XU's Jackson earns 1st GCAC honor; Simmons a repeat choice

COACH DANNTON JACKSON
2011-12 GCAC COACH OF THE YEAR

NEW ORLEANS — The excellent resumé of Xavier University of Louisiana's Dannton Jackson got a boost late Tuesday when he was announced as 2011-12 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year — chosen by his men's basketball peers.

It's the first conference coaching honor for Jackson, who is 201-88 in nine seasons with the Gold Rush. He's the third Xavier men's coach to win the award and the first since Dale Valdery in 2000-01.

Xavier, ranked 18th in NAIA Division I and the regular-season co-champion with Tougaloo, had three of the 10 All-GCAC players. Junior Anthony Simmons made the team for the second straight year, and senior Chris Iles and junior Denzell Erves also were chosen.

Jackson's award is the latest in a stellar career which includes seven 20-victory seasons, five appearances at the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship, two GCAC regular-season titles, two GCAC Tournament runner-up finishes and the conference's only victory since 2004 against a top-five seed at nationals.

"I am grateful and humbled to receive this award," Jackson said, "but also thankful for and appreciative of my assistant coach, Alfred Williams, and the young men on our team who have worked hard every day this season to continue the excellence that Gold Rush basketball is known for. We still have a lot we can accomplish this season, and our guys are mindful of that mission."

By winning the award, Jackson denied Tougaloo's Lafayette Stribling a chance to become the second men's basketball coach to win the GCAC award four times. Stribling, whose team is ranked 24th in the NAIA and seeded first in the GCAC Tournament — which begins Thursday at Jacksonville, Fla. — won the award three of the previous five seasons, including 2010-11.

William Carey's Steve Knight won the award five times.

Jackson's award also means that all five current XU head coaches — including Bo Browder (women's basketball), Joseph Moses (men's and women's cross country), Alan Green (men's and women's tennis) and Christabell Hamilton (women's volleyball) — have been GCAC Coach of the Year at least once.

"We have an outstanding coaching staff," XU athletics director Dennis Cousin said. "That includes our assistants. All our coaches are capable of excelling at a higher level, but we're blessed to have them at Xavier."

Simmons, a 6-foot-8 forward from Rochester, N.Y., and a graduate of Allendale Columbia School, averaged 9.5 points and six rebounds and shot a team-best 63.2 percent from the floor in 29 regular-season games. He was GCAC Player of the Week twice this season.

Iles, a 5-11 guard from Houston and a graduate of Alief Hastings High School, averaged 9.8 points, four assists and made 50 3-pointers, all team bests, in 29 games. He made 44.6 percent of his 3-pointers to rank second in the GCAC and eighth in NAIA Division I.

Erves, a 6-7 forward from Vicksburg, Miss. and a graduate of Vicksburg High School, averaged 9.4 points in 29 games and leads the team with 6.6 rebounds per game and 29 blocked shots. Erves is a three-time GCAC Player of the Week this season, and his six double-doubles are the most by a Gold Rush player since the start of 2003-04.

Xavier (22-7) will play Fisk (4-24) at 4 p.m. EST Thursday in the GCAC quarterfinals.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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CAU Lady Panthers Fall to Benedict in Quarterfinals

Atlanta, Georgia -- With only four second-half field goals, the fifth-seeded Clark Atlanta University Lady Panthers were eliminated from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) women's basketball tournament with a 65-39 loss to No. 4 Benedict College in the quarterfinals Wednesday at Morehouse College's Forbes Arena.

"We could not get on track offensively in the second half," said CAU Head Coach Vanessa Moore.

Benedict pulled away from a close first half with a 10-0 run to close out the first half to take a 32-22 lead into the locker room.

After CAU senior guard Shantress Thrash opened the second half with a layup to cut the lead to eight points, the Lady Tigers scored the next seven points and never saw their lead drop below double digits the rest of the way.

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CIAA Tournament: Livingstone 60, Virginia State 58: Thomas wins it for Blue Bears

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — After losing an 11-point lead in the final three minutes Wednesday, the Livingstone men’s basketball won a thriller 60-58 over Virginia State to advance to the quarterfinals of the CIAA Tournament hosted at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Down 58-57 in the final seconds, Mark Thomas’ steal and eventual 3-point play was the difference. Junior Nasir Austin led the Blue Bears with 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Trone Jackson finished with 10 points and also had seven boards.

With the victory, the Blue Bears will now face the Bowie State Bulldogs at 3 p.m. today. The Bulldogs are the top seed out of the Northern Division and are yet to play in the tournament.

The Blue Bears held a 55-44 lead with 3:15 to play after Jackson converted two free throws. Virginia State started its comeback with an old-fashioned 3-point- play and Livingstone aided the Trojan run by converting only 2-of-6 free-throw attempts in the final two minutes.

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Fayetteville State men beat Saint Augustine's 65-53 in second round of CIAA tournament

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -  The Fayetteville State Broncos had to span two days to do it, but they managed to fight their way into the third round of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament.

The Broncos used a burst in the final five minutes to pull away from Saint Augustine's for a 65-53 second-round victory that began Wednesday evening but wasn't complete until Thursday morning.

Fayetteville State (10-16) outscored the Falcons (14-14) 14-1 over the final 4:42 to advance to today's third round where they'll meet top-seeded Shaw at 9 p.m. in Time Warner Cable Arena.

Playing in the last of six games on day two of the CIAA Tournament, the Broncos didn't take the floor for their scheduled 9 p.m. tap off Wednesday until almost 10:45. The final buzzer didn't sound until 12:38 a.m. Thursday.

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VSU falls to Bowie State in double OT in CIAA

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The double overtime women's game between Virginia State University and Bowie State University Wednesday exemplifies what the CIAA Tournament is all about. Clutch shots, big plays, thrilling action.

In the end, Bowie State prevailed 72-67 at Time Warner Cable Arena to reach the semifinals on Friday. The Lady Bulldogs (9-15 overall) will meet the Shaw University-Saint Augustine's College winner at 1 p.m.

For most of the game, the contest was intense. Neither team gave an inch as lead switched back and forth. The seven-point final margin was the largest lead of the game. The lead changed 17 times and the score was tied 14 times.

The Lady Bulldogs, seeded second in the Northern Division, finally finished off the Lady Trojans (17-13) with a 10-5 run in the final 2:14 of the second overtime.

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Bowie women need two OTs to down Virginia State  in CIAA tourney

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -  After a pair of overtime periods, the Bowie State University women’s basketball team defeated Virginia State 72-67 in the quarterfinals of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament Wednesday at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte.

Bowie will play defending conference champion Shaw on Friday, March 2, in a semifinal game at 1 p.m. Shaw defeated St. Augustine 80-73 Wednesday in another quarterfinal matchup. Chowan will play Johnson C. Smith at 3 p.m. Friday in the other semifinal.

Neither Bowie (9-15) or Virginia State (17-13) could pull away in what was a tight battle from start to finish.

The Trojans held the biggest lead during regulation when they took a five-point, 8-3 advantage early in the first half. But Bowie quickly wiped that advantage out with a jumper by Kim Jones (10 points) and a three-pointer from Baynard Cortney (four points) to tie the score 8-8.

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TSU's Covington and Thornton Pick Up OVC Honors

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Tennessee State University's Robert Covington and Kellen Thornton garnered Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball All-Conference accolades as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.

Covington, a junior forward from Bellwood, Ill., was a first team All-OVC selection, while Chicago native Kellen Thornton earned All-Newcomer status.

Covington showed his all-around game by ranking in the Top-10 in seven different OVC stat categories. The junior ranked second in the OVC in rebounding (8.1/game), third in scoring (18.1/game), third in 3-point percentage (45.0%), fourth in blocks (1.3/game), fifth in steals (1.6/game), sixth in field goal percentage (52.6%) and eighth in 3-pointers made (2.0/game). Covington also led the OVC with nine double-doubles in 30 total games and helped Tennessee State to its first winning season since 1995-96.

He was named OVC Player of the Week twice during the season, including on Feb. 13 after helping the Tigers to a victory at No. 7 Murray State in which he scored 17 points and had eight rebounds including hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer late in the contest. That game was the only blemish an opponent put on Murray State record during the regular season.

A year ago, Covington earned second team All-OVC honors. He also earned All-Newcomer status as a freshman. Prior to the regular season, Covington was a preseason All-OVC selection.

In his first year on the court for the Tigers, Thornton came off the bench to average 9.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. The Illinois State transfer garnered Newcomer of the Week honors on three occasions this season. He averaged a double-double, notching a season-high 17 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to Murray State last Thursday.

With one more victory the Tigers will reach the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 1978-79 season. TSU is the No. 2 seed in the OVC Tournament - the first since the 1995-96 season.

Tennessee State will play in the OVC Tournament semifinal on Friday, March 2. The Tigers will face either No. 3 Morehead State, No. 6 Austin Peay or No. 7 Jacksonville State. Friday's tip time is at 8 p.m. ESPN carries the semifinal round as Bob Wischusen and Fran Fraschilla call the action.

Robert Covington and Kellen Thornton
Courtesy: Sam Jordan / TSU Athletics

ALL-OVC FIRST TEAM

Isaiah Canaan, Murray State
Robert Covington, Tennessee State
Kevin Murphy, Tennessee Tech
Donte Poole, Murray State
Jud Dillard, Tennessee Tech

ALL-OVC SECOND TEAM

Jaron Jones, Eastern Kentucky

Tyler Stone, Southeast Missouri

John Fraley, Austin Peay

Jeremy Granger, Eastern Illinois

Ivan Aska, Murray State

Mark Yelovich, SIUE

ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM
Tyler Stone, Southeast Missouri
Myles Taylor, UT Martin
Mike DiNunno, Eastern Kentucky
Kellen Thornton, Tennessee State
Jerome Jones, SIUE

OVC Player of the Year: Isaiah Canaan, Murray State
OVC Defensive Player of the Year: Jewuan Long, Murray State
OVC Freshman of the Year: Myles Taylor, UT Martin
OVC Coach of the Year: Steve Prohm, Murray State

OVC Men's Basketball Release

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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Lady Tigers fall to EKU in first round of OVC tournament

Nashville, Tennessee --- The Tennessee State University women's basketball team fell to Eastern Kentucky, 70-55, in the first round of the 2012 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Wednesday afternoon in the Municipal Auditorium.

Tennessee State finishes the season with an overall record of 9-20.

Jasmin Shuler was the only Lady Tiger to score in double-digits. She finished the game with 13 points while Simone Hopes and Rachel Allen each scored nine points. Kim Haynes registered a team-best nine rebounds.

Raechele Gray and Jade Barber led EKU with 16 points while Alex Jones added 15. Marie Carpenter notched 11.

At the first media timeout, TSU was trailing EKU, 7-4. Out of the break buckets by Chelsea Hudson and Kim Haynes gave the Lady Tigers an, 8-7 lead. 

At the 10:23 mark, TSU went on top 12-7 following a lay-up by Rachel Allen but six straight points from Jade Barber gave the lead right back to EKU, 13-12. The Lady Colonels moved ahead, 16-12, after nailing a triple from the corner and later stretched their advantage to double-digits.

TSU pulled within four before going into the halftime break trailing, 26-20.

In the second stanza, TSU was outscored 8-2 in the opening four and a half minutes and fell behind, 34-22.

The Lady Tigers saw the deficit increase to 13 before forcing a turnover and scoring a lay-up to cut the deficit down to single digits. EKU, however, scored on the next possession to go back up, 39-29.

TSU continued to fight and began to chip away at EKU's lead behind its defensive pressure.

A couple of free-throws by Jasmin Shuler chopped the EKU lead down to four before another freebie by Shuler pulled TSU within three with about five minutes left to play.

The Lady Colonels, however, answered with an 8-1 run that put them back on top by double-digits, 57-47, one minute later. TSU called a timeout in an effort to slow EKU down.

On TSU's next possession, Jasmin Shuler nailed a triple from the top of the key to make the score, 57-50.

Five consecutive free-throws by EKU gave the Lady Colonels, a 62-50, lead with 1:54 left on the clock.

The Lady Tigers were unable to forge a comeback.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Scores That Matters!!

February 29, 2012

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

SIAC Tournament (2/28)
Miles College 60, Paine 53
Clark Atlanta 62, Lane 47
Albany State 57, Claflin 51
(2/29)
Benedict 60, Clark Atlanta 38
Fort Valley State 99, LeMoyne-Owen 64

OVC Tournament
Eastern Kentucky 70, Tennessee State 55

CIAA TOURNAMENT (2/28)
Virginia State 72, Livingstone 54
Saint Augustine's 49, Elizabeth City State 46
Chowan 51, Fayetteville State 50
Winston Salem State 79, Lincoln (Pa.)
(2/29)
Bowie State 72, Virginia State 67 (2OT)
Chowan 52, Virginia Union 38
Shaw 80, Saint Augustine's 73
Johnson C. Smith 75, Winston Salem State 70

MEN'S BASKETBALL

SIAC Tournament (2/28)
Claflin 73, Lane 57
Fort Valley State 86, Miles 80
(2/29)
Stillman 93, Claflin 69
Albany State 63, Kentucky State 60
Paine 63, Morehouse 60
Fort Valley State 80, Tuskegee 77

CIAA Tournament (2/28)
Livingstone 67, Chowan 52
Saint Augustine's 50, Lincoln (Pa.) 49
(2/29)
Livingstone 60, Virginia State 58
Fayetteville State 65, Saint Augustine's 53

2012 CIAA Tournament History

TSU Lady Tigers begin OVC quest with Eastern Kentucky

BRACKET | GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | TWITTER | LIVE VIDEO 2

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The Tennessee State University women's basketball team will face Eastern Kentucky in the opening round of the 2012 Ohio Valley Conference tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 29 at 2 p.m. in Municipal Auditorium.

The Lady Tigers enter the tournament as the seventh seed and will face the sixth seeded Colonels in the second game of Wednesday's daytime doubleheader.

The first rounds and quarterfinals will be available on OVCSports.TV for free. The semifinals and final will be broadcast on ESPN 3, ESPN Full Court and select stations in OVC markets. Among the select stations are WEIU, WLJT-DT and WCTE.

TSU dropped both contests against EKU this season, falling to the Colonels, 79-59, on the road before suffering a disappointing, 73-66, loss in the Gentry Center.

In the first meeting between the two teams, Tayla Foster led TSU with 21 points while Destiney Gaston finished with 13. Alana Morris grabbed a team-best eight rebounds.

TSU shot 30.6 percent (22-of-72) from the field, including 20.8 percent (5-of-24) from three-point range while knocking down 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from the free-throw line. EKU shot 50.8 percent (30-of- 59) from the field, 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from long range and 68.8 percent (11-of-16) from the charity stripe.

In the second match-up of the season, Tennessee State was led in scoring by Kim Haynes' 19 points while Simone Hopes added 16. Rachel Allen (12) and Chelsea Hudson (10) also recorded double figures as TSU's leading scorer Jasmin Shuler was held to only three points.

Although Tennessee State only committed 10 turnovers, the Lady Tigers seemed out of sync the entire game. TSU shot 32.1 percent (25-of-78) from the field and 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from three-point range.

Eastern Kentucky knocked down 43.1 percent (25-of-58) of its shots, including 30.8 percent (4-of-13) from long range.

This season, TSU averaged 62.5 points per game vs. Eastern Kentucky while shooting 31.3 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from long range. Tayla Foster led the Lady Tigers in scoring with an average of 10.5 ppg while TSU's leading scorer Jasmin Shuler was held to a combined 12 points through both games of the season series.

EKU averaged 76.0 ppg behind a .470 field goal percentage, including .429 from three-point range. The Colonels also shot 83.3 percent from the charity stripe.

FIRST ROUND - Wednesday, Feb. 29

Game 1 - #5 Morehead State vs. #8 Austin Peay - 12 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
Game 2 - #6 Eastern Kentucky vs. #7 Tennessee State - 2 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)  Watch Replay of TSU Game at OVCSports.TV

QUARTERFINALS - Thursday, March 1
Game 3 - #4 Murray State vs. Game 1 winner - 12 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
Game 4 - #3 Tennessee Tech vs. Game 2 winner - 2 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

SEMIFINALS - Friday, March 2
Game 5 - #1 UT Martin vs. Game 3 winner - 12 p.m. (ESPN3)
Game 6 - #2 Eastern Illinois vs. Game 2 winner - 2 p.m. (ESPN3)

CHAMPIONSHIP - Saturday, March 3
Game 7 - Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner - 4:30 p.m. (ESPN3) All Times Central

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

2011-12 All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Basketball Teams

2011-12 All Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Team
Name School Position Height Class Hometown PPG

Christine Conners SUNO Forward 5-10 Senior Prairieville, La. 9.2
Portia Craft Tougaloo Guard 5-4 Sophomore McComb, Miss. 12.4
Lauren Daniel Dillard Guard 5-7 Senior New Orleans, La. 10.0
Nacori Foreman Fisk Center 5-10 Sophomore Atlanta, Ga. 8.1
SiMon Franklin Xavier Guard 5-7 Junior Baton Rouge, La. 9.8
Jasmine Grant Xavier Guard 5-8 Senior Shreveport, La. 9.4
Keldra Hall Xavier Center 6-0 Senior Dallas, Texas 10.0
Megan Iloff Talladega Guard 5-7 Junior Los Angeles, Calif. 15.4
Caryan Jones Philander Smith Guard 5-4 Freshman Star City, Ark. 15.0
Victoria Jones Tougaloo Forward 5-10 Senior Saginaw, Mich. 15.2
Ariel Mitchell Dillard Guard 5-7 Senior St. James, La. 14.8
Ebony Presha Edward Waters Guard/Forward 5-9 Senior Jacksonville, Fla. 14.7
Ebony Richardson Talladega Guard 5-4 Senior Oakland, Calif. 15.2
Jazzmin Smith Dillard Forward 5-11 Junior Lake Charles, La. 14.8
Kelly Stewart SUNO Guard 5-3 Senior Baton Rouge, La. 14.9
Bianca Thomas Talladega Center 6-3 Junior Forest, Miss. 12.0


Player of the Year: Victoria Jones, Tougaloo College
Newcomer of the Year: Megan Iloff, Talladega College
Freshman of the Year: Caryan Jones, Philander Smith College 
Coach of the Year: Bo Browder, Xavier University of Louisiana

2011-12 All Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Team

Name School Class Position

Ken Brown Philander Smith Senior Guard
Carlton Darling Edward Waters Sophomore Forward
Kadon Day Tougaloo Sophomore Forward/Center
Denzell Erves Xavier Junior Forward
Kerry Harvis Talladega Senior Guard
Chris Iles Xavier Senior Guard
Marquise Mems Tougaloo Senior Guard/Forward
Anthony Simmons Xavier Senior Forward
Devin White SUNO Junior Forward/Center
Horace Whitehead Tougaloo Senior Forward

Player of the Year: Ken Brown, Philander Smith College
Freshman of the Year: Kevin Dukes, Southern University at New Orleans
Newcomer of the Year: Ken Brown, Philander Smith College
Coach of the Year: Dannton Jackson, Xavier University of Louisiana

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

XU's Hall, Franklin, Grant selected to GCAC all-conference team

Keldra Hall

Jasmine Grant

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Keldra Hall, SiMon Franklin and Jasmine Grant were named Tuesday to the 2011-12 All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball team. XU's Bo Browder was a repeat selection as Coach of the Year.

The eight GCAC head coaches chose the 16-player team.



Hall, a 6-foot senior center from Dallas and a graduate of Molina High School and Angelina College, is All-GCAC for the second straight season. She averaged 10 points and shot 51.2 percent from the floor and blocked 18 shots, all team bests, in 30 regular-season games. She averaged 6.3 rebounds.

Franklin, a 5-7 junior guard from Baton Rouge, La., and a graduate of St. Joseph's Academy, averaged 9.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals and shot 45.6 percent from the floor in 30 games.



SiMon Franklin



Coach Bo Browder



 Grant, a 5-8 senior guard from Shreveport, La., and a graduate of Southwood High School, averaged 9.4 points and 2.2 assists in 30 games and made 66 3-pointers. She overcame a knee injury which sidelined her the final 26 games this past season to rank 15th in NAIA Division I in 3-pointers made and among the top 50 in 3-pointers made per game, 3-point accuracy and assist/turnover ratio.

Browder, 320-110 in 13 seasons at Xavier, is GCAC Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season and the fifth time overall. His Gold Nuggets (22-8) won the GCAC regular-season championship by a game over Talladega and have been ranked in the top 25 all season.

Xavier, two-time defending champion of the GCAC Tournament, will play Fisk at 10 a.m. EST Thursday in the quarterfinals at Jacksonville, Fla.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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WSSU women roll past Lincoln

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- Now they can start thinking about Johnson C. Smith.

Before the Winston-Salem State women played Lincoln (Pa.) in their CIAA tournament opener, coach Steve Joyner feared that his players would look past that game and anticipate a rematch with the Golden Bulls.

He can put his fear to rest. Courtney Medley scored 17 points, and Winston-Salem State defeated Lincoln 79-57 in the first round Tuesday at Time Warner Arena. Next is Johnson C. Smith in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m. today. The Golden Bulls swept the Rams in the regular season.

"We have to take better care of the ball, defend and rebound against them," Joyner said of Johnson C. Smith. "We also have to keep them off the glass."

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St. Aug advances in CIAA Tourney on Kindred buzzer-beater

JON KINDRED
6'-5" 195 FORWARD, JUNIOR
HOMETOWN: RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA
MOUNT ZION CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
MAJOR: SPORTS MANAGEMENT

Charlotte, North Carolina — Junior forward Jon Kindred (Raleigh, N.C.) scored the last five points for Saint Augustine's College including the game-winning shot at the horn for a 50-49 victory over Lincoln (Pa.) University Tuesday (Feb. 28) in the nightcap game on the first day of the the CIAA Tournament. The Falcons (14-13), seeded sixth in the Southern Division, advance to the second round Wednesday where they will face Fayetteville State at 9 p.m.

"We live to fight another day," Kindred said.

Kindred caught a pass and buried a jumper at the top of the key with no time remaining. Once the ball swished through the nets, Kindred ran around the court as his teammates chased him in jubilation. Earlier, Kindred drilled a three-pointer with 39 seconds left to tie the score at 48-48. George Jackson of Lincoln hit one of two free throws to give the Lions a 49-48 lead which set the stage for Kindred's heroics

Tyquan Stroman led the Falcons with 16 points. Denzel Mooney scored 12 points and Jackson added 10 for the Lions (11-18), the No. 5 seed in the Northern Division.

BOXSCORE

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PHOTO COURTESY: SAINT AUGUSTINE'S SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE
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Holt lifts Virginia State Over Livingstone to Open CIAA Tournament

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – Twice the Livingstone Blue Bears left Brianna Holt alone on the wing in the second half of Tuesday’s opening round CIAA Tournament game.

And twice Holt burned them.

Holt led all players with 19 points, hitting those two pivotal 3-pointers to spark a decisive 17-5 run as Virginia State held off the upset-minded Blue Bears 72-54 to advance to the tournament’s second round at TimeWarner Cable Arena.

Virginia State will play the North’s No. 2 seed, Bowie State, at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. The Lady Trojans split the regular season meetings with the Lady Bulldogs.

The game was close throughout as both teams struggled to find any consistency with their shooting from the floor. Livingstone (7-22), the Southern Division’s No. 6 seed, finished shooting just 35 percent from the floor while Northern Division third seed Virginia State (17-12) shot just 38 percent.

But Holt was the constant throughout, hitting 7 of 8 from the foul line in the first half to help the Lady Trojans to a 26-21 edge at the break. The two 3s were even more critical, spurring the run not long after the Blue Bears had just ripped off an 11-3 spurt to take a 38-37 lead with 11:56 to go in the game.

Holt answered with a pair of foul shots to give the lead back to Virginia State, then hit 3s on two of the next three possessions to put Virginia State back in front, 46-38, with 10 minutes left. Livingstone never got closer than six points the rest of the way.

“We came out of the huddle and wanted to run our overload play, setting up shooters on the right and the left,” said Virginia State head coach James Hill, who notched his 99th career victory. “We knew we would have an opportunity to get a couple of open looks, and if you don’t shoot it, you’ll never know whether you’ll make it or not.”

Livingstone coach Angelyne Brown said Holt’s two 3s were daggers.

“We tried to switch up defensively and when we did, (the Lady Trojans) were able to kick it back out, and that was the difference,” Brown said. “We had opportunities, but couldn’t capitalize.”

LaMesha Deal added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Lady Trojans while Da’Shae Jones had 14 points.

Kelcyn Manurs led Livingstone with 13 points while Jasmine Murray had 12. Tyesha Tharpe led all players with 13 rebounds.

The first half was a struggle for both teams, with Livingstone shooting just 29 percent from the field. Virginia State wasn’t much better, connecting on just 32 percent of its shot attempts.

That enabled the game to stay close, though the Lady Trojans managed to build their largest lead after Marquilla Evans capped a 9-2 run with 3-pointer for a 25-17 lead with 3:18 to go in the period.

Virginia State’s defense frustrated the Lady Blue Bears, forcing 11 turnovers and holding Livingstone without a field goal for nearly 4 ½ minutes at the end of the half. Still, the Blue Bears remained close, snapping the drought with a three-point play by Sophie Lepzem with 41.2 seconds to go, leading to the halftime score of 26-21.

“I knew having the 11 a.m. game it would be a slow game,” Hill said. “This is the first time for a lot of our girls to have the arena experience, but I think we were able to get the butterflies out of our stomachs by playing this morning.”

COURTESY: VIRGINA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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Livingstone Blue Bears Roll 67-52 Over Chowan Behind Mark Thomas' Career-High 28 Points

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  –  Mark “AJ” Thomas scored a career-high 28 points as the Livingstone men's basketball team, after a slow start, cruised to a 67-52 victory over the Chowan University Hawks in the opening round of the 2012 CIAA Tournament hosted at the Time Warner Cable Arena.

Livingstone couldn't have imagined a slower start as the Blue Bears went 1-for-13 from the field to start the game and had only two points through the first nine minutes. Luckily for the Blue Bears, Chowan wasn't hitting shots either and Livingstone trailed only 7-2.

Despite the slow start, the Blue Bears responded in a big way, fueled by Mark “AJ” Thomas. Livingstone went on a 19-3 run with Thomas hitting three three-pointers and having 11 total points to take a 21-10 lead with 5:55 left in the first half.

Chowan got back within four points of the Blue Bears with 149 left in the opening half, but Livingstone was able to close the half on a 6-2 run to take a 30-22 lead into the break.

The Hawks came out and knocked down a three-pointer to start the second half, but the Blue Bears responded with a 15-0 run to open a 20-point cushion, 45-25, with 14:39 left in the game. Chowan fought back on an 8-0 run and trailed 45-33 with 10:20 on the clock.

Chowan continued to trail by 12 at 52-40 with 7:19 remaining, but the Blue Bears rattled off seven-straight points to regain a 19-point edge with 5:55 remaining. The Blue Bears were able to maintain a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game to take home the victory.

Mark Thomas scored his 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range. Also in double figures was Trone Jackson with 15 points and Greg Henry with 11. Tyler Johnson led the Blue Bears with 11 rebounds

The Blue Bears shot 48 percent for the game including a blistering 59 percent in the second half. Livingstone also connected on 45.5 percent of its three-point attempts and 66.7 percent of its free-throw attempts.

Livingstone will now play Wednesday night at 7 p.m. against the Trojans of Virginia State University in the second round of the 2012 CIAA Tournament.

COURTESY: LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION
VISIT: BLUEBEARATHLETICS.COM
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Fayetteville State women lose to Chowan on last-second layup at CIAA Tournament

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina - The Fayetteville State women achieved two of the major goals set by Coach Eva Patterson-Heath this season by doubling their win total from a year ago and finishing higher than predicted in the preseason league poll. But the Broncos fell just shy of achieving a third and perhaps most important goal Tuesday.

FSU let a 14-point second-half advantage slip away and gave up a last-second shot that got them ousted in the first round of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament for a second straight year.

Ransheda Jennings got behind the FSU defense to sink a layup with 1.6 seconds left to lift Chowan to a 51-50 triumph at Time Warner Cable Arena. The shot completed a comeback that saw the Hawks, a No. 5 seed from the CIAA's Northern Division, knock off the South Division's No. 4 seeded Broncos.

The Hawks (11-16) will face the Northern Division's top seed, Virginia Union, in the second round today at 1 p.m.

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First Lady returning to Charlotte to celebrate CIAA Tournament

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina - First Lady Michelle Obama will be in Charlotte Friday to attend several fundraisers and a CIAA pre-game event. The White House announced the First Lady's travels on Tuesday.

She will begin her day trip to the Tarheel State at Raleigh-Durham International Airport where she will meet with members of the U.S. Military. She will then attend a Democratic National Committee event in Raleigh before heading to Charlotte.

The First Lady will join Senator Kay Hagan and North Carolina school children for a Let's Move! on-court event during the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Tournament and 100th Anniversary celebration.


First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden Speak on Military Spouse Employment, February 27, 2012.

The CIAA, known as the "Conference of Firsts" is the oldest African-American athletic conference in the nation and consists of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) spanning the east coast from Pennsylvania to North Carolina.

Space is limited, and media seeking to cover this program between the 1:00pm and 3:00pm games, should RSVP to Shera White, Director of Communications at swhite@theciaa.com by Tuesday, February 28 at 6:00 PM.

Heightened security measures will be in effect in preparation for Mrs. Obama's arrival. Media and Tournament attendees are advised to arrive at 10:30 am on Friday, March 2 if they plan on attending the 1:00 p.m. game; airport security measures are to be expected.

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WBB: St. Aug slips past ECSU on fist day of CIAA Tourney

Charlotte, North Carolina — Saint Augustine’s College pulled out another wild CIAA Tournament victory over Elizabeth City State Tuesday (Feb. 28) at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The Lady Falcons eked out a 49-46 first-day win to advance to Wednesday’s round. They will face crosstown nemesis Shaw University, the defending CIAA champion, for the third time this season. Game time is 3 p.m.

“We went into the [ECSU] game knowing we had to fight and battle,” St. Aug head coach Rachel Bullard said. “We have been doing that all season. I am excited for our kids.”

For the second straight year, the Lady Falcons (14-13 overall), seeded fifth in the Southern Division, went down-to-the-wire with the Lady Vikings (13-14), the No. 4 seed from the Northern Division. Last season, the Lady Falcons rallied from a 13-point tournament deficit in the second half to win by two points.

Photo Gallery: CIAA tournament Tuesday 02.28.12

2012 CIAA basketball tournament schedule |

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NCA&T Head Coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs Wins Her 500th Game

HEAD COACH PATRICIA CAGE-BIBBS
LADY AGGIES BASKETBALL
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY

SAVANNAH, Georgia - North Carolina A&T women's basketball head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs became the 51st head coach to join the all-time NCAA Division I 500 win club on Monday, as the Aggies defeated Savannah State by a 88-74 final at Tiger Arena. She ranks 27th on the active Division I wins list with 500.

Bibbs' career record is 500-292. As the seconds ticked down on the clock, one thought was going through Bibbs' head.

"Oh my goodness, it's over, we got it. My girls did it, my ladies did it. They did what they said they were going to do," she said.

To get to 500 has meant a lot of hard work for Bibbs over her 27 years as a head coach at a Division I historically black university.

"Well it means that it's been trials, it's been tribulation, it's been hardships, but it's been more good than bad. A lot of times when you're a coach, especially when you're a young coach, you don't think about that. In my younger years of coaching, I never thought about that," Bibbs said. "Then it was 100, then 200, then 300, then 400. I never really thought about 500. I want to thank (SID) Brian Holloway because he always is very good with numbers, and statistics and history. He was the one that really brought it to my attention that I was right there."

Bibbs is now the first head coach to win all 500 games as the head coach of a Division I HBCU program, and she will be the second MEAC coach to join the 500 club, after Norfolk State's James Sweat. Bibbs became the 38th active head women's basketball coach to capture 400 career wins during the 2007-08 season. She won No. 400 on Nov. 23, 2007 with an 88-62 victory over UNC Asheville in her third season with the Aggies.

"I mean for me to remain at an HBCU and do the things, it was always about my players. I wanted to stay at an HBCU for things like this to give kids an opportunity to feel the passion and the history-they're a part of it," Bibbs said.

Redshirt sophomore Amber Calvin secured the win for the Aggies, posting a career-high 33 points along with three rebounds and three assists to put her at 102 for the season. It marked the eighth time in program history that a player has posted 100 or more assists in a season. She went 13-for-13 from the free throw line, and had four 3-pointers in the contest.

"Amber Calvin is awesome. She's court saavy. She has that fight, she's awesome," Bibbs said. "She rallied her troops, she did. I'm so proud."

An and-one by Calvin tied the game up at 59-59 with 12:31 left in the game. After Jasmine Kirkland hit a free throw, Calvin hit a jumper just inside the arc to give A&T a 61-60 lead with 12:10 on the clock. The Tigers regained the upper hand with a one-point advantage as Ezinne Kalu scored on a layup.

But the Aggies were not finished.

The Aggies then went on a 13-0 run to recapture the lead. Calvin gave the Aggies the lead with a 3-pointer from the corner to make it 64-62 with 10:51. Nikia Gorham put in the layup off a Calvin pass to put A&T up by four. Freshman guard Adriana Nazario hit a pair of free throws and Jessica Lyons hit a jumper to extend the lead to eight. A layup by Berry followed by a jumper by DeAndra Davis made it a 74-62 game for the Aggies with seven minutes to play. From there, the Aggies stayed in control.

It was a very fast and furious first half as both teams raced up and down the court exchanging blows. The Tigers and Aggies exchanged the lead eight times and the score was tied nine times in the opening 20 minutes of play. The Tigers led 50-44 at the half. It was all the more impressive that the Aggies were behind by just six because the Tigers shot 71 percent from the floor.

"Wow, I mean we said that we've never had people score 50 points on us in the first half, and I think our defense just wasn't clicking. Then we said, 'Hey guys, we know what you did on Saturday night. You've got to bring that energy, bring that passion and you've just got to go back out there and play your game. Let's get back to what we were doing, let's get back to how we were doing it. Let's get back to execution and they just did it. They did it. I'm so happy," Bibbs said.

The Aggies return home to take on Norfolk State at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 1 in their regular season finale. The Aggies will celebrate their homecoming from their final roadtrip on Thursday with a ceremony honoring Bibbs and her achievement.

COURTESY: NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SWAC champion Delta Devils tame Tigers with 3-point clinic

COACH SEAN WOODS

JACKSON, Mississippi  -  Half of the players seated on the Mississippi Valley State bench leaped to their feet. All of them held up the same amount of fingers on each hand. Not one - the usual and something you'd expect from a team that has already claimed a conference championship. No, they held up three fingers.

The Delta Devils hit 14 3s - Kevin Burwell alone had seven during a career-high day - and this hot-rolling team from the Delta continued its winning ways, beating Jackson State 78-69 on Monday night in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPNU.

"I did that in high school," Burwell said afterward. "It was just one of those days." Winner of 17 straight, Mississippi Valley (18-11, 17-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference) moved a step closer to accomplishing a first in this league.

No team has gone 18-0 in the regular season.

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Savannah State Tigers claim share of MEAC title

SAVANNAH, Georgia - It’s never been more fun to be a fan of Savannah State men’s basketball. The Tigers won again Monday night and gave their fist-pumping, key-shaking faithful of 2,490 in Tiger Arena at least a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season title.

SSU defeated North Carolina A&T, 62-50, for its 12th straight victory — a school best since the records began being kept 31 years ago. The Tigers (20-10, 13-2 MEAC) can claim the conference title outright and earn a bid to a national tournament by defeating Maryland Eastern Shore on the road Thursday.



“It’s funny, you look forward to this day happening, and then it happens before you know it,” SSU coach Horace Broadnax said. “I’m happy for the players and alumni who endured (the tough times) and understood what basketball is all about.”

Broadnax’s first team went 2-28 — a part of a disappointing six-year stretch from 2000-2006 when the Tigers combined for a 15-151 mark.

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XU' Erves earns a pair of player-of-the-week awards



DENZELL ERVES #15
6'-7"/205 FORWARD, JUNIOR
Hometown: VICKSBURG, MS
VICKSBURG HIGH SCHOOL



NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana's Denzell Erves received a pair of honors Monday. He was chosen Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week in men's basketball, and he shared Louisiana Player of the Week with two others.

Erves, a 6-foot-7 junior forward from Vicksburg, Miss., and a graduate of Vicksburg High School, averaged 17 points, 9.5 rebounds and shot 56.5 percent from the floor to help the Gold Rush (22-7) close the regular season with GCAC road victories against Fisk and Dillard. Against Fisk he had 16 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season -- the most by an XU player since the start of 2003-04 -- and he had 18 points, nine rebounds and two blocks to help the Rush complete a regular-season sweep of its longtime city rival. He helped Xavier score back-to-back 20-point victories in conference for the first time since January 1996.

Erves tied for the Louisiana award, which is chosen by a Louisiana Sports Writers Association panel, with Trevor Gaskins of Louisiana Tech and Ricky Tarrant of Tulane.

It's the third time this season that Erves won the GCAC award. Teammate Anthony Simmons has won twice this season, and Cordell Hadnot and Nick Haywood did it once each.

In 29 games this season, Erves is averaging 9.4 points and a team-best 6.6 rebounds. He has started 28 times and leads Xavier with 29 blocked shots.

Xavier will play Fisk at 4 p.m. EST Thursday in the quarterfinals of the GCAC Tournament at Jacksonville, Fla.

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