Braves Come from Behind to Win a Nail-Biter at Jackson State

JACKSON, Mississippi  --  The Alcorn State men's basketball team bounced back from a disappointing loss on Friday night against Texas Southern. The Braves outscored Jackson State 33-20 in the second half to take the first out of two games, 51-48.

Jackson State struck first with a basket by Jeff Stubbs to go up 2-0 and it was dead tight for the first few minutes of the first half. Marquiz Baker gave the Braves their first lead of the game, 7-5 at the 16:50 mark.

The Tigers controlled the rest of the second half opening up a 11-0 run led by Kelsey Howard who knocked down a three-pointer with 8:15 to go in the first.

LeAntwan Luckett made a layup to give the Braves their only two points in six minutes and found themselves down by ten, 28-18 at the half.

Both teams were in slow motion after halftime but the Tigers managed to extend their lead to 33-22 early in the second half but the Braves fought back.

A layup by Marius Myles gave the Braves their first lead of the second half, 35 -34 with 8:16 to play. The Tigers guard Dundrecous Nelson caught fire five straight points to giv e the Tigers a slight edge 44-42 with 4:51 left.

The Braves retook the lead when LeAntwan Luckett found an opening in the Tigers defense an went in for a dunk to silence the Tigers. Baker later connected on two free throws to seal the deal for the Braves.

The Tigers got off a shot with 3.5 seconds left but it fell short.


COURTESY ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Howard Pushes Through A 17-Point Deficit to Clutch Win over Temple

Saadia Doyle

WASHINGTON, D.C. (www.howard-bison.com) – With a 17-point deficit on their shoulders, the Howard University women's basketball team ignited a 23-5 run over 11 minutes of action to secure a 61-58 victory over the Lady Owls of Temple University on Friday, Jan. 4 in Burr Gymnasium on the HU campus in Washington, D.C.

Lady Bison senior Saadia Doyle, who was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Pre-Season Player of the Year in November, seized an season-best 32 points, while pulling down nine rebounds and going 11-12 from the charity stripe, 10-of-19 from the field and 1-of-1 from behind the arc. Fellow classmates Cheyenne Curley-Payne and Kara Smith, who consistently play apart in the offense mix, supplemented the winning effort; Curley-Payne snatched a team-high 10 points and grabbed four steals, as Smith finished with 11 points on the night.

The collective effort consisted of a 41 percent outing from the field, a 36 percent effort from the long range and an 80 percent finish from the free-throw line, which is the best free-throw performance on the season.

Friday's comeback effort advances Howard to 6-6 overall, 4-0 at home and 5-6 in non-conference competition.

The first half of play gave little detail towards the final result, as Howard and Temple remained within an 8-point proximity and varied between six ties and 10 lead changes. In fact, it wasn't until the final second of the first half that Temple reached above a 5-point lead, attained by Tyonna Williams with a three-point basket.

By the half, the HU scoring phenomenon Doyle scored 13 of the team's total 28 points, while Temple boasted two student-athletes in double figures; Temple's Natasha Thames led with 13 and a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, followed by Williams with 10 points.

The Lady Owls return to the court after the halftime intermission still feeling the effects of Williams' final second long-range success. Temple commenced a 15-4 run to reach its 17-point margin lead at the 13:28.

In spite of the double-figure, the Howard defense and offense complimented one another for a 22-5 run to tie the contest at 56 points and piece and leave Temple scoreless from the field for 10 minutes and 11 seconds of action by the 3:17 mark.

Howard took the lead at the 2:28 on a pair from the free throw by Doyle and closed out the contest 61-58 despite going 4-of-3 from the free throw in last minutes of the game.

Temple drops to 5-8 on the season, while extending its losing streak to six consecutive losses.

The remainder of January consists of MEAC play, with Howard taking on Coppin State University on Monday, Jan. 7 at 6:00 p.m. in Baltimore, Md. Howard then returns home to host Hampton University on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 2:00 p.m. and Norfolk State* on Monday, Jan. 14 at 5:30 p.m. The mighty blue and white then heads to North Carolina to take on North Carolina A&T State University on Saturday, Jan. 19 and North Carolina Central University on Monday, Jan. 21. On Thursday, Jan. 24, HU interrupts conference play to face New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, N.J., before concluding the month in Hampton, Va., for the second matchup against Hampton University on Monday, Jan. 28.

For more information on Howard University women's basketball, visit the official athletics website at www.howard-bison.com.

| Box Score |Photos


By Ariel V. Germain, Assistant Sports Information Director
HOWARD UNIVERSITY
HOWARD-BISON.COM

Paine College Christens HEAL Complex With Sweep of Stillman

AUGUSTA, Georgia  --  The Paine College Lions earned a pair of wins in their debut at the brand new HEAL complex.

For over a year now, the Paine College basketball teams have played at the Academy of Richmond County while their old gym was undergoing an $8.6 million renovation.

Paine College president George C. Bradley and othr administrators drained the ceremonial first shots, and then the Lions took the proverbial ball and ran with it.

The Ladies led from wire to wire and earned a 64-44 conference win over Stillman College behind 23 points from former Butler star Ashley Watts.




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Late Three-Pointer Lifts Livingstone Past VUU 79-76

RICRICHMOND, Virginia  --  Virginia Union University's Marcel Crump scored 20 points as VUU placed four players in double-figures, but a three-pointer by Livingstone College's Ashley Welch with 16 seconds left lifted the Blue Bears past the Panthers 79-76 on Saturday, January 5, in Barco-Stevens Hall in Richmond, Va.

VUU's Cordero Holt scored 17 points while Calivin Brown added 14 points in the game. Virginia Union's Wesley Simmons scored 13 points.

VUU's Kimar Johnson and Simmons each had seven rebounds to lead Union on the boards.

Livingstone was paced by Mark Thomas' 24 points and Tyler Johnson's nine rebounds.

The loss dropped VUU to 2-7 overall and 0-2 in the CIAA. Livingstone is now 10-1 overall and 2-0 in CIAA play.

Virginia Union now faces Johnson C. Smith University at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, January 7, in Barco-Stevens Hall in Richmond, Va.

Box Score


COURTESY VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

#23 Winston-Salem State slips past Lincoln, 70-66

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. – The Lincoln University men's basketball team led by as many four points late in the second half, but couldn't hold on as the Lions dropped a hard fought, 70-66 decision to No. 23 Winston-Salem State University in a CIAA contest on Saturday at Manuel Rivero Gymnasium.

“We're moving on,” Lincoln head coach John Hill said. “It's going to be a journey and one game doesn't make this season. We considered this game a measuring stick and we just came up a bit short.”

Kenny Sharpe (Chester, Pa./Elite Academy) paced four players in double figures as he finished with 14 points and six assists. Derrick Washington (Washington, D.C./Coolidge SHS) added 13 points, while Justin Jackson (Baltimore, Md./Digital Harbor HS) had 12 points off the bench. George Jackson (Baltimore, Md./Digital Harbor HS) poured in 10 points as the Lions (8-3 overall, 1-1 CIAA) shot 42 percent (24-of-57) from the field.

Winston-Salem State (9-2, 2-0) raced out to an 11-2 advantage after a Justin Glover jumper with 16:15 remaining in the opening half. However, Lincoln responded with a 13-2 run as Justin Jackson (Baltimore, Md./Digital Harbor HS) sank a 3-pointer to give the Lions a 15-13 lead with 13:46 left.

Neither team grabbed a lead larger than two points during the final 13 minutes as they headed into the break tied at 36.

The Lions held a 64-60 advantage after a Washington dunk with 5:14 remaining, but the Rams used a 9-0 run, capped by a Tyre Desmore jumper with 2:21 left to give Winston-Salem State a 69-64 lead.

A pair of free throws by Sharpe cut the deficit to 69-66 with 1:10 remaining, but the Lions couldn't get any closer.

Justin Glover led the Rams with 16 points, while Joe Thompson added 13. WyKevin Bazemore pulled down a game-high 12 boards as Winston-Salem State was 26-of-52 from the floor for 50 percent.

Lincoln concludes its three-game CIAA homestand at 8 p.m., on Monday, Jan. 7 at Manuel Rivero Gymnasium against Livingstone College. To follow the action through live stats, click here.

Lions Notebook: Lincoln was 6-of-20 from behind the 3-point line (Justin Jackson (Baltimore, Md./Digital Harbor HS) (2), Kenny Sharpe (Chester, Pa./Elite Academy), George Jackson (Baltimore, Md./Digital Harbor HS), Jai Kellman (Brooklyn, N.Y./George Westinghouse HS) and Derrick Washington (Washington, D.C./Coolidge SHS))…The Lions finished with 32 rebounds, 10 assists, four steals and a pair of blocked shots…Lincoln held the advantage in points off turnovers, 17-13 and second chance points, 12-8…There were eight ties and 22 lead changes…


By Brian Howard, Sports Information and Media Specialist
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA ATHLETICS

Bowie State Comes Back to Beat Johnson C. Smith

BOWIE, Maryland  --  The Bowie State University Bulldogs used a huge second-half run to claim a 84-80 victory in a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) contest against Charlotte, North Carolina’s Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) on Jan 5 in Bowie, Md. The victory improves Bowie State to 5-6 overall and 1-1 in the conference. JCSU's Golden Bulls move to 7-5 overall and 0-2 in the CIAA.

“We did a tremendous job defending in the second half,” said an elated Bowie State head coach Darrell Brooks. “We didn't press full court as much tonight as we normally do, but we thrive off of turnovers that lead into fast breaks.”

The opening half was close until JCSU grasped an advantage resulting in Bowie State going into the locker room at halftime trailing 51-43. The Bulldogs were outscored 34-18 in the paint for the first half.
Johnson C. Smith stayed on the attack initially in the second half. After a three-point play from junior forward Robert Williams the Golden Bulls held a 64-51 advantage with 13:56 remaining.

But Bowie State turned the tide from that point with a 19-0 run over the next six minutes to regain the lead for good at 70-64.The Golden Bulls got within two (76-74) with 3:05 left to play, but would not get any closer. Bowie State was able to close out the game from the foul line for the win.

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ASU fires athletic director Stacy Danley

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- After nearly four months of paid administrative leave and a contentious termination hearing, Alabama State fired athletic director Stacy Danley.

Danley confirmed to the Montgomery Advertiser on Friday evening that a hearing officer had upheld several charges against him and that he had received a termination letter from the university on Wednesday, ending his two-plus-year tenure in charge of the Hornets’ athletic programs.

“I’m very disappointed in how the hearing process played out,” Danley said. “I do appreciate the opportunity I was given, and I’ll never be able to replace the experience of working at ASU during the time of building a stadium. I worked with a lot of good people and great student-athletes.”

Danley wouldn’t go into the specific reasons he was fired, saying only that the university listed 10 charges against him at the hearing and that the hearing officer upheld four of them. Those four charges were deemed sufficient cause for termination.

Reached in his office at ASU Friday evening, executive vice president John Knight wouldn’t comment on Danley’s termination or on why the second-year AD was placed on paid leave four months earlier.

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Alabama State releases charges in Danley firing

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  --  Alabama State University released a list of charges Saturday that were used to justify the dismissal of athletic director Stacy Danley.

According to records requested by the Montgomery Advertiser and other media outlets, ASU executive vice president John Knight recommended Danley's termination based on 10 charges related to his job performance.

Six of the charges were dismissed, but the following four were upheld in a "pre-termination" meeting Nov. 15-16:

- Failure to ensure paperwork was submitted in a timely manner for a student athlete's reinstatement. The student's name was redacted by the university, but he is described as a high-profile football transfer from a FBS institutiion.

- Failure to ensure accountability in the athletic department, including failure to properly execute staff evaluations.

- Behaving in an "unprofessional, disrespectful and hostile manner" toward Knight in a June 4 meeting on academic supports for student athletes. Danley's manner is described as "insubordinate" by associate provost and vice president of enrollment management Cherise Peters, who was present at the meeting.

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Gold Nuggets win at Edward Waters in GCAC opener

2012-13 GOLD NUGGETS
ROSTER

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Paige Gauthier's 12 points and career-high 11 rebounds led NAIA No. 9 Xavier University of Louisiana in a 77-59 women's basketball victory Saturday against Edward Waters. It was the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

The Gold Nuggets (11-2) won for the ninth time in 10 games. They trailed 11-5 after seven minutes but outscored the Lady Tigers 34-18 to take a 39-29 halftime lead. It was Xavier's most first-half points since its opener Nov. 3. Jessica Savannah's basket at 5:30 put Xavier ahead to stay, 21-19.

Gauthier, a reserve junior guard, scored in double figures for a career-best third consecutive game. She had eight points, including two 3-pointers, and nine rebounds in the first half. Her previous high for rebounds in a game was eight. Gauthier is the only XU guard since the start of the 2003-04 season to record a double-double.

Carmen Holcombe also scored 12 points for Xavier — she reached double figures for the second straight game — and Danielle Tucker grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds. Talor Hixon had a season-high seven assists with no turnovers in 26 minutes.

Edward Waters (4-9) cut Xavier's lead to 49-44 after Amber Antoine's basket with 11:40 remaining, but the Nuggets outscored the Lady Tigers 28-15 thereafter. Gauthier hit her career-best third 3-pointer at 7:45 to make it 59-47 at 7:45.

Jacqui Harries and Daphne Walker led Edward Waters with 11 points each.

Xavier committed 14 turnovers to match a season low, outshot the Lady Tigers 40 to 35.2 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 66-36. The Nuggets grabbed their most rebounds in a game since the start of 2003-04.

Xavier won its GCAC opener for the 20th time in 21 seasons and is 37-2 in GCAC regular-season games since the start of 2009-10.

Xavier will remain on the road and play Talladega at 5 p.m. Monday. It will be a rematch of last season's GCAC Tournament final, which the Nuggets won for the third consecutive year. The Nuggets' next home game will start at 3 p.m. next Saturday against Tougaloo in XU's new Convocation Center.

Box score

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

Joseph rallies Gold Rush past Edward Waters in 2nd half

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Wanto Joseph scored 18 points Saturday and led a second-half rally which carried NAIA No. 16 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 67-58 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against Edward Waters.

It was the conference opener for both teams. Xavier, the defending GCAC regular-season co-champion, is 13-3 and has won 7-of-8 on the road. Edward Waters is 2-8.

Joseph, a 5-foor-9 senior guard from New Orleans and a graduate of O. Perry Walker High School, has scored in double figures in every game this season. He accounted for all the points — scoring 10 and assisting on a pair of 2-pointers — during a 14-0 run which lasted 5½ minutes and turned a 52-47 deficit into a 61-52 lead with 47 seconds remaining. Jospeh scored 14 second-half points.

Denzell Erves had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Xavier — his third consecutive double-double, his 10th of the season and 17th of his career — Renard Smith scored a career-high 14 points, and Anthony Simmons had 10 points and seven rebounds.

Xavier trailed 32-28 at halftime. Smith, Simmons and Erves scored six points each for the Rush in the first half.

Nathaniel Hill scored 19 points, 14 in the first half, for the Tigers.

Xavier outshot Edward Waters 48.9 to 41.4 percent from the floor — 48 to 28.6 percent in the second half — and outrebounded the Tigers 33-29. Xavier made six 3-pointers — Smith had a career-high three, and freshman reserve RJ Daniels made 2-of-3.

It was the second time this season the Gold Rush won after trailing at halftime. It was the first time the Rush accomplished that on an opponent's court since December 2010. Xavier won its GCAC opener for the third consecutive season.

Xavier will remain on the road and play Talladega at 7 p.m. Monday. The next Rush home game will start at 5 p.m. next Saturday against Tougaloo in XU's new Convocation Center.

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

FVSU’s Bartley ties HBCU record for wins

COACH LONNIE BARTLEY
623-216 Career Record
FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY

FORT VALLEY, Georgia  --  Fort Valley State women’s head coach Lonnie Bartley tied the record for wins by a women’s head coach at an historically black college or university Saturday with the Lady Wildcats’ 73-63 win over visiting Kentucky State.

Now, Bartley will try to break the record on Thursday at Tuskegee. FVSU improved to 6-5 overall and 2-0 in the SIAC with its third straight win.

Bartley is 623-216, in his 29th season at his alma mater.

The mark of 623 wins was held by the late Nelson Brownlee of Claflin for the most wins by a women’s head coach at an historically black college or university. Brownlee, who retired in 2001 and died two years later, went 623-192 at Claflin when the current SIAC member competed in the NAIA.

Bartley is fourth on the Division II wins list of active coaches, 11 wins behind Tom Shirley of Philadelphia University, who is 634-295.

Bartley is eighth among active Division II women’s head coaches with a 74.3 winning percentage. He is 15th all-time in percentage and eighth in wins.

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HBU Tayler Jefferson's Career Night Not Enough in Women's Basketball's OT Loss to Delaware State

HOUSTON, Texas  –  Tayler Jefferson scored a career-high 29 points, leading four Huskies in double figures, but visiting Delaware State scored four points in the final two seconds of overtime to defeat Houston Baptist, 84-83, Saturday evening from Sharp Gym.

Jefferson went 8-of-10 from the floor, 5-of-6 from beyond the arc, and 8-of-10 from the line in her memorable night for HBU (3-13). Shanice Steenholdt had 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Rachel Arthur scored a career-high 14 points, while Erin McGarrachan added 10. HBU had a season-high eight blocks in the game, four by Ashleigh Nwanguma and three by Steenholdt.

Tierra Hawkins came off the bench to score 29 points for Delaware State (3-10), while grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds. Tasia Bristow had 18 points, while Keyanna Tate had 12 points and Chelsea Dukes had 10.

There were three ties in the first four minutes of the game before HBU used a 13-4 run to lead DSU by 9, 19-10, with 13:35 left in the first half.

Leading 27-19 with seven minutes to go in the opening half, HBU scored six-straight points for its largest lead of the game, 14, 33-19, with 5:22 remaining, after a layup by Wiebke Bruns.



The Lady Hornets closed out the first half on a 16-5 run to trail HBU by just three, 38-35.

Jefferson led HBU with eight points at halftime, while Hawkins had 16.

Dukes' three pointer two-and-a-half minutes into the second half tied the game at 40-all. A three pointer by Jefferson jump-started the Huskies, who led the Lady Hornets by seven, 49-42, after a layup by Steenholdt.

DSU answered with seven-straight points to tie the game at 49-all with 9:41 remaining in regulation. The ninth-straight points by the Lady Hornets, by Bristow at the 9:28-mark, gave DSU its first lead of the contest, at 51-49.

After the seventh tie of the game, the two teams traded baskets and leads before Jefferson took over, nailing two treys in a span of less than a minute to give the Huskies a 57-55 lead with 6:49 left in regulation.

The Lady Hornets got as close to two points and trailed the Huskies by as many as seven, on two separate occasions. With HBU leading 67-60 with 1:20 left in regulation, DSU outscored HBU 10-3 to send the game to overtime. N'Kayah Kersey hit a three-pointer to start the rally and Bristow made a basket and the ensuing free throw for a three-point play to tie the game at 70.

With momentum clearly on the DSU side, the Lady Hornets opened overtime on an 8-3 run for their largest lead of the game, 78-73, with 2:26 remaining.

HBU battled back to tie the game at 78-all with 1:36 remaining, following a basket by McGarrachan and free throws by Devyn Weymouth and Steenholdt.

HBU led DSU by three, 83-80, with 10 seconds remaining after a made free throw by McGarrachan. After an HBU timeout, Dukes banked in an off-balance long two-pointer with two seconds remaining. The leading scorer for the Lady Hornets, Hawkins, then stole the ensuing in-bounds pass, spun around, and made a layup at the buzzer, completing an improbable comeback by DSU.

HBU will look to regroup as the Huskies head to New Orleans to face the New Orleans Privateers on Sat., Jan. 12 at 2 pm.

Box Score

COURTESY HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITY HUSKIES ATHLETICS

Tennessee State Men's Basketball Rallies to Knock Off JSU 66-57

Jacksonville, Alabama  -  The Tennessee State men's basketball team extended its win streak to four games with a 66-57 comeback win over Jacksonville State on Saturday.

The victory pushes the Tigers' record to 9-7 overall and they lead the OVC's East Division with a perfect 3-0 mark.

It is the first time since the 1994-95 season that the Tigers started 3-0 in OVC play. TSU is also 13-2 in its last 15 conference games.

For the second game in a row, M.J. Rhett came up big for the Tigers, scoring ten points and grabbing a career-high 16 boards.
 

Patrick Miller led TSU in scoring for the third game in a row with 19 points on 3-of-9 shooting. Miller was also 12-of-16 from the line and tallied a game-high four assists.

Kellen Thornton and Jordan Cyphers also finished in double-figures in points with 14 and 11, respectively. Thornton also had a double-double with 14 boards.

Tennessee State came out of the gate strong, winning the tip and starting on an 8-0 run. Rhett had four points during the charge including a powerful two-handed alley-oop that added an exclamation mark to the end of the streak.

Jordan Cyphers provided the assist on Rhett's slam and then found Thornton on another lob at the 11:50 mark to give TSU a 14-8 advantage.

Thornton had a team-high eight points on four-of-seven shooting (57 percent) and seven boards at the break.

The Tigers clung to their lead for much of the first half until a 10-0 JSU run made the score 24-20 in favor of the Gamecocks. Jacksonville State ended the run by Darion Rackley converting a rare four-point play with just over three minutes to play in the opening stanza.

Cyphers narrowly missed a half-court heave as the first half horn expired, and TSU went into halftime trailing the Gamecocks 24-26.

All of TSU's nine first half field goals occurred inside the paint, allowing the Tigers an 18-8 advantage down low and a ten percent higher shooting percentage (38 to 28).

Tennessee State hit its first outside jump shot five minutes into the second half when Tashan Fredrick canned a three to tie the game at 34 apiece.

The score remained close for the better part of the half, but TSU eventually went up by five when Cyphers converted a layup with11:58 left in the game.

From there, JSU wound up putting TSU in the double bonus with more than eight minutes left in the game. The Tigers responded by nailing 10 free throws, which were the team's only points during the seven-minute stretch.

Thornton finally broke the charity stripe streak by slamming home a dunk with just over two minutes left in the game. His slam put the Tigers ahead for good at 60-53.

Thornton added another slam at the 24 second mark and TSU rallied to defeat the Gamecocks 66-57.

TSU held the Gamecocks to 17-of-52 shooting for just a 32.7 percent line. The Tigers also dominated JSU on the glass, winning the battle 47-28.


COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Howard Snaps Four Game Losing Streak

Baltimore, Maryland  --  Mike Phillips scored a team-high 15 points to lead four players in double as Howard University defeated Coppin State, 70-60 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's game at the Physical Education Complex. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Bison.

Howard (4-12, 1-1 in the MEAC) took the early lead and never trailed, en route to a 31-25 lead at the half. Prince Okoroh (9 points) and Simuel Frazier (8 points) combined for 17 of Howard's first half points. The Bison shot 54 percent from the field in one of its better shooting performances of the year.

In the second half, Phillips picked up the slack, tallying 10 of his points. The Bison got some surprise production from its bench as Brandon Ford scored a season-high 10 points, eight coming after intermission.

A combination of some stifling defense and good work on the boards propelled Howard to a key 10-1 run that opened a 15-point lead, the largest of the game. Phillips, Okoroh and Simuel Frazier took turns to keep the Coppin State (3-13, 0-1 in the MEAC) at bay.

The Eagles were able to make a run and reduce the deficit to eight but Ford and Tre Lee were able to convert from the free throw line to put the game away. For the game, Howard shot 77 percent from the charity stripe.

On a down note, Calvin Thompson, the team leader and second leading scorer, went down with an injury at the start of the second half with an ankle injury that has been diagnosed as a dislocation. His status for the future is unknown.

Phillips added 7 rebounds to his 15 points, Okoroh and Frazier each scored 13 and Ford contributed 10.

The Eagles were led by Troy Franklin, who led all scorers with 24 and Michael Murray, who chipped in with 11.

NEXT UP: Howard hosts Hampton University on Saturday, January 12 at 4 pm in its conference home opener.

COURTESY HOWARD UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

GSU Eagles Close Non-Conference Play with Loss to North Carolina A&T

STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern Men’s Basketball closed non-conference play with a 71-65 loss to North Carolina A&T at Hanner Fieldhouse on Saturday night. The Eagles open league play in one week at Wofford on Saturday night, January 12th.

“I really felt like we were turning the corner with our effort and consistency, but consistency has been the word that has haunted us the entire non-conference season,” said Head Coach Charlton “C.Y.” Young. “We’ve got to do a better job of playing better early in games, we gave them a lead early tonight. The thing we learned tonight is that we need to do a better job at managing close games late.”

Junior Eric Ferguson, the SoCon Player of the Month in December, paced the Eagles with his fifth double-double of the season. He scored 22 points and 13 rebounds as he became the first SoCon player to post five double-doubles this season.

Tre Bussey and C.J. Reed each posted matching 12 points outings. Reed made a pair of baskets from downtown, but went 6-for-6 from the free throw stripe against A&T. Bussey reached double figures with four field goals, one from downtown and a trio of free throws. Reed added five assists to lead the Eagles.

North Carolina A&T had three players in double figures with both Adrian Powell and Jean Louisme scoring 23 points each. Jeremy Underwood added 12 off the bench as the Aggies scored 24 points in the paint and 18 off offensive rebounds. A&T out-rebounded the Eagles 38-34 and had 16 offensive rebounds to the Eagles’ 13.

Cleon Roberts broke a streak of three-straight games without a point with nine points in the contest. He made his first three attempts from beyond the arc as the freshman regained the hot-hand.

With 13:27 remaining in the first half, Ferguson picked up his 500th career rebound with a board on the offensive side. He becomes the 11th member of the 500 rebound club at Georgia Southern and the 10th player to score 1,000 career points and pull 500 career rebounds.

A 15-2 run by the Aggies in the first half allowed the visitors lead by as many as 11 points in the first half and take a 34-28 advantage into the halftime break.

Just a few moments into the second half, Georgia Southern went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 36-36 thanks to back-to-back bombs from downtown by Roberts, the second coming with 17:30 remaining. The teams traded the lead with neither squad able to pull an advantage of more than four points over the better part of the next 10 minutes.

Georgia Southern entered the final five minutes of the game down by three points, 56-53. A three-pointer by Reed with 4:09 brought the Eagles even at 56-56. A pair of back-to-back baskets by A&T, the second coming with 2:26 remaining gave the Aggies a 62-58 lead.

Coming out of the final media timeout, Ferguson made an old fashioned three point play to cut the lead to one at 62-61 with just better than a minute remaining. Over the final minute, A&T outscored the Eagles 9-4 to take the 71-65 victory over the Eagles.

Georgia Southern returns to SoCon play next weekend with a trip to Wofford on Saturday night at 7 p.m. Georgia Southern returns home on Monday, January 14th, for a crucial home date with the Davidson Wildcats.

Fans can follow their Eagles at GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com or receive short updates at facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics or on Google+ at gplus.to/GSAthletics.

FINAL STATS (PDF)

COURTESY GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Norfolk State Holds Off Furious Navy Rally, 74-68

NORFOLK, Va. -- Norfolk State built a 26-point lead, then withstood a furious Midshipmen rally to hand the Navy men's basketball team a 74-68 setback on Saturday afternoon at Echols Hall.

The loss drops Navy to 6-10 overall as the Mids wrapped up non-conference play. Norfolk State, last year's MEAC champion and third-round NCAA Tournament participant, improved to 7-10 overall. Navy trailed 54-28 with 13 minutes to play, and 56-34 with 10:22 to play when head coach Ed DeChellis inserted sophomore guard Kevin Alter (Rumson, N.J.) into the ballgame.

Alter ignited a rally with six three-pointers in a 10-minute span that saw Navy cut Norfolk State's lead from 26 (54-28) to six (71-65) with 13 seconds left. But Pendarvis Williams buried a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left and Navy could get no closer than five points at 73-68 with eight seconds left on Alter's sixth trifecta of the contest as Norfolk State held off the Midshipmen, 74-68.

Alter entered the game having scored just 35 career points with seven career three-pointers. He surpassed his career high of six points with his third three-pointer with six minutes to play and finished with a career-high 18 points and three assists in just 10 minutes of action. He finished 6-of-10 from the field, all from three-point distance.

"I'm really happy for him. He is an early guy and a late guy. He comes in early and stays late. He was feeling it tonight and fueled our comeback," said DeChellis.

"He is a great young man with great leadership skills and he earned some more time tonight. Hopefully, it will be a wake-up call for some other guys." Navy struggled immensely on both ends early on, as NSU sprinted out to a 17-4 cushion just seven minutes into the contest while shooting 5-of-7 from the field while the Midshipmen were just 2-of-12 during the same span.

The Midshipmen would trim the margin to 19-11 on a Tilman Dunbar (Fr. / Woodbridge, Va.) jumper with 10:10 remaining in the first half, but the Spartans countered with a 20-6 burst to grab a 39-17 lead with 3:29 to play, before settling for a 44-22 halftime advantage.

Norfolk State would shoot 15-of-24 (.625) from the field and 9-of-15 (.600) from three-point range in the first half, while Navy was 9-fo-27 (.333) from the field and 4-of-12 (.333) from deep. In addition, Navy had eight turnovers and was out rebounded, 15-11.

"We just ask the guys to do one thing and that is to give us everything they have and we did that the last 10 minutes. The first half we were just walking around. You can't play the game that way. We didn't compete the way we needed to compete," said DeChellis.

"The last 10-12 minutes we put some new guys in there and we said, `Let it go and go out there and compete and have fun.' We played the way Navy is supposed to play the last 10 minutes." For the contest, Navy shot 26-of-63 (.413) from the field, 12-of-30 (.400) from three-point range and just 4-of-6 (.667) from the free throw line, all coming in the second half. Navy had 14 turnovers and rebounds were even at 29.

Norfolk State shot 24-of-44 (.545) from the field, 9-of-22 (.409) from three-point range and 17-of-26 (.654) from the free throw line. Norfolk State was guilty of 17 turnovers.

The Spartans were 0-of-7 from three-point range in the second half after going 9-of-15 in the first half. Alter led the Midshipmen with 18 points and three assists in just 10 minutes of action. Dunbar added 12 points and three assists, while Worth Smith (So. / Mooresville, N.C.) narrowly missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. Kendall Knorr (Fr. / Concord, N.C.) added nine points on three triples and Brennan Wyatt (Jr. / Greensboro, N.C.) recorded five points and five assists.

Navy's bench scored 41 of its 68 points, shooting 11-of-24 from three-point range.

Williams (21), Malcolm Hawkins (17) and Rob Johnson (15) combined for 53 of NSU's 74 points by going a combined 18-of-28 from the field and 9-of-17 from three-point range.


COURTESY NAVAL ACADEMY ATHLETICS

Complete team effort leads to TSU Lady Tiger victory over Gamecocks

Jacksonville, Ala. --- The Tennessee State University women's basketball team shot a season-high 53.4 percent from the field and posted a season-high in points to defeat Jacksonville State, 88-68, Saturday afternoon in Pete Mathews Coliseum.

The 88 points is the most points scored since posting 90 against UT Martin last season.

Tennessee State (5-8, 1-1 OVC) had four players score in double-digits led by Kesi Hess' 22 points. The Dublin, Ohio native knocked down six three-pointers in the contest.

Destiney Gaston came off the bench to score 18 points while Jasmin Shuler finished the game with 16 points and three steals. Chelsea Hudson nearly recorded a double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds.

Tanesha Stenson also had a solid game for TSU with seven points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Rachel Allen dished out a game-high seven assists.

Jacksonville State (0-15, 0-3 OVC) was led in scoring by Marikate Gardler with 22 points while Briana Morrow added 14.

Both teams jumped out the gates on fire as each team was shooting at least 50 percent from the floor through the first five minutes. The teams battled and traded buckets over the next several possessions.

TSU managed to build its lead up to six on a couple of occasions but JSU continued to strike back.

Later in the half, Tennessee State was leading, 28-27, when a bucket by Chelsea Hudson sparked a 13-0 run that put the Lady Tigers on top, 41-27, with 3:42 remaining in the frame. The rally, fueled by TSU's defensive intensity, included five steals by the Lady Tigers.

The Gamecocks answered with a 6-0 spurt to cut the deficit down to eight but seven straight points by the Lady Tigers, including Kesi Hess' three-pointer at the buzzer made the score, 48-33, at the break.

TSU shot 60.7 percent (17-of-28) from the field in the first half, including 5-of-9 (55.6 percent) from long range.
 

In the second half, TSU continued to build on the lead and stretched the advantage to 57-37 following a short jumper by Hess with 16:42 on the clock.

JSU cut into the lead after outscoring TSU, 7-2, but the Lady Tigers answered with a rally that made the score, 66-47, at the 11:44 mark.

The Lady Tigers maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way.

Tennessee State finished the game shooting 53.4 percent from the field, including 50.0 percent from beyond the arc. The Lady Tigers also had 15 steals and outrebounded the Gamecocks, 39-35. The TSU bench outscored the JSU bench, 40-28.

Next, the Lady Tigers will travel to Cookeville to face Tennessee Tech on Monday, Jan. 7. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. in the Eblen Center.

Follow TSU Athletics on Facebook.com/TSUTigers, Twitter @TSU_Tigers and YouTube

FINAL STATS

 

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Franklin flourishes after Xavier gives her a second chance

SiMon Franklin: "I had to take ownership for what I
had done. I had to own up for it and get focused on
 what I’ve done and what needed to be done. All of
 this brought me closer to God. When I trust in Him,
 that is when I succeed. I am nothing without God."

NEW ORLEANS — SiMon Franklin, Xavier University of Louisiana's talented women's basketball guard, knows plenty about disappointment and coming back stronger.

In 2010, low grades disqualified her from registering for XU's second summer session. She appealed to the university and lost and was not readmitted until January 2011 after winning a second appeal.

"It was very humbling for me," said Franklin, now a fifth-year XU senior and a graduate of St. Joseph's Academy in Baton Rouge, La. "I thought, wow — is this really happening to me?"

But look at Franklin now. She changed majors — it's business management after many struggles in chemistry/pre-pharmacy — and has excelled. Since XU readmitted her, Franklin has passed 78 hours with a 3.5 GPA on a 4-point scale. Franklin's 3.67 GPA in 2011-12 qualifed her for the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Honor Roll. She produced the highest GPA on her team in 2011-12 and tied for seventh among Xavier's 73 student-athletes. Best of all, she's on course to receive a bachelor’s degree from Xavier on May 11.

"That's what I respect about Monee Franklin," XU head coach Bo Browder said. "She got knocked down, but she got up fighting."

Franklin said determination and faith in God were the keys to her comeback.

"I had to take ownership for what I had done," she said. "I had to own up for it and get focused on what I've done and what needed to be done. All of this brought me closer to God. When I trust in Him, that is when I succeed. I am nothing without God."

Franklin was ineligible to play for the Gold Nuggets in 2010-11 after starting her first two seasons for teams which were a combined 51-15, but last season she picked up where she left off. Franklin led the Nuggets with 10 points per game and 74 made free throws and was second with 70 steals. She was All-GCAC and chosen MVP of the GCAC Tournament, which Xavier won for the third consecutive year. The Gold Nuggets finished 26-9 after reaching the second round of the NAIA Division I National Championship.

Through the first 12 games this season — Xavier is 10-2 and ranked ninth in NAIA D-I — Franklin leads the Nuggets with 9.5 points per game. She had career highs of 25 points and nine rebounds Saturday in a 66-64 loss to NAIA No. 24 Faulkner in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Montgomery, Ala. — that helped her earn her first GCAC Player of the Week award — but Franklin isn't shooting for those numbers every game.

"I just want to be a solid player," said Franklin, who needs 70 points to become the 19th XU woman to reach 1,000 in a career. "I want to be able to contribute on offense and defense. I want to be a great team player and bring energy to the floor. We have a very talented team. It could be anyone's night (to score 25)."

Franklin is the team's only senior and the captain.

"Monee leads by example," Browder said. "She communicates very well, but she leads by example even better. She's the hardest worker on the team, and that's what you want from your captain."

Said Franklin, "To be a team captain, you have to have great preparation and be able to communicate to a group of people. You have to be able to motivate people and create an atmosphere where people are excited to work together. I'm blessed to have this opportunity. It's definitely great preparation for the real world. I have a very understanding boss in Coach Browder, but he's very demanding."

After basketball season, Franklin will compete on XU's track and field team — she was a Class 5A state champion in the 800-meter run as a 10th-grader — then enter the workforce after graduation.

Eventually, she'll pursue a master's degree.

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

GW Women's Hoops Wraps Up Non-Conference Play at North Carolina A&T on Sunday

WHO: GW Women's Basketball (6-7)
WHAT: Game #14 at North Carolina A&T (8-5)
WHERE: Corbett Sports Center (5,700), Greensboro, N.C.
WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 6 at 6:00 p.m.
STATS: Via NCATAggies.com
TWITTER: @GW_WBB
NOTES: GW Notes

WASHINGTON,  D. C.  -  The George Washington women's basketball team wraps up non-conference play on Sunday evening with its first-ever matchup with North Carolina A&T. Tipoff from the Aggies' Corbett Sports Center is set for 6 p.m.

GW (6-7) dropped its second straight game last Sunday, falling at Saint Mary's, 79-49.

Seniors Danni Jackson and Shi-Heria Shipp each scored 13 points in the loss. A win over the Aggies this weekend would give the Colonials a 7-7 record against non-conference opponents for the second year in a row, their most out-of-league victories since also winning seven in 2008-09.

Sunday's game is the third of GW's four-game road swing, which began out west with games against No. 8 California (Dec. 28) and Saint Mary's (Dec. 30) and also includes a trip to Massachusetts (Jan. 12) to open Atlantic 10 play. By the time the Colonials return to the Smith Center to host Saint Joseph's on Jan. 17, it will have been 26 days since their last game at home on Dec. 22.

Senior Megan Nipe (9.8 ppg) paces a very balanced Colonials' offense in which four players are averaging better than eight points per game. Graduate student Tara Booker is GW's top rebounder with 5.9 rpg, while Jackson is averaging 5.3 assists and 2.6 steals per game, ranking third and second, respectively, in the A-10.

GW's trip to North Carolina represents a homecoming for Shipp and head coach Jonathan Tsipis. Shipp is a native of Salisbury, N.C., which is approximately 50 miles southwest of Greensboro, while Tsipis went to high school in Durham (50 miles east of Greensboro) and graduated from the University of North Carolina.

North Carolina A&T (8-5) is coming off a 56-47 win over UNC-Wilmington on Thursday.

JaQuayla Berry led the Aggies with 15 points and seven rebounds. The Aggies have won two in a row and eight of their last 11 games. Two of their three losses in that span came against GW's Atlantic 10 rivals, Richmond and Charlotte. A&T and GW share two common non-conference opponents, William & Mary and Virginia Tech.

Both teams defeated the Tribe and lost to the Hokies. Berry paces the Aggies with 12.5 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per contest this season.

Amber Calvin is the top three-point threat in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, shooting at a 48.9 percent clip from long distance. A&T leads the MEAC in three-point percentage (.331) and ranks second in field goal percentage (.395).

Tarrell Robinson is in his first year as head coach at North Carolina A&T. He inherits a team that posted a 15-16 overall record in 2011-12 and returns all five starters.

The Aggies were picked to finish fifth out of 13 teams in the MEAC preseason poll. Berry was tabbed to the preseason all-conference first team, while Calvin and Tiffanie Adair were each named to the second team.

While Sunday's game marks the first-ever meeting between the Colonials and Hokies, GW has already played a pair of MEAC opponents this season, defeating Morgan State, 75-40, on Nov. 28, and Howard, 61-60, on Dec. 15.


COURTESY THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

ECSU Lady Vikings move forward after big win

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina  --  There are just fleeting moments when Alico Dunk wants to take a glance at last season.

One of those came Thursday on the heels of his Elizabeth City State women’s basketball team’s 96-86 win against defending Division II national champion Shaw.

After the victory in the team’s CIAA opener, Dunk can be pleased with his club’s improvement to begin 2013 after injuries and close defeats marked a 13-14 finish in 2011-12.

One of the close defeats came to Shaw, and another came to today’s opponent in St. Augustine’s.

The Lady Vikings would like to better serve last season’s memories to the past with another strong effort today against the Lady Falcons.

The 5:30 p.m. game is the second of three-straight CIAA contests at the R.L. Vaughan Center, with the third Monday against Fayetteville State.

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WSSU knows that Lincoln is no longer a pushover

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --   Winston-Salem State will take a seven-game winning streak into today’s game at Lincoln (Pa.).

It wasn’t long ago that Lincoln (8-2) was easy pickings in the CIAA — but not anymore. The Lions were picked to finish fifth in the Northern Division but have done very well under Coach John Hill, a former WSSU assistant who is in his third season.

The Lions have a 68-62 road win against Howard on their resume and also had a close loss to 14th-ranked Saint Leo’s.

Today’s game at 4 p.m. will, in Coach Bobby Collins’ view, start an important two-game stretch for the Rams (8-2, 1-0 CIAA). WSSU will play at Bowie State on Monday.

“Both teams are playing very well,” Collins said of Lincoln and Bowie State, the favorite in the coaches’ preseason poll to win the Northern Division. “They are both talented, so we have our work cut out for us.”

Kenny Sharpe, a 6-3 point guard, leads the ...

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Miles College loses SIAC opener 65-59 at Claflin University

FAIFIELD, Alabama – The Miles College (3-6; 0-1) men's basketball team was looking to get back in the win column with a victory over Claflin University, but it was not to be as Claflin defeated the Golden Bears 65-59 on Thursday, January 3 in Orangeburg, SC.

Miles went to half down 27-29, as the team hit 9-of-33 (27.3%) shots from the field, while making 7-of-8 (87.5%) free throws. Claflin sank 12-of-25 shots and was 3-of-3 (100.0%) from the foul line.

Miles had three players in double figures for the first time this season as sophomore forward Andrew Gilmore, Jr. (Birmingham, AL), sophomore point guard Ty Lollar (Columbiana, AL) and junior point guard Carlos Clayborn (Huntsville, AL) had 12 points apiece. Gilmore pulled down 5 boards and scored on 4-of-10 shots, hit 4-of-7 three's and blocked one shot. Lollar went 4-of-10 from the floor, hit 3-of-7 three's while making 1-of-2 free throws. Clayborn made 3-of-9 shots and went 6-of-6 at the free throw line. Junior point guard Stephon Allen (Atlanta, GA) added a team-high 7 rebounds and four points.

Marcellus Dunn led Claflin in scoring with 14 points, while Terrence Bowman and David Glover added 13 points each.

For the game, the Golden Bears scored on 18-of-59 (30.5%) shots from the floor, 16-of-25 (64.0%) in free throws and hit 7-of-25 (28.0%) from behind the arc. Claflin hit 24-of-57 (42.1%) shots on the night, made 13-of-17 (76.5%) points at the foul line.

The Golden Bears grabbed 38 rebounds to Claflin 41 and had 11 turnovers to 14. Miles bench added 28 points, but only scored 14 points in the paint all game.

Miles will host Benedict College on Saturday, January 5 at 3 p.m.

Live stats will be available for the game by going to www.milesgoldenbears.com .


COURTESY MILES COLLEGE ATHLETICS
 

Southern men take on SWAC favorite

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  The Southern men’s basketball team not only won its Southwestern Athletic Conference opener Wednesday night, the Jaguars put on the kind of show against Texas Southern that kept fans in the F.G. Clark Activity Center glued to their seats.

After leading 2-0 in the opening minute, Southern wasn’t ahead again in the 63-57 win until 9 minutes, 37 seconds remained. The Jaguars were rightfully giddy as they celebrated the latest step in their fast start, moving above the .500 mark by surviving a game Texas Southern led by 13 points late in the first half.

What worries coach Roman Banks, however, is how little time they have to turn the page — and who they’re playing next.

Southern (7-6, 1-0) returns to action at 7:30 p.m. Friday when Prairie View A&M (5-9, 0-1) visits in a game that matches the Jaguars against the only team picked ahead of them in the SWAC preseason poll.

“Now we’ve got to bounce back, find some energy from somewhere and regroup,” Banks said. “We’ve got the team picked to win the league coming in here.”

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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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