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LANDOVER, Maryland – Saturday was a record-setting day for a Norfolk State men’s track and field team accustomed to breaking records. The Spartans kept alive their own streak of consecutive MEAC titles Saturday, winning their seventh straight indoor championship at the Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex.
The Spartans finished with 161.5 points. Maryland Eastern Shore was second with 93.5. NSU won six of the seven races that were run on Saturday, and eight of the 10 track events during the meet.
Senior distance runner Josef Tessema earned MEAC Men’s Most Outstanding Runner honors for the second straight year. He repeated his trio of victories from 2011, winning the 5,000 meters on Friday and both the mile and 3,000 meters on Saturday. He set a meet record in the latter, finishing in 8 minutes, 34.21 seconds. That took more than 15 seconds off the previous meet record of David Kimani of Hampton in 2010 (8:49.99).
Tessema, who also ran a leg on the winning distance medley relay team Friday, contributed 32.5 points to NSU’s total.
That was one of five meet records tied or set during the meet by the Spartans, four of which came on Saturday. Senior Sean Holston earned a sweep of the 200 and 400 meters for the third straight year and broke his own meet record in both events Saturday. He clocked a 21.08 in the 200 and 47.24 in the 400. His previous meet records were 21.32 in the 200 from the 2010 championship, and 47.44 in the 400 from last year’s MEAC indoor
NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Tennessee State’s football team will return to William Jasper Hale Stadium for the first time since 1998 to play Austin Peay on Sept. 15. The Tigers are tentatively scheduled to play two other games — Eastern Kentucky (Oct. 6) and Tennessee Tech (Oct. 27) — at the stadium on campus in the 2012 schedule released Thursday.
“As part of the university’s 100-year celebration we wanted to play at least one game at Hale Stadium and we know we are going to be able to do that,” Athletics Director Teresa Phillips said. “We’ll know over the next few months if we will have the people investment we’re hoping for and everything in place to play the other two games there as well.”
If the Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee Tech games are not played at Hale, they will be at LP Field, where the Tigers have played since 1999. Hale Stadium is currently being renovated.
The Tigers, 5-6 last season, will play at LP Field for the 14th annual John Merritt Classic vs. Florida A&M (Sept. 1) and homecoming vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Sept. 29).
CIAA
Livingstone 81, Saint Augustine's 64
Shaw 86, Fayetteville State 74
Winston Salem State 68, Johnson C. Smith 56
Virginia Union 87, Lincoln Pa. 76
Virginia State 67, Bowie State 57
SIAC
Albany State 65, Claflin 63
Benedict 64, Paine 55
Tuskegee 67, Kentucky State 49
Stillman 98, Lane 79
LeMoyne-Owen 91, Miles 73
Clark-Atlanta 85, Fort Valley State 69
GCAC
New Orleans 79, Southern-New Orleans 75
Xavier 68, Edward Waters 57
Philander Smith 101, Talladega 98
Fisk 64, Dillard 54
SWAC
Mississippi Valley State 60, Prairie View A&M 58
Southern 72, Alabama A&M 65
Jackson State 63, Grambling State 60
Texas Southern 84, Arkansas Pine Bluff 65
Alabama State 78, Alcorn State 63
MEAC
Savannah State 76, Florida A&M 57
North Carolina Central 71, North Carolina A&T 66
Morgan State 81, Liberty 69
Howard 70, Coppin State 66
Bethune-Cookman 70, South Carolina State 59
Gardner-Webb 57, Delaware State 56
Delaware 68, Hampton 64
NAIA
Florida Memorial 77, Embry-Riddle (FL) 74
Morris SC 96, Coastal Georgia 68
Huston-Tillotson TX 72, Bacone OK 65
Texas Wesleyan 79, Texas College 71
William Woods MO 75, Harris-Stowe State MO 71
Jarvis Christian 83, Paul Quinn 76 (Forfeit)
Langston OK 79, Southwest NM 69
Wiley TX 61, St. Thomas TX 57
Wilberforce OH 73, Roberts Wesleyan NY 63
Milligan TN 84, Point University GA 79
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
CIAA
Johnson C. Smith 78, Winston Salem State 63
Shaw 80, Fayetteville State 70
Bowie State 60, Virginia State 56v (OT)
Virginia Union 85, Lincoln Pa. 76
Saint Augustine's 75, Livingstone 74
SIAC
Miles 89, LeMoyne-Owens
Albany State, Claflin
Benedict 60, Paine 54
Stillman 87, Lane 75
Fort Valley State 73, Clark-Atlanta 53
Tuskegee 59, Kentucky State 52
GCAC
Xavier 60, Edward Waters 53
Talladega 84, Philander Smith 60
Dillard 83, Fisk 61
SWAC
Arkansas Pine Bluff 69, Texas Southern 52
Mississippi Valley State 63, Prairie View A&M 56
Alabama A&M 67, Southern 62
Alabama State 62, Alcorn State 57
Grambling State 64, Jackson State 56
OVC
Tennessee State 61, Jacksonville State 59
MEAC
Florida A&M 58, Savannah State 45
Hampton 47, Maryland Eastern Shore 29
Howard 50, Coppin State 49
North Carolina A&T 66, North Carolina Central 45
Bethune-Cookman 69, South Carolina State 65
Norfolk State 78, Delaware State 73 (OT)
NAIA
Harris-Stowe State MO 50, William Woods MO 46
Lee TN 78, Voorhees SC 51
Jarvis Christian 2, Paul Quinn 0 (Forfeit)
Wiley TX 81, St. Thomas TX 35
Langston OK 115, Southwest NM 80
Coastal Georgia 67, Morris SC 63
Huston-Tillotson TX 67, Bacone OK 65
Texas Wesleyan 60, Texas College 57
Roberts Wesleyan NY 65, Wilberforce OH 47
Southeastern FL 64, Florida Memorial 57 (OT)
Milligan TN 77, Point University GA 47
JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Senior guard Jasmine Grant scored 15 points Saturday to lead NAIA No. 21 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 60-53 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against Edward Waters.
The Gold Nuggets (20-8 overall, 10-2 GCAC) reached 20 victories for the 11th consecutive season, which extends a school record. Bo Browder tied the Louisiana collegiate record for consecutive 20-win seasons by a women's basketball coach with 11. Leon Barmore established the record at Louisiana Tech from 1991-2002.
Browder is in his 13th season as Xavier's head coach and has reached 20 victories 12 times. He is 318-110 with the Gold Nuggets. This is the 19th time in 20 seasons that the XU women won 20 or more games.
Grant, the Nuggets' only double-figure scorer, also had seven assists to tie her career best for the second straight game.
Edward Waters held a pair of one-point leads in the first 10 minutes, but Grant passed to freshman Jessica Savannah for a pair of baskets, and Carmen Holcombe made two free throws in a 6-0 run which put the Nuggets ahead to stay, 17-12, at 8:24. Xavier led 30-24 at halftime and extended its lead to 51-40 with 5:43 remaining.
Holcombe and SiMon Franklin scored nine points apiece for the Nuggets.
Tiffany Tolbert scored 16 points for Edward Waters (8-22, 4-10). Ebony Presha scored 14 points, and Jessica Georges had her sixth double-double of the season, 11 points and 13 rebounds.
The Gold Nuggets won back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a month. They completed a two-game regular-season sweep of Edward Waters and improved to 6-0 all-time against the Lady Tigers.
Xavier will stay on the road and play GCAC opponent Fisk at 5:30 p.m. Monday in Nashville, Tenn.
JACKSON, Mississippi - The Jackson State baseball team opened the season with two big wins over Florida A&M and Eastern Illinois Friday night at Robert "Bob" Braddy Field on the opening day of the JSU Tournament. JSU ended the day with a 2-0 record.
In JSU's season opener, the Tigers beat the FAMU Rattlers 15-6. JSU recorded 13 hits and 12 RBI in the win. The Rattlers scored its six runs on 10 hits. Quintavious Drains picked up the win. In six innings of work he recorded nine strikeouts. Heath Blackburn suffered the loss for FAMU.
Charles Epperson and Ethan Bright led JSU's offensive efforts. Epperson went 4-4 at the plate with two runs and two RBI. Epperson also recorded the first home run of the season for the Tigers. Bright went 3-5 at the plate with a run scored and three RBI.
In JSU's second game of the season, the Tigers improved to 2-0 by beating Eastern Illinois 2-1. The game was originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, Feb. 18, but was rescheduled to 9:30 pm Friday night due to pending inclement weather on Saturday. The game was a defensive battle as JSU gave up five hits and Eastern Illinois allowed six runs.
JSU scored the first run of the game when Epperson scored on a Frank Solis single. EIU scored its only run of the game in the fourth inning. The Tigers scored the final run of the game when Gabriel Babineaux scored on an error.
Day two of the JSU Tournament should see a 90-plus percent chance of rain on Saturday, Feb. 18
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama | The Stillman College Tigers didn’t look past the last-place Lane Dragons, defeating them soundly 98-79 and extended their winning streak to three in a row. “At this point, anybody can beat anybody and we can’t overlook anyone,” Stillman coach Michael Grant said. “They beat us earlier this year at Lane.”
The Tigers (14-10, 12-10 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) were led by Damian Ford’s 25 points and 12 rebounds. Ladarius Rhone also had a double-double with 11 points and 15 boards. Jeffery Wherry scored 18, including 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point range, and Torrean Walker added 16 off the bench.
The Tigers started hot, especially from long range. Fifteen of Stillman’s first 18 points came from 3-point range, and seven minutes into the game, Stillman led by 20. The big lead did not last for long, as the Dragons answered right back with 12 unanswered points to cut the lead back to single digits. The Tigers let Lane get as close as five before pushing their lead to 13 going into halftime.
Nashville, Tenn. --- In a fiercely contested battle that wasn't decided until the final minute, the Tennessee State University women's basketball team held-off a feisty Jacksonville State team and came away with a, 61-59, win Saturday night in the Gentry Center.
With the victory, Tennessee State (9-18, 5-10 OVC) snapped a five-game skid while Jacksonville State (4-23, 1-13 OVC) dropped its eighth straight.
Chelsea Hudson led TSU and recorded a double-double with 17 points and 18 rebounds while Jasmin Shuler added 14. Alana Morris finished the game with 10 points and six assists for the Lady Tigers.
JSU had two players to register double-doubles as Brianna Morrow tallied 19 points with 10 rebounds followed by Danielle Vaughn's 10 points and 12 boards.
The score was tied when Jacksonville State used six unanswered points to take a 12-6 lead. TSU used a timeout to slow the visitors down and cut the deficit down to two behind buckets from Chelsea Hudson and Donyeah Mayfield out of the break.
After falling behind by four points, TSU fought back to knot the score at 16-all.
The score remained close over the next several possessions. Chelsea Hudson found Donyeah Mayfield under the basket to give the Lady Tigers a, 25-21, lead but the Gamecocks answered right back to close within two.
TSU went into the halftime break leading JSU, 26-23.
In the second frame, JSU used two quick buckets to erase the deficit and capture a, 27-26, lead over TSU. The Lady Tigers regained the advantage when Jasmin Shuler knocked down a triple from the corner for TSU's first points of the half.
The teams traded buckets, until TSU created a little distance behind a small spurt that put the Lady Tigers on top, 37-32. The Gamecocks, however, would not go away and captured the lead following, a 6-0 run of their own.
With 11:16 left in the game, the score was at a, 39-39, deadlock. The Gamecocks hit a free-throw before Destiny Lane nailed a short jumper to put JSU up by three.
The Lady Tigers trailed until back-to-back lay-ups from Alana Morris made the score, 45-44, in favor of the home team. The Gamecocks answered on their trip down the floor and moved ahead, 46-45, with about eight minutes left to play.
The rest of the game was a see-saw battle full of high intensity from both teams.
After playing to another tie, 48-48, with about five minutes left, the score wavered back-and-forth over the next three minutes.
With 2:40 on the clock, Alana Morris connected with Chelsea Hudson to give TSU a slight, 57-55, advantage. TSU moved ahead, 58-55, when Rachel Allen made the first of two free-throw attempts but JSU pulled within one on a drive by Candace Morton.
On TSU's next trip down the floor, Rachel Allen scored to make TSU's lead, 60-57, with 36.1 seconds left in the game. The ensuing possession saw JSU miss its shot attempt and Chelsea Hudson came away with the rebound.
The Gamecocks were forced to foul Hudson and she knocked down one-of-two freebies to give TSU a, 61-57, lead. Following another JSU missed shot, Hudson was fouled again and missed the front end of a one-and-one. Jacksonville State's final shot made the score, 61-59, but it came with only two seconds remaining.
TSU inbounded the ball and the time expired.
Neither team shot particularly well as Tennessee State went 22-of-60 from the field (36.7 percent) and 3-of-19 (15.8 percent) from three-point range. TSU only made 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) from the free-throw line.
Jacksonville State shot 37.7 percent (23-of-61) from the field, including a dismal 10.0 percent (1-10) from long range. JSU went 12-of-18 (66.7 percent) from the free-throw line.
The Lady Tigers will conclude the regular season with a home contest against Murray State on Thursday, Feb. 23. Game time is slated for a 4 p.m. start in the Gentry Center.
BOX SCORE COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
SALISBURY, North Carolina — There was no way St. Augustine’s was going to crash Livingstone’s Senior Night party Saturday at Trent Gym. Not if Greg Henry and a couple junior widebodies had anything to say about it — and they had plenty to say in the Blue Bears’ 81-64 victory.
“After all the close ones we’ve lost this year, I think we really needed this,” Henry said after Livingstone (8-15, 4-10 CIAA) won its second conference game of the week. “It’s our time to come together. I think we’re going to peak during the tournament.”
Henry contributed 11 points and six assists as LC finally played the patient, Princeton-style game coach James Stinson has been waiting for. The Blue Bears were composed throughout — a far cry from the heedless, hide-the-women-and-children basketball that characterized the early portion of their schedule.
“We’ve had some discussions with individuals toward the end of the year,” Stinson said. “We challenged people as to what their roles were and what they were capable of doing. And Greg was one who accepted it and decided to pull it all together.”
LANDOVER, Maryland – The Hampton University women’s track & field team won the 2012 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Indoor Track & Field Championship on Saturday at the Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex.
The Lady Pirates have won back-to-back MEAC indoor titles and nine of the last 10. They finished this year’s meet with 161.5 points – 40.5 points more than second-place Maryland Eastern Shore. Head coach Maurice Pierce was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Coach.
“We came in with the intentions thinking we could win the title,” Pierce said. “It played out in our favor when we scored so many points in the high jump and the pentathlon.”
Senior Claudia Calder (Kingston, Jamaica) shared Outstanding Field Performer honors with Shamire Rothmiller of South Carolina State after both of them scored 18 points for the weekend. Calder won the women’s pentathlon with a MEAC-record 3,636 points.
Sophomore Breana Norman (Virginia Beach, Va.) won three MEAC titles; she took the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.49, ran a 24.54 to win the 200-meter dash and won the 60-meter hurdles with a season-best 8.47.
ALBANY, Georgia - In their final home games of the season and the final home game ever for the seniors both Albany State basketball teams delivered wins over Claflin. The ASU men edged Claflin 65-63 on senior night. Rachard Lofton helped the Rams overcome a 7 point halftime deficit and finished with a team high 15 points, Demarcus Blunt added 13 points. The Rams improved to 11-12 in the conference and will play at Stillman on the 23rd.
Meanwhile, the Lady Rams overcame a Claflin run midway through the 2nd half and eventually beat the Lady Panthers 78-65. Senior Symone Wilkerson scored a game high 21 points. Both Breanna Fields and April Thomas added 16 points. The win ended a 3 game skid for Albany State.
IAMI, Ohio - Tennessee State partakes in the annual Sears BracketBusters when the Tigers visit the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks on Sunday, Feb. 19. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. (ET)/2 p.m. (CT) at Millett Hall in Oxford, Ohio.
Coming into Sunday's contest, the Big Blue (18-10, 11-4 Ohio Valley) is riding an eight game win streak. TSU's 69-64 overtime win over Jacksonville State kept the team's streak intact. A victory over the RedHawks would tie the team's longest winning streak since 1994-95. Miami (8-16, 4-8 Mid-American Conference) has won three of its' last five games. The RedHawks dropped a 74-59 decision to league-leading Akron on Feb. 15. Forward Julian Muvanga leads the 'Hawks with 16.8 points and 9.5 rebounds in 24 games. Brian Sullivan is also averaging double-figures with 10.6 points and a team-best 66 made triples. Sunday marks the first time Tennessee State and Miami will meet on the hardwood. It is the fourth time the Tigers have faced a MAC opponent in the ESPN Sears BracketBusters. The Tigers previously played Ball State, Central Michigan and Northern Illinois. However, the Huskies and TSU did not actually play on the BracketBuster weekend due to a campus shooting at NIU. Earlier this season, the Tigers defeated MAC opponent Central Michigan, 65-57 on Dec. 10.
Robert Covington, the reigning OVC Co-Player of the Week and the College Sports Madness Mid-Major National Player of the Week, corralled 28 points and 12 rebounds against the Gamecocks.
The double-double was his league-best eighth of the season and 18th in his career. The junior forward moved into 19th all-time scoring at TSU with 1,274 points, passing John Barnhill and Mike Johnson. Covington needs just 27 points to move into 18th all-time. Patrick Miller is also boasting double-figures with 11.0 points and a team-best 98 assists in 28 contests. Nationally, the Tigers are ranked No. 25 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll. TSU also ranks No. 2 in the Boxtorow and Dr. Cavil HBCU polls. Will Brown and Mark Pittman are calling the action on the Big Blue Sports Network (102.1 FM The Light/ 101.9 FM Clarksville). Live stats and video for Sunday's matchup is available online at TSUTigers.com. Game Notes... SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS: Miami (8-16, 4-8) has won three out of its' last five games. On Wednesday, the RedHawks fell 75-59 at league-leading Akron. This season, Miami is averaging 61.1 points and shooting 43 percent (506x1175) through 24 games. Outside the arch, the RedHawks have knocked down 177 triples and holding opponents to just 125 makes. Miami is rebounding 30.1 per game, giving up 31.5 to opponents. Forward Julian Muvanga is posting 16.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest. MU's Brian Sullivan is the other double-figure points lead with 10.6 points and a team-best 66 made triples.
IT'S MILLER TIME: Patrick Miller is second on the team with 11.1 ppg and leads the team with 98 assists. He has reached double-digits in 18 games. Miller has multiple assists in 21 straight games. Miller is averaging 9.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists in the last 8 games.
FEBRUARY - THE MONTH OF GROWTH: February has been a solid month for the Tigers the past three seasons. TSU has not posted a losing record during the span. Last year, the Tigers were 4-4 and in John Cooper's first season Tennessee State managed a 5-3 mark. The Tiger's best record was 6-2 during the 2008-09 campaign. This year's 6-3 January record was the best for TSU since notching a 6-5 record in the 2007-08 season. Four straight wins in the second month has TSU at 4-0 this season. TIGERS NATIONALLY RANKED: Tennessee State cracked the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll, ranking 25th after a win over Murray State. The Tigers are No. 2 in the Dr. Cavil Top 10 HBCU Division I Poll and the Boxtorow HBCU Division I Poll released on Feb. 14.
CONSISTENTLY COVINGTON: The consistency of Robert Covington has been one of TSU's strongest weapons this season. He has been the leading scorer in 21 of 28 games played this season. He anchored his 18th career double-double and eight this season with 26 points and 12 boards in the OT win over Jacksonville State (Feb. 14). Covington garnered OVC Co-Player of the Week and College Sports Madness Mid-Major National Player of the Week honors after averaging 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in wins over Murray State and TTU. The Chicago product has reached double-figures in 27 straight games. Covington has collected 17 20-plus point performances in his career. With 17 points against UTM (Dec. 29), Covington eclipsed the 1,000 points mark becoming the first TSU player since Gerald Robinson, Jr. in 2009 to reach that milestone. On Feb. 6, Covington was announced as Boxtorow HBCU National Player of the Week. He was named to the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational All-Tournament team earlier this season and garnered OVC Player of the Week honors on Nov. 21. This season, Covington ranks second in the OVC (40th NCAA) with 18.0 ppg and second in the OVC (87th NCAA) in rebounding (8.0 per game). TSU is 13-5 this season when Covington scores 17 or more points.
PLAYING IT CLOSE: TSU is 11-6 in single-digit games, having played the last 10 out of 12 contests in single margins. The 2010-11 season saw the Tigers play 18 of their 30 games, including three overtime games, in tight-nit fashion. SECURING THE NO. 2 SEED: A Murray State win over SEMO on Wednesday secured the Tigers' No. 2 seed in the upcoming OVC Tournament. TSU receives a double-bye into the semi-finals. The Tigers will play on Friday, March 2 versus the winner of the No. 3 vs. No. 6/7 seed. IT'S GREAT TO BE AT THE GENTRY: The Tigers boast a 22-3 record at the Gentry Center during the past two seasons. TSU has won 11 consecutive contests at home and finished with a 4-1 record against non-conference opponents at the Gentry. TSU has a 10 game win streak against OVC opponents dating back to Feb. 5, 2011. The Tigers' only home blemishes were losses to Belmont (2010), Murray State (2011) and MTSU (2011). TSU has a +11.2 average scoring margin at home this season.
WIL POWER: Nashville native and Whites Creek product Wil Peters has been instrumental in the rise of the TSU program. Peters has played in 120 games and 3,390 minutes during his four-year career. The senior has 96 assists in 28 games (3.4 apg). He has totaled 368 assists for 3.1 per game in his tenure. On the season, Peters is averaging 7.8 points with an average of 33 minutes played per game.
TIGERS SETS HISTORIC NIGHT WITH WIN OVER RACERS: Before the Murray State win on Feb. 9, the Big Blue was 0-10 against nationally ranked opponents in the Associated Press poll since 2002. Earlier this season, the Big Blue fell 69-102 at then ranked No. 1 North Carolina. The 72-68 win versus the Racers was the first ever win against a ranked opponent. Here is a list of opponents and results since 2002:
Feb. 9, 2012 - @#9 Murray State - W, 72-68
Nov. 22, 2011 - @#1 North Carolina - L, 69-102
Jan. 2, 2011 - @#21 Memphis - L, 86-91
Dec. 22, 2007 - @#17 Vanderbilt - L, 74-83
Dec. 3, 2007 - @#15 Indiana - L, 72-84
Dec. 2, 2006 - @#6 Alabama - L, 60-78
Nov. 21, 2006 - @#10 Kansas - L, 54-89
Jan. 2, 2005 - @#17 Louisville - L, 64-98
Dec. 18, 2004 - @#17 Alabama - L, 79-87
Dec. 6, 2003 - @#13 Georgia Tech - L, 43-94
Dec. 30, 2002 - @#20 Kentucky - L, 87-115
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS (RPI): During the past two weeks, Tennessee State moved up 68 spots in the RPI rankings. In the rankings released on Feb. 13th, TSU moved to 141st nationally and second in the OVC. TSU has faced four opponents with a top-100 RPI: North Carolina 8, Saint Louis 23, Middle Tennessee 38 and Belmont 79. TSU defeated Murray State (54) once and will play the Racers again on Feb. 23.
GRABBING THE BOARDS: TSU ranks fourth in the OVC and is 110th in the NCAA with a +2.3 rebounding margin. TSU is pulling in 34.6 rebounds per contest, while limiting opponents to 32.3 per game. Robert Covington leads TSU with 8.0 rebounds a contest, ranking second in the conference. The Tigers are 14-4 when grabbing 35+ rebounds.
LIMITING THE OPPOSITION: When TSU limits its' opposition to 45 percent or less shooting, the Tigers are a remarkable 15-1. TSU is also 13-2 when they hold opponents to less than 67 points. The Big Blue has a 9-0 record when opponents bank less than 40 percent of their FGAs. In contrast, the Tigers are 1-7 when giving up 50 percent or more.
TRIPLE THREAT: The Tigers have plenty of options when it comes to 3-point shooting. TSU ranks fifth in the OVC with a 35.8 average (179-of-500). Four players have combined for 341 career made 3-pointers: Robert Covington (133), Wil Peters (123), Kenny Moore (51) and Patrick Miller (40). Covington's four treys versus JSU moved him into a tie with Rico Beasley and Kevin Samuels for seventh all-time. Petes is just one triple shy of moving into 10th all-time. LINE ME UP: Coach John Cooper has experimented with nine different lineups. The Tigers hold an 10-1 record in the past 11 games with the combination of G Wil Peters, G Patrick Miller, G Jay Harris, F Robert Covington and F M.J. Rhett. The Tiger's only blemish was a 69-63 road loss to Austin Peay. MARGINALLY TELLING: Tennessee State has played in many closely contested games since the 2008-09 seasons. During that span, the Tigers are 11-22 on the road in games decided by six points or less. In contrast, the Tigers boast a 16-2 record at the Gentry. YOU GELLIN' KELLEN?: Kellen Thornton has been on fire in the past eight contests. The Illinois State transfer is posting 12.1 ppg and 4.9 rpg. Thornton has clipped 60 percent (34-of-57) during that stretch, while grabbing 39 rebounds. On Feb. 6, he was named OVC Newcomer of the Week after tallying 15.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg in two wins.
SETTING THE MARK: Robert Covington and Wil Peters are close to reaching some career marks at Tennessee State. Covington moved into 19th all-time with 1,274 career points passing Mike Johnson and John Barnhill. He is just 27 shy of passing Ronnie Cage's (1981-84) mark of 1,300. Covington is three rebounds away from reaching 13th on the all-time list. He has corralled 656 rebounds in 90 career games played. Covington is 12 triples away from moving into sixth all-time. Peters needs 74 points to reach 1,000 points in his career. He is 83 assists shy of becoming the all-time assists leader at Tennessee State.
PLENTY OF KENNY: Senior Kenny Moore is averaging 10.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg in the last eight games. The Philadelphia product is shooting 42 percent (24-of-57) from the field, while grabbing 12 steals and dishing out 16 assists during that span. Moore is tallying 7.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 21 games this season.
COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Anthony Simmons scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Saturday to help NAIA No. 25 Xavier University of Louisiana earn a 68-57 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against Edward Waters.
The Gold Rush (20-7 overall, 9-3 GCAC) reached 20 victories for the second straight year and the 27th time overall to extend XU's Louisiana men's collegiate record. Dannton Jackson reached 20 victories for the seventh time in his nine seasons as XU's head coach. Jackson is 199-88 at Xavier and can become the third consecutive Gold Rush coach to reach 200 victories when XU visits Fisk at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
ANTHONY SIMMONS
Jamaan Kenner matched his season high of 12 points for the Rush, and Denzell Erves had 10 points and 11 rebounds for his team-leading fifth double-double of the season. It's the first time since Nov. 9, 2007 — when Kelechi Okoroha and current XU assistant coach Alfred Williams did it — that the Gold Rush had two players produce double-doubles in the same game.
Jermonte Bush scored 21 points for Edward Waters (11-15, 6-8), and Dylan Watts had 13.
Xavier scored the first four points and never lost the lead. The Rush led 41-26 at halftime — Kenner scored nine in the first half — and twice by 17 points in the first four minutes of the second half. Bush's two free throws with 8:49 remaining cut Xavier's lead to 55-49, but the Tigers did not draw closer.
The Gold Rush outshot the Tigers 45.9 to 33.3 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 48-29.
Xavier won for the sixth time in seven games and is 8-0 this season when allowing fewer than 60 points. The Rush completed a two-game regular-season sweep of Edward Waters.
Xavier's women defeated Edward Waters 60-53 prior to the men's game for their 20th victory of the season. It's the 15th time the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets reached 20 victories in the same season and the first time since 2004 that both reached 20 on the same day.
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the field of teams and brackets for the 2012 Tip-Off Tournament.
The annual NCAA men’s exempt tournament, sponsored by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, will take place the weekend of Nov. 16-18 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., featuring eight schools in two four-team brackets. All teams will also compete in two campus round games.
Teams scheduled to participate in this year’s Tip-Off tournament are Loyola University Maryland (MAAC), Norfolk State University(MEAC), Ohio State University (Big Ten), Seton Hall University (Big East), University of Albany (America East), University of Missouri-Kansas City (Summit League), University of Rhode Island (Atlantic 10) and University of Washington (Pac-12).
“This year’s Tip-Off Tournament will once again showcase some of the best college basketball programs in the country,” said John L. Doleva, president and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “We are looking forward to welcoming each of these teams, as they compete at Mohegan Sun, one of the finest facilities in the country.”
HOUSTON, Texas — Southern’s strong pitching continued Saturday afternoon in the MLB Urban Invitational. Unfortunately, the Jaguars offense and defense didn’t follow suit. Three key errors and only three hits on offense were too much for Southern to overcome as the Jaguars fell to UC Irvine 5-1 at Minute Maid Park.
Southern errors in the fourth, sixth and eighth inning led to three of the Anteaters’ runs, while the Jaguars were limited to just five baserunners.
“We made a couple mistakes, and we just didn’t hit the ball today,” Southern coach Roger Cador said. “We just need to concentrate and make better at-bats. Every chance you get, you have to make them work for it, and we didn’t do that today.”
Southern pitchers Jose De Leon, Daniel Garcia and Santos Saldivar did a good job limiting the damage on the mound. After two games, the Jaguars have given up only four earned runs. “I thought our pitchers threw the ball ...
FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina - The Fayetteville State Broncos put every ounce of energy and spirit in Saturday's CIAA showdown with Shaw. But with the Bears playing like a team even better than their No. 9 ranking in the NCAA Division II national poll, the Broncos just couldn't keep pace and dropped an 86-74 decision at Capel Arena.
Shaw rode a 26-point, 12-rebound performance by junior forward Junius Chaney and made 29 of 40 shots at the foul line in rolling to its 14th consecutive CIAA win. The Bears, 22-2 overall, have games remaining against Winston-Salem State and Saint Augustine's to complete a perfect regular season in league play.
"It's been a goal from day one,'' Shaw coach Cleo Hill Jr. said of achieving CIAA perfection. "This is a very tough league and we thought it would be a tough goal. And to this point, it has been tough. We're two games away from completing a task like that, but we haven't had any easy games, especially on the road.''
Or at home, for that matter. The last time the Bears met the Broncos on Jan. 30 in Raleigh, FSU took them to double overtime before losing, 92-84.
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's men's and women's tennis dual matches against Tougaloo and Belhaven were postponed Saturday because of rain.
The matches will be rescheduled. They were to be played at the University of New Orleans Tennis Center.
Xavier's women will travel to Southeastern Louisiana for a 6 p.m. dual Friday, and both XU teams will play William Carey at 10 a.m. next Saturday at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center.
Record: 20-7, 12-2 MEAC (Tied for 1st place with Hampton & FAMU)
HEAD COACH: Niki Reid Geckeler, 4th season (Georgetown '93) Associate Head Coach: James Simmons, 1st season (Belford '98) Assistant Coach:Brian Johnson, 4th season (Drexel '98) Assistant Coach: Mathew Jones, 1st season
(Click photo to enlarge)
BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Tamoria Holmes hit a three pointer in the last six seconds of regulation to secure a 50-49 victory for Howard (20-7, 12-2 MEAC) in an exciting MEAC matchup against Coppin State (15-11, 10-3 MEAC). This marks the first 20-win season for the Lady Bison since the 2000-01 campaign when the team went 21-10 under head coach Cathy Parson.
The win also marks the seventh consecutive victory for the Lady Bison and puts HU ahead of Coppin in the MEAC standings, just under Hampton and Florida A&M.
Holmes tallied a game-high of 23 points while collecting four steals and grabbing five boards on the night. Saadia Doyle put together a solid effort with 12 points, six rebounds, and five steals.
Prior to tipoff, CSU was called for an administrative technical foul. HU gained a one point lead after converting on one-out-of two free throw attempts.
The Eagles began regulation with five-straight points. Doyle ended the run at 16:05 with a basket. Holmes then scored a lay-up to put the team to within one at the 15:41 mark.
The score remained tight as both teams battled to take the lead. By halftime the score was knotted 21-21.
Second half tipped off with a quick jumper by Holmes at the 19:40 mark for a 23-21 margin. Crystal Whittington tied the score again on the following play.
Larrissa Carter made a three-point play to give CSU a 46-43 advantage at the 2:13 mark. With 51 seconds left, Holmes then dropped a bucket inside the paint to decrease the margin to 46-45. CSU responded with a lay-up by Leola Spotwood with 41 seconds left in the ball game. Seconds later, a foul placed Spotwood on the free throw line. Spotwood converted just on one the stripe. Holmes answered with an immediate shot off the glass at 18 seconds. With the score set at 49-47, Holmes ended the game with a deep three-ball to win the game 50-49 over Coppin State.
Carter led CSU with 11 points and nine boards. Leola Spotwood pitched in with nine points. Crystal Whittington and Shawntae Payne both grabbed nine off the glass.
Howard forced CSU into 24 turnovers and gained 11 points from the Eagles' mishaps. The battle of the boards was won by Coppin State, 50-35. CSU converted only four points off of HU's 16 turnovers. Tough shooting night for both teams as Howard went 27 percent from the field (16-for-58), while Coppin State finished with a 33.9 clip (19-for-56).
HU will return home to face Maryland-Eastern Shore on Mon. Feb. 20 for senior night. Jump ball is set for 5:30 p.m. in Burr Gymnasium.
Follow Coach G's fan page on facebook to get a behind the scenes look at the team as they make their push toward the Big Dance: www.facebook.com/NikiGeckeler.
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - Air Force baseball opened the 2012 season with a 7-5 loss to Alcorn State Friday morning at LSU's Alex Box Stadium. The Falcons return to action later tonight, taking on LSU at 7 p.m. (CST).
Air Force could not hold a 5-0 lead as Alcorn State scored seven unanswered runs to rally to the win. After scoring its first run of the game in the sixth, the Braves put up a five-run seventh inning to take the lead.
The Falcons got a solid opening outing out of starting pitcher Evan Abrecht. Abrecht held Alcorn State in check for most of the game, holding the Braves scoreless through his first five innings. The senior pitched 6.2 innings, allowing four runs while striking out one.
Air Force had seven hits in the game, led by catcher Garrett Custons. Custons went 3-for-4 with three doubles in his first three at bats. Leftfielder and leadoff hitter Taylor Ausbun also played well, going 2-for-4 in his Falcon debut.
HAMPTON, Virginia - Hampton University is in the news, mostly for better, a little for worse.
Darian Pellum, star of the men’s basketball team, performed a dunk so spectacular it was rated the No. 2 most spectacular athletic move on Feb. 16 ESPN Top Plays.
During the second half of the game against Division 1 rival University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, Pellum stole the ball at midcourt, took several dribbles then launched the sphere against the backboard. He leaped over a shorter defender to catch his rebound and then dunk ferociously with two hands.
Pellum’s play trumped continuing Lin-sanity! in New York, where the Knicks’ Jeremy Lin cooled off his 20-plus point per game scoring. Instead, the point guard from Harvard rung up 13 assists and facilitated a dunk-a-thon blowout for consecutive win No. 7.
Here, in Virginia, a well done to Pellum for calling national attention to HU.
So, since viewers were drawn to the second-best ballers on our campus, they should linger the on campus stars: The women’s basketball team, last year’s conference champs and currently 10-1 in their conference and 18-4 overall.
GRAMBLING, Louisiana — Bright lights, big city, most famous basketball arena in the world, Quincy Roberts has been there and done that. Small towns, back roads, courts with little or no fanfare, Roberts is doing that now — and loving it.
The former St. John's University star has blended seamlessly into small-town Grambling, both on and off the court. "Grambling's excellent, man," Roberts said. "They do a good job. They make me feel comfortable. The students around the area are all friendly. I felt at home the minute I got here."
Nowhere does Roberts feel as comfortable as on the court. Since becoming eligible 13 games ago, the 6-foot-5, 210-pound Harrisburg, Pa., native has given the Tigers' offense a New York City-sized boost.
Pairing a jumper with seemingly unlimited range and an ability to get to the basket, Roberts carries a 24 points per game scoring average into GSU's 5 p.m. today contest against Jackson State. He has done so with no ego, something GSU coach Bobby Washington wasn't sure would happen.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Alabama A&M will be without six key players, including four potential starters, when spring practice begins Friday.
Coach Anthony Jones' team will be without offensive tackle Alan Cruz, defensive end Melvin Payne, defensive tackle Quinton Robinson, inside linebacker Denzel Cotton and defensive backs Derrick Harris and Jeremy Isabelle.
Cruz, Cotton and Robinson are out after undergoing offseason knee surgery, while Payne is out after having offseason shoulder surgery. Cruz, Cotton and Payne are potential starters next season. Harris, who started at cornerback last season, has a back injury, while Isabelle, who sustained a neck injury late last season, hasn't fully recovered according to Jones.
"We'd love to have those guys this spring, but they need time to get healthy," he said. "This will give us a chance to look at some other guys and hopefully, develop some much-needed depth."
HOUSTON, Texas - For Michael Robertson at Texas Southern, Waskyla Cullivan at Prairie View A&M and the other coaches at Major League Baseball's Urban Invitational, coaching at a historically black university is a mixture of outreach and pragmatism.
In a sport where black participation is dwindling, Robertson, Cullivan and their colleagues are determined to advance their schools' traditional mission of expanding opportunities. But they also want to - and have to - win games.
And so the six-team field that will compete through Sunday at Minute Maid Park and at Sylvester Turner Park in Acres Homes looks a lot like America - and unlike the bulk of NCAA baseball teams. Blacks accounted for only 5.1 percent of baseball players in NCAA Division I in 2010-11, down from 6.6 percent in 1999-2000. Across all NCAA divisions, blacks make up 3.9 percent of baseball players, down from 4.6 percent in 1999-2000.
By contrast, teams such as TSU, Prairie View and traditional Southwestern Athletic Conference powerhouse Southern are likely to include significant numbers of non-black players.
SAVANNAH, Georgia - Two games prior to suffering its first loss in conference play, the Florida A&M women's basketball team managed to put itself within reach of making school history despite chronic ball-control issues. So when Howard handed the Rattlers their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference loss, 68-61, last weekend, it wasn't all that shocking to see FAMU was the victim of 23 turnovers.
"It woke us up and let us know that we can be beat any given time," FAMU coach LeDawn Gibson said. "It was very emotional for them. Some girls even shed some tears. It let me know that it bothered them, but they are refocused and ready to go."
The loss in Washington, snapped a 14-game win streak and one more victory would have tied the school record for consecutive victories. FAMU looks to get back on the winning path during its final two road games, first at Savannah State today and then South Carolina State on Monday.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - This is a club with 306 members, from Air Force to Yale. There are more just dying to get in, from Bethune-Cookman to Youngstown State. It's the Big Dance Club, and there is only one simple entry rule: Qualify for the NCAA basketball tournament. Just once is all you need, and then you're in the same record book with UCLA and Kentucky.
While 306 schools have done it, new enchanted faces show up every year -- is there any time more magical than the first time? -- with more likely in March.
The top candidates for 2012? Glad you asked.
Savannah State never has made it. But the Tigers lead the MEAC at the moment, although they were picked to finish 11th in the preseason poll. They have won 11 of 12, and hardened themselves with a nonconference march that included Georgetown, Indiana, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Georgia Tech.
HAMPTON, Virginia - Whereas most players who attempt an off-the-backboard dunk in a game are accused of favoring style over substance, Hampton's Derrion Pellum managed to pull off the risky move at a time when it wasn't all flash.
In Wednesday night's game against Maryland Eastern Shore, Pellum poked away the ball from guard Mark Robertson at midcourt but didn't have a good angle after he retrieved the ball and raced up court in transition. As a result, Pellum evaded Robertson by tossing the ball off the glass, moving around him and throwing down an emphatic two-handed slam.
Pellum's dunk, posted on YouTube has received more the 1.15 Million Views in 72 hours.
Pellum, a senior guard, leads the MEAC in scoring at 18.4 points per game. He scored 33 points against Maryland Eastern Shore, three shy of his career high.
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