Welcher's follow puts Delaware State in semis

Photo: DSU head basketball coach Greg Jackson said, "This game epitomized our season."

Freshman steals spotlight

RALEIGH, N.C. -- It could have been Roy Bright's night Thursday. For the most part it was, until a freshman stepped up and stole the senior's show.

First-year guard Trevor Welcher's rebound basket with 1.7 seconds left gave Delaware State a 64-62 win over North Carolina A&T in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament at the RBC Center.

The Hornets (14-15), seeded fourth, move on to play top seed and regular-season champion Morgan State (21-9) in today's 6 p.m. semifinals. The other semifinal pits third seed Norfolk State against No. 7 Coppin State.

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Golden Lions knock out Alabama A&M in SWAC first round

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Familiarity breeds confidence. The Arkansas-Pine Bluff men’s basketball team knows that motto, especially considering that they were going up against an opponent they had defeated twice during the regular season.

With their 72-59 victory over Alabama A&M Thursday afternoon in the first round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament, the Golden Lions defeated the Bulldogs three times this season.

UAPB (13-17, 8-10 No. 6 SWAC) will take on second-seeded Mississippi Valley State at 2:30 p.m. today in Birmingham, Ala. in the semifinals of the SWAC Tournament.

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FAMU men fall short in MEAC tourney

Photo: FAMU's senior L.C. (Leslie) Robinson ends his Rattlers career scoring 18 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists against Norfolk State in MEAC Tournament.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The legs just weren't there when the Florida A&M men's basketball team needed some support.

Worn ragged after battling third-seeded Norfolk State on every possession, the sixth-seeded Rattlers simply couldn't make the shots they needed most in the final minutes. After taking a 53-51 lead with just over four minutes remaining, FAMU was running on fumes as the Spartans pulled away for a 69-61 victory in the quarterfinals of the MEAC men's basketball tournament.

FAMU ends its season 15-17.

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Hampton advances over Maryland-Eastern Shore

Photo: 20 points, 8 rebounds and senior leadership from Rachel Butler provided the Lady Pirates a another big win towards the MEAC Tournament Championship.

RALEIGH, N.C.-- Bad basketball can still lead to good results. The Hampton Pirates took what they could get in the second round of the MEAC Tournament Thursday — a 56-49 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore and a ticket to the semifinals vs N.C. A&T.

But getting there wasn’t pretty. A combined 5-for-31 on 3-point attempts and a 24.2 first half shooting percentage for the Pirates. But still, they advanced. “We might have been a little nervous. I talked to some of the freshman and tried to calm them down,” said Hampton guard Rachel Butler, one of the game’s bright spots, scoring 20 points.

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Delaware State Lady Hornets ends Morgan State's post-season, 67-49

Photo: Katreem Palmer scored a double/double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 2 block shots in the win over Morgan State.

Raleigh, NC --- The Delaware State women’s basketball team has reached the MEAC Tournament semifinals for the sixth time in eight years after a 67-49 win over Morgan State in a tournament quarterfinal at the RBC Center Thursday afternoon. The third-seeded Lady Hornets, defending MEAC Tournament champs, will face #2 Coppin State in the semifinals on Friday at 2:30 p.m.

Delaware State has won five in a row and eight of the last nine to improve to 18-13 on the season.

Jameka Smith scored a season high 15 points, and Katreem Palmer tallied 12 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Lady Hornets. Smith was five-for-seven from the field and five-for-eight at the free throw line.

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Howard U. grad coaches Mount St. Mary's into the NCAA tournament

Photo: Mount St. Mary's head basketball Coach Milan Brown.

Jim Phelan must be smiling. Mount St. Mary's is back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since the coaching great handed the program over to his assistant, Milan Brown, five years ago.

Jean Cajou and Kelly Beidler each scored 15 points and the Mountaineers (18-14) beat Sacred Heart, 68-55, last night in the Northeast Conference championship game in Fairfield, Conn.

"In the back of my mind, I knew that bringing a championship home would definitely be great for me," said Brown, a former Howard University point guard who was an assistant to Phelan the last time the Mount went to the NCAA tournament in 1999. "But it's going to put a smirk on his face too, even though I know he was so nervous that he didn't watch the game."

Grambling elminated by Mississippi Valley, 79-73

BIRMIMGHAM, Ala. – Grambling State's season came to end on Wednesday afternoon as the Tigers were eliminated by Mississippi Valley State 79-73 in the first round of the SWAC Tournament at Fair Park Arena.

After a sluggish start, GSU overcame a 24-14 deficit by going on a 16-5 run to take a one-point lead into halftime. The Tigers picked up where they left off and opened the second half with a 5-1 spurt as they led 36-30 after three straight jumpers by Andrew Prestley. Grambling held on for dear life after the early run as MVSU kept chipping away at the lead but they managed to remain ahead until midway through the second half.

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No offense, but ASU too much for TSU

BIRMINGHAM, AL -- Following Alabama State's final regular-season game -- a 20-point thrashing of Jackson State -- ASU head coach Lewis Jackson made no secret of the fact that he was unhappy with his team's defense. The Hornets had allowed 83 points, and that was simply unacceptable in Jackson's world.

So, in an effort to please their head coach, the ASU players went into their match up with Texas Southern in the first round of the SWAC Tournament on Wednesday with a defense-first mindset. Pretty much everything the TSU tried, the Hornets shut them down.

The Tigers shot a meager 26 percent from the floor and were out-rebounded by 15. ASU won easily, 67-49.

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Alabama State no match for PVAMU Lady Panthers

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- After defeating the Alabama State Lady Hornets 74-57, two victories is all that stands between the Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers (21-10, 15-3 SWAC) and their second consecutive NCAA tournament berth.

The Lady Panthers used an all around team effort to knock off ASU in the quarterfinal round of the 2008 Southwestern Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament. Shavonne Smith had a huge night offensively scoring a game high 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor.

Smith contributed 25 of the Lady Panthers 40 first half points. The 5-8 senior guard also connected on 4-of-9 three point attempts while dishing out 3 assists and tallying 2 steals.

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JSU beats Alcorn 62-51 in women's quarterfinals

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Jackson State University women's basketball team opened the 2008 Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament with a 62-51 win over in-state rival Alcorn State Wednesday afternoon.

First team All-SWAC performer LaSharee Christian scored a game high 22 points to lead JSU to the win. Erlexis Cooper followed with 19 points on 8-12 shooting. Cooper also recorded a game-high four steals. Brittney Dowdy came off the bench to score 10 points on 5-8 shooting.

Tanika Nunez led Alcorn State with 14 points and Corneshia Hollis added 10 on 4-8 shooting.

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Hampton Pirates lose in OT to Coppin State

Photo: Senior guard Rashad West had a monster scoring game with 27 points and 3 assists in loss to Coppin State Eagles to closeout his MEAC career.

Hampton squanders a 17-point lead and drops a heartbreaking MEAC tournament quarterfinal.

RALEIGH, N.C. - Coppin State ousted No. 2 seed Hampton University from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament, 75-74 in overtime Wednesday in a quarterfinal at the RBC Center.

Hampton dominated the first half and led by 15 points at halftime, but the Pirates allowed the Eagles to chip away at their lead. It was down to single digits midway through the second half and soon gone.

There was life for Hampton (17-12) late, but eventually the inspired seventh seed pulled this one out.

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SC State Falls to Top-Seeded Morgan State Bears 77-68

Photo: Jerrell Green, Jarmar Smith and Marquise Kately enjoys the success of the Bears historic MEAC champiionship season.

RALEIGH, NC – South Carolina State’s first season under Tim Carter came to an end Wednesday at the RBC Center where the 7th-seeded Bulldogs fell 77-68 to top-seeded Morgan State in quarterfinal action of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Tournament.

Guard Jessie Burton had a game-high 22 points and center Jason Johnson added 17 and a game-high 10 rebounds in the loss for SC State which completed the season at 13-20. Julius Carter came off the bench for 10 points and eight boards for the Bulldogs.

Morgan State, which is having its best season in 14 years, improved to 21-9 and advanced to Friday’s semifinals. Marquise Kately and Reggie Holmes each had 19 points to lead the Bears while Jamar Smith added 15 in the victory. MEAC Defensive Player of Year Boubacar Coly contributed nine points and nine boards each for the Bears.

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FAMU knocks off UMES 70-58

Photo: FAMU's Lamar Twitty scored 19 points and had 11 rebounds in a superb effort against the UMES Hawks.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The defending MEAC champions look right at home at the RBC Center.

On the same floor that it won the MEAC tournament a year ago, the Florida A&M men's basketball team took its first step toward repeating by beating Maryland-Eastern Shore 70-61 in the first round of the conference tourney.

The sixth-seeded Rattlers (15-16) saw a 10-point halftime lead trimmed to one midway through the second half before finally pulling away from the 11th-seeded Hawks.

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Both Rattlers teams played extremely well today, and the Lady Rattlers can hold their heads high for putting a scare into the Lady Aggies. Our men's team will give Norfolk State more than they handle tomorrow. The Rattlers are still defending MEAC Tournament Champions for another day, and anything can happen.

Coppin State streaks past Lady Bulldogs to Semifinals

Photo: Shooting guard Rashida Suber had a lights-out game scoring 24 points to lead the Eagles to the Semifinals.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Senior Rashida Suber scored 24 points and Coppin State advanced to the semifinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament with a 64-51 victory over South Carolina State at the RBC Center. Coppin State (20-11) won its ninth straight game by limiting South Carolina State to 27.9 percent shooting.

It marked the 19th consecutive game in which the Eagles held an opponent below 40 percent shooting for the game. Marie Reid led South Carolina State (13-17) with 15 points, while Brittany Baity added 10 points and 13 rebounds.

The Eagles also received 15 points from Shalamar Oakley and 10 points from Danielle Anders.

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FAMU takes Lady Aggies to wire before falling 76-65

Photo: Denise Tate snatched 8 rebounds and 11 points in season ending loss to the #1 seeded Lady Aggies.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The shots that seemed to fall so easily in the first half were nowhere to be found. The crisp passing, the sure hands, the air of confidence -- all gone when it mattered most.

What was left for the Florida A&M women's basketball team was a group of players who simply had nothing left to give. Their faces on the court told that story well enough. Their words after the game simply confirmed what was plainly evident.

The Lady Rattlers pushed top-seeded North Carolina A&T to the absolute limit in the second round of the MEAC tournament Wednesday morning. But the Aggies pushed back a little harder in the closing minutes to claim a 76-65 victory.

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S.C. State Topples Bethune-Cookman

Photo: SCSU head basketball coach Tim Carter records first MEAC Tournament win over Bethune Cookman Wildcats.

Jason Flagler scored 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half as No. 8 South Carolina State rallied past No. 9 Bethune-Cookman for a 78-69 win in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament first-round game on Tuesday night at the RBC Center.

The Bulldogs (13-19) advance to a 7 p.m. quarterfinal game on Wednesday against top seed Morgan State. The Wildcats’ season ends at 11-21.

Flagler scored nine points in a decisive second-half run that gave SCSU the lead for good. After a three-point play by Bethune-Cookman’s Kevan Creppy tied the game at 56 with 6:27 left, the Bulldogs went on a 15-4 spurt over the next three and a half minutes to take a 71-60 lead. Flagler started the run with two free throws, and also added a put-back, a three-point play and a short jumper off the glass.

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No surprise, Morgan State routs Norfolk Lady Spartans

Photo: MEAC 2008 Defensive Player of the Year, Corin Adams.

by MSU Sports Information

RALEIGH, N.C. (March 11, 2008)-It took Morgan State a little longer to get going than head coach Donald Beasley would have liked, but in the end his sixth-seeded Lady Bears had an 86-65 victory over No. 11 Norfolk State on Tuesday evening in the opening of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament, held at the RBC Center.

Phylicia Jones recorded her first collegiate double-double, pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds and scoring a career-high 14 points, while Corin Adams and Jasmine Sellers added 14 and 12 points, respectively for the Lady Bears.

With the victory, Morgan State improved to 19-10 on the season, thus setting the school record for victories on the Division I level, surpassing the previous mark of 18 wins, which they recorded last season. It was also the second consecutive year that Morgan State has won its first tournament game and the first time that’s happened since 1996-2000 when the Lady Bears won four-straight tournament openers.

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Coppin State Eagles knocks out Howard Bison

Photo: Coppin State senior guard Tywain McKee.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Senior guard Tywain McKee scored 18 points and nailed a pair of free throws with seven seconds remaining to lead Coppin State to a 55-54 victory over Howard in the opening round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday at the RBC Center.

With the Eagles clinging to a 53-51 lead, McKee hit two free throws to seal the victory for Coppin State.

"I just had to make the free throws," McKee, who leads the MEAC in free throw shooting percentage, said.

Curtis White hit a three-pointer at the buzzer bringing the final score to 55-54.

The Eagles (13-20) will advance to the quarterfinals where they will face second-seeded Hampton at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday (March 12).

Antwan Harrison added 12 points for Coppin State, which has won nine of its last 10 games.

"Howard never quit," said head coach Ron Mitchell. "We didn't play as aggresively tonight as we have down the stretch, but we did enough to win. We will have to do a better job against Hampton."

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Back to old school

Photo: Raheem DeVaughn was nominated for a Grammy this year for "Woman," a single from his album. The former Coppin State University student career has taken off and he is on track to major stardom.

Young R&B singer espouses love over misogyny

Raheem DeVaughn isn't one of those snooty musicians who doesn't like to be labeled. In fact, the rising young singer and songwriter goes out of his way to supply interested observers with a handy description of his place in the musical cosmos. "R&B hippie neo-soul rock star" is DeVaughn's preferred handle, and while he might be jumping the gun on the rock-star part, DeVaughn has otherwise nailed his sound.

"I wanted to create a body of work that's my version of the Marvin Gaye albums," says DeVaughn. "The reality is I grew up on Babyface and Boyz II Men and Jodeci, but I definitely identify more with the old-school artists."

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Raheem DeVaughn - She's not you


Raheem DeVaughn - Woman

Fomer Howard Bison player has team one win away from NCAA bid

Photo: Mount St. Mary's head baskeball coach Milan Brown, a former Howard University and MEAC star player.

Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers take on Sacred Heart in NEC final with former Howard University Bison point guard Milan Brown heading the 'Mount' program.

EMMITSBURG, MD - The Mount St. Mary's basketball team was practicing in virtual silence earlier this week, alone in its quiet gymnasium, when Milan Brown, the team's trim, neatly dressed fifth-year coach halted the action with a sharp bleat of his black whistle.

Brown, a former point guard who looks younger than his 37 years, almost always has his whistle clenched between his teeth, ready to bring practice to a stop at a moment's notice. Sometimes, he doesn't even bother to remove it before he speaks, barking out instructions, encouragement or discipline like a man whose jaw has been wired shut.

But on this day, he calmly took the whistle out of his mouth, and in gentle tones, locked eyes with his players. "You all better get your mind right," Brown said, in soft but stern tones. "Get your mind right -- right now. Because you won't be able to do it later."

Brown, a basketball lifer, was trying to impart the kind of wisdom that comes only with experience. He knew that this might be the last chance for his team to truly focus without any distractions, because ready or not, Mount St. Mary's might be on the verge of something big.

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Coppin State Snaps Losing Streak with Sweep of North Carolina Central

BALTIMORE – Behind a gutty pitching performance from Jeremiah Cothiere, the Coppin State Eagles baseball team beat North Carolina Central, 11-7, in game one of a double header sweep on Tuesday afternoon at Joe Cannon Stadium. The win snapped a 55-game losing streak for the Eagles, the longest losing streak in Division I baseball history.

The Eagles won game two, 7-6, on a walk off wild pitch with the bases loaded to improve their record to 2-10 on the season while North Carolina Central fell to 1-9.

In the opener, Cothiere, a junior from Lake Worth, Fla, started shaky allowing six runs over the first two innings, only to settle in and keep NCCU off the scoreboard over the next three frames.

Trailing 4-0 after the top of the first, the Eagles answered with six runs of their own off NCCU starter David Scott. Brandon Alexander led off the inning with a walk, stole second and came around to score on Jerry Matos’ double to left field. After a pop out brought the first out of the inning, Matos stole third, and then scored on a single by Patrick Regalado. After back to back errors allowed Carlos Russell and Angel Recci to reach base, Roman Batista singled to right field scoring Regalado, with Russell and Recci both coming around to score on a bad throw from the outfield to give the Eagles a 6-4 lead.

“I finally got the monkey off my back,” said head coach Harvey Lee after the game. “The kids deserve this. There have been a few games where calls didn’t go our way, but I wanted them to see they really are a good team.”

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Time for cheering to start at Boo Williams Sportsplex

The new sports facility is ready for the games to begin after this evening's ceremony.

HAMPTON, VA - Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning, a Chesapeake native, and CBS commentator James Brown are among the noted guests expected tonight at the invitation-only grand opening at the Boo Williams Sportsplex.

The $13.5-million, 135,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility opens after the 6 p.m. ceremony with city of Hampton recreation basketball. Hampton Mayor Ross A. Kearney II and Hampton University President William R. Harvey are also on the program.

Williams said Monday that Hampton native Howard White also hopes to attend but might have a scheduling conflict. White, a Kecoughtan graduate and Nike executive, has purchased naming rights for one of the two pavilions at the complex.

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Reid Leads S.C. State To Win Over Bethune-Cookman

Marie Reid scored 13 of her game-high 25 points in the second half and the defense held Bethune-Cookman scoreless for almost 10 minutes of the second half as South Carolina State rolled to a 66-45 win over the Lady Wildcats in the first round of the MEAC women’s game at the RBC Center. The Lady Bulldogs (13-16), Number 7 seed, advance to the Wednesday’s quarterfinal round where they will take on the Number 2 seed, Coppin State at 12:30 pm.

A 6-4 sophomore transfer from Memphis, Reid connected on 6 of her nine shots in the second half, many coming low post moves on the block, to help SC State, extend its four-point halftime lead to 53-35 at the 9:30 mark.

Bethune-Cookman (6-24) suddenly went cold during a stretch of 9:42, missing several shots. The Lady Wildcats missed 27 of their 32 attempts after intermission, including 0 for 11 from three-point land.

Reid got plenty of support from junior forward Janell Moore, who recorded a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds as SC State dominated their shorter opponents, 53-36 on the glass.

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Reid isn't good enough to be named to the ALL-MEAC women's team, but she just goes out and score 25 points and pull down 11 boards to demolish BCU and FAMU. And this Lady Bulldog is not a starter, but the sixth woman. Wow! She's All MEAC in our book.

Morgan State Bears Earn Three Top Honors at MEAC Tip-Off Banquet in Raleigh

Photo: MSU's Jamar Smith, 2008 MEAC Player of the Year, doing his thing against FAMU in Tallahassee.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced its 2008 all-conference teams Monday evening at the Tip-Off Banquet held at the North Hilton Raleigh Hotel. Morgan State’s Jamar Smith earned the 2008 MEAC Player of the Year award, as voted by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors. Todd Bozeman, also of Morgan State, was named the MEAC Coach of the Year, as voted on by his peers and Boubacar Coly was named as the 2008 MEAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Todd Bozeman guided the Morgan State Bears to their best regular season finish with a 14-2 conference record and a 20-9 overall mark. In only his second year at the helm, Bozeman’s Bears earned the school’s first regular season championship and will enter tournament play as the number one seed.

Coly recorded an unprecedented nine Defensive Player of the Week honors this season, including six in a row. He led the MEAC in blocked shots and rebounds, both of which he ranked nationally. He also led the MEAC in double-doubles with six and has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 17 games. As a senior, he finished the season averaging 9.6 points and 11.1 rebounds a game. He has also amassed 76 blocked shots.

Smith, the third best scorer in the MEAC, led his team in scoring all season averaging 17 points a game. A senior, he has also posted 10 double-digit scoring performances, three double-doubles and three games with 10 or more rebounds. He has started in 27 games this season, averaging over 30 minutes in each, and has tallied 35 assists, 17 blocked shots and 29 steals.

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Former Jefferson star accepts leader role for streaking FAMU Rattlers

Photo: Rattlers senior guard L.C. Robinson.

L.C. Robinson is no stranger to the leader’s role.

He was league MVP while a senior at Jefferson. He was the scoring leader as a sophomore at Highland Community College. And now he’s on top of his game, and on top of the scoring charts for Florida A&M, as the Rattlers approach his final postseason.

“It’s been one of those years. It’s been a lot — a lot — of fun,” Robinson said during a phone interview Monday night. “It’s been a different role for me this year than it was last year. I’ve had to be a leader a lot more this year. I’ve been there before, though; it felt natural to me.”

Robinson, the 6-foot, 180-pound senior, started in 32 of 35 games last year, averaging 11.3 points while finishing second in the MEAC in 3-point field goals made (103).

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