Mayor's Cup UAH vs. A&M game deserves more noise than it got (Mark McCarter column)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - This was a reboot after waiting far too long. Here's hoping it's a fresh start to a tradition.

It had been 15 years since Alabama A&M and UAH met in basketball in the Mayor's Cup. Though this one went the same as most - A&M won 79-73 to take a 19-5 advantage (see game story here) - it's really ancient history to dig into stats and records that might as well be hieroglyphics. These two programs now look no more the way they did 15 years ago than you look like your senior yearbook picture.

The first era of the Mayor's Cup was dial-up. This is high-speed. UAH has blossomed into a national Division II powerhouse. A&M endured the growing pains into Division I, made the NCAA "big dance," sputtered a while but has put together its best team since 2005.

The Mayor's Cup was played where it should have been played: at the Von Braun Center's facelifted Propst Arena. This merited the big stage and neutral site.

It merits encore after encore.

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Johnson, 9-0 as WSSU's starting quarterback, eager for postseason

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- It was 28 degrees Wednesday morning, and Winston-Salem State had just finished a spirited two-hour practice that started at 6 a.m.

As quarterback Rudy Johnson stood outside the locker room at the Bowman Gray Stadium field house, he shivered while answering a few questions.

"I’m not sure if I’ve ever been this cold,” said Johnson, a junior from San Diego.

Managing the weather is just one of the many adjustments Johnson has made this season. He also has adjusted nicely to Coach Connell Maynor’s offensive system.

Johnson, who played at Texas Southern before transferring, has navigated the Rams through the regular season, compiling a 9-0 record as the starter after taking over in the second game. He also was voted the first-team All-CIAA quarterback.

"This is the postseason coming up, so it’s go time,” Johnson said of Saturday’s CIAA championship game against Virginia State (1 p.m. at Bowman Gray, WTOB 1380).

Johnson has done his ...

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Virginia State Trojan teams headed to Winston-Salem

ETTRICK, Virginia -- With the Virginia State University football and women's volleyball teams heading to Winston-Salem, N.C., for their CIAA championship match-ups against Winston-Salem State Saturday, the intuition held a press conference Wednesday afternoon for the occasion.

VSU President Keith T. Miller was in attendance to give his congratulations and express admiration for both the teams' athletic achievements and academic accomplishments.

"This is a great story. Not only because the sports success, but it's always great when student athletes have athletic success and success in the classrooms," he said.

The Trojan football team, led by first year coach Latrell Scott, look to bring home the school's first CIAA championship trophy since it's back-to-back titles in '95-'96.

"We hope to get this win and bring the title back to Petersburg," said Scott at the Wednesday media presser.

Scott knows that lifting the crown from the current back-to-back CIAA champion's heads won't be easy.

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Jordan Anderson’s record-setting season leads VSU to CIAA title game



Jordan Anderson
Courtesy VSU Athletics

ETTRICK, Virginia -— Before his arrival, Jordan Anderson knew nothing of Virginia State. In fact, he said he was unfamiliar with most of Virginia’s colleges and universities when he returned to the commonwealth his junior year of high school.

“The only school I knew about was (Virginia) Tech because of Michael Vick,” he said. “That’s when I used to live in Hampton when I was little.”

Vick starred at Warwick High School in Newport News before leading the Hokies to their only national championship-game appearance in 2000. He now is a quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Anderson spent seven years in Hampton before his family moved to Arkansas and then to Centreville. From there, he went to play for James Madison. And despite being clueless about Virginia State, when he decided to use his last year of eligibility somewhere other than JMU, he plunged in.

In doing so, Anderson has rushed to the best season in VSU history while helping lead the Trojans into Saturday’s Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association title game against Winston-Salem State.

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NCCU Women's Basketball Earns First Season-Opening Win Since DI Transition

CLINTON, South Carolina – A new-looking North Carolina Central University women's basketball team seized its first season-opening victory since transitioning to division I under second-year head coach Vanessa Taylor as the Lady Eagles defeated the Presbyterian Blue Hose 55-44 on Thursday, Nov. 14 in Clinton, S.C.

NCCU (1-0) featured a lineup of four newcomers including senior transfer Jessica Freeman (Charlotte, N.C.) who led the game with 18 points. She hit 7 of her 15 field goal attempts, 3-of-5 shots from three-point land and finished 1-of-3 from the charity stripe. Freeman was joined in double figures by junior transfer Racquel Davis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) who collected her first double-double in a NCCU uniform. Davis amassed 14 points during the victory along with a game-best 15 rebounds while finishing a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line, as her four helped the Lady Eagles to a 15-of-20 (75 percent) combined effort.

The tenacious NCCU defense forced Presbyterian (0-2) into 16 turnovers which the Lady Eagles converted into 18 points.

The Blue Hose were guided by 10 points each from Noelle Carter and Keyonna Allen.

NCCU never trailed during the contest scoring first off of a single made free throw from junior transfer Khyra Conerly (Oakland, Calif.). The Lady Eagles pushed four more points off of a steal and basket from Freeman and two made shots from the charity stripe from senior Tiffany Gary (Delray Beach, Fla.) to start the game on a 5-0 run.

A three-point basket made from PC's Kasey Hobbie, 5 minutes and 29 seconds into the first half, put the Blue Hose of the board for the first time in the game and cut NCCU's lead to its smallest deficit of two at 5-3.



Back-to-back three's from freshman Morgan Jones (Stockbridge, Ga.) and Freeman with nine minutes left in first half action kept the offensive momentum in the hands of NCCU for the remainder of the first frame.

The Lady Eagles led by as many as nine in the first half, forced nine Presbyterian turnovers and took a ten point, 26-16, lead into the locker room.  

Carter started the second 20 minutes of action for PC with a made basket from behind the arc two seconds into play cutting the NCCU lead to seven.

The next five minutes of action the Lady Eagles swapped baskets with the Blue Hose before Freeman stole the ball from Carter and showed off her ball handling skills with a pass behind the back to Conerly sparking the Lady Eagles offense.

After rookie Alexus Hynes (Houston, Texas) was fouled on a made layup converting the basket into a three-point-play, Freeman duplicated her teammate and pushed NCCU's largest lead of the ball game to 14 at the 11:58 mark, 45-31.

Exchanging free throws on the both ends of the court in the final 90 seconds of play, the Lady Eagles sealed the 55-44 victory with Davis grasping her final rebound of the contest in the closing seconds.

Collectively, on the offensive end, NCCU shot 18-of-48 from the field (37.5%) and four-of-nine from behind the three-point line (44.4%). The Lady Eagles also collected a game-high 43 team rebounds, nine steals, seven assists and two blocks.

NCCU returns to the court Sunday, Nov. 17 at 4  p.m. in Durham, N.C., as the Lady Eagles welcome Presbyterian's fellow Big South Conference member, Coastal Carolina to McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium in their 2013-14 home-opener.

Box Score

By Andrea Wheeler, Assistant Sports Information Director
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Albany State linebacker Stanley returns to football to lead Rams

Courtesy ASU Athletics

ALBANY, Georgia -- Glen Stanley knows all about long-winding journeys that take you where you least expect.

So when the Albany State football team needed to go on its own odyssey to fight back from a 1-4 record and capture an East Division title, Stanley knew how to lead the way.

And as a result, the senior linebacker has become the face of the Rams’ four-game winning streak, recording each of his team-leading 4.5 sacks in the past three games and finishing Saturday’s win against Fort Valley State in the Fountain City Classic with 10 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.

He’s been a menace to opposing offenses in the last month with two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, a defensive touchdown and eight tackles for loss.

“He has been a huge plus for us and has made a huge difference in our pass rush,” ASU coach Mike White said. “He is a football player in every sense of the word. He is very wise. You can’t get him with the same thing twice.”

But as long-winding journeys tend to go, Stanley never saw his route ending in Albany.

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FAMU 63 Stetson 60: Reggie Lewis' Three Free Throws Top SU

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Reggie Lewis nailed three free throws with two seconds left in the game to give the Florida A&M Men’s Basketball team a 63-60 win over Stetson University in the Rattlers' home opener, here Thursday night at the Al Lawson Center.

Jamie Adams gave the Rattlers a 6-5 lead with a made three pointer with 15:34 to in the first. The Rattlers would then go up 14-10.

Stetson would then tie the contest at 16-16 won a Glasford three pointer with a 8:12 left in the first.

FAMU would then close out the first half with a 16-5 run to a 32-23 lead into the break.

The Rattlers finished the first half shooting 44.0 percent (11-25), whereas Stetson shot 33.3 percent (8-of-24).



FAMU (1-2) was led by Adams as he scored a game high 23 points to lead all scorers. Lewis finished the contest with 14. Walter Davis led the Rattlers on the boards with seven, while both Bobby King and Trey Kellum finished the contest with six each.

Stetson (0-3) had three Hatters to score in double-figures as Aaron Graham scored a team high 14 points, followed by Raekwon Harney with 12, while Kentwan Smith chipped in 11. Brian Pegg led the Hatters on the boards with six.

In the second half, a Davis layup with 14:40 left to go in the second gave the Rattlers a 41-30 lead.

Stetson would then cut FAMU’s lead to 44-40 on a Harney layup with 10:48 to go in the second, capping a 10-5 run by the Hatters.

The Hatters would then tie the contest at 60-60 on a made Willie Green free with 1:14 to go in the game, capping an 11-3 run by Stetson.

Stetson’s Harney would then foul Lewis with two seconds in the game, resulting in him hitting all three free throws for the 63-60 win.

FAMU finished the second half shooting 39.3 percent (11-of-28), while shoooting 61.9 percent (13-21) from the free throw line. .

WHAT’S NEXT: The Rattlers will return to action as they will travel to Toledo, Ohio to take on the University of Toledo on Monday, Nov. 18 in a 7 p.m. start.

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Hampton University Sailing Team Captain -- Gopeesingh Named Rhodes Scholar Finalist

Joshua Gopeesingh
(Courtesy Hampton University Relations)

HAMPTON, Virginia  -- Hampton University senior Joshua Gopeesingh, a chemical engineering major has been named a finalist for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.  He will interview in Barbados on Nov. 23.

Out of approximately 1,000 applicants who are endorsed by their respective universities, only 200 are named as finalists in hopes of becoming an American Rhodes Scholar.  Rhodes Scholars further their studies at Oxford University in England.

Native of Trinidad, Gopeesingh is a student in the Honors College and captain of the HU sailing team.  He was awarded the Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar Award this year as well.  Gopeesingh has a 3.76 grade-point average and during the summer months has conducted research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Syracuse University.

The Rhodes Scholarship board also looks for a student who posses potential for leadership, and an unselfish commitment to others and the common good.

"In addition to being a young man of sterling character, great affability, athletic accomplishment, and tremendous academic achievement, Josh is humble," said Dr. Sabin P. Duncan, Director of Hampton University's Freddye T. Davy Honors College, "In my opinion, his humility is the bow on the gift of his potential as a Rhodes Scholar."

Upon graduating, Gopeesingh aims to complete a master's in engineering, specializing in sustainable development.  His ultimate goal is to have an active role in Trinidad's government under the energy sector and implement better ways of getting utilities, like water and electricity, to the impoverished communities.

Gopeesingh has already taken steps in doing so way before the Rhodes Scholarship was on the horizon.  He and his family started a charity organization to help build an orphanage and be a voice in approaching businesses and companies for financial support.

"The Rhodes Scholar community is filled with world leaders who advocate for humanitarian rights and I hope to make an impact of my own on society," said Gopeesingh.

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(Photo Courtesy: Hampton University Athletics)

VUL coaches probe game-ending brawl

LYNCHBURG, Virginia -- Five days after a fight prompted referees to shut down Virginia University of Lynchburg’s homecoming game against North Carolina’s Livingstone College at City Stadium, VUL coaches continue to look into Saturday’s incident.

“It’s a learning experience for our players on what to do and what not to do,” VUL football coach and acting athletic director Luther Palmer said Wednesday.

“We had some suspensions because that’s not the way we do things and the young men know that,” Palmer said. He added he will hold the players involved in the fight out of the Dragons final game of the season Saturday at UNC Pembroke.

The fight, which injured no players, police or spectators, started in the fourth quarter — the third straight game in which VUL’s Aaron Johnson returned a kick for a touchdown.

It left VUL with a 42-13 loss.

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Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools takes adverse action against Virginia University of Lynchburg

FOREST, Virginia  --  Virginia University Lynchburg was placed on Probation at the October 28-29, 2013, TRACS Accreditation Commission Meeting.

The Accreditation Commission voted on October 29, 2013, to place VUL on Probation for failure to adequately maintain the financial stability of the institution and non-compliance with TRACS Standards 17.1, 17.3, 17. 4, 17.5, and 17.7.  VUL will have one year to come into compliance with these Standards, with a first Progress Report due February 15, 2014, and a second Progress Report due August 15, 2014.

In addition, in their action, the Accreditation Commission identified the following two conditions, which will allow TRACS to monitor the financial stability of VUL:
• That monthly financial statements, beginning with October 2013, be submitted to the TRACS office, no later than 20 days after the month’s end
• That VUL submit to the TRACS office an internal trial balance as of June 30, 2014, submitted no later than August 1, 2014, and its annual audit for the year ending June 30, 2014, by September 1, 2014. VUL must document compliance with the above noted Standards on or before the date of the second report and provide the documentation required by the Commission action, to be made available to the Accreditation Commission at the October 22-24, 2014, Commission meeting. At that time, the Commission could remove VUL from Probation, continue the Probation for another year, or require VUL to Show Cause as to why its Accredited Status should not be removed.

This Accreditation Commission action underscores the fact that financial stability is at the core of TRACS’ responsibility as a gatekeeper for Federal Title IV Funds, and the importance of VUL moving aggressively to fully address the concerns which necessitated that the Accreditation Commission take such action.

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Air Force Falcons' Rally Falls Short to Jackson State, 84-82

JSU HEAD COACH WAYNE BRENT
(Courtesy JSU Athletics)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado  -- Javeres Brent scored 17 points and Julysses Nobles added 16 and hit five of six free throws in the final two minutes to lead Jackson State to an 84-82 win over Air Force Thursday night in a non-conference game at Clune Arena.

Jackson State closed the first half on a 10-3 run and opened the second half with a 6-0 spurt to take its biggest lead of the game, 47-32 with 18:04 remaining. The Tigers led by 15 on two other occasions and never lost the lead throughout the second half. Air Force, trailing 64-51 with 7:38 left, went on an 18-9 run to cut the lead to four points, 73-69, with 1:48 remaining. Tre’ Coggins scored seven points to key the run.

The teams exchanged baskets until Max Yon sandwiched a pair of three-points around two Coggins layups, the last coming with 15 seconds left to tie the score at 82. Nobles added two free throws with 13 seconds left to seal the win for the Tigers. Air Force’s Callum Long missed a driving six-footer with six seconds left and Jackson State got the rebound to end the game. The Tigers hit 11 of 14 free throws in the final 1:36 to keep the Falcons from completing the comeback.

Jackson State hit 51.1 percent from the field, including seven of 11 from three-point range (63.6%) and had five players in double figures. Treshawn Bolden added 14 points, while Brandon West added 13 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots. Derell Taylor chipped in with 10 points.

The Falcons were led by Coggins, who scored a career-high 35 points on 12-of-15 shooting, including five of six from three-point range. Yon added a career-high 22 points and hit six of 10 three-pointers. The Falcons finished the game hitting 47.4 percent from the field, including a 12-of-26 clip from three-point distance. Air Force was just 16 of 26 from the line and were out-rebounded 35-29.

Air Force continues its eight-game homestand on Sunday, Nov. 17 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff beginning at 2 p.m.

USATSI Gallery 
Final Stats


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S.C. State rolls past Morgan State 38-3

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- The final home game for 14 South Carolina State seniors turned into a personal showcase for the team’s future.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Adrian Kollack rushed for three touchdowns and passed for another in the first quarter to complement a dominating defensive performance to lead the Bulldogs to a 38-3 victory before 8,053 fans in Willie Jeffries Field at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

In winning for the ninth straight time and improving to 5-0 in nationally televised games on ESPNU, S.C. State held Morgan State to 134 total yards. Led by linebacker Joe Thomas of Blackville-Hilda’s team-high 10 tackles, the Football Championship Subdivision leader in rushing yards held the Bears to 85 on the ground and forced two fumbles.

S.C. State also increased its nation-leading sack total with five against the Morgan State duo of Josh Council and Seth Higgins. The Bears’ duo was held to 5-23 passing for 49 yards and an interception.
The third straight win moved the Bulldogs (8-3, 6-1) a half-game ahead of Bethune-Cookman for first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Should the Wildcats lose one of their final two games, the Bulldogs can clinch the conference title outright with a win Nov. 23 at Norfolk State.

Kollack’s two rushing scores came ...

PHOTO GALLERY: South Carolina State vs. Morgan State

Highlights  » 

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Grambling State Edges New Orleans Privateers

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana – The New Orleans Privateers women's basketball team fell to the Grambling State Tigers, 76-52, in the Lakefront Arena on Thursday night to open the home slate of the 2013-14 schedule.

The Privateers (0-2) were led by freshmen Dannisha Jackson and Raven Coleman, with coming off the bench to score 12 and 10 points, respectively.  Jackson also added three rounds to her stat line, while Coleman had four rebounds and a steal.  Registering a season-high 13 rebounds was sophomore Mathilde Fogelstrom.  Fogelstrom also finished with three assists, a block and steal.

Grambling State (1-2) picked up its first win of the season, largely due in part of a 30-point, 11-rebound effort from Joanna Miller.  Miller was also perfect from the charity stripe, connecting on all 13 of her free throw attempts.  Following Miller in double-digit scoring were Tyler Anderson and Victoya Ricks with 20 and 10 points, respectively.

The Tigers built a 19-point lead near the end of the first half via a three-ball from Miller and managed to go into the locker room at halftime with a 38-23 halftime advantage.  As a team, the Tigers shot 45.5 percent (15-of-33) from the floor and connected on 42.9 percent (3-of-7) of its three-point attempts to build the halftime lead.

After the intermission, Grambling State continued to have success shooting and went on to finish the game with a 41.5 percentage (27-of-65).  The Privateers never caught fire, finishing the game by shooting 28.3 percent (17-of-60) from the floor.

The Privateers travel to Mississippi State on Sunday with a 4 p.m. tip-off. New Orleans will return to the Lakefront Arena on Saturday, November 23 when they host Jacksonville State at 1 p.m.  The men's game versus Boise State will precede the game, tipping at 11 a.m.

 Box Score       


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Samford Women's Basketball Falls On Buzzer-Beater To Talladega College

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Talladega College's Tianna Jones hit a layup as time expired to lift the Tornado women's basketball team to a 50-49 win at Samford Thursday night in the Pete Hanna Center.

"You have to give Talladega all of the credit," Samford head coach Mike Morris said. "They came in here and outplayed us tonight."

In a game that was tight throughout, Samford had taken a 49-48 lead on a layup by Brittany Stevens with just five seconds to go. After a timeout by Talladega, Jones drove to the basket, and her layup went through the net as time expired.

With the loss, Samford drops to 1-1 on the young season. Talladega College has a record of 5-0.

In the game, Samford was led by Ellen Riggins with 15 points and nine rebounds. Hannah Nichols scored nine points, while Shelby Campbell followed with eight points and six rebounds.

For Talladega College, Jamie Robinson scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Jones and Arielle George added 10 points each for the Tornadoes.

In the first half, with Samford leading, 4-3, Talladega went on a 13-4 run to take a 16-8 lead with 10:48 to go in the half after a jumper by Robinson. Samford answered with a 10-0 run of its own to take an 18-16 lead with 6:01 to go in the half after a three-pointer by Nichols.

With Samford leading, 21-18, Talladega scored seven of the last 10 points of the half to take a 25-24 advantage into halftime.

Samford scored the first five points of the second half to take a 29-25 lead with 18:44 to go after a pair of free throws by Riggins. The Bulldogs stretched their lead out to seven points at 37-30 with 14:31 to go following a layup by Riggins.

Talladega, however, scored the next eight points to take a 38-37 lead with 12:45 left after a layup by Robinson. Samford scored the next four points to take a 41-38 lead with 8:36 to go after two free throws by Riggins. The lead went back and forth for the remainder of the game, with Jones' layup at the buzzer giving the Tornadoes the 50-49 win.

Samford will return to action on Monday, Nov. 18, when the Bulldogs play at North Florida. The game is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. (CT) start form Jacksonville, Fla. The contest can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu.


Box Score

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Parker and Sidney lead the way as TSU defeats HBU 82-70 at H&PE Arena

HOUSTON, Texas  --  Texas Southern Lady Tigers guard Jazzmin Parker erupted for 30 points as she helped lead her team to an 82-70 win over Houston Baptist on Thursday night at the H&PE Arena.

The Lady Tigers (2-1) captured their second win of the season in convincing fashion as Brianna Sidney added 20 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists. Morgan Simmons put up a double-double scoring 13 points while adding 15 rebounds.

Crystal Anyiem rejected three shot while scoring five points along with Ashley Ferguson who also tallied five points. Alexus Johnson added six points as the Lady Tigers scored 16 points in transition while also scoring 27 points off of HBU turnovers.

Texas Southern went into halftime leading the Huskies 37-33 while going on to outscore HBU in the games' final stanza 45-37. Overall TSU shot 46 percent from the field15-of-26 from the free throw line. The Lady Tigers will return to H&PE Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 19 to face McNeese State at 7:00 pm.

Box Score
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Gold Rush are 4-0 again after defeating Wiley 86-73

NEW ORLEANS -- Senior guard Xavier Rogers scored a career-high 23 points Thursday to lead NAIA No. 19 Xavier University of Louisiana to an 86-73 men's basketball victory against Wiley.

The Gold Rush are 4-0 for the 10th time in 11 seasons.

Rogers made four 3-pointers and scored 14 points to lead Xavier to a 45-39 halftime advantage. Wiley (1-1) closed the gap to 45-44 with 16:52 remaining and trailed 60-56 at 6:47 before Xavier sophomore RJ Daniels scored six points during a decisive 11-3 run.

Daniels, who did not start, finished with a career-high 17 points in 15 minutes. Morris Wright and Sydney Coleman scored 16 apiece for the Gold Rush. Coleman added seven rebounds, five assists and four steals and became the first XU newcomer since the 2003-04 season to score in double figures in the first four games.

Rogers and Wright had five assists apiece, and Xavier finished with a season-high 23 assists on 30 made field goals.

Phillip Miller, who scored 31 points in Wiley's opener, led the Wildcats with 17. Henry Sidney and Corey Blake scored 16 points apiece. Sidney made 3-of-3 3-pointers.

Xavier shot better than 50 percent from the floor for the fourth consecutive game. The Gold Rush finished at 50.8 percent and limited Wiley to 38.6. Xavier committed 22 turnovers but gained a season-high 26.

Xavier's next game will start at 7 p.m. Tuesday against city rival Loyola.

Box score

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

AAMU Bulldogs Win the 2013 Mayor's Cup, 79-73 over UAH

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – With 2,426 in attendance for the first Mayor' Cup basketball game since 1998 in the Von Braun center the Alabama A&M Bulldogs claimed a 79-73 victory over the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

In the first meeting between the two programs in 15 years. UAH slips to 1-2 on the season with the setback, while the Bulldogs improve to 1-1 with the win.

UAH led at the half 34-27 after shooting 40 percent from the floor while limiting A&M to hit just under 36 percent of its attempts in the opening half, and the Chargers would enjoy a 10-point advantage after a Troy Saxton 3-pointer made it 57-47 with 8:36 to go.

The Bulldogs would then tear off a 13-2 run to completely erase the deficit and take a 60-59 lead with just under five minutes remaining in the contest.

UAH would momentarily halt the A&M run with one of six 3-pointers to put the Chargers back on top at the 4:23 mark, but Jeremy Crutcher responded with a trey of his own to put his team back ahead eventually not allowing UAH to ever go back in front again in the contest.

In the second half, A&M shot a season high 61.5 percent from the floor en route to outscoring UAH 52-39 in the period.

Ronnie Mack led the Chargers in the contest as he scored 20, while Demarquelle Tabb paced A&M with 16 points and seven rebounds..

Joining Tabb in double figures was Jeremy Crutcher with 15, Jose Long and Tyler Davis with 11 apiece. Senior Green Hill posted 10 points and four assists.

A&M will hit the road enroute to Kalamazoo, Michigan for a Sunday, November 17^th, date with Western Michigan. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

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Former O-W star Riley to sign with S.C. State

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- Add another O-W product to the list of signees come Friday.

Former Orangeburg-Wilkinson star Tashombe Riley will reportedly sign with South Carolina State according to a source close to the Bruins basketball program.

Riley, a 2012-13 T&D All-Area first team selection, averaged 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks per game in his final year with the Bruins. Those numbers were good enough to earn him an appearance in the Carolinas All-Star Classic as well as the Region 8-AAA Player of the Year award and a spot on the Class 3-A All-State team.

Riley spent time with Gray Military before committing to South Carolina State last week according to Bruins head coach Tracey Gamble.

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Hampton U. prepares for MEAC leader Bethune-Cookman

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(MSUTTON PHOTOGRAPHY)

HAMPTON, Virginia — In recent weeks, the motivational message for Hampton University was at times intangible. Pride. Character. Fresh start. Play for each other.

The message is simple and apparent this week: defending champs.

The Pirates (4-6, 4-2 MEAC) travel to Bethune-Cookman (8-2, 5-1 MEAC) to face the league leader and defending champion at 4 p.m. Saturday in Daytona Beach, Fla.

"I don't have to remind the guys what's at stake," HU coach Donovan Rose said. "They're 5-1 and we're 4-2, so we get an opportunity to tie them in the conference. There's some other things going on with other schools, but what a great situation to come back and play the defending champions and to be in a situation where you put yourself in the equation."

Bethune-Cookman arguably is the MEAC football standard bearer. The Wildcats won two of the past three titles and went to the playoffs in 2010 and '12 under Brian Jenkins. They're tied with South Carolina State atop the conference, but hold the tiebreaker by virtue of beating the Bulldogs earlier this season.

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Delaware State Bands' Activities Suspended as Result of Ongoing Investigation

DOVER, Delaware  -- Delaware State University has suspended the activities of all band music groups while the institution carries out an investigation of alleged hazing.

 

The suspension of all band performances – including those of the DSU Approaching Storm Marching Band, the DSU Jazz Ensembles, the Concert Band and the Pep Bands – encompasses all scheduled engagements throughout the remainder of the 2013 fall semester, including the University’s final home football game on Nov. 23.

 

Decisions concerning band activities during the 2014 spring semester will not be made until the conclusion of the ongoing investigation, which the University is conducting in conjunction with the DSU Police Department.

 

Dr. Alton Thompson, DSU provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, said that, as always, student safety is a paramount priority at DSU.

 

“The University takes these allegations of hazing very seriously, and as such, taking action immediately to suspend the band activities and thoroughly investigate the veracity of the charges is the only appropriate course,” Dr. Thompson said.

 

That action is in accordance with established University policy that requires an organization to be suspended while there is an ongoing investigation in connection with its activities and actions.

 

While the band performance activities are suspended, music-related academic classes will continue to take place.

 

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Delaware State suspends band, investigating hazing claims

Delaware State University suspends band music activities amid hazing investigation

TONIGHT: San Diego Toreros (2-0) at Morgan State

Game Notes

Game can be heard on ESPN 1700 AM with Andy Masur

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- The USD Toreros (2-0), coming off back-to-back season opening wins in their own USD Classic, head east this week for two road games. The Toreros face Morgan State (0-2) on Thursday at Hill Field House (4,500 seats) in Baltimore, Maryland.

On Saturday the Toreros will take on Northern Kentucky (0-2) at The Bank of Kentucky Center (9,400 seats) in Highland Heights, Kentucky. Both games are at 4:00 pm (PST).

SERIES RECORD: USD played both Northern Kentucky and Morgan State last season for the first time ever and came away with wins... The Toreros beat NKU 65-61 (Dennis Kramer, 15 points) in the first game of the NUCDF Basketball Challenge at the JCP on Nov. 14th, 2012; it was NKU's first game at the NCAA Division I level. USD held off Morgan State on Dec. 29th, 2012 by the score of 66-63 (Johnny Dee, 24 points).

RADIO: All USD home and away games will be broadcast live on ESPN 1700AM with Andy Masur (7th season) bringing you all the action; his pre-game shows air 15 minutes prior to tip-off.

WCC STANDINGS (thru Nov. 11th): San Diego (2-0), #14 Gonzaga (2-0), Saint Mary's (2-0), LMU (2-0), BYU (1-0), Pacific (1-0), Pepperdine (1-0), Portland (1-0), San Francisco (1-0), Santa Clara (1-0).

SCOUTING MORGAN STATE: The Bears are under the direction of head coach Todd Bozeman (8th year)... They are picked to finish second behind Norfolk State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference... Last season the Bears finished 17-15 overall and 10-6 in league... Senior guard Justin Black returns as the Bears leading scorer after averaging 14.2 points and 4.2 rebounds... Black was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team by the conference head coaches and sports information directors... Redshirt senior center Ian Chiles was named to the Second Team and senior Anthony Hubbard to the Third Team... The trio combined for 35 points, 16 rebounds and five assists last year... The Bears opened the 2013-14 season with an 89-50 loss at Ohio State... Black led the squad in scoring with 13 points and was followed by Chiles (12) and Hubbard (11)... Sophomore guard Rasean Simpson played at Lincoln High School in San Diego.

TORERO TIDBITS: For the third straight year the Toreros are off to a 2-0 start... The last USD team to get off to a 3-0 start was the 2002-03 club that downed Nevada (77-75), #14 UCLA (86-81, ot) and UC Riverside (84-64)... Just two games into his junior year, guard Johnny Dee is about to crack the 1,000 point milestone - he currently sits at 981 points... Junior guard Christopher Anderson, with 364 career assists, is already 4th all-time among Torero players - he is chasing #3 Wayman Strickland (408, 1988-92)... As expected, first year guard Duda Sanadze has already shown he can score with back-to-back double-digit outings (14 vs. SDSU, 11 vs. GCU)... Senior forward Dennis Kramer is off to a solid start with averages of 11.5 points and a team-best 8.0 rebounds.... Next week the Toreros host San Diego Christian College on Nov. 21st at 7:00 pm.

COACH GRIER (7TH YEAR): Coach Bill Grier (Oregon, 1990) is in his seventh season at the helm of the USD program... Last year's squad finished 16-18 overall and advanced to the semifinals of the WCC Tournament where they just missed out on advancing to the title game... The Toreros were playing their best basketball down the stretch highlighted by two wins over BYU... The 2011-12 team finished 13-18, winning 4 of its final 6 regular-season WCC games before falling to BYU by just 5 points in WCC quarterfinals... The 2010-11 season was highlighted by a 74-66 home win over #23 Saint Mary's, along with a 67-64 win over Utah... The 2009-10 season was highlighted by wins over Stanford, #25 Oklahoma, Houston and Boise State... His 2008-09 campaign (16-16) was highlighted by road wins over Oregon and Mississippi State... In his rookie year (2007-08) he guided the Toreros to an overall mark of 22-14 and 3rd place finish in the WCC race at 11-3... He guided the Toreros to three wins and the championship title at the WCC Tournament with wins over Pepperdine, Saint Mary's and No. 20 Gonzaga... The Toreros then upset No. 15 UCONN in the NCAA Tourney opener with a 70-69 overtime victory, before falling to Western Kentucky in the second round... His 11 WCC wins were the second most for league wins in a single season in program history... Grier is USD's 11th head coach overall and just the 4th head coach since the Torero program moved to the NCAA Division I ranks in 1979-80... His 22 wins in 2007-08 were also the most by a Torero coach in his first season at USD. In addition to knocking off Kentucky on the road, 81-72, the Toreros earned three wins over Top-25 teams: #21 Saint Mary's, #20 Gonzaga and #15 Connecticut... Bill and his wife, Nicole, have two daughters, Giselle & Ashley.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Southern in no rush to run

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- Southern didn’t need much of a running game in its 31-28 victory at Alabama State last week.

And the way things are going, it might not need much of one to keep winning.

The Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division champion Jaguars (6-4) had their second-fewest carries of the season (24) and produced their third-fewest rushing yards (55) against the Hornets. For the season, they rank last in the SWAC in rushing yards per game (86.6) and per attempt (2.7).

Over the past three games, Southern has averaged about 20 percent fewer rushes compared to the first seven.

But you don’t need to run the ball that much when you’re throwing it the way the Jaguars did against Alabama State, a game in which Dray Joseph passed for 432 yards and four touchdowns, three to Mike Jones.

“I think Alabama State’s strength was ...

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Ex-Redskins QB Doug Williams mulls return to NFL

Ruston, La. — Doug Williams was waiting in line to place his order at Dowling’s BBQ, just around the corner from his home, when the man, a local attorney, spotted him and sauntered over. Placing his hand on the shoulder of the Super Bowl XXII most valuable player, the man spoke earnestly: “It’s terrible, what happened. But I hope you stay. We need good men like you in this community.” Williams nodded and thanked him, then placed his order: brisket plate, double beans.

It happens all the time, ever since Williams was fired as Grambling State University’s football coach on Sept. 11: folks expressing their regret, lamenting the unfairness of it all, offering their warmest wishes. It happened over and over earlier this month, when Williams attended the Washington Redskins’ “homecoming” game, where the franchise celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Super Bowl XXII title.

“I didn’t run into one person, black or white, who didn’t walk up to me and say, ‘That’s a tragedy, what happened at Grambling,’ ” Williams said the other day, over his brisket and baked beans. “Sitting on the airplane next morning, I’m next to a guy. And the first thing he says is, ‘How could they fire Doug Williams?’ I just said, ‘Easy.’ ”

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UPDATE: Grambling appeals SWAC penalties

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  -- Grambling is appealing the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s ruling regarding penalties and fines announced Wednesday stemming from the football team’s decision not to play at Jackson State’s homecoming game Oct. 19.

The conference charged Grambling $50,000 and awarded Jackson State three consecutive home games in the series.

The fine would come from future SWAC distribution funds.

Grambling athletics director Aaron James said the school expected the penalty but said he doesn’t agree with its severity.

“This isn’t a surprise at all,” James said in a statement. “We’ve been working with our conference and our friends at Jackson State, so we knew this was coming.

“It’s been a friendly and business-like series of ...

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SWAC tells Grambling State it's time to pay Jackson State

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference said Wednesday that Jackson State will get paid for the losses incurred after Grambling State failed to show at the Tigers' homecoming game last month.

Jackson State will receive an undisclosed amount and funds will come from Grambling State's "future distribution amounts as outlined in the conference bylaws," the league said. Grambling will also be required to play at Jackson State in the next three years.

In total, it could end up costing cash-strapped Grambling State more than $300,000.

PREVIOUSLY: Jackson State holds homecoming without Grambling

"As far as the fine for Grambling State and subsequent payment to Jackson State, we believe that is the right thing to do from a conference standpoint," SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp said.

Grambling State will cough over ...

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