Benedict Tigers Knocked Out Of NCAA Tournament By Alabama-Huntsville, 64-60

LAKELAND, Florida  –  Ninth-ranked Alabama-Huntsville knocked 12^th-ranked Benedict College out of the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament for the second year in a row with a 64-60 victory on Sunday in Jenkins Field House on the campus of Florida Southern University.

The Tigers had a three-point lead, 59-56 with 2:59 left to play, after a jumper by Xavier Collier, but the Chargers scored six straight points to pull ahead and advance to the Sweet 16 for the third year in a row.

Last year, the Tigers, an eighth seed, played the top-seeded Chargers close before falling 69-61 in the first round.

Marcus Goode took advantage of a size advantage against the Chargers and finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots.

But as was the case in Saturday's victory over Eckerd, the Tigers again had trouble from the outside, making just 2-of-12 3-point attempts against the Chargers.

Lamar Adkins came off the bench to score 15 points, but no other Benedict player scored in double figures.

“I thought we battled. We played good basketball. We played well enough to win,” said Benedict coach Fred Watson. “But all the credit goes to Alabama-Huntsville. They are a good team and we knew it was going to be an uphill battle and we would have to play flawless basketball. Down the stretch we made some mistakes that we wish we could take back and they capitalized and they got the win.”

“We had no answer for the big kid (Goode),” said UAH head coach Lennie Acuff. “He's as good as we've seen since I've been here.”



The Tigers held Alabama-Huntsville's All-American guard Jaime Smith to 16 points on 4-for-10 shooting and 0-for-5 from 3-point range, but the Chargers got some big baskets from Ronnie Mack, who hit four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points, and Wayne Dedrick, who made three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points.

The Tigers rallied from a seven-point second-half deficit to take a 59-56 lead on Collier's jumper with 2:38 remaining.

The Chargers scored on a layup to cut the lead to one, then a turnover by the Tigers led to a three-point play by Smith to give the Chargers a 61-59 lead with 1:54 to play. Another Benedict turnover gave the ball back to the Chargers, who missed two 3-point attempts before the Tigers grabbed the rebound, only to turn it over again. Smith hit two free throws to make it 62-59 with 35 seconds left.

The Tigers pounded the ball inside to Goode, who was fouled and made one free throw to cut the lead to 62-60 with 18 seconds left. Smith grabbed the rebound, but Xavier Collier stole the ball on the baseline before falling out of bounds and giving the ball back to the Chargers.

Benedict was forced to foul, and Smith sank two free throws for the final 64-60 score.

The game was a back-and-forth affair, with the score tied five times and there were 14 lead changes. UAH led 28-25 at the half on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Dedrick.

The Tigers wrap up their season at 24-7.

“This whole tournament, we knew they were going to pack it down to Marcus and our guys were going to have to make shots. Unfortunately in this tournament, for some reason, went into a slump at the wrong time and couldn't make open threes,” Watson said.

Alabama-Huntsville, 25-5, advances to face top-seed Florida Southern in the region championship on Tuesday.

Box Score

COURTESY BENEDICT COLLEGE TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION

Southern draws Gonzaga in NCAA opener

NCAA MARCH MADNESS BRACKET

Southern lands No. 16 seed in NCAA tournament, 2nd-round matchup with top-ranked Gonzaga in Salt Lake City

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  As the charter bus carrying the Southern men’s basketball team headed back to Baton Rouge on Sunday, coach Roman Banks spent just about every minute of the seven-hour ride from Garland, Texas, replying to the text messages he received after leading the Jaguars to victory the day before.

Banks said 561 text messages had collected in his cell phone.

“If the only thing I said was thank you, I replied to all of them,” he said.

If the Jaguars win the next game they play, Banks may need days—- not hours — to acknowledge everyone who wants to congratulate him.

A day after nipping Prairie View in the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament championship game, Southern learned Sunday that its opponent in the NCAA tournament will be Gonzaga, which finished the regular season ranked first in the Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls.

As the No. 16 seed in the West Region, Southern (23-9) faces No. 1 seed Gonzaga (31-2) at approximately 3:10 p.m. Thursday at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City.

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North Carolina A&T to face Liberty in NCAA first round

GREENSBORO, N.C. — North Carolina A&T fans gathered Saturday to find out that the Aggies will play against Liberty after claiming the MEAC Championship on Saturday in Norfolk, Virginia.

The Aggies will play against the Flames on Tuesday in a first-round matchup in Dayton, Ohio. The winner of that game will play against the top seed team, the Louisville Cardinals.

This is the first time since 1995 NC A&T will play in the NCAA tournament.

(CLICK ON FULL SCREEN ICON TO VIEW VIDEO)
The University said they will have a celebration for the players Monday afternoon as they travel to Dayton, Ohio.

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NCAA tournament: Liberty to face N.C. A&T

Big South Conference tournament champion Liberty University will play North Carolina A&T on Tuesday in a play-in game at Dayton, Ohio. The Flames (15-20) would play No. 1 overall seed Louisville on Thursday should it beat the Aggies.

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NCAA FINAL MARCH MADNESS BRACKET

2013 NIT field of 32 announced; Norfolk State faces Virginia

2013 NIT Bracket

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — Alabama, Kentucky, Southern Mississippi and Virginia highlight the 32-team National Invitation Tournament field that was released Sunday. The field features 21 teams with at least 20 wins, 10 automatic qualifiers and representation from 22 of the 31 Division I conferences.

First-round play is scheduled for Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 20, with the second round running March 21-25. Quarterfinals will be held on March 26 and 27 and four teams will advance to New York City for the semifinals on April 2. The NIT will conclude with the championship game on Thursday, April 4. The semifinal and championships games will be played at New York’s historic Madison Square Garden for the 76th year.

First round action, on campus sites, features number one seeds Alabama, Southern Mississippi, and Virginia hosting, Northeastern, Charleston Southern and Norfolk State, respectively. The fourth number one seed, Kentucky, will go on the road to Robert Morris.

Other first round games include Charlotte at Providence, Detroit at Arizona State, Long Beach State at Baylor, Louisiana Tech at Florida State, Washington at BYU, Mercer at Tennessee, Stephen F. Austin at Stanford, Ohio at Denver, Niagara at Maryland, St. John’s at Saint Joseph’s, Indiana State at Iowa, Stony Brook at Massachusetts.

St. John’s is making a record 29th appearance in the National Invitation Tournament while 2012 NIT champion Stanford returns to the field as does 2012 semifinalists Massachusetts and Washington. In all, the 2013 field features seven teams that played in the NIT in 2012.

“Once again, the Committee has come up with an outstanding field of strong teams with outstanding credentials. In addition to the at-large bids we handed out, we’re excited to reward 10 regular season conference champions as automatic qualifiers to play in the NIT,” commented C.M. Newton, now in his ninth year as chair of the NIT Selection Committee.

NIT games are being televised by ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3. Additional NIT information can also be found on www.NCAA.com/NIT.

2013 NIT Bracket

TSU to Play at Evansville in Opening Round of CIT

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  On Sunday night, the Tennessee State men's basketball team accepted a bid to play in this year's CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The squad will travel to Evansville, Ind. tomorrow in preparation of Tuesday's game against the Purple Aces.

TSU will play in the CIT for the second time in as many seasons. The Tigers fell to the Mercer Bears last year in the tournament's opening round.

The Tigers are coming off of an 18-14 campaign in which they recorded back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 16 years. The club also set a school record with an 11-2 mark in the Gentry Center.

In TSU's last game, Belmont ended the Tigers' hopes of an OVC Championship by winning, 82-73 on March 8.

Kellen Thornton paced TSU with his ninth double-double of the season, scoring a team-high 22 points and a game-high 12 boards. His performance earned him All-OVC Tournament honors.

Also recording a double-double was Patrick Miller who poured in 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting and 12 assists.

With his 12 dimes, Miller tied Kareem Gilbert's school-record for assists in a season with 191. He also set a TSU modern-era record by playing 1148 minutes on the year.

Senior Robert Covington had another solid game for TSU, dropping 16 points and securing six boards. The forward is averaging a team-best 17 points and is seventh in school history in both points and rebounds.

For the Purple Aces, they come into Tuesday's game much like TSU- with an identical 18-14 record. Evansville is also 14-3 at home.

UE is led by Colt Ryan who averages a team-best 19.6 points per game and his 587 points are the second-most in the Missouri Valley Conference. Ryan is also an able passer and is fourth in the league in assists per contest at 4.0.

Ryan's play has allowed the Aces to move into second place in the MVC in assists (504) and lead the conference in turnover margin (+3.3).

Evansville has won four of its last five games and TSU is 1-1 against EU all-time. The Tigers dominated the last meeting, 101-78, in 2001. Current TSU grad assistant Josh Cooperwood led Tennessee State in the game by pouring in 20 points.

TSU is 0-3 all-time in postseason games since joining Division I.

 

 

THE 2013 CTI

 

TUESDAY, MARCH 19

Eastern Kentucky (24-9) @ Gardner Webb (21-12) 7:00 pm

Fairfield (19-15) @ Kent State (20-13) 7:00 pm

Savannah State (19-14) @ East Carolina (18-12) 7:00 pm

Rider (18-14) @ Hartford (17-13) 7:00 pm

Oakland (16-16) @ Youngstown State (17-15) 7:05 pm

Boston University (17-12) @ Loyola MD (21-11) 7:30 pm

Tennessee State (18-14) @ Evansville (18-14) 8:00 pm

North Dakota (16-16) @ Northern Iowa (18-14) 8:00 pm

 
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20

Elon (21-11) @ Canisius (18-13) 7:00 pm

Green Bay (18-15) @ Bradley (16-16) 8:00 pm

South Alabama (17-12) @ Tulane (19-14) 8:00 pm

Chicago State (11-21) @ Illinois-Chicago (17-15) 8:00 pm

Oral Roberts (18-14) @ UT Arlington (19-13) 8:30 pm

High Point (17-13) @ UC Irvine (20-15) 10:00 pm

Cal Poly (18-13) @ Weber State (26-6) 10:00 pm

Air Force (17-13) @ Hawaii (17-14) 12:00 am

 

All Times EST

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

 

Lincoln drops CIAA twinbill at Winston-Salem State

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.  --   Kyle Finneman (South Jordan, Utah/Bingham) and Richard Holguin (Bronx, N.Y./Fannie Lou Hamer HS) each had doubles in the first game and David Christian (Inglewood, Calif./Alta Loma HS) drove in a pair in the second contest, but the Lincoln University baseball team couldn't slow down the offense of Winston-Salem State on Saturday afternoon in a doubleheader CIAA loss at BB&T Ballpark.

The Lions (0-10 overall, 0-6 CIAA) dropped the first game, 16-4, and lost the second, 22-4.

In the opener, Lincoln had four hits (Finneman, Holguin, Martin Evans (Willingboro, N.J./Church Farm HS) and Christian Valdez (Hyattsville, Md./Bladensburg HS)) and scored two runs in the first and two in the fifth.

In the top of the first, Evans was hit by a pitch with one out and advanced to second when Finneman walked. Holguin stroked a two-out double to right to give Lincoln a 2-0 lead.

The Lions plated two more runs in the fifth as Evans reached on an infield hit and scored on Finneman's double to center. Edwin Rivera (Bronx, N.Y./Gompers HS) reached on an error as Finneman came in to score.

Stephen Smith (Los Angeles, Calif./Dorsey HS) took the loss as he pitched three innings. Dan Spikes (Fort Washington, Md./Riverdale Baptist HS) worked three innings in relief.

Jordan Carlton earned the win as he scattered four hits through five innings. He walked two and fanned eight.

In the second game, the Lions did all of its damage in the third inning.

Evans reached on a fielder's choice and stole second in the frame. Finneman walked and with two down, Holguin singled through the right side to plate Evans. A Maurice Brown (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg HS) base on balls loaded the bases and Christian delivered a two-out hit to right as Finneman and Holguin scored. Brown scored the final run of the inning when Christian was out trying to steal second.

Lincoln finished with seven hits, including two from Holguin and Christian. Ivan Mitchell (Baltimore, Md./Milford Mill Academy), Rivera and Smith each had one.

Brandon Bolden (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro HS) worked three innings and walked a pair. Phillip Tomsic (Bangor, Mich./Bangor HS) and Demetrius Robinson pitched in relief.

Scott Wells worked 3.1 innings to take the win as he struck out four and gave up five hits. Ryan Smith, JR Wright and Michael Drye also saw action the mound for the Rams (19-6, 8-0).

Lincoln wraps up the three-game CIAA series with a 1 p.m., game on Sunday, March 17 at BB&T Ballpark against Winston-Salem State University.

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2


COURTESY LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA SPORTS INFORMATION

MEAC tourney's best memories likely made off court

NORFOLK, Virginia  --  During halftime of the MEAC tournament men's final, Gabby Douglas was introduced to the crowd at Scope.

Wearing a dress and high heels, the Olympic gold medal gymnast from Virginia Beach walked to center court for a brief ceremonial appearance, waving and posing for pictures.

But what about the rest of us, we non-double-jointed mortals who dropped in on the tournament? Even if we could, should we do back flips over what we saw?

The title game resembled so many conference tournament rock fights. North Carolina A&T held off Morgan State despite scoring only four points in the last 3:57. But, then, Morgan State scored only three.

A week ago, N.C. A&T left Norfolk State after losing another game and falling to the No. 7 spot in the tournament seeds. Now the Aggies from Greensboro are headed to the NCAA tournament, to the play-in round in Dayton.

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Slippery Rock men upset #16 Winston-Salem State, earn first NCAA opening win since 1978

WEST LIBERTY, W. Va.  --  Slippery Rock University recorded its first NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament opening-round victory since 1978 with a 69-67 win Saturday afternoon over 16th-ranked Winston-Salem State University in the Atlantic Regional hosted by West Liberty University.

With the win over the second-seeded Rams (21-7), the sixth-seeded Rock improved their season record to 23-8 and matched the school record shared by three previous teams for single-season wins.

Most importantly, the Green and White earned a berth in Sunday's 5 p.m. second-round game, in which they will meet Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division rival Indiana U. of Pa. for the fourth time this season.

Third-seeded IUP (25-5), winners of two of the three previous meetings with SRU this winter and the No. 10 team in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches' Division II national ranking, advanced to Sunday's action with a 76-68 win over conference rival East Stroudsburg, the No. 6 seed, in Saturday's first opening-round game.

Junior swingman Tabari Perry drove the left baseline and scored off an assist from junior guard Sa'Quan Davis with 2.6 seconds left to play to account for the winning points in The Rock's win Saturday.

Perry then put the exclamation point on the win when he blocked a last-second jump shot by Winston-Salem State standout Justin Glover and grabbed the loose ball as the final horn sounded.

Senior forward Devin Taylor recorded game-high totals of 27 points and 15 rebounds to lead The Rock attack, while both Perry and senior forward Gerald Brooks finished the game with 12 points and seven rebounds.

Perry, who prior to scoring the game-winning points had scored on two offensive rebounds late in the game to keep The Rock in the game, also blocked a career-high four shots Saturday.

Saturday's “double-double” was Taylor's team-leading 14th of the season.

Joe Thompson muscled his way to team-high totals of 19 points and 11 rebounds for Winston-Salem State, while Glover had 15 points and six rebounds and Michel-Ofik Nzege chipped in 13 points and six rebounds.

The Rock shot 39% (23 of 59) from the field, made three of 14 (11%) shots from 3-point range and sank 20 of 27 (74%) free throws in the game.

SRU also won the rebounding battle by a 46-40 margin, but were on the high side of an 11-8 turnover comparison.

Winston-Salem State made 35% (24 of 68) of its action shots with a 6-of-15 showing from 3-point range and hit 13 of 21 (62%) free throws.

Saturday's win was SRU's first in NCAA tournament action since the 1990-91 squad beat Shippensburg, 119-101, in a since-discontinued consolation game of the Eastern Regional.

The only other opening-round win recorded by a Rock men's team in five tries was a 70-65 victory over Scranton in the 1977-78 Atlantic Regional. The Rock are now 3-5 all-time in NCAA tournament games.

The Rock trailed for a majority of Saturday's game before they rode an 8-1 run down the stretch to victory.

A 3-point shot by Taylor with 3:45 left to play in the first half gave SRU its first lead, 30-29, but Winston-Salem State responded with a 4-0 spurt to regain the lead en route to a 38-32 halftime lead.

The Rock trailed for the first 11 minutes of the second half before Perry scored on an offensive rebound to give the Green and White a 53-52 lead with 8:54 left to play.

Those put-back points were the fourth in a string of eight unanswered tallies The Rock scored to take a 57-52 lead with 8:15 left, but again the Rams came charging back. A 7-0 Winston-Salem State run put The Rock down by a 59-57 score with seven minutes remaining.

Perry scored on two more offensive rebounds to offset a pair of baskets by the Rams and deadlock the count at 61-61 with 5:30 left to play.

Winston-Salem State scored the next five points to take a 66-61 lead with four minutes left, but that merely set the stage for The Rock's game-winning 8-1 run down the stretch.

Notes:

With the win Saturday, this year's Rock squad matched the victory totals of the 1972-73 team (23-7) coached by Mel Hankinson and the 1989-90 (23-6) and 1990-91 (23-9) squads coached by Bob Barlett … Saturday's win was the 97th recorded by The Rock in five seasons under the leadership of head coach Kevin Reynolds. That win total is 11 higher than the second-best five-year mark in school history (89 wins by Barlett from 1987-92) … Saturday's win was The Rock's third in five meetings with a nationally-ranked team this winter and the fifth in 14 duels with ranked teams in Reynolds' five seasons as head coach … Taylor has scored 1,134 points and grabbed 745 rebounds in his three-year Rock career. He ranks 14th in scoring and 12th in rebounding and needs only four points and five rebounds to move up one spot on the respective charts.


New/Sortable Box Score | Traditional boxscore

COURTESY SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Hot-Shooting Fairmont State Roll Past Livingstone, 91-73

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. -- Fairmont State shot 69 percent from the field in the opening half to roll to a 91-73 victory over fifth-seeded Livingston on Saturday night at the ASRC.

With the win, FSU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999. The Falcons will take on No.1 West Liberty for the fourth time this season in the second regional semifinal on Sunday evening at the ASRC. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m.

FSU (23-8) got a team-high 16 points and seven rebounds from Isaiah Hill in the victory. Tommy Scales chipped in 14 points and seven rebounds for the Falcons. Scales had his highest point total since the season opening against Ohio-Eastern (15) in the victory. Chase Morgan also chipped in 13 points for the Falcons, including 11 in the first half. Isaac Thornton also reached double figures for the Falcons with 10 points and Stevie Browning pulled down season-high eight rebounds.

LC (22-7) was led by Jody Hill with 18 points off the bench. Anthony Welch (12), Mark Thomas (11) and Omar Ford-Bey (10) also reached double figures for the Blue Bears.



The Falcons shot 55 percent from the field while limited Livingstone to just 43 percent. The Falcons out-rebounded the Blue Bears 42-31 in the game including a +10 margin in the second half to help FSU maintain its double digit lead. FSU had 21 assists on 33 made baskets including 15 assists on 20 field goals in the first half.

Fairmont State jumped out of the gate on fire, hitting eight of its first 11 shots to grab an early 18-3 advantage. Thornton drained a three-pointer with 12:31 to play in the half to cap the stretch for the Falcons. FSU would stretch its lead to as many as 31 (52-21) at the 1:47 mark before LC would score six of the final eight points of the half to send FSU to the locker room with a 54-27 advantage.

The Falcons went a perfect 6-of-6 from behind the arc in the opening half and hit 69 percent of their field goal attempts. FSU also forced nine Livingstone turnovers and held a 16-15 advantage on the glass. Morgan went 3-for-3 from behind the arc in the opening half with 11 points. Hill also scored 11 points and pulled down five boards in the first half for the Falcons.

FSU continued it’s hot-shooting in the second half to roll to a 91-73 victory over the Blue Bears to advance to the second round of the Atlantic Regional Tournament.

Box Score

COURTESY FAIRMONT STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

XU's Rolland stands out again in Louisiana Classics meet

 LAFAYETTE, La. — Xavier University of Louisiana sophomore Devinn Rolland qualified for the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday in the women's 200-meter dash, then won the long jump Saturday in the Louisiana Classics meet.

Rolland finished second out of 52 runners, most of them from NCAA Division I schools, in 24.52 seconds in the 200. She exceeded the NAIA's A-qualifying standard in that event by nearly a half-second. McNeese State's Jasmine Webb won in 24.24, and Kala Funderburk of Memphis was third in 24.53.

Rolland jumped 5.69 meters — 18 feet, 8 inches — on her final attempt to win the long jump by 5½ inches over runner-up Tia Mitchell of Louisiana-Lafayette. The victory was her first of the season and the Gold Nuggets' third. Twenty-six competed.

Rolland has reached the NAIA's A-standard in the long jump in all three meets of the outdoor season. She met the B-standard in the 100 a week ago.

Rolland was one of just two female athletes to record a pair of top-two finishes at this meet. The other was McNeese State's La'Shantena Rounds, who placed second in the hammer and shot put.

Also recording XU women's personal bests for the season were Chelsea James in the 100 (12.34) and 200 (26.64), Tayler Louis in the 200 (27.61), Chartia Hurt in the 400 (58.61), Tramaine Shannon in the 400 (1:00.67) and Catherine Fakler in the 1,500 (4:51.30) and 5,000 (18:57.79). For the Gold Rush, Kwame Jackson ran the 5,000 in a season-best 16:46.67.

Fakler placed third in the 5,000, and Christopher Kennie was fifth in the men's long jump (6.48 meters/21-3¼).

There was no team scoring.

Xavier will compete next Friday and Saturday in the LSU Relays at Baton Rouge, La.

Here are all the Xavier results from the Louisiana Classics:


Women
Long Jump: Devinn Rolland, 1st in 5.69 meters (18 feet, 8 inches)
400-Meter Relay: Tayler Louis, Chelsea James, Chartia Hurt, Devinn Rolland, 9th in 49.37
1,500: Catherine Fakler, 6th in 4:51.30
400: Chartia Hurt, 12th in 58.60; Tramaine Shannon, 26th in 1:00.67
200: Devinn Rolland, 2nd in 24.52; Chelsea James, 36th in 26.64; Tayler Louis, 44th in 27.61
100: Chelsea James, 14th in 12.34
5,000: Catherine Fakler, 3rd in 18:57.79


Men
Long Jump: Christopher Kennie, 5th in 6.48 meters (21 feet, 3¼ inches)
5,000: Kwame Jackson, 9th in 16:46.67

Results (PDF file)

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

No. 6 Benedict College Upsets No. 3 Eckerd Men's Basketball in NCAA Championship South Region Overtime Clash, 68-65

LAKELAND, Florida – Lamar Adkins connected on a baseline jumper with 22 seconds left for the final go-ahead basket as sixth-seeded Benedict (S.C.) College ended the third-seeded Eckerd College men's basketball NCAA Championship South Regional run in overtime on Saturday, 68-65.

The 12th-ranked Tigers (24-6 overall) opened the first of four quarterfinal matchups in the Jenkins Field House with the upset, riding a 23-point, 17-rebound and six-block effort from Marcus Goode.

Adkins scored 14 in a reserve role while SIAC Player of the Year Xavier Collier and Tydran Beaty scored 15 and 11, respectively for the Tigers.

Benedict will play the winner of No. 2 University of Alabama-Huntsville/No. 7 Christian Brothers (Tenn.) University tomorrow evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Jenkins Field House in the semifinals.

The Tritons, making their 11th appearance at the NCAA Championship in the program's history, ended their season with a 20-8 overall record.

And so concluded the decorated careers of seniors Darrien Mack, Woody Taylor and Walade Wade, who each provided inspiring moments in what turned out to be their final game in an Eckerd uniform.

Mack scored 25 points and pulled in 14 rebounds, Wade came through 17 (15 in the second half alone), and Taylor handed out six assists to go with seven rebounds.

With Eckerd up by two late in regulation, 59-57, Collier was bailed out on the drive with 3.9 seconds left on the clock and sank the tying free throws to force overtime, the game's eighth tie at the time.

Collier's free throws capped a tumultuous final two minutes of regulation that featured four lead changes.

Benedict broke a 40-40 tie with a 9-2 run late in the second half that turned into the Tigers' largest lead of the game. But a big three by freshman E.J. Moody cut it to a two-point lead, the defense forced a big shot-clock violation and Mack drove into the body of Goode for what turned out to be game-tying free throws.





Wade nailed a three for a 56-55 lead before Goode answered with a tough shot along the baseline for a one-point lead with 51.9 seconds, swinging back the edge to Benedict.

In the early stages, both teams struggled shooting from the field while trying establishing a rhythm in the first half thanks to equal defensive pressure. The Eckerd defense held Benedict to a 4-of-19 start from the floor while the Tritons were at a similar clip of 4-of-16.

As the game wore on though, the Tritons were able to lead by as many as eight in the first half and committed just three turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play.

The Tigers came into today's game on a 12-game winning streak ranked 12th in the nation and considered a dangerous draw after giving No. 1 seed University of Huntsville a first-round scare in last year's South Region action.

Wade hit a big three at the top of the key and made an 18-footer on the next Eckerd possession to open up a five-point cushion midway through the second half.

The Tigers had drawn even in the first two minutes and change of the final period on a basket by Goode, but a three-point play by Mack was answered on the other end by Beaty as second-half action started to heat up.

Mack produced a double-double in the early stages of the second half along with Goode as both Daktronics All-South Region selections played key roles for their teams.

By Ben Schlesselman, Sports Information Director
Eckerd Tritons
Eckerd College

No. 1-seed West Liberty breezes past Bowie State 114-82 in Round 1

WEST LIBERTY, West Virginia  --  Top-seeded and No. 1-ranked West Liberty put on a shooting clinic Saturday night in blasting CIAA Tournament champion Bowie State (Md.), 114-82, in an NCAA Division II Atlantic Region quarterfinal at a jam-packed ASRC.

Coach Jim Crutchfield's Hilltoppers (31-1) will take on No. 4 seed Fairmont State (23-8) for the fourth time this season in Sunday's 7:30 p.m. regional semifinal. The Falcons hammered No. 5 seed Livingstone (N.C.), 91-73, in their quarterfinal matchup late Saturday night.

 

No. 2 seed Indiana, Pa. (25-5) and No. 7 seed Slippery Rock, Pa. (23-8) will open Sunday's evening session with a 5 p.m. semifinal. IUP outlasted East Stroudsburg, 76-68, and SRU shocked No. 2 seed Winston-Salem State, 69-67, to set up a rematch of last Saturday's PSAC Tournament final.

 

 West Liberty (31-1) shot 70 percent from behind the 3-point arc in jetting out to a 66-41 halftime lead against the Bulldogs (16-14) on Saturday and was never challenged in bringing the Bulldogs' seven-game winning streak – and season – to an abrupt conclusion.

“When you shoot the ball that well it can cover up a lot of other things,” Crutchfield said, “but in all honesty, there really wasn't that much to cover up. You usually have some lulls over the course of a game but I thought we went out there tonight and played 40 minutes of good solid basketball.”

 

The veteran coach would get no argument from a Bowie State team that entered the regional on an impressive roll, having swept through the CIAA Tournament with four wins in four days – including a pair of nationally-ranked foes – to earn its second NCAA Tournament bid in the past three seasons.

 

The Bulldogs were able to run with the high-powered Hilltoppers for the first 10 minutes but West Liberty grabbed momentum with a 12-0 burst over a 2-minute span, turning a 21-18 deficit into a 30-21 lead, and then pushed the accelerator to the floor.

 

The Hilltoppers scored 36 points over the final 8 minutes of the opening half to take a 66-40 lead into the locker room and Bowie State didn't have enough left in the tank to respond.

 

“We did a good job forcing the tempo and keeping the pressure on and I thought there was a stretch in the first half where that took its toll,” Crutchfield said. “The shots started coming a little easier and we were able to turn them over a few times and get a little separation on the scoreboard. That's not an easy thing to do with the media timeouts giving teams a chance to catch their breath but the opportunity was there for us tonight and I thought we did a good job taking advantage of it.”

 

Atlantic Region Player of the Year Alex Falk had 20 points to pace a balanced West Liberty attack. Shawn Dyer came off the bench to match Falk with 20 points while adding 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Chris Morrow chipped in with 19 points, C.J. Hester added 15 and Cedric Harris had 10 points and 5 assists, all in the first half.

 

“The thing I like best about my team is that these guys really understand and embrace the team concept,”

 

Crutchfield said. “A number of our guys have won a lot of individual awards but they truly believe that what we accomplish as a team is much more important than anything we do as individuals.”

 

The Hilltoppers shot 67 percent (40-of-60) for the game, including 55 percent (12-of-22) from the 3-point arc, and made 22-of-28 charity tosses while handing out 24 assists and committing 13 turnovers.

 

The Bulldogs were paced by Byron Westmorland's 19 points while Najee White added 13 in a losing cause.

Bowie State made 43 percent (29-of-67) of their field goal attempts but hit just 6-of-22 (27 percent) of their 3-point tries and were 18-of-25 from the foul line with 11 assists and 18 turnovers.

 

Box Score

 

TOURNAMENT NOTES

X West Liberty is 34-0 in Saturday games over the past three seasons

X A limited number of advance tickets for tonight's evening session will be available at T.J.'s Family Restaurant on National Road in Wheeling, beginning at 11 a.m. on Sunday

X The Hilltoppers improved their NCAA Tournament record to 10-4 overall and 9-0 at the ASRC

X West Liberty is 3-0 against Fairmont State this season, winning by scores of 82-77, 103-99 and 92-78 in the WVIAC Tournament final

X Indiana beat Slippery Rock, 52-46, in last Saturday's PSAC Tournament final

X Crutchfield has won 20 of the 21 games he's coached against the Falcons during his 9 years at the helm

X The Hilltoppers have a nation's-best 125-8 record over the past four seasons

X They are closing in on the NCAA Division II record of 127 wins in four consecutive seasons, which was set by Kentucky Wesleyan from 1998 to 2001

X West Liberty is now 140-5 (.966) under Crutchfield when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor – including a perfect 22-0 mark this year.

 

COURTESY WEST LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Talladega College Marching Tornadoes

TALLADEGA, Alabama  --  Take a listen to the Talladega College Marching Tornadoes in its performace last month in New Orleans.  The Tornadoes have quickly become the sounds of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) in its  first year of existence.  The band was formed on July 29, 2012, with its first band camp.

The videographer is Garrett Edgerson, who provides great full screen, high definition grade 1080p (HD) video recordings.

Take a listen to the Talladega College Marching Band "Dega sounds" at the 2013 Nyx, Bacchus and Orpheus parades at Mardi Gras in New Orleans.




VISIT  --  TALLADEGA COLLEGE: THE AMISTAD MURALS

Southern LB coach Atkinson adds new thinking

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  Nearly 11 years ago, former New York Jets coach Herm Edwards spouted what is still one of the most iconic phrases in the sports world — “You play to win the game.”

Upon his arrival at Southern University in January, Lorick Atkinson brought with him a similar mentality with a bit of a different twist.

“We have a saying here called ‘win to play,’ ” Atkinson said. “If you win to play, the rest of it will take care of itself.”

The first-year Jaguars linebacker coach has carried that outlook with him during his coaching stops and is hoping to continue the same success he’s had at his previous positions.

Atkinson began his coaching career on the high school level in 1996 before moving to Furman, North Greenville College and an eight-year stint at Gardner-Webb, where he worked as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.

He also helped in one crucial hire while at Gardner-Webb, vouching for Dawson Odums’ spot on the coaching staff where he would get his first taste of the collegiate game.

Atkinson moved on to being the head coach at Chowan University from 2005-2007, taking nearly a five-year hiatus from coaching to tend to his sickly father.

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Prairie View A&M Wins Third Consecutive SWAC Title

GARLAND, Texas   -  In four overtime periods, No. 4 seeded Prairie View A&M University captured its third consecutive crown with an 100-87 win over No. 3 seed Mississippi Valley State on Saturday during the 2013 Toyota SWAC Basketball Tournament inside the Curtis Culwell Center.

With the win, PVAMU (17-14) receives the Southwestern Athletic Conference automatic bid to the NCAA women's basketball tournament.

The Lady Panthers outscored MVSU (17-15) 15-2 in the final period while shooting 39 percent for the game.

Tournament MVP, Kiara Etienne, scored 31 points to lead all scorers hitting 8-of-14 from three-point range. Larissa Scott shot 10-of-17 overall to finish with 24 points.

Latia Williams finished with her third double-double of the tournament and 22nd of her career posting 17 points and 13 rebounds. Williams also received all tournament honors. Jeannette Jackson followed with 13 points and JaQuandria Williams hauled in 12 boards.

For the Devilettes, Kristina Clemons scored 26 points and was named to the all tournament squad. Alia Frank tacked on double-double with 11 points and 19 rebounds. Jasmyne Sanders hit 7-of-14 for 18 points with Joncyee Sanders adding 10 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. MVSU shot 35 percent for the game.

 

Box Score | Live Video | Live Stats

Southwestern Athletic Conference 2013 Toyota SWAC All Tournament Team

Player (Team)

Joanna Miller (Grambling State)

Chigozianyi Okwumabua (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
Te'era Williams (Texas Southern)
Khristina Clemons (Mississippi Valley State)
Latia Williams (Prairie View A&M)
(MVP) Kiara Etienne (Prairie View A&M)

 

COURTESY SWAC.ORG 

Four-for-Four: HU Lady Pirates Once Again MEAC Champions

NORFOLK, Virginia –  Under head coach David Six, the Hampton University women’s basketball team has made it to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament championship game four straight times.

After Saturday afternoon, the Lady Pirates have emerged as champions all four times.

The Lady Pirates jumped out early on rival Howard at the Norfolk Scope, before ultimately taking a 59-38 win in the 2013 MEAC Tournament finale. Hampton wins its fourth straight MEAC Tournament crown – the first MEAC squad to do that since Howard from 1987-90 – and its corresponding automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

“It never gets old,” Six said. “The goal when you start (the season) is to play in the NCAA Tournament.”

Hampton (28-5), the tournament’s top seed, also picked up its 19th straight win to extend its Div. I program-record winning streak. That streak is also tied for the seventh-longest in the nation this season, with Chattanooga.

Howard’s 38 points are the second-fewest in a women’s championship game in MEAC Tournament history; the lowest total came in 2006, when Delaware State scored just 36 points in falling to Coppin State.

Senior guard Olivia Allen (Kildeer, Ill.) led four Lady Pirates in double figures with 16 points, while junior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.), the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, poured in 14 points while spending much of the contest guarding Howard’s Saadia Doyle.

Senior forward Keiara Avant (Chesapeake, Va.), the MEAC Player of the Year, added 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds – en route to being named the MEAC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Performer.

Junior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) chipped in 10 points.

Six, the MEAC Coach of the Year, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Coach. He is also one win shy of 100 for his career as a college head coach.

After the third-seeded Lady Bison took a 1-0 lead, the Lady Pirates answered with an 11-0 run, taking an 11-1 lead at the 14:40 mark after a Bennett jumper. Kara Smith hit a 3-pointer at the 11:06 mark to cut Hampton’s lead to 15-8, but that was the closest Howard would get for the rest of the game.

Hamilton gave the Lady Pirates a 19-8 lead with 8:57 left in the half on a layup, but Smith brought Howard back to within eight, cutting Hampton’s lead to 21-13 at the 4:56 mark with a layup.

From there, Hampton went on a 14-0 run, taking a 35-13 lead with 47 seconds left in the half on a free throw from Avant. Smith hit a jumper with 25 seconds left in the half, sending the Lady Pirates into the locker room with a 35-15 lead.

Doyle had just one point at the half.

Howard opened the second half on a 14-6 run, cutting the Lady Pirates’ lead to 41-29 with 10:43 left to play after Cheyenne Curley-Payne sank a layup. Hampton scored the next nine points, though, taking a 50-29 lead with 8:25 remaining after a layup from Avant.

From there, the Lady Bison could get no closer than within 18, when Adelle Walton hit a 3-pointer to cut Hampton’s lead to 52-34 with 4:12 left to play.

Hampton’s largest lead of the game came with 47 seconds left, when Hamilton sank a layup to put the Lady Pirates up 59-36.

A day after recording their best shooting percentage of the season, the Lady Pirates shot 46.5 percent (20-for-43) from the floor – including a mind-boggling 64.7 percent (11-for-17) in the first half – while hitting four of their 12 3-pointers and going 15-for-23 from the free throw line.

Hampton also held a 41-35 edge on the glass; the Lady Pirates are 19-0 this season when outrebounding their opponent.

Hampton also held a 26-12 advantage in the paint.

Howard (20-11) shot just 21.4 percent (12-for-56) from the floor, going just 3-for-19 (15.8 percent) from behind the arc and 11-for-18 (61.1 percent) from the free throw line. It was the second-lowest field goal percentage Hampton has allowed this season.

Smith led the Lady Bison with 12 points, 10 of which came in the first half. Doyle, the MEAC’s all-time leading scorer, was held to just nine points – five of which came from the free throw line.

The game will be televised on ESPNU via tape-delay on Sunday at 11 a.m.

The 2013 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament Selection Show will air on Monday at 7 p.m. EST on ESPN. That is when the Lady Pirates will discover their first-round opponent, location, date, and time.

For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

(Courtesy Hampton University Athletics)

LADY PIRATES SELECTION SHOW PARTY SET FOR MONDAY

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University women’s basketball team will host an NCAA Tournament Selection Show Party on Monday at the Student Center Ballroom starting at 6 p.m.

The selection show will air live on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. There, the Lady Pirates will learn their first-round opponent, location, date, and time.

Hampton (28-5) won its fourth straight MEAC Tournament title on Saturday by beating Howard 59-38 in the title game at the Norfolk Scope. Senior forward Keiara Avant (Chesapeake, Va.) added Most Outstanding Player to her MEAC Player of the Year honor.

This will be the Lady Pirates’ fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and seventh overall.

For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Southern U. wins SWAC, 45-44 over Prairie View; Jags going to the Big Dance

GARLAND, Texas  --  Derick Beltran had 13 points with a late steal and breakaway layup, and Southern University got its first NCAA tournament berth since 2006 with a 45-44 victory over Prairie View in the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament championship game Saturday.

Beltran's play with 1:41 left made it 45-38. The Jaguars (23-9) held on despite some late turnovers.

Jules Montgomery's putback for Prairie View came before before Southern's Jameel Grace stepped out of bounds. Carl Blair then hit a floating hook shot before another backcourt turnover led to Montrael Scott's floater to get the Panthers (15-19) within a point with 42 seconds left.

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North Carolina A&T wins 2013 MEAC basketball tournament: Aggies make NCAAs for first time in 18 years

NORFOLK, Virginia  -- Adrian Powell made two free throws with 16 seconds to go, and the North Carolina A&T Aggies beat the Morgan State Bears, 57-54, on Saturday to earn the MEAC's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

The win qualified the Aggies, which were 19-16 and the No. 7 seed in the MEAC tournament, for their first NCAA Tournament since back-to-back appearances in 1994 and 1995. The team also qualified for seven NCAA Tournaments in a row from 1982-87. In nine NCAA Tournament appearances, they have never won a game.

Neither team ever pulled away in Saturday's title game...

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Xavier Gold Nuggets defeat NCAA D-I's Alcorn State

NEW ORLEANS — Viktor Svoboda defeated Vitali Vasileuski 7-5, 6-0 at No. 4 singles Friday to clinch Xavier University of Louisiana's 5-4 men's tennis victory against Alcorn State at the new XU Tennis Center.

Kourtney Howell's 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 decision against Kersten Vanem at No. 1 singles clinched Xavier's 6-3 women's victory against Alcorn.

Both XU teams are ranked 10th in the NAIA. The Gold Nuggets are 8-6 — they exceeded their victory total of a year ago, when they were 7-22 — and the Gold Rush are 7-5. Both XU teams have won four of their last five dual matches. Alcorn State's men are 2-7, and the women are 2-8.

Loic Didavi and Kyle Montrel won for the Gold Rush in doubles and singles. Howell and Brion Flowers did the same for the Gold Nuggets.

The dual match victory was the Gold Nuggets' second of the season against an NCAA Division I opponent — their most in one season since doing it three times in 2009. The XU men also have two victories this year against D-Is, one fewer than in 2012.

The Gold Nuggets and Lady Braves played their singles matches first. Alcorn won 2-of-3 doubles matches.

Howell and Amanda Materre — a 6-4, 6-2 winner against Arielle Buchmann at No. 3 — have four singles victories each against NCAA Division I opponents this semester. Flowers, a freshman, won 6-1, 2-6, 6-1 against Viktoria Kozachuk at No. 2 after losing in three sets in the previous two duals.

"The Nuggets played very well in singles, and we are still looking for the right doubles combinations," XU coach Alan Green said,

Montrel, a freshman, beat Garry Amor 6-1, 6-4 at No. 3 for his sixth consecutive singles victory. Didavi defeated Ernesto Santillan 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 for his fifth consecutive singles victory, and Svoboda's victory was his fourth in a row.

Didavi and Montrel beat Santillan and Ivan Umnikov 8-6 to snap their two-match losing streak at No. 1 doubles. Svoboda and Nikita Soifer then gave the Rush a 2-1 lead in the dual with their fifth consecutive doubles victory, 9-8 (7-2) against Max Tkachenko and Bhavtaran Singh at No. 2.

"The Rush played yet another grueling match that came down to the wire," Green said. "Every single match we won was so important. We pulled out another close match in No. 2 doubles and if we don't do that, we lose this match. Hats off to these guys for their toughness."

Both XU teams will travel to city rival University of New Orleans for dual matches at 3 p.m. Wednesday. The next home duals for the Rush and Nuggets will start at 2 p.m. April 6 against perennial NAIA power Auburn Montgomery.

Results: Men Women

Facebook photos: Men Women


By Ed Cassiere, SID
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

A&T is headed to their first final in 16 years

NORFOLK, Virginia  -  The North Carolina A&T men's basketball had a near catastrophic end to each half on Friday. But in both instances, the Aggies gathered themselves and put the ball in the hoop enough times to walk away with an 84-78 win over Delaware State in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament at The Norfolk Scope Arena.

The Aggies will advance to face Morgan State in the championship game Saturday evening at 5. The game will be televised live on ESPNU, and it will mark the Aggies first championship appearance in 16 years. They will be trying to claim their MEAC-leading 16^th title, and their first since 1995.

A&T had five players score in double figures for the first time since Nov. 9, the first game of the season. Adrian Powell led the way with 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Lamont Middleton added 17 points, five boards and four assists. The Aggies (18-16) lost to Morgan State earlier this season, 55-52, in Greensboro.

"We're going to try to watch film for a little bit tonight as a staff, but the most important thing for our players is to get some rest," said A&T head coach Cy Alexander, who will be appearing in his ninth MEAC championship game as a head coach. "We have to get our focus on trying to beat a big and talented Morgan State team tomorrow."

Tomorrow will be the MEAC's 42^nd title game. Alexander will now have been a part of 19 of them as either an assistant or a head coach. But getting to No. 19 was not easy even though there were times throughout the game it appeared the Aggies were going to blow out the Hornets.

A&T head coach Cy Alexander picked up his 30th MEAC Tournament
  win, giving him more MEAC Tournament wins than any other coach
 in history. Photo by Charles E. Watkins. 
 (Courtesy NCA&T Sports Information)

Senior DaMetrius Upchurch put back a Jean Louisme miss to give the Aggies a 38-24 lead with 3:37 remaining in the first half. But that lead disappeared over the next three minutes as Delaware State got hot from 3-point range, hitting 7 of 12 in the first half. Four consecutive Albert Thomas free throws closed the gap to two, 40-38, with five seconds remaining in the half. But Louisme quickly pushed the ball up the floor and spotted Adrian Powell open in the corner. Powell knocked down the 3-point shot at the buzzer to send the Aggies into the locker room at halftime with a 43-38 lead.

"I spotted up because I knew he was going to give me the ball because he is an unselfish player," said Powell, who became the 28^th player in school history to surpass the 1,000-career point plateau. "That was a big boost coming out for the second half."

It was so big, the Aggies led by as many as 13 in the second half as an Upchurch free throw gave A&T a 61-48 lead with 8:47 remaining. The Hornets were able to cut the lead to six over the next three minutes as a Marques Oliver dunk made it 63-57. But the Aggies were excellent at the free throw line, going 18-for-22 for the game. They used their free throw shooting to take a 76-66 lead with 1:17 remaining. But similar to the end of the first half, things began to get crazy. A&T turned the ball over three times in the final minute.

The first turnover resulted in an Oliver layup that cut the lead to 76-69. The second turnover led to Thomas layup and a 76-71 game. By the time the Aggies turned the ball over a third time, Oliver rolled to the basket for an easy layup and a two-point game, 80-78 with 19 second to play.

But the Aggies finally solved the Hornets pressure as Powell hit two free throws and broke away for a crowd-pleasing dunk that sent A&T into the championship round.

"They scored nine points in 50 seconds because we were forcing things and making uncharacteristic plays instead of letting the system work for us," said Alexander, who now has more MEAC Tournament wins (30) than any other coach in history. "We became undisciplined. We have to learn to keep our poise."

The Aggies did shoot 55 percent from the floor, marking the second time in the tournament they have shot 50 percent or better.

"I don't think we played very smart," said Alexander. "I thought we played well. I thought we shot the ball well from the floor and the free throw line, so obviously shooting the ball well trumps playing smart. We were able to grind and get us one tonight."

A&T 84, DSU 78

COURTESY NORTH CtAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Morgan State Holds Off #8 Bethune-Cookman to Advance to MEAC Final

NORFOLK, Virginia  --  Fifth-seeded Morgan State built an early lead and repelled several rallies by fourth-seeded Bethune-Cookman to earn an 82-71 win over the Wildcats Friday in semifinal action of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament at the Norfolk Scope Arena.

The Bears, the highest seed remaining in the tournament, connected on almost 57-percent of their field-goal attempts in earning the victory and a trip to Saturday's final against the winner of the other semifinal match between North Carolina A&T and Delaware State.

Shaquille Duncan led the way for Morgan State with 17 points, on a 7-of-8 effort from the field. Justin Black and Dwayne Jackson added 16 points each in the contest, the first meeting between the two teams in two years. Anthony Hubbard was also in double figures with 11 points for Coach Todd Bozeman's squad, which climbed to 17-14. Black added a team-high nine rebounds.

The Wildcats, who eliminated top-seeded Norfolk State 70-68 on Wednesday, were paced by Kevin Dukes with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, including a 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Ricky Johnson tossed in 18 points that included a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Bethune-Cookman's All-MEAC forward Adrien Coleman was limited to just eight points on 4-of-11 attempts by the Bear defense.

“It was a really interesting game for us,” said the Bears' Bozeman, “because we had not played them in two years. The main focus for us was to defend and rebound and get out on them early.”

“From a player standpoint,” he continued, “we wanted to contain Adrien Coleman, an excellent ballplayer and clearly one of the top players in this league. And, with Shaquille (Duncan) and Ian (Chiles) inside for us, we wanted to get the ball inside.”

And that the Bears did as 48 of their points came in the paint area.

Morgan State, which led from wire to wire, took a 39-31 cushion to the locker room. The Bears upped the margin to 51-37 when Duncan completed a three-point play with 14:11 remaining. The scrappy Wildcats rallied to close the gap to six, at 64-58, when Dukes connected on a 3-pointer with just over six minutes remaining.

Black answered, however, with a 3-pointer of his own on Morgan State's next possession to ignite a 9-4 run that put the Bears up 73-62 and in control of the game once more The Wildcats could come no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

Morgan State, which rallied behind the 3-point shooting of Black on Thursday to defeat Savannah State 64-61 in overtime to reach Friday's semifinals, took an 8-1 lead in the contest when Tauron Bailey made one of two from the line with 16:26 on the first-period clock.

A free-throw by Javoris Bryant, who finished with five points for Bethune-Cookman, and back-to-back buckets by Coleman pulled the Wildcats to within 8-5 with just 20 seconds elapsed. But the Bears took a 21-13 advantage with 11:53 left in the period.

The Wildcats, behind an 11-6 spree, closed the gap to 27-24 on consecutive 3-pointers by Dukes with 5:17 left in the opening period, however the Bears closed out the period with a 12-7 run to build a 39-31 cushion at the half.

In a tournament in which the top four seeds fell in the quarterfinals, the Bears will be making their first trip to the finals since the 2011 season when they lost to Hampton.

“We are just happy to be playing for the championship,” said Bozeman.

COURTESY MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION