WSSU women putting emphasis on defense

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina - For the Winston-Salem State women to win the school's first CIAA tournament title in basketball, solid defense will be critical.

That's the message coach Steve Joyner Jr. has been preaching. WSSU, 17-9 and seeded No. 3 out of the Southern Division, will play Lincoln (7-21) in its tournament opener at 5 p.m. today at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte.



The Rams easily defeated the Lions 94-44 on Jan. 16 at the Gaines Center, but the danger will be in not looking too far ahead, to a possible quarterfinal Wednesday against Johnson C. Smith.

Guard Taylar Wells said the key for the Rams is no secret. "Coach doesn't ever worry about offense because we can score, so he's always stressing about our defense," Wells said. WSSU is No. 2 in the CIAA in scoring average (71.3 ppg) behind Shaw (74.8 ppg).

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Scores That Matters!!

February 27, 2012

MEN'S BASKETBALL

SWAC
Arkansas Pine Bluff 68, Grambling State 53
Mississippi Valley State 78, Jackson State 69
Prairie View A&M 62, Alabama State 59
Texas Southern 69, Alabama A&M 59

MEAC
Bethune-Cookman 74, Hampton 64
Coppin State 64, Maryland Eastern Shore 60
Morgan State 73, Delaware State 72
Norfolk State 79, Florida A&M 70
North Carolina Central 71, South Carolina State 57
Savannah State 62, North Carolina A&T 50

NAIA
Texas Wesleyan 74, Huston-Tillotson TX 65
Our Lady of the Lake TX 112, Jarvis Christian TX 95
LSU Shreveport 74, Texas College 50

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

SWAC
Alabama A&M 55, Texas Southern 40
Grambling State 84, Arkansas Pine Bluff 56
Mississippi Valley State 72, Jackson State 62 (2OT)
Prairie View A&M 52, Alabama State 44

MEAC
Coppin State 48, Maryland Eastern Shore 47
Delaware State 67, Morgan State 60
Florida A&M 81, Norfolk State 64
Hampton 54, Bethune-Cookman 30
North Carolina A&T 88, Savannah State 74
South Carolina State 68, North Carolina Central 57

GCAC
Southern-New Orleans 84, New Orleans 56

NAIA
Our Lady of the Lake TX 88, Jarvis Christian 82
Texas Wesleyan 58, Huston-Tillotson TX 54
LSU Shreveport 82, Texas College 52

WVIAC
Shepherd 72, Bluefield State 40
Davis & Elkins 66, West Virginia State 64

Gold Rush surge to 18th, Nuggets fall to 20th in NAIA polls

NEW ORLEANS -- The men outrank the women for the first time this season.

The Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball team climbed seven spots to 18th Monday in the NAIA Division I coaches poll. It's the biggest upward move for the Gold Rush (22-7) since December 2010.

The Gold Nuggets (22-8) fell one spot to 20th in the women's poll but extended their streak of top-25 appearances to 29.

The Gold Rush won at Fisk and Dillard to earn a share of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship with Tougaloo, which dropped from 17th to 24th in the poll. The XU men matched their highest rank this season.

The XU women also won at Fisk and Dillard to win the GCAC regular-season title by a game over Talladega, which was among others receiving votes for the third straight week.


XAVIER Gold Rush last game at "The Barn" vs. Tougaloo Bulldogs

Oklahoma Baptist is the top-ranked men's team for the second straight week, and Oklahoma City's women are No. 1 for the fifth consecutive time.

Xavier is one of nine schools with men's and women's teams in the top 25. The other schools are Azusa Pacific, Columbia (Mo.), Georgetown (Ky.), Lee (Tenn.), MidAmerica Nazarene, Rogers State, Shorter and Southern Nazarene. A week ago there were 10 such schools, and two weeks there were 11.

Both Xavier teams will play Fisk on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the GCAC tournaments at Jacksonville, Fla. The Nuggets will play at 10 a.m. EST, and the Rush will play at 4 p.m.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

District of Columbia, Others Prepare for D-II Tournaments

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Most of the historically black institutions in NCAA Division II will face off in either the SIAC or the CIAA tournaments. As such, they will, undoubtedly, receive most of the attention. However, there are several HBCU's vying for automatic playoff bids but in predominantly white conferences. Their battles also start this week.

Tops among them are the men's and women's basketball teams at the University of District of Columbia. Ranked nationally up until last week, the Firebirds (22-4, 13-3 ECC Men's; 21-5, 12-4 ECC Women's), figure to be the top seeds at the East Coast Conference tournaments at Queens College later this week. Both will receive byes in the quarterfinals and will play in the ECC semifinals on Saturday.

Other HBCU's in action this week will be men's and women's teams from West Virginia State and Bluefield State (West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic) and Central State (Independents). Also, the women of Lincoln (Mo.) will face off in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic tournament.

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Both XU teams will open with Fisk in GCAC tournaments

NEW ORLEANS — It will be a double-dose of Xavier University of Louisiana vs. Fisk in Thursday's opening round of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference basketball tournaments at Jacksonville, Fla.

XU's women, 22-8 and seeded first in their bracket, will play eighth-seeded Fisk (4-24) at 10 a.m. EST. XU's men — 22-7 and seeded second after losing a Sunday coin flip with Tougaloo for the top seed — will play seventh-seeded Fisk (6-22) at 4 p.m. EST.

Both games will be played at Edward Waters College's Adams-Jenkins Sports and Music Complex. That facility will play host to six of Thursday's eight games and all Friday and Saturday games.

The Gold Nuggets secured their seed and earned the regular-season championship by a game over Talladega by winning 59-53 at Dillard on Saturday. The Gold Rush also won at Dillard, shooting 53.1 percent from the floor in a wire-to-wire 67-43 decision, and grabbed a share of the GCAC men's regular-season title with Tougaloo, a 71-65 loser at SUNO.

It's the first time since 2003-04 that both XU teams won GCAC titles in the same regular season.

The XU men split their two regular-season meetings with Tougaloo. The coin flip was necessary because the Rush and Bulldogs had identical records against each of the other already determined seeds. The tie for fourth place between Philander Smith and Talladega was not determined until after the coin flip for No. 1. After Tougaloo won the flip — Bulldogs coach Lafayette Stribling successfully called heads — Philander Smith earned the No. 4 seed by virtue of a 1-1 record against Tougaloo. Talladega was 0-2 against the Bulldogs.

Both XU teams were 2-0 against Fisk in the regular season. The Gold Nuggets won 71-28 at home on Jan. 14 and 81-50 at Fisk this past Monday. The Gold Rush won 65-58 at home and 74-50 at Fisk on the same dates.

If the XU women win Thursday, they'll play fourth-seeded Dillard or fifth-seeded Tougaloo in the semifinals at 2 p.m. EST Friday. If the XU men advance, they'll face third-seeded SUNO or sixth-seeded Edward Waters at 8 p.m. Friday.

The championship games will be Saturday, with the women playing at noon EST and the men to follow at 2 p.m.

The Gold Nuggets defeated Tougaloo 71-44 in 2011 to win their second consecutive GCAC Tournament. Tougaloo beat Xavier 93-80 in overtime for the men's championship.

Both tournament champions will receive automatic bids to the NAIA Division I National Championships, which will begin March 14. The men's tournament will return to Kansas City, Mo., for the 11th consecutive year and celebrate its 75th anniversary. The women's tournament will begin a three-year run in Frankfort, Ky., after being played in Jackson, Tenn., the past 22 years.

Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournaments

at Jacksonville, Fla. — all times Eastern

WOMEN

Thursday, March 1
Quarterfinals (First Round)
Xavier (22-8, #1 seed) vs. Fisk (4-24, #8 seed), 10 a.m.
• Dillard (13-11, #4 seed) vs. Tougaloo (14-13, #5 seed), 10 a.m.
Talladega (20-7, #2 seed) vs. Philander Smith (5-24, #7 seed), 2 p.m.
SUNO (13-10, #3 seed) vs. Edward Waters (9-22, #6 seed) 6 p.m.

Friday, March 2
Semifinals

Xavier-Fisk winner vs. Dillard-Tougaloo winner, 2 p.m.
Talladega-Philander Smith winner vs. SUNO-Edward Waters winner, 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 3
Championship
Semifinal winners meet at noon

MEN

Thursday, March 1
Quarterfinals (First Round)
Tougaloo (21-7, #1 seed) vs. Dillard (1-28, #8 seed), noon
• Philander Smith (14-14, #4 seed) vs. Talladega (11-18, #5 seed), noon
Xavier (22-7, #2 seed) vs. Fisk (6-22, #7 seed), 4 p.m.
SUNO (14-13, #3 seed) vs. Edward Waters (11-17, #6 seed) 8 p.m.

Friday, March 2
Semifinals
Tougaloo-Dillard winner vs. Philander Smith-Talladega winner, 4 p.m.
Xavier-Fisk winner vs. SUNO-Edward Waters winner, 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 3
Championship

Semifinal winners meet at 2 p.m.
• Game to be played at Florida State College (south campus) Sports Center; all other games to be played at Edward Waters College's Adams-Jenkins Sports and Music Complex.

 

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

SCSU blown away by A&T for Cage-Bibbs' 499th career win

HEAD COACH PATRICIA CAGE-BIBBS WILL ACHIEVE A
HISTORIC MILESTONE WITH NEXT A&T WIN, AS SHE
BECOMES THE FIRST HBCU COACH TO ACHIEVE 500
WINS IN NCAA DIVISION I BASKETBALL. THE '72
GRAMBLING STATE LEGEND HAS A CAREER RECORD
 OF 499-278 (124-84 @ A&T), IN 26 SEASONS.
(READ MORE AT COACHBIBBS.COM AND NCATAGGIES.COM)

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina - The North Carolina A&T Aggies had plenty to motivate them coming into Saturday's rematch against S.C. State at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.

First was the opportunity to avenge Feb. 11's 71-68 home loss to the Bulldogs; second was the opportunity to pull two games ahead of the sixth-place Bulldogs in the MEAC standings and third was the opportunity to pull within one victory of head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs' 500 career win milestone.

The Aggies (13-14, 8-6) capitalized on all three, handing the Bulldogs(11-14, 6-8) a 101-61 loss. It was the second time this season the Aggies have passed the century mark. It was the largest margin of victory in series history and it was the most lopsided win of the Bibbs era.

"Last time they beat us up and down the court," said Bibbs. "Today our kids came out so much energy. It was like this team didn't know who our team was. We were perfect today.

"I'm a happy, happy coach!," she continued. "I loved it. Our kids played hard and with a lot of energy, this is the best seriously I've seen us play all year. It was a great win, and a great win for us to do it on their court."

Redshirt sophomore Amber Calvin posted 23 points, including five 3-pointers, with seven rebounds and a career-high nine assists.

"You know when Amber's on the floor, she just makes things happen. She has that court awareness, but everyone played well. They wanted it," Bibbs said.

Sophomore Tiffanie Adair had 20 points and nine rebounds, and junior JaQuayla Berry added 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a team-high three steals. She is now seven points shy of becoming the 12th player in school history to reach 1,000 points.

Sophomore DeAndra Davis had a career-high 14 points as well. The Aggies shot a season-high 60.9 percent for the game.

"Well it's (S.C. State's) homecoming, and they beat us on our home court," said Bibbs. "(Our ladies) wanted this; they wanted to definitely make a statement. It wasn't so much about this game, it's about what we're looking forward to. We'll take care of business as we go. We're looking forward to taking it into the MEAC tournament."

2011-12 NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM
ROSTER
COACHING STAFF AND BIOS
(CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE)

Entering into the game, the Bulldogs were just one game back behind the Aggies, with two games coming up against sub-.500 MEAC teams to end the season. Making sure they won this match-up to pull two games ahead in the standing was key for the Aggies.

"It's very important because they have N.C. Central and then they have Delaware State. They have another game at home before going on the road. It was just really important to get this game to hopefully keep us competitive for fifth place," Bibbs said.

Ending the year in fifth place in the conference would ensure that the Aggies would face the No. 12 seed in the opening round of the MEAC Tournament.

The Aggies dominated the Bulldogs early. They took a 31-14 lead over the first 10 minutes of the game. A 15-0 run fueled by six Adair points and a pair of Davis field goals gave A&T a 32-point lead. The lead eventually ballooned to a 57-19 halftime lead.

"At halftime, we just said, hey, we gotta go back with the very same thing and go get it," Bibbs said.

The Aggies set a new-season best in first half points, fueled by 65 percent shooting from the floor. While several Aggies had strong performances, Bibbs was truly pleased by Davis'.

"I really liked the energy of DeAndra Davis," Bibbs said. "She played great. She's a lockdown defender. We're very proud of her coming out today."

The Aggies will be looking for more from Davis, Calvin and Berry as the Aggies take on Savannah State in their final road game of the regular season at 6 p.m. on Monday. The Aggies will return home for their season finale against Norfolk State at 5:30 p.m. at Corbett Sports Center on Thursday, March 1.

"We're just looking forward to Monday night. We've got two more games and we'll get it and we'll just keep going. I'm happy and I'm excited. We've got to go in there and play," Bibbs said.

BOX SCORE

NEXT GAME: MONDAY, FEB. 27, @ SAVANNAH STATE, 6 PM 

COURTESY: NCA&T SPORTS INFORMATION
VISIT: COACHBIBBS.COM

VISIT: NCA&TAGGIES.COM

VISIT: NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY

Gold Rush win final four matches to topple William Carey

ZACH TAYLOR
5'- 8"160, Senior
Hometown: Monroe, LA
St. Frederick (Ventura JC)

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana won the final four singles matches Saturday to defeat William Carey 5-4 in a matchup of ranked NAIA men's tennis teams at the University of New Orleans.



Sean Richardson finished the comeback with a 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4 decision against Robin Semal at No. 6 singles.

It was the fourth straight victory for the Gold Rush (4-1), ranked ninth, and the second in a row against a ranked opponent. William Carey (0-2) is ranked 13th.

William Carey's women, ranked 12th, defeated Xavier 9-0. It was the first match of the season for both teams against a non-NCAA Division I opponent. The Lady Crusaders are 1-4, and the Gold Nuggets are 0-7.

"The men's dual was a war," XU coach Alan Green said. "I don't recall ever being in one like that since I've been coaching where we were on the brink of defeat and had to pull out grueling win after win. All our singles wins went three sets."



STEFFEN GILES-OSBORN
6'-3" 186, Senior
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Westlake High School 

Viktor Svoboda and Steffen Giles-Osborn won in singles for Xavier after dropping their first sets. Svoboda beat Thomas Rizk, ranked 46th by the ITA among NAIA players, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 for the first XU singles point. Then Giles-Osborn beat Marthinius Visser 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to cut the Crusaders' lead to 4-3.

Zach Taylor beat 31st-ranked Ricky Keppeler (WCU) 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 to tie the dual.

"This is the type of match we need to become the team we want to be," Green said. "It was a total team victory."


Taylor was the only XU player to score in singles and doubles. Taylor and Loic Didavi, ranked third in the NAIA, beat Jody Claassen and Rizk 8-5 at No. 1 doubles after the Crusaders won the first two matches.

Kourtney Howell's No. 1 singles match again provided the most suspense in the women's dual. For the seventh time in as many duals this season, Howell went three sets. But the Lady Crusaders' Maja Vuzem, ranked 41st, prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-5).



Nicole DeLoach played her most competitive match of the spring semester in a 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) loss to Joyce Oliviera at No. 5 singles.

Xavier's women will travel to Baton Rouge, La., for a noon dual with Southern next Saturday, then both XU teams will play Shorter at 2 p.m. on March 5 at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center. Shorter's men are 10th in the NAIA, and the women are 15th.

WOMEN'S RESULTS

MEN'S RESULTS

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

TSU Claims Five Titles on Final Day of OVC Indoor

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Tennessee State finished fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday held at the Gentry Center.

The Tigerbelles accumulated 83 points finishing fourth behind Eastern Illinois (149.5), Eastern Kentucky (101) and Jacksonville State (86). The Flying Tigers compiled 87 points in 16 events.

TSU earned five more individual titles on Saturday. For the Tigerbelles, Gabrielle Todd ran 56.08 in the 400-meter dash to pick up the gold medal.

Todd was part of the first leg in the 4x400-meter relay champions. Other members of that squad included Kya Riley, Breanna Adams and Ashontae Jackson. The quartet ran the mile in 3:47.70.

Jackson, a freshman for TSU, completed fourth place finishes in the 55-meter dash (7.19) and 200-meter dash (25.09).

Senior Daniecce Ward captured the women's triple jump with a leap of 12.22-meters.

Memphis native Arthur Combest came charging to claim the 55-meter hurdles title in 7.50. In the triple jump, Avian Hughes used his final attempt to leap 14.46-meters to claim the OVC crown.

Michael Johnson placed third in the 200-meter dash, sprinting in 22.23 seconds. LeQuinn Davis earned a pair of fourth place finishes in the 55-meter (6.49) and 200-meter dash (22.26).

The Flying Tigers (Johnson, Lamonte Burton, Davis, Julian Mallory) grabbed second in the men's 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:18.91.

Tennessee State opens the 2012 outdoor season on Saturday, March 10 at the Florida A&M Relays.

Tigerbelles Saturday Final Results

55m Dash Finals

Ashontae Jackson (4) 7.19

200m Dash Finals

Ashontae Jackson (4) 25.09

400m Dash Finals

Gabrielle Todd (1) 56.08

800m Run Finals

Breanna Adams (6) 2:19.06

55m Hurdles

Brielle Moore (8) 11.15

4x400m Relays

Gabrielle Todd, Kya Riley, Breanna Adams, Ashontae Jackson (1) 3:47.70

Triple Jump

Daniecce Ward (1) 12.22m

Ja'Lyn Burr (4) 11.80m

Felicia Oladokun (6) 11.52m

Weight Throw
Brittani Logan (5) 15.02m
Cierra Joshua (8) 12.84m
Jasmine Merriweather (15) 11.49m
Kai Senaya (15) 10.16m

Flying Tigers Saturday Final Results

55m Dash Finals
LeQuinn Davis (4) 6.49

200m Dash Finals
Michael Johnson (3) 22.23
LeQuinn Davis (4) 22.26
Julian Mallory (5) 22.47

400m Dash Finals

Michael Johnson (4) 49.29

Lamonte Burton (5) 50.73

Osafa Hippolyte (6) 51.48

800m Run Finals
Jamill Jackson (6) 1:55.75

Mile Run

Adrian McDaniel (8) 4:47.96

Christopher Hobbs (9) 4:51.29

Desmond Trice (10) 4:58.84

55m Hurdles Finals

Arthur Combest (1) 7.50

Triple Jump

Avian Hughes (1) 14.46m

Markeith Price (8) 13.45m

Weight Throw

Alex Griffin (7) 12.11m

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

XU Gold Rush defeat Dillard 67-43, grab share of GCAC title

DENZELL ERVES
18 pts./9 rebs.

ANTHONY SIMMONS
16 pts./10 rebs.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball team answered Saturday when opportunity knocked.

The Gold Rush, which began the day one game behind Tougaloo in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, defeated longtime city rival Dillard 67-43 at Dent Hall to get a share of the GCAC's regular-season championship.

SUNO put Xavier in position to tie for the title when it beat Tougaloo 71-65 at The Castle earlier in the day.

Denzell Erves had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Gold Rush (22-7 overall, 11-3 GCAC), ranked 25th in NAIA Division I, and Anthony Simmons had 16 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.

It's Xavier's first conference title since a share of the GCAC regular season with Tougaloo in the 2006-07 season.

All eight teams will compete Thursday in the opening round of the GCAC Tournament at Jacksonville, Fla.

Chris Iles had 10 points, five assists and four steals for Xavier.

"I'm excited for our team," ninth-year XU coach Dannton Jackson said. "I'm excited for our senior going out with a conference title. We battled adversity all year, but we played well down the stretch and put ourselves in position to challenge for the championship."

Xavier finished the regular season with eight victories in nine games, including a 67-61 home victory againsy Tougaloo on which the Gold Rush rallied from 16 down in the second half.

There was no comeback at Dillard. Xavier scored the first nine points and 23-8 in the 12th minute after Simmons made 1-of-2 free throws. Xavier led 39-24 at halftime, and the final margin was the largest of the game.

Lance Theard had 12 points and six rebounds for Dillard (1-28, 1-13), which lost its 10th in a row.

Xavier outshot the Bleu Devils 53.1 to 31.9 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 40-24.

BOX SCORE

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Milestone Night for Howard Women's Basketball in Regular Season Finale

TAMORIA HOLMES
5'-6" GUARD, JUNIOR
Hometown: Durham, NC
Hillside High School

DOVER, Delaware – Tamoria Holmes join teammates Saadia Doyle and Zykia Brown in the elite 1,000th point club as Howard (22-7, 14-2 MEAC) defeated Delaware State 67-52 in its regular season finale. The victory gives the Lady Bison the most wins in a season since 1997-98 when they went 23-7.

For the game, Holmes finished with 23 points, three rebounds, and two steals in 40 minutes of action. She is tied for fifth place on the all-time steal list with 176 behind future MEAC Hall-of-Famer Alisha Hill.

Doyle collected her 13th double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 boards. The Atlanta, Georgia native is now second on the all-time scoring list with 1,603 points – Hill holds the record with 2,179. Cheyenne Curley-Payne chipped in with nine points, five assists, and pulled down five off the glass. The 5-5 junior is now third on the all-time assist list behind Felicia Oliver with 218.

HU, who was held to just a 30 percent shooting clip (18-of-60), went a season-best 26-for-29 (89.7 percent) from the charity stripe – including a 22-for-24 mark in the second half. The Lady Bison scored 23-points off second-chance opportunities, and recorded 28 points off 22 Hornet mishaps. HU also won the battle on the glass, 37-32.

India Bradford hit a huge three for Howard, to tie the score at 28-28 heading into the half. DSU opened up scoring in the second 20 with a quick layup by Tasia Bristow within the first minute of play. From there, the lead changed hands three times over an eight-minute span.

Ignited by a Holmes fast break layup, the Lady Bison went on an 8-0 run to give Howard a slim 37-44 cushion at the 9:53 mark. Two at the stripe by Bristow cut it to 44-39, but six-straight unanswered points by HU pushed the spread to 50-39 with 6:11 remaining in regulation.

Holmes' 1,000th point came from a trey at the 4:55 mark to give the Lady Bison a 55-43 advantage. The Hornets tried to climb their way back into the game, but could not break the double-digit deficit. DSU cut it to 62-52 by a pair at the line from Uchechi Ahaiwe with 59 seconds left, but HU ended regulation with a 5-0 run en-route to its 67-52 victory.

For Delaware State, Keyanna Tate and Briscow both tallied 13 points. Tierra Hawkins finished with 10 points, while Uchechi chipped in with six.

With tonight's win, Howard will finish second place in the MEAC behind Hampton, and will await the pairings for the upcoming MEAC tournament.

BOX SCORE

Jamilah Corbitt, Assistant Director of Sports Information

VISIT: HOWARD-BISON.COM

VISIT: HOWARD UNIVERSITY

TSU Tigers Defeat Northwestern Seed, Earn No. 2 Seed

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas  - The Tigers used a balanced attack and solid pitching on Saturday morning to pick up a second win at the University of Arkansas Tournament. TSU improved to 4-3 as they defeated Northwestern State 4-1.

Tennessee State lived by the same offensive recipe for the first four innings; leadoff singles, move the runner over, clutch base hit. Tedra Alford got things started in the first inning with a sharp single through the left side of the infield and scored three batters later when Devn Amar dropped a ball into left center, giving the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.

Ashley Haynes held the honors by opening the bottom of the second with a single. Three batters later it was Tayler Shimizu who stepped up with the clutch two-out hit to plate Haynes, making the score 2-1 after two innings of play.

In the third inning, it was Jennifer Givens who took the lead role with a single back to the pitcher. After a stolen base, Jordan Rehl drove a ball through the right side of the infield allowing Givens to cross home plate and extending the lead to 3-1.

Kelly Troglin notched her first hit of the season to open the fourth. Troglin was erased at second base as Alford reached on a fielders choice. After a swipe of second base by Alford, Givens ripped a ball into center that drove in Alford for a 4-1 Tennessee State advantage after four.

Shea Morris would make the score stick as she improved to 3-1 on the season. The freshman surrendered a solo home run to Samantha Roberts in the second that tied the score at 1-1 at the time. Roberts would add a single to first base in the seventh and those would be the only two hits (Shea) Morris would allow on the day.

The pitching product from Lawrenceburg, Tenn. scattered three walks along the way and struck out a career high eight batters.

TSU finished as the #2 seed after pool play and will take on Jackson State in the first semifinal of the day. Game time is set for 2:30 p.m.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

FAMU Lady Rattlers Drop Tough Battle To Hampton 46-43

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -  The highly-anticipated matchup between the two teams tied atop the MEAC, was all that it was billed to be as the final margin was just three points. The Hampton Lady Pirates (21-4, 13-1 MEAC) defeated the Lady Rattlers of FAMU (19-7, 12-2 MEAC), 46-43, here at the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium.

FAMU's Jasmine Grice led the Rattlers with 13 points. Antonia Bennett scored only eight points, while Qiana Donald and Jamie Foreman scored seven points each. Bennett would grab 12 rebounds for the Lady Rattlers.

Hampton's Kieara Avant was the game's leading scorer with 18 points. Jericka Jenkins scored nine for the Lady Pirates. Avant would also grab 17 rebounds for Hampton.

The nip-and-tuck game would have 12 ties and 11 lead changes. The largest lead the Lady Pirates would take would be eight points at 11:08 in the second half, while the Lady Rattlers had an 11 point lead in the game.

Coach LeDawn Gibson is confident she can refocus the Lady Rattlers for Monday's game against Norfolk and Thursday's season-concluding game against Morgan State.

"We've just got to go back to what we do best. I thought our team lost a close game while not playing our best. We came in knowing we had to stop Avant, but she hurt us on the boards. She ended up with 17 rebounds and that is one of the things that hurt us the most. We didn't have a great shooting night, but we're not going to make excuses. We've got two games that we've got to win in order to put ourselves in the position we want to be in going into the conference tournament," Gibson added.

FAMU guard Kimberly Sparkman felt the Lady Rattlers just didn't make the necessary adjustments. "It doesn't feel good at all. We have to come ready to play no matter what the other team tries to do," she said.

The Lady Rattlers shot 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) from the field in the first half. In the second 6-of-35 (17.1 percent), for a game total of 15-of-63 (23.8 percent). From the three-point line, the Lady Rattlers shot 2-of-8 in the first half (25 percent) and 1-of-12 (8.3 percent), for a game total of 3-of-20 (15 percent). The Lady Rattlers shot 10-of-15 from the three-point line for the game for a 66.7 percent average.

The Pirates shot 7-of-27 from the field in the first half (25.9 percent) and 9-of-29 (31 percent) in the second half, for a game total of 28.6 percent from the field. From three-point range, the Rattlers 1-of-7 (14.3 percent) in the first half and 1-of-5 (20 percent) in the second half. From the free throw line, the Lady Pirates were 12-of-17 for the game (70.6 percent).

The defining time of the game was the start of the second half. The Lady Rattlers took a 24-21 lead into the half and built up a 27-21 lead early in the second half. The Lady Rattlers would allow the Lady Pirates to take the lead at 16:44 in the second half on a Jericka Jenkins jumper. The Lady Rattlers retook the lead at 7:24 remaining in the game on a Grice three-pointer. Hampton would battle back to tie the game at the 6:18 mark. With 3:11 remaining in the game, the Rattlers would relinquish the lead for good as Avant sunk two free throws.

The Lady Rattlers will return to action on Monday as they face the Norfolk State Spartans at 7:30 p.m. in the Al Lawson Center.

COURTESY: FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
VISIT: FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
VISIT: FAMUATHLETICS.COM

Xavier Gold Nuggets beat Dillard, win GCAC title outright

NEW ORLEANS -- Jasmine Grant scored 16 points Saturday to lead NAIA No. 19 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 59-53 women's basketball victory against Dillard which gave the Gold Nuggets the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship.

Xavier (22-8 overall, 12-2 GCAC) won the title by a game over Talladega. The Gold Nuggets will play eighth-seeded Fisk on Thursday in the opening round of the conference tournament at Jacksonville, Fla.
Grant, a senior guard, scored eight points and made a pair of 3-pointers in each half. Her 3-pointer at 5:05 of the first half put Xavier ahead to stay, 21-18.

Xavier led 27-23 and had a pair of 12-point leads in the second half, the last 47-35 when SiMon Franklin made two free throws with 6:58 remaining. Dillard then rallied to within two points twice, but Grant and Paige Gauthier each made a pair of free throws in the final 15 seconds to clinch the victory.

Franklin scored 11 points for the Gold Nuggets, who closed the regular season with four consecutive victories, and Jazmoné Kelly had game-highs of eight rebounds and four steals.

Jazzmin Smith had 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals for Dillard (13-11, 9-5), and Ariel Mitchell scored 14.

Dillard shot 30.9 percent from the floor, and Xavier shot 30 percent. Xavier outscored the Lady Bleu Devils 12-0 from behind the arc and was better at the line, making 19-of-27 free throws to Dillard's 19-of-34.
Xavier snapped Dillard's four-game win streak and beat the Lady Bleu Devils for the seventh straight time. XU won 74-60 at The Barn on Jan. 28.

Dillard finished in a three-way tie with SUNO and Tougaloo in the GCAC standings at 9-5. Talladega finished second at 11-3 following its 84-61 home victory against Fisk, and SUNO won 90-83 at home against Tougaloo.

The regular-season championship is the sixth in 13 seasons for XU coach Bo Browder and the second in three years. Although the Gold Nuggets were 6-0 in the conference a year ago, the GCAC did not award a regular-season championship because the members did not play a double round-robin schedule. Xavier will head to Jacksonville as the two-time defending tournament champion and aim for a 16th bid in 18 seasons to the NAIA National Championship.

BOX SCORE

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

Staying Home: Two Eagles part of ECSU recruiting class

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina - Elizabeth City State’s football recruiting class took shape on Thursday as Northeastern’s Karem Felton and Daniel Hill were recognized by the school for signing their National Letter of Intent.  Felton and Hill though will likely be at different positions than what many Eagles fans saw as they led the team to a 10-win season.

Felton, who played quarterback his senior season, was an All-State defensive back his junior season. Felton says he has been given a choice which position he will play for the Vikings.

“They basically said it was up to me (on which position I want to play),” said Felton, who also considered UNC Pembroke and Norfolk State. “It’s a chance to play in front of your home crowd. It’s like a dream.”



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Oakland Golden Grizzlies Falls in Doubleheader at Hampton 5-2, 3-2

HAMPTON, Va. - Erin Galloway went 3-for-6 driving in two runs and Alyssa Shriver added three hits as the Oakland softball team dropped two games to Hampton on Thursday afternoon 5-2 and 3-2 at Lady Pirates Softball Complex.

"When we start doing what we know to do and play as a team, the wins will come," said assistant coach Monique Johnson. "Complacency has hurt us, but we are looking ahead to the final four games of our spring trip."

In the first game, Oakland scored the first run of the game as Colleen Zimmerman scored on a wild pitch after reaching base on an error as OU led 1-0.

The Lady Pirates took the lead in the fourth inning with five runs as Nina Ferguson and Travonna Byrd had back-to-back two-RBI doubles with the bases loaded as the Golden Grizzlies trailed 5-1.

OU's Shannon Cleveland singled and eventually scored on an error and wild pitch in the fifth inning as the Grizzlies fell 5-2.

Katie Moy (0-2) threw 3.0 innings giving up four earned runs on three hits, walked three and struck out four. Hampton's Byrd (1-0) threw a complete game giving up two runs, none earned, and struck out three.

In the second game, Hampton's Maragret Wilkins broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the seventh with a game-winning, RBI single to right field to score Kelsei Saunders for a final score of 3-2.

Oakland scored first as Galloway drove in Erika Polidori on a two-out double to take a 1-0 after the first inning. The Lady Pirates took back the lead in the fifth inning as Carla Trimble hit an RBI double and Shine Huwe scored on a Wilkes fielder's choice for a 2-1 advantage.

The Golden Grizzlies tied up the game in the sixth inning as Galloway had her second RBI double of the game scoring Shriver who led off the inning with a double.

Bailee Braunreuther (0-2) threw 6.2 innings giving up three earned runs on nine hits and struck out four. Hampton's Jailynn Jackson (1-0) threw a complete game giving up two earned runs and struck out three.

Oakland will be on the diamond tomorrow as they take on Longwood in a doubleheader at Lancer Field starting at 2 p.m.

Game 1 Box Score |Game 2 Box Score

COURTESY: OAKLAND UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS

KSU beats Morehouse, 75-68

FRANKFORT, Kentucky - The Kentucky State men’s basketball team wrapped up the regular season Saturday with a home win over Morehouse College, 75-68, in overtime.

“We were more relaxed at the beginning of this game,” KSU’s William Marsh said. “We won two games and we’re trying to keep the train rolling before the conference tournament.”

Missed jumpers and turnovers plagued the Thorobreds in the early going as KSU remained scoreless for the first six minutes of the game. Earl Ruffin Jr. finally put KSU on the board with a jumper and an and-1.

Another scoreless stretch helped Morehouse extend its lead to 16-7 with 7:11 left in the half. Back-to-back threes by Troy Adams and a layup by John Gaston tied the game at 22 with three minutes left till halftime.  Morehouse ended the half on a 7-3 run and took a 29-25 lead into the locker room.

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DSU Hornets Smother Bison For 10th Straight Conference Win

DOVER, Delaware - The Delaware State men's basketball team used a stifling defense to post its school-record 10th straight MEAC win, defeating Howard 63-46 in Memorial Hall this evening.

The Hornets won for the 10th time in the last 11 games to improve to 14-12 overall and 11-3 in MEAC play. The loss snapped a two-game win streak for the Bison, which fell to 9-20 and 6-10.

DSU held Howard to 33.3% shooting from the field (15-for-45), while recording 11 blocks and 11 steals in the contest. Marques Oliver tied a school record for the second time this season with eight blocks. The Hornets were fifth among all NCAA Div. I schools in blocks at 6.6 per game entering the contest.

Howard was 1-for-12 from three-point territory in the game (8.3%).

Jay Threatt contributed to the defensive effort with four steals. Threatt was tied for the Div. I lead in steals (3.0 pg) coming into Saturday's play.

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TSU Men's Hoops Earns No. 2 Seed in OVC Tournament

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennessee State University men's basketball locked in the No. 2 seed and will play in the semifinal round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Friday, March 2 at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium.

The Tigers (19-11, 11-5 OVC) will play either the No. 3 seed Morehead State, No. 6 seed Austin Peay or the No. 7 seed Jacksonville State. TSU is a combined 3-2 against those three opponents this season.

Friday's tip time is at 8 p.m. ESPN carries the semifinal round as Bob Wischusen and Fran Fraschilla call the action.

For the first time since 1995-96, the Tigers are the No. 2 seed in the OVC Tournament. That season, Tennessee State defeated No. 7 Morehead State, 71-60, in the quarterfinals. However, TSU lost 83-62 to No. 3 Austin Peay in the semi-finals.

TSU last appeared in the NCAA tournament in 1994 after upending top-seeded Murray State 73-72 to win the OVC Tournament title. The Big Blue advanced to play the Kentucky Wildcats, falling 83-70 in the NCAA opening round.

Coach John Cooper has lifted the Tigers to a winning season for the first time in 16 years. The Tigers are just a win shy of reaching 20 for the first time since the 1978-79 campaign.

There has been several firsts for the men's basketball program including a 64-63 win over South Carolina (the first over an SEC opponent) and a 72-68 victory at No. 7/9 Murray State (the first over a NCAA D-I ranked team). The Tigers' nine-game win streak was snapped on Feb. 23 with a 80-62 loss to No. 12/14 Murray State.

Junior forward Robert Covington leads the Tigers with 18.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Covington has reached double-figures in 29 straight games. He leads the OVC with nine double-doubles and has 19 in his illustrious three-year career.

Also in double-digits, sophomore guard Patrick Miller boasts 10.9 points and a team-best 103 assists.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

TSU Softball Falls to Jackson State in Rematch

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas - Tennessee State fell behind early and could not recover as they drop their semifinal game to Jackson State at the University of Arkansas Tournament. The Tigers fall to 4-4 on the season after an 8-1 loss to JSU (8-6).

JSU jumped on top in the first inning scoring two runs on two hits, two walks and a miscue. Jackson State was looking to add more with one out and runners on second and third, but freshman Savannah Gutierrez stepped up to stop the JSU threat. The leftfielder set up perfectly on a fly ball and, after the catch, threw a strike to catcher Devin Amar who applied the tag on the would-be scorer.

The Tigers responded in the bottom of the first with a two-out rally. Jordan Rehl drove a double just out of the reach of the JSU leftfielder and scored two pitches later when Amar smoked a ball through the right side of the infield. The Tigers lone run of the game cut the lead to 2-1 after the first.

Starting pitcher Olivia Gamache (1-2) ran into more trouble in the second as she issued free passes to the first two batters, before surrendering a three-run home run to make the score 5-1 Jackson State. Kelly Troglin relived Gamache and gave up a single that plated one more run for JSU.

Troglin would settle in as the senior allowed just one earned run in her 5.1 innings of relief.

The Tigers continued their quest of trying to cut into the JSU lead as they put runners on in six of the seven innings. TSU could not find the clutch hit as they left nine runners on base, including bases loaded in the fourth and two runners stranded in both the sixth and seventh innings.

Rehl and Kate Morris led the way at the plate both going 2-for-3 in the game.

Shann'da Hamer delivered a hit in her first collegiate at bat as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning.

Tedra Alford picked up a hit in her final at bat of the game to extend her hitting streak to five games.

Amar, Ashley Haynes, Brittany Davis and Tayler Shimizu also registered hits in the Tigers ten hit attack.

The Tigers will face the loser of the Arkansas-Northwestern State semifinal, to be played Saturday evening. Sunday's game time is scheduled for 10 a.m.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION