Nagar, went 3-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles at the AUM Invitational. He was the lone Gold Rush player to win in singles and doubles Sunday at NAIA No. 3 Auburn Montgomery. His current win streaks are eight matches in singles and, with Manav Chakma, seven matches in doubles.       \Mandlekar won the GCAC award for the second consecutive week and has four in his career.       The Gold Nuggets' next dual match will start at noon Sunday at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. The XU women are 9-6 and ranked xseventh in the NAIA. Next for the Gold Rush will be a 3 p.m. Thursday dual (March 19) at 11th-ranked William Carey in Hattiesburg, Miss. The XU men are 8-2 and ranked sixth. Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAATHLETICS XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA  https://twitter.com/xulagold https://www.facebook.com/

Tennessee State Tigers to Open Spring Practice on March 16

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  –  The Tennessee State football team will start its Spring Camp on Monday, Mar. 16 at 4 p.m.

The Tigers are set to practice on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4-6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9-11 a.m. The camp will run for four weeks and culminate in the annual Spring Game on Apr. 11 at 3 p.m.

Big Blue is coming off of a 6-6 season in 2014 for the team’s third straight non-losing season – a feat that had not been done since 1984-86.

The squad will welcome back many young players in hopes of filling the spots of TSU’s all-time leader in passing yards Mike German and the school’s second-leading tackler Nick Thrasher.

Practices are open to the public and locations of each session are to be determined.

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TSU's Dameus Named Top Athlete of the OVC Championship

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Clairwin Dameus was named Female Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the OVC Championship for her performance in the event on Feb. 27-28.

Dameus, who also won the award last season, tallied 3,856 points in the pentathlon this year including earning top marks in the 60 meter hurdles (8.64 seconds) and the long jump (5.98 meters).

Dameus continued her winning ways on Day One by defending her top seed and earning a maximum 10 points in the long jump competition with a leap of 5.9

3 meters.

On Day Two, Dameus teamed with Amber Hughes and Christian Pryor and Kayla Pryor to repeat as champions in the 4x400 meter relay. The squad clocked a time of 3:48.88 and had to fight off a charge from rival Austin Peay.

The Tennessee State track and field team will start the Outdoor Season on March 19 in the Alabama Relays in Tuscaloosa.

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Rush to play March 19 against Mid-America Christian

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana will play at 4:30 p.m. March 19 against 13th-seeded Mid-America Christian in the opening round of the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at Kansas City, Mo.

The NAIA announced the pairings of the 32-team event Wednesday evening, five hours after revealing that the Gold Rush (24-9) had qualified for a school-record fifth consecutive year and the 16th time overall.

Xavier finished second in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament. Though unseeded at nationals, the Gold Rush were 19th in Wednesday's coaches poll, and Xavier has the longest current streak of top-25 appearances, 49.

Mid-America Christian, from Oklahoma City, qualified for nationals for the first time. The Evangels (23-10) were the Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season champion, then lost 94-60 to Wayland Baptist in the championship game of the conference tournament.

MACU did not receive a vote in this season's national polls until Jan. 20, when it entered at No. 25. The Evangels climbed eight places the following week after a 92-75 home victory against then-No. 8 Oklahoma Baptist.

It will be the first-ever meeting between Xavier and MACU. It will be Xavier's first game against a Sooner team since a 58-57 loss to Northwestern Oklahoma in the second round of nationals in 2007.

Willie Holley is in his 42nd and final season as MACU's head coach. His teams have won 813 games and four national championships in the National Christian College Athletic Association. The Evangels' leading scorer is 5-foot-5 senior point guard Semar Farris, who has 1,220 points in two years and averages 17.6 points this season. Farris was second-team All-America as a junior.

Dannton Jackson is 273-116 in his 12th season as Xavier's head coach. This will be his ninth appearance at nationals. Junior guard Morris Wright (14.5), senior guard Anthony Goode (12.9) and senior forward Sydney Coleman (12.1) are Xavier's leading scorers.

The XU-MACU winner will play fourth-seeded Freed-Hardeman or Missouri Valley in the second round at 8 p.m. Friday. Two victories would put Xavier in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
https://twitter.com/xulagold
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NSU women beat Howard in MEAC quarterfinals

NORFOLK, Virginia -- In a week full of March Madness at Scope, the Norfolk State women were happy to bring some sanity to the MEAC tournament.

Fueled by a 13-0 run to open the game, the fourth-seeded Spartans closed the book on No. 12-seed Howard's Cinderella story with a 67-55 win in a Thursday afternoon MEAC quarterfinal.

With the win, NSU makes its first semifinals appearance since 2005. It was also a historic moment for the school: For the first time the men's and women's programs reached the league's final four during the same season.

"It's exciting for the university, and it just so happens to be in the city of Norfolk, so I think it's great for the community," NSU coach Debra Clark said.

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UMES shocks No. 1 seed Hampton U. women in MEAC tournament

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Hampton University’s tournament streak was destined to end at some point. It didn’t figure to come on this day against this particular opponent.

The Lady Pirates blitzed Maryland Eastern Shore during the regular season. They entered the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament on an eight-game win streak, while UMES had lost three of four before a first-round win Tuesday.

But No. 8 seed UMES never rattled and took down the five-time defending champs 52-50 Wednesday at Scope Arena, the dagger Jessica Long’s baseline jump shot with less than a second remaining.

“They played well the entire 40 minutes,” HU coach David Six said. “They were very effective in what they did defensively, and ultimately it was our undoing.”

Hampton (18-12) lost its first MEAC tournament game since 2009. The Lady Pirates were 15-0 in MEAC tournament games under Six, who was 88-8 in the conference in his six seasons before Wednesday.

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Hampton U. beats No. 3 seed UMES, will face Norfolk St. in MEAC semifinal

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Thirty-six good minutes trumped four spotty ones and extended Hampton University’s basketball season at least one more day.

The sixth-seeded Pirates weathered poor free-throw shooting and a Maryland Eastern Shore comeback for a 76-71 win Thursday in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinal at Scope.

“I thought we played beautifully for 36 minutes,” HU coach Ed Joyner Jr. said. “I thought for 36 minutes we put on a clinic. But in the last (four) minutes, mainly because of free throws, we allowed them to get back into the ball game. But at the end I’m proud of my guys because they gutted it out.”

Hampton (14-17) earned a semifinal berth against second-seeded Norfolk State on Friday at approximately 8 p.m. The Spartans, who defeated South Carolina State in their quarterfinal Wednesday, swept both games against HU during the regular season.

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Southern men advance in SWAC tournament

HOUSTON, Texas -- Guards Tre Lynch, Trelun Banks and Adrian Rodgers combined to score 44 points as third-seeded Southern defeated sixth-seeded Alabama A&M 64-60 in the quarterfinals of the Southwesten Athletic Conference tournament Thursday afternoon in the Toyota Center.

Lynch came off the bench to score a game-high 16 points, making 6-of-9 field goals and Banks and Rodgers scored 14 each.

The Jaguars (17-16) will play second-seeded Alabama State, which defeated Mississippi Valley State 93-81 on Wednesday, in a semifinal game at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

Southern trailed 29-27 at halltime but outscored the Bulldogs (9-20) 13-2 to start the secondl half. A&M got within three with a minute left, but Lynch’s jumper from the lane and four free throws by Rodgers completed the Jaguars third victory against the Bulldogs this season.

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Prairie View A&M moves into SWAC semis with 62-56 win

HOUSTON, Texas — Tre Hagood scored 20 points and Montrael Scott 19 to lead fourth-seeded Prairie View A&M to a 62-56 victory over fifth-seeded Jackson State on Thursday night in the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament.

On Friday, the Panthers (15-17) will take on top-seeded Texas Southern in a semifinal.

Raeford Worsham had 16 points and 17 rebounds, his fourth double-double this season, for the Tigers (11-21). Janarius Middleton also scored 16 points and Derrell Taylor added 10.

The Panthers shot 51.9 percent in the first half to take a 35-26 lead with Hagood scoring 10 points. They built their lead to 11 with 16 minutes to go before Jackson State cut it to 55-52 with 2:28 left on Javeres Brent's jumper after the Panthers suffered through a 1-for-9 stretch from the field. But a basket from Hagood and five Panthers free throws offset two baskets from Taylor down the stretch.

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Hornets' second half run stings MVSU in SWAC tourney

HOUSTON, Texas – Jamel Waters knew he had a chance to reach a personal milestone, but his focus was on leading the Alabama State men's basketball team into the Southwestern Athletic Conference semifinals.

The junior guard from Birmingham accomplished both — scoring 20 points for the second-seeded Hornets (19-9) to eclipse the 1,000 point mark in a 93-81 SWAC Quarterfinal win over seventh-seeded Mississippi Valley State (6-26) on Wednesday afternoon at the Toyota Center.

"It's a real good accomplishment, but I just want to thank my teammates," said the humble three-year starter after the Hornets defeated MVSU for the third time this season and extended their win streak against the Delta Devils to seven games.

ASU will face third-seeded Southern or sixth-seeded Alabama A&M in the semifinals at 2:30 p.m. Friday. The Jaguars and Bulldogs will meet in the quarterfinals at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

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TSU advances to SWAC semis with another win over Alcorn State

HOUSTON, Texas -- Last week, Texas Southern defeated Alcorn State to clinch the SWAC regular-season basketball championship at the H&PE Arena.

On Wednesday at Toyota Center, the two teams met again. This time there was more at stake.

TSU again beat the Braves. And with the 95-74 win, the Tigers advance to the SWAC Tournament semifinals on Friday, where they could potentially meet Prairie View, which plays its first game in the tournament on Thursday.

"We were trying to set the tone here, being the first game," said Tigers forward Malcolm Riley, who had a team-high 21 points with 10 rebounds. "We're going to keep it going. We did a good job of that. We really emphasized it on the defensive end."

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Talladega beats Rush, repeats as GCAC champ

NEW ORLEANS -- Repeat MVP Shondel Stewart scored 20 points Sunday, leading NAIA No. 1 Talladega to a 76-58 men's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the championship game of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament at the Convocation Center.

The Tornadoes (28-4) won the tournament for the second consecutive year and earned the GCAC's automatic berth to the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship, which will begin March 18 at Kansas City, Mo. The Gold Rush (24-9) -- ranked 18th and owner of NAIA DI's longest streak of top-25 appearances, 48 -- will receive strong consideration for an at-large bid. Pairings will be announced Wednesday.

Brandon Peters scored 19 points, Courtney Mack 14 and Wendell Pierre 13 for Talladega.

Morris Wright scored 21 points, Sydney Coleman 16 and Anthony Goode 13 for Xavier. Coleman grabbed nine rebounds.

In the final five minutes, Talladega pulled away by making 17-of-18 free throws and outscoring Xavier 21-4.

For the game, Talladega outshot Xavier 50 to 39.6 percent from the floor and made 31-of-41 free throws to Xavier's 15-of-19. Peters was 15-of-17 from the line.

Xavier shot better than 60 percent from the floor in both of its tournament victories, including a season-high 63.8 percent Friday against Dillard.

Xavier twice led by five points in the first four minutes before Talladega rallied for a 30-28 halftime advantage. There were two ties and five lead changes in the second half before Pierre's basket with 8:16 remaining put the Tornadoes ahead to stay, 51-50.

Joining Stewart on the five-player all-tournament team were Peters, Wright, Coleman and Teviin Morris of Philander Smith.

Coleman extended his streak of consecutive field goals made in the tournament to 21 before missing three times in the final 7:49. Those were his only misses of the tournament.

Xavier seeks a school-record fifth consecutive invitation to the national tournament and its ninth of the last 11 seasons.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
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SUNO defeats Gold Nuggets 55-47 for GCAC title

NEW ORLEANS -- Brandy Broome scored 13 of her 18 points in the second half Sunday and lead top-seeded SUNO to a 55-47 women's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the championship game of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament at the Convocation Center.

The Lady Knights (21-4) won the tournament for the second time in three years and earned the GCAC's automatic berth to the NAIA Division I National Championship, which will begin March 18 at Independence, Mo. The Gold Nuggets (18-15), are expected to miss the national tourney for the first time since 2009 and just the third time in the last 21 seasons.

Broome, the tournament MVP and the GCAC's regular-season player of the year, narrowly missed a triple-double. The senior guard had 13 rebounds, five assists and nine steals, all game highs.

Marquetta Stokes scored 12 points for SUNO, and Rayvin Miller had 10 points.

Trana Hopkins scored 16 points and Vinnie Briggs 10 for Xavier, and Whitney Gathright grabbed a career-best nine rebounds.

Xavier led 25-22 at halftime. Miller's basket with 12:59 remaining put SUNO ahead to stay, 35-34. It was still a 1-point game in the final six minutes before Kishaun Williams scored a pair of baskets in an 8-0 run. Williams' second score concluded the run and gave SUNO a 51-42 lead with 1:19 remaining.

SUNO outshot Xavier 38.9 to 25.8 percent from the floor, 42.9 to 24.1 in the second half.

SUNO denied Xavier its fifth GCAC Tournament title in six years. The Gold Nuggets won the tourney in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014.

This was the closest of three meetings this season between the longtime city rivals. SUNO defeated the Gold Nuggets by 30 points at Xavier in January and by 10 at SUNO in February.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
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UMES women advance in MEAC Tournament

NORFOLK,Virginia -- Trailing 17-9 on Tuesday afternoon to North Carolina Central, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore women needed to make some plays if they wanted to stay alive in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament.

But that's just what they did at both ends of the court.

The defense ratcheted up the pressure on one end and freshman forward TeAmber Burke scored seven of the team's next nine points off the bench.

The Hawks (12-16) took their first lead — 18-17 — since the opening possession, on a Burke free throw with nine minutes to go before the half.

"TeAmber's play off the bench was huge," Hawks coach Fred Batchelor said. "Her 15 points was the difference in the first half. It was huge because it allowed us to get in our pressure which they had problems with."

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Hill Leads Women's Basketball To Upset of SC State at MEAC Tournament

NORFOLK,Virginia  -- Sophomore guard Jasmine Hill scored a career-high 20 points to lead four players in double figures and help Howard University upset South Carolina State, 70-57, in the first round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament at the Norfolk Scope Arena.

The Lady Bison (4-26), the Number 12 seed, advance to the next round where they will play Norfolk State, the Number 4 seed, on Thursday at 2:30 pm.

Howard, which lost to the Number 5 Lady Bulldogs (16-12) in their only game this season in Orangeburg, SC, set the tone early in the first half as junior guard Imani Bailey came off the bench to score 10 points and Hill and sophomore forward Sydni Johnson contributed seven each. It helped the Lady Bison maintained a 34-28 lead at the half despite not having leading scorer, Victoria Gonzales, who played only seven minutes due to foul trouble.

"It was a hard-fought game and our young ladies stepped up today," said Howard Coach Tennille Adams. "We are not our record. The toughness and competitiveness in which we play does not always show up in the win column."

In the second half, Howard opened with a 14-9 run that opened a 48-37 lead six minutes into the second stanza.The rally was fueled by Hill, sophomore guard Allese Morrison and Johnson, who combined for 12 of the points.

From there, Howard controlled the tempo and kept the Lady Bulldogs at bay, maintaining a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

SCSU's Kourtney Williams, Jasmine Coleman and Jazzmine Johnson took turns scoring, but each time South Carolina State would get close, Howard would have an answer.

"We didn't expect this kind of performance from them," noted Williams.

The Lady Bison had one of their better shooting performances of the year, hitting on 54 percent (27 of 50) for the game, including 61 percent in the second half. The Howard defense limited the Lady Bulldogs to 33 percent shooting and held a 40-33 advantage on the boards.

"Howard played extremely well," said South Carolina State coach Doug Robertson. "They shot the ball extremely well and we didn't defend the way we needed to. They were the better team for 40 minutes today."

In addition to her 20 points on eight of 13 from the field, Hill added four steals and a career-high seven rebounds. Johnson added 14 points, Morrison with 10 and Bailey with 14 off the bench.

"Jasmine Hill and Imani Bailey stepped up in a big way," said Adams. "I'm glad we have it all coming together now at tournament time."

South Carolina State got a team-high 13 from Coleman and 10 from Amber Howard.

COURTESY HOWARD UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION