Gold Nuggets 10th in NAIA for third consecutive

 NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's women's basketball team has its highest national ranking entering a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament since 2003.

 The Gold Nuggets are 10th for the third consecutive week in NAIA Division I Coaches' Top 25 Poll announced Tuesday afternoon. Voting was based on games through Sunday. It's the sixth time in 11 polls this season that Xavier has been in the top 10.

Xavier (24-4) closed the regular season with two GCAC victories — 71-61 at Tougaloo, 67-43 at home against Dillard — and will enter its GCAC Tournament first-round game against Fisk with a 12-game win streak, its longest since 2010. The Xavier-Fisk game will tip off at noon Thursday at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock, Ark.

Xavier is the tournament's top seed after winning the regular-season championship by one game over SUNO and Talladega. The Gold Nuggets seek their fourth consecutive GCAC Tournament championship.

The Gold Nuggets entered the 2003 GCAC Tournament at No. 10 nationally, then lost 71-70 to Mobile in the semifinals. But Xavier made amends at the NAIA National Championship by beating 14th-ranked Trevecca Nazarene in the opening round — the Nuggets' only victory at nationals during Bo Browder's first 11 seasons as head coach.

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, Feb. 24) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Freed-Hardeman (6) 29-1 277 1 2 Oklahoma City (5) 24-2 276 2 3 Westmont 24-3 263 4 4 Lubbock Christian 26-3 251 5 5 Westminster (Utah) 25-3 245 3 6 Cumberland 26-2 236 6 7 Lee (Tenn.) 27-2 228 tie-7 8 Vanguard 21-3 220 tie-7 9 MidAmerica Nazarene 26-2 209 9 10 Xavier 24-4 197 10 11 The Master's 25-4 194 11 12 Benedictine (Kan.) 25-4 180 12 13 Shawnee State 22-7 166 14 14 Rogers State 22-8 165 13 15 Columbia (Mo.) 24-6 154 15 16 Georgetown (Ky.) 20-8 148 18 17 Lyon 27-3 134 17 18 Campbellsville 21-8 126 16 19 Faulkner 25-5 123 19 20 Wiley 25-3 114 20 21 Our Lady of the Lake 27-2 102 21 22 Bethel (Tenn.) 20-9 82 23 23 William Woods 23-5 81 22 24 Carroll (Mont.) 19-8 67 RV 25 LSU-Shreveport 23-4 65 25 eceiving votes: Southern Poly 58, St. Catharine (Ky.) 50, Auburn Montgomery 25, Cumberlands 17, Central Methodist 16, Coastal Georgia 15, Baker 9, SUNO 8.

TSU's Gaines Impresses at the NFL Combine

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Former Tennessee State offensive lineman Rogers Gaines performed well during the 2013 NFL Combine over the weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Gaines measured at 6' 6", 334 pounds with an arm length of 36 1/4 inches and hands at 10 5/8 inches. He tied for 14th among OL with 28 reps on the bench press and ran a 5.24 second 40-yard dash.

According to Gaines' profile on NFL.com, he, "possesses the tall, athletic build NFL teams like at the left tackle spot, can get out of a two-point stance in a hurry. But he’s no finesse player, as he can land a strong initial punch and is willing sustain blocks around the pocket, finish run blocks through the whistle, and shove opponents standing around as the play goes downfield. FCS defensive ends aren’t going to beat him very often once he gets his powerful hands on their jerseys; if they put up a fight, he uses his great length, flexibility, wide stance and good lateral movement to mirror. Uses his foot quickness for positional run blocking, connecting on reach blocks, as well as getting downfield to shield linebackers."

The Goodlettsville native redshirted his first year at TSU and then played in three games as a freshman and eight contests in 2010 as a reserve. But in his first year as a starter in 2011, Ohio Valley Conference coaches voted him second-team all-conference for his efforts. Gaines was a Phil Steele second-team preseason All-American heading into 2012. He was named to the all-OVC first team as a senior, as well as being a first-team All-American selection by the Associated Press and a second-team All-American selection by The Sports Network.

 

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

 

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Gold Rush are 13th in NAIA after climbing three places

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana was one of five teams to climb three or more places Tuesday in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll. The XU men (24-6) climbed three spots and are 13th, their highest ranking in three weeks.

It's the fourth time in 11 polls this season that the Gold Rush ranked 13th. Xavier has been as high as 11th twice this season, most recently on Feb. 5.

 Voting was based on games through Sunday. Xavier closed the regular season with a pair of Gulf Coast Athletic Conference victories, and the winning margins were its two largest of the year. The Rush won 75-54 at Tougaloo — Xavier's first victory there since 2005 — and 70-46 at home against Dillard.

Xavier repeated as GCAC regular-season co-champion and will play Dillard at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in the opening round of the GCAC Tournament at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock, Ark. Xavier, the tournament's top seed, seeks its third consecutive berth in the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship at Kansas City, Mo.

NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, Feb. 24) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Columbia (Mo.) (11) 30-0 281 1 2 Lee (Tenn.) 28-1 272 2 3 Lindsey Wilson 26-3 263 4 4 John Brown 25-5 244 3 5 Lewis-Clark State 26-4 242 5 6 Southwestern Assemblies of God 26-3 238 7 7 Cal State San Marcos 23-5 223 6 8 Oklahoma Baptist 24-6 221 9 9 Evangel 22-5 199 10 10 Pikeville 23-5 195 12 11 Westmont 24-6 194 8 12 William Carey 23-4 193 11 13 Xavier 24-6 160 16 14 Emmanuel (Ga.) 26-3 156 17 15 Montana Western 21-8 151 22 16 Georgetown (Ky.) 21-7 149 tie-13 17 Hope International 24-6 131 18 18 Martin Methodist 20-9 123 24 19 Faulkner 25-5 110 21 20 Montana State Northern 22-8 91 tie-13 21 LSU-Shreveport 21-6 89 19 22-tie Culver-Stockton 22-7 79 25 22-tie Philander Smith 21-8 79 23 24 Arizona Christian 18-8 78 RV 25 Bethel (Tenn.) 24-6 69 15 Others receiving votes: Concordia (Calif.) 62, Westminster (Utah) 47, Science & Arts 37, St. Thomas (Texas) 33, MidAmerica Nazarene 29, Robert Morris (Chicago) 13, Campbellsville 6, Park 6. By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAATHLETICS XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Virginia Union advances to semifinals after 57-55 victory over Virginia State

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It's always tough to beat a team three times in a season and Wednesday morning's Battle of Virginia proved just that.

The Virginia Union Lady Panthers needed every last second to defeat Virginia State University 57-55 in the quarterfinal round of the CIAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena.

After Virginia State's Pryncess Tate-Dublin banked a three-pointer from the right wing to bring the Lady Trojans within one at 56-55 with just five seconds left, Virginia Union's Melyce Brown sank 1-of-2 free throws to extend her team's lead back to two.

The rebound fall into the arms of Virginia State's Alexandria Massado but the Lady Trojans couldn't get a shot off as time expired, sending the Lady Panthers to the semifinals of the CIAA Tournament.

"That was a great game," said Virginia Union head coach Barvenia Wooten-Cherry on Virginia State. "Having to play against a team three times and beating them is tough, but they really brought it. We just had to match their intensity. We are just thankful for their hustle and their fight because I think that has prepared us for the next round."

Ashle Freeman finished with 16 points, including a second half stretch where she scored six straight points, to lead Virginia Union. Parress Davis recorded a double-double, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds to earn the game's Most Valuable Player award.



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Elizabeth City State Outlasts St. Augustine’s University

CHARLOTTE, NC- Elizabeth City State proved yet again that they are a force to be reckoned with on Wednesday afternoon in the Time Warner Cable Arena. The Lady Vikings grabbed a 74-68 victory over the Lady Falcons of St. Augustine's University to advance to the CIAA Tournament Semifinal. Elizabeth City State entered the contest as the top seed in the Northern Division, with St. Augustine's as the fourth seed out of the South.

Elizabeth City will take on the winner of Shaw and Winston-Salem State on Thursday with a tip-off slated for 3:00pm. Stephanie Harper led her squad with 19 points in the victory, with Shawnte Taylor adding 14 points in the win.

For St. Augustine's, Jeanne-Marie Wilson and CIAA Rookie of the Year Regime McCombs collected 12 and 11 points in the loss respectively.

Both teams came out matching each other's intensity, and fought hard to hang on to any sort of lead.



The Lady Falcons and Lady Vikings Li'esa Barnett opened up the contest with a jumper for the Lady Falcons. Jasmine Boyd's lay-up for the Lady Vikings put Elizabeth City on the board. St. Augustine's defeated Chowan University in the first round of the tournament to advance to the quarterfinal contest, while Elizabeth City State earned the first round bye.

Elizabeth City State Head Coach Alico Dunk stated, "It was a hard fought game, a tough game. We knew coming in that this team was going to be very scrappy and they fought hard to the end. They posed a lot of problems for us because they play five guards. I think we did a good job of guarding them in the second half. In the first half, we were just trying to find our way. But as always, we found a away to win."

The contest remained tied through the first seven minutes of play, each team matching the other's baskets. With the score 10-10 at the first media time out, each team feverishly worked to take control of the contest.

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FSU Lady Broncos overcome cold shooting night to advance to semifinals

CHARLOTTE, N.C.  –  Fayetteville State handled Lincoln (Pa.) 60-46 in the CIAA Tournament Women's basketball quarterfinals at Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday despite frigid shooting by both teams.

The Lady Broncos (23-4), ranked 22^nd nationally in the USA Today Division II poll, breezed to Friday's semifinals against Virginia Union because of their defense and free throw shooting. They scored 21 points off 22 turnovers by Lincoln (Pa.) which helped them overcome off shooting games by their top players. The Lady Broncos also was 23-for-32 at the charity stripe for 72 percent.

CIAA Player of the Year Kristen Hanzer scored 15 points but was 4-for-14 from the floor. She did add eight rebounds and two steals. Hanzer also hit 7 of 12 free throws.

"Most games we try to attack and get to the free-throw line," said FSU Head Coach Eva Patterson-Heath, whose squad will face Virginia Union in Friday's semifinals at 1 p.m. The Lady Broncos are the Southern Division champions and the top seed in their division.



Alicia Person scored 12 points on 5-for-16 shooting and Akysia Resper added 10 points on 3-for-7 shooting. All-CIAA inside player Shaunda Ashford was the best shooter for the Lady Broncos, making 4 of 9 shots for 12 points in addition to 12 rebounds.

As a team, the Lady Broncos shot 29 percent but they scored off free throws and rebounds which was enough to beat the Lady Lions, seeded fourth in the Northern Division. The Lady Lions (10-18 overall) made only 24 percent of their shots.

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Stillman men reach SIAC quarterfinals

ATLANTA | Justin Harris scored 17 points off the bench, leading a balanced scoring attack for the Stillman College men’s basketball team in an 84-77 defeat of Clark Atlanta on Tuesday night in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.

Ladarius Rhone had 15 points, Markeith Madison 14, Jeffrey Wherry 12 and Maurice Crenshaw 10 for the Tigers (18-9). Jerrel Joye led Clark Atlanta (4-23) with 16 points.

Stillman, the No. 2 seed in the West Division, will play Paine, a 75-73 winner over LeMoyne-Owen, in a quarterfinal at 6:45 p.m. Thursday.

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2013 SIAC Basketball Tournament: Day 2 Recap

Atlanta, GA  -  Mario Jordan led all scorers with 21 points, and was one of four Paine College players to score in double figures, as the Lions held off an aggressive rally in the final minutes to defeat LeMoyne-Owen College by a final score of 75-73 in the first game of the second day of the 2013 SIAC Basketball Tournament on Tuesday.

#3E Paine, (13-14), advanced to the quarterfinals to face the winner of #2W Stillman and #7E Clark Atlanta in the quarterfinals, Thursday evening at 7:45 p.m. . Paine finished with a 3-0 record against both of these opponents in the regular season, which included a two-game sweep of the Panthers.

The Magicians (final record of 6-21) trimmed the lead all the way down to a single point with three-tenths of a second left, but missed two three-pointers that would have tied the game with under 20 seconds remaining.

Lamada Williams had the opportunity to trim the lead down to a point with significantly more time on the clock, but missed the front end of a pair of free throws with 8.9 seconds left. He finished the game with 15 points for LeMoyne-Owen, and was one of three Magicians to score in double figures. Shad O’Garro led the team with 18 points, and Edwin Shorter contributed the second double-double of the tournament in a losing effort, with 14 points and ten rebounds.

After building up a 38-31 lead in the first half, Paine led much of the second half by double figures, but was outscored in the second half despite shooting a steady 55 percent from the floor that was identical to what they shot for the entire game (55.1 percent).

Although the Magicians shot just 42.9 percent from the field after halftime (and 45.2 percent for the game), they put up 15 more shots than the Lions (35 to 20 after halftime) and actually made more baskets than their opponent (15 to 11 after halftime). That formula, combined with nearly identical turnover totals (13 for Paine and 12 for LeMoyne-Owen) nearly led to the comeback victory.

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WSSU knocks off Bowie State to advance to the Quarterfinals

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  --  The Lady Rams, seeded third in the Southern Division, were efficient in ousting the Lady Bulldogs, seeded sixth in the Northern Division. The Rams are playing with confidence under first-year head coach A.G. Hall and appear to be building steam as they head into another matchup against No. 2 Southern Division seed Shaw in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

"I think we have a young team and when you're trying to build and you're teaching, there are some moments when you wish that some things would happen faster than they do, but right now, we have a team that has a good understanding of what we want to do," Hall said. " When you have kids on the floor and they're doing the right things, then obviously, that's going to make you a bit more patient with your players and their understanding of what you're doing."




It was only two weeks ago that the Lady Rams (15-12 overall) stunned the nationally-ranked Lady Bears, the defending Division II national champions, in Shaw's own gym by eight points (68-60). That victory happened during the month of February when the Lady Rams have played their best ball. They have won six of seven games this month including their third straight victory after beating Bowie State (7-17 overall). The loss was at the hands of nationally-ranked Fayetteville State, and that was by four points.

The win streak comes after ...

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Lincoln (Pa.) Advances to Quarterfinal Round of CIAA Tournament after 50-46 Win over Johnson C. Smith

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Lincoln University (Pa.) Lady Lions used a stingy defense and overcame a late run to defeat Johnson C. Smith 50-46 in the first round of the CIAA Tournament on Tuesday night at the Time Warner Cable Arena.

Lincoln's defense forced Johnson C. Smith to 25.9 percent shooting on 14-of-54 from the floor. The Lady Lions also forced the Lady Golden Bulls to miss all 11 of their three-point attempts. Lincoln didn't shoot the ball much better, going 16-of-48 from the field for a 33.3 percent rate.

The victory marks the first time in history that the Lady Lions have won a first round game in the CIAA Tournament. In its previous two seasons as a member of the CIAA, Lincoln has lost in the first round.




The win also improves Lincoln, the fourth seed from the Northern Division, to 10-17 overall. The loss ends the season for Johnson C. Smith, the fifth seed from the Southern Division, at 8-18 overall.

"I'm very proud of the way the girls stepped up tonight," Lincoln head coach Jessica Kern said.

 

"We've been very inconsistent in the energy category. Our energy has been very high and very low this season. We've written a lot of history for us at Lincoln this year, but not leaving after the first day means a whole lot to our school and this program."

 

The win sets Lincoln up a quarterfinal match-up with Fayetteville State, the number 1 seed from the Southern Division. The game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. tipoff on Wednesday.

  

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Erves is GCAC Player of the Week for third time this year

Denzell Erves

NEW ORLEANS — Denzell Erves, one of the leaders in Xavier University of Louisiana's drive to a second consecutive Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship in men's basketball, has been chosen GCAC Player of the Week. Erves has been honored a league-high three times this season in this sport, and he has won six times in his final two seasons.

Erves, a 6-foot-7 senior forward from Vicksburg, Miss., and a graduate of Vicksburg High School, won the award for Feb. 18-24 after averaging 16 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots and shooting 52.9 percent from the floor and 87.5 percent from the line in two games, both XU victories. Erves produced his NAIA Division I-leading 16th double-double of the season (15 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high-tying six blocked shots) in Xavier's 75-54 victory at Tougaloo — the first Gold Rush victory at Tougaloo since 2005. Then he scored a game-high 17 points, 11 during a 16-3 run in the first six minutes, in Xavier's 70-46 home victory against city rival Dillard. During that run he became the 26th Gold Rush player to reach 1,000 careeer points.

Xavier (24-6) will play Dillard (3-20) at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in the opening round of the GCAC Tournament at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock, Ark.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

XULAATHLETICS

XU freshman Montrel selected GCAC Player of the Week

Kyle Montrel

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Kyle Montrel, a winner in doubles and singles against NCAA Division I's Louisiana-Lafayette, is the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week in men's tennis.

Montrel, a freshman from Atlanta and a graduate of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, won the award for Feb. 18-24 after teaming with Loic Didavi for an 8-4 victory against the Ragin' Cajuns' Rick de Groot and Jake Wynan at No. 1 doubles and a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 victory at No. 3 singles against Edgar Lopez on Tuesday.

Montrel, who lived in New Orleans through fifth grade before moving to Atlanta, is 6-0 in doubles with Didavi and 4-2 in singles this semester.

The Gold Rush, ranked 10th in the NAIA, will play No. 12 Belhaven at 3 p.m. Thursday at the new XU Tennis Center. Xavier's 11th-ranked women also will play at that time against 22nd-ranked Belhaven.

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

Hammond's Three Secures Win For UAPB Golden Lions

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas  --  With just seconds left on the clock, The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions Tevin Hammond knocked down a three pointer to take the lead 70-73. UAPB was assessed a technical foul because of the crowd rushing the court; at which point Jackson State would make two free throws to give the game its final, 73-72.

Tonight was also Senior Night, as Athletics Director Lonza Hardy, Jr and Head Coach George Ivory honored the five seniors on this year's team in brief ceremony preceding the game.

Jackson State started the game off on 5-0 run, when Willie Readus hit a jumper in the lane, just 2:10 in the ballgame. The Tigers would see their lead grow six to at the 14:28 mark. The lead would change hands three times before the Golden Lions regained the lead on a Marcel Mosley lay-up, 30-29.

UAPB would carry a four point lead in to the locker room for halftime, 35-31.

In the second half, the Golden Lions lead ballooned to nine, 48-39, with 14:22 left in regulation. The Tigers would battle back over the next nine minutes to tie the game, 56-56 with 5:41 left in regulation. Jackson State took the lead once again, 61-59, on a Kelsey Howard three pointer with four minutes left.

The Golden Lions knotted the game at 70, on two free throws by Lazabian Jackson, with just five seconds left. UAPB's Marcel Mosley stole the inbounds pass and passed it to Davon Haynes who found Hammonds on the wing for a wide open three; at which point the fans rushed the floor resulting in the technical foul.

Jackson was the high point scorer for the Golden Lions with 23 points. He also knocked down seven three pointers, while grabbing seven rebounds and four steals. Terrell Kennedy, playing in his final game, along with Jackson, Kyle Jones, Mitchell Anderson and Demetrius Smith, had 16 points, with eight rebounds, five blocks, and three steals. Hammonds ended up with eleven, Davon Haynes knocked down 10.

The Golden Lions travel to Itta Bena, MS to take on the Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State on February, 28. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM. 

Box Score


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Texas Southern Tigers win 10th straight game behind an impressive night from Sturdivant

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- The Texas Southern Tigers basketball defeated Alabama State team tonight capturing the10^th straight win for TSU. The victory moves Texas Southern into a two-way tie for first place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and sets up a showdown for the regular season title on Thursday.

After trailing by 10 at halftime the Hornets came out in the second half and outscored TSU 10-0 to even the score at 36 after a three point field goal five minutes into the half.

Texas Southern led 38-37 with 14:13 left in the game and held ASU to scoring two points over the next eight minutes as the Tigers began to pull away. With 6:14 left in the game, TSU had pulled out to a 57-39 lead and subsequently closed the door on any chances of an Alabama State comeback.

From there ASU would not get any closer as TSU went on to win the game by the final 20-point margin of victory. TSU had four players reach double digits led by Fred Sturdivant's 22 points. Aaron Clayborn and Lawrence Danner-Johnson added 12 and Ray Penn had 10 points.

TSU broke out on top in the first half scoring 19 of the game's first 23 points led by Danner's nine points and went on to lead 36-26 heading into halftime. TSU shot 48 percent in the first half compared to only 29 percent for the Hornets.

In the first half of play Sturdivant led the Tigers with 12 points on six of eight shooting. He also had five blocked shots and seven rebounds.

“Fred played outstanding basketball for us tonight on both ends of the floor,” said TSU head coach Mike Davis. “Defensively we got stops when we needed to and we did a great job of contesting their shot attempts in the second half.”

Inside the Numbers
TSU shot 45 percent from the field for the game and hit seven three point field goals. They also outrebounded the Hornets 47-37 with Sturdivant's game-high 13 leading the way. TSU held the Hornets to their second consecutive sub-par shooting game as ASU only shot 34 percent from the field for the game.

Up Next
Texas Southern will host the Southern Jaguars at the H&PE Arena on Thursday, February 28 at 8:30 pm. TSU will host its home finale on Saturday, March 2 against Alcorn State. Tip-off time for that contest is also slated for 8:00 pm. Saturday will also be Senior Night for the Tigers basketball program.

Tiger Notables
Texas Southern concluded SWAC regular season play with a 7-2 record on the road. Fred Sturdivant tallied six blocked shots against Alabama State. The Tigers had a total of four players score in double figures against Alabama State. Texas Southern leads the Southwestern Athletic Conference in points scored per game.


COURTESY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

2013 SIAC Basketball Tournament: Day 1 Recap

Game 1: Fort Valley rolls past Lane
#4E Fort Valley State 100, #5W Lane 101

Atlanta, GA- Jayme Gilbert scored a game-high 19 points and was one of five players to score in double figures to help #4E Fort Valley State University cruise to a 100-61 win over #5W Lane College in the opening round of the 2013 SIAC Women's Basketball Tournament played at Franklin L. Forbes Arena in Atlanta, GA.

The #4 seed in the East, Fort Valley State University, (14-12), dominated the #5 seed in the West, Lane early with pressure defense and fast break points.

The win placed the Lady Wildcats in the quarterfinals against the top seed in the West, the Lady Golden Tigers of Tuskegee University, Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m.

With the loss the Lady Dragons were eliminated from the tournament.

The game, however, started off well for the Lane as the Lady Dragons held an early lead 4-1 in the first three minutes of play. After a time-out by Lady Wildcats’ Coach Lonnie Bartley and mass substitutions, on the next three possessions the Lady Wildcats took the lead the5-4, and never looked back in rout to the 39 point victory.

Lane, (7-18), was led by Marissa Stewart with 16 points, followed by Katora Fleming with 14 points.
Antionna Jefferson added 16 points, D’Ambria Thomas had 14 points, Dominique Collier chip in with 13 points, while Briana Shepherd had 10 points to round up the players scoring in double figures.

Game 2: Claflin pulls away in the final minutes to sneak past Lane
#4E Claflin 79, #5W Lane 68

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SIAC Tournament: Fort Valley State women advance

ATLANTA, Georgia  --  Jayme Gilbert scored a game-high 19 points and was one of five players to score in double figures to help Fort Valley State cruise to a 101-61 win over Lane College in the opening round of the 2013 SIAC Women’s Basketball Tournament in Atlanta.

The #4 seed in the East, Fort Valley State (14-12), dominated the #5 seed in the West, Lane, early with pressure defense and fast-break points.

The win placed the Lady Wildcats in the quarterfinals against the top seed in the West, the Lady Golden Tigers of Tuskegee University, at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. With the loss, the Lady Dragons were eliminated from the tournament.

Benedict claimed the East Division title and received the top-seed from the division and first-round bye. Tuskegee swept through the West Division to garner the top-seed from its division and first-round bye, as well. East and West Division runners-up, Clark Atlanta and Benedict, in addition, received first-round byes.

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Claflin pulls away in final minutes to top Lane

ATLANTA — Claflin University used a late run to create distance in a 79-68 victory over Lane College on Monday in the opening round of the 2013 SIAC Men’s Basketball Tournament being played through Saturday at Franklin L. Forbes Arena on the campus of Morehouse College.

Claflin’s Jarrod Denard led all scorers with a game-high 22 points. Michael Jones tallied 18 points and David Glover tossed in 11, all off the Panthers’ bench to lead Claflin to a quarterfinal match-up Wednesday afternoon at 3:15 against #1 West seed Tuskegee.

Trailing 32-28 at the half, Claflin found it difficult to shake off the physical play of the Dragons until midway through the second half when the Panthers took a 56-54 lead.

With less than two minutes remaining, Claflin built its largest lead of the contest at 77-65. Free throws down the stretch proved to be crucial for the Panthers, who converted on 6-6 as they advanced in the tournament.

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Follow Bowie State Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs Basketball at CIAA Tournament

 CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Fans can follow the Bowie State University women's and men's basketball teams at the CIAA Basketball Tournament through Live Streaming, Live Stats and Live Twitter updates as play begins at 11 a.m., Tuesday (2/26) at the Time Warner Cable Arena.

The Bowie State Lady Bulldogs, the No. 6 seed from the Northern Division, begins tournament play 3 p.m., Tuesday against Winston-Salem State, the No. 3 seed from the Southern Division, in the opening round of the tournament.

Winston-Salem State cruised to a 66-41 victory over Bowie State in their only meeting this season, on January 7 at BSU's A.C. Jordan Arena. Junior Alessandra Flores Conway (Hagerstown, Md.) led the Lady Bulldogs with eight points. Senior Jasmine Jacobs (Baltimore, Md.) and sophomore Bria Robinson (Richmond, Va.) contributed seven points each. Jacobs was BSU's top rebounder with six.

Bowie State's men, enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed in the North and receive a first round bye. The Bulldogs begin competition on Wednesday (2/27) at 9 pm versus the winner of the Shaw (No. 5 South) and Chowan (No. 6 South) opening round contest.

The tournament gets underway Tuesday at 11:00 am and continues through Saturday at the Time Warner Cable Arena. For those unable to attend the tournament, follow the games via LIVE STATS, live VIDEO STREAMING or by way of twitter.


COURTESY BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

CIAA is all-basketball on Tuesday

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  --  The focus will be on basketball Tuesday, as six first-round games launch the annual CIAA tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte’s uptown.

A number of other special events are scheduled in addition to the tournament later in the week, including bowling and skating parties, special programs for the region’s middle school and high school students, a dance team step show, and the CIAA Toyota Fan Experience.

But on Tuesday, it’s just basketball. The Johnson C. Smith University women’s team plays at 5 p.m. against Lincoln (Pa.) University. The men’s team does not play until Thursday afternoon.

Charlotte Area Transit System says its Gold Rush Red Line will operate extended hours between Johnson C. Smith University and the intersection of Fourth and McDowell streets. The buses will run 6:30 a.m.-11 p.m. both Tuesday and Wednesday.

Red Line hours will be 6:30 a.m.-midnight Thursday and Friday, and from 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday.


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Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/02/25/3877824/ciaa-is-all-basketball-on-tuesday.html#storylink=cpy

VSU football staff heavy with FCS experience

ETTRICK, Virginia  --  Virginia State University has committed to football in a way that allowed new head coach Latrell Scott to form a staff heavy with experience at the Football Championship Subdivision level.

Scott, the former University of Richmond coach hired by Division II VSU on Jan. 14, will be the Trojans’ offensive coordinator.

“It’s exciting to be back in a situation to run a program again, and to be able to do it with quality coaches and quality kids,” said Scott, a Richmond native and Lee-Davis High graduate. “The kids have embraced the structure, and we’re running this just like we did at Richmond.”

Chris Malone, who’s from Emporia and was a four-year starter at guard for Virginia Tech, will coordinate VSU’s running game and coach the Trojans’ offensive linemen. Malone spent the past seven seasons on James Madison’s staff, on which Scott worked last season.

VSU’s defensive coordinator is ...

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Shaw women’s basketball team hopes to continue CIAA success

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  --  The Shaw women’s basketball team will seek its third straight conference championship as the CIAA tournament gets under way Tuesday at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte.

The Bears, who are also the defending NCAA Division II national champions, finished a game behind Fayetteville State in the CIAA South. The two teams tied in the division (8-2), but the Broncos had the better conference record.

Shaw has a first-round bye and will take on the winner of the Winston-Salem State, Bowie State matchup on Wednesday at 5 p.m. The Bears (22-4) have won five of their last six games, including a televised 88-58 thrashing of Johnson C. Smith Saturday at Southeast Raleigh High School.

“It was good for our seniors to go out like that,” coach Jacques Curtis said. “We’ve had a good year. To make it a better year, we have to go out and try to win the CIAA tournament. That’s what is on the minds of our seniors right now.”

Shaw will have to do it without the services of ...




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UAPB'S Terron Armstead, a 306-pound tackle, runs a jaw-dropping 40

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- Unless you’re a hard-core draft junkie or a fan of Arkansas Pine-Bluff, you’ve probably never heard of Terron Armstead. But he just did something unprecedented at the Scouting Combine.

Armstead ran his 40-yard dash in an unofficial time of 4.65 seconds, which is stunningly fast for a 306-pound offensive tackle. NFL Network’s Mike Mayock said he had never seen an offensive lineman finish a 40 in less than 4.7 seconds, and according to NFL.com, the Combine record for an offensive lineman before Armstead’s stunning run this morning was 4.84 seconds, set by Allen Barbre in 2007.

Armstead is a freakish all-around athlete who was also an outstanding shot putter in college, but the question, of course, is whether he can translate that athleticism to playing at the NFL level. And on that score, the early indications are good: Although he didn’t play against high-quality competition at Arkansas Pine-Bluff, he was a good college player who was so impressive at the East-West Shrine Game that he got a late invitation to the Senior Bowl.

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Terron Armstead surprises in 40-yard dash at combine

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana  -- Arkansas-Pine Bluff offensive lineman Terron Armstead wasn't a household name before Saturday. He won't be one Sunday. But he might have just made some history at the NFL Scouting Combine.

The 6-foot-5, 306-pound Armstead provided the first "wow" moment in Indianapolis, running an official time of 4.71 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Armstead's mark is the best time by a lineman at the combine since at least 2006.

Minutes before Armstead's feat, NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock speculated that Oklahoma's Lane Johnson had a chance to run a sub-4.7 40.  Johnson ran with the second group of linemen and posted an official time of 4.72 seconds.

Mayock said Armstead began his move up draft boards with a strong performance in the East-West Shrine Game. Players from small schools can use all-star games to put themselves on the radar, which Armstead certainly did.



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How fast was Terron Armstead's 40?

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana --  We spliced the 40s of Terron Armstead -- a 300-pound lineman -- and TJ Moe -- a wide receiver -- together to paint a picture.

What Armstead did on Saturday, running a 4.71 40 officially that appeared to have been quicker than that at first, was absolutely impressive. And even more impressive was how quick he got off the line. Moe is going to chase Armstead down here, because linemen aren't really expected to keep the pace up for 40 yards. But look at that get off. That's the impressive piece.

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Wrapping up Alabama A&M OL Jamaal Johnson-Webb's time at the NFL Combine

NORMAL, Alabama  --  Simply being at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis was a monumental achievement for Alabama A&M's Jamaal-Johnson Webb.

He didn't begin playing football until his senior year of high school, then took a redshirt as a freshman at A&M before going on to become a three-year starter and the first player in the school's history to be invited to the league's official pre-draft showcase.

The Georgia native heighted out at 6-foot-5 and weighed in at 313 pounds. Johnson- Webb's 35.75-inch wingspan was third among the 61 offensive linemen who participated behind only Alabama's D.J. Fluker and Tennessee State's Roger Gaines.

While fellow SWAC product Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Terron Armstead stole the show and ...


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Tomlin’s ninth-inning single lifts SU past Prairie View

HOUSTON, Texas — After losing the first two games of the MLB Urban Invitational college baseball tournament and having only one hit through the first seven innings Sunday, Southern’s game against Prairie View came down to a backup shortstop getting his first at-bat with two outs in the ninth inning.

Sophomore Marcus Tomlin, who came in an inning earlier to replace an injured Jeremy Lopez, drove a line drive single through the hole to give the Jaguars a 5-4 win over Prairie View at Minute Maid Park.

“Marcus was the one guy I want up there in that situation,” SU coach Roger Cador said. “He’s not going to try to do too much. He’s going to stay within himself, and he did exactly that.”



Tomlin drove in Thomas Willis, who had pinch run for Jose De La Torre, who led off the inning with a single. After a Gavin Webster sacrifice bunt and a Kevin Williams ground out, it was up to Tomlin to come through with two outs.

“That is just how our team is. If one guy can’t do it, you got to come behind him and get it done,” Tomlin said. “We have a lot of heart, sometimes it just takes awhile to show it. I had confidence in myself, and it felt great to come through for my team.”

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Southern’s Odums seeks clarity as spring practice nears

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  Another important step in the start of the Dawson Odums era at Southern arrives Tuesday when the football team begins spring practice.

The Jaguars will be on the field for 15 practices in the next four weeks. The spring game is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, March 23.

“Coming out of spring ball, I think we’ll have a better gauge of what kind of football team we’re going to have,” Odums said. “I think this football team is only going to be as good as it believes it can be.”

Odums was awarded the full-time job in December after spending the final nine games of 2012 running the team in an interim capacity. The Jaguars went 4-7 last year and finished 3-6 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, losing three times by a combined five points.

But Odums welcomes back 15 starters — eight on offense, seven on defense — from the team that beat Grambling in last year’s Bayou Classic. Kicker Matthew Hill and punter Chase Tuten are also due back.

Senior quarterback Dray Joseph returns after throwing for 2,511 yards to lead the SWAC in passing.



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