UDC president proposes disbanding athletics, other cuts

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A sparse crowd watched the Firebirds of the University of the District of Columbia begin the men’s basketball season this week, a loss to New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce University. It just might be the last home opener the Firebirds ever play.

UDC, which for years has struggled to fulfill the role of a public flagship university, is in the midst of an intensive quest to cut costs, raise revenue and define its mission. The university’s interim president, James E. Lyons Sr., wants UDC to add students, stay affordable and prepare graduates for jobs in high-demand fields.

To reach those goals, Lyons has proposed disbanding all of the school’s athletics teams, which play in the NCAA’s Division II. Lyons also wants to end several degree programs that have drawn few students, including those in disciplines such as physics, history, sociology and environmental science.

Lyons hopes to use millions of dollars in annual savings to grow enrollment through financial aid, strengthen the faculty, expand health and career services for all students, and launch more online classes. His proposal to overhaul the 5,490-student university on Connecticut Avenue NW is scheduled for a vote Nov. 19 at a meeting of the UDC Board of Trustees.

“It isn’t about being anti-athletics,” Lyons said in ...

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Hot-shooting Gold Rush are 3-0 after winning at Mobile

MOBILE, Ala. -- Senior guard Xavier Rogers scored a career-high 19 points Monday to lead NAIA No. 19 Xavier University of Louisiana to an 88-72 men's basketball victory against Mobile.

The Gold Rush (3-0) shot better than 55 percent from the floor for the third consecutive game. Xavier finished at 56 percent after shooting 64 percent in the second half.

Rogers was 7-of-7 from 2-point range.

Sydney Coleman scored 15 points, 13 in the second half, and was Xavier's only other double-figure scorer. Gary Smith, Morris Wright, Olivier Siewe and RJ Daniels scored nine points apiece for the Rush -- Siewe reached a career high, and  Smith matched his career high for the second straight game.

Smith had seven points and two assists after returning to the game with four fouls with 6:32 remaining.

Brandon Morris, with 22 points, was the lone double-figure scorer for Mobile (1-1). Morris made four of the Rams' 11 3-pointers.

The teams were tied at 33 at halftime. Kwame Beard's basket gave Mobile a 45-42 lead with 15:33 remaining, but Siewe and Coleman produced consecutive 3-point plays in a decisive 16-3 run during the next 4½ minutes.

Xavier led by double digits for the final 9:35 and defeated Mobile for the eighth consecutive time and the 11th time in their last 12 meetings. They'll meet again Dec. 5 at Xavier.

Xavier limited the Rams to 41.2 percent from the floor, outscored them 30-19 from the line and outrebounded them 39-21. The Gold Rush have outrebounded all three opponents by 14 or more.

Coleman led Xavier with eight rebounds, and Jarvis Thibodeaux had seven. Both were season highs.

Mobile opened its season Thursday with a one-point home victory against NAIA No. 23 Life.

Xavier's next game will start at 7 p.m. Thursday against Wiley at the Convocation Center. It will be the first of three consecutive Gold Rush home games.

Box score

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

Howard Lady Bison Take Home Opener Over Jackson State; Adams Earns First Head Coaching Victory

Coach Tennille Adams

WASHINGTON, D.C. --- Redshirt freshman Te'Shya Heslip scored 17 of her game-high 27 points in the second half as the Howard University women's basketball team defeated Jackson State University, 83-63, to claim its first win of the 2013-14 campaign.

The triumph evens the Lady Bison's record at 1-1 while the Tigers fall to 0-2 on the season after tonight's loss.

New Howard head coach Tennille Adams earned her first win at Howard and her first career victory as a head coach with the triumph.

"It's a tremendous feeling right now," Coach Adams said when asked about getting career win No. 1. "Our team did a fantastic job of bouncing back from the Virginia Tech loss. The team came out with a lot of effort & energy and our staff did a great job of making the necessary adjustments to prepare us for Jackson State."

Heslip was impressive in her first career start, going 6-for-10 from the field, converting on a pair of three-pointers, and knocking down all but one of her 14 free throw attempts. Her 27 points were the most since former Lady Bison player Saadia Doyle poured in 27 points against North Carolina A&T in the 2013 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference semifinals on March 15. She also added six rebounds and four assists to her stat line on the night.

"I think Te'Shya could be one of the best point guards in the country if she puts her mind to it, said Adams of her lead guard.

"She's still a freshman, playing wise, so there are still some things she has to work on to develop and grow, but she can be really good over the next four years."

Howard opened the game with a fastbreak connection from senior Shavonne Duckett to Heslip. JSU responded with a pair of free throws and through the first nine-plus minutes, both teams found themselves knotted at 14-14 with 11:23 to go in the first half.

The Lady Bison would nearly double the Tigers' scoring output (29-15) for the rest of the period as Howard took a 43-29 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Over the first 12:32 of the second half, Howard would hold a narrow 22-18 scoring edge, which increased their lead to 18 points, 65-47 with 6:55 left.

Jackson State would make one final push, using a 15-5 run to cut HU's lead to 70-62 with 2:48 remaining. Fortunately, Howard stemmed the tide with a 13-1 surge of its own (including going 10-of-13 from the line) to close the game.

True freshman Jasmine Hill hit four three pointers and scored 13 points while redshirt senior Cabria Johnson added 10 points. Sophomore Victoria Gonzalez scored eight points and had a team-high three blocks and  freshman Aaliyah Wilson logged team highs of seven rebounds and five assists to go along with seven points.

Junior guard Alisa Ross led Jackson State with 13 points.

Howard will return to Burr Gymnasium for its next game, a 2:00 pm matchup with the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Sunday, November 17.

OTHER NOTES
Howard has now won its last four home openers … with the win, Coach Adams did something her two predecessors can claim – bouncing back from their tenure-opening loss with a victory … after missing all 13 of their three-pointers in the loss to Virginia Tech, Howard shot 40% (8-of-20) from behind the arc.

Box Score  

COURTESY HOWARD UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Southern Jaguars’ defense spurs rally over Southeastern

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- Junior forward Jasmine Jefferson scored a team-high 15 points, and Adrian Sanders chipped in eight points off the bench as Southern (2-0) defeated Southeastern 63-56 Monday night at the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

The Jaguars posted a 38-point second half after scoring just 25 in the first, as their depth wore down visiting Southeastern (1-1). Southern had a 34-7 advantage in bench points.

“When you have numbers, you definitely want to use them to your advantage,” Southern coach Sandy Pugh said.

“Tonight we wanted them to have to extend their bench”

In the first half, Southeastern jumped out to a 10-6 lead on the shooting of junior point guard Elizabeth Styles and the low post presence of Nanna Pool, who each scored four points through the game’s first four minutes.

The two teams battled back and forth from that point, exchanging baskets, until the under-four-minute timeout when Southeastern went on an 8-2 run to close the half and take a 33-23 lead into the locker room.

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Penn scores 29 points while Murray notches a triple double as TSU routs Wiley

COACH MIKE DAVIS
Texas Southern University

HOUSTON, Texas -- A total of four Texas Southern players put up double digits in scoring on Monday night at the H&PE Arena as the Tigers cruised to a 113-96 victory over visiting Wiley College in front of 1,042 spectators.

Ray Penn led the charge going 7-of-13 for 29 points while also racking up 11 assists, 2 steals and a rebound. Penn set the tone early for Texas Southern with his precision passing and quick cuts inside the lane. Murray put together his second back-to-back solid performance as the 6-10 center scored 24 points on an 8-of-17 shooting night.

Murray notched his first career triple double in a Tigers uniform as he blocked 10 shots while grabbing 10 rebounds. He was a menace inside the paint for the Wildcats throughout the contest as he rejected nearly every shot taken in his vicinity.

"We did a really good job executing our system tonight," said TSU head coach Mike Davis. "Ray did a great job setting the tempo for us tonight and Aaric came up with some big time blocks and buckets when we needed it."

Lawrence Johnson-Danner and Jose Rodriguez were the Tigers other two leading scores tallying 22 and 18 points respectively. Combined the two players went an efficient 14-of-21 from the floor. Johnson-Danner was lights out from three point range shooting 6-of-8 from beyond the arc.

As a team Texas Southern shot 55.1 percent from the field while holding the Wildcats to 45.8 percent in regulation. Aaron Clayborn grabbed six rebounds while scoring 14 points on a 7-of-10 night from the floor. Clayborn provide TSU with much needed energy off the bench and he also converted several clutch finishes around the basket.

The Tigers will now get set to take their talents to South Beach as they travel to Miami to face the University of Miami Hurricanes and Florida International on Nov. 14^th and Nov. 16^th respectively before traveling to begin participation in the Legends Classic.
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Gold Nuggets' rally falls short in loss at Mobile

MOBILE, Ala. -- Xavier University of Louisiana suffered its first women's basketball loss of the season, 64-59 at Mobile on Monday.

Whitney Gathright scored 13 points for the Gold Nuggets (2-1), ranked 15th in NAIA Division I, and Paige Gauthier and Danielle Tucker scored 11 apiece. Carmen Holcombe led Xavier with seven rebounds.

Alicia Curry and Deonica McCormick scored 10 points apiece for Mobile (1-0), which led 20-13 at halftime and took its biggest lead, 52-36, on Taron Bright's basket with 6:08 remaining. Xavier outscored Mobile 23-12 in the final six minutes but did not get closer than five points during the rally.

Xavier led 10-6 through the first eight minutes. Curry's basket at 8:42 of the first half but the Lady Rams ahead to stay at 13-12.

Mobile outshot the Gold Nuggets 44.9 to 26.8 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 49-41. Xavier committed a season-low 11 turnovers and gained 27.

Xavier's next game will start at 5:30 p.m. Friday against NAIA No. 17 Our Lady of the Lake in the LSUS Classic at Shreveport, La. The Nuggets' next home game will start at noon on Nov. 23 against Texas College during homecoming weekend.

Box score

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

Pough sets record straight on MEAC officials in Saturday's FAMU game

HEAD COACH BUDDY POUGH

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- It turns out S.C. State head football coach Buddy Pough had a valid reason not to be critical of the officiating during the second half of Saturday’s game against Florida A&M.

 

From an observer’s standpoint, it appeared game officials were confused about the number of available time-outs the Rattlers had heading into their final drive.

 

However, Pough had a firsthand view of the issues which stemmed from a non-working microphone which left the referee able to communicate only with fellow officials and the head coaches on the field.

 

With fans oblivious to the on-field workings, they did not realize FAMU was rewarded a time-out back during a second-half series in which the S.C. State Marching 101 was cited for excessively loud music playing. On another series in which FAMU was whistled for a delay of game penalty while trying to stop the clock, officials opted just to penalize the Rattlers rather than charge them their remaining timeout.

 

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The Field is Set for Eight HBCU Marching Bands to Perform at the 12th Annual Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase

TORRANCE, California  -- The votes are in and eight of the top Historically Black College and University (HBCU) marching bands have been selected to perform at the 12th Annual Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase. Widely known within the marching band community as “The Honda,” the Invitational Showcase is the culmination of the Honda Battle of the Bands, providing a national stage to highlight the distinct showmanship of HBCU marching bands.

The Invitational Showcase will take place on January 25, 2014, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, where tens of thousands of HBCU marching band fans will converge for one of the nation’s most distinguished marching band events. Individual and group tickets are available at http://hondabattleofthebands.com/tickets.

The eight bands selected to perform are:

• Alabama A&M University, Marching Maroon & White (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
• Alabama State University, Mighty Marching Hornets (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
• Bethune-Cookman University, Marching Wildcats (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
• Morehouse College, The Marching Maroon Tigers (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)
• North Carolina A&T State University, Blue and Gold Marching Machine (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
• South Carolina State University, Marching 101 (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
• University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, UAPB Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South (M4) (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
• Winston-Salem State University, The Red Sea of Sound (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association)

The eight HBCUs will receive a $20,000 grant from Honda for their music education programs, plus an all-expenses paid trip to Atlanta for the Invitational Showcase. The final eight bands were chosen through a voting process that incorporates feedback from online fan votes, band directors, HBCU school presidents and representatives from American Honda.


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“The Honda Battle of the Bands is a celebration of the unique HBCU marching band experience and culture,” said Gina Jorge, head of Multicultural Marketing for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “The Invitational Showcase is a spectacular display of the results of months of dedication and preparation, and Honda is proud to continue to support our nation’s HBCU music education programs.”
 
Fans can join the conversation by using the official hashtag, #HBOB and connecting via social media:

• Facebook – Facebook.com/HondaBattleoftheBands
• Twitter – @The_Honda / Twitter.com/The_Honda
• YouTube – YouTube.com/hondabotb
• Instagram – @The_Honda      

For more information on the 2014 Honda Battle of the Bands, visit HondaBattleoftheBands.com.


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Southern focused on defense as Southeastern comes

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- The Southern women’s basketball team will return to Avery Johnson Court at 5:30 p.m. Monday for the second time in a four-day span as the Jaguars host in-state rival Southeastern Louisiana.

The Jaguars are coming off an 82-57 victory over Talladega College on Friday night in which four Southern players finished in double figures in scoring.

The Jaguars were led by junior forward Jasmine Jefferson’s 19 points and 14 rebounds.

Despite Southern’s seemingly convincing 25-point victory Friday, the Jaguars had trouble separating themselves from their opponents in the early going.

Including the exhibition contest against Talladega on Nov. 1, Southern has outscored its opponents 75-58 in the first half of the two contests.

In the second half of those games, the Jaguars hold a 91-48 advantage.

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Southern Monday morning rewind

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- Southern plays its final home game of the season when it meets Clark Atlanta in a non-conference game at 6 p.m. Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium. Clark is coming off a 35-28 victory against Edward Waters (Fla.) on Saturday.

LOOKING BACK
Southern overcame a 21-7 second-quarter deficit to defeat Alabama State 31-28 on Saturday in Montgomery, Ala. Dray Joseph threw four touchdown passes, three of which went to Mike Jones in his first multiple-touchdown-reception game. The Jaguars defense allowed just seven points in the last 2½ quarters. Jaleel Richardson had a 64-yard kickoff return after the Hornets had tied the score at 28 with a little more than a minute to play. That led to Gregory Pittman’s career-long 43-yard field goal, which was a game-winner with 18 seconds remaining. Southern overcame a season-worst 16 penalties, thanks in part to ASU committing 15 penalties.

SATURDAY'S STAR
Jones assumed the role of primary receiver in place of Lee Doss, who was serving a one-game suspension for an unspecified violation of team rules. Jones’ three touchdowns came on passing plays that covered 68, 74 and 13 yards as he consistently beat the Hornets press coverage and got behind cornerbacks for big-gainers. He finished with five catches for 211 yards.

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S.C. State tied for first place in MEAC with victory over FAMU and Bethune-Cookman’s loss to Norfolk State

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- You’ve got to love late-season college football.

As the games become more important, sometimes the action and drama occurring away from the field is more compelling than what’s taking place inside the stadium.

Take for instance Saturday’s homecoming contest on Willie Jeffries Field at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. As South Carolina State looked to hold a 25-21 lead in the fourth quarter against Florida A&M, their FCS playoff chances may have been decided elsewhere.



In a matchup of Top 25 Big South teams, Charleston Southern held off a late charge to beat previously undefeated Coastal Carolina 31-26. The win likely sealed a conference title and automatic FCS playoff berth for the Buccaneers, but also ensured two post-season invitations with the Chanticleers earning an at-large bid.

This could potentially lessen the chances of an at-large berth for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference team given the way the committee uses regional groups to complete their brackets. Add the stronger power rankings of the Southern Conference and Colonial Athletic Association and it appears S.C. State will need some help for a post-season return.

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Florida A&M Volleyball Remains Unbeaten In MEAC With 3-0 Win

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  (Nov. 10)  -- The Florida A&M Volleyball team celebrated Senior day with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-18) win over arch-rival Bethune-Cookman, in their regular season finale, here Sunday afternoon at the Al Lawson Center.

FAMU (14-6, 10-0 MEAC) was led by Erika DeVaughn as she recorded a match-high 14 kills, while Katherine Huanec added 10.  Diana Gonzales recorded 41 assists in the match, while Joan Del Castillo tallied 27 digs.

Adding more significance to the game was the fact that it was Senior Day.  With a Marching "100" pep band, directed by Dr. Sylvester Young himself, the event was festive as the seniors were celebrated.  DeVaughn, Gonzales and Huanec were honored post-game with presentations from the department of athletics, as well as their teammates.  In a fitting tribute, the Marching "100" pep band played the FAMU alma mater, bringing tears from the honorees.

Seniors (from left): Erika DeVaughn, Diana Gonzales and Katherine Huanec  

Courtesy: Florida A&M Sports Information

B-CU (6-14, 5-5 MEAC) was led by Delica Pierre with 11 kills, followed by Destiny Hudson with seven.  Alexas Thomas led the Lady Wildcats in assists with 30, while Jennifer Jimenez finished the contest with 13 digs.

A double block by both Yeisha Arcia and Ginna Lopez-Chavez would give the Lady Rattles a 13-8 lead in the first set.  B-CU would claw their way back into the set as they tied the set on four different occasions, before taking a 23-22 lead on a FAMU attack error.

FAMU would tie the set at 23-23 on a Lopez-Chavez kill.  Then the Lady Rattlers would score their final two points on two B-CU attack errors to give the Lady Rattlers a 25-23 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Lady Wildcats would pick up from where they left off in the second set as B-CU built an 11-4 lead, capped off by a Rhea Simon service ace.  FAMU would then get back in the set as they used a 12-5 run to tie the set at 16-16.

Both teams would trade points back and forth as both teams combined for a total of five errors as they knotted the score at 20-20.  B-CU tied the set at 21-21 for the final time on a Lauren Turner kill as FAMU would record four straight kills to win the set 25-21, giving the Lady Rattlers a 2-0 lead in the match.

In the third set, FAMU would never relinquish the lead as the Lady Rattlers won the third set 25-18 for the 3-0 sweep of the Lady Wildcats.

FAMU will return to action as they will travel to Baltimore, Md., to participate in the 2013 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Nov. 14-Nov. 16, hosted by Coppin State University.

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"For the Love of You" - FAMU Marching 100

Desmore hits winner for WSSU

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- One of the longest days in Winston-Salem State athletics history ended with another victory.

After the football team won its final regular-season game, the basketball team followed with an exciting 76-73 win against Concord in the final game of the Big House Gaines Tip-Off Classic on Saturday night. Tyre Desmore’s 25 foot 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left made the difference, and the Rams improved to 2-0.

Making the win more emotional for the Rams was the absence of Coach Bobby Collins, was in Southern Pines for his father’s funeral. Keith Collins died last week at the age of 79.

"We wanted this one bad for Coach, and he’s pretty tough, and what he’s going through isn’t easy," said Desmore, who took the winning shot after the original play broke down.

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Chicago State Cougars Earn 77-52 Season Opening Victory Over Urbana (Ohio)

CHICAGO, Illinois  -- Chicago State limited Urbana (Ohio) to 27.7 percent shooting (13-of-47) on Saturday (Nov. 9) evening in the Cougars' 77-52 victory over the Blue Knights. The home opener win moves the Cougars to 1-1 while Urbana is now 0-1.

It was homecoming for Chicago State but also a special night for another reason. The Cougars received their 2013 Great West Conference Tournament Championship rings in a pregame ceremony. The championship banner was also unveiled.

The Cougars never trailed on Saturday, jumping out to leads of 9-0 and 29-10. It was a balanced attack with eight Cougars tallying two or more points in the initial half.

The closest Urbana would get in the second half was 10 points at the 18:31 mark after Urbana scored the first six points of the second. Chicago State kept Urbana off the scoreboard for five minutes midway through the half as the home team turned a 44-31 lead into a 27-point advantage at 58-31.



Danny Goins had a game-high 17 points for Urbana.

A stifling Chicago State defense forced 27 Urbana turnovers. The Cougars turned those into 31 points. The Cougars also dominated inside, recording a 42-18 points in the paint advantage.

Chicago State finished 29-of-59 from the floor (49.2 percent).

"I thought we shot the ball well especially in the second half when you're talking about 16-of-27 (from the floor in the second)," Chicago State head coach Tracy Dildy said "Still not pleased with our 3-point shooting because I know we're a much better 3-point shooting team."

Offensively, senior Quinton Pippen (Hamburg, Ark./Hamburg) led the Cougars with 16 points. Junior Clarke Rosenberg (Skokie, Ill./Evanston Township) finished with 13 points, three steals two assists with no turnovers. 11 Cougars scored points with Kurt Karis (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North ) (4), Jared Dimakos (Lincolnshire, Ill./Lake Forest Academy) (9) and Quron Davis (Chicago, Ill./Simeon) (2) each recording their first points as a Cougar.

Saturday's game came less than 24 hours after the Cougars played at No. 24 on Friday evening in Bloomington.

"We're going to take off tomorrow to get our legs some rest to get ready for Tuesday," Dildy said.

The Cougars return to action on Tuesday wit
h a visit by Jacksonville State. Tip-off on Tuesday is set for 7 p.m. at the Jones Convocation Center.

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Hampton Lady Pirates blow out Saint Peter's; Six earn 100th win

HAMPTON, Virginia  -- The Hampton University women's basketball team raced past Saint Peter's 64-37 on Sunday afternoon to open the 2013-14 season in the HU Convocation Center, helping head coach David Six reach a milestone.

The win marked 100 in Six's collegiate career; he is 100-30 with the Lady Pirates (1-0).

Senior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.), the MEAC Preseason Co-Player of the Year, led three Lady Pirates in double figures with 22 points on 9-for-17 shooting, to go along with a team-high 10 rebounds – four of which came on the offensive end.

Freshman guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas (Harrisbiurg, Pa.) added 15 points, six rebounds, and four steals in her collegiate debut, while senior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) poured in 11 points.

Hampton led 2-0 before the clock even started, after DeFreitas drained two free throws following a technical foul assessed to the Saint Peter's bench. The Peacocks tied the game at 2-2 at the 18:57 mark, but when Tate-DeFreitas hit a jumper at the 18:41 mark to put Hampton up 4-2, the Lady Pirates never looked back.

In fact, the Lady Pirates scored 19 of the next 20 points after the tie, taking a 21-3 lead with 12:46 left in the half after a jumper from Bennett.

Kaydine Bent ended the run with a jumper at the 12:04 mark, cutting the lead to 21-5 – and giving Saint Peter's its first field goal in almost seven minutes.

Antonia Smith cut the lead to 24-7 with a jumper at the 11:10 mark, but the Lady Pirates responded by scoring the next seven points to take a 31-7 lead after Hamilton hit a pair of free throws with 7:41 left in the half.

The Peacocks did not hit double figures until a free throw from Bent at the 5:26 mark cut Hampton's lead to 34-10. Hamilton answered with a jumper 13 seconds later to give the Lady Pirates a 36-10 lead, their largest of the half.

Hampton led 38-17 at the half; Hamilton, Bennett, and sophomore guard Ryan Jordan (Manassas, Va.) each had nine points at the intermission. Saint Peter's had just five field goals in the first 20 minutes.

The Lady Pirates scored the first five points of the second half, taking a 43-17 lead with 18:27 left to play after Bennett hit a fast-break layup. Overall, Hampton opened the second half on a 17-1 run, leading 55-18 with 12:36 left after Tate-DeFreitas hit a jumper in the paint.

It was Hampton's largest lead of the contest.

Saint Peter's answered with a 7-1 spurt to cut the lead to 56-25 with 8:51 remaining, but the Lady Pirates stopped the momentum from carrying any further; in fact, Hampton grew the lead again to 64-31 with 4:01 remaining after Bennett hit a pair of free throws.

The Peacocks scored the game's last six points, but Hampton cruised to the win.

The Lady Pirates shot 35.8 percent (24-for-67) from the floor and hit 14 of their 23 free throws (60.9 percent), and Hampton held Saint Peter's to just 34.4 percent shooting (11-for-32) and scored 34 points off of 26 Peacock turnovers.

Marcia Senatus led the Peacocks (0-1) with nine points.

The Lady Pirates will be back in action on Saturday, when they play host to Southern Miss at 2 p.m. 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.

Box Score

Lady Pirates 2013-13 Schedule

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Loss keeps Broncos out of CIAA football title game

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  Fayetteville State visited Bowman Gray Stadium on Saturday with a berth in the CIAA championship game at stake.

The Broncos won't be making a return trip to the Triad.

Winston-Salem State clinched first place in the league's Southern Division by claiming a 28-14 victory over FSU, which needed a head-to-head win to force a tie for first. In that scenario, the Broncos would have advanced to next week's title game at Bowman Gray Stadium, but Northern Division champion Virginia State will instead face the Rams (9-1, 7-0) on their home field.
Fayetteville State (6-4, 5-2) finished with its first winning record since 2009.

"We're proud, but we're disappointed because our goal is to win the championship," first-year coach Lawrence Kershaw said. "Anything short of that makes it not a great season. OK, first year, that's fine, but our goal is to win championships. We put ourselves in position to do such, but we just fell short to a better team."

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Chicago State Women's Hoops Starts Season With 74-51 Win Over Indiana Tech.

CHICAGO, Illinois – Junior Chanel Wilson-Stewart (Hillside, Ill./St. Joseph's) recorded career-highs with 16 points and 12 rebounds in Chicago State women's basketball's 74-51 win over the Indiana Tech Warriors on Saturday (Nov. 9). Wilson-Stewart also tied a career high with three steals and two blocks in the season opening win. It is her second double-double of her career.

Junior Tierra Williams (Detroit, Mich./Lathrup) had a game-high 23 points along with five steals while junior Paris Williams (St. Louis, Mo./Pattonville) chipped in 18 points in the winning effort.  Sophomore Jasmine Sanders (Country Club Hills, Ill./Hillcrest) finished with 12 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals.



Chicago State started the game on a 15-2 run after a Tierra Williams (Detroit, Mich./Lathrup) 3-pointer with 15:43 remaining in the first half.  Head coach Angela Jackson's squad maintained a 37-21 lead with 3:07 to go in the first half before Indiana Tech ended the first stanza on a 10-3 run.

In the second half, the Cougars defense held Indiana Tech to 17.2 percent (5-29) shooting and created 11 turnovers.  The Warriors cut the deficit to eight (45-37) with 14:01 remaining in the game, but Chicago State went on a 10-0 run and Indiana Tech never got any closer.

"It's just nice to get a win in your own building," Jackson said. "I just thought the women were awesome, they fought and fought and fought so I'm happy for them."

The Cougars continue their non-conference schedule vs. Big Ten opponent Northwestern on Wednesday (Nov. 13).

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2013-14 CSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

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Mountain East - CIAA Challenge: WVSU's Carson Explodes for 40, Jackets Defeat JC Smith Golden Bulls

INSTITUTE, West Virginia (11/9/13) -- Freshman guard Lexy Carson scored 26 of her game high 40 points in the second half to lead the WVSU women's basketball team to a come-from-behind 79-74 win over visiting Johnson C. Smith Saturday on the second day of the MEC-CIAA Challenge.

Brock added 10 points and Janelle Williams pulled down 11 rebounds as the Yellow Jackets hit 62% from the floor after the break to overcome a 39-32 halftime deficit.
Trailing 49-38 with 15:52 to play the Yellow Jackets took off on a 17-5 run to pull ahead 55-54 with 9:34 remaining.

The teams battled on even ground until the Golden Bulls were foced to foul in the closing seconds and first Carson and then Brock stepped to the foul line and hit two free throws to seal the victory.
WVSU won the battle on the boards by a 37-23 margin.

Carson also finished with four rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

Charleston defeated Chowan 71-61 in the second game.

Box Score

COURTESY WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

S.C. State edges Florida A&M 25-21

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- Saturday turned into a “special” homecoming at Willie Jeffries Field for the once-again Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference co-leaders South Carolina State.

Before a season-high 20,022 fans at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium, the Bulldogs used two second-half field goals by Nick Belcher, a pair of blocked punts and a fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter by safety Kimario McFadden, one of 15 players recognized on “Seniors Day,” to take a 25-21 victory over Florida A&M.

This was the 10th win in the last 11 meetings over the Rattlers by S.C. State (7-3, 5-1), who fell behind by as many as eight points before rallying for just their ninth win in 44 games when trailing at halftime under Pough. The victory, coupled with Norfolk State’s 27-24 win over Bethune-Cookman later in the day, also moved the Bulldogs back into a first-place tie with the Wildcats with two games remaining.

“It was a tough win for us and I knew Florida A&M would give us a hard time because they had started to play respectable last week,” S.C. State head coach Buddy Pough said. “So I’m forward to seeing how this goes.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Homecoming 2013: S.C. State vs. FAMU


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Records Fall as the Lincoln (Mo.) Blue Tigers Defeat Northeastern State

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri  -- Three school records were broken and two more were tied as the Lincoln football team defeated Northeastern State, 42-33, on Saturday (Nov. 9). Jacob Morris posted 314 yards of total offense and threw four touchdown passes as Lincoln won its second game overall, and first MIAA contest, of the season.

Morris threw for 212 yards and added 102 more on the ground, with his four touchdown passes tying James Lang's single-game record. Morris, who broke Lincoln single-season total offense record with 187 combined first half yards, also broke LU's single-game completion percentage mark, connecting on 17 of his 23 attempts for an accuracy rating of 74%, besting Bill Swats' record of 67%. Morris now has 2,392 yards of total offense on the season, beating the 1988 record of 2,194 set by Steve Bohlken with still one game yet to go in the season.

Lincoln (2-8, 1-8 MIAA) led for most of the game, starting in the first quarter when Morris connected on a 38-yard pass to Morris Henderson to put LU ahead 7-6. Northeastern State (1-9, 1-8 MIAA) had got on the scoreboard with a 12-yard reception on the previous possession, but the RiverHawks missed the point-after try after it was moved back following a substitution infraction.

A short field goal allowed NSU to take a two-point lead into the second quarter, but it didn't take the Blue Tigers long to answer. Morris completed another long touchdown pass, this one 32 yards to Khiry Draine, and the Blue Tigers went took a 14-9 lead. After forcing the RiverHawks to punt, Lincoln padded its league on its ensuing possession, with Morris hitting Andre Borney on a 25-yard scoring pass. Northeastern State responded with a touchdown drive of its own on the next possession, and later connected on another field goal, but it was the Blue Tigers on top, 21-19, when the game entered halftime.



Northeastern State got the ball to start the second half and made its possession count, retaking the lead on a nine-yard rush. After offsides was called on a Blue Tiger, Northeastern State opted to kick the extra point, which was good. Lincoln was again called offsides, however, and the ball being moved to the half-yard line caused the RiverHawks to reconsider. NSU took the point off the board and decided to instead go for two, but the Blue Tigers stopped the RiverHawks' run attempt short of the goal line to keep the score 25-21 in favor of NSU.

Lincoln's next drive stalled and Northeastern State took over, once again driving the ball deep into LU territory. That's when the Blue Tigers made the first of two impressive stops on defense, both of which gave Lincoln big momentum boosts. After a false start penalty gave NSU a 1st-and-15 at the LU 41, the Blue Tiger defense gave up just four yards, forcing two short completions and two incompletions as the RiverHawks turned the ball over on downs.

That turned the quarter around for Lincoln, as Morris moved the ball down straight down the field, with passes of 14 and 20 yards to Draine resulting in key first downs. Morris Henderson, who finished a big day of his own with 149 rushing yards and 74 kick return yards, gave Lincoln back the lead with a four-yard run into the end zone. The Blue Tigers ended the third quarter up, 28-25, and never trailed again en route to the win.

After Northeastern State's next drive ended with a missed 52-yard field goal try, Henderson again provided a boost on offense, starting the next drive with carries for 12, seven and 16 yards. Morris again made big plays with his arm, finding Draine twice on 15-yard completions, with the second coming in the end zone on a play that put Lincoln ahead by 10.

The RiverHawks entered Lincoln territory once again on their next drive, and the Blue Tiger defense once again came up big as LU halted a chance for Northeastern State to cut into Lincoln's lead. NSU drove down to the LU 28, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved the RiverHawks back to the 43. On second down, Lincoln tackled a receiver behind the line of scimmage. The LU defense then made arguably its biggest play of the game on third down, sacking NSU quarterback Thor Long, who had broken tackles and sacks all game, for an eight-yard loss.

Northeastern State was forced to punt, and the Lincoln offense put together one more scoring drive to ice its first home victory of 2013. On the opening play of the drive, Morris ran 41-yards down to the NSU 39. Two plays later, Henderson rushed for 33 yards down to the four-yard line before taking the ball in himself for his second rushing score of the afternoon.



The RiverHawks managed to score one more touchdown, adding a two-point conversion to make it a 42-33 contest, but it ended up being too little, too late. NSU tried an onside kick, but Borney caught the ball in mid-air and Lincoln was able to run out the clock. The win gave the Blue Tigers their first MIAA win since beating Nebraska-Kearney last season. As that victory came at Jefferson City High School following a weather-delay, Saturday's victory over Northeastern State was the first win for Lincoln at Dwight T. Reed Stadium since beating Avila to open the 2011 season.

Andrew Fishel also had a record-breaking day, as his six successful point after tries gave him 44 points on the season, breaking the school single-season record for points scored by a kicker of 41, set in 1964 by Gerald Walker. Fishel also tied Walker's single-season record of 29 successful point after attempts, and could break the record with one more in Lincoln's final game next week.

Timmy Dunn led the Blue Tiger defense with eight tackles while Jamell Tombah and Tyrone Moore each had seven. Darryl Blackmon made five tackles, including one for a loss, and John Rose posted one solo sack while assisting on a second with Michael Lloyd. Markuice Savage made five solo tackles and broke up two passes while John McCain and Faleoga Russell were each credited with quarterback hurries. Treston Pulley contributed six tackles, including 1.5 for loss.

Other notable performances by Blue Tigers included Draine catching five passes for 96 yards, Henderson finishing with 42 yards on three receptions and Percy Turner making two grabs for 37 yard. Julio Segura also had a big day in the kicking game, averaging 36.0 yards on punts with three pinning NSU inside its 20 and 56.1 yards on kickoffs with two touchbacks.

The Blue Tigers will close out the 2013 season at home next Saturday (Nov. 16) when Lincoln hosts Southwest Baptist at 2:00 p.m. CT. That game will be Senior Day, with 17 LU seniors playing their final game at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.

By Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
COURTESY LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI SPORTS INFORMATION

Box Score

Jackson State rallies past Alabama A&M to clinch SWAC Eastern Division title

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama  -- The story hasn’t changed much for Jackson State — slow beginnings, strong finishes.

The Tigers clawed back to defeat Alabama A&M 26-20 on Saturday afternoon at Louis Crews Stadium.

“It doesn’t matter,” Tigers coach Rick Comegy said. “I would like to start a little faster, but I’ll take it. If that’s the way we play, that’s the way we play. If that’s our ammo, that’s our ammo.”



But there was reason to worry when Jackson State (8-2, 8-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) trailed 13-0 in the opening of the second quarter. The Tigers had two turnovers in the first quarter alone — a fumble loss and interception — and struggled to get out of its own side of the field.

The Bulldogs (3-7, 3-5 SWAC) did what they did best — play defense. As the league leader in total defense and No. 6 in the FCS, Alabama A&M held Jackson State to only 32 offensive yards in the first quarter, opposed to its 169.

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Hampton rushing attack leads Pirates over NCCU Eagles

HAMPTON, Virginia  –  Thanks to 256 yards on the ground, the Hampton University football team held on to defeat North Carolina Central 29-21 at a blustery Armstrong Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Pirates (4-6, 4-2 MEAC) have won four of their last five games.

"We had to make it interesting," head coach Donovan Rose joked. "But I'll take the win."

Freshman Marcus Hampton (Williamstown, N.J.) led the Pirates with a career-high 166 rushing yards on 16 carries. He averaged 10.4 yards per carry and scored a touchdown on the day. Junior Jorrian Washington (Los Angeles, Calif.) added 72 yards on the ground on 22 carries.

Washington also had two touchdowns on the day.

Freshman quarterback Bryan Bailey (Woodruff, S.C.) completed 21 of his 31 passes for 226 yards. Senior Antwon Chisholm (Belle Glade, Fla.) caught a team-high eight passes for 89 yards on the afternoon.

"This is who we are," Rose said of the Pirates' rushing attack. "This is who we have to be. We're a running team, and we're more than just (Washington). Marcus showed that today."

The Pirates were up 29-21 after a 33-yard field goal from freshman Anthony Prevost (Chesterfield, Va.) with 1:18 to play, but the Eagles responded with a 38-yard kickoff return and a long completion from Jordan Reid.



But two throws later, senior Carvin Johnson (New Orleans, La.) made a leaping, one-handed interception at the 2-yard line to end NCCU's hopes of a comeback.

From there, all the Pirates had to do was take a knee.

NCCU (4-6, 2-4 MEAC) jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the opening kickoff after Adrian Wilkins took the kick 96 yards for the touchdown. Hampton first cracked the scoreboard with 6:43 left in the first quarter after a 22-yard field goal from Prevost to cut NCCU's lead to 7-3.

The Pirates took a 10-7 lead with 14:46 left in the second quarter, capping off a 13-play, 80-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run from Hampton. After forcing an NCCU three-and-out, Hampton scored again when Washington found the endzone from two yards out to cap a 13-play, 95-yard drive and take a 17-7 lead with 10:03 left in the half.

NCCU got on the board again with 6:54 left in the half, when Deyonta Wright ran in from eight yards out to cut Hampton's lead to 17-14.

Prevost hit a 42-yard field goal with 35 seconds left in the half to put the Pirates up 20-14.

Washington's second touchdown of the afternoon came with 8:58 left in the third quarter, when he scored from seven yards out to cap an 8-play, 47-yard drive and take a 26-14 lead after a failed PAT attempt.

Reid cut the lead to 26-21 with a 14-yard run with 4:35 left in the third quarter.

Senior linebacker Delbert Tyler (Monroeville, Pa.) led the Pirates defensively with 11 tackles, leaving him 23 shy of the all-time career tackle mark set by Gareth Brooks. Tyler also had a sack, one of four on the day for the Pirates.

Junior defensive lineman Charles Owens (Upper Marlboro, Md.) had two sacks.

"This might sound bad," Rose said, "but pretty much the moment this game ended, my first thought was Bethune-Cookman. That would be a big statement win for us if we could pull that off."

The Pirates will hit the road on Saturday to take on Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Fla. at 4 p.m. For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

Box Score



COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Murray and Rodriguez power TSU past Norfolk State 95-83 in season opener

HOUSTON, Texas  -- In their opening game of the season the Texas Southern Tigers basketball team got impressive debut performances from Aaric Murray and Jose Rodriguez as the duo combined for 58 of Texas Southern's 95 points.

Texas Southern shot 58.9 percent from the field going 33-of-56 including an 8-of-17 showing from beyond the arc. Collectively the ball movement was good for TSU as they distributed 21 assists as a team.

D'Angelo Scott chipped in 12 points and fellow teammate Ray Penn dished out 10 assists as the Tigers clicked on all cylinders the majority of the night in route to a dominating victory over the MEAC's Preseason #1 pick the Norfolk State Spartans.

"I thought we played well tonight," said TSU head coach Mike Davis. "There's always things we can improve on but overall we're very pleased with the way we went out and performed tonight against a quality opponent."

Texas Southern got 11 points in transition while also tallying 13 second chance points. The Tigers took a 47-32 lead into intermission and never looked back. Overall Murray went 12-of-23 from the field in what was his first career game as a member of the Texas Southern basketball team.

Rodriquez's performance was equally impressive as he was the definition of efficiency throughout the evening going 9-of-12 from the floor and a perfect 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. He tallied a double-double during the contest pulling down 11 boards to go along with two assists and one blocked shot.

"Aaric and Jose have a lot of talent and it showed out there tonight," said Davis. "As a team we've been working hard each day in practice and tonight they were able to reap some of the benefits of that hard work."

Texas Southern plays host to Wiley College on Monday, November 11^th at 2:00 pm at the H&PE Arena.

Box Score

COURTESY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Miles upsets Tuskegee 41-36 to advance to SIAC championship

Miles celebrates SIAC West title win 11.09.2013 (al.com)

TUSKEGEE, Alabama --- Miles did just about anything it wanted in the first half and everything it needed to in the second half of its 41-36 upset victory against defending Southern Intercollegiate Athletic champion Tuskegee Saturday.

The Golden Bears forced four first-half turnovers to take a 20-point lead into the break and held off the surging Golden Tigers in the second half to punch its ticket to next week's conference title game at Lakewood Stadium in Atlanta. "They got fight in them. They don't quit," Miles coach Reginald Ruffin said of this team which won its third-straight since losing to previously winless Central State (Ohio) on the road.

"I got a good group of guys that I love, guys that come to work, guys that don't anything to embarrass the institution. Guys that work hard in the classroom. We're real proud of our guys."

The Golden Bears (6-3, 6-1) will face Albany State (Ga.) at 6 p.m. next Saturday for the SIAC title. It will be Miles second appearance in the league title game in three seasons under Ruffin. The former Tuskegee assistant led the Golden Bears to the league title in his first season in 2011.



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FAMU Lady Rattlers Win Opener 69-64 Over JU Dolphins

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Nov.8) – The Florida A&M Lady Rattlers got their season off to a good start with an impressive 69-64 win over the visiting Jacksonville University Dolphins today at the Al Lawson Center on “Field Trip Day,” where hundreds of elementary school students packed the gym to support the Lady Rattlers.

Jasmine Grice led the Lady Rattlers with 16 points, much like she has done over the last three seasons at FAMU.  But, the team now boasts legitimate-sized post players, who at times took the game their way.  Head coach LeDawn Gibson said getting size in the middle was a priority for the Lady Rattlers. “Last season we played with post players who were 5’8” and 5’9”, so we went out and got some big girls.  Some of our returnees like Patrice Collie came in and got some big baskets for us, but once our new girls get the system down, they will add more of an impact later,” she said.

Collie chipped in 10 second half points to keep the Lady Rattlers in the fold when the game was tight.  The newcomers Gibson recruited to help bolster the team’s inside play were Taneka Rubin who added 11 points, and Adenike Dawodu scored 10, to round out the quartet of Lady Rattlers in double figures.

Gibson felt that the team began to gel during the game and will only improve during the season.  “For the first game, I thought we did pretty good.  The first half was merely jitters, but the second half we gained our composure and did our defensive assignments, which helped us out a lot,” she said.



Grice welcomes the well-rounded approach to the team this season.  “To start off, shots weren’t falling and our defensive rotation was not there.  Once we started talking and communicating with one another, that’s when we started having success.  Our inside game has really gotten better.  It helps free us up and takes some of the stress off us,” she said.

FAMU shot 39.1 percent from the field for the game, 18.2 percent from three-point range and 73.9 percent from the free throw line.  Jamie Foreman led the team on the boards with eight rebounds.  Rubin grabbed six rebounds, while Grice pulled down five.

For Jacksonville, Sherranda Reddick lit up the scoreboard with a game-high 26 points, including 6-for-9 from the three-point stripe.  Queen Alford would be the only remaining Dolphin in double figures with 13 points.  Briona Brown led all rebounders with 11 for JU.

With the game in the balance in the second half, the sixth man jumped in on cue.  The hundreds of kids began shouting “Let’s Go Rattlers,” and even began doing the wave.   The Lady Rattlers were down by three points at the time, but used the crowd to gather momentum. 

“They (kids) definitely helped.  The atmosphere was unbelievable.  I’m a little hoarse because I couldn’t scream louder than all those kids, but I think it was a great idea for us to do this and to bring that atmosphere back to FAMU,” Gibson said.

The kids came from schools across Leon and Gadsden counties. They were accompanied by several teachers, faculty and chapperones who added to the atmosphere.  Grice, from Quincy, Fla., was particularly surprised to see so many folks from Gadsden County.  “It was very big for all of these kids to be out here.  I know it was personally very big for me.  For my hometown to come, and me not even know they were coming.  To see so many familiar faces was added motivation for me,” Grice concluded.

The Lady Rattlers will travel to Troy, Ala., to take on the Troy Trojans on Nov.10 in a non-conference matchup.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC RELEASE