CIAA crowds, dollars are flowing in

But experts question whether week's events bring in as much money as authority estimates.

Taxpayers will spend more than $500,000 to support the CIAA tournament that starts today - more than any other sporting event in Charlotte this year.

Backers say the incentives make sense because the CIAA brings in thousands of visitors who fill area restaurants, hotels and bars. This year, more than 100,000 are expected to descend on uptown for a week of parties, a beauty pageant, social gatherings and basketball.

In all, the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority predicts the event will pump $40 million into the local economy. But experts question whether that number is inflated.

Local roots show at CIAA

CIAA equals entertainment with countless parties and performances taking place throughout the week. Some of that entertainment just happens to be homegrown, with three of next Friday's concerts featuring stars with Charlotte roots.

We spoke to performers Anthony Hamilton and Sunshine Anderson, who play the Fillmore, and Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown, who plays Amos' Southend - about CIAA, Charlotte, music and sports.

CIAA Women's Tournament Digest

ELEVATOR

St. Augustine's has won five games in a row against top-tier rivals that include Virginia State and J.C. Smith. UP

J.C. Smith had lost two of its past four before a victory Saturday at Livingstone. Not a good way to close the regular season. DOWN

Virginia State's Trojans have won four of five, including victories against Bowie State and Elizabeth City State. UP

Thousands Descend Upon The Queen City For The CIAA Tournament

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Thousands of people are descending on Charlotte for the start of the 2011 CIAA basketball tournament.

The first game in the tournament begins Monday at 1 p.m., but many who will attend have already arrived in Charlotte. Signs for the tournament have popped up all around the Queen City advertising the tournament. Organizers said ticket sales are up from last year.

Tom Grabowski, a CIAA organizer, said this year the tournament could bring in about $38 million to the local economy and 175,000 visitors to Charlotte.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

SWAC track and field: Grambling, Alabama State win titles

Baton Rouge, La. - The second day of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Indoor Championship Track and Field Championships featured few surprises in the team competitions, but an overflow of meet records kept things interesting.

Alabama State’s women and Grambing State’s men began the day leading their respective team competitions, and both ran away with comfortable wins Sunday afternoon at LSU’s Carl Maddox Field House.

The Grambling men totaled 173 1/3 points, enough to easily surpass Jackson State’s second- place tally of 91. Alabama State was third with 81 1/3 points.

On the women’s side, Alabama State scored a winning total of 151 points. Prairie View was next with 103 points, and Jackson State was third at 79.

Lady Hornets Win Indoor Track and Field Championship; Men Finish Third

BATON ROUGE, La.—The Alabama State University women's track and field team had a commanding 33 point lead heading into today's final round, and did nothing but expand that lead as they won the SWAC Indoor Track and Field Championship with a combined 151 points. Prairie View was the second closest team in the points with 103.

Kesia Derilus took home Most Outstanding Performer honors as she led the Lady Hornets in scoring with 29 individual points. She had a championship in the 3,000 meter run, finished second in the mile run, third in the5,000 meter run and fourth in the 800 meter run.

Head coach Ritchie Beene took home the Coach of the Year Honors.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

Howard University Softball Scoop Three Straight Wins

Howard University Head Coach Lauren McCoy

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Howard softball team won three of their four games this past weekend at the Campus Suites Spartan Classic hosted by South Carolina-Upstate, recording three consecutive wins over LaSalle, Oakland and Lafayette following a loss to the tournament hosts.

The Bison (3-3) opened up the tournament against an undefeated USC Upstate team (16-0) where they shutout HU, 2-0. On the mound for the Bison was Emily Johnson who gave up a homer in the third and RBI walk in the sixth.

Marisa Coats was the only Bison to record any hits against USC Upstate. Coats finished with two hits in the shutout loss, notching a double and a single.

Following the 2-0 loss, Howard rebounded in an explosive way to post their first win of the season against LaSalle (1-3), outscoring the Explorers, 9-1.

In the hitting frenzy the team notched a season high of 15 hits in the six-inning game and limited LaSalle to only five. Leading the way for the Bison at the plate was shortstop Rebecca Kirshner and Ciera Gordon with three hits, two runs and RBI a piece. Gordon would go on to complete the tournament with most hits for the Bison with seven.

Christine Sborz got things started for Howard with a lead-off double in the bottom of the first inning. She made it back across the plate to give HU the 1-0 lead after Kirshner singled to left center field.

Howard went on to score in every inning, excluding the fourth, and finished the final inning with four runs and four hits. Carly Martin received her first win of the season and struck out four and walked only two batters.

Following their dominating performance against LaSalle, Howard swept Oakland (4-8), 4-3 and then Lafayette (0-4), 8-2. Both Martin and Johnson split the mound against Lafayette. Martin gave up four hits through four innings while Johnson gave up three hits through three innings and both gave up a run a piece.

Against Oakland Samantha Gatson remained in the pitcher’s circle all seven innings. Gatson gave up eight hits, but a solid Bison defense coupled with Gatson’s four strikeouts would contain Oakland’s offense to three runs and secure HU’s third straight win.

The Bison will look to remain hot and extend their winning streak to four games when they travel to Lubbick, Tex. March 4-6 for the Texas Tech Invitational.

By Tiffany White, Sports Information Assistant
Howard University
Visit: howard-bison.com

Rain can't dampen Urban Invitational festivities

COMPTON, Calif. -- Rain was the only thing that could get in the way of Saturday's marquee doubleheader on the second day of the fourth annual Urban Invitational presented by the U.S. Army at the MLB Urban Youth Academy.

Luckily, despite forecasts calling for heavy precipitation, the rain didn't come until the eighth inning of the second game and the day's events carried on mostly as planned with several former big leaguers in attendance to help mark the biggest day of the three-day tournament that aims to spotlight Historically Black Colleges and Universities by giving them national exposure.

That national exposure was certainly evident, as both of the day's games were aired live by MLB Network and MLB.com with Greg Amsinger and Harold Reynolds calling the action. And plenty of former stars were there to take part in the event such as...

Video: MLB Network wraps up day at Urban Invitational

Urban Invitational kicks off in SoCal

COMPTON, Calif. -- Cloudy skies carrying the threat of rare Southern California rain couldn't put a damper on the first day of the fourth annual Urban Invitational presented by the U.S. Army at the MLB Urban Youth Academy on Friday.

The three-day tournament, which helps spotlight Historically Black Colleges and Universities by giving them national exposure, got off to a great start even though both opening games began at 1 p.m. PT -- five hours ahead of schedule -- to avoid evening rainfall.

SCOREBOARD
Friday
Grambling State 5, Bethune Cookman 3
UC Irvine 7, Southern 1

Saturday
UC Irvine 9, Bethune Cookman 3
Grambling State 8, Southern 4

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

CIAA Basketball: Livingstone 82, J.C. Smith 65

The Livingstone men’s basketball team picked up a crucial divisional victory Saturday, downing the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls 82-65 and earning the third seed out of the Southern Division for the 2011 CIAA tournament.

Trone Jackson led the Blue Bears with 17 points off the bench accompanied by Nasir Austin who scored 15 points and had five rebounds. Greg Henry was the leading scorer among the starters with 12 points to go with his seven rebounds.

Livingstone (14-11, 9-8) will open the conference tournament on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against St. Paul’s College who is the sixth seed out of the CIAA Northern Division.

Livingstone victory leaves Bulls blue

SALISBURY, N.C. - Saturday was Senior Night at Livingstone, but the Blue Bears' subs were the heroes. Livingstone's bench poured in 51 points during an 82-65 win against Johnson C. Smith at Trent Gym. Livingstone (14-11, 5-5) earned the CIAA South Division's third seed for this week's league tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena and dropped arch rival J.C. Smith (15-10, 4-6) to fourth.

"Before the game even started, coach (James Stinson) told us to come out and play 40 minutes of basketball and execute," said Livingstone reserve forward Nasir Austin, who scored 15 points with 6-for-11 shooting. "If we do that, it's easy for us to win."

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

St. Jude's Williams, Marbury's Averhart headed to the SIAC

Two local football players signed to play in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this week. Marbury running back Charles Averhart is headed to Stillman, and St. Jude defensive back Rashaad Williams signed with Lane College.

"I've put in a lot of hard work from my freshman season through my senior year, and it feels good to know I'm going to the next level," Averhart said. For Williams, earning a college scholarship helped fulfill a promise.

"This a dream come true," Williams said. "Before my mom passed away, this was something I promised her I would do." Williams' mother (Dionne Johnson) passed away when he was a sophomore. As the oldest of four siblings, Williams said his mother and father (Sedgwick Williams) helped mold his work ethic and attitude.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Texas Southern Clinches Share of SWAC Title in OT Win

Normal, AL - Harrison Smith scored 19 points as Texas Southern survived blowing a 14-point lead to edge Alabama A&M, 83-78, in overtime at Elmore Building in Normal Saturday.

With the victory, the Tigers (16-10, 14-1) clinched at least a share of the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season title. Even if TSU loses its last three games and Jackson State (11-4 SWAC) wins its last three, they would be tied. TSU swept the season series between the two and would earn the top seed in the SWAC tournament.

Tigers win eighth straight, clinch regular-season SWAC title

NORMAL, Ala. — Harrison Smith scored 19 points and Travele Jones added 18 to lead Texas Southern to an 83-78 overtime victory over Alabama A&M on Saturday night.

The Tigers (16-10, 14-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) shot 45.5 percent from the field (5 of 11), including 2 of 2 from 3-point range in the extra period en route to their eighth straight victory.

Kevin Galloway knocked down 1 of 2 free throws with 26 seconds left in regulation, tying the score at 70 and forcing overtime. Galloway finished with 10 assists.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.


Videographer: bestartdoc; www.tsumurals.org
There are 123 murals by African American artists at Texas Southern University (TSU). Save the Murals initiative is underway to benefit art conservation/restoration efforts to provide for collection care needs. See more at www.tsumurals.org.

READ RELATED ARTICLES:
Whitewash: TSU shouldn't have painted over Harvey Johnson's murals.
Oops! TSU To Spend $50,000 Restoring Murals It Destroyed
TSU paints over murals created by retired prof; President calls them unworthy to be preserved
Link: Walk Together Children: The Poetry of Harvey Johnson with Tribute to John Biggers

Black History Month: The Battle Continues... Rattlers and Wildcats!

Reed, Holloman lift B-CU to win over S.C. State

DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- C.J. Reed scored 20 points and Garrius Holloman had 17 as Bethune-Cookman protected its spot atop the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with a 76-72 victory over South Carolina State in the Ocean Center on Saturday.

The Wildcats (18-11, 12-3), who led by 13 points with 4:51 to play, held off a late rally by the Bulldogs (8-20, 4-11) to notch their most wins in a season since becoming an NCAA Division I member in 1980.

By winning its fifth straight game and eighth in its last 10, B-CU now leads Morgan State -- a 69-63 loser at Norfolk State -- by 1 1/2 games. Morgan State has road games remaining at North Carolina A&T and Coppin State while the Wildcats have one league remaining next Thursday against Florida A&M. Monday's game with North Carolina Central doesn't count in conference standings.

Lady Bulldogs come from behind to down Bethune-Cookman

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - South Carolina State turned a four-point half-time deficit into a four-point victory as they defeated Bethune-Cookman, 64-60, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women's basketball contest at the Ocean Center. The victory is the first road win of the 2010-11 season for the Lady Bulldogs.

Bethune Cookman opened the game on a 16-2 run over the first six minutes. S.C. State then used a 14-0 run to tie the game at 16-16 with less than nine minutes remaining. The teams exchanged baskets over the next four minutes before a jumper by the Lady Wildcats' Amanda Hairston at the 4:10 mark began an 11-0 run which gave Bethune-Cookman the 34-23 lead with just over one minute remaining in the half. S.C. State closed the half with a 7-0 run to go into the locker room down by four, 34-30, at the half.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

O'Quinn's double-double sparks NSU's upset of Morgan

NORFOLK - Norfolk State has become the enigma of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Behind a 23-point, 18-rebound effort from center Kyle O'Quinn, the Spartans beat defending MEAC champion Morgan State 69-63 Saturday night at Echols Hall.

The Bears (15-11, 10-4) had rolled into Echols Hall tied for first in the MEAC in the loss column with Bethune-Cookman. But for the second time this season, they walked off the court victims of O'Quinn and a Norfolk State team that's hard to figure. Norfolk State had lost five of its previous six, but was far and away the best team on the court Saturday.

And O'Quinn was far and away the best player.



Norfolk State Upsets Lady Bears, 66-65

NORFOLK, Va. - On a day which Norfolk State honored all of its past championship teams on Alumni Day, and held its ring ceremony for its 2009-10 women's and men's cross country, indoor and outdoor championship teams, the Spartans women's basketball team played like champions as well this afternoon.

Rae Corbo scored a team-high 20 points, including four three-pointers and Rachel Gordon grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to go with her nine points to lead Norfolk State to a 66-65 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) victory over visiting Morgan State on Saturday afternoon at Echols Hall.



READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

WSSU wins division title

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- With little coming easy for the Winston-Salem State Rams this season, it was no surprise that clinching the CIAA's Southern Division on Saturday night was hard work.

The Rams nearly let a 17-point lead slip away before holding off Fayetteville State 74-69 in front of more than 4,000 at Capel Arena. And when it was finally over, there was plenty of celebrating, especially among the veterans on the team.

"Wow, that's really all I can say," said Coach Bobby Collins of the Rams, whose team will get a top seed in this week's CIAA Tournament in Charlotte. WSSU will have a first-round bye and won't play until Thursday's quarterfinals.

Fayetteville State rally falls short against Winston-Salem State

Fayetteville State failed in an attempt to play spoiler Saturday and springboard itself into next week's CIAA Tournament with momentum. But just barely.

The Broncos clawed their way back from a 17-point second-half deficit and had a chance to tie the score in the final seconds before falling to Winston-Salem State, 74-69, before a crowd of 4,594 at Capel Arena.

Winston-Salem State guard Andrew Jackson stripped the ball with about 15 seconds to play from FSU's Sidney Evans, who appeared to be about to launch a potential game-tying 3-point shot from near the top of the circle. The play sealed the Broncos' fate and a 13-13 regular-season finish. The Rams (19-6) clinched the CIAA Southern Division and a coveted first-round bye in the CIAA Tournament.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

Howard Bison score high in loss to Presbyterian Blue Hose

 Midfielder Desiree Cox, Hendersonville, Tenn.

WASHINGTON, DC – After failing to overcome an early 12-2 deficit, the Howard lacrosse team fell to Presbyterian, 19-9, in what was a statistically even match on Saturday afternoon. Despite the loss, the Bison (0-3) generated their highest scoring performance on the season.

An early goal would ignite the Blue Hose with only 55 seconds chipped off the clock. Presbyterian (1-2) went on to disperse 11 more scores throughout period to secure the win. Following halftime the Bison produced their best offensive stance of the season, as they battled back to generate a 5-0 opening lead.

Leading the Bison for the third consecutive game in scoring was senior Desiree Cox, who was a part of four goals, scoring three and assisting one. Headlining alongside the senior midfielder was her younger sister Courtney Cox who snagged three goals of her own on the day. The freshman’s triple-scoring day pushed her to second on the team in goals (4) behind her sister who leads the Bison with seven.

Courtney Lackey also added to Howard’s successful offensive putout with a pair of goals and Taylor Tynes also chimed in with a score.

Howard kept it even with Presbyterian in the latter half of the game at seven goals a piece. HU would produce 15 shots in the second half, three more than PC, marking the first time this season that the Bison were able to outshoot an opponent in a half.



Presbyterian finished with a 20-9 advantage in draw control, but the Bison limited PC to only 30 shots, the lowest an opponent committed against Howard all season. Howard finished with 26 shots in all and junior goalkeeper Amber Meeks finished the game with nine saves as did the Blue Hose.

The Howard Bison will look to take their first win of the season on Tuesday, March 1 at 3:00 p.m. against Marywood at home.

By Tiffany White, Sports Information Assistant
Link: Howard University Athletics

NaKena Cromartie is Ms. FAMU 2011-2012

NaKena Cromartie was elected Miss FAMU 2011-2012 yesterday in a runoff election. Cromartie won the title with 1,072 votes, besting runner-up Chelsea Earby, who had 734 votes.

Cromartie, 22, a fourth-year accounting student from Tampa, Fla, came up short with votes on election night held on Tuesday with 1042 votes while Earby had a solid 1328, but the close count called for a run-off.

After an additional day of campaigning and voting, Cromartie claimed victory.



READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Stillman's Johnson long road may lead to a title

TUSCALOOSA, AL | Kevin Johnson’s road to Stillman College and a potential Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference basketball championship has been a winding one, to say the least.

In the seven years since graduating from Akron High School, Johnson has played at three different local colleges and worked in the restaurant business, the auto parts industry and at a local fast food chain.

At Stillman, as a senior, he has finally found his niche. He and the Tigers are on the verge of the 2011 SIAC regular-season championship. The Tigers are 20-5 overall and 19-4 in SIAC play and, with a win at Tuskegee today, Johnson and his teammates will own a share of the championship.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

WSSU to seek division title against Fayetteville State

The road to this season's CIAA Southern Division title goes through Fayetteville.

Winston-Salem State, tied for first place, can win the division title with a win today at Fayetteville State. The Rams (18-6, 6-3 Southern Division) also can lose the game and win the title if Shaw loses tonight to St. Augustine's.

Tipoff for the game between WSSU (18-6, 6-3) and Fayetteville State (13-12, 4-5) in Capel Arena is 5 p.m.

WSSU is coming off one of its most impressive wins of the season, 59-49 over Shaw at the Gaines Center. Six seniors got a win in their final home game and can add to their success with a division title and first-round bye in the CIAA Tournament.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Cooper-Dyke building UNC Wilmington into a winner

Cynthia Cooper-Dyke Photo Album

Excerpt:

She spent five seasons at Prairie View A&M - which had lost at least 20 games 12 times in the 15 years before her arrival - and won or shared three straight Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season titles while taking the Panthers to NCAA tournaments in 2007 and '09.

"I felt like, being in the SWAC, no matter what we did, no matter who we played in the (nonconference schedule), we were always going to get that 16th seed and always be seeded against a No. 1,'' she said. "Because our RPI is so good (in the Colonial Athletic Association), I really felt like being in the CAA would give us an opportunity to legitimately fight for a title.''

READ COMPLETE ARTICLE, CLICK TITLE

Cooper-Dyke Bringing Hall of Fame style, Broken Clipboards to UNC-Wilmington

TOWSON, Md. -- As Cynthia Cooper-Dyke turned to walk out a side door of the Towson Center to board the team bus for a seven-hour ride in the middle of the night back to Wilmington, N.C., it was gently brought to her attention that she had broken yet another clipboard in that night's game in frustration over her team's play.

"How many is that this year?" asked Cooper-Dyke. "Five," answered an assistant coach. There are three things that make that situation pregnant with irony. First, UNC-Wilmington, where Cooper-Dyke is in her first season as head coach, had just beaten Towson by 29.

Second, the win moved the Seahawks to a 21-6 overall record and to 13-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association, keeping them in contention for an at-large NCAA tournament bid.

READ MORE, CLICK HERE



READ RELATED ARTICLES:
Seahawk women's basketball team notches 20th victory of the season
UNCW women's basketball team exacts revenge on Panthers

UNCW women win ugly against Northeastern

Hanging with Cooper-Dyke has Seahawks flying high Size doesn't matter

Spears hires Green, Brown leaves Alcorn

Vyron Brown, recently tabbed by Spears as the Braves’ new offensive coordinator, has left Alcorn and will be returning to Grambling State to be with newly named coach Doug Williams.

LORMAN, MS — Alcorn State head football coach Melvin Spears has hired 2002 Alcorn State graduate Louis Green as the linebacker and special teams coach.

Green played for Alcorn coach Johnny Thomas from 1998-2002 as a linebacker. He played high school football at Jefferson County High and lettered in track and field and basketball as well.

After finishing at Alcorn, he played in the National Football League for the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos. He was with the Broncos from 2004-2009 when he was a linebacker and also played on special teams. He won the Ed Black Courage Award while with the Broncos and was in the National Youth Program at Alcorn for four years.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Pep band, students and alumni resurrect a UMES tradition

PRINCESS ANNE, MD -- The once popular UMES Homecoming Parade that had disappeared during the past few decades will be resurrected this Saturday featuring the campus' new pep band.



University officials originally planned to keep the parade small and limited to campus, but recently changed the route to go through downtown Princess Anne after student and alumni groups signed up to participate, said Kimberly Dumpson, director of Alumni Affairs and planned giving at the university.



"The parade has taken on a whole new life," she said. "It's really turned into something bigger than what we thought."



At the center will be the pep band, which will turn into a marching band for the occasion.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

S.C. State's Buddy Pough Talks Recruiting and 2011

Orangeburg, S.C.-- On National Signing Day, while all the buzz was about the eventual announcement of Jadeveon Clowney and Clemson's late rally, South Carolina State was putting together a class ranked first in the MEAC.

Head coach Buddy Pough, who is entering his 10th season at his alma mater, says the Bulldogs' streak of three straight years in the post-season made quite an impression on the prospects. Pough says the good news for his program is that he may not have to rely on those newcomers this season, a sign that recruiting has been going well even before this year.



READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Mississippi Valley State Announces 2011 Football Schedule

ITTA BENA, MS - The Mississippi Valley State Department of Athletics has announced its 2011 football schedule. The 2011 slate of contests includes facing non-conference institution South Alabama along with the other nine members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The season opener for the Delta Devils will be on September 3 when MVSU hosts the Hornets of Alabama State. After on open week, MVSU will take on in-state rival Alcorn State (Sept. 17) followed by 2009 conference champion Prairie View A&M (Sept. 24).

The month of October will see MVSU host Southern (Oct. 1), travel to Alabama A&M (Oct. 8), host Jackson State (Oct. 15), travel to Grambling State (Oct. 22) and host 2010 SWAC champion Texas Southern (Oct. 29). The game against the TSU Tigers will be the highlight of Homecoming 2011.

The month of November will see MVSU travel to Mobile, Alabama to face the Jaguars of South Alabama on a Thursday night contest on November 3. The game will be the first time the Jaguars will take on a member of the SWAC in football. The regular season concludes as the Delta Devils host conference rival Arkansas-Pine Bluff on November 12.

Delta Devils 2011 Football Schedule
Date  Game   Location    Time

September
3 Alabama State Itta Bena, Miss. Rice-Totten Stadium 5pm
10 OPEN
17 @ Alcorn State Alcorn State, Miss. Jack Spinks Stadium TBA
24 @ Prairie View A&M Prairie View, Texas Blackshear Stadium TBA

October
1 Southern Itta Bena, Miss. Rice-Totten Stadium 2pm
8 @ Alabama A&M Huntsville, Ala. Louis Crews Stadium 1pm
15 Jackson State Itta Bena, Miss. Rice-Totten Stadium 2pm
22 @ Grambling State Grambling, La. Robinson Stadium 2pm
29 Texas Southern (Homecoming 2011) Itta Bena, Miss. Rice-Totten Stadium 2pm

November
3 (Thu.) @ South Alabama Mobile, Ala. Ladd-Peebles Stadium TBA
12 Arkansas-Pine Bluff Itta Bena, Miss. Rice-Totten Stadium 1pm

December
10 SWAC Football Championship 2011 Birmingham, Ala. Legion Field 1pm

Courtesy Mississippi Valley State University Media Relations

Minus leads Stillman past Albany State

ALBANY, GA - Sharod Minus scored 27 points off the bench for the Stillman College Tigers, including 7-for-8 shooting from 3-point range, in a 90-71 victory Thursday night over Albany State in men's basketball action.

Rakee Anderson added 18 points and six assists for the Tigers, while LaJay Sears scored 17 with four assists. Lee Riley contributed 10 points and six rebounds.

Albany State was led by Oscar Morris with 16 points. Stillman (20-5, 19-4 SIAC) plays at Tuskegee at 3 p.m. Saturday.

ASU men's, women's hoops close regular season on losing note

ALBANY, Ga. — And that’s why you don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

Just ask the Albany State women’s basketball team, which thought it would lock up the No.1 seed in next week’s SIAC Tournament with a win against Stillman on Thursday, but after a second-half meltdown — ending in a 75-67 loss — all the Lady Rams can now look forward to is the No. 2 seed.

“We had a lack of execution on offense (Thursday night),” said Lady Rams coach Robert Skinner, whose team watched Stillman blow the lid off a game that was all knotted up at 29-29 at halftime. “We just didn’t play good defensively."

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

BCU Announces 2011 Football Schedule

Wildcats Open With MEAC/SWAC Challenge; Face Miami on 10/1

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A season opening ESPN game and a first-ever meeting with a renowned national powerhouse highlight the 2011 Bethune-Cookman University football schedule released today.

Coming off a 10-2 season that saw them claim a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship, advance to their first NCAA FCS playoff appearance since 2003 and being named National Black College Football Champions, the Wildcats will open the season against SWAC foe Prairie View A&M in ESPN's MEAC/SWAC Challenge on September 3 in Orlando. On October 1, the Wildcats travel to south Florida for a date with the Miami Hurricanes; their first foray against a BCS team.

"We announced in 2010 that we wanted to upgrade our schedule. The success of our program in Brian Jenkins' inaugural season paved the way for us to consider new and bigger opportunities for our team, university and fans to experience," said B-CU Athletic Director Lynn Thompson. "We are proud to move in this new direction."

Jenkins agreed with Thompson and is looking forward to the challenging 11-game slate. "It's a strong schedule that will test us early," Jenkins said.

Of the Wildcats' 11 games, eight are in the state of Florida, including five in Daytona Beach. The Daytona Beach games includes two early season matchups against MEAC power South Carolina State and Hampton that will set the tone for the conference race.

"It will be very convenient for our fans to follow us in record numbers like they did last year," Thompson said. "We're excited about what 2011 will bring to our fans."

Two key dates always important for Wildcat fans are Homecoming - slated for October 15 against Fort Valley State, an old rival from the days of Division II -- and the Florida Classic November 19 against Florida A&M.

For season ticket information, contact the BCU ticket office at (386) 481-2465.



2011 B-CU Wildcats Football Schedule
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION
September 4 Prairie View (MEAC/SWAC Challenge) Orlando, Fla.
September 10 South Carolina State * Daytona Beach, Fla.
September 17 Open
September 24 Hampton * Daytona Beach, Fla.
October 1 Miami Miami, Fla.
October 8 North Carolina A&T * Greensboro, N.C.
October 15 Fort Valley State (Homecoming) Daytona Beach, Fla.
October 22 Norfolk State * Norfolk, Va.
October 29 North Carolina Central * Durham, N.C.
November 5 Morgan State * Daytona Beach, Fla.
November 12 Savannah State Daytona Beach, Fla.
November 19 Florida A&M * (Florida Classic) Orlando, Fla.

HOME GAMES IN BOLD -- *-MEAC Game

By Bethune Cookman Media Relations

Morgan men pull out 'ugly' 42-39 win over Delaware State

Morgan State suffered through atrocious foul shooting (7-for-19), unforced turnovers (17 in all) and a 14-point second half Wednesday, but the Bears still managed to pull out a 42-39 victory over Delaware State at Hill Field House on Wednesday night.

The victory, on Senior Night, moved Morgan (10-3) within a half-game of first-place Bethune-Cookman (11-3) in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with three games to play. It was the Bears' fifth straight win in February and the 100th of the Todd Bozeman era at Morgan.

"You want to do it more efficiently, like we practice it, but I'll take the win," Bozeman said.

Hornets missed their shot

BALTIMORE -- Delaware State missed two potential game-tying 3-point shots in the last eight seconds, falling 42-39 to Morgan State in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference action on Wednesday night.

Desi Washington fired off a 3-point shot that rattled inside the rim before coming out with eight seconds left to play.

Morgan State rebounded the miss, and the Hornets fouled Justin Black with 6.7 seconds remaining. Black missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving DSU another chance with 3.8 seconds left. Washington took the inbounds pass, but misfired on a long 3-point try as time expired.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Blount's task: Repair DSU football program

DOVER, DE -- When Delaware State University athletics director Derek Carter introduced Kermit Blount as the Hornets' new head football coach on Friday morning, he referred to him as an "automotive repair wizard."

Blount will definitely have to rely on some of his tune-up skills if he wants to get Delaware State's sagging football program running smoothly again.

Just after his introduction as the Hornets' coach, Blount immediately faced a challenging question from the crowd gathered at Martin Luther King Jr. Student Center -- when is Delaware State going to be able to beat the University of Delaware?



READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Everyone wins with Doug Williams' hire

GRAMBLING, La. — Grambling State University was thought to have pulled off some sort of coup by luring back Doug Williams for a second stint as the Tigers' head football coach.

After all, how often does a school lose a coach the caliber of Rod Broadway, after signing day, and manage to take a monumental leap forward?

Hardly ever, as you could tell by the visible and audible jubilation pouring from Grambling alums, athletes and supporters — many who made lengthy journeys to mark the occasion Wednesday.

Williams: 'Coming home is about family"

Doug Williams sat intently as Grambling president Frank Pogue and athletics director Lin Dawson talked about him, but as the Tigers' new head football coach stood, held his black and gold baseball cap and began to address the room, he couldn't help but crack a wide smile.

"Wow," he said. "We are Grambling."

About 200 people tried to pile into a room with about 100 chairs for the press conference Wednesday morning at the Eddie Robinson Museum to officially announce the old news that Robinson was returning for a second stint as the head coach.

The coach is home again

When Thomas Wolfe penned, "You Can't Go Home Again," it's obvious Doug Williams didn't get the memo. Maybe he skipped that class when he was a student at Grambling State University.

But today, the Grambling community is quite happy Doug Williams doesn't know you can't go home again. And if he did indeed dash out on literature, it hasn't shown up on his permanent record.

Doug Williams criticizes NFL 'fraternity,' returns to Grambling State to coach son

Doug Williams acknowledges that coaching his son in his second stint at Grambling State may be a challenge, but it has to be easier than navigating what he calls the NFL's good ol' boys "fraternity."

Williams resigned over the weekend as general manager of the Virginia Destroyers of the UFL in order to return to Grambling State and criticized front-office opportunities for minorities in the NFL. He spent six seasons in the Tampa Bay Bucs' scouting department (from 2004 until last May) and hoped to become an NFL GM.

"The good ol' boy network is alive and well,'' Williams said in an interview with tampabay.com. "But it's changed from the good ol' boy network to the fraternity. I always find a way to overcome and just keep going forward. I look at it this way, you've got guys sitting in the front office that never coached.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.