WSSU Hall of Famer-- Earl the Pearl's story to be told in film

Photo: Earl Monroe retired Winston Salem State University jersey, where he won a national championship with the Rams.

Before Earl Monroe dazzled NBA fans with his flamboyant game, the Hall of Famer honed his skills at little Winston-Salem State University under the tutelage of legendary coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines.

The 6-3 guard's wizardry earned him several nicknames, including Earl the Pearl, Black Jesus and Thomas Edison — because of the moves he invented. Monroe, who averaged 41.7 points his senior year at WSSU, is one of the subjects of an upcoming film on historically black colleges and universities, "Black Magic."

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For you young college and high school students, you don't know beans about basketball unless you have watched Earl "The Pearl" Monroe shake and bake with Walt "Clyde" Frazier. These clips are no accident, but hall of fame material. You will enjoy watching them...

Thowback - Earl "Thomas Edison" Monroe



Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Career Game Hightlights

Hampton University commitment sticks

Photo: Senior Adrian Woodard, 6-4/200 takes shot over NSU, is from Lee County H.S., Sanford, N.C.

One of Hampton's two most veteran players stays vital amid major program changes.

HAMPTON, VA - Much has changed around Adrian Woodard in four basketball seasons at Hampton University, but he has adapted.

The senior is the consummate team guy in a group where the coach and most of the players have changed during his playing days. Recruited by coach Bobby Collins out of high school, Woodard played for him two seasons before Kevin Nickelberry took over. Although unsure how that would pan out, Woodard was committed to finishing his basketball career and degree at HU.

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Morgan's New Day

Photo: Boubacar Coly had been named Defender of the Week in the MEAC for six consecutive weeks.

Morgan State basketball coach Todd Bozeman admits he is a staunch advocate of the power of positive thinking and the man-to-man defense. Those two components have helped pave the way for the Bears' scintillating run to the top of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings.

It also helps to have a shot-blocking, rebounding machine named Boubacar Coly prowling the back line.

"I believe you can have success if you put your mind to it," said Bozeman, who in only his second season has Morgan rolling along at a 15-8 (10-1 MEAC) clip that has generated enthusiasm not seen on Hillen Road in many a year.

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The Bears have not had a big man of Coly's considerable talent since the legendary Marvin "The Human Eraser" Webster, a 7-1/225 center who posted unbelievable statistics at Morgan. In 1975, Webster averaged a double double with 17.5 points and an astounding 19.9 rebounds per contest. The former Baltimore’s Edmondson High School star was known for his incredible blocking ability and instinct.

Webster was blocking shots before they became an NCAA recorded statistic. His 1974 Bears squad won the NCAA College Division National Championship. How many of you remembered that Morgan State University accomplishment?

Webster was named the Associated Press National College Division Player of the Year in 1976. He was the second player drafted in the 1975-76 American Basketball Association (ABA) draft, before the league was merged with the NBA, by the Denver Nuggets. He had a noteworthy 10 year NBA career and still holds the Seattle Supersonics record with 21 rebounds in a half. Webster also played in the NBA Championship series with the Settle Supersonics against the Baltimore Bullets, i.e., Washington Wizzards.

The Bullets won the 1978 NBA Championship over Webster's team in game seven for the Bullets first NBA championship.

Like Webster, Coly is averaging nearly double/double with 10.5 rebounds per game, 9.5points and 2.5 blocks per game. He has already earned his Bachelor's degree in International Business prior to transferring to Morgan State from Xavier University. Coly should have his Master's completed prior to being drafted/signed by the NBA as he is extremely smart and a tremendous hard worker on both the court and the classroom.

Coach Bozeman and Morgan State will surprise a few teams when they face the Bears in the NCAA Tournament as Coly is a superior defender. It's taken three decades, but the Bears are once again a powerhouse in the East. Be aware of the Bears!

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North Carolina A&T releases '08 football schedule

GREENSBORO, N.C. – North Carolina A&T head coach Lee Fobbs announced the release of the Aggies 2008 football schedule on Wednesday. The schedule includes seven (7) home games with a season opener with Division II, Johnson C. Smith University visiting Aggie Stadium on August 30. Fobbs should win his first game as head coach and end the string of 27 straight Aggie defeats that lead the NCAA in that category for Division I.

The schedule includes a total of 12 games with a first meeting with Big South Conference foe Coastal Carolina visiting Aggie Stadium on Sept 27. The Aggies will also play at North Carolina Central University in Durham on Oct 4.

With any success on the football field this season, the Aggies should overtake Norfolk State for home stadium average attendance supremacy in 2008.

2008 North Carolina A&T Football Schedule

Date Opponent Location Time

Aug. 30 Johnson C. Smith Aggie Stadium TBA
Sept. 6 Winston-Salem State Aggie Stadium TBA
Sept. 13 Norfolk State Norfolk, Va. TBA
Sept. 20 Hampton Hampton, Va. TBA
Sept. 27 Coastal Carolina Aggie Stadium TBA
Oct. 4 N.C. Central Durham, N.C. TBA
Oct. 11 Morgan State
(Homecoming) Aggie Stadium TBA
Oct. 18 Delaware State Dover, Del. TBA
Oct. 25 Howard Aggie Stadium TBA
Nov. 1 Bethune-Cookman, Daytona Beach, Fla. TBA
Nov. 8 Florida A&M Aggie Stadium TBA
Nov. 22 S.C. State Aggie Stadium TBA

Alabama State's Coach Barlow says NFL can wait

Photo: Coach Reggie Barlow interviewed for Denver Broncos receivers coaching postion on Monday in Denver.

Reggie Barlow said Tuesday that he expects to return as Alabama State's head coach next season and will not accept a possible job offer from the Denver Broncos. Barlow spent Monday in Denver interviewing with head coach Mike Shanahan for a job as the Broncos' receivers coach, but said Tuesday that he didn't think now was the best time to make the jump to the NFL.

"Do I ultimately want to coach in the NFL? Yes," Barlow said. "But I just don't think right now is the time for that. I've brought in some good coaches here, and I sat in a lot of living rooms and made promises to kids. It's a very, very tough decision. But I think I'm content here at Bama State. That's what I told my wife. That's what I've told (ASU officials)."

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Dismissal unjust, ex-SCSU player says

Photo: SCSU 6-7/215 junior forward David Cobb from Brooklyn,NY/Our Savior Lutheran HS/(SUNY Delhi).

David Cobb is no longer a member of the South Carolina State men's basketball team. That didn't stop the 6-7 junior forward from speaking to The Times and Democrat newspaper (T&D) on Tuesday about his dismissal from the Bulldogs by first-year head coach Tim Carter.

"I decided to go public because I don't want this to continue to go on," Cobb said. "When they dismissed me from the team, it was just get dismissed and just try to finish out your year and go somewhere else. But it's more than that. You're hurting my future by taking away Division I basketball.

Cobb said he was booted from the team primarily because he expressed his feelings. "I think that's wrong. I feel like I should be able to express how I feel to a coach."

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Blackwell's out as athletic director at Texas Southern University

Photo: Alois Blackwell

Texas Southern University athletic director Alois Blackwell was officially relieved of his duties on Tuesday afternoon after nearly seven years at the position.

"We appreciate Mr. Blackwell's contributions in his seven years guiding the program," said new TSU President John Rudley in a press release. "Now we must take the TSU athletic program to the next level."

Head football coach and former TSU quarterback Johnnie Cole will serve as the school's interim athletic director, while Blackwell will remain on the staff through the end of the academic year.

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Coppin State tops struggling WSSU Rams

Photo: Darius Floyd, 6-1/185 guard from Gastonia, NC, Ashbrook H.S., was Rams leading scorer with 12 points.

Rams lose 62-44, are 0-9 away from home

BALTIMORE - Winston-Salem State’s road losing streak continued last night in a 62-44 loss to Coppin State at the Coppin Center. The Rams (8-13) are 0-9 this season on the road and have lost 14 in a row on the road during the past two seasons. Poor shooting hurt the Rams last night as they fell behind 11-2 in the early going. They shot 26 percent from the field.

Having one of the worst shooting nights of his career for the Rams was Jamal Durham, who was 0 for 12 from the field. He had 13 rebounds.

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Maryland-Eastern Shore stuns Hampton Pirates

Photo: Ed Tyson was a one man demolition crew of the Hampton Pirates. The 6-2/200 guard is a junior from Walbrook H.S., Baltimore, MD.


Tyson makes a splash on ESPNU as Hawks topple Pirates for first time in eight seasons.

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - Ed Tyson put on a show for a national television audience and the rest of the Hawks stepped up to play solid defense as the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) toppled Hampton University 68-62 in what is arguably the biggest upset in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) this season. Tyson poured in 24 points while the under-sized and under-manned Hawks played with heart and out-rebounded the Pirates 41-24.

Fresh off a win over Howard, the Hawks played with confidence in front of a crowd of almost 3,000 fans. They slowed down a Pirates team that likes to run and forced their own pace, forcing Hampton into long range shots and jumpers and then capturing the rebound, limiting second chance points.

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Michelle Obama Visits University of Maryland Eastern Shore

PRINCESS ANNE, Md.- Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, paid a visit to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday, in a last minute stop one day before the Maryland primary election.

About 1,200 crowded into the UMES Ella Fitzgerald Performing Arts Theater where Mrs. Obama spoke of change, a central theme in her husband's campaign. Another 300 watched the speech in an overflow room in another building on campus.

"We usually don't get too many big names coming to this school," said UMES senior Blair Bruton, who attended the rally. "For me, it was a big thing."

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DSU Hornets pull away after letdown with Howard Lady Bison

DOVER -- With its nasty habit of playing to the quality of its opponent this season, Delaware State University's women's basketball team brought real concerns into its home game against Howard on Monday. Not only was Howard losing a lot of games of late, the Bison were allowing opponents to flirt with 100 points.

What the Hornets were afraid of, happened again. Facing one of the worst teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, they managed to edge the Bison 72-63 at Memorial Hall.

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Jackson State topples Southern University Lady Jaguars

JACKSON, Miss. — The Southern women’s basketball team took a step Monday. Just not a big enough one against one of the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s better and more veteran teams. Southern crawled out of an 11-point, second-half deficit to take a pair of one-point leads but didn’t score in the final two-and-a-half minutes as Jackson State pulled away for a 61-56 win at the Athletics and Assembly Center.

Jackson State (11-10, 9-2 SWAC), the conference co-champion each of the last two seasons, ended Southern’s winning streak at five.

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Holmes' threes key Morgan State over S.C. State

Photo: Reggie Holmes, 6-4/180 Sophomore guard, St. Frances H.S., Baltimore, Maryland, majoring in Business.

Guard hits 7 to tie school record; Bears win 8th straight

Morgan State guard Reggie Holmes took an aggressive approach in trying to break a recent shooting slump. The sophomore began taking 300 shots on his own after practice the past several days while searching for his outside touch.

The work paid off last night. Holmes tied a school record by making seven three-point shots en route to a 25-point performance that helped Morgan State to an 81-55 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win over South Carolina State before an announced 2,246 at Hill Field House.

Morgan State (15-8, 10-1) extended its winning streak to eight games and remained in first place in the MEAC.

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Not an average 'Morgan State' Bear

Photo: Though his family in Senegal wanted him to pursue soccer, Boubacar Coly came to the United States to develop as a basketball player. He had to come back from three surgeries to return to the court in college.

Drive has carried Morgan's Coly on long journey

He devoted much of his childhood in Africa either to playing sports or watching television, but Boubacar Coly can speak eight languages with ease. He is Muslim by faith but attended Catholic schools much of his life and even a Catholic university for a time. He grew up on a continent where soccer is king, but his heart led him to basketball and the United States.

Incongruous as those facts seem, they are mere snapshots of a young man who forged a life in the United States when everyone back in Ziguinchor, Senegal, told him not to leave seven years ago.

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FAMU coach expresses need for consistency

Photo: Coach Debra Clark has not been happy with this season's injuries and second half collapse by the Lady Rattlers.

Clark unimpressed with win

Florida A&M women's basketball coach Debra Clark has just 10 active players. It took all 10 to get by visiting Norfolk State 77-65. Clark turned to her bench early and often Monday night and the reserves responded with a combined 30 points.

Seldom-used sophomore forward Kirsten Stallings had a big first half with 10 points, while senior forward Thyeis Halley came off the bench in the second half to give the Lady Rattlers 11 points.

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Alabama A&M pulls out thriller over Mississippi Valley

Photo: AAMU Bulldogs Trant Simpson makes drive on Mississippi Valley State on way to 18 point scoring spree. The 5-10/160 guard is a sophomore from Huntsville, AL Buckhorn H.S.

ITTA BENA, Miss. - Evan Hilton hit two free throws with 0.9 seconds left to lift Alabama A&M to a thrilling 53-52 victory over Mississippi Valley State Monday night in a Southwestern Athletic Conference game. The win, A&M's fourth in its last five games, lifted the Bulldogs to 8-13 overall and 5-6 in league play. MVSU fell to 8-14 and 6-5.

Larry Cox hit two free throws at the 5:08 mark to give MVSU a 50-47 lead and it stayed that way before A&M battled back in the last two minutes. Mickell Gladness' tip-in made it 50-49 and Hilton hit two free throws with 1:18 remaining to give the Bulldogs a 51-50 lead. However, Stanford Speech hit a jumper to put MVSU back up 52-51 with 50 seconds left.

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Bethune Cookman routed by North Carolina A&T Lady Aggies

Photo: Britta Taylor-James led the Aggies in scoring with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists in 22 minutes of action. The 6-0 junior forward is from Evanston, Illinois and transferred from UC Santa Barbara.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Bethune-Cookman's reward for winning its first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game of the season Saturday was a matchup with conference leader North Carolina A&T on Monday. The Aggies (17-5, 10-0) unleashed a relentless zone trap defense that caused 28 Wildcat turnovers and flattened B-CU 89-55 at Moore Gymnasium.

Five players scored in double figures for N.C. A&T, led by Britta Taylor-James' 16 points. The Aggies, who had 20 steals in the game, shot 57.9 percent from the field (33-for-57), while holding the 'Cats to just 29.6 percent (21-for-71).

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Hampton ends UMES Lady Hawks' winning streak

Photo: Hampton University senior guard Rachel Butler led the Lady Pirates in scoring with 15 points.

PRINCESS ANNE -- It had to end sometime. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's basketball team had stretched its program-record winning streak to seven games on Saturday against Howard University. Monday, when the Hawks welcomed Hampton University, the streak came to a halt with a 68-64 loss, the team's first since a 72-59 set back against North Carolina A&T on Jan. 19.

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Alabama State's Hayles surpasses 1,000 career points in win

Photo: Andrew Hayles, 6-5/195 junior guard from Mobile, Alabama, LeFlore H.S. surpass 1,000 points in his ASU career scoring 18 points in victory over UAPB Golden Lions.

Pine Bluff, Ark. - Arkansas-Pine Bluff shot a dismal 28 percent in the second half as Alabama State cruised to a 69-51 win Monday. The Golden Lions (10-12, 6-5 Southwestern Athletic Conference) scored just 19 points in the second half.

Brandon Brooks scored 19 points and Andrew Hayles had 18 to lead Alabama State (13-8, 9-2). Roland Pitch added a dozen points for the Hornets. Hayles surpassed 1,000 career points in the second half. Larry Williams led Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 17 points; no other Golden Lion scored more than 5 points.

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Delaware State gets offensive, rout Howard University

Photo: DSU senior Roy Bright had another monster game--scoring a game-high 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the field, with 6-of-10 on 3-pointers, 5 rebounds and 1 assist in 28 minutes of action.

Hornets score 29 straight points to rout Howard

DOVER -- Message to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference: Delaware State still believes it's the "top dog" in the hunt for the league's men's basketball championship. The Hornets exhibited what coach Greg Jackson said was the best offensive effort in his eight years at the school in an 81-55 victory over Howard on Monday night at Memorial Hall.

DSU, coming off a win over Hampton on Saturday, parlayed that performance into an uncharacteristic offensive explosion in the first half, shooting at a blistering 78 percent clip and reeling off a 29-0 run.

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Delaware State is now tied with Hampton University for third place in the conference standing. Norfolk State is playing the best basketball in its history and has its best conference record since moving to Division I, ten years ago. This race is too close to call at this time, but if DSU continues to shoot 78 percent from the field, very few teams will be able to stop their run for the regular season conference championship.

The Hornets will be at Norfolk State on February 16, and this game should be a barn burner with unstoppable power guard Tony Murphy (16.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.8 stl) shooting the lights out and Roy Bright (18.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg) on fire with his long distance 3's.

At stake for the Hornets is a tie for second place behind Morgan State, who is playing on the road at Florida A&M on Saturday and Bethune Cookman on Monday. Neither team (FAMU or BCU) should be able to stop the 9-1 MSU Bears and their talented guards Jamar Smith (18.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 stl), Reggie Holmes (13.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.3 stl) forwards Marquise Kately (12.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg), and the MEAC leading rebounder, Boubacar Coly (9.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.6 blk, 1.0 stl).

Delaware State run may be too late with only six games remaining in the season with four at home before the MEAC Tournament.

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Standings

TEAM, CONFERENCE RECORD, TOTAL RECORD
Morgan State 9-1, 15-8
Norfolk State 8-2, 12-10
Hampton 7-3, 13-9
Delaware State 7-3, 10-12
North Carolina A&T 6-4, 12-11
Bethune-Cookman 4-6, 10-14
Florida A&M 4-6, 8-15
South Carolina State 4-6, 8-16
Coppin State 2-8, 7-19
Howard 2-8, 5-19
Maryland-Eastern Shore 2-8, 4-21

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Jackson State overpowers Southern with Caldwell

Jeremy Caldwell had 22 points and 15 rebounds to lead Jackson State to a 85-71 victory over Southern University on Monday. The win helps the Tigers (9-15, 7-4 Southwestern Athletic Conference) hold on to a share of second place in the conference.

Caldwell had only two points in the first half. But he scored 11 points during a three-minute span in the second as the Tigers outscored Southern 13-2 and turned a two-point lead into a 67-54 advantage with 7:44 left in the game. Southern (8-14, 6-5) could get no closer than 12 points after that.

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Opponents hard to come by for the mighty Appalachian State Mountaineers

Photo: Sophomore Quarterback Amanti Edwards, #14 has led Applachian State to two of their three consecutive FCS Championships and a upset of then #5 ranked Michigan.

ASHEVILLE — The cost of success is going up for the Appalachian State football program. A shocking upset at No. 5 Michigan and a third straight Football Championship Subdivision national championship were the bookends to a 13-2 season in 2007 for the Mountaineers, but those accomplishments have made Jay Sutton’s job much more challenging.

According to Cobb and Sutton, the FBS schools that turned down the opportunity to play ASU included North Carolina, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Alabama and Wisconsin. “North Carolina is interesting. We had the date open and were willing and eager to play them, but instead they scheduled (FCS school) McNeese State,” Sutton said.

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Florida A&M University have two open dates on the 2008 football schedule and only 11 games scheduled, but no reports came from the Rattlers Athletic Department regarding scheduling a home and home date with Appalachian State. What about 2009 or 2011, or are we planning our schedules like our neighbors, the Florida State Seminoles, who scheduled lowly FCS Western Carolina and University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, while telling Appalachian State to go straight to H...

FAMU should be knocking Appalachian State door down to get a game scheduled for Bragg Memorial Stadium for the sellout and fan interests that it will generate across North Florida. Appalachian State is an opportunity for a schedule upgrade for the Rattlers, or South Carolina State, Norfolk State, Delaware State or Hampton. FAMU and the MEAC should not pass up this opportunity.

Lady Hawks rout Howard, roll to a 105-87 win

UMES extended its school-record winning streak to seven straight games with a 105-87 win over visiting Howard University on Saturday. The Lady Hawks (14-8, 7-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) led by as many as 41 points and shot 53 percent from the field.

April McBride recorded her seventh double double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Tiffany Reid matched her career-high of 24 points.Josephine McLane scored a career-high 16 points. Freshmen Casey Morton also finished in double figures with 12 points.

With the win, UMES moved into sole possession of second place in the conference.

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Interviews crucial to FAMU's Taylor

Taylor and his staff just completed one phase of the blueprint by signing 16 players to their 2008 recruiting class this past week. FAMU had 13 sign on National Signing Day Wednesday and three more came in the next day. The latest three were place kicker Nicardo Blake and wide receiver Tyrone Brantley out of Boyd Anderson High School in Fort Lauderdale and cornerback Marvin Ross out of Trinity Christian School in Jacksonville.

Taylor and his staff didn't just recruit for need, they recruited for GPA as well. FAMU's 2008 class has brains as well and brawn. Rush, 6-3, 205 pounds, has a 3.4 GPA and scored a 1530 on his SAT. Defensive back Michael Greene, 6-1, 183 pounds, was an honorable mention All-State at Jonesboro (Ga.) High School and cleared 6-feet, 8-inches to finish second in the Georgia Class 4A State meet. Greene came up just as big in the classroom with a 3.3 GPA and a 1460 on his SAT.

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UAPB holds off Alabama A&M Bulldogs

PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Arkansas-Pine Bluff made 10 straight free throws over the final 34seconds to hold off Alabama A&M in a 70-65 Southwestern Athletic Conference victory Saturday night. The Golden Lions, who entered the game shooting 60 percent from the charity stripe, made 20-of-25 free throws, all in the second half, to turn back the Bulldogs.

The loss, which snapped A&M's three-game winning streak, dropped the Bulldogs to 7-13overall and 4-6 in league play. UAPB, which snapped its two-game losing streak, improved to 10-11 and 6-4. Trant Simpson led A&M with 27 points. Allen Smith led UAPB with 25 points.