Miller, Mitchell help Southern Jaguars move to 6-0

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  A row of fans in chest paint led a spirited student section that seemed to hang on every play.

On the other end of the F.G. Clark Activity Center, a woman in a white Southern sweatshirt hung placards featuring the number “3” every time a Jaguar connected from downtown.

Down below, the Southwestern Conference’s hottest outfit continued to put on a show.

Southern ran away from another outmanned league rival Monday night, this time beating Mississippi Valley State 88-54 as a loud, energetic home crowd joined in on the fun.

“We’re just trying to reach our goals, be undefeated in the SWAC and try to make the (NCAA) tournament,” star sixth-man Malcolm Miller said. “Like coach tells us, we can’t underestimate anybody.”

Since opening SWAC play with a pair of narrow wins, the Jaguars (12-6, 6-0) have blown by their past four opponents by 120 combined points.

All this after shocking Texas A&M late in the nonconference season.

READ MORE

Tennessee State Lady Tigers Take Down The Redhawks

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  The Tennessee State Lady Tigers returned to the Gentry Center for the first time in 2013 and were victorious taking down Southeast Missouri State 68-58 in OVC action Monday night at the Gentry Center.Kesi Hess led all players with 18 points, while Simone Hopes added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Big Blue.

Outside of the opening six minutes, TSU (6-9, 2-2 OVC) never trailed in the contest. SEMO (8-9, 2-2 OVC) was held to just six made field goals and 26 percent shooting in the first half. The Lady Tigers limited SEMO to just one made field goal in the final 7:30. The Redhawks were led by Jordan Hunter with 17 points and Ballie Roberts who tied a career-high 13 rebounds.TSU ended the half on a 10-3 run take put them up 40-28 heading into the locker room.

The big advantage for the Lady Tigers was in the paint as they outscored SEMO 28-0 downlow in the first half and 40-16 in the game.

An Alana Morris layup early in the second half gave TSU their largest lead at 47-32 with 17:18 remaining.The TSU defense was solid after the half giving up 30 points as the Redhawks never got closer than six points and shot just 33 percent for the game.TSU has won four straight vs. SEMO at the Gentry Center with their last loss coming on Jan. 17, 2008. The loss snapped the Redhawks three game winning streak.

The Lady Tigers return to the court at Belmont on Saturday. Tip is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.

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

TSU vs. SEMO Final Stats


COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Xavier's Gold Rush defeat SUNO in overtime, 70-68

NEW ORLEANS -- Wanto Joseph's basket with seven-tenths of a second remaining in overtime gave NAIA No. 16 Xavier University of Louisiana a 70-68 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against city rival SUNO.

The Gold Rush (16-3) have won five in a row and are 4-0 in the GCAC for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

Joseph scored six points in the final 2½ minutes after SUNO grabbed a 66-62 lead.

Anthony Simmons scored a season-high-tying 20 points, Joseph had 18 points and 12 assists, and Denzell Erves had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Xavier.

Broc Willis scored a season-high 17 points for SUNO (8-3, 2-2). Clyde Moore had 15 points and seven rebounds, and Kevin Dukes and Russell Moore scored 10 points each.

Joseph made 1-of-2 free throws with 11.8 seconds remaining in the second half to tie the score at 60. Then both teams missed shots which would've ended the game in regulation.

Xavier remained in a tie for first in the conference with Philander Smith, a double-overtime winner at Talladega. Xavier and Philander Smith will meet at noon Saturday at the Convocation Center.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA  -- Check out XAVIER'S New Website!!

Lady Knights end Gold Nuggets' GCAC home win streak

NEW ORLEANS -- Senior guard April Perry scored 26 points Monday -- 18 in the second half -- to lead SUNO to a 63-56 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory over NAIA No. 9 Xavier University of Louisiana at XU's Convocation Center.

The Lady Knights (8-2, 3-1 GCAC) ended the 23-game GCAC home win streak of the Gold Nuggets (12-4, 2-2). Xavier had not lost at home to a conference opponent since February 2009.

Perry reached 25 points or more for the third consecutive game. Janee Morton scored 12 points for SUNO.

SiMon Franklin scored 15 points and Whitney Gaston-Loyd 12 for Xavier.

SUNO led 29-22 at halftime and did not lose the lead thereafter.

The Gold Nuggets' next game will start at 2 p.m. Saturday against Philander Smith at the Convocation Center. It will be the second game of a doubleheader, following an XU-Philander men's game which will tip off at noon.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA  -- Check out Xavier's NEW WEBSITE!

Hollis, Taylor combine for 31 points to lead B-CU women to MEAC win

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  --  Junior-college transfers Terrenisha Hollis and Chastity Rene Taylor combined for 31 points as Bethune-Cookman defeated winless North Carolina Central 55-32 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women's basketball game Monday at Moore Gymnasium.

Hollis scored 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for her first double-double as a Wildcat. Taylor scored 15 points, 12 in the first half. She hit four of five 3-point attempts. Kayla Crawford added eight points for the 'Cats, who won their second game in a row.

B-CU (7-8, 2-1) jumped out to a 34-12 halftime lead and scored 23 points off 21 Eagles turnovers. The Wildcats shot 46 percent from the floor (21 for 46). Tenika Neely led N.C. Central (0-16, 0-3) with nine points.

READ MORE

Pittman feels good about Fort Valley State’s recruiting

FORT VALLEY, Georgia  --  Things have changed a bit for Fort Valley State as football recruiting intensifies.

The Wildcats have more experience returning in the backfield and in the secondary and up front than at any time since Donald Pittman took over as head coach after the 2008 season.

“Oh yes,” Pittman said. “We’re just taking it easy with it. We’re trying to select the right ones.”

Not that the Wildcats’ staff is sitting around with feet propped up on desks just taking phone calls left and right.

As has been the case more often than not since Pittman’s arrival, one position again tops the recruiting wish list.

“Quarterback is probably number one,” Pittman said. “Number two is offensive line, and number three is defensive line. That’s it.”

Well, not quite.

“If we can get a free safety, that would be next,” he said. “A big tailback, we’ll take. We would like to have another center.”


READ MORE

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2013/01/12/2314031/pittman-feels-good-about-fort.html#storylink=cpy

ECSU Wylie enjoying comeback season

SALISBURY, North Carolina   —  The biggest smile in Livingstone’s Trent Gym was worn by Elizabeth City State’s De’Rya Wylie.

Thursday’s CIAA game was a homecoming for Wylie, a 21-year-old Salisbury High graduate who scored nine points as ECSU’s Vikings beat Livingstone 64-44.

Elizabeth City (12-3, 4-1) leads its division, but winning is not exactly new stuff for Wylie.

 

In her four seasons at Salisbury — all on the varsity — the Hornets won 110 and lost 12. Her teams included a 27-3 state runner-up squad her freshman year and a 29-3 state championship team her senior year. She’s one of those fortunate few who won their last game. She scored 10 in the 56-41 title-game victory against Graham.

 

Wylie played with outstanding players in high school. Ashley Watkins, Saybah Sammy, Kwameshia Hicks, Shi-Heria Shipp, Bubbles Phifer, Ashia Holmes and Ayanna Holmes were teammates and all rank among Salisbury’s all-time top-15 scorers. It may surprise you that Wylie also is on that top-15 list, but she is. She’s 11th with 957 points, although you can probably count the number of shots she took outside the paint in four years on one hand.

 

Roughly 900 of her points came on ...

 

 

READ MORE

Virginia State University names Latrell Scott head football coach

ETTRICK, Virginia  --  Virginia State University named Latrell Scott as the University's 23^rd head football coach on Monday, January 14, 2013.

“I believe this place is special,” Scott said at the news conference where he was introduced. “VSU has made a commitment to football.”

Scott brings 12 years of coaching experience to the Trojans. Last year, he coached tight ends at James Madison University. At JMU, Scott recruited the Metro Richmond, Williamsburg and Northern Neck areas. He spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons as the wide receivers coach at the University of Tennessee and the University of Virginia, respectively.

Before joining JMU, Scott was head coach at the University of Richmond, where he previously served as wide receiver and assistant head coach. With Scott as position coach, the 2007 Richmond team posted a then-school record 11 wins and the school's first ever appearance in the National Semifinals. The University of Richmond eclipsed 10 team records in 2007, setting new standards for scoring average (34.9 points per game), touchdowns (63) and total offense (5,675 yards).



Scott met with current Trojan players Sunday and together the coach and team reorganized the weight room. Scott said the experience of immediately working together meshes with his philosophy for this year's team. “Our mantra is 'right now,'” he said.

Scott was a three-year starter at tight end at Hampton University, earning All-American honors his senior season. He played on two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship and NCAA playoff teams and also competed in the Gridiron All-Star Classic in Orlando, FL. Scott graduated from Hampton with a sport management degree in 2001 and is a highly-regarded recruiter.

Scott said coming to an HBCU is especially significant. “My first experience with college football was watching the Gold Bowl with my Dad.”

VSU President Keith T. Miller said he was impressed with Scott's goals for the team, both athletically and academically. “We're delighted to have Coach Scott as a Trojan,” he said. “We're ready to embrace what he wants to do with our football program.”

Scott, a graduate of Lee-Davis High School in Mechanicsville, VA, is married to the former Brandi Bradby.   


COURTESY VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Quinnipiac Bobcats Wraps Up Non-Conference Play At Hampton On Monday Night

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (5-10, 1-3 NEC) at
Hampton University Pirates (4-10, 2-0 MEAC)Date: Monday, January 14, 2013
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Convocation Center – Hampton, Va.
Series vs. Hampton: First Meeting
Quinnipiac Last Five: 1-4
Hampton Last Five: 2-3
Audio: AM 1220 WQUN
Live Stats: HamptonPirates.com
Live Stats On Your Mobile Device: ESPN.Com
Tickets: QuinnipiacBobcats.com

Complete Game Notes as a PDF

Bobcats Face Hampton On Monday NightThe Quinnipiac University men's basketball team (5-10, 1-3 NEC) heads southward to Virginia for a final non-conference clash with Hampton University (4-10, 2-0 MEAC) on Monday night. The first meeting between the two schools is set for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center on the University's campus.

On The Air / Multimedia LinksFans can also tune into AM 1220 WQUN Radio where Bob Mortali will have the play-by-play call with Bob Tipson providing insight on color commentary. Live stats will also be available on www.HamptonPirates.com.
 
All-Time Against HamptonThis will be the first meeting between the two programs. American University serves as the only common opponent thus far – with Hampton defeating the Eagles, 72-65, on December 18, and Quinnipiac falling short, 61-55, on November 12.

Scouting The PiratesThe Pirates, in their fourth season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., picked up their first road win of the season on Saturday, coming back to beat Howard, 51-49 – making it two straight wins. Freshman guard Deron Powers had a team-high 14 points, while junior guard Ramon Mercado came off the bench to add 10. So far this season, the Pirates are second the conference (MEAC) in field goal percentage defense, as opponents are shooting just 39.4 percent (282-for-715) from the floor. The Pirates are also third in the MEAC in scoring defense, holding teams to 62.1 points per game, and fourth in blocked shots with 4.9 per game. Powers leads the Pirates offensively, averaging team-bests in points (11.4) and assists (4.1). Du'Vaughn Maxwell leads the front court with 7.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Last Time Out Against Sacred Heart
Ike Azotam and Jamee Jackson each finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday afternoon, but Sacred Heart University fended off a late Bobcat charge and earned an 80-74 decision at the TD Bank Sports Center. Quinnipiac received double-doubles from two different players for the first time this season, but it was SHU's Shane Gibson who poured in a game-high 31 points to lift the visiting Pioneers. Dave Johnson led the Bobcats offensively with a season-high 17 points – going 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. Azotam, Jackson and Hearst each chipped in with 10 points and Evan Conti added nine. Ousmane Drame and James Ford, Jr. finished with seven apiece – while combining for a total of 12 rebounds. Quinnipiac controlled the backboards, 45-35, and the paint 34-29, but left 13 at the free-throw line (14-27, 51.9 percent). SHU made 45.5 percent of its field goals compared to 39.7 percent from the hosting Bobcats.

Milestone Approaching For Moore
Head Coach Tom Moore picked up his 98th career win against LIU Brooklyn (1/5) and remains two shy of 100 for his career at Quinnipiac. His .566 winning percentage is fifth best among Division I Coaches in New England, only trailing Vermont's John Becker (.654), Harvard's Tommy Amaker (.623), Fairfield's Sydney Johnson (.589) and CCSU's Howie Dickenman (.572). (Winning percentage among coaches with at least one season at respective institution)

Coach (Team)	Wins	Losses	Winning %
John Becker (UVM)	34	18	0.654
Tommy Amaker (HARV)	101	61	0.623
Sydney Johnson (FAIR)	33	23	0.589
Howie Dickenman (CCSU)	171	128	0.572
Tom Moore (QU)	98	75	0.566

Climbing The Ladder
Azotam surpassed Bill Romano '02 (580) on Quinnipiac's Division I career rebounding list when he grabbed five rebounds against LIU Brooklyn (1/5). The junior power forward currently sits in second place, only trailing Justin Rutty '11 (1,032). Azotam also collected his 21^st career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Sacred Heart (1/12). Azotam ranks third in career double-doubles among active NEC players – sitting just one shy of LIU's Jamal Olasewere (22).

Dimes For Dave
Dave Johnson moved into fifth place among Division I career assist leaders at Quinnipiac. Johnson's 348 career assists trail Jared Grasso '02 who finished his career with 404 assists.

Rejection Is Key
Jamee Jackson recorded his 81st career block against Lehigh (11/27) and moved ahead of Justin Rutty '11 into second among Division I career block leaders at Quinnipiac. Jackson's 91 blocks trail C.J. Vick '05 who finished his career with 106 blocked shots.

Rebounding Margin Factors In
Rebounding has become the identity of the Bobcats under the direction of Head Coach Tom Moore. Through 173 games with Moore at the helm, Quinnipiac has only failed to out-rebound an opponent 27 times. In 50 of the 173 games, QU has posted a plus-10 or better rebounding margin, including 12 with plus-20 or better and a rebounding-margin high of 28 against FDU on February 27, 2011. The Bobcats hold a remarkable 45-5 mark when holding a plus-10 edge and a 10-2 record with plus-20.
 
Conti Cashes In
Evan Conti has been called upon to fill a starting role of late which recently featured a career day for the sophomore guard. Conti set new career-highs in points (15) and rebounds (9) against LIU Brooklyn (1/5), falling one rebound shy of a double-double. In seven career starts for the Bobcats, Conti is averaging 9.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Last season, Conti earned his first career nod in the CBI Tournament and posted 14 points and four rebounds against Penn.


COURTESY QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY BOBCATS ATHLETICS

Ram Ramblings: Assistant Wilhelmi pays tribute to mentor with bow tie

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  To find out just how big a game it is for Winston-Salem State looking to see what kind of tie assistant coach James Wilhelmi is wearing is a good place to start.

Wilhelmi, and fellow assistant Tim Wells, do a lot of the behind-the-scenes work for Coach Bobby Collins. One thing Collins tries to do after every game is make sure he mentions that Wells and Wilhelmi did a good job in preparing the scouting report.

 For Wilhelmi, if he’s wearing a bow tie, then that means it’s an important game. Chances are he’ll be wearing a bow tie tonight when 17^th-ranked WSSU puts its 11-game win streak on the line at the Gaines Center against Elizabeth City State. It’s an important game because the Rams can sweep the Northern Division of the CIAA with a 6-0 record.

Wilhelmi doesn’t wear a bow tie all the time but when he does he’s paying homage to one of his mentors, Gil Jackson. It was Jackson, the former head coach at Howard, who gave Wilhelmi his second chance in the college game.

READ MORE

In the FCS Huddle: Change on coaching carousel often not pretty

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The number of head coaching hirings and openings since the start of this past Football Championship Subdivision season has risen to 15 - a typical number, and perhaps one not at its apex.

But the firing of Delaware mentor K.C. Keeler on Monday showed there is nothing ordinary about the changes going on this offseason.

Few, not even Keeler, saw the stunning firing coming.

The decision ranks up there alongside Appalachian State showing the door to legendary coach Jerry Moore one day after his 24th season ended and then giving the keys to the Southern Conference power to assistant Scott Satterfield.

Keeler led the Blue Hens to an FCS national title in 2003 and two other national runner-up finishes in 11 seasons, including against Moore in 2007 when Appalachian State won the last of three straight national titles.

Of course, the 53-year-old Keeler is 20 years younger than Moore, so it's not like his career was winding down.

READ MORE 

Money games termed fiscal necessity for S.C. State football, basketball

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  --  Tim Carter has a realistic approach toward the Upper Division I portion of South Carolina State men’s basketball schedule.

“This is our ‘pay bills’ games,” he said. “We’ve got to pay some bills.”

The Bulldogs head coach is equally candid with his players about the necessities of the games, while at the same time trying to keep their spirits and confidence up through those “brutalizing” losses often experienced in these match-ups.

“One thing that I have done is that I’ve been completely honest with our players about what they’re going through from the standpoint as to why we’re playing these type of teams,” Carter said. “I’ve been very candid with them and when you’re honest with your team, they can handle something a little bit better if you do it like that.”



On Jan. 5, the Bulldogs fell 80-69 to the University of South Carolina in Columbia. The 11-point loss proved to be the team’s best showing during a winless five-game stretch against Upper Division I opponents Maryland (61-46), nationally ranked Missouri (102-51), Iowa (90-46) and Clemson (77-41) in which the average margin of defeat was 31.4 points.

READ MORE

NSU Spartans get rare TV starring role Monday night

WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  Norfolk State University's basketball team returns to the national spotlight tonight for the first time since the Spartans shined on the NCAA tournament stage last March.

The Spartans play at Howard at 7 p.m. in Washington, in a game to be broadcast on ESPNU. It is Norfolk State's first national television appearance since the NCAA tournament.

Last season the Spartans won their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title, then stunned Missouri, 86-84, in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

This season, after surviving a difficult early schedule that included 14 of 16 games on the road, NSU (8-10, 3-0 MEAC) has won two in a row and is atop the MEAC.

Howard (4-13, 1-2) fell at home to Hampton on Saturday night, 51-49.

Norfolk State has won six in a row against Howard and ousted the Bison from the the MEAC tournament the last two seasons.

"Howard is going to have some motivation," Norfolk State coach Anthony Evans said. "That's going to give them a little edge."

READ MORE

Update: Alabama A&M's Joaquenssi Eugene to Participate in 2013 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl

WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  The NFL Players Association is proud to announce that Joaquenssi Eugene of Alabama A&M has committed to playing in the 2013 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

The offensive lineman from Miami will be one of the talented draft-eligible seniors competing in the all-star game on Saturday, January 19 at The Home Depot Center on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson, Calif.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised live on ESPN2. ESPNU will also air live broadcasts from practices on Thursday, January 17.

The 6-3, 325-pound center and offensive guard was named to the preseason All-SWAC First Team. He’s viewed as the O-line’s leader, identifying defensive formations and communicating to the signal-caller to help him make the correct reads. Eugene also contributes to Bulldog athletics as a thrower on the men’s varsity track and field team.

For player confirmations and news surrounding the game, follow @NFLPABowl on Twitter and on Facebook at Facebook.com/NFLPACollegiateBowl.

For one week preceding the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl presented by Winnol, participants will receive an in-depth introduction to the union – the primary resource for information on the business of football and how to succeed in the NFL and in post-football careers.

Pro-football players and coaching legends will work with the game’s future stars, giving them first-hand insight on what it takes to win on and off of the field. Herm Edwards and Dick Vermeil will serve as the head coaches for the American and National Teams. Player Ambassadors for the game include former NFL players Terrell Davis, Hank Baskett, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Lorenzo Neal and Andre Reed.

Tickets are on sale now: http://collegiate.nflpa.com/.
 

Hampton defeats Howard 52-50

WASHINGTON, D.C. (www.howard-bison.com) – Despite a final second three pointer by freshman Imani Bailey, a 10-2 Hampton run led to Howard University's first loss at home and in conference play in a 52-50 decision against Hampton University on Saturday, Jan. 12 in Burr Gymnasium.
The first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference loss drops Howard to 7-7 on the season, 4-1 at home and 2-1 in conference play.

Howard's offensive campaign was led by senior Saadia Doyle with 14 points, while fellow Atlanta, Ga., native freshman Victoria Gonzalez added 10 points to the afternoon. Doyle also led in rebounding with six, as senior Cheyenne Curley-Payne finished with three assists and three steals.

As a team, HU shot 39 percent from the field, 33 percent from the behind the arc and 83 percent from the free-throw line.

In spite of five lead changes and eight ties, the mighty blue and white maintained home-court advantage for entire first half and well into the second half.

In the first 20 minutes, which was the lowest first-half scoring outings for both teams, Howard and Hampton went possession-for-possession without scoring.

On a 4-0 run, Howard reached a first-half high six-point margin lead. Hampton's Keiara Avant put her offensive power to work to bring the Lady Pirates within one; nonetheless another Howard run extended the lead by four for a halftime score of 20-16.

After the halftime intermission, Howard displayed to fans and followers why they were the preseason favorite, taking a 10-point margin lead by the 16:44 make of the second-half.

By the 11:08 mark Howard would loss its power and succumb to a 10-2 Hampton run and a 38-38 tie by the 6:14 mark.

The two squads varied between two additional ties and two leads changes before a 6-3 run by Hampton silenced Burr Gymnasium and sent the Lady Bison scrambling for a way out with 21 second remaining.

Hampton advances to 12-5 on the season and 3-0 in the conference.

Howard returns to Burr on Monday, Jan. 14 to take on the Lady Spartans of Norfolk State University at 4:30 p.m., this contest will be aired on ESPNU.

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


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

WSSU wears down Chowan, runs win streak to 11 games

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  The Winston-Salem State Rams aren’t interested in their winning streak.

“We really don’t care about all of that,” Kimani Hunt said after WSSU went to an extra gear in the second half Saturday night to put away quick Chowan 89-76 at the Gaines Center.
 The win streak reached 11 games, WSSU’s longest in 13 seasons, but Coach Bobby Collins and his assistants have yet to mention it to their players.

“It’s really just one game at a time,” Hunt said. “We don’t listen to you or anybody else about the streak because our main goal is to get better each time out.”

The Rams (12-2, 5-0 CIAA) found the going tough against the undersized Hawks (5-8, 0-5).

Chowan starts one player who is 6-7, but the rest of Coach Brett Vincent’s team is made up of quick guards in the 6-0 to 6-3 range, and they had the Rams reaching and clawing most of the way. Kortez Smith, just 5-7 but the quickest player on the court, kept blowing by the Rams and finished with 18 points.

But the Rams turned to their inside play and had just enough stops on defense. A tip-in by Wakefield Ellison with 8:04 left gave the Rams a 10-point lead and a chance to breathe a little easier.

READ MORE

Southern routs UAPB, moves to 5-0 in SWAC

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  On the heels of a 3-0 start to Southwestern Athletic Conference play, the Arkansas-Pine Bluff men’s basketball team had a chance to make a statement against league-leader Southern on Saturday night.

Its opponent stole the show.

High-flying Southern entertained the home crowd for 40 dominant minutes, soaring for four dunks, knocking down 11 3-pointers, swiping 10 steals and, in general, doing whatever it wanted in an 84-50 rout of UAPB at the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

The Jaguars (11-6, 5-0) led by double figures from 15-5 on.

“When I looked up and saw we had a comfortable lead, the game became way more fun,” Southern junior Malcolm Miller said. “We got to relax a little bit and tried to do some things to keep the crowd entertained. We were just having fun out there basically.”

No one was more entertaining than Miller, whose performance in helping Southern start SWAC play 4-0 — three games with 20-plus points — earned him the conference’s Player of the Week honor.

Up to his old tricks once again, Miller had 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including a 5-of-9 effort from 3-point range and a pair of first-half dunks. He also grabbed nine rebounds.

READ MORE

St. Aug Falls To Lincoln (Pa.) On Three-Pointer As Time Expired

Raleigh, N.C. — Saint Augustine’s University suffered a gut-wrenching defeat inside Emery Gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013.

Senior forward Tyquan Stroman (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) and senior guard Percy Woods (Washington, D.C.) both scored 12 points apiece for Saint Augustine's University, but Kenny Sharpe hit a three-pointer as time expired to give Lincoln (Pa.) University a 59-58 CIAA men's basketball victory.

The Falcons led 58-56 with six seconds left on a driving layup by Woods. After a timeout, Sharpe, who scored a game-high 22 points, split a double team and swished a double-pump three pointer to hand the Falcons their second straight loss. The Falcons are now 9-6 overall and 2-3 in the CIAA. The Lions are 9-5 overall and 2-3 in the CIAA.

Sharpe lost the ball momentarily in midair, but re-grasped it before making the game-winning shot from beyond the three-point line, much to the chagrin of the Falcon fans in Emery Gymnasium.

“We did a good job of getting in position to win the game,” St. Aug Head Coach Lonnie Blow, Jr. said. “We just didn’t finish the deal. The guy made a tough shot. I thought the defense on him was decent.”

READ MORE

CIAA BAsketball: Virginia State 85, Livingstone 74

SALISBURY, North Carolina  —   It’s way too soon to panic, but all of a sudden the Livingstone men’s basketball team looks very ordinary. At least it did Saturday night at Trent Gym, where the Blue Bears dropped their second consecutive CIAA decision and fell 85-74 to Virginia State.

 

“This game does not break our season,” coach James Stinson said after sequestering his team in the locker room for more than 30 minutes after the loss. “I just told them we need to stop ourselves from falling. We have to correct all the things we’re doing wrong.”

 

Livingstone (11-3, 3-2) barely resembled the team that recently enjoyed an eight-game winning streak, but hey, even Sinatra had to clear his throat now and then.

 

“We’re still the same team that went on the road and beat all those teams,” senior forward Tyler Johnson insisted. “And normally we’re able to overcome deficits and shortcomings, but tonight it just didn’t happen.”

 

What happened was a bit surprising. Visiting VSU (7-7, 2-3) seemed overmatched in the early going and LC — behind a trio of Jody Hill 3-pointers — jumped to a 17-6 lead in the first seven minutes.

 

“Then we locked in on defense,” said winning coach Darryl Jacobs. “And brought in James Vann. Right away we had more energy and he started hitting big shots.”

 

 

READ MORE

Holmes looks to build Rattlers staff at Florida A&M

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Weeks before he was named head football coach at FAMU on Friday, Earl Holmes began evaluating the other assistants who worked with him under retired Joe Taylor to see who might be retained.

While he spent Saturday with a group of visiting recruits, Holmes said he will move expeditiously to fill any opening that might be created through his evaluations. His hire makes him he 16th head football coach.

Holmes, 39, is in his first head-coaching job and will earn $200,000 annually after his contract is approved by FAMU’s Board of Trustees next month.

He already knows that he will have to find an offensive coordinator to replace Lawrence Kershaw. He has taken a head-coaching job at Fayetteville State, a Division II program in North Carolina.

Holmes, whose fearless style as a 10-year linebacker in the NFL earned him the nickname “Hit Man,” said he’d like to have a staff that can teach his players how to play aggressively. During his introduction speech, Holmes said he intends to have a staff made up of assistants with high school and NFL coaching experience.

READ MORE

Holmes represents new era at FAMU

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Friday was a big day. Only the day that FAMU gets a new football stadium will be bigger.

It was big for FAMU. It was big for Earl Holmes. Big for Athletic Director Derek Horne.

Even bigger for FAMU football.

Just listen to interim president Larry Robinson as he puts his spin on what it means to have Holmes as the new FAMU head coach.

“We thought in the end coach Holmes was the best choice for us at this time in the illustrious history of this institution,” Robinson said.

Not that John Eason or John Hendrick, the other two finalists for the job, weren’t good enough, mind you.

Maybe Eason, who is approaching 70, might have had his best day as a coach. It could have been that Hendrick just didn’t stay long enough at any of the jobs on his resume that showed he might have been some issues with his style.

READ MORE

Holmes takes over at FAMU

Emotional Holmes thrilled, thankful: 'I owe this university my life.'

Earl Holmes’ tenure as head football coach at Florida A&M University was just a few minutes old when he lost his first matchup.

He had no shot at winning, really. Not even with this sort of home-field advantage.

After looking at all the familiar faces packed into the fourth-floor meeting room at the Lawson Center, Holmes followed his scripted game plan by acknowledging the people who helped him become the 16th head coach in FAMU’s storied history.

But after thanking his mom and wife and son, who were all sitting just a few feet in front of him, Holmes suffered his first setback as head coach.

His voice cracked. He ducked his head to hide the tears in his eyes. And he briefly backed away from the podium as his emotions took over.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Holmes said, hoping a laugh would stave off the tears. “My wife’s going to kill me.”

READ MORE

FAMU Holmes' hire spurs excitement

New coach off to busy start, welcomes 12 recruits to campus

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  A handful of FAMU football players were milling around in the parking lot outside of Bragg Stadium on Friday afternoon. They’d gathered a few minutes earlier so that Earl Holmes could tell them that he’d be their next head coach.

None of them had a wider grin than tight end Michael Morris.  “I’m ecstatic,” he yelled to a passerby.

Seemingly so was the overflow crowd that had flocked into a conference room on the top level of the Lawson Center, where Holmes was introduced as successor to Joe Taylor. He retired with a few weeks remaining on his contract.

Holmes promised to turn the program around. Boosters and alumni in the room pledged to support him.



The announcement was two months coming. The wait was becoming a little unbearable to some of the players who took their plea to interim president Larry Robinson while the search was going on to find a coach.

“I was thinking about the future of FAMU, the recruiting process and trying to see how not having a coach would affect our recruiting process,” said safety John Ojo, who will get an extra year to play next season after an injury sidelined him last season. “I was wondering if there was any way to speed the process up.”

READ MORE

Smith's career-high 26 leads Gold Rush past Tougaloo

NEW ORLEANS -- Renard Smith scored a career-high 26 points and made a Convocation Center-record-tying six 3-point field goals Saturday in NAIA No. 16 Xavier University of Louisiana's 85-75 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against Tougaloo.

The Gold Rush (15-3 overall, 3-0 GCAC) have won four in a row and remained in a first-place tie in the conference with Philander Smith, a 75-72 winner at Edward Waters.

Smith made three consecutive 3-pointers during a 14-0 run in the final five minutes of the first half to erase Tougaloo's largest lead, 26-23. Xavier led 40-34 at halftime and 61-43 after a Denzell Erves basket with 12:07 remaining.

Erves, the reigning GCAC Player of the Week, had 15 points and 10 rebounds. It was his fourth double-double in five games, his 11th of the season and the 18th of his career. Wanto Joseph had his second double-double of the season, 14 points and a career-best 13 assists. Anthony Simmons scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Juan Gray had 21 points, six assists and five steals for Tougaloo (3-10, 1-2). Cordaryl Campbell scored 20 points, and Denzel Hardy had 15 points and five assists.

Smith made 6-of-9 3-pointers to tie the Convocation Center men's record set by Jarvis Christian's Chris Davis against Spring Hill in the Big Easy Classic on Nov. 10.

Joseph produced the most assists in a game by a Gold Rush player since Shaun Dumas had 13 on New Year's Eve against Wiley in 2006.

Xavier shot 51.9 percent from the floor -- 65.2 percent in the second half -- and limited the Bulldogs to 41.9 percent. The Gold Rush outrebounded Tougaloo 41-25.

Xavier will continue a four-game GCAC home stand at 7:30 p.m. Monday against SUNO, which is tied for third place in the conference with Talladega and a game behind the leaders.

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

TSU Extends Streak to Six With 81-69 Win Over SEMO

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  The Tennessee State men's basketball team held on to defeat Southeast Missouri State, 81-69, on Saturday night.

The victory kept two streaks alive by winning the game as the Tigers improved to 5-0 in conference play and 6-0 inside the Gentry Center. TSU has now won 17 of its last 18 home games dating back to last season.

Kellen Thornton had a career-high 28 points in the victory (10-of-15) and tied a career-high with 16 boards.

Patrick Miller also had a strong game with 20 points (7-of-13) and five assists. Miller has now scored over 10 points in every game of TSU's six-game winning streak.
 

TSU (11-7, 5-0 OVC) started the game on an 11-4 run that featured three threes from Miller, Tashan Fredrick and Jordan Cyphers. The strong outside shooting helped the home squad drill nine of its first 12 field goals in the game (75 percent).

The Tigers eventually stretched the lead to 20-7 when Jordan Gaither poured in a contested jumper from the elbow. The score prompted SEMO head coach Dickey Nutt to call the team's first timeout of the contest.

The stoppage in play did little to slow down the Tigers, as Thornton put TSU up by 12 with a slam at the 5:10 mark.

Thornton finished the first period with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting (67 percent). The senior also had a half-high five rebounds.

Thornton added another jam with 40 seconds remaining in the half, and the Tigers went to the locker room with a 43-29 lead.

TSU shot a season-high 64 percent (13-20) from the field during the first half and drained a season-best five triples.

SEMO (10-9, 2-3) was able to cut TSU's lead down to nine during the first eight minutes of the second stanza, but Cyphers nailed his third three of the game to put the Tigers up 61-49.

Again the Redhawks made a charge, and got within three of TSU when SEMO's Nick Niemczyk nailed a three with three-and-a-half minutes to play. The shot was part of a 15-6 Redhawk run.

TSU head coach Travis Williams called a timeout after the triple and drew up a play for Cyphers. The guard was open from beyond the arc and drained another three to make the score 73-67 in favor of the home squad.

TSU only allowed SEMO to make one more basket during the game's last three minutes and the Redhawks were forced to foul TSU for the remainder of the contest. The Tigers were a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the charity stripe during the last minute of the game, and hung on for an 81-69 victory.

TSU was 19-of-22 (86.4 percent) from the free-throw line while SEMO was just 6-of-16 (37.5 percent).


COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Gold Nuggets bounce back with 39-point home victory

NEW ORLEANS -- Danielle Tucker scored a season-high 16 points Saturday to lead NAIA No. 9 Xavier University of Louisiana in a wire-to-wire 80-41 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against Tougaloo.

The Gold Nuggets (12-3 overall, 2-1 GCAC), playing their first conference game in their new Convocation Center, knocked the Lady Bulldogs (10-4, 2-1) out of a first-place tie in the GCAC. Xavier bounced back strongly from a 68-65 Monday loss at Talladega, the only unbeaten team in conference.

SiMon Franklin scored six points during a 13-1 run in the first 5½ minutes. Whitney Gaston-Loyd, Paige Rochelle and Jessica Savannah scored four points each during a 14-0 burst which gave Xavier a 37-9 lead at 4:03. The Nuggets led 46-12 at halftime.

Tucker, a junior forward in her first XU season after transferring from NCAA Division II Mars Hill, scored 13 second-half points. Gaston-Loyd matched her career high of 13 points for the second consecutive game, and Savannah scored a season-high 10 points. Chelsea Broussard grabbed a season-best eight rebounds and matched her career high of three steals.

Tucker's basket with 4:44 remaining gave Xavier its biggest lead, 80-33.

Erin Wells led Tougaloo with eight points. The Lady Bulldogs' Portia Craft, a junior guard who entered the game No. 2 in NAIA Division I with 20.7 points per game, scored two points in 24 minutes. She was 1-of-9 from the floor and scored her only points on a steal and layup with 7:29 remaining.

Xavier shot a season-high 48.6 percent from the floor and limited Tougaloo to 29.6 percent. Xavier committed a season-low 11 fouls and outrebounded the Lady Bulldogs 45-34. Xavier committed 16 turnovers and gained 28.

The winning margin was Xavier's largest against Tougaloo in 12 years. The Nuggets extended their GCAC home win streak to 23 and defeated Tougaloo at home for the 32nd consecutive time. Xavier has won 13 straight GCAC home openers.

Xavier will continue a four-game GCAC home stand at 5:30 p.m. Monday against SUNO, which is tied for second place in the conference with Xavier and Tougaloo.

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