Nuggets top Talladega for 3rd straight GCAC tourney title

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- Tournament MVP SiMon Franklin scored 13 points Saturday to lead top-seeded Xavier University of Louisiana to a 58-50 women's basketball victory against Talladega in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference championship game.

Franklin, a junior guard, scored a 3-point play with 11:01 remaining to put the Gold Nuggets ahead to stay, 38-35.

Xavier (25-8), ranked 20th in NAIA Division I, won the tournament for the third consecutive season, the fourth time in five years and the 13th time overall. The Nuggets earned the GCAC's automatic berth in the national tournament, which will begin March 14 at Frankfort, Ky. The 32-team bracket and game times will be announced Wednesday.

Franklin averaged 12 points, three rebounds, 2.7 assists and shot 50 percent from the floor in three tournament games.

"Monee Franklin has had a great year -- her best year with us so far," XU coach Bo Browder said. "She redshirted last season, but she came back focused and locked-in on being a better player, teammate and student. She accomplished all three."

Jazmoné Kelly and Jasmine Grant scored 11 points apiece for Xavier. Grant and Brandi Young were XU's other representatives of the six-player all-tournament team. Young was all-tournament for the second straight year. Kelly led the Nuggets with eight rebounds and four steals.

Stephanie DeFrance scored 14 points for second-seeded Talladega (22-8), and Bianca Thomas had 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Xavier led 21-7 after 13 minutes and 27-18 at halftime. The Nuggets never trailed and were tied twice, both in the first nine minutes of the second half.

"I wasn't worried when Talladega came back on us," Franklin said. "We knew Talladega's a good team and that it would be a hard game to win, but we knew we had enough to finish. We've been preparing for those types of situations all season."

Young's 12-foot jumper on the right baseline gave Xavier a 54-48 lead with 1:21 remaining. Grant scored the game's last three points on free throws in the final 30 seconds.

The Nuggets outshot the Lady Tornadoes 36.1 to 28.1 percent from the floor.

It's the first time a school won three consecutive GCAC women's tournaments since Xavier won five straight from 1994-98. Browder was an assistant during the final season of that earlier streak, and he is 6-3 in GCAC championship games as a head coach.

Xavier has won seven in a row and 18 of its past 21 games. The Nuggets qualified for nationals for the 16th time in 18 seasons and the 11th time in Browder's 13 seasons as head coach. Xavier is 44-2 against GCAC opponents since the start of the 2009-10 season.

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

WSSU Rams win CIAA Championship 62-51

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- With the CIAA celebrating its 100-year anniversary, it was appropriate that one of its history-building schools won the whole shooting match.  Winston-Salem State used a stingy defense and a Princeton-like offense to subdue Elizabeth City State 62-51 on Saturday night in front of around 12,000 at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The significance of winning the school's 11th CIAA basketball title wasn't lost on hero Stephon Platt, who scored 21 points off the bench and was a beast on the boards with 10 rebounds.



"It feels good to win it for coach (Bobby) Collins, for the university and for the city of Winston," Platt said, "and with it being the 100th year I know that coach (Big House) Gaines is looking down on us smiling right now."Gaines wove an incredible career in his 47 years as coach of the Rams, and Collins also gave credit to Gaines, who died in April of 2005.

"With this being the 100th anniversary of the CIAA, you think Big House Gaines because he was a part of building that legacy and I'm glad we were able to get this for Winston-Salem State and the Gaines' family," Collins said.

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Championship Saturday: Scores That Matters!!

March 3, 2012

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIPS
 
CIAA
Shaw University (23-6)72, Johnson C. Smith University (22-6) 66

SIAC
Fort Vally State University (23-6)  61, Tuskegee University (20-9)  52

GCAC
Xavier University of Louisiana (25-8) 58, Talladega College (22-8) 50


MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIPS

CIAA
Winston-Salem State University (21-8) 62, Elizabeth City State (17-13)  51

SIAC
Benedict College (19-10) 58, LeMoyne-Owen College (18-11)  42

GCAC
Southern University-New Orleans (17-13) 79, Tougaloo College (25-8) 58

OVC
Murray State (30-1) 54, Tennessee State University (20-12)  52

Tennessee State Tiger's NCAA berth gone in 4.4 seconds

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennessee State’s hopes of earning an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time in nearly two decades vanished in the last 4.4 seconds of the OVC Men’s Tournament championship on Saturday.

In the matter of seconds it took No. 12 Murray State’s Jewuan Long to decide not to give up the ball to teammate Isaiah Canaan, the OVC Player of the Year, and take the shot himself, TSU’s postseason plans were altered.

Long banked in a layup with 4.4 seconds remaining to gave the top-seeded Racers a two-point lead.

A desperation 3-point shot at the buzzer by TSU’s Robert Covington was way off, giving Murray a 54-52 victory and sending a Municipal Auditorium crowd of 6,454, mostly decked out in Murray State blue and yellow, into a frenzy.

“That last play definitely wasn’t made for me,” said Long, who had scored only four points up to that point. “Donte (Poole) drove in and passed me the ball, and my man closed too strong to help on Isaiah, so I drove past him.”

PHOTO GALLERY: TSU vs. MSU

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Winning tradition for Shaw University

CHAROLOTTE, North Carolina - Charlotte has played a tremendous host for the CIAA Tournament offering fans a little bit of everything.

The Bobcats arena has been busy everyday with events. And I am telling you, even though the Bobcats are the worst team in the NBA, I believe they have the best food in the NBA. They have soul food and seafood, plus the junk food. This place has it all.

All of the CIAA cheerleaders have been in attendance and came with a treat for the fans Saturday morning. Each year they dress up in different outfits and have a fierce competition to get audience reactions. As always the bands are participating and its a very exciting event.

Friday night was tough for the Shaw men's team. Winston-Salem State brought an end to both Shaw's 21-game winning streak and their chances of defending their CIAA championship. They were defeated by the Rams 51-48. The Bears, who are 25-3 overall, committed 20 turnovers. This was the same amount of TO's they had when they last lost against West Florida on Dec 13th.

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MEAC Women’s Bracket Set For 2012 Basketball Tournament

NORFOLK, Virginia -- The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced its women's pairings for the 2012 MEAC Basketball Tournament, March 5-10 at the Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The reigning MEAC Tournament champion Hampton Lady Pirates will enter the tournament as the top seed after concluding the regular-season with a 15-1 mark in MEAC play.

Hampton earned the tournament first-round bye and will open up play on Wednesday, March 7 at noon. They will face the winner of the No. 8 Bethune-Cookman vs. No. 9 Norfolk State matchup slated for Monday, March 5 at 11 a.m.

Monday's games will continue with No. 5 North Carolina A&T vs. No. 12 Morgan State at 1:30 p.m. and No. 4 Coppin State vs. No. 13 North Carolina Central at 4 p.m. No. 6 Maryland Eastern Shore (8-8) will take on Savannah State at 6:30 p.m. SSU earned the tiebreaker over MSU to secure the No. 11 spot.

No. 7 South Carolina State (7-9) won the tiebreaker over Bethune-Cookman and will match up against No. 10 Delaware State (4-12) at 9 p.m. in the final game of the day.

The Howard Lady Bison and Florida A&M Lady Rattlers both finished the season with a 14-2 mark in MEAC play and will share the conference's runners-up trophy. Howard won the tiebreaker over Florida A&M to secure the number two seed, while FAMU earned the third seed. The Lady Bison will meet the winner of No. 7 SCSU vs. No. 10 DSU on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. FAMU, the third seed, will face the winner of No. 6 UMES/No. 11 SSU on Thursday, March 8 at Noon.

The 2012 regular season champion, regular season runners-up, first-team members and top honorees including Player, Rookie, Defensive and Coach of the Year selections, will be recognized in pre-game presentations prior to the honorees first games in tournament play.

The 2012 MEAC Basketball Tournament tips-off Monday, March 5, and will conclude on Saturday, March 10 with the men's and women's championship games. The men's finale will begin at 1 p.m. and will broadcast live on ESPN2, followed by the women's game at 4 p.m. live on ESPNU. The preliminary games will also be streamed live on www.MEACsports.com. Live statistics of all games will be available on the conferences' official website and the tournament's official website, http://www.meachoops.com/

2012 MEAC Women's Basketball Tournament Bracket

COURTESY: MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS

TSU's Dates Claims Long Jump Title at High Tide Qualifier

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - TSU sophomore Royce Dates won the long jump at the University of Alabama High Tide Indoor Qualifier on Saturday at the Crossplex Indoor Arena.

Dates leapt a distance of 7.34-meters to win the long jump event over competitors from Alabama, Mississippi State and Southern Miss. Dates was looking to improve his personal best set last week in order to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Last week, the sophomore won the OVC Indoor title with his distance of 7.58-meters. Dates' mark ranked 29th in the nation as of Saturday evening.

The Tigers open the 2012 Outdoor Track & Field season with the Florida A&M Relays next Saturday, March 10 in Tallahassee, Fla.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SWAC Championship: Southern Jaguars Bowling rebounds from slow start, move to fourth

ARLINGTON, Texas -- After dropping their first three matches during day one of 2012 SWAC Bowling Championship, Southern women's bowling responded to tally 4404 pins and claim fourth place.

The Alabama A&M Lady Bulldogs cruised on the opening day of the SWAC Championship tournament, holding the top seed heading into the double-elimination Baker competition on Saturday at the International Training and Research Center.

A&M won all five of their matches, and led in the field in pinfall with a total of 4690. The Lady Bulldogs also were the only team to roll a 1000-plus game on the day, beating Southern 1001-870. A&M finished the day with 4670 pins.

West division champion Prairie View A&M earned the No. 2 seed, totalling 4537 pins. Texas Southern rebounded from a slow start to get the No. 3 seed (4427), while Southern rallied from the back of the pack to slide into No. 4 at 4404. Jackson State will be the 5th seed at 4277 and after a hot start, Alabama State slipped to sixth with 4276 pins.

Alabama A&M and Prairie View will begin Saturday with byes, while No. 4 Southern and No. 5 Jackson State faceoff in one opening round match at 9:30 a.m. No. 3 Texas Southern will take on Alabama State in the other first round match.

The winner of the Southern/Jackson State match gets Prairie View at 11:15, while the Texas Southern/Alabama State winner faces Alabama A&M. The losers will still be a alive, but will fall into the elimination bracket.

Day two of the competition will be streamed live on BowlTV.

Here are the team results from Friday.

Alabama A&M def. Texas Southern 902-827

Alabama State def. Southern 916-811

Prairie View def. Jackson State 888-805

Jackson State def. Southern 954-840

Texas Southern def. Alabama State 963-821

Alabama A&M def. Prairie View 976-953

Texas Southern def. Prairie View 911-902

Alabama A&M def. Southern 1001-870

Alabama State def. Jackson State 847-811

Prairie View def. Alabama State 911-820

Alabama A&M def. Jackson State 907-859

Southern def. Texas Southern 930-888

Jackson State def. Texas Southern 848-838

Alabama A&M def. Alabama State 904-872

Southern def. Prairie View 953-883

COURTESY: SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

CIAA Tournament LIVE Video Stream

SATURDAY - MARCH 3, 2012 Schedule of Games

Women's Bracket  |  Men's Bracket

CIAA Tournament Championship Finals (ESPNU- Tape delayed Broadcast)

Women's Championship
Shaw 72. Johnson C. Smith 66  5:00pm

Men's Championship
Elizabeth City State 51. Winston-Salem State 62  8:30pm

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 Scoreboard

Women

3N Virginia State 72 vs 6S Livingstone 54	11:00am
4N Elizabeth City State 46 vs 5S St. Augustine’s 49	1:00pm
4S Fayetteville State 50 vs 5N Chowan 51	3:00pm
3S Winston-Salem State 79 vs 6N Lincoln (PA) 57	5:00pm

Men

5S Livingstone 67 vs 6N Chowan 52	7:00pm
5N Lincoln (PA) 49 vs 6S St. Augustine’s 50	9:00pm

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 Scoreboard

Women

2N Bowie State 72 vs Virginia State 3N/6S 67 (2OT)	11:00am
1N Virginia Union 38 vs Chowan University 52 4S/5N	1:00pm
1S Shaw University  80 vs St. Augustine's  73 4N/5S	3:00pm
2S Johnson C. Smith 75 vs. 3S/6N  Winston Salem State 70	5:00pm

Men

N Virginia State 58 vs Livingstone College 5S/6N 60	7:00pm
4S Fayetteville State 65 vs St. Augustine's College 5N/6S  53	9:00pm

Thursday, March 1 (Bounce TV) Scoreboard

Men Only
2S Johnson C. Smith 56 vs 3N Elizabeth City State 64 1:00pm
1N Bowie State 72, 6N Livingstone 68  3:00pm
2N Virginia Union 55 vs 3S Winston-Salem State 56 7:00pm
1S Shaw 90, 6S Fayetteville State 77  9:00pm

Friday, March 2 (Bounce TV) Scoreboard

Women’s Semifinals
Shaw 59, Bowie State 44     1:00 pm
Johnson C. Smith 68, Chowan  55  3:00 pm 

Men’s Semifinals
Elizabeth City State 66, Bowie State 63 (OT) 7:00 pm
Shaw 48, Winston Salem State  51 9:00pm
 


READ MORE AT THECIAA.COM

Scores That Matters!!

March 2, 2012

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

GCAC Tournament Semifinals
Xavier 78, Tougaloo 67
Talladega 63, Edward Waters 43

SIAC Tournament Semifinals
Tuskegee 72, Stillman 65
Fort Valley State 79, Benedict 65

CIAA Tournament Semifinals
Shaw 59, Bowie State 44
Johnson C. Smith 68, Chowan 55


CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY, 1:00pm ESPN2 - Tennessee State vs, Murray State for OVC Title.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

GCAC Tournament Semifinals
Tougaloo 94, Philander Smith 88
Southern-New Orleans 66, Xavier 65

SIAC Tournament Semifinals
LeMoyne-Owen 64, Paine 61
Benedict 74, Fort Valley State 53

CIAA Tournament Semifinals
Elizabeth City State 66, Bowie State 63 (OT)
Winston-Salem State 51, Shaw 48

OVC Tournament Semifinals
Tennessee State University 59, Morehead State 52

Gold Nuggets outlast Tougaloo to reach another GCAC title game

Jasmine Grant
5'-8" Guard, Junior
Hometown: Shreveport, Louisiana
Southwood High School

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- Jasmine Grant, one of five double-figure scorers for NAIA No. 20 Xavier University of Louisiana, had 18 points Friday in a 78-67 women's basketball victory against Tougaloo in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Tournament.

The Gold Nuggets (24-8) won their sixth in a row and advanced to Saturday's noon EST championship game against second-seeded Talladega or sixth-seeded Edward Waters, who met later Friday. It's the sixth time in seven seasons the XU women are in the final.

Keldra Hall scored 14 points, Carmen Holcombe 13, SiMon Franklin 11 and Brandi Young 10 for Xavier, the tournament's top seed.

Portia Craft scored 18 points, Victoria Jones 16 and Kierra Addison 14 for fifth-seeded Tougaloo (15-14), which was eliminated by Xavier for the fourth consecutive year. The Nuggets beat the Lady Bulldogs 71-44 in the 2011 final.

Tougaloo's Kierra Addison scored a 3-point play on the game's opening possession, but her team never led again after Xavier responded with a 13-1 run. Tougaloo rallied for three ties in the final six minutes of the first half, but Young scored the final five points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer, to give Xavier a 36-31 advantage.

Xavier twice led by 18 in the second half -- the last time at 62-44 on Franklin's basket with 9:20 remaining -- but didn't clinch the victory until it outscored the Tougaloo 8-2 in the final 3:45.

"Tougaloo played strong," said Bo Browder, who reached the championship game for the ninth time in 13 seasons as Xavier's coach. "So we had to be strong too. We did a great job contesting every rebound and had a great six- or- seven-minute stretch in the second half to give us some cushion."

Grant, who missed the final 26 games of 2010-11 because of a knee injury, was 4-of-8 from 3-point range and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds. She and Holcombe were one point from season highs. Hall didn't start but was 6-of-7 from the floor, and Young and Franklin each had five assists, with Franklin matching her career best.

Jones, the GCAC Player of the Year, grabbed 16 rebounds, eight offensive. But Xavier had a 48-36 rebound advantage, 27-16 in the second half.

"I told our team before the game and I told them throughout the game that it was all about rebounding," Browder said. "That's a big reason why we'll be playing tomorrow."

Xavier outshot Tougaloo 42.6 to 34.5 percent from the floor, and both teams made six 3-pointers. The Nuggets excelled at the line, making 20-of-23 free throws to Tougaloo's 21-of-33. The Lady Bulldogs missed nine second-half free throws.

NOTES: XU sophomore Angelica Alexander scored a season-high six points . . . The Jones double-double was her seventh against Xavier and her third in as many meetings this season, but she finished her career with a 1-11 record against the Nuggets . . . Xavier scored its most points in a GCAC semifinal since 2002.

Box Score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

TSU Snatches 59-52 Win to Advance to OVC Title Game

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Tennessee State grinded out a 59-52 victory over Morehead State on Friday evening to advance to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Tigers will face Murray State in a nationally televised contest on ESPN2.

The Tigers (20-11) overcame 20 turnovers and shot 53 percent (20-of-28) to pick up their 20th win of the season - the first time a TSU squad reached that plateau since the 1978-79 campaign. For the evening, Morehead State (18-15) was held to 36 percent (20-of-56) shooting.

TSU inked 12 steals and staved off a second half rally by the Eagles to ensure the rubber match with nationally ranked Murray State on Saturday afternoon.

A trifecta of Tigers reached double-figures as Robert Covington led TSU with 14 points. The junior was 5-of-8 from the field, while grabbing four rebounds.

Jordan Cyphers came off the bench to knock down three triples and score 13 points. Guard Patrick Miller reached double-digits notching 13 points with six assists. Redshirt freshman M.J. Rhett inked eight points with four rebounds. Meanwhile, senior Wil Peters led all players with seven assists.

Tennessee State opened up the first half with a strong shooting performance, notching 56 percent (10-of-18) from the floor. The Tigers hit four makes beyond the arch, including three from Cyphers. Cyphers led TSU with 11 points at the break.

With 17:03 on the clock, Covington went down after making a hard fall. He would later return about five minutes later.

The Tigers' 8-2 run opened the game to 20-9, but Morehead State fought back with a triple late in the game to pull within 26-21 at the break.

Morehead State went on a brief run to take a one point lead at the 18:44 mark. The Tigers proceeded on a 6-0 run to lead 34-29. From there, the Tigers never surrendered the advantage.

The Eagles cut the deficit to within two on several occasions, but couldn't get the go-ahead points. TSU stretched its' largest lead to seven at the end of the game to pick up their second win over Morehead State this season.

Saturday's matchup with Murray State will be the third for the two teams in just three weeks. TSU won 72-68 at Murray State on Feb. 9 before the Racers clinched an 80-62 victory at the Gentry Center on Feb. 23.

Fans can watch the contest on ESPN2 with Bob Wischusen and Fran Franschilla calling the action. Tickets are still available for purchase at the Municipal Auditorium Box Office or Ticketmaster.com.

TSU vs. Morehead State Box

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Savannah State Clinches Top Seed in 2012 MEAC Tournament

NORFOLK, Virginia - The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced its men's pairings for the 2012 MEAC Basketball Tournament, March 5-10, at the Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Savannah State, who entered the conference just one year ago, earned the top seed after closing out the regular season with a 14-2 mark in MEAC play and an overall record of 21-10.

The Tigers earned the first-round bye and will open up play on Wednesday, March 7 beginning at 6 p.m. They will face the winner of the No. 8 Hampton/No. 9 Morgan State matchup set for Tuesday, March 6 at 11 a.m.

A four-team tie which resulted in the 2011 Tournament Champion Hampton Pirates securing the No. 8 seed also revealed Morgan State at No. 9, Howard finishing at No. 10 and Florida A&M with the No. 11 spot.

Men's action continues on Tuesday with No. 7 North Carolina A&T facing off against No. 10 Howard beginning at 1:30 p.m. North Carolina Central earned a No. 5 seed following the tiebreaker against Coppin State and will take on No. 12 Maryland Eastern Shore at 4 p.m.

Last year's regular season champion Bethune-Cookman (No. 4) will matchup against S.C. State (No. 13) beginning at 6:30 p.m. No. 6 Coppin State and No. 11 Florida A&M wraps up the first day's competition with a matchup slated at 9 p.m.

Norfolk State earned the runners-up trophy with a 13-3 record and will face the winners of the No. 7 N.C. A&T/No. 10 Howard matchup on Wednesday, March 7 beginning at 8 p.m. Delaware State secured the No. 3 seed to receive a two-day bye and will take on the winners of the No. 6 Coppin State/No. 11 Florida A&M game on Thursday, March 8 slated for 6 p.m.

The 2012 regular season champion, regular season runners-up, first-team members and top honorees including Player, Rookie, Defensive and Coach of the Year selections, will be recognized in pre-game presentations prior to the honorees first games in tournament play.

The 2012 MEAC Basketball Tournament tips-off Monday, March 5, and will conclude on Saturday, March 10 with the men's and women's championship games. The men's finale will begin at 1 p.m. and will broadcast live on ESPN2, followed by the women's game at 4 p.m. live on ESPNU. The preliminary games will also be streamed live on www.MEACsports.com. Live statistics of all games will be available on the conferences' official website and the tournament's official website, http://www.meachoops.com./

Click here to download the 2012 Men's Tournament Bracket.

COURTESY: MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS

Bowie State men lose in CIAA semifinal

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina - For the second year in a row, the Bowie State University men's basketball team lost its opening game in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament. Elizabeth City State (15-13) outscored the Bullodgs 33-28 in the second half and 9-6 in overtime to earn a 66-33 victory in a CIAA semifinal in Charlotte, N.C.

Bowie State led by five points at halftime and by as much as seven in the early minutes of the second half. But a 13-2 run put Elizabeth City State in the lead, 44-40 midway through the second half.

Bowie State (22-6) trailed by seven with 3:58 to play in the second half, but rallied on 3-pointers by Byron Westmorland and Largo High graduate Darren Clark and a dunk by Travis Hyman. Clark's 3-pointer gave Bowie State a 57-56 lead with 1:24 to play, but an Angelo Sharpless free throw allowed Elizabeth City State to tie the game with eight seconds left.

Another 3-pointer by Clark gave Bowie State a 63-62 lead with 1:09 to play in overtime, but the Bulldogs committed a turnover and missed two foul shots in the final 28 seconds, and Elizabeth City State won the game on a jumper by Sharpless and a pair of foul shots by Marquie Cooke.

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SUNO holds on to beat XU Rush by 1 in GCAC semifinals

JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Freshman guard Kevin Dukes scored a career-high 27 points Friday to lead SUNO to a 66-65 men's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

The third-seeded Knights (16-13) advanced to the championship game for the first time since 2004. They'll play defending champion and top-seeded Tougaloo, a 94-88 winner against fourth-seeded Philander Smith in Friday's other semifinal.

Xavier (23-8) — seeded second, ranked 18th nationally and the regular-season co-champion with Tougaloo — will await an at-large berth to the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship at Kansas City, Mo. Bids will be announced Wednesday, and the tournament will begin March 14. Xavier qualified for nationals five of the past seasons, including 2011.

Clyde Moore and Devin White scored 10 points apiece for SUNO, which led 30-27 at halftime.

Chris Iles and Jamaan Kenner scored 11 points each for Xavier, and Kevin Miller scored 10. Denzell Erves scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Except for a tie at 36 which lasted less than half a minute, SUNO led for the final 28:16. Dukes' 3-pointer with 14:17 remaining put the Knights ahead to stay, 39-36.

Xavier faced its largest deficit of the game, 54-43, after Dukes scored with 7:22 remaining but twice closed to within a point in the final 2:40. The Gold Rush missed a chance to take the lead when Cordell Hadnot's shot hit the side of the backboard with 1:15 remaining. Moore grabbed the rebound for SUNO and drove the length of the court for a 3-point play and a 63-59 advantage at 1:11.

With the Rush trailing 66-63, Wanto Joseph missed on a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining. SUNO controlled the rebound out-of-bounds with half a second remaining, and Xavier scored the final points at the buzzer after Gil Mathieu stole the inbounds pass under the Rush basket.

Xavier outshot SUNO 43.8 to 42.6 percent from the floor. Both teams grabbed 32 rebounds and committed 13 turnovers. SUNO made 22-of-34 free throws, including 6-of-7 in the final 2:23. Xavier was 20-of-26 from the line, including 13-of-14 in the final 14 minutes.

SUNO beat Xavier for the second time in three tries this season. The Knights' earlier victory was 67-64 in overtime at The Barn on Jan. 10. That game knocked Xavier out of first place in the GCAC, but SUNO helped Xavier this past weekend when it defeated Tougaloo to force the Bulldogs to share the regular-season title with the Rush.

Returning to the GCAC title game for the first time since 1996 will be SUNO coach Dale Valdery, an XU alum who was 2-2 in the championship round in his first six seasons as coach of the Gold Rush. This is Valdery's fourth season at SUNO, where he has led the Knights to their first winning season since 2004-05.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Shea Morris Strikes Out Career High 10 in TSU Tiger Win

Gainesville, Florida - The Tigers used early run support and an efficient pitching performance to upend Campbell University in the opening game of the Lipton Invitational at the University of Florida. TSU scored in each of the first four innings on its way to a 6-1 victory over the Big South opponent.

Tennessee State improved to 5-5 on the season as the Camels drop to 7-9. The two squads will face off again on Saturday afternoon.

Jennifer Givens opened the game with an inside the park home run. It was the first homer of any kind this season for the Big Blue. Givens shot a ball down the left field line passed the out stretched glove of the Camels left fielder and found its way into the corner. The junior outfielder never broke stride and slid into home to give TSU an 1-0 lead.

In the second inning, the Tigers took advantage of a two-out throwing error that kept the inning alive. Freshman Savannah Gutierrez drove a ball into centerfield allowing Brittany Davis and Tayler Shimizu to score and extend the lead to 3-0.

TSU continued the attack in the third inning as Kate Morris led off with a double. (Kate) Morris would get thrown out at home trying to score on Tedra Alford's second of three hits on the day. After a walk to Jordan Rehl, Ashley Haynes and Davis were each hit by a pitch in back-to-back at bats to force Alford home. Two pitches later Rehl would cross home plate on a wild pitch giving TSU a 5-0 lead.

Givens would close out the scoring for the Tigers in the fifth by once again using her speed. After a one out single up the middle, Givens stole second and third, reaching home after the catcher's throw to third sailed into left field.

Shea Morris (4-2) would make the runs count as she threw 62 strikes in 83 pitches for a rate of 75%. Stephanie Jones broke up a no-hit bid in the fourth inning with a solo blast to left field. The freshman pitcher finished the game allowing just three hits and one walk, while fanning a career high ten batters.

Alford went 3-for-3 with a run, a double and a walk, while Davis was 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, one RBI and a hit by pitch.

TSU will play Gardner-Webb at 1:30 p.m. ET as they continue play in the three-day event.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

CIAA has perfected tournament atmosphere after 100 years

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina - The CIAA Tournament always brings folks from all over the world and this year, the party started Monday.

On the court, Raleigh-area teams are the favorites for both the women's and men's brackets. The Shaw University men's team, ranked No. 5 in the nation in Division II, plays their first game Thursday against Fayetteville State. The Shaw women have already made it to the semifinal on Friday where they will play Bowie State.



Off the court, there are non-stop events to occupy your time in Charlotte; you couldn't possibly do everything in a weekend. Honestly, basketball is the last thing on many people's minds at the tournament who are seen socializing with old classmates, teammates and rivals.

Clothes, jewelry and memorabilia are just a few of the crafted items for sale at the shops that fill Time Warner Cable Arena. It is a fashion show.

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Savannah State men win MEAC regular-season title

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland. — Savannah State’s first season in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference keeps getting better. The Tigers clinched the regular-season title and assured themselves a date in the NIT by defeating Maryland Eastern Shore, 73-54, on Thursday night.

SSU (21-10, 14-2 MEAC) extended its winning streak to 13 games — its longest winning streak since the school began keeping records after the 1981-82 season.

“When we started the year, we were thinking maybe we could be among the top four and have a shot at winning (the conference tournament),” SSU coach Horace Broadnax had said Tuesday. “Playing in a league gives you those stepping stones.”

It was a big leap for the Tigers, who had been playing as an NCAA Division I Independent before this year. It’s the first Division I national tournament appearance ever for the men’s basketball team, which had been mired at the bottom only six years ago.

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Eubanks leads Stillman women in SIAC tourney; men fall in OT

ATLANTA | Phyllice Eubanks scored 25 points and had 13 rebounds as the second-seeded Stillman College women’s basketball team defeated seventh-seeded Albany State 91-73 Thursday in the SIAC basketball tournament at Morehouse College.

Eubanks was also 11-for-11 from the free throw line. Jamila McKinnis added 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Ashley Kidd scored 12 and had 11 rebounds for Stillman.

Stillman Men fall by 1 in OT

Damian Ford missed the second of his two free throws with one second left in the second overtime period as Stillman fell to Benedict, 86-85.

Benedict had a two-point lead with six seconds left in the second overtime after Tydran Beaty hit a jump shot and made a free throw after being fouled by Lee Riley. Beaty fouled Ford with only one second left and Ford made his first free throw, but his second shot missed the mark, giving Benedict the win.

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WSSU is still standing in CIAA Tournament

What Collins has done with nearly a whole new team can't be overlooked

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- It was by no means a thing of beauty but Winston-Salem State’s gritty 56-55 win over Virginia Union is a significant moment for the program and particularly coach Bobby Collins.

Collins, who has one more season left on his contract, has stressed all season about the importance of performing well “in those three days in March.” He’s referring, of course, to the CIAA Tournament, the crown jewel of the conference.

With around 10,000 fans at Thursday night’s game the Rams turned to their defense in the closing seconds to turn back the Panthers. It shouldn’t be overlooked what Collins and the Rams have accomplished, even if the road ends tonight against defending champion Shaw, who is riding a 21-game win streak. Shaw, who I think could give the woeful Charlotte Bobcats a good game, will be tough to beat in tonight’s 9:30 semifinal game.

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VUU's season ends in CIAA Quarters

CHARLOTTE, NC - Virginia Union made a furious rally, but it came one point short in the CIAA quarterfinals. Winston-Salem hung on to hold off Virginia Union, 56-55, on Thursday in the Time Warner Cable Arena, ending the Panthers season.

Winston-Salem State advances to Friday's semifinal game where it will meet the winner of Shaw/Fayetteville at 9 p.m. The Rams were swept by Shaw (76-60 on Feb. 11 and 80-59 on Feb. 20) and split the season series with Fayetteville State with a 58-54 victory on Jan. 21 and dropped a 64-54 decision nearly a week ago.

Justin Glover led the Rams (19-8) with 14 points, four rebounds and one assist. Chris Witherspoon added 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting as Winston-Salem State, which defeated Virginia Union, 67-66, on Jan. 7, shot 47 percent (22-of-47) from the floor.

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Gold Rush hold off Fisk 68-61, reach GCAC semifinals

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- Anthony Simmons scored a season-high 19 points Thursday to help NAIA No. 18 Xavier University of Louisiana defeat Fisk 68-61 in the quarterfinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

Simmons and Denzell Erves, both All-GCAC players, scored 11 points apiece in the second half to move the second-seeded Gold Rush (23-7) into an 8 p.m. Friday semifinal against third-seeded SUNO or sixth-seeded Edward Waters. SUNO and EWC were scheduled to meet at 8 p.m. Thursday.

"We've depended a lot on our inside game, mainly Anthony and Denzell, down the stretch this season," XU coach Dannton Jackson said. "They came through for us again. When they continue to be active around the basket, make shots and play defense, they'll cause problems for other teams."

Erves scored all 11 of his points and grabbed all eight of his rebounds in the second half. Jamaan Kenner, Cordell Hadnot and Wanto Joseph scored eight points apiece for Xavier, which has won five straight, 9-of-10 and 16-of-19.

Cameron Lewis scored 21 points -- 15 in the first half -- Jewaun Wynn 16 and Bradley Grayson 12 for seventh-seeded Fisk (6-23), which lost by 24 points at home to the Rush 10 days ago. But the Bulldogs had some bite Thursday, making five 3-pointers in each half and blocking seven XU shots.

"My hat's off to Fisk," Jackson said. "They played hard, they played us tough. They did a good job."

Xavier led for the final 26:50 but needed an 16-1 run to erase Fisk's largest lead, 19-12. Hadnot's basket put the Rush ahead to stay at 20-19, and Xavier led 30-25 at halftime.

Kenner's two free throws with 9:41 remaining gave Xavier its largest lead, 51-39. Fisk closed to 53-49 on Wynn's 3-pointer at 5:11 but didn't get closer.

Xavier outshot the Bulldogs 44.6 to 32.1 percent from the the floor and outrebounded them 45-34. It was the fourth game in a row and the 14th time this season that the Rush had a double-digit rebound advantage. It was the fifth straight game an XU opponent shot 33.3 percent or worse from the floor.

"That's been the way we've won lately," Jackson said. "Do a good job on the boards, keep teams to the low 30s from the field and the low 60s on the scoreboard.

"It wasn't a pretty game for us, but we survived and advanced, which everybody's trying to do this time of the year."

NOTES: Xavier is 50-13 since the start of the 2010-11 season. It's the first time since 1980-82 that the Gold Rush won that many times over two consecutive seasons.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Gold Nuggets use fast start to foil Fisk in GCAC quarters

SiMon Franklin
All-GCAC

JACKSONVILLE, Florida — SiMon Franklin scored 12 points Thursday, and NAIA No. 20 Xavier University of Louisiana used two first-half runs to roll to a 73-49 women's basketball victory against Fisk in the quarterfinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Gold Nuggets (23-8), the tournament's No. 1 seed and two-time defending champion, won their fifth in a row and for the 16th time in 19 games. They'll play fifth-seeded Tougaloo in the semifinals at 2 p.m. EST Friday.

Xavier outscored the Lady Bulldogs 13-2 in the first four minutes — Franklin opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, and Jasmine Grant made two more — then the Nuggets used a 21-0 burst which covered nearly nine minutes to take a 36-6 lead at 5:05.

"That was a great start for us," said 13th-year XU coach Browder, who won in the quarterfinals for the 10th straight time. "Hopefully we can start fast every game the rest of the season."

The Nuggets' 39-15 halftime lead was their largest at the break since a 39-11 advantage at home against Concordia (Ala.) on Jan. 6, 2011.

Franklin, an All-GCAC guard, led the Nuggets in scoring for the eighth time this season and reached double figures for the 17th time to tie Keldra Hall for the team lead. She was 5-of-7 from the floor with three rebounds, two assists, two steals and zero turnovers in 18 minutes. She was Xavier's only double-figure scorer, but 14 Nuggets scored.

Grant scored nine points — she made 3-of-9 3-pointers, giving her 69 made for the season and 189 in four years — and Carmen Holcombe and Brandi Young scored eight apiece. Xavier made five 3-pointers in the first 13 minutes and finished with seven, one less than its season best.

Reserve point guard Paige Gauthier led Xavier with six assists and five rebounds.

Lynette Waters scored 15 points, 10 in the second half, and Tiffany Wynn 10 for eighth-seeded Fisk (4-25), which finished the season with a 10-game losing streak.

Fisk outshot Xavier 41.3 to 39.1 percent from the floor, but the Nuggets were plus-11 in turnovers — Fisk committed 25, Xavier 14 — and had a 39-34 rebound advantage. Fisk dressed just seven players, and Xavier had a 36-4 advantage in bench scoring. The Nuggets committed a season-low 11 fouls and produced 17 steals.

Tougaloo, a 69-53 winner against fourth-seeded Dillard, and Xavier split their two regular-season meetings.

NOTES: Xavier is 13-1 all-time in GCAC quarterfinal games. The Nuggets had a bye in the 2011 quarterfinals, when the conference had six members . . . Grant, an All-GCAC guard, and Young led the Nuggets with three steals apiece. Grant became the 20th XU female to reach 200 steals in a career, and Young improved her career total to 197. Jazmoné Kelly had two steals and is ninth all-time with 236.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Scores That Matters!!

March 1, 2012

MEN'S BASKETBALL

SWAC
Arkansas Pine Bluff 78, Mississippi Valley State 67
Southern 64, Prairie View A&M 63
Alabama State 63, Grambling State 61
Texas Southern 54, Alcorn State 51
Alabama A&M 73, Jackson State 53

* Regular Season Conference Champions: MVSU, 17-1 SWAC, 18-12 Overall

MEAC
Savannah State 73, Maryland Eastern Shore 54
Norfolk State 72, North Carolina A&T 65
Delaware State 82, South Carolina State 71
Bethune-Cookman 88, Coppin State 80
North Carolina Central 60, Hampton 45
Morgan State 74, Florida A&M 68

*Regular Season Conference Champions: SSU, 14-2 MEAC, 21-10 Overall

GCAC Tournament
Xavier 68, Fisk 61
Philander Smith 77, Talladega 73
Tougaloo 67, Dillard 45

* GCAC Regular Season Co-Champions: Xavier University, 11-3 GCAC, 23-7 Overall and Tougaloo College, 11-3 GCAC, 21-7 Overall

CIAA Tournament Quarter-Finals
Elizabeth City State 64, Johnson C. Smith 56
Bowie State 72, Livingstone 68
Winston-Salem State 56, Virginia Union 55
Shaw University 90, Fayetteville State 77

SIAC Tournament Quarter-Finals
Benedict 86, Stillman 85 (2OT)
LeMoyne-Owen 55, Albany State 51

NAIA
AMC Tournament - Quarter-Finals
Hannibal-LaGrange MO 59, Harris-Stowe State MO 56

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

SWAC
Mississippi Valley State 65,  Arkansas Pine Bluff 47
Alabama A&M 65, Jackson State 43
Alabama State 55, Grambling State 48
Alcorn State 52, Texas Southern 31
Prairie View A&M 73, Southern 53

*SWAC Regualr Season Champion: MVSU, 14-4 SWAC, 17-12 Overall

MEAC
Hampton 86, North Carolina Central 35
Florida A&M 88, Morgan State 57
Coppin State 58, Bethune-Cookman 55
Norfolk State 54, North Carolina A&T 51
Maryland Eastern Shore 47, Savannah State 42
Delaware State 55, South Carolina State 53

* MEAC Regular Season Champion: Hampton, 15-1 MEAC, 23-4 Overall

GCAC Tournament
Xavier 73, Fisk 49
Tougaloo 69, Dillard 53
Talladega 64, Philander Smith 53

* Regular Season GCAC Champions: Xavier University,  12-2 GCAC, 24-8 Overall

SIAC Tourament Quarter-Finals
Tuskegee 59, Miles 58
Stillman 91, Albany State 73
Paine 76, Clark Atlanta 74

Savannah State University goes for MEAC clincher tonight

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland - Horace Broadnax knows what it’s like to climb ladders and cut down basketball nets. But this time, it’s different. Instead of playing, he’s coaching.

“It’s very rewarding to take 12-13 guys and point them in the direction they can be successful in,” said the seventh-year coach, who has Savannah State a win away from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season championship in its first season in the league.



That victory could come tonight at 7:30 in Princess Anne, Md., when the Tigers (20-10, 13-2 MEAC) meet Maryland Eastern Shore (7-21, 4-11 MEAC) in the regular-season finale for both teams.

SSU set up the potential clincher by defeating North Carolina A&T, 62-50, on Monday night at Tiger Arena. The Tigers have won 12 games in a row, a school-best streak that goes back at least 31 years. Win No. 13 would put them in a national postseason basketball .

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Lofland's shot a buzzer sends FVSU Wildcats to SIAC Semi-finals

ATLANTA, Georgia  -  In second round action of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Basketball Tournament, the Wildcats of Fort Valley State University utilized a three point shot at the buzzer by guard Desmond Lofland to defeat the number one seed Golden Tigers of Tuskegee University 80-77 and to advance to the semi-final round of the tournament.

Details to follow.........

COURTESY: FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION