Howard Parlays the Scoring of Doyle and Holmes and Team Defense to Advance

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Saadia Doyle scored 16 of her game-high 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Tamoria Holmes tallied 13 of her 19 after intermission to lead Howard University to a 51-43 win over Florida A&M University in the semifinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women's tournament at the LJVMC.

The Lady Bison (24-7), the Number 2 seed, advance to the tournament championship for the second straight year against Hampton, the 2011-12 regular season and 2011 defending tournament champion on Saturday. That game will be televised live on ESPNU at 4 pm.

It was Doyle and the Howard defense that set the tone for the game early. The Lady Bison jumped out to an early 24-8 lead on the strength of some strong team defense and Doyle, a first team All-MEAC selection.

The Howard defense was stifling, holding the Lady Rattlers to 15 percent on 5 of 33 shooting. The 5-11 junior from Atlanta, GA, led all scorers with 16 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.

"We hang out hats on our defense," said Howard Coach Niki Reid Geckeler, of the defense which has held 25 of the last 26 opponents to under 60 points. "We were able to execute our game plan. Saadia did a great job on the boards and Tamoria picked up things offensively for us in the second half. And the twins (Portia and Nicole Deterville) are our unsung heroes." The Deterville twins grabbed 14 rebounds between them.

The Lady Rattlers (22-8), the Number 3 seed, made a run in the second half and used a 10-1 run to get within two at 36-34 at the 6:43 mark.

Following a timeout, Howard responded with a 10-2 spurt to take a 46-36 lead with 1:49 left that all but sealed the deal. Holmes, a first team All-MEAC selection, scored four of her 13 second points during the run.

"The outside game wasn't working in the first half, so coach told me to start going to the hole," said Holmes, who connected on 8 of 16 from the field and grabbed a season-high 6 rebounds.

After establishing herself as an offensive threat in the first half, Doyle concentrated more of defense and rebounding the second half, along with an occasional timely basket or free throws to keep FAMU at arm's length.

"I came out much more aggressive today than I did in our regular season game against them," said Doyle, who recorded her 39th double double of her career.



The Lady Rattlers appeared to be a step slow to start the game. Florida A&M had pulled out a hard-fought win over Maryland Eastern Shore less than 24 hours before this game. Their problems were further compounded by the absence of Antonia Bennett, the MEAC Player of the Year and Qiana Donald, the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, due to foul problems.

"We started the game slow and sluggish," said FAMU head coach LaDawn Gibson, the MEAC Coach of the Year. "We dug ourselves in a hole that we were not able to get out of. And when Antonia and Qiana got into foul trouble, it changed the game."

Jasmine Grice led the Lady Rattlers with 14 points while Donald and Bennett each added 13 in a losing effort. Jamie Foreman grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds for Florida A&M.

Hampton swept Howard this season and has won six a row in the series, including last year's championship. It matches the Number 1 and 2 seeds.

"It is Number 1 and 2 matching up,"said Coach Geckeler. "They are very tough team."

BOX SCORE

COURTESY: HOWARD UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
VISIT: HOWARD-BISON.COM
VISIT: HOWARD UNIVERSITY

Mississippi Valley earns spot in SWAC title game

GARLAND, TEXAS — Cor-J Cox and Paul Crosby combined for 37 points tonight, helping Mississippi Valley State beat Arkansas Pine Bluff 71-64 to earn a spot in Saturday’s championship game of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Delta Devils (20-12) will play Texas Southern at 7 p.m. Saturday for the championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Cox scored 19 points and Crosby had 18 as Valley turned back APBU (11-22) in a game that was close throughout.

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SWAC title on the line, as Tigers take on Delta Devils

Garland, TX (Sports Network) - The possibility of a program getting into the NCAA Tournament with a losing record is all too real, as the Texas Southern Tigers face off against the Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State in the championship game of the 35th annual Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament tonight at the Special Events Center in Garland, Texas.

The Tigers, the second seed in the tourney, enters the championship round two games under .500 at 15-17 as the team shoots for a fifth title in this event and the first since 2003. Texas Southern began the road to this game by first defeating Alabama A&M in the quarterfinals on Wednesday and then taking out sixth-seeded Alcorn State on Friday, 60-55.

As for the top-seeded Delta Devils, they were expected to be here considering than crushed the rest of the SWAC with a record of 17-1 this season. They've won this event a total of four times, the last trophy being taken home in 2008 after slipping by Jackson State, 59-58.

This year the top team in the SWAC defeated that same Jackson State squad in the quarterfinals three days ago, 63-60, and then topped fifth-seeded Arkansas-Pine Bluff last night, 71-64.

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“Momma” lifts Prairie View to the SWAC Tournament Finals

LATIA "MOMMA" WILLIAMS
5'-10" REDSHIRT JUNIOR FORWARD
HOMETOWN: RIVERDALE, GEORGIA
NORTH CLAYTON HIGH SCHOOL

GARLAND, Texas - As the only fourth-year player for Prairie View A&M, Latia Williams likes for her teammates to call her “Momma.” In Friday’s 58-55 semifinal upset of No. 1 seed Mississippi Valley State, Momma made it all better.

Williams rebounded a teammate’s missed free throw with 29 seconds left and scored to give Prairie View a one-point lead. She then hit two free throws with 10 seconds left for a three-point cushion.

On the final possession, MVSU got 3-point shots from Alia Frank and Lenise Stallings, but both failed to find the bottom of the net.

“My heart is still beating fast,” said Williams, who had 23 points and eight rebounds.

Larissa Scott added 13 points and eight rebounds for Prairie View, the defending tournament champion. Prairie View meets Alcorn State in the final at 5 p.m. Saturday.

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Williams Carries Prairie View A&M Back To SWAC Tournament Finals

GARLAND, Texas - She couldn't contain herself. As soon as the final buzzer sounded and the ball took its last bounce, rolling to a stop, Prairie View A&M junior forward Latia Williams collapsed on the hardwood and started pounding her fists in a moment of pure exitement.

Williams didn't want her season to end without getting a chance to repeat as a SWAC Tournament Champion. So she took the game into her own hands in the closing moments of the Lady Panthers' 58-55 win over top-seeded Mississippi Valley State, which propelled them to the SWAC Tournament Championship game on Saturday.

She scored 10 of her team's final 14 points and finished with a game-high 23 points and eight rebounds.

"I'm the oldest player on the team," Williams said. "So I call myself 'Momma'. I told them to 'get on my back and Momma is going to bring us home.'"

Prairie View A&M trailed 55-52 with 1:28 left in the game following a layup by the Devilettes' Alia Frank. Williams scored on a driving layup with 1:07 left to cut her team's deficit to 55-54. She then came away with a momentous block with 35 seconds remaining. Her teammate, Michaela Burton, came down with the rebound to give her team a shot at taking the lead.

PHOTO GALLERY

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Texas Southern achieves goal that was a year in the making

GARLAND, Texas — Texas Southern achieved a goal that was a year in the making with Friday’s semifinal win over Alcorn State, 60-55, in the Farmers Insurance SWAC Tournament. It was last year on the same Garland Special Events Center court that a then-No. 1 seed Texas Southern was upset by Alabama State, which went on to win the tournament as the No. 4 seed.

This time, as the No. 2 seed, Texas Southern got past the semifinal hurdle and is a win away from the securing the SWAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. “We’ve been talking about this for a long time; we’re here now,” Texas Southern coach Tony Harvey said. “We’ve got one more.”

Texas Southern (15-17) trailed at halftime, 32-29, after Alcorn State shot 52.2 percent (12-of-23) in the opening period. Alcorn State (10-22) cooled to 28.6 percent shooting in the second half as Texas Southern’s trademark 2-3 zone began to take effect.

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TSU Tigers Begin 14-Game Home Stand With Murray State

NASHVILLE, Tennessee.-- The Tennessee State softball team return home for a 14-game home stand after being on the road for the first month of the season.

The Tigers will open Ohio Valley Conference play as Murray State comes to Tiger Field for a three-game series. Start time for both Saturday and Sunday are set for 1 p.m. Day one will consist of a double header.

Murray State is in its third season of existence and won both games in Kentucky last season. In 2010, the two teams split a twin bill in Nashville. Both seasons saw rain extinguish the second day of play.

Last Week: The Tigers are coming off a 2-3 weekend at the Lipton Invitational, hosted by the University of Florida. The Tigers defeated Campbell twice, 6-1 and 3-2, while dropping a pair to Gardner-Webb, 8-6 and 6-4, and a single game to #3 Florida 8-0.

Jordan Rehl led the team going 7-for-15 (.467) at the plate with a double, a stolen base, four runs scored and four RBI. She was followed by Brittany Davis who hit .429 (6-for-14) with a double two runs and three RBI. Shea Morris and Kelly Troglin eached picked up wins from the circle. Morris record 22 strikeouts, including a career best ten versus Campbell, in 15.1 innings of work.

Murray State (5-6)
2011 Record: 24-28
Conference: Ohio Valley
2011 Finish: 13-15
Series Record: 1-3
Last Time Played: 2011, L 0-19
Last Win: 2010, 7-5

GAME NOTES: TSU vs. MSU

Murray State is coming off a 1-2 weekend at the University of Tennessee tournament. The Racers dropped games to Boston (3-1) and Tennessee (8-0), before beating middle Tennessee 6-4 in the final game of the tournament.

Megan Glosser is off to a hot start for the Racers with a .533 (16-for-30) batting average. She has two doubles, along with ten stolen bases and 11 runs scored. Glosser leads a team who is hitting .317 with 15 doubles and two home runs. In the circle, Shelby Kosmecki and Chelsey Sullivan each sport 2-2 records. Kosmecki leads the Racers staff with a 2.62 ERA in 24 innings and has recorded 21 strikeouts. Sullivan has thrown a shutout this season to go with 24 strike outs in 18.1 innings.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

XU Gold Rush reach eight straight wins for 1st time since '08

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — NAIA No. 9 Xavier University of Louisiana defeated Pikeville 7-2 Friday in the opening round of the AUM Invitational. That gives the Gold Rush eight consecutive men's tennis victories for the first time since 2008.

XU's women lost 5-4 to 18th-ranked Martin Methodist.

The 8-1 start of the Gold Rush is the best in Alan Green's nine seasons as head coach.

"Our guys just hung tough and beat them in singles," Green said. "Right now we are winning ugly. Pikeville has a very underrated team. They're good from top to bottom. Those guys play extremely hard and together."

Steffen Giles-Osborn and Sean Richardson won in doubles and singles for the XU men, who for the first time in Green's tenure won every singles match after losing two or more doubles matches. Giles-Osborn clinched the dual with his 7-5, 6-1 victory over Connor Smith at No. 4.

The Gold Nuggets (2-10) lost for the first time in three duals and narrowly missed a chance to upset a ranked opponent on the road for the second time in as many days.


The 2011-12 Xavier University of Louisiana women's tennis team
(Click Photo to enlarge)

ROSTER

"Martin Methodist is the same team that won our unaffiliated group tournament last season and qualified for nationals," Green said. "We fought them hard, and it would have been nice to beat them. We may see them next month at the qualifying tournament with a berth to nationals on the line. We have a great scouting report on them now."

Kourtney Howell won in doubles and singles for the Nuggets, and she and Amanda Materre both beat ranked singles opponents at the top two flights. Howell beat Paloma Cortina — rated 38th in NAIA singles in the preseason by the ITA, the reigning TranSouth Athletic Conference Player of the Week and the 2011 TranSouth Player of the Year — 6-0, 6-3. Materre beat 42nd-ranked Anastasia Aleshcheva 6-0, 6-1.

Howell's victory gave Xavier a 4-3 lead, but the RedHawks closed with a pair of three-set victories. Maria Charrys clinched with her 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 decision against Amber Brown at No. 3.

Pikeville — in its first season of men's tennis after a four-year absence —is 1-3, and Martin Methodist is 3-1.

Both XU teams will play ranked NAIA opponents in this event at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. The Rush will play No. 22 Campbellsville, and the Nuggets will play No. 15 Shorter. It will be the sixth time in seven matches that the Rush played a ranked opponent and the fifth time in seven matches for the women. The XU women will play Shorter for the second time in six days.

Results: Men Women

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

FAMU's run at MEAC Tournament comes to end

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina — For 33 minutes Friday night it seemed the magical run by the Florida A&M men's basketball team would continue. Then, the Rattlers went cold.

The slide that ended the most impressive postseason run by a FAMU team since 2007 lasted through the final 8 minutes and left the Rattlers beaten 58-46 by Norfolk State in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference semifinal game. The Spartans will face Bethune-Cookman today for the conference title and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

FAMU reached the final four by pulling off two upsets. Until its shooting went south, it seemed the Rattlers were on the verge of scoring what would have been their biggest victory of the season.

"Unfortunately we lost a good one, and to be honest with you we lost to a better team," FAMU's first-year coach Clemon Johnson said. "They seemed to have to put the ball in the hole when they needed one. We came up short."

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Gold Nuggets climb 2 places to 18th in NAIA coaches poll

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana climbed two places to 18th in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll announced Wednesday.

The Gold Nuggets (25-8) — winner of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships and the GCAC's automatic berth to the NAIA Division I National Championship — earned their highest rank since Jan. 30, when they were 17th. It's the highest rank for the XU women entering the national tourney since 2005, when they were 15th.

Xavier is in the top 25 for the 30th consecutive time dating to January 2010. It's the longest top-25 streak for the Nuggets since 34 straight polls from Jan. 13, 2003-March 8, 2005.

Talladega, the GCAC regular-season and tournament runner-up, received four points to rank 33rd.

The national tournament will begin next Wednesday at Frankfort, Ky., with eight first-round games. The other eight first-round games will be played the following day.

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Tuesday, March 6)
Rank Team Record Points Last
1 Oklahoma City (12) 30-1 312 1
2 Union (Tenn.) 31-2 302 2
3 Freed-Hardemsn 28-5 290 3
4 Westmont 29-3 284 tie-5
5 Lubbock Christian 25-5 266 4
6 Cumberlands 28-3 264 8
7 Lee (Tenn.) 30-3 253 tie-5
8 Shawnee State 27-5 244 7
9 Azusa Pacific 24-7 226 12
10 Langston 29-3 216 9
11 Olivet Nazarene 27-4 210 10
12 Lewis-Clark State 28-4 205 13
13 Vanguard 23-6 203 11
14 Saint Xavier 24-8 178 15
15 Westminster (Utah) 22-8 171 14
16 Southern Nazarene 24-9 160 16
17 Belhaven 26-6 159 18
18 Xavier 25-8 137 20
19 Georgetown (Ky.) 21-9 134 17
20 Shorter 27-6 116 19
21 MidAmerica Nazarene 24-8 111 22
22 Campbellsville 20-12 107 21
23 Columbia (Mo.) 24-9 86 24
24 Loyola 23-5 82 23
25 William Woods 23-9 68 RV

Others receiving votes: Biola 66, Rogers State 52, LSU-Shreveport 33, Lyon 18, Avila 17, Lindsey Wilson 14, St. Gregory's 6, Talladega 4, Robert Morris (Chicago) 1, Montana State Northern 1.

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

FVSU women roll into playoffs

FORT VALLEY, Georgia - Lonnie Bartley was almost ready than to panic. “I really thought we had a good basketball team,” the longtime women’s basketball head coach at Fort Valley State said. “I really thought we had a basketball team that might lose two games all year.”

FVSU opened the season with a 17-point loss at home. A week later, in a chance to make statement against a team from a stronger conference, the Lady Wildcats went down 84-51 at Columbus State. Bartley was worried.

A day later, the Lady Wildcats handed 6-0 Georgia Southwestern its first loss of the season. And then, as it has done nearly every year since Bartley took over, FVSU got rolling.

“That gave us the confidence we needed,” Bartley said of the Georgia Southwestern win. “We do have a good team, but I had to convince them that we’ve got a good team.”

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University of New Orleans to remain DI

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA -- University of New Orleans president Peter Fos says the school will halt its transition to NCAA Division II status and instead remain in Division I.

Fos said Thursday that remaining at the highest level of college sports will help the New Orleans metropolitan area’s main public university attract more students and boost community involvement.

While UNO was part of the LSU system, budget crunches after Hurricane Katrina led to debatable decisions by former school officials to pursue a lower level of athletic competition as a means to save money, and in 2010 UNO withdrew from the Division I Sun Belt Conference.

However, UNO has since moved to ...

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Shaw women advance at DII tourney: Shaw 92, WVA Wesleyan 78

EDINBORO, Pennsylvania -- At Edinboro, senior forward Kyria Buford scored 28 points and hauled down 14 rebounds as Shaw toppled West Virginia Wesleyan in Friday's first round of the Division II Atlantic Regional at McComb Fieldhouse.

Shaw (24-6), the defending regional champion from the 2011 regional also played at Edinboro, will meet Gannon (22-6) today at 5 p.m. in the first semifinal game.

The CIAA-champion Bears had to finally cool down the WVIAC-champion Bobcats (24-7), who made 9-of-12 3-point attempts in the first half to trail just 50-49. Senior guard Lydia Bridenbaugh, the third-leading scorer in D-II, went over the 2,000-point mark with a 27-point outing.

Shaw took a 72-59 lead, only to have West Virginia Wesleyan answer with ...

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J.C. Smith women felled by Gannon

EDINBORO, Pennsylvania -- Johnson C. Smith seniors Shavonda Price, Terran Quattlebaum and LaQwesha Gamble were hesitant to answer postgame questions Friday afternoon. Call it keeping a lid on boiling frustration after losing 61-50 to No. 22-ranked Gannon in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional at Edinboro University.

"This is their last regional tournament," Golden Bulls coach Vanessa Taylor said. "Certainly this is not the way we planned to go out so we just want to make sure we do a great job of representing our university.

"So if they're a little hesitant to speak - 10 minutes, a lot of times, for young people may not be enough to collect your thoughts."

A sixth seed, the Knights answered J.C. Smith's spirited 15-4 run with a 12-4 run to take a 46-36 lead with 7 minutes, 32 seconds left in the game. Senior Caitlyn Lowe and redshirt freshman Doriyon Glass hit consecutive 3-pointers to begin Gannon's streak.

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2012 MEAC Basketball Tournament LIVE STREAM VIDEO

Check Out the Action Live From the MEAC Basketball Tournament or visit MEACsports.com for up to the minute sports action.

Watch live streaming video from tenwebtvu at livestream.com

2012 MEAC BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
MARCH 5-10 - Winston-Salem, N.C. (Joel Coliseum)

2012 MEAC Women’s Basketball Championship Schedule
Women's Bracket (.pdf)

Monday, March 5 - Opening Round - Scoreboard
11:00 AM Game 1 - No. 8 Bethune-Cookman 41, No. 9 Norfolk State 51
1:30 PM Game 2 - No. 5 North Carolina A&T 66,  No. 12 Morgan State 53
4:00 PM Game 3 - No. 4 Coppin State 76,  No. 13 North Carolina Central 27
6:30 PM Game 4 - No. 6 Maryland Eastern Shore 51, No. 11 Savannah State 28
9:00 PM Game 5 - No. 7 South Carolina State 72,  No. 10 Delaware State 66 (OT)

Wednesday, March 7 - Opening Round/Quarterfinals-Scoreboard
NOON Game 11 - No. 1 Hampton 61,  Norfolk State 40 (Winner of Game 1)
2:30 PM Game 12 - No. 2 Howard 57, South Carolina State 42 (Winner of Game 5)

Thursday, March 8 - Quarterfinals-Scoreboard
NOON Game 15 - No. 3 Florida A&M 50, Maryland Eastern Shore 48 (Winner of Game 4)
2:30 PM Game 16 - North Carolina A&T 74 (Winner of Game 2), Coppin State 78 (Winner of Game 3)

Friday, March 9 - Semifinals- Scoreboard
NOON Game 19 - Hampton 64 (Winner of Game 11), Coppin State 43 (Winner of Game 16)
2:30 PM Game 20 - Howard 51 (Winner of Game 12) vs. Florida A&M 43 (Winner of Game 15)

Saturday, March 10 - Championship Final (ESPNU)
4:00 PM Game 24 - Hampton (Winner of Game 19) vs. Howard (Winner of Game 20)

2012 MEAC Men’s Basketball Championship Schedule
Men's Bracket (.pdf)

Tuesday, March 6 - Opening Round - Scoreboard
11:00 AM Game 6 - No. 8 Hampton 69, No. 9 Morgan State 65
1:30 PM Game 7 - No. 7 N. C. A&T 50, No. 10 Howard 51
4:00 PM Game 8 - No. 5 N.C. Central 60,  No. 12 Maryland Eastern Shore 43
6:30 PM Game 9 - No. 4 Bethune-Cookman 62, No. 13 S. C. State 53
9:00 PM Game 10 - No. 6 Coppin State 72, No. 11 Florida A&M 74

Wednesday, March 7 - Opening Round/Quarterfinals-Scoreboard
6:00 PM Game 13 - No. 1 Savannah State 46,  Hampton 59 (Winner of Game 6)
8:00 PM Game 14 - No. 2 Norfolk State 71,  Howard 61 (Winner of Game 7)

Thursday, March 8 - Quarterfinals-Scoreboard
6:00 PM Game 17 - No. 3 Delaware State 55, Florida A&M 65 OT (Winner of Game 10)
8:00 PM Game 18 - Bethune-Cookman 60 (Winner of Game 9), N.C. Central  59 (Winner of Game 8)

Friday, March 9 - Semifinals
6:00 PM Game 21 - Hampton (Winner of Game 13) vs. Bethune-Cookman (Winner of Game 18)
8:00 PM Game 22 - Norfolk State (Winner of Game 14) vs. Florida  A&M (Winner of Game 17)

Saturday, March 10 - Championship Final (ESPN2)
1:00 PM Game 23 - Winner of Game 21 vs. Winner of Game 22

COURTESY: MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS; For more information, visit MEACHoops.com

Bethune-Cookman advances in MEAC

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Bethune-Cookman moved on, but it wasn't easy. The Wildcats let a big lead slip away but did enough down the stretch to beat N.C. Central 60-59 in an MEAC tournament quarterfinal Thursday night at Joel Coliseum.

With the largest crowd of the week on hand — about 4,500 — the Wildcats had a 15-point lead in the first half and led by as many as 13 early in the second half. But the hard-charging Eagles, playing in their first MEAC tournament since 1980, nearly came all the way back.



The fourth-seeded Wildcats (17-16) advanced to the semifinals and will take on eighth-seeded Hampton, the defending champion, today at 6 p.m.

N.C. Central had forged ahead 59-58 and was clinging to that lead when Dominique Sutton made a move to the basket with 19 seconds left.

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Xavier defeats both ranked Belhaven teams on the road

JACKSON, Miss. -- Loic Didavi and Zach Taylor won in doubles and singles Thursday to lead NAIA No. 9 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 5-3 men's tennis victory against No. 25 Belhaven and the fifth consecutive Gold Rush triumph over a ranked opponent.

The XU women got doubles and singles victories from Kourtney Howell, Amanda Materre and Amber Brown in a 5-2 decision against No. 21 Belhaven which snapped the Gold Nuggets' 19-dual losing streak on opponents' courts.

The 2011-12 Xavier University of Louisiana Men's Tennis Team

ROSTER 

Didavi and Taylor scored the first point of the men's dual with their 8-1 victory against Nicolas Osorio and David Mejia at No. 1 doubles. They also scored the final points -- Didavi made it 4-3 with his 6-0, 6-0 victory against Osorio at No. 1 singles, then Taylor clinched with his 6-0, 6-3 victory against Max Eurisch at No. 2.

The Gold Rush (7-1) have won seven straight duals for the first time since 2010. The XU men defeated No. 15 Bethany (Kan.), No. 13 William Carey, No. 10 Shorter and No. 21 Tennessee Wesleyan during the streak.

"Our guys just hung tough and never got rattled through two rain delays," XU coach Alan Green said. "Belhaven has a good team and a good crowd to support them."

The Gold Nuggets (2-9) won their second in a row and their first at an opponent's venue in two years. Howell, Materre and Brown scored at the top three singles flights, and Brown clinched the dual with her 6-2, 6-0 victory against Savannah Zachry at No. 3. Howell defeated Ana Paulette Arregyue 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1, and Materre earned her fourth straight singles victory by beating Indi Mire 6-1, 6-2.

"I'm so happy for our ladies beating a ranked opponent," said Green, whose Nuggets have seven losses against NCAA Division I and two against ranked NAIA opponents. "The tough schedule is starting to pay off."

Belhaven's men are 4-2, and the women are 3-3.

Both XU teams will compete at 3:30 p.m. Friday in the AUM Invitational at Montgomery, Ala. The Rush will play Pikeville, and the Nuggets will play NAIA No. 18 Martin Methodist.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Ram Ramblings: Basketball team trying to follow football team's lead

Winston-Salem, North Carolina -- Back in October and November when the Winston-Salem State football team was making a run to the Division II national championship the basketball team was also playing very well. But hardly anybody noticed.

Now the basketball team has a chance to make a similar run on the court.  When I asked players after the CIAA title game if there were some hurt feelings when the football team was doing so well it didn’t seem to be that big of a deal.



“I mean, they were winning so how could you not be happy for them,” said point guard Marcus Wells. “We were out there in the parking lots of the football games selling programs and we saw what a big deal it was.”

Coach Bobby Collins of the Rams made sure to give credit to Connell Maynor after winning the CIAA basketball title. Collins said Maynor has set the bar high and that goes beyond the CIAA title.

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WSSU Leaves For First Game In NCAA Div II Tournament

Winston-Salem, NC-- Winston Salem University's basketball team won the CIAA Tournament last week in Charlotte. Becoming the CIAA Champions, means an opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament for Division II schools.

Thursday, students and staff gave the CIAA Champions a big university send off. The Rams are headed to West Virginia.

They are playing in the Atlantic region of the NCAA Div II Tournament, and their first round opponent is West Virginia Wesleyan.



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NCAA Preview – Gannon vs. Johnson C. Smith

ERIE, Pennsylvania -- For the Gannon University women's basketball team, last season could be described as an off year. The Golden Knights, fresh off an appearance in the NCAA Division II Final Four, struggled through a 13-13 record, the worst record for Gannon since head coach Cleve Wright’s first season in Erie (12-14 in 2002-2003).

“Last year was a tough one,” Wright said. “We struggled a little bit with some players coming in.”

The five seniors on that squad – which included four all-PSAC West selections: Kristina Freeman, Brittany Tabron, Carrie Nolan and Tiffany Crocker – comprised “probably 90 percent of our scoring and more than that of our defense,” Wright said.

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Scores That Matters!!

March 8, 2012

MEAC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT - QUARTERFINALS

WOMEN
Florida A&M 50, Maryland Eastern Shore 48
Coppin State 78, North Carolina A&T 74

MEN
Florida A&M 65, Delaware State 55 (OT)
Bethune-Cookman 60, North Carolina Central 59

SWAC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT - QUARTERFINALS

WOMEN
Prairie View A&M 62, Alabama State 35
Grambling State 73, Alabama A&M 68 (OT)

MEN
Alcorn State 103, Prairie View A&M 79
Arkansas Pine Bluff 60, Alabama State 56 (OT)

Gold Rush to play LSU-Shreveport in NAIA opening round

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana will play former Gulf Coast Athletic Conference rival LSU-Shreveport at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 15 in the opening round of the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship at Kansas City, Mo.

The NAIA announced all 16 first-round pairings and tip-off times early Wednesday evening. Earlier in the day the NAIA announced that the Gold Rush (23-8) were 21st in the coaches poll and were an at-large qualifier to the national tournament.

Xavier will appear in the tournament for the 13th time and the second consecutive year. XU coach Dannton Jackson's teams have qualified for nationals six times in his nine seasons.

LSUS, a GCAC member from 2003-10, is in its second season in the Red River Athletic Conference.

Tournament bracket (PDF)      NAIA tournament website

"As you would expect, we are excited to return to the national tournament," Jackson said. "It was difficult to play the waiting game since losing on Friday, but we felt we had a good chance to get in and that there were good reasons why we deserved at-large bid. We are looking forward to another trip to Kansas City and, hopefully, a lengthy stay there."

The Gold Rush were 11-3 in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and shared the regular-season championship with No. 24 Tougaloo. Xavier was seeded in the GCAC Tournament at Jacksonville, Fla., and lost 66-65 to SUNO on Friday in the semifinals. SUNO, the No. 3 seed, then earned the GCAC's automatic bid to nationals with a 79-58 victory the following day against top-seeded Tougaloo.

Tougaloo also earned an at-large berth, making it the seventh time in nine seasons and the 10th time in 13 seasons that the GCAC sent three teams to nationals.

Xavier ranks second in NAIA Division I in field-goal percentage defense (.379), seventh in scoring defense (62.5) and 10th in rebound margin (plus-6.7). The Gold Rush have no one averaging 10 or more points a game; leaders are 6-foot-8 junior forward Anthony Simmons (9.8), 5-11 senior guard Chris Iles (9.6) and 6-7 junior forward Denzell Erves (9.5). All three were All-GCAC. Another starter is 6-4 senior guard Jamaan Kenner (5.7), who has been accepted into medical school.

Jackson was chosen GCAC Coach of the Year for the first time.

Xavier lost 79-71 to Evangel in the 2011 opening round. The Gold Rush are 4-12 at nationals, with the most recent victory an 82-79 upset of third-ranked Georgetown (Ky.) in the 2007 opening round.

LSU-Shreveport (25-7) is the No. 12 national seed and ranked 12th in the coaches poll. The Pilots won the Red River tournament. Greg Shyne (20.3), a 6-foot senior guard, and Derrick Parker (19.4), a 6-6 senior forward, lead LSUS in scoring.

This is the 75th anniversary of the NAIA men's tournament. The venue will be Municipal Auditorium, which opened in 1935. The tournament will conclude March 20.

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

No. 1-seeded MVSU narrowly avoids upset in SWAC quarterfinals

COACH SEAN WOODS

GARLAND, Texas — Mississippi Valley State won 17 straight SWAC games this season before finally losing one last week. The Delta Devils weren’t about to lose two in a row. Top seed MVSU used an 11-0 run to surge past upset-minded Jackson State, 63-60, in Wednesday’s quarterfinals of the Farmers Insurance SWAC Tournament at Garland Special Events Center.

Jackson State, the No. 8 seed, was shooting a sizzling 59 percent when it took a 44-40 lead with 14:34 left on a Sydney Coleman dunk. MVSU then scored 11 straight points, including two spectacular slams by Cor-J Cox, to pull ahead, 51-44, with 8:42 to play.

Jackson State refused to go away as Christian Williams nailed a 3-pointer to get within one, 59-58, with two minutes to play. Jaskson State (7-24) had the final possession and a chance to send the game to overtime with 25 seconds left, but Williams missed two 3-point attempts.

Mississippi Valley State (19-12) went 17-1 in conference play, losing its final regular season game to Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

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TIGERS TAMED: Hampton upsets top seed SSU in MEAC tournament

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- With 2:38 left to play, top-seeded Savannah State appeared ready to mount one last surge that would help the Tigers overcome Hampton in their opening-round MEAC tournament game.

Preston Blackman hit two free throws to cut the deficit to 48-44. But on Hampton’s next possession, Christopher Tolson sliced past the defense and scored on a baseline drive to push the lead to six points and repel any hopes of a comeback.

The Tigers never recovered and their tournament title quest came to an abrupt halt in a 59-46 loss Wednesday at Joel Coliseum. Hampton advances to play North Carolina Central or Bethune-Cookman in the MEAC semifinals at 6 p.m. Friday.

“Our guys played as hard as they have all season,” said Savannah State coach Horace Broadnax. “It’s disappointing, but there’s no way that I’ll grade them on this game. When you consider how far this program has come and what these guys have done, it’s just remarkable. We couldn’t solve their 2-3 zone.”

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Bowie State Releases 2012 Football Schedule

BOWIE, Maryland -- Bowie State will begin its 40th overall season of intercollegiate football and look to improve on last season's mark of 4-6 (3-4 CIAA). The Bulldogs began playing football in 1972 under the leadership of Staley Jackson and are now under the direction of fourth-year head coach Damon Wilson.

“This is probably one of the most competitive and balanced schedules we've had in our three seasons”, said Wilson. “Our first five games will give us a good indication as to where the Bulldogs should fair towards the end of the season.”

Bowie State University will kick off its 10-game, 2012 season with a Saturday, September 1st home game against Assumption College in Bulldogs Stadium. The Bulldogs rolled to a relatively easy 28-7 season opening road victory over the Greyhounds last season. Assumption, a member of the Northeast-10 Conference finished with a 4-6 record in 2011.

The Bulldogs travel to Columbia (S.C.) for a Thursday (September 6th) night non-conference contest against Benedict College in week two. Bowie State hosted Benedict in the Bulldogs' home opener last season, beating the Tigers 31-14. The Tigers (2-8 in 2011) are members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).

Bowie State welcomes the Fighting Falcons of Fairmont State College to Bulldogs Stadium – Saturday (September 15th). The Fighting Falcons defeated Bowie State last season by the score of 49-20 at Fairmont State and lead the series 2-0. Fairmont State finished the year with a 7-4 overall record.

Saint Augustine's College (4-6 in 2011) returns to the Bowie State schedule for the first time since the 2003 campaign. Bowie State will make their first trip to Raleigh since the inaugural Falcons/Bulldogs game in 2002. The Bulldogs and Falcons meet in the George Williams Complex on the SAC campus - Saturday (September 22nd). Bowie State edged the Falcons 14-6 in 2003 and leads the series 2-0.

The defending CIAA Champions and NCAA semifinalist of Winston-Salem State University bring their high-powered offense to Bowie State Saturday (September 29th). The Rams and Bulldogs have not met on the gridiron since 2004 with BSU squeezing out a 7-6 home victory over WSSU. Winston-Salem State leads the overall series 12-5 and ended their 2011 season with a 13-1 record.

Bowie State travels to Murfreesboro (N.C.) to take on Chowan University – Saturday (October 6th). The Hawks tallied a 3-7 record last season and beat the Bulldogs 38-35 in BSU's 2011 season finale. The series is tied 1-1 with the Bulldogs winning the inaugural (2010) game by a score of 59-19.

The Bulldogs will celebrate Homecoming 2012 against the Trojans of Virginia State University on Saturday (October 13th). Virginia State beat Bowie State last season, capturing a stunning 28-21 overtime win. Virginia State holds a 17-8 series advantage over Bowie State. The Trojans finished second in the CIAA North with a record of 5-5.

Bowie State hits the road following Homecoming, making stops at Virginia Union University (Saturday, October 20th) and Lincoln University of Pennsylvania (Saturday, October 27th). The Bulldogs dropped a tough 32-29 nationally televised decision against VUU's Panthers last. Bowie State trails in the overall series (10-17-1). Virginia Union placed third overall in the conference's Northern Division and ended the year with a 5-5 record. Lincoln (2-8 in 2011) lost 22-10 to Bowie State last season and BSU leads the series 3-0.

Bowie State will close out the regular season at home on Saturday (November 3rd) against the Vikings of Elizabeth City State University. ECSU's Vikings downed the Bulldogs 23-12 last year and finished the season as conference runner-up with a record of 8-4. The Vikings hold a slim 15-14 series advantage against the Bulldogs.

Specific home theme days and final game times for all games will be released at a later date.

BSU BULLDOGS 2012 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

9/1  Assumption College, Bowie, MD
9/6  Benedict College, Columbia SC
9/15  Fairmont State, Bowie, MD
9/22  St. Augustine's,  Raleigh, NC
9/29  Winston-Salem State, Bowie, MD
10/6  Chowan, Murfreesboro, NC
10/13 Virginia State (homecoming) Bowie, MD
10/20  Virginia Union, Richmond, VA
10/27  Lincoln (PA), Lincoln University, PA

11/3  Elizabeth City State, Bowie, MD

COURTESY: BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

TSU Men's Basketball Accepts Bid to CIT

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - It was announced on Wednesday that the Tennessee State University men's basketball team has accepted a bid to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).

The postseason bid is the first of any kind for Tennessee State since 1993-94 and the third in the school's NCAA Division I era. The CIT bid is contingent on if the Tigers do not receive an invite to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). If the Tigers earn a bid to the NIT, TSU will partake in that event.

"We are very pleased to accept an invitation for postseason play in the CIT," said TSU Athletics Director Teresa Phillips. "Our student-athletes and staff have earned this opportunity and will make the most of it."

TSU is the third different school from the Ohio Valley Conference to accept a bid since the CIT's inception in 2009. Austin Peay played in the inaugural tournament in 2009 and Tennessee Tech participated in last year's event. The Golden Eagles are participating in this year's tournament as well.

The first round of the CIT for TSU begins on the road next Tuesday, March 13, Wednesday, March 14 or Thursday, March 15. The Tigers' date and opponent will be announced on Sunday evening.

The Tigers (20-12, 11-5 OVC) completed one of the team's best seasons in recent memory. For the first time since 1995-96, the Big Blue posted a winning record. This season was also the first time the Tigers clipped the 20-win plateau since 1978-79.

Under the direction of TSU head coach John Cooper, the Tigers picked up their first win over an SEC opponent (South Carolina) and a top-10 nationally ranked program (Murray State).

"We are certainly excited to be in postseason play," said Cooper. "This team has earned the right. We look forward to getting better and being competitive. Our ultimate goal is to win the championship. I think we'll bring some excitement and passion to (the CIT)."

Tennessee State made it to the finals of Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, but fell in a heartbreaking fashion, 54-52, to Murray State.

The Tigers are led offensively by first team All-OVC selection Robert Covington. The junior put together 17.8 points and 7.9 rebounds in 32 games played. He ranks in the NCAA's top-100 in scoring, rebounding and blocks.

Earlier this week, Covington was honored by CollegeInsider as the Ohio Valley Conference's Co-Most Valuable Player.

Sophomore guard Patrick Miller is also in double-figures with 10.9 points per contest and a team-best 116 assists.

Ticket information and other details about the CIT will be available online at TSUTigers.com when it becomes available.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

XU Nuggets draw Southern Nazarene in final 1st-round game

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana will play Southern Nazarene at 9:45 p.m. on March 15 in the opening round of the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship at Frankfort, Ky.

The game will be the last of 16 first-round matchups over two days.

The NAIA announced all 16 first-round pairings and tip-off times early Wednesday evening. Earlier in the day the NAIA announced that the Gold Nuggets (25-8) were 18th in the coaches poll. Xavier qualified for nationals with an automatic bid by defeating Talladega 58-50 on Saturday in the championship game of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

Xavier will appear in the national tournament for the 16th time in 18 seasons and the third consecutive year. XU coach Bo Browder's teams have qualified for nationals 11 times in his 13 seasons.

"Our team has put in a lot of work to get to nationals," Browder said. "We've been blessed to go to nationals frequently, but we never take it for granted. We're looking forward to the opening round and seeing how far we can go."

The Gold Nuggets were 12-2 in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and won the regular-season championship. They'll enter nationals with a seven-game win streak.

Tournament bracket (PDF)      NAIA tournament website

Xavier ranks sixth in NAIA Division I in steals per game (12.5) and field-goal percentage defense (.338), seventh in scoring defense (53.6) and eighth in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.255). Leading scorers are 5-oot-7 junior guard SiMon Franklin (10 points per game), 6-foot senior center Keldra Hall (9.9) and 5-8 senior guard Jasmine Grant (9.7). All three were All-GCAC, with Hall earning that honor for the second consecutive year. Franklin was the most valuable player of the GCAC Tournament and was joined by Grant and 5-6 senior Brandi Young (5.9) on the all-tournament team.

Browder was chosen GCAC Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season and a GCAC-record fifth time.

Southern Nazarene (24-9), ranked 16th, was 16-6 (third place) in the 12-team Sooner Athletic Conference and lost 61-55 to the NAIA's top-ranked team, Oklahoma City, in the SAC Tournament championship game. This will be third meeting between Xavier and Southern Nazarene — the Crimson Storm won in the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons — and the first in the postseason.

Xavier defeated 13th-ranked Lee (Tenn.) 63-53 in the 2011 opening round, then lost 67-51 to fourth-ranked Oklahoma City.

The Frankfort Convention Center will play host to the tournament this season after 22 consecutive years at Jackson, Tenn. The tournament will conclude March 20.

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