No. 24 Gold Rush extend NAIA-best poll streak to 27

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana, which has the longest active streak of appearances in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25, climbed one spot to No. 24 Tuesday.

The Gold Rush (12-4) are in the top 25 for the 27th consecutive time. The streak began with the Dec. 12, 2011, poll. Xavier has been in the top 25 in 40 of the last 41 polls.

Xavier, which leads NAIA Division I in field-goal percentage defense, has won 5-of-6 games since the previous poll on Dec. 10.

Xavier is one of three from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference in the top 25. Talladega is No. 7, and Philander Smith is No. 17. Talladega is the GCAC's first top-10 team since Xavier was 10th on Feb. 7, 2011.

Pikeville became the third No. 1 in as many polls this season. The Bears replaced Columbia (Mo.), which dropped to third.

The next rankings will be announced next Tuesday (Jan. 14).

Xavier will begin a six-game home stand with a 7:30 p.m. Saturday game against GCAC and city rival SUNO at the Convocation Center. The Gold Rush will play host to Spring Hill in a non-conference game at 7 p.m. Monday.

The top 25:

1. Pikeville
2. Southwestern Assemblies of God
3. Columbia (Mo.)
4. Cal State San Marcos
5. Concordia (Calif.)
6. Evangel

7. Talladega

8. Arizona Christian

9. William Carey

10. Rocky Mountain

11. Freed-Hardeman

12. St. Gregory's

13. Georgetown (Ky.)

14. Wiley

15. (tie) Benedictine (Kan.)

15. (tie) Montana State Northern

17. Philander Smith

18. Mid-America Christian

19. Culver-Stockton

20. Martin Methodist

21. Vanguard

22. John Brown

23. St. Catharine (Ky.)

24. Xavier

25. Faulkner

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

XULAATHLETICS

XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

FAMU trims list of candidates for president

ORLANDO, Florida -- Florida A&M University is narrowing its list of candidates for university president.

A university search committee on Monday interviewed six semifinalists for the position. Two candidates were asked to meet with FAMU trustees later this week.

The two chosen were Elmira Mangum, vice president for budget and planning at Cornell University and John Ellis Price III, the former president of University of North Texas at Dallas.

But the Tallahassee Democrat reported former FAMU president Walter Smith told the search committee the school should hire its current interim president.

John Ellis Price III, Bio

Elmira Mangum Bio

CONTINUE READING

FAMU Baseball Inks Three Early Signees

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  –  FAMU head coach Jamey Shouppe is already loading the team for 2014-2015.  He has inked three top-notch recruits for next season.  With an emphasis on pitching, he has also added a dynamic speedster in the mix.

The early signees are as follows:

Ventavis (Tay) Jerger     MIF/RHP                             6’2” 190 lbs.
Darton State College, Albany, GA                                     Rickards High School, Tallahassee, FL

Comments:  Tremendous two-way player with outstanding speed.  He has been clocked at 6.2 in the 60 yard dash.  During his freshman season last year at Darton College, Tay batted .327 with 3 triples and 26 stolen bases.  He will also be used as a relief pitcher this season at Darton.

Shouppe’s Comments:  Tay is one of the fastest players in the country! He has really learned how to use his speed on the baseball field, which should lead to him having a great sophomore season at Darton.  He has the potential to come to FAMU and be an everyday player in the infield, as well as a relief pitcher.   His fastball has been clocked as high as 90 mph.  Tay also possesses the leadership qualities that coaches look for when recruiting players.

Jessie (Sawyer) Betts          RHP                                6’1” 205 lbs.
Wallace State College, Dothan, AL                                   Godby High School, Tallahassee, FL

Comments:  Outstanding RHP with the ability to pitch in any role.  Sawyer was used primarily as a relief pitcher and closer last season at Wallace, where he posted a 3 - 4 record with 7 saves, and a 2.67 ERA.  He also pitched in a team high 22 games last season.

Shouppe’s Comments:  I was always impressed with Sawyer’s pitching ability during his high school career.  He has a bulldog mentality on the mound, loves to compete and has gained velocity while pitching in junior college.  Sawyer’s fastball now tops out at 90 mph, and he has great command with his curve and changeup.  I believe he will be an impact pitcher at FAMU.  He is the type of pitcher that can fill any role, and one that gives you a good chance to win whenever he is on the mound pitching.

Ronnie Williams                 RHP/OF                           6’1’ 185 lbs.
American Senior High School, Miami, FL

Comments:  One of only 144 players in the entire country to be invited to try out for USA Baseball’s 18U National Team.  He recorded a 6.65, 60 yard dash during this event.  During his junior season in high school he recorded a .394 batting average, and was 4 - 1 on the mound, with a 2.58 ERA.

Shouppe’s Comments:  Ronnie is one of the top, two way high school players in the country!  He pitches with a fastball that can reach as high as 93 mph, and also has the ability to play any of the OF positions.  I am very excited to get a high school player of his ability from the talent rich Miami area. I look for Ronnie to be a player that has a great FAMU career, before moving on to enjoy a lengthy professional baseball career.




COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Ram Ramblings: Search narrows for WSSU football coach

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  -- The on-going search for a head football coach is alive and well, so says Bill Hayes, the athletics director at Winston-Salem State.

I was able to carve out a few minutes over the phone with Hayes this afternoon and while he couldn’t talk as freely as he usually does, he did say the search for Connell Maynor’s replacement is on schedule.

There have been phone interviews and at least four candidates who have had face-to-face interviews with the hard-working search committee. Kienus Boulware, the defensive coordinator under Maynor for the last four seasons, and Steed Lobotzke, the former offensive coordinator at Wake Forest, have been confirmed as two who had interviews with the committee.


CONTINUE READING

Gold Nuggets win eighth in a row, second in conference

DENMARK, South Carolina -- Whitney Gaston-Loyd's 14 points and Danielle Tucker's season-high-tying 11 rebounds helped Xavier University of Louisiana earn a 60-47 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against Voorhees on Monday.The Gold Nuggets (12-5, 2-0) have an eight-game win streak. They've won 12 straight GCAC games dating to last season.

Gaston-Loyd made 7-of-10 from the floor in 19 minutes, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked a shot. Tucker reached double figures in rebounds for the third time this season, scored five points and had a season-high-tying three assists.

Twelve Nuggets scored, including Vinnie Briggs with nine points. Taylor Norman had three assists and matched career highs with six points, eight rebounds and three steals.

Kritofia Smart led Voorhees (6-7, 0-2) with 13 points, and Miasha Hackett had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Xavier limited Amber Johnson, who entered the game averaging 19.3 points, to a season-low six points in 38 minutes.

Xavier led 34-22 at halftime. Briggs was 2-of-2 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the line to lead the Nuggets with eight first-half points.

The Nuggets outshot the Lady Tigers 35.5 to 28 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 50-36. Voorhees made 16-of-44 free throws -- 11-of-27 in the second half -- and Xavier made 14-of-26.

It was the first-ever meeting between the Nuggets and Voorhees, which joined the GCAC in July.

The Nuggets will stay on the road and visit Southern Poly in a non-conference game at 6 p.m. EST Tuesday. Their next home game will start at 3 p.m. Saturday against GCAC and city rival SUNO at the Convocation Center.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

XULAATHLETICS

XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

SWAC losing streak hits 20 for Grambling

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — Just when Grambling though it escaped one losing streak, yet another one has emerged.

Less than a month after snapping a 32-game losing skid — the longest active streak in Division I — the Tigers saw their Southwestern Athletic Conference losing streak move to 20 games after a 70-58 loss to Alabama A&M on Monday night.

Grambling (1-10, 0-2) now hasn’t won a conference game since 2012, when it ended the season with an overtime win over Alabama A&M (5-7, 2-0).

A’Torri Shine scored 22 points to lead the Tigers, who have lost 47 of their last 49 games.


CONTINUE READING

Gold Rush win at Voorhees, improve to 2-0 in GCAC

DENMARK, South Carolina -- Sophomore guard Morris Wright, one of four double-figure scorers, had 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals Monday to lead NAIA No. 25 Xavier University of Louisiana in a 70-51 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against Voorhees.

The Gold Rush (12-4, 2-0) have won three straight and 7-of-8, including five road victories.

Wright was 5-of-9 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the line in 37 minutes. It was the 12th time this season he scored in double figures.

Wright leads the Gold Rush this season with 13.8 points and 3.4 assists per game.

Xavier Rogers scored 16 points, Sydney Coleman 15 and RJ Daniels 11 for Xavier. Coleman grabbed eight rebounds, and Daniels had a career-high-tying seven rebounds for the second consecutive game. Rogers grabbed six rebounds and made both his 3-point attempts.

James Williams scored 15 points for Voorhees (5-7, 1-1).

Xavier outshot the Tigers 56.4 to 35.4 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 33-22. The Gold Rush shot 68.8 percent in the secons half.

Coleman scored nine points and Wright seven to lead the Gold Rush to a 31-23 halftime advantage.

Voorhees is a first-year member of the GCAC.

Xavier will play GCAC and city rival SUNO at 5 p.m. Saturday at XU's Convocation Center. It will be Xavier's first home game after six in a row on the road.


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

WBB Game vs. Tennessee Tech Canceled Due to Weather

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  Due to the inclement weather in the Nashville area, the Tennessee State University women’s basketball game scheduled for Monday, Jan. 6 against Tennessee Tech has been canceled.

The game has been rescheduled for Jan. 16, 2014 at 6 p.m. in the Gentry Center.

“Due to the severe weather, both teams decided that it was in the best interest of the institutions that we reschedule the game,” said Athletics Director Teresa Phillips.

The Lady Tigers will return to action on the road on Saturday, Jan. 11 at Southeast Missouri.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Pugh looking for Southern to continue SWAC success

HOUSTON, Texas — Six minutes into Saturday afternoon’s game against Prairie View, Southern women’s coach Sandy Pugh had already used 11 different players.

Never shy to make a substitution, Pugh was trying to find the right combination to slow down the three-time defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Panthers.

While it may appear like Pugh has a quick hook when it comes to changing the lineup, the Jaguars have given their coach those options because of the roster’s flexibility.

“I think everyone on this team is capable of playing every position,” said junior Jasmine Jefferson, who led the Jaguars with 22 points Saturday. “Every guard can run every play, and every post can do the same thing.”

Against the Panthers, the different looks helped the Jaguars rally down the stretch for an 88-74 win at the William Nicks Building.

On Monday, Southern (4-5, 1-0) will look to continue that success against Texas Southern (4-8, 1-0). The Tigers beat Alcorn State 69-44 on Saturday.

CONTINUE READING

Tennessee State University Shines at Ed Temple Classic

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  After taking nearly a month off the Flying Tigers and Tigerbelles returned home for the Ed Temple Classic. On the day, both groups won a combined five events in their first home meet of the indoor year.

The Flying Tigers took home three titles on Sunday, including the 800 meters, high jump and pole vault. On the women’s side the Tigerbelles won the 55 meter hurdles and the long jump.

 

Tennessee State boasted the top three finishers in the men’s high jump in Caleb Carrothers, Kenji Anderson and Daryl Rice. Carrothers took the event with a jump of 2.03 meters, Anderson and Rice both jumped 1.98 meters to tie for second.

 

The Flying Tigers also took ahold of the men’s pole vault, with a 1-2 finish. Tamorron Key posted the best mark, clearing 4.10 meters, followed closely behind by Justin Young’s mark of 3.80 meters.

 

A 1-2 finish in the long jump highlighted the Tigerbelles day at the Ed Temple Classic. Clairwin Dameus won the event, with a season’s best jump of 5.99 meters.  Ashontae Jackson finished second jumping 5.71 meters.

 

Amber Hughes had the other win for the women’s side, taking the 55 meter hurdles with a season’s best time of 7.96. Thrower Brittani Logan also posted strong performances on the day, finishing 2^nd in the shot put (13.47 meters) and 3^rd in the weight throw (15.65 meters).

 

Both the Tigerbelles and the Flying Tigers will return to action later this week when they travel to Birmingham for the UAB Blazer Invitational. The two-day event kicks off Friday at the Birmingham CrossPlex.

   Ed Temple Classic Results

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Book of the Month - Earl The Pearl: My Story

NEW YORK, New York  --  Earl “The Pearl” Monroe is a basketball legend whose impact on the game transcends statistics, a player known as much for his unorthodox, “playground” style of play as his championship pedigree. Observers said that watching him play was like listening to jazz, his moves resembling free floating improvisations. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with the ball,” Monroe once admitted, “and if I don’t know, I’m quite sure the guy guarding me doesn’t know either.”

Traded to the New York Knicks before the 1971–72 season, Monroe became a key member of the beloved, star-studded 1972–73 Knicks team that captured the NBA title. And now, on the 40th anniversary of that championship season—the franchise’s last—Monroe is finally ready to tell his remarkable story.

Written with bestselling author Quincy Troupe (Miles, The Pursuit of Happyness) Earl the Pearl will retrace Monroe’s life from his upbringing in a tough South Philadelphia neighborhood through his record-setting days at Winston-Salem State, to his NBA Rookie of the Year season in 1967, his tremendous years with the Baltimore Bullets and ultimately his redemptive, championship glory with the New York Knicks. The book will culminate with a revealing epilogue in which Monroe reflects on the events of the past 40 years, offers his insights into the NBA today, and his thoughts on the future of the game he loves.

ORDER INFORMATION   Also, ask for it at your College or Public Library!!

What Social Media is Saying....

Clarence Gaines @ClarenceGaines2

Read @EarlThePearl_15 new book http://amzn.to/1lqJl3b  yesterday - fun to read his 1st impressions of my dad & frustrations as a frosh.

Retweeted by John Dell

Clarence Gaines
Earl's impact on the game is legendary. Known as the father of the spin move, Earl captured the imagination of the nation's basketball fans in his rookie year with the Baltimore Bullets. Before gaining national acclaim in the NBA, he had already captured the hearts of many southerners, both black and white, with his defining game and brilliant play in his four years at Winston-Salem State College (now WSSU). In the 1966-67 season Earl led his team to a national championship in the NCAA's College Division averaging 41.5 points per game. My dad always felt Earl Monroe's greatest contribution as a basketball player was helping to break down racial barriers in North Carolina.

Ross' Game Winner Gives Chicago State 57-55 WAC Win At Idaho

Senior Matt Ross' last second rebound and basket gave the
 Cougars a road WAC win over Idaho.
(Courtesy Chicago State Athletics)

MOSCOW, Idaho  -- Senior Matt Ross (Dixon, Ill./Dixon)' put back basket with 3.2 seconds remaining lifted Chicago State to a 57-55 victory over Idaho on Saturday (Jan. 4) evening at the Cowan Spectrum. The win gives the Cougars their first Western Athletic Conference in program history.

"We told the guys in the huddle to hit the boards in that final possession and that's just what Matt did," Chicago State head coach Tracy Dildy said. "This is a big win for us. We knew Idaho was going to make a run but the guys didn't panic in the final minute."

Idaho's only lead of the game came on the first basket of the game at 2-0. Senior Quinton Pippen (Hamburg, Ark./Hamburg) drained a deep 3-pointer from the top of the arc at the buzzer of the first half to put the Cougars up 38-28 at the break. Chicago State scored the first four points of the second half, including two on a turn around jumper by Pippen, to build a 14-point lead.

While the Vandals kept it under double-digits for most of the second half it seemed Chicago State was close to putting the game away when senior Corey Gray (Houston, Texas/Hightower) made a step back jumper with 2:39 left to put the Cougars up 55-48. Then the Vandals went on a run. Idaho scored the next seven points while Chicago State committed two turnovers and missed a pair of free throws in the process.

Idaho's Mike Scott capped the 7-0 run on a layup with 1:05 left. On the ensuing possession, first it was Pippen missing a 3-pointer with 41 seconds left. Gray grabbed the long offensive rebound and asked for a timeout. Chicago State drained the clock before Gray drove to the basket with five seconds. He saw his layup attempt roll off the rim but Ross was there for the rebound and the basket.

Idaho still had 3.2 seconds remaining but failed to get a shot off in the final moments.

The Cougars were led by Pippen's game-high 18 points. The senior made his first six shots of the game. Pippen finished with four 3-pointers to bring his career total at CSU to 103. He is now tied for seventh all-time in career 3-pointers at Chicago State with Tony Weeden (2003-05) .

Senior Eddie Denard (Chicago, Ill./Foreman) added 13 points, with 11 coming in the first half.

"Our start was big," Dildy said. "We shot 54 percent in the first half and 44 percent from three in the first half. On the road you need starts like that. We went inside early and Eddie got some of those big shots in the first half."

Ross finished with eight points and eight rebounds. Grey added four points, five assists and three steals.

Chicago State shot 22-of-50 (44.0 percent) from the floor. Idaho finished 19-of-47 (40.4 percent) from the field.

The win was the Cougars' first road victory of the season.

Idaho falls to 6-10 (0-2 WAC). Chicago State improves to 6-8 (1-0 WAC). Chicago State steps out of WAC play on Tuesday when UW-Green Bay comes to town. Tip at the JCC will be 7 p.m.

PDF Box Score

COURTESY CHICAGO STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Second-half run pushes TU Golden Tigers ahead of Morehouse

ATLANTA, Georgia -- In a game that was never really in doubt, the Tuskegee Golden Tigers earned a 77-66 victory over the Morehouse Maroon Tigers in a nationally televised game inside the friendly confines of the Daniel 'Chappie' James Center early Saturday morning. With the exception of Morehouse's first made basket, Tuskegee led the entire game to kick off conference play with a 1-0 start (4-6 overall) in the win, which was simulcast on both the CBS Sports Network and NCAA.com.

An 11-point halftime lead was stretched out to as many as 26 points, and Tuskegee earned the first win over their cross-state rival in five tries. The last time Tuskegee defeated Morehouse was also the last time the Maroon Tigers visited the James Center two seasons ago, when TU picked up a 69-60 victory on Jan. 21, 2012. Morehouse had won three in a row, with all of those games being played at the Frank Forbes Arena in Atlanta.

Coach Leon Douglas said he wasn't satisfied, even though his team was up comfortably going into halftime. He hinted at halftime adjustments that quickly became prevalent in an interview before the start of the second half.

"I'm not exactly happy, because we're not doing a good job of rebounding," Douglas said of the halftime lead. "You see, rebounding is a key to controlling tempo. We have to do a better job of rebounding and getting the ball out to our guards, so that we can create a faster pace. Our strength is our quickness and our uptempo style. Now, I'm not upset, because we're leading. But, I would like a more comfortable lead."

Douglas would get his wish of a bigger lead, which ultimately ended the game. The Golden Tigers out rebounded Morehouse 42-34 for the contest, as the home team was able to stretch the lead out on the strength of a 17-4 run during the first 5:30 of game time after intermission. This gave TU their second-largest lead of the day, at 52-28 with 14:34 remaining.

Javier McKinney led TU with 22 points and a couple of highlight dunks, including a two-handed, staple-punching alley-oop from Kevin May that served as the nail in the coffin. This put the Golden Tigers back up by double-digits with 52.1 seconds remaining. Just moments earlier, Morehouse had cut Tuskegee's massive lead down to just seven with less than two minutes remaining. May also had a solid game across the board, as he finished with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Morehouse was able to keep the game competitive in spots, especially late in the contest. But, they never posed a significant threat for the Golden Tigers, even though Darrius Williams made his season debut for the visitors. Williams, the SIAC's leading scorer from last season, finished with the game's only double-double, as he had 14 points and 11 rebounds. He was one of four Maroon Tigers to score in double digits, as David Buchannon had a game-high 26 points. But, both efforts were not enough, as Morehouse shot just over 40 percent for the game, and 34 percent in the first half. By comparison, Tuskegee shot almost 47 percent from the field, and was buoyed by a second half in which the home team shot almost 52 percent.

Both Tuskegee basketball teams will be back in action Monday afternoon, and the times for both games have been moved up to avoid conflict with the BCS National Championship that will be played later that evening. The Tuskegee Tigerettes will take the floor at the James Center, with a 2:00 p.m. tip off against the Lady Rams of Albany State University. Coach Douglas' squad will look for consecutive wins to kick off 2014 in a 4:00 p.m. match up against ASU.

Box Score

COURTESY TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATON

Livingstone Blue Bears Breeze Past VUU, 113-96

SALISBURY, North Carolina  -- The Livingstone College men's basketball team defeated Virginia Union University 113-96 on Saturday night.

Livingstone had seven players to score double figures.

The Blue Bears owned the first half as they dominated the Panthers in the field. The Blue Bears hit 21-of-40 shots (52 percent) compared to the Panthers 28 percent. The Blue Bears forced the Panthers to commit eight turnovers in which they scored 13 points.

 The Blue Bears were a dominating force in the paint, scoring 18 points with the help of Christian Henry and Eric Mayo.

 Henry finished the game with 16 points and six rebounds while Mayo added 13 points to the score and grabbed eight rebounds.

 The Livingstone bench also played a major role in their success in the first half by adding 30 points to the score collectively.

 The Blue Bears ended the first half 61-37.

 In the second half, the Panthers out scored the Blue Bears 59-52, however the Blue Bears maintained control of the game. 

Mark Thomas led the Blue Bears with 21 points and seven assists. Anthony Welch followed Thomas' performance with 18 points. Welch hit four-of-six shots from behind the three point line, he also recorded six rebounds.

Eric Dubose contributed 13 points and five assists.

Cameron LeFear and Jody Hill paced the Blue Bears with 11 points respectively.

The Blue Bears are now 9-2 overall and 2-0 in the conference.

Livingstone will return to action on January 6 as they face Lincoln University (PA). Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m.

 

COURTESY LIVINGSTONE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
  

Grambling to receive $50K scholarship donation from Allstate

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  -- Grambling State University was selected to receive a $50,000 scholarship from Allstate thanks to its supporters who voted during the Allstate/Tom Joyner Foundation ‘Show Your School Pride’ Competition.

The program was established to support students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. More than 100 colleges and universities competed for the top prize.

When Grambling dismissed for the Christmas holidays, President Frank Pogue said Grambling was trailing in the competition to Lincoln University of Missouri by more than 2,000 votes. He assumed Lincoln would take home the scholarship funding, but Friday morning he received word Grambling supporters rallied to put the university in first place.

“After the year we had last year it was great to get such wonderful news first thing this morning. What a way to start the new year,” Pogue said. “There’s been a lot of excitement around here. No one needs scholarship money more than our students since we have about 90 percent of our student body on some form of federal or state financial aid. I could start every day off feeling this way.”

CONTINUE READING

Devilettes open conference schedule with win over UAPB

GREENWOOD, Mississippi -- Mississippi Valley State women's basketball opened up conference play Saturday on a high note, defeating Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 60-49, at the Leflore County Civic Center.

Joncyee Sanders (15 points) and her twin sister Jasmyne Sanders (12) combined for 27 points to lead the Devilettes (2-10, 1-0 SWAC) to their second win of the season.

Both teams got off to a rough start, with both teams going scoreless for the first three minutes of the game. But, the Devilettes got it going and went into halftime with a 28-18 lead.

Valley never relinquished the lead thanks to the Sanders twins along with Olivia Kennedy, who chipped in 12 points. DeRita Silas added eight points for the Devilettes off the bench.

MVSU shot 35.8 percent from the field.

Christina Lasane and Jazmyne Victorian paced the Lady Lions with 13 points apiece.

The Devilettes will be on the road next Saturday at Alabama State. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.

Box Score

COURTESY MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Hornets Bench Leads ASU Past Grambling State

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  --  In a game where Alabama State's two leading scorers only scored 10 points, the Hornets bench came through to lead the Hornets to a conference-opening 68-51 win over Grambling State in Southwestern Athletic Conference action.

Jamel Waters and DeMarcus Robinson were ASU's leading scorers averaging 28 points between them and finished the game with only 10 points as Waters scored eight and Robinson two.

That let the bench duo of Bobby Brown and Terrance LeFlore come off the bench to lead the team in scoring.  Brown's 18 points led the team and LeFlore scored a career-high 13 points, all in the second half, as ASU's bench finished with 33 points.

"Terrance LeFlore came in and did a good job in the second half," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said.  "I am playing him at two positions and he is a freshman.  He is still trying to learn his way but he works hard and Bobby Brown could be a starter.  But he comes in off the bench and he gives us some points there around the basket as well as from the outside."

The hornets struggled from the field shooting 41 percent (25-61), but turned it up in the second half hitting 50 percent (15-30) to break open a game that was close at halftime.

ASU's (7-5/1-0 SWAC) big run came at the start of the second half as the Hornets opened up a slim two-point halftime lead by scoring the first seven points out of the locker room to lead 38-39 and went on to lead by as much as 19 at 66-47.

Brandon Graham was the only starter to get to double digits in scoring with 13 points.  Graham, Brown and LeFlore had three three point field goals each as ASU hit nine of their 25 attempts (31%).  ASU also did a solid job at the free throw line connecting on nine of their 12 attempts for 75 percent.

ASU out rebounded the home team 40-34 with Luther Page and Robinson leading the way with eight boards each.  Robinson's eight rebounds was a career-high.

Even though Waters only scored eight points he still showed why he is the SWAC's top assist performer finishing the game with seven.  The Hornets once again did a solid job taking care of the ball and had 15 assists compared to only 10 turnovers.

"We did a good job of moving the ball around and trying to be efficient in our offense," Jackson said.  "The 15 assists really stands out, and the rebounding going to the glass and getting offensive rebounds.  17 offensive boards are things we have been preaching along with playing defense while at the same time going to the glass and getting second chances for ourselves and the guys really did a good job of doing that tonight."

ASU's defense held GSU (1-9/0-1 SWAC) to 37.5 percent (18-48) and did a good job on GSU's leading scorers A'Torri Shine, Ramond Brown and Antwan Scott.  All three came into the game scoring in double digits and between them were averaging 42.2 points per game.

Scott was the only one of the three to reach double digits with a team-high 12. That was 1.5 points under his average.  Shine was the team's leading scorer at 17.9 and he could only manage seven points on the evening and Brown was well under his 10.9 average with only two points.

"We did get some stops," Jackson said.  "We wanted to come out in the second half and get some stops and try to build a lead.  We didn't want to be going down the stretch in a one point ball game because it is so difficult to win here.  But the guys hung together, got some stops, shared the ball and made some shots that pushed it (the lead) out to a few points and we were able to hang on."

ASU went into the locker room clinging to a 31-29 lead.  ASU only shot 32 percent in the opening half, but five of their 10 field goals were three point field goals.  Brown had three of those and led ASU with 13 first half points.

Dandridge had 10 first half points to lead the host as Grambling shot a sizzling 52 percent from the field.  The difference in the first half was ASU turning nine GSU turnovers into 12 points while ASU only committed four turnovers which did not lead to any points for the Tigers.

The Hornets will continue their conference season-opening road trip at Jackson State Monday, Jan. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Box Score

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

No Scott, no problem; as SUNO Lady Knights top Voorhees in conference opener

Front row (left to right): Baquisha Willis, Anna-Rose Mable, Janee Morton,
April Perry, Breyona Bennett, Sheanice Rhoden
Back row (left to right): Head Coach Elston King, Elina Piterniece, Sharilyn Reed,
Iceyuniek Parker, Sabrina Scott, Rose Boatner, Alisha Drayton,
Assistant Coach Roshaun Ambrose

DENMARK, South Carolina  --  It's hard to miss Sabrina Scott when she's on the floor.  The 6'5 center is one of the most imposing presences in the NAIA.  It was even harder not to notice her absence when Southern University at New Orleans sent out its starting five for its GCAC opener versus the Voorhees Lady Tigers.  The Lady Knights, however, showed they are much more than a one-woman-gang in earning a 76-63 victory.

"Of course we missed Sabrina", said Head Coach Elston King.  "Anytime you take someone with that kind of presence, with her ability to score down low and more importantly for us her shot-blocking and rebounding, it is a loss for the team.  The ladies knew they would have to step up and that's what they did.  To go on the road and get a win in the conference opener is big for us.  So while she gets well, we'll hold down the fort and keep moving."

Shay Reed got the start in place of Scott and collected a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.  Shonte Dillon and Victoria Davis led the team in scoring with 17 points apiece.  Brandy Broome added 12 points of her own.  SUNO's defense held Voorhees to just 40 percent shooting from the field.

Dillon added, "We're in a good rhythm right now.  Everybody knows their roles and what Coach expects out of us so we've been able to get on a pretty good streak (6 consecutive wins).  We want to win the GCAC and you have to win on the road to do that.  This is a good start, but there's a long way to go."

SUNO plays the second of its three game road trip Tuesday night at Fisk.  The Lady Bulldogs dropped their conference opener to Xavier 50-44. Game time is scheduled for 6:00 pm.

COURTESY SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AT NEW ORLEANS MEDIA RELATIONS

Bleu Devils win streak snapped by Talladega's 123 points

TALLADEGA, Alabama -- Nationally ranked Talladega extended its win streak to four with a victory over the Bleu Devils by the score of 123-76 in the Callanan Gymnasium on the campus of Talladega College.

Dillard (4-2, 0-1 GCAC) struggled from the get go, giving up 57 first half points to the Tornadoes as they trailed by 23 at the half.  Talladega shot 61 percent from the field in the first half and continued their sensational shooting spree by scoring 66 points in the second half and shooting 64 percent from the field.

Dillard freshman Robert Pratt had a strong game, finishing with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.  Despite fouling out late in the game, Pratt also grabbed six boards and dished out one assist in 20 minutes of action.  Meanwhile senior Jeremy Rixner finished with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and one block in 31 minutes.

Senior Lance Theard chipped in with eight points, four rebounds and three assists but did not manage to score a bucket in the second half.  Freshman Kristopher Allmon also finished with eight points and added three rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes.

The Tornadoes managed to produce five scorers in double figures and also had two other players with nine points apiece.

The Bleu Devils continue conference play on Monday, January 6, when they travel to Florida to face Edward Waters College.

COURTESY GULF COAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE & DILLARD UNIVERSITY

SU Jaguars rally to win opener in SWAC

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — The Southern men’s basketball team began the week with a record-setting start. On Saturday, it was all about the finish.

Trailing by five points down the stretch, Malcolm Miller and Calvin Godfrey took over to lead the Jaguars to a 60-57 win against Prairie View in the Southwestern Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

Miller hit a big 3-pointer with 1:56 remaining to give the Jaguars the lead for good, while Godfrey hit five free throws in the final 33 seconds to clinch the victory.

“It’s a game that is not good for my heart, but it was good for our team,” Southern coach Roman Banks said.

CONTINUE READING  

Hampton Pirates Storm Past Radford In The Second Half

HAMPTON, Virginia  -- The Hampton University men's basketball team used a strong second half on Saturday to run away from Radford, pulling away to an 87-60 win at the HU Convocation Center.

The Pirates (7-7) have won five of their last seven games.

Sophomore guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) led the Pirates with 18 points and six assists, while senior forward Du'Vaughn Maxwell (Manhattan, N.Y.) added 16 points and four rebounds. Junior center Emmanuel Okoroba (Garland, Texas) came off the bench to add 13 points and five rebounds.

Sophomore guard Dwight Meikle (Baltimore, Md.) added 10 points off the bench.

After Radford took an early 4-2 lead, the Pirates scored nine of the next 11 points to take an 11-6 lead at the 16:07 mark after a layup from Maxwell. A layup from redshirt-freshman guard Lawrence Cooks (Charlotte, N.C.) with 10:34 left in the half put Hampton up 18-11.

But Radford answered with nine straight points to take a 20-18 lead at the 9:01 mark, before Darden hit a trey with 8:42 left in the half to give the Pirates a 21-20 lead. That basket kicked off a 10-3 Hampton run, and the Pirates led 28-23 with 5:24 left in the half after a Maxwell layup.

Radford cut the lead to 28-26, but the Pirates closed the half on a 7-3 spurt to take a 35-29 lead into the locker room. Maxwell had 12 points to lead the Pirates at the break.

The Highlanders cut Hampton's lead to 43-38 with 16:49 left in the first half, but the Pirates answered with a half-defining – and game-defining – run.

Maxwell hit a jumper in the lane to give the Pirates a 50-40 lead with 12:59 left in the second half, capping off a 7-2 run. Sophomore guard Ke'Ron Brown (Savannah, Ga.) later added a tip-in at the 12:10 mark to put Hampton up 52-40.

Senior guard Ramon Mercado (Hollywood, Fla.) extended Hampton's run to 12-2 – and the lead to 55-40 – with a corner trey with 11:35 left in the second half.

Meikle gave the Pirates a 58-40 lead – and extended Hampton's run to 15-2 – when his floater with 10:47 left was tipped by a defender on the way down for a goaltending call.

When Meikle stuffed home a two-handed dunk with 8:56 to go, it gave the Pirates a 62-41 lead and capped off what ultimately turned into a 19-3 run.

Through it all, Radford went from the 15:18 mark to the 8:16 mark without a field goal.

Powers hit a pair of free throws with 5:34 left to give the Pirates a 70-49 lead, and Brown followed suit at the charity stripe with 5:10 left to give Hampton up 72-51. Radford answered on the other end, before Maxwell hit a layup with 4:42 left to give the Pirates a 74-53 lead.

Powers hit a pair of free throws with 2:52 left to give the Pirates a 79-56 lead, before Meikle added a 3-pointer at the 2:31 mark to put Hampton up 82-56 – and Powers added two more free throws with 2:05 left to give Hampton an 84-56 lead.

The Pirates shot 53.4 percent (31-for-58) from the floor and hit five of their 11 3-pointers (45.5 percent). Hampton went 20-for-38 (52.6 percent) from the free throw line, but the Pirates turned 17 Radford turnovers into 15 points.

Radford (10-5) shot just 33.3 percent (19-for-57) from the floor and made four of 14 3-pointers. The Highlanders only went 18-for-37 (48.6 percent) from the free throw line, but Radford held a 46-39 edge on the glass.

Ya Ya Anderson led Radford with 13 points.

The Pirates will hit the road on Tuesday, heading to Durham, N.C. for a non-conference tilt against North Carolina Central at 7 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

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Hornets Defeat Campbell for Jackson's 200th DSU Win

HEAD COACH GREG JACKSON
DSU HORNETS MEN'S BASKETBALL
CAREER RECORD: 363-288
ALMA MATER: SAINT PAUL'S (1980)

BUIES CREEK, North Carolina  -- Casey Walker led four Delaware State players in double figures with a  career-high 30 points in the Hornets’ 70-60 win over Campbell at Gore Arena this evening.

The victory is  No. 200 at DSU for Hornet head coach Greg Jackson, who is now one from tying the school’s record for coaching wins. The late Bennie George (1949-71) holds the record with 201 wins (201-219). Jackson also improved his career record to 363-288. He is in his 14^th season with the Hornets and 23^rd as a collegiate head coach.

Walker was seven-for-16 from the field, four-of-nine from three-point territory and 12-for-15 at the free throw line. He has 51 points in the last two games, each DSU wins. His 30 points are the most by a Hornet player since Donald Johnson poured in 31 vs. UMES on Mar. 5, 2009.

Walker has reached double figures in scoring in seven of the last eight games to take over the team scoring lead at 12.5 points per game.

Kendal Williams added 12 points for the Hornets, while Kendall Gray and Tyshawn Bell contributed 11 each. Gray also had a game high four blocks to give him eight in the last two games. In addition, he has scored in double figures in each of the last five games.

Delaware State trailed 32-30 at the half, but outscored the Camels 40-28 in the final 20 minutes.

The first half featured six ties and nine lead changes.

The Hornets held their biggest first half lead, 17-11, on a lay-up by Bell at the 10:09 mark. The Camels outscored DSU 21-13 during the remainder of the half to hold a two-point advantage at the break.

Campbell led 40-36 before the Hornets began to take control.

Walker capped off a 17-4 DSU run over the next six minutes with a three-pointer to give the Hornets a 53-44 lead with 8:04 left to play. Gray scored five points and Bell four during the rally, while Campbell hit just two-of- nine shots and committed a turnover during the DSU spurt.

After the Camels answered with a 9-2 run to pull to within two, Walker came up with two big plays to give the Hornets a little breathing room.

He had a dunk off a steal and a three-pointer to give the Hornets a 62-55 lead with 3:03 remaining in the game.

Delaware State hit eight-of-10 free throws in the in the last minute, including five-of-six by Walker, to seal the win.

The Hornets were 22-for-46 from the field for the game (47.8%), hitting 11-of-23 shots from the floor in each half. DSU was 22-for-32 at the free throw line (68.8%) and four-of-13 from three-point range (30.8%).

Campbell hit 22 of its 55 shots from the field (40.0%), but just two- of-21 from three-point territory (9.5%).

Delaware State won the rebound battle 35-to-34.

The Hornets won their second straight game, each against Big South Conference teams, to improve to 4-10 this season.  DSU defeated Big South member Gardner-Webb 66-65 in overtime in its previous game.

Campbell fell to 6-9 on the season.

The Hornets resume MEAC play next Saturday (Jan. 11) with a home contest against Hampton. Game time is 4:00 p.m.  The home stand continues the following Monday (Jan. 13) against Norfolk State. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

FINAL BOX SCORE   

COURTESY DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Rattlers Clawed By Auburn Tigers 81-50

AUBURN, Alabama  -- The Florida A&M Men's Basketball team dropped an 81-50 decision to Southeastern Conference member Auburn University, here Saturday afternoon at Auburn Arena.

FAMU (4-11) was led by Jamie Adams as he scored nine points, while both Jomari Bradshaw and Trey Kellum added eight points each.  Bradshaw led the Rattlers on the boards with seven.

AU (8-3) was paced by KT Harrell with a game-high 22 points.   Chris Denson finished the contest with 19 points, while Allen Payne recorded a double-double on the night as he pulled down 13 rebounds and scored 16 points on the night.

The Rattlers jumped out to a 6-2 lead capped off by an Adams four-point play  with 18:24 to go in the first.

AU would retake the lead as the Tigers used a 5-0 run, capped off by a Denson layup with 17:29 left in the half.

FAMU would go into the break trailing  AU, 38-27 as  the Rattlers finished the first half shooting 27.3 percent  (9-of- 33), while AU shot 45.9 percent (17-of-37).

In the second half, AU would outscore FAMU, 43-23 for the 81-50 win.
The Rattlers finished the contest shooting  21.9 percent (14-of-64), whereas the Tigers shot 48.4 percent (31-of-64).

FAMU will return to action on Saturday, January 11 as the Rattlers welcome North Carolina Central to the Al Lawson Center  in their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference contest of 2014 in a 6 p.m. start.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

AAMU's Head Football Coach James Spady Press Conference

TSU Records First OVC Win of the Season Over JSU

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- The Tennessee State men’s basketball team notched its first Ohio Valley Conference victory of the season with a 70-65 home win against Jacksonville State on Saturday night.

Senior guard Patrick Miller led the Tigers with 19 points and added five rebounds, four assist and four steals.

 

Fellow senior Jacquan Nobles was second on the team, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including a 3-for-6 mark from deep.

 

Forward M.J. Rhett recorded a game-high 13 rebounds, helping Tennessee State (2-14, 1-2 OVC) to a 35-28 advantage on the boards.

 

The Gamecocks won the tip, but Miller stole a JSU pass, raced all the way down the court, and converted a contested layup for the game’s first basket.

Miller later converted a pair of free throws at the 12:50 mark to put the Tigers up, 13-7. Jacksonville State (7-11, 1-2 OVC) committed the first six fouls of the game, leading to seven of TSU’s first 13 points.

 

The Tigers continued to roll in the first half as a jumper by Ugo Mmonu made the score 22-15 with nine minutes to play before halftime.

 

Tennessee State made just two of its last 10 shots of the stanza, allowing JSU to go on a 15-9 run for the remainder of the period. However, TSU still led at the break for the second consecutive game, 31-30.

 

The Tigers were outshot during the opening 20 minutes, 46 to 37 percent, but held a 21-10 advantage on the glass.

 

Nobles drained a triple to start the second half, and Kennedy Eubanks added a layup on the next trip down the floor to put the Tigers back up by six.

 

JSU brought the TSU lead down to one with a bucket at the 15:22 mark, but back-to-back triples by Eubanks and Jay Harris made the score 46-41 in favor of the home side.

 

Nobles hit his third three of the game with 5:30 to go to put TSU up by eight, but the Gamecocks pulled within two with a 5-0 run later in the period.

 

Miller nailed a triple on TSU’s next possession to make the score 65-60 with only 1:36 left and the Tigers forced a turnover on the ensuing series.

 

From there, Tennessee State made 5-of-7 from the charity stripe and escaped with a five-point victory, 70-65.

 

The Tigers were 8-for-17 (47.1 percent) from beyond the three-point line during the game, including a 6-for-11 line for the second half.

 

TSU will take a brief reprieve from conference play by hosting Middle Tennessee State on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m.

 

 Final Box

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION