Southern hoops deals with crazy SWAC schedule

Florida A&M tabs 3 finalists for football coaching job

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Florida A&M has narrowed its football coaching search down to three candidates: John Eason, John Hendrick and Earl Holmes.

Athletic Director Derek Horne officially announced the three finalists and their interview times late this afternoon.

Rick Comegy, whose application was omitted from the original list of applicants, has decided that he will stay at Jackson State and is no longer in the running; he has one year remaining on his contract there.

Holmes, who has been acting coach since Joe Taylor retired in November, will be first to have a face-to-face interview with members of the search committee, Horne and interim president Larry Robinson. That is scheduled to take place Friday.

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FINALIST COACHING PROFILES  (Click Each Name)

• Earl Holmes, Florida A&M University Interim Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator
• John Eason, Ph.D., University of Georgia Director of Player Development
• John Hendrick, Alabama State University Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Ends Coach

Washingtonian Joe Taylor stays busy in retirement

Former FAMU football coach sets book tour and a little golf, too 

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Beverly Taylor wasn’t exactly shocked when her husband, Joe, said to her over breakfast on Christmas day a year ago that he was contemplating retiring from coaching college football.

She wondered if he wasn’t moving too fast. There was the possibility of a contract extension as head coach at FAMU. Plus, he was just a few victories from becoming the second-winningest coach in black college football history.

“Soon as he said it, I said, ‘Are you sure,’” Beverly Taylor recalled. “‘Are you sure you’re at peace with not getting up every day at 4 (in the morning)?’ He said, ‘I’m going to be OK with that.’

“There was never any reservation, any second-guessing. It was always moving forward.”

Joe Taylor told the world 10 months later, announcing his retirement with two games remaining on the Rattlers’ 2012 schedule. At the same time, he said he’d turn his attention to promoting a book titled, “The making of a champion. Success is an inconvenience,” which he’d written with Ronald L. Mann.

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XU Gold Nuggets beat 12th-ranked Bethel (Tenn.) in 2 OTs

NEW ORLEANS -- Junior guard Andraquay Quinnine scored six of her career-high 18 points in extra periods to help Xavier University of Louisiana earn a 75-67 double-overtime victory against Bethel (Tenn.) in a matchup of ranked NAIA Division I women's basketball teams Wednesday.

The Gold Nuggets (10-2), ranked ninth, never trailed in earning their third victory against ranked opponents, their most in a regular season since 2002-03.

Paige Gauthier had a career-high 14 points, a career-high-tying eight rebounds, a season-high seven assists and four steals for Xavier. Carmen Holcombe scored a season-high 12 points -- her first game of the year in double-figures -- and grabbed seven rebounds.

Alisha Gentry scored a season-high 23 points for 12th-ranked Bethel (12-3). Jasmine Taylor scored 15 points, and Perica Glenn matched her season highs of 13 points and 14 rebounds. Gentry made 4-of-9 3-pointers, but her teammates were a collective 0-of-16.

Gauthier scored 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in a 13-2 run during the final 2:49, to give Xavier a 36-24 halftime lead. But after Quinnine's 3-point play with 18;48 remaining gave the Nuggets their largest lead, 39-26, Bethel used a 15-2 run to tie the score at 41 at 11:37. Xavier led 57-52 and had possession in the 38th minute, but Bethel rallied again, with Gentry's 3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining capping a 7-1 run which tied the score at 58 and sent the teams to overtime.

Xavier missed two shots in the final 20 seconds of the first overtime after Gentry's basket gave the Lady Wildcats their fourth and final tie at 64 with 48 seconds remaining. The Nuggets outscored Bethel 11-3 in the second overtime and never lost the lead after Whitney Gaston-Loyd's basket at 4:25 and Paige Rochelle's two free throws -- her only points of the game -- at 3:25. Bethel's Lorna Hudson scored a 3-point play at 2:21 to cut the margin to 68-67, but Xavier scored the final seven points, all on free throws.

"It was a very good game with two ranked teams fighting it out," said Bo Browder, whose teams are 8-3 in overtime during his 14 seasons as XU's head coach. "I was pleased with our effort. Any time you win in double overtime, that's special. Winning in double overtime says your team is tough."

It was Xavier's first overtime game since January 2011, its first overtime victory since January 2008 and its first home overtime game since January 2007. It was the Nuggets' first multiple-overtime game since a 70-67 double-OT victory at city rival Dillard on Jan. 29, 2000.

The teams combined for 52 fouls and 55 turnovers, and each had two starters foul out. All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference guard SiMon Franklin, the Nuggets' season scoring leader, fouled out at 1:58 of the second half with six points on 3-of-9 from the floor. But Browder said he wasn't concerned.

"We don't count on one person to win," Browder said. "Everybody knows that."

Xavier shot 33.9 percent from the floor -- the 10th time this season the Nuggets finished at less than 40 percent -- but limited Bethel to 31.4 percent. The Nuggets scored a rare victory at the line, making a season-high 29 free throws -- one less than the school record -- in 34 attempts. Bethel made 19-of-32. Xavier made 11-of-12 free throws in overtime. For the game, Holcombe made 8-of-8 free throws, Quinnine made 8-of-9, and Gauthier was 4-of-4. It was the second consecutive game and the fourth time this season that the Nuggets finished at 85 percent or higher.

Xavier won for the eighth time in nine games at its new Convocation Center, which opened Nov. 3, and for the 48th time in its past 51 home games.

Xavier, the two-time defending GCAC regular-season champion, will open its conference schedule at 3 p.m. EST Saturday against Edward Waters in Jacksonville, Fla. The next home game wll start at 5 p.m. on Jan. 12 against Tougaloo.

Box score

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

Hampton Defeats Boston College Women's Basketball, 60-57

HAMPTON, Virginia  --  The Boston College women's basketball team ended a two-game road trip with a tough 60-57 loss to non-conference foe Hampton at the HU Convocation Center in Hampton, Virginia. The Eagles are now 6-6 on the season, while Hampton improved to 10-5.

BC was led by senior Kerri Shields with 17 points, three assists and three boards. Katie Zenevitch added 12 points while Kristen Doherty had 11 points, seven boards and had three assists.  Hampton was led by Olivia Allen with 19 points and Keiara Avant with 18.

BC battled all game, coming from 14 down in the second half to within one point against Hampton with 22 seconds to play.

The comeback started at 7:34, after Hamilton hit a three-pointer, which was the last field goal for the Pirates in the game.  BC Shayra Brown (six points, four rebounds) hit a foul shot, followed by a three-pointer from Shields. The Pirate lead was seven points with 5:42 to play. Free throws by the Pirates extended the lead but the BC pressure created turnovers. Tessah Holt hit a three, Doherty stole the inbounds pass and Brown hit a layup and BC was down three points. Two foul shots by Boudreau cut the lead to just one point with 22 seconds to play.

After a timeout, BC fouled Avant, who hit two freebies for a three point lead. After another timeout, BC pushed the ball up the floor and ran a number of screens hoping to free up Shields or Boudreau. Shields came up short but the Pirates turned the ball over on the inbounds and BC had a final shot. Boudreau's shot from the corner hit the front of the rim with two seconds left on the clock.

Boston College shot just 38 percent from the floor for the game and 33 percent from the three-point line. The Eagles committed 16 turnovers and lost the battle of the boards, 39-38.



The Pirates came out quicker than quick and shot out to a 9-3 lead behind Nicole Hamilton's seven points. BC slowly chipped away as the Eagles battle foul trouble and poor shooting.

The Eagles opened with three three's by Nicole Boudreau, Katie Zenevitch and Kerri Shields, and the team was back in the game. Zenevitch would pick up her second foul and sat the rest of the half.

BC shot just 38 percent from the floor, turned the ball over 11 times but was down only, 34-25.

Box Score


COURTESY BOSTON COLLEGE ATHLETICS

A&T Aggies Free Throws Take Down Radford 81-77

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  -  Ya Anderson scored a career high for the second straight game, this time pouring in 21, but it was not enough to lift Radford in its road game at North Carolina A&T. The Aggies came away with an 81-77 victory.

Radford (6-8) entered the contest with a chance to even its out-of-conference record heading into Saturday's league opener vs. Charleston Southern. It was North Carolina A&T (6-9), however, that overcame a burst by R.J. Price in the opening minutes of the game and took control midway in the first half.

Price, who was making his first start in four games after recovering from an ankle injury, hit his first three shots, all from behind the three-point arc, to pace the Highlanders. But Aggies responded with a 7-0 run to push the lead to eight points with 10 minutes to play in the half.

RU responded with a strong defensive effort from Jalen Carethers and Lucas Dyer to hold the Aggies to just five more points in the final 10 minutes of the half. The Highlanders briefly took the lead 28-27 before an Austin Witten three-point basket gave A&T a 30-28 lead at the intermission.

Radford head coach Mike Jones applauded his team's effort in the latter part of the half. "We really started to defend, but couldn't sustain that momentum in the second half." The Aggies scored 51 points in the second half and shot 59 percent from the field.

A 10-4 run to open the second half by A&T put Radford in catch-up mode for the better part of the second half. To the Highlanders' credit, they did respond, mostly led by Anderson's hot shooting. The freshman scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half, including four of his career-high five three-point baskets.

Price added 14 points, and Javonte Green overcame early foul trouble to score 10 points. Green also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Carthers finished with eight points, seven rebounds, and three blocked shots.

Statistically, the game about as even as possible. Both teams committed 14 turnovers and grabbed 38 rebounds. A&T outshot the Highlanders from the field, 49 percent to 46. The difference in the game came at the free throw line. The Aggies were 14-22, while just 4-8.


COURTESY RADFORD UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Winthrop Eagles Fall 64-57 To North Carolina Central

NCCU Head Coach LeVelle Moton's Postgame Comments (Winthrop)

ROCK HILL, South Carolina  —  Winthrop couldn't overcome a slow start to the second half as it fell 64-57 to North Carolina Central, Wednesday evening at the Winthrop coliseum in men's basketball non-conference action.

With the loss, the Eagles finish their pre-conference schedule at 6-6 while NCCU improved to 7-7.

The second half didn't go well for the Eagles after Andre Smith made it a two-point game with a three pointer on Winthrop's first possession of the second half at the 19:25 mark. NCCU responded with a 7-0 run capped off by a Jeremy Ingram three-pointer for a 36-27 lead with 16:45 remaining.

Winthrop's Larry Brown ended the run with a jumper in the lane, but NCCU scored eight straight points to build its largest lead of the game, 44-29 with 14:55 to play. Over the eight and a half minutes the Eagles worked their way back into the game and cut the lead to single digits after a Derrick Henry pull-up jumper at the foul line in transition. Henry's jumper with 3:55 remaining cut the lead to five points, 53-48. The lead extended back to seven points after Ray Willis dropped two free throws only to have Brown score again on a tip-in to cut the lead back to five with 2:48 to play.

The Eagles defense got the stop it needed but had some wind knocked out of them on the offensive end when Brown looked like he had been bowled over and was on the ground, but was whistled for the illegal screen and the offensive foul. NCCU went down and scored on a jumper with 1:07 to play.

“I give a lot of credit to them (NCCU),” said Winthrop head coach Pat Kelsey. “I told our team I think an NCAA tournament type team beat us today. I may be wrong as I haven't seen the rest of their conference but I think they have a chance of representing their conference in the NCAA Tournament this year. A good team beat us tonight and I got to tip my hat to them.”

Henry led the team in scoring with 16 points on 6-for-13 shooting while Brown added a career-high 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting and also pulled down seven rebounds. Gideon Gamble chipped in with nine points and three assists.

Winthrop fell behind 9-2 early as Ingram scored the first nine points of the game for NCCU. Both teams struggled shooting in the middle part of the first half as Winthrop slowly worked its way to a 10-8 deficit after Brown knocked down a jumper in the lane with 10:44 on the clock. NCCU answered with a deep three on the wing by Willis followed by another three by Drimir Ferguson for a 16-8 lead with 7:19 to play. The two teams traded baskets the next few possessions and NCCU even extended the lead to seven points with just under four minutes before the Eagles fought their way back.

Gamble capped off a 9-2 run with a jumper and a fast break lay-up off the assist from Henry to tie the game at 24-24 with 1:19 on the clock. The tie was short lived as Antonin Galaya pulled up quickly for a three to lead 27-24 where the score would stand at halftime.

Winthrop struggled to hit shots early in the half but finished the half shooting 39 percent while NCCU shot 44 percent (4-for-9 behind the arc). The Eagles, averaging 21 three-point attempts per game, only attempted three shots behind the arc in the first half.

NCCU was led by Ingram's 22 points as he was 8-for-8 at the foul line to pace his team that finished 18-for-20 at the charity stripe on the night. Stanton Kidd added 14 points and eight rebounds while Willis had 10 points.

The Eagles finished the night shooting 44 percent from the field and allowed NCCU to shoot 50 percent, which is the first in the last nine games to do so. Winthrop finished with a season-low 10 three-point attempts and was just 2-for-10. NCCU finished 8-for-17 behind the arc.

Winthrop will open up its Big South Conference slate this Saturday, Jan. 5 at 2 p.m. when it hosts High Point University.

Box Score
www.winthropphotos.com 

COURTESY WINTHROP UNIVERSITY AND NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS   

Marshall's Offense Struggles in 53-51 Loss to Delaware State Hornets

HUNTINGTON, West Virginia  --  Elijah Pittman scored 17 points and Dennis Tinnon had 13, but overall the points were hard to come by in a 53-51 loss by the Marshall men's basketball team to Delaware State on Wednesday at the Cam Henderson Center.

Tinnon had 10 rebounds to go with his point total for his fourth double-double of the season. The senior forward was 4-of-10 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.

Pittman scored a game-high 17 points on 4-of-10 shooting including 2-of-4 from three-point range. The junior forward also shot well from the free throw line, making 7-of-8.

The two teams combined to score just 38 points in the first half as the Hornets (6-8) led 21-17. The Thundering Herd (7-7) shot just 30.4 percent from the field in the first half, while the Hornets shot 31.0 percent.

"We have to come to grips with what we are," said head coach Tom Herrion. "We are so inefficient on offense that it is damaging to us night-in and night-out." 

Delaware State led the entirety of the first half and reached its largest lead of 12, with 15:56 to play in the game. The Hornets led 31-21 at the 14:36 mark of the second half before the Herd went on an 18-7 run to get within one point, 38-37 with 5:42 remaining.

A pair of Pittman free throw gave the Herd its first lead of the game, 43-41 with 3:02 remaining.

A 46-46 tie was broke by a three-pointer by the Hornets' Jabari Joyner to give Delaware State a 49-46 lead with 58 seconds to play. Two more free throws by Pittman brought the Herd within one point, 49-48 with 43 seconds left, but that was as close as Marshall got due to clutch free throw shooting down the stretch by the Hornets.

Both teams shot better in the second half as Marshall was 41.7 percent and DSU was 50.0 percent.

For the game, Marshall finished 17-for-47 (36.2 percent) and DSU was 19-for-49 (38.8 percent).

"Our defense was good enough to win tonight," Herrion said. "But offensively, we had 15 turnovers. We left 10 points on the foul line."

Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery
Box Score (PDF)


COURTESY MARSHALL UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Savannah State Falls to Western Illinois 39-35

MACOMB, Illinois -- The Fighting Leathernecks trailed Savannah State 23-12 at halftime, but outscored the Tigers 27-12 in the second half, and held SSU to five points in the final 12 minutes of play to pick up their eighth straight win and improve to 11-3 on the season.

The 11-3 start is Western's best start since the 1979-80 season, and its eight consecutive victories is the most since the 1997-98 Leathernecks won nine straight.

Savannah State (5-8) pressured the Leathernecks throughout the first half, forcing nine Western turnovers while the Leathernecks shot just 33% from the field. Western came out hot early in the second and played defense as they crawled their way back to even things 33-33 with two minutes to play.

An Adam Link free throw gave the Leathernecks their first lead of the game with just over a minute to play, and Western was able to hold off the Tigers until the final buzzer sounded.
Link was the only Leatherneck to score double figures, recording 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field, and going 4-of-4 from the free throw line.

Terell Parks tallied nine points in the win to go along with his eight rebounds and career-high seven blocks.

Don McAvoy III and Jack Houpt each finished with six points.

Western ended up shooting 44.4% from the field, while the Tigers shot just 32.6% from the floor.

The Leathernecks entered the game ranked fifth in the country in personal fouls (13.1 per game), and committed 16 less fouls than Savannah State Wednesday, 24-8.

Khiry White led the Tigers with 10 points.

Western continues Summit League play Saturday evening (Jan. 2) at home against IUPUI. Tip is slated for 7 p.m.

COURTESY WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Lady Rattlers Can't Hold Off FIU Panthers in 70-69 Loss

MIAMI, Florida  --  Finda Mansare nailed a jumper for FIU with six seconds left in the game to give the Panthers a 70-69 win over the Florida A&M Women's Basketball team, here Wednesday afternoon at the Al Lawson Center.

The Panthers took a 68-64 lead on a pair of free throws by Jerica Coley with 1:41 to go in the game.
FAMU regained the lead as Kimberly Sparkman scored the next five points for the Lady Rattlers as she she made a layup with 48 seconds left, followed by a three-pointer with 21 seconds left in the game, giving FAMU a 69-68 lead.

The Lady Rattlers opened the first half with a 6-4 lead on a made free throw by Keturah Martin.
FIU would tie the game at 6-6, the first of 10 ties in the game on a pair of free throws by Marita Davydova with 15:59 to go in the first.

Then FIU would extend their lead to 16-12 on a three pointer by Zsofia Labady at the 11:56 mark of the half, capping an 8-3 run by the Panthers.

FAMU would regain the lead as they went on a 10-4 run, giving them a 22-20 lead, capped off by Sparkman layup with 8:51 left in the first.

The Lady Rattlers would then close out the half with a 15-8 run as Cristal Lirano scored FAMU's final two points of the half on a pair of free throws with one second left in the game.

FAMU finished the first half shooting 50-percent from the field (14-of-28), while FIU also shot 50-percent (11-of-22).

FIU opened the second half with a 7-0 run as they tied the game at 37-37, capped off by a layup Davydova with 17:29 to go in the game.

The combination of Sparkman and Grice would give the Rattlers a 42-37 lead as Sparkman made a layup at the 17:17, followed by a Grice three-pointer with 16:41 left.

FIU would regain the lead again on a Davydova layup with 13:33 left in the game, giving the Panthers a 45-44 lead.

A pair of field goals by Grice and Martin gave the Lady Rattlers a 50-47 lead with 11:50 left in the contest.

In the final 11 minutes, the lead would change times four times as FIU held on for the 70-69 win.
The Lady Rattlers finished the contest shooting 44.4 percent (28-of-63), while the Panthers shot 47.3 percent (26-of-55). FIU held the rebounding advantage over FAMU, 42-27.

FAMU (3-10) was paced by both Grice and Sparkman as they both combined for 48 points with Sparkman scoring a team-high 28 points, and Grice chipping in 20 points. Martin led the Lady Rattles on the boards with five.

FIU (8-5) had three Panthers to score in double figures as Coley scored a game-high 35 points to lead all scorers, followed by Davydova with a double-double as she scored 11 points and pulled down 11 boards, while Mansare added 10.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION RELEASE

Franklin earns GCAC's weekly award after 2 career highs

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's SiMon Franklin, who recorded career highs in points and rebounds this past weekend, has been chosen Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week in women's basketball for Dec. 24-30.

Franklin, a 5-foot-7 senior guard from Baton Rouge, La., and a graduate of St. Joseph's Academy, averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and three steals in two games at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in Montgomery, Ala. She had 25 points — 16 in the first half — nine rebounds and three steals Saturday in the Gold Nuggets' 66-64 loss to NAIA No. 24 Faulkner. Her 3-pointer with 22 seconds remaining tied the score at 64. Franklin produced 10 points and three steals Friday in a 63-47 victory against Belhaven.

Franklin needs 76 points to become the 19th XU woman to reach 1,000 in a career. Franklin began the season 29th on XU's career list and has climbed to 22nd with 924 points. In 21st place is Alisheian Graham (1999-2003) with 944 points.

Xavier, 9-2 and ranked ninth in NAIA Division I, will play 12th-ranked Bethel (Tenn.) at 2 p.m. Wednesday at XU's new Convocation Center. The Nuggets will open defense of their GCAC championship at 3 p.m. EST Saturday against Edward Waters at Jacksonville, Fla.

By Ed Cassiere, SID
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Southern men set to begin SWAC play against TSU

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  Last season, the Southern men’s basketball team finished with its best record in Southwestern Athletic Conference play since 2005.

The 13-5 mark was good enough for second in the conference, but the Jaguars couldn’t reap any of the benefits of their success because of academic-related penalties.

The NCAA had handed down a postseason ban on SU, thanks to substandard scores in its Academic Progress Rate.

It was Roman Banks’ first season in Baton Rouge, and the newly hired coach didn’t limit his accomplishments to the court in his inaugural campaign. In the past year, Southern ranked in the top three percentiles in Division I APR turnaround, making the Jaguars eligible for postseason play this year.

“We took the job in a very tough situation, and our penalty was practice time, no postseason play and scholarships,” Banks said. “We came in and turned academics around and wrote a waiver to the NCAA allowing us to go to postseason play. We can go to postseason play, but then there’s still a three-year period of this probation that we’re on. That means that we can’t falter.”


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Savannah State Brings in the New Year at Western Illinois

MACOMB, Illinois  --  The Fighting Leathernecks have won seven straight games and look to continue their winning ways with a pair of home games this week. Western (10-3, 4-0) concludes a home-and-home series with the Savannah State Tigers (5-7) on Wednesday (Jan. 2), and then plays host to the IUPUI Jaguars (6-11, 1-3) on Saturday (Jan. 5). Both games will be played at 7 p.m. inside Western Hall.

A LOOK AT THE TIGERS: Savannah State is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and enters Wednesday’s game with a 5-7 record...The Tigers most recently lost their fourth straight game to Marshall, 64-48...SSU is led by Rashad Hassan who averages 12.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game... Preston Blackman sits second on the team with 9.9 points per game, and leads the team with 41 assists on the season.

COACHING SAVANNAH STATE: The Tigers are coached by Horace Broadnax (Georgetown ‘86) who is in his seventh season at the helm.

THE SERIES: Western owns a 2-3 record versus Savannah State all-time...All of Western’s games versus Savannah State occurred while Leatherneck head coach Jim Molinari was at the helm...The first came on November 24, 2009 when the Leathernecks lost, 52-48...Western beat the Tigers later that season at home on January 4th, 55-51...The two teams again played a home-and-home series the following season with Western downing the Tigers, 83-47, on the road before dropping a home game to SSU on March 1st, 51-47...Earlier this season Western lost in Georgia, 39-38.

MID-MAJOR TOP 25: Western Illinois just missed the CollegeInsider.com’s Mid-Major Top 25 poll, receiving 73 votes...The 25th ranked team in the poll earned 86 votes.

UNDEFEATED DECEMBER: The Leathernecks finished the month of December with a 6-0 record...It was the first time Western has went unbeaten in the December in its Division I history, and the first time since the Leathernecks went 8-0 in December during the 1957-58 season.

BEST START SINCE: Western is off to its best start in its NCAA Division I history...No other team has started a season 10-3 or better since the 1980-81 season (WIU’s final season as a NCAA Division II team)...The last time a Western Illinois team started 11-3 was the 1979-80 season.

STREAKING: The Leathernecks picked up their seventh straight victory last Saturday evening against Fort Wayne, a winning streak that started over a month ago on November 29th at South Dakota...The last time the Leathernecks earned seven or more straight wins was during the 1998-99 season when they earned seven straight wins...In the 1997-98 season, Western won nine straight games.

UNDEFEATED CONFERENCE RECORD: The last time the Leathernecks started conference play 4-0 or better was the 1997-98 team which kicked-off conference play 6-0...The 1997-98 team’s 6-0 conference start is Western’s best start in league play The 1997-98 team’s 6-0 conference start is Western’s best start in league play since it became a division I program.

WHAT’S IN A WESTERN WIN?: A win would mark the 1,213th victory in program history...A win would mark head coach Jim Molinari’s 58th victory at Western, and his 281st victory all-time as a head coach...A win would be Western’s third over Savannah State and even the series at 3-3...A win would mark the Leathernecks’ eighth straight.

IN THE NATION (As of 12/31/12): Western ranks in the top 10 of two national categories...Fourth in defensive scoring, having held its opponents to 52.2 points per game, and fifth in personal fouls per game, having committed only 13.1 per game...The Leathernecks also rank in the top 100 of six other categories... 36th in field goal percentage defense (38.3), 40th in field goal percentage (46.8), 52nd in winning percentage (76.9), 59th in turnovers per game (12.2), 61st in blocked shots per game (4.8), 85th in scoring margin (8.4), and 85th in three-point feild goal percentage defense (30.7).

CLARK AND PARKS NATION (As of 12/31/12): Seniors Ceola Clark III and Terell Parks rank in the top 100 of six national categories...Parks ranks 27th in blocked shots per game (2.54), 47th in rebounds per game (9.1), 72nd in field goal percentage (53.2), and 84th in double doubles (3.0)...Clark ranks 42nd in assist/turnover ratio (1.92).

LAST TIME OUT: The Western Illinois men’s basketball team accomplished something the program hasn’t seen in its 32-year NCAA Division I history, starting a season with a 10-3 overall record.

The Leathernecks (10-3, 4-0) picked up their seventh straight victory Saturday evening (Dec. 29) inside Western Hall with a 62-50 conference win over the Fort Wayne Mastodons (6-9, 0-2). The last time Western had won seven consecutive games was the 1998-99 season.

Jack Houpt and Adam Link led Western with 16 points a piece, while Ceola Clark III scored 14. Terell Parks pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds in the win and two blocks to go along with his seven points.

Clark also had a team-high six assists and one steal.

The Leathernecks shot 48.7% from the floor, and held the Mastodons to 31.6% shooting.

Fort Wayne won the turnover battle, committing just five to Western’s 15. It also had 11 steals to Western’s two.

IPFW hit only 4-of-21 from three, and the Mastodons also struggled from the free throw line, knocking down only 10-of-23 from the charity stripe.

IPFW took the lead, 8-6, early in the first half, but the Leathernecks went on a 12-2 run to close out the opening 10 minutes of the contest with a 18-10 lead.

With eight minutes left in the first, Clark had nine points on 3-of-4 shooting, the Leathernecks were shooting just under 70%, and IPFW had connected on only three of its 13 shots (23.1%).

The Leathernecks were up by as many as 14 points in the first, and went into the locker room at halftime with a 12-point advantage, 31-19.

The second half started much like the first half finished, with the Leathernecks building their lead to as large as 17 points. IPFW, however, battled back and made it a six-point game with just just over 10 minutes to play in regulation.

Western wouldn’t allow the Mastodons to get any closer, and after holding off a small Fort Wayne run, the Leathernecks would roll to victory.

WHO: Savannah State Tigers (5-7) at Western Illinois Leathernecks (10-3, 4-0)
WHERE: Macomb, Ill. • Western Hall (5,139)
WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.
SERIES HISTORY: Savannah State leads 3-2

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Preseason Information: 2012-13 Information Guide/Record Book

2012-13 Quick Facts

2012-13 Schedule

2012-13 Outlook

2012-13 Season Preview2011-12 Highlights

COURTESY WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

FIU vs. Florida A&M - Game Day Central

Teams - FIU Panthers (4-7 overall, 1-2 home); Florida A&M Rattlers (4-9 overall, 0-8 away)
Date - Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013
Time - 7:00 PM ET
Location - Miami, Fla.
Arena - U.S. Century Bank Arena (5,000)
Television - N/A
Twitter - @FIUMensBBall
Facebook - FIU-Mens-Basketball
Live Video Streaming - PantherVision (www.FIUSports.com) (also available via the Official FIU Sports app)
Live Stats - www.FIUSports.com
Records - FIU enters Wednesday’s game with a 4-7 record following a 69-52 loss at Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Dec. 29. Florida A&M enters Wednesday’s game with a 4-9 record following a 70-56 loss at Texas Tech on Monday, Dec. 31.
Rankings - FIU is not ranked in either poll. Florida A&M is not ranked in either poll.
FIU Head Coach Richard Pitino (@CoachPitinoFIU) - Coach Pitino (Providence ‘05) enters Wednesday’s contest with a career record of 4-7 (.364 - first season).
FAMU Head Coach Clemon Johnson - Coach Johnson (Florida A&M ‘78) enters Wednesday’s contest with a career record at FAMU of 14-32 (.304 - second season). Coach Johnson has never faced the Panthers.
Series History -Wednesday’s contest will mark the 10th meeting all-time between FIU and Florida A&M with the Panthers trailing the series history, 3-5 (4-5 actual on-court - FIU vacated one game due to NCAA sanctions). The last meeting between the two squads resulted in an 87-82 win for the Panthers on Dec. 22, 2010, in Miami, Fla.
Officials - Announced on Game Day.
FIU Game Notes (PDF)
FIU Media Guide
Purchase Tickets

MIAMI, Florida  --  The FIU men’s basketball team (4-7) kicks off 2013 with a non-conference matchup versus the Florida A&M Rattlers (4-9) on Wednesday, Jan. 2. Game time is set for 7 p.m. from U.S. Century Bank Arena. The game will mark the eighth non-conference contest for the Panthers this season and first at home since the home opener versus Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 17.

FIU is coming off a 69-52 loss at Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Dec. 29, where the Panthers shot just 38.8 percent from the floor and committed 23 turnovers. Defensively, FIU forced 25 Blue Raider turnovers and registered 13 steals, but Middle Tennessee shot 43.4 percent from the floor and out-rebounded FIU, 43-27. Freshman Jerome Frink notched his third double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds versus the Blue Raiders. The loss marked the seventh-straight for the Panthers versus Middle Tennessee and was the team’s third-straight conference loss.

FIU enters this week’s action averaging 67.1 points-per-game (No. 8 in the conference) on 42.0 percent shooting from the floor (No. 4 in the conference). The Panthers have converted 34.5 percent of their shots from 3-point range (No. 4 in the conference) and 68.1 percent of their shots from the free-throw line (No. 7 in the conference). FIU is averaging 8.5 steals-per-game (No. 2 in the conference) and 11.7 assists-per-contest (No. 7 in the conference). The Panthers are allowing 72.2 points-per-game (No. 10 in the conference) as the opposition is shooting 47.2 percent from the floor.

Leading the Panthers in scoring is junior Mailk Smith, who comes into Wednesday’s game averaging 14.5 points-per-game (tied for No. 6 in the conference), shooting 37.2 percent from the floor. The Boston, Mass., native has converted 75.7 percent of his attempts from the free-throw line (No. 8 in the conference) and leads the Sun Belt Conference in 3-point field goals made (3.2 – No. 16 nationally). Junior Tymell Murphy led the Panthers in scoring with 13 points at Middle Tennessee bringing his season average to 13.0 points-per-game (No. 12 in the conference). The Brooklyn, N.Y., native leads the conference and ranks No. 37 nationally in shooting percentage (.570), having made 61-of-107 shot attempts this season. Frink comes into this week’s contest, averaging 10.6 points-per-game (No. 25 in the conference) and 6.8 rebounds-per-contest (No. 7 in the conference). The Jersey City, N.J., native’s team-leading three double-doubles ranks No. 84 nationally. Frink, along with Smith and sophomore Deric Hill, ranks among the conference leaders in steals. Frink and Hill rank tied for 10 in the conference, averaging 1.5 steals-per-game, while Smith ranks No. 14 recording 1.4 steals-per-contest.

Home Sweet Home
After spending nearly the entire month of December on the road, the Panthers return home for a three-game home stand beginning with tonight’s contest with the Florida A&M Rattlers. Entering the 12th game of the season, FIU has tipped off only three times at U.S. Century Bank Arena. With a 1-2 record at home, FIU is averaging more points-per-game (69.3), fewer points allowed (69.7) and a better shooting percentage (.437) than what the Panthers have recorded on the road this season (67.9 ppg, 72.7 ppg allowed, .404 FG PCT).

Versus the MEAC
Tonight’s contest versus the Florida A&M Rattlers will mark the 20th meeting all-time between FIU and a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Panthers enter Wednesday’s game with a 10-9 record versus teams from the MEAC. Tonight’s game will mark the 10th meeting all-time between FIU and FAMU with the Rattlers leading the series history, 5-4.

FIU – Florida A&M Series History
Wednesday’s game between FIU and Florida A&M will mark the 10th meeting between the two teams.

- FAMU holds a 5-4 advantage in the series history.
- The last meeting between FIU and Florida A&M resulted in an 87-82 win for the Panthers on Dec., 22, 2010, in Miami, Fla.
- FIU owns a 3-1 mark versus the Rattlers at U.S. Century Bank Arena.
- The Panthers have won three-straight over the Rattlers at U.S. Century Bank Arena.
- FIU is looking to win its third-straight versus FAMU.
- FIU owns a 10-9 mark versus teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
- Wednesday’s contest will be the first of two for the Panthers this season versus members of the MEAC. FIU will face Bethune-Cookman on Monday, Jan. 7. 


COURTESY FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Hampton Pirates at USC Upstate Spartans tonight

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's basketball team opens the New Year at home Wednesday evening, welcoming Hampton University to the Hodge Center for the final non-conference game of the regular season.

 

The matchup between the Spartans and Pirates is the second meeting between the two programs with Upstate holding a 1-0 edge in the all-time series with a win in 1982. The 7:30 p.m. tip-off will mark the first action for both teams in the 2013 calendar year.

 

Fans can follow the contest through a live video broadcast on A-Sun.TV by clicking here and live in-game statistics by clicking here. ESPN Spartanburg 97.1 FM and 1400 AM will broadcast the game that can also be heard online by clicking here. Fans can follow on twitter @UPSTMBB and can join the conversation with the hashtag #UpstateHoops.

 

GAMEDAY CENTRAL | GAME NOTES

 

Audio | Video | Live stats |    

 

Story Lines

• Upstate's current 11-game winning streak is tied for the 16th longest in the country with Northern Iowa and Mississippi Valley. Syracuse holds the national mark at 30 consecutive home wins, followed by Kansas with 28.

• After opening the season with nine of 11 games on the road, the Spartans play the second of two straight home games before opening conference play on the road.

• Upstate has won its past three conference openers - the longest streak in the A-Sun. The Spartans open conference play with back-to-back road games, traveling to league newcomer Northern Kentucky Friday and Lipscomb Monday.

• Hampton opened the season with six straight losses, but have gone 2-3 since, picking up wins at home over Howard and American.

• The Pirates have played several familiar schools to Upstate, dropping games to Wofford, UNC Wilmington and Northern Kentucky. The loss to the Norse marked the first-ever Division I win for Northern Kentucky.

• Hampton features one of the most balanced scoring attacks the Spartans have faced all year, with Deron Powers (11.5) as the only player in double figures. Seven players average at least five points per contest, while nine different players have been inserted into the starting lineup.

• Torrey Craig continues to put up double-digit scoring efforts for the Spartans, having scored at least 10 points in all 11 games this season. Dating back to a 20-point performance at South Carolina last season, the Great Falls, S.C., native has reached double figures in 30 of his last 32 games.

• Ricardo Glenn's three straight double-doubles has the big man for the Spartans as one of the most efficient players in the league. The Augusta, Ga. native is second in the A-Sun with a .614 field goal percentage, while his 8.4 rebounds per game also ranks second in the league.

• The Spartans have reached the 40-rebound mark in each of the last two games, pulling down 40 boards at Tennessee State and a season-high 47 against Coastal Georgia. Upstate is 2-1 on the season when recording at least 40 rebounds.

• Jodd Maxey was reinserted into the starting lineup against Coastal Georgia and delivered one of his best games of the year, tying his season-high for points with 13 and finishing just two rebounds shy of his first collegiate double-double. His game-high five assists was also a career-high.

GLENN'S DOUBLE-DOUBLE MADNESS
Following his third straight double-double with an impressive performance against Coastal Georgia on Dec. 30, Ricardo Glenn was named the College Sports Madness A-Sun Player of the Week. He tallied 15 points and 12 rebounds against the Mariners and over a three-game stretch he has shot 79 percent from the field, going 19-for-24 from the floor.

AT HOME IN THE HODGE
The Spartans have seen plenty of recent success in the Hodge Center, winning 11 straight and 16 of their last 17 games for a .941 winning percentage. The last time Upstate dropped a game at home was Jan. 9 against Mercer. The nine-point loss to the Bears came over 350 days ago.

ROAD TRIP
The Spartans opened the season with nine of their first 11 games on the road, spanning coast-to-coast in November and December. Over those nine games, Upstate touched down or took off in 13 different cities and played in seven different states.

 

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: (Baylor's Scott Drew) "This is a game that as a coach, you know that your opponent is a lot better than people might realize. You can see them in the NCAA tournament winning a game."

(Kansas State's Bruce Weber) "They have a really good ball club. When we looked at it going into all these non-conference games they had 21 wins last year and the best turn-around in the country."

(Saint Louis' Jim Crews) "I thought they were good coming in, and I know they're good coming out. Every time we made a mistake, they drilled us every single time. It was uncanny. If we made a defensive slip, we got burned."

Follow Upstate men's basketball all season long on your mobile device, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

 

COURTESY USC UPSTATE PRESS RELEASE

 

Ball State Cardinals Prep For MAC Play with Norfolk State on Wednesday

MUNCIE, Indiana  --  The Ball State men's basketball team returns to action from a nine-day holiday break, hosting Norfolk State for a 7 p.m. tipoff Wednesday at Worthen Arena.

It will be the final tuneup before conference play for the Cardinals (5-6), which are looking to bounce back from a 77-68 loss to IUPUI in their most recent action. Norfolk State (6-9) dropped a 74-63 decision at East Carolina its last time out.

Live Coverage
• Radio (Flagship): Ball State Radio Network (104.1 FM WLBC); Play-by-play: Joel Godett; Analyst: David Eha
• Radio (Student): Sports Link Radio (91.3 FM WCRD); Play-by-play: Sean Stewart; Analyst: Donnie Kolakowski, Tyler Bradfield
• Internet: Live video, live audio and live stats at ballstatesports.com

The Matchup
• Wednesday's meeting will be the first ever between Ball State and Norfolk State in men's basketball.
• Norfolk State will be Ball State's third first-time opponent in the past six games.
• The Cardinals also played Holy Cross (Ind.) and South Dakota for the first time earlier this year.
• Wednesday's game is the final contest for Ball State before opening Mid-American Conference play next Wednesday at Eastern Michigan.

A Quick Look at the Cardinals • Ball State has been off since a Dec. 23 loss to IUPUI that dropped the Cardinals to 5-6 on the year.
• Senior guard Jauwan Scaife scored a season-high 21 points for Ball State, but the Cardinals could not put the clamps on a hot-shooting IUPUI team.
• Ball State shot a season-high 48 percent from the floor, but IUPUI connected on 51.9 percent, including 11 of 22 from 3-point range against a Cardinals team that had held its previous six opponents to a combined 25 percent from beyond the arc.
• The Cardinals out-scored IUPUI in the paint, 40-20, and held a 33-24 advantage on the boards.
• Junior forward Chris Bond scored 10 points and pulled down eight rebounds against IUPUI, while Tyler Koch added 10 points and grabbed seven boards in his most extensive action since returning to the lineup from injury.
• Junior guard Jesse Berry -- a preseason All-Mid-American Conference selection -- leads the Cardinals with 13.6 points per game, while junior forward Majok Majok is one of 19 players in the nation averaging a double-double with 11.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
• Majok, who leads the MAC and ranks in the 11th in the country in rebounding, had a streak of five straight double-figure rebounding games snapped against IUPUI.

Scouting Norfolk State • Norfolk State is 6-9 on the season and comes to Muncie looking to snap a four-game losing skid.
• All four of those losses have come on the road, and two of them came at ranked opponents -- then-No. 10 Illinois and then-No. 25 NC State.
• The Spartans then lost at Iona and most recently at East Carolina, 74-63, on Saturday.
• Junior guard Pendarvis Williams leads Norfolk State in scoring at 11.8 points per game, while backcourt mate Malcolm Hawkins is adding 11.5 points per game.
• Freshman forward Rashid Gaston, the current MEAC Rookie of the Week, is scoring 8.9 points and grabbing a team-best 6.7 rebounds per game.
• Williams is the only returning starter from last year's Norfolk State team that finished 26-10 and upset No. 2 seed Missouri in the NCAA Tournament round of 64.

RELATED LINKS

Live Audio (WLBC)

Live Video

Live Stats

Game Notes

The Non-Conference Schedule • Wednesday's game with Norfolk State is Ball State's final tuneup for the MAC schedule.
• The Dec. 15 game at South Dakota marked Ball State's only trip outside the state of Indiana before conference play. The Cardinals will play eight of their first 12 games at home and have made three trips to in-state opponents -- Indiana (Nov. 25), Butler (Dec. 1) and Purdue (Dec. 18).
• Two of Ball State's home games have come against Indiana State (Nov. 20) and IUPUI (Dec. 23), giving the Cardinals five games against in-state Division I programs.
• Ball State had never before faced Big 10 opponents Indiana and Purdue in the same season.

COURTESY BALL STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Marshall Thundering Herd welcomes Delaware State today

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Marshall's basketball team springs back to action tonight, beginning the new calendar year against another team from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Delaware State will be the third MEAC member to visit Cam Henderson Center in a row, visiting for a 7 p.m. contest. Marshall (7-6) has defeated the previous two such foes, Coppin State (69-63) and Savannah State (64-48).

Like their conference brethren, the Hornets (5-8) have taken on all comers, almost always on the road. After their trip to Huntington, they travel to Arkansas on Saturday to finish their non-conference schedule.

Other Delaware State foes include Pittsburgh (79-50 loss), Maryland (71-43), Penn State (80-76 in overtime), Northwestern (69-50), Eastern Kentucky (84-51) and Illinois State (87-48). The Hornets' biggest wins have come in overtime, over Wagner (73-69) and rival Delaware (73-67).

Marshall's record is a little better, but the win/loss divide is similar. Using an unofficial Rating Percentage Index simulation (CBS Sports), all of MU's wins have come against teams in the 150-285 range, and all but one of the losses have been to teams 106 or higher.

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Rose Bowl: Pep Hamilton using his Washington ties to Stanford’s advantage

PEP HAMILTON
Andrew Luck Director of Offense/Offensive Coordinator/QB
Alma Mater: Howard University (1997)

STANFORD, California  --  Somewhere in the Washington area, there’s a Bank of America still waiting for Pep Hamilton.

These days, Hamilton is the offensive coordinator of Rose Bowl-bound Stanford, the man who helped steer the program to its second Bowl Championship Series game in as many seasons despite losing one of the most decorated college quarterbacks ever in Andrew Luck.

But in the spring of 1997, Hamilton was a new Howard University graduate with a business degree and a job at Bank of America waiting for him come Sept. 1.

Fresh off his senior season, in which he was the quarterback for the Bison, Hamilton was asked by then-Howard Coach Steve Wilson to help out with the team’s signal-callers during spring practice. When an assistant retired, Hamilton was a natural choice to take over, and the Bison offered him a graduate assistant position.

He said he had not considered coaching, but Hamilton was intrigued. He brought the idea to his father — who wasn’t as enthusiastic.  He wasn’t “going to allow me to pass up a ‘real job’ to take a job as a GA,” Hamilton said recently. He turned down the offer.

But Wilson saw a natural teacher with a football mind, and a week later came back with a full-time offer. Bank of America agreed to push Hamilton’s start date back four months — to Jan. 1, 1998 — to let him give coaching a try.

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New uniform, same look for Magic's Kyle O'Quinn

Kyle O'Quinn
(Photo Courtesy Orlando Magic)

WASHINGTON, D.C.  --   Kyle O'Quinn's locker was sandwiched between a pair of Orlando Magic rookie teammates, giving him some sitting targets for his traditional comedic potshots.

After more than 100 Norfolk State fans came to see O'Quinn and the Magic play the Wizards last Friday in Washington, he explained to teammate Moe Harkless that it was because he stuck around for four years, unlike the one-year player from St. John's.

"Loyalty," O'Quinn said, nodding. "They like that. Unlike this guy."
Harkless guffawed.

For his next barb, O'Quinn took aim at St. Bonaventure grad and post player Andrew Nicholson. O'Quinn says with a little practice and polish, his jump hook will soon outshine his neighbors'. Nicholson chuckled.

"Yeah, it's the pros and we're rookies, so maybe we're not quite as out there," O'Quinn said. "But we're also human beings. You have to enjoy yourself. You have to keep it fun."

O'Quinn did just that for four years at Norfolk State - charming fans with an engaging personality, as good a comedian as he was a ballplayer.

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