Pop diva Roberta Flack sets musical future for students at Bronx school

Photo: Famed pop singer Roberta Flack was raised in Arlington, Virginia (born in Asheville, NC) and entered Howard University on a music scholarship at age 15 and graduated at age 19.

The house was packed, but easily the most enthusiastic fan at the Roberta Flack School of Music's first Winter Music Festival last week was the school's chief benefactor and namesake. Time and again the multi-Grammy Award-winning Flack leaped from her first-row center seat to lead the applause during the two-hour program, held in the Hyde Leadership Charter School auditorium in Hunts Point, the Bronx.

She stalked the footlights for better angles, hugged every child - and many adults - who ventured within arms' reach and even admonished the crowd to quiet down. "I didn't know it was going to be this good!" Flack said with a grin. "These children have worked so hard. Please give them your undivided attention."

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The school is trying to raise $12,000 to send a dozen students to the 28th annual Alcorn State University Jazz Festival in Lorman, Mississippi on April 19, 2008. Contributions can be sent to the school, 730 Bryant Ave., Bronx, N.Y. 10474. The phone number is (718) 991-5500.

Roberta Flack - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Morgan State Bears claw way to top of MEAC

Photo: MSU guard Jamar Smith #34 is leading the Bears in scoring averaging 18.2 ppg. The 6-2/210 senior is from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota and played at San Bernadino Valley College/Patrick Henry H.S.

BALTIMORE, MD - Morgan State’s men’s basketball team, just two years removed from a four-win season, has won five straight games to ascend to the top the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference. The Bears are off to their best start in 29 years and have a chance to qualify for a postseason tournament for the first time as Division I school, yet Coach Todd Bozeman is quick to put it all in perspective.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said. “We play Delaware State [today].” The Bears (12-8, 7-1 MEAC) cannot afford to look ahead. After all, opponents will not be looking past them. “When you have that bull’s eye on your back,” Bozeman said, “everybody’s gonna get up for you.”

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DSU athletes excel at Thomson Invitational

NEWARK, DE -- Delaware State University's Jasmine Rogers and Nekisha Franklin recorded first-place finishes on the women's side of the Thomson Invitational indoor track and field meet on Saturday at the University of Delaware, while Donte Holmes and two Hornets relay teams won for the men.

The Delaware State men placed third with 96 points, trailing Temple (149 1¼2) and Monmouth (129). The DSU women were fourth with 73 1¼2 points, behind Delaware (137 1¼2), Temple (133 1¼2) and Maryland (92 1¼2) in the 12-team field.

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Southern Lady Jaguars tops Alcorn State

The Southern women’s basketball team beat Alcorn State 46-39 Saturday even while missing 49 shots in a victory that provided further proof of how the Jaguars win with their energetic defense and their ultra-active freshman forward Freda Allen.

Allen played the final 10 minutes with four fouls and still came up with her customary double-digit rebounding and making a host of hustle plays — and also canceling out one of the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s top scorers. “Freda is one of those players like (Dennis) Rodman was to the (Chicago) Bulls,” Southern coach Sandy Pugh said.”

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Alabama A&M hot shooting down PVAMU Panthers

Trant Simpson scored the first 11 points of the game for Alabama A&M en route to a career high 29 points and led the Bulldogs to a 74-62 victory Saturday at Elmore Gym over Prairie View A&M University. The win was the second straight for A&M and gets the Bulldogs to 3-5 in the SWAC and 6-12 overall. Evan Hilton recorded a double-double for the Bulldogs with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Despite being out rebounded 52-40 and giving up 18 offensive boards, AAMU forced 19 PVAMU turnovers while committing just eight on the night. Along with Simpson and Hilton, the Bulldogs got double digit scoring from Andrew Williams with 12 and Mickell Gladness with 10. Gladness also blocked five shots.

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S.C. State men pull out 51-48 victory over Bethune-Cookman

Junior guard Jessie Burton tossed in 12 of his 13 points in the second half as S.C. State (7-14, 3-4 MEAC ) sparked a 24-3 run to pull out a close 51-48 conference win over Bethune-Cookman (8-13, 3-5 MEAC) at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center Saturday. Freshman guard Carrio Bennett added 9 points, including two big 3-pointers in the closing minutes of the second-half in the win.

Bethune-Cookman senior guard Dewayne Pettus poured in 12 points in the loss.

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UMES Lady Hawks sinks Morgan State from long range

Tiffany Reid leads all scorers with career-high 24 points.

BALTIMORE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Lady Hawks capitalized on an impressive shooting effort in route to a 95-80 win over Morgan State University (MSU) on Saturday afternoon in the Hill Field House. UMES (11-8, 4-2 MEAC) connected on 32-of-59 (54.2 percent) from the field and 13-of-21 (61.9 percent) from downtown in the game, while limiting the Bears to just three-of-18 (16.7 percent) from beyond the arc.

"I thought we shot the ball extremely well and it helped open up the entire floor for our team," said Head Coach Fred Batchelor. "Coming in we knew this was an important game and it was a total team effort in the win."

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Gritty DSU Hornets women fall short at end to Coppin State

Delaware State misses two potential tying 3-pointers in final 12 seconds.

The Hornets matched the grit of their opponent for much of the way, but still came up short in a 60-57 loss at the Coppin Center. "It's another lesson learned," Delaware State coach Ed Davis said. "Coppin State is still the defending champion. It was another tough MEAC game. "And we didn't quit."

Coppin State (11-10, 6-2) successfully defended two potential tying shots by DSU over the final 12 seconds to run its winning streak against the Hornets to five games. The Eagles also won their sixth straight overall. Rocky Collier led the Hornets (9-11, 4-2) with 16 points. Thea Littlepage had four points and 10 rebounds.

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Jackson State ice MVSU Devilettes 76-57

ITTA BENA, Miss. - The Jackson State University women's basketball team controlled the action from the beginning to the end of regulation, as the Lady Tigers defeated the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes 76-57 in SWAC action Saturday night.

The Devilettes jumped out to an early 11-5 lead at the 17:13 mark in the first half. JSU went on a 14-0 run that was jumped started by an Erica Trahan jumper. JSU took a 19-11 lead with 11:51 remaining in the first half. The Lady Tigers went on to extend their lead to 43-27 at the half. The Lady Tigers shot 60 percent from the field in the first half, while Valley shot 40.9 percent.

In the second half, Jackson State extended its lead by as much as 27 points with 6: 49 left in the game.

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Fulgham leads ASU Lady Hornets over Texas Southern Tigers

Photo: Jasmine Sanford, Sophomore, 5-11 guard, Brewton, Alabama, T.R. Miller H.S., Major: Biology.

Alabama State rode the hot hand of sophomore Assunta Fulgham to claim a 67-58 Southwestern Athletic Conference win over Texas Southern on Saturday afternoon at the Acadome. Fulgham scored the first basket of the game and accounted for six of her team's first 10 points en route to a 24-point performance for ASU (7-12, 3-5 SWAC), which led 33-32 at halftime.

Just before the half, TSU had a pair of 3-pointers followed by a layup by Ashlee Norwood to take its only lead of the game, 32-31. But again, Fulgham answered by breaking free for a wide-open layup to produce the one-point ASU lead.

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GSU Tigers wins on road over UAPB Golden Lions

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – The Grambling State Tigers put together their first winning streak of the season via a strong second half en route to a 63-51 road win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday night. Each team controlled a part of the first half as Grambling State (3-12, 3-5 SWAC) led for the first four-and-a-half minutes until UAPB (9-10, 5-3 SWAC) tied the game at 9-9 via a Jarvis Gunter jumper at the 15:30 mark.

Andrew Prestley led GSU with a double-double of 17 points and 11 boards while Duran Diaz also added 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Anthony Williams came off the bench to score 17 points along with three steals. Larry Williams led UAPB with 17 points and was followed by Marcelle Goins’ 12 points.

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MVSU Delta Devils roast Jackson State Tigers

ITTA BENA, Miss. - Despite a game-high 15 points from Darrion Griffin the Jackson State men's basketball team fell 81-53 to the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils in SWAC action Saturday night before standing room only crowd of 4,798. From the tip-off, the game appeared to be paced for another classic SWAC battle with the lead going back and forth. JSU held a 31-30 lead with just over three minutes in the first half. Valley then went on a 7-0 run to take a 38-31 lead into halftime. Valley took control in the second half, outscoring the Tigers 43-22.

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The Delta Devils (7-12, 5-3 SWAC) will return to action Monday when they host Grambling State at 6 p.m. live on ESPNU.

North Carolina A&T stampede Howard Bison

Photo: Ta'Wuana Tweet Cook led the Aggies with 22 points and five assists in 93-58 win over Howard University Bison. The 5-8 sophomore guard is from Seventy-First H.S., Fayetteville, N.C.

GREENSBORO, February 2, 2008 – On a night when former great players of the North Carolina A&T women’s basketball program came together at Irvin-Corbett Court to honor a fallen teammate and team manager, they also got to witness what appears to be future Aggie greats.

The 2007-2008 edition of Aggie women’s basketball won their seventh straight game and remained undefeated in conference play with a 93-58 win over Howard Saturday night. Ta’Wuana Cook led the Aggies (14-5, 7-0) with 22 points and five assists. It was her third straight game in which she scored more than 20 points. Teammate Amber Bland added 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and Brittanie Taylor-James finished with 19 on 9-for-13 shooting.

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Hampton women too hot for the NSU Spartans, win 68-51

Photo: Forward Quanneisha Perry scored 13 points and had 13 rebounds against Norfolk State. The starting 5-10 freshman is from Towers H.S., Decatur, Georgia.

NORFOLK -Rachel Butler scored 14 points and Quanneisha Perry added 13 to lead the Hampton University women over Norfolk State 68-51 at Echols Hall. The Pirates (12-7, 6-1 MEAC) shot 60 percent in the second half to pull away. Norfolk State (3-14, 0-7) was led by Raychele Payne with 18 points. Genor Dalton and Ebony Gibbs added 10 each for the Spartans, who are playing with just seven players on the roster.

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Former MVSU All-American hired for Richmond Spiders football

Photo: #59-Vincent Brown durning his playing days with the New England Patriots.

Another loss for the University of Virginia football program is the University of Richmond's gain. Vincent Brown, who served as a graduate assistant at University of Virginia last season, will join new coach Mike London's staff at University of Richmond. He will be the linebackers coach for the Football Championship Subdivision program.

Brown was an All-American at Mississippi Valley State University and spent eight years in the NFL with the New England Patriots, retiring in 1995. In 2006, the Atlanta native worked as inside linebackers coach for the Dallas Cowboys under Coach Bill Parcells.

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Click here to read Coach Brown complete bio:

http://www.patriots.com/alumni/index.cfm?ac=alumnibiosdetail&bio=2761

SC State women earn 64-43 win over BCU

ORANGEBURG - South Carolina State held visiting Bethune-Cookman to just seven points in the last 12 minutes of the game in earning a 64-43 victory over the Lady Wildcats Saturday at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. SC State, ahead by as many as 17points in the first half, saw its lead cut to three with 11:58 remaining before closing out the game with a 25-7 run that produced the victory.

Marie Reid came off the bench for 21 points and eight rebounds to lead the Lady Bulldogs. Jenell Moore and Sophilia Hipps had 11 points each in the victory for Coach Tonya Mackey’s team, which climbed to 7-11 overall and 4-3 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

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Southern University rip Alcorn State Braves

Joseph Jack’s two-hand jam in the waning seconds was insignificant in that it didn’t change the outcome any. The point, rather, of those points was in giving Southern a winning margin of 19 in its 86-67 victory over Alcorn State. That’s the same margin as the Jaguars blew earlier Saturday at the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Up 19. Down three. Finish up 19.

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Up next, Southern University visits Grambling State at 1 p.m. Saturday. This game will be televised on ESPN2.

NCA&T Aggies win 6th straight as Howard falls

Photo: Guard Steve Rush hit 8-of-11 shots to finish with a game-high 24 points. The 5-11/170 senior is from Greensboro, N.C.

GREENSBORO -- The Howard Bison were bigger, stronger and more physical than N.C. A&T. But they had no answers for either the Aggies' press or sharp shooting. A&T spotted Howard an early nine-point lead, but thanks to a strong defensive effort and nine-of-13 shooting from the arc by guards Steven Rush (4-6) and Austin Ewing (5-7), the Aggies cruised to an easy 72-56 win at the Corbett Sports Center on Saturday.

Once the Aggies (11-9, 5-2) started to score, they set up their full-court pressure, which gave the Bison fits. "When we came off the bench with our subs and started to press them, I think we had eight steals at halftime," Eaves said. "We ended up with 13 steals, which is the way we play. I was glad to see that."

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Delaware State beats Coppin State, looks ahead to Morgan State

BALTIMORE -- Despite starting a new lineup on Saturday, it wasn't a change in chemistry that Delaware State needed. Instead, it was the same old thing -- the lack of defense -- that nearly cost the Hornets. While the revamped starting five showed it might yield positive results down the road, DSU learned it is defense it needs most after nearly surrendering a 19-point lead in the second half of a 56-48 men's basketball victory over Coppin State at the Coppin Center.

The Hornets' Mid-Eastern win gives DSU (8-11, 5-2) momentum for Monday's game at conference leader Morgan State (7-1 MEAC).

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Coach unhappy, but Alabama State Hornets beat Texas Southern

Photo: Senior Joel Bosh, 6-7/185 forward, Dallas, Texas, Dallas Lincoln H.S., scored 15 points along with Junior guard Andrew Hayles to lead the Hornets.

Following Saturday afternoon's game against Texas Southern, Alabama State head coach Lewis Jackson wasn't pleased. He criticized his Hornets' defensive effort, talked about their noticeable lack of intensity and stressed the importance of getting better. All around the SWAC, Jackson's fellow coaches are rolling their eyes.

When their teams play that poorly, they lose. ASU was on the good end of an 81-68 game at the Acadome. ASU (11-7, 7-1) shot nearly 60 percent from the field, almost 65percent from behind the 3-point line and outrebounded TSU 30-19.

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PVAMU Lady Panthers remain undefeated in SWAC

Photo: PVAMU #20 Sophomore 6-0 guard/forward Gaati Werema, from Orlando Christian Prep, Orlando, Florida in eariler game at North Carolina. Werema was leading Lady Panther scorer at Alabama A&M with 15 points.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.- After running into a tie ball game at 43 all with 10:59 remaining in the second half the Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers (13-7, 8-0 SWAC) managed to pull out a 58-55 victory over the Alabama A&M Lady Bulldogs (6-11, 4-4 SWAC) clinching their tenth consecutive win.

The Lady Panthers put a total of four players in double figures with sophomore forward Gaati Werema leading the way with 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the floor. Shavonne Smith, Candice Thomas, and Chari Smith round out the list of PVAMU double digit contributors tallying 14, 13, and 10 points respectively. Prairie View A&M shot 42 percent from the field while holding AAMU to just 28 percent from the floor for the game. Junior Aminata Dieye came up big for PVAMU on the defensive end racking up six blocks and four rebounds.

Rebekkah Barnes scored 15 points while Christian Malone added 10 points and six assists for Alabama A&M.

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Morgan State pulls away in second half from UMES

Photo: Forward Boubacar Coly had 15 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots in his outing with UMES. The 6-9/220 senior is from Ziguinchor, Senegal, Laurinburg Institute.

Senior guard Jamar Smith scored 18 points, and three Bears posted double doubles in a 67-52 victory that didn't satisfy coach Todd Bozeman. The lead changed hands eight times in the first half, and there were three ties before senior center Boubacar Coly scored inside with 2:51 left to put Morgan ahead 32-30. Junior forward Marquise Kately added a free throw before the buzzer.

That was ugly," Bozeman said. "We didn't play well at all, but the hard part is, when you're trying to change a [losing] culture and you've got a bull's eye on your back, everybody is coming after you." The Bears (12-8, 7-1) are off to their best start since the 1978-79 season, when they were 18-12. They've won five straight games and are 6-0 at home.

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Hampton Pirates put clamps on Norfolk State Spartans

Photo: Rashad West, 6-1/175 senior guard, Raleigh, N.C., Maine Central Institute, led the second place MEAC Pirates in scoring with 18 points over NSU.

NORFOLK - Coming off its first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference loss this season Monday against Morgan State, Hampton University decided to make itself at home in Echols Hall Saturday night. The Pirates used their signature defensive intensity to hold down high-scoring Norfolk State for a 62-58 victory in a matchup of one-loss teams in the MEAC.

The sellout crowd of 7,000 was the largest at home for NSU since March 2, 2002. Hampton (12-7, 6-1 MEAC) was powered by guard Rashad West's 18 points and 11 from Vinny Simpson off the bench. Forward Mike Freeman scored nine points, and post Matt Pilgrim had 10 rebounds.

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Grambling State makes recruiting moves in Florida

Grambling is pursuing linebacker Ellis St. John (5-11, 195) — a teammate at Robinson (Tampa, Fla.) High with quarterback Justin Le, who is considering Grambling, as well. St. John had 98 tackles last season, including four sacks, according to MaxPreps. Cornerbacks Nick Greene (5-7, 150) and Justin Williams (5-11, 171), both from Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) High, are also interested in Grambling. Greene, named honorable-mention All-Hillsborough County, is also interested Florida A&M, while Williams is also considering Colorado State.

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TSU Lady Tigers beat Austin Peay State University

A furious, late charge fell just short as Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team dropped a 74-72 Ohio Valley Conference decision to Tennessee State, Saturday night, at the Dunn Center. Down 12 points with 2:57 remaining, Austin Peay (5-16, 2-10 OVC) put together an 18-8 run over the final three minutes to nearly escape with the victory. They had one last possession following a jump ball with 2.2 seconds remaining, but sophomore Janay Armstrong’s full-court throw went uncaught and time expired.

Tennessee State (10-12, 7-6 OVC) nearly ran away from Austin Peay just before the final three minutes as they used a 21-4 run over an eight-minute stretch to erase a three-point APSU lead to build a 14-point, 61-47, advantage with 5:44 remaining. Kendra Appling led Tennessee State with 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals. Obi Okafor added 18 points and Tiffany Jackson chipped in 16 points.

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