TSU Lady Tigers Play4Kay on Monday vs. Murray State

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | VIDEO

GAMEDAY

The Tennessee State University women’s basketball team will return to action on Monday, Feb.10 with an OVC match-up against Murray State. With only six games remaining in a tight play-off race, each game is crucial. The contest is slated for a 6:00 p.m. start in the Gentry Center.  All fans are asked to wear pink to the game in support of the  fight against breast cancer.

 

THE LADY TIGERS AT A GLANCE

Tennessee State is coming off a dominating, 96-61, win over Austin Peay on Saturday. The victory improved TSU to 9-14 (6-4 OVC) and moved the team into third place in the East Division. It was the Lady Tigers’ fourth consecutive home win.  TSU has won four of its last six.

 

TSU is averaging 70.0 points per outing while shooting 38.1 percent from the field. Chelsea Hudson leads the team in scoring with 15.7 points per game while Rachel Allen (12.0 ppg), Alana Morris (7.4 ppg) and Brianna Lawrence Davis (7.0 ppg) round out the top scorers for TSU.

 

The Lady Tigers, under second year head coach Larry Joe Inman, returned four letterwinners from last year’s squad and added eight newcomers, including seven freshmen, to the roster. TSU finished last season with an overall record of 13-15 and a 9-7 conference mark. In an Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll that was released in October, TSU was predicted to finish fifth in the East Division standings.

LAST TIME OUT

Tennessee State used one of its best shooting performances of the year to defeat Austin Peay, 96-61, Saturday night in the Gentry Center. In the first half, TSU shot a scorching 61.1 percent in the and built a commanding lead. Jayda Johnson came off the bench to lead TSU in scoring with 17 points while Rachel Allen scored 15. Alana Morris and Chelsea Hudson each tallied 14 points.

 

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

Murray State (8-13, 1-8 OVC) is coming off an, 86-71, loss to Austin Peay last Thursday. The Racers have dropped six straight and sit in sixth place in the West Division.

 

In the loss to Austin Peay, senior Jessica Winfrey recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Freshman Janssen Starks scored 21 points and four rebounds. She was a perfect 10-for-10 at the free-throw.

 

Overall, is led in scoring by Keiona Kirby who averages 18.3 points per game. Janssen Starks (10.1 ppg) and Taylor Porter (9.9 ppg) round out the top scorers for MSU.

 

As a team, the Racers average, 73.8 points per game while shooting 35.8 percent from the field and 32.0 percent from long range.

 

TSU vs. MURRAY STATE

Tennessee State will match-up with Murray State for the 54th time in the series history with MSU holding a, 32-21, advantage. Last season, TSU claimed the only meeting between the two teams, 67-61, on the road. The Racers’ last win over the Lady Tigers was an, 87-83, victory in the CFSB Center on Feb. 23, 2012.

 

COVERAGE

Updates on the game will be available throughout the game on the official twitter page via @TSU_Tigers. Live stats and video will also be available for the games. Links can be found on tsutigers.com under the schedule.

 

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Tennessee State will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 15 across town at Belmont. Game time is slated for 5:00 p.m. in the Curb Event Center.

 
COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Nuggets lose 4-0 to Tulane in matchup of ranked teams

NEW ORLEANS -- Tulane won the doubles point and three singles matches Sunday to record a 4-0 victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in a matchup of city rivals and ranked women's teams at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center.

Tulane, ranked 56th in NCAA Division I, is 3-3. Xavier, ranked third in the NAIA, is 1-1.

Meredith Maltby and Ipek Birol clinched the doubles point for the Green Wave with a 6-0 decision against Brion Flowers and Simone-Alyse Ewell at No. 2. The dual was stopped after Maltby defeated Ewell 6-1, 6-0 at No. 5 singles.

Two freshmen posted the Gold Nuggets' best scores in unfinished singles matches. Xavier's Nour Abbes trailed Klara Vyskocilova 6-1, 1-4 at No. 1, and teammate Brandi Nelson trailed Margaux Hyman 7-5, 0-1 at No. 6.

It was the first of nine duals this season for the Gold Nuggets against NCAA D-I opponents. Xavier's women and men will visit another D-I, Louisiana-Lafayette, at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The next home duals for the Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush will be Feb. 22 against Alabama State.

 Results

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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2014 SWAC Championship Night Party Featuring Wale & Sevyn Streeter

Weeklong Celebration Highlighted by Championship Night Party Featuring Wale & Sevyn Streeter

HOUSTON, Texas  –  Officials with the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) have announced the schedule of conference-sanctioned special events that will take place in support of the 2014 Toyota SWAC Basketball Tournament.  Events begin in Houston on March 11 and carry on through March 15.

 

Activities begin with the “Tip-off Tuesday” mixer on Tuesday, March 11 at the House of Blues located at 1204 Caroline Street in downtown Houston from 4pm – 7pm.  The events continue with the late night “SWAC Turn Up Tuesday with DJ Good Grief” party at Social Junky located at 2412 Washington Avenue from 10pm – 2am. 

 

Following tournament play on March 12, “Wednesday Night Live HBCU Alumni/Greek Mixer” will take place at Sugarhill Social Club located at 2533 Southmore from 8pm – 2am.  Additionally, the SWAC will partner with Mathew Knowles and ICE Artistry for the ICE Artist Showcase at the House of Dereon Media Center at 2204 Crawford Street from 8pm – 11pm. 

 

Thursday, March 13, SWAC will feature a College and Community Expo in the 94-95 Room at Toyota Center from 12pm – 6pm.  Through this event, all ten SWAC schools will feature booths and admissions information to prospective students.  The College and Community Expo is free to the public and accessible from the Polk Street entrance.

 

After the quarterfinal games on Thursday, SWAC will present “Neo-Soul Unplugged” featuring live performances by Dwele and Raheem DeVaughn.  The concert will take place at the House of Dereon with doors opening at 9pm.  SWAC “Thursday at 5^th” will conclude the night with the late night party at 5^th Amendment located at 2900 Travis Street.

 

The talent continues to heat up following the semifinal games on Friday, March 14.  SWV and Bel Biv Devoe will take the stage at center court of Toyota Center with the “Post Game Old School Concert” that is included in the Friday night game ticket. 

 

The “SWAC Alumni Happy Hour & Free Friday Tip-Off Party” will take place at Grooves of Houston with the alumni happy hour running from 4pm – 7pm and the tip-off party going from 8pm – 2am.  Grooves is located at 2300 Pierce Street.

 

The evening continues with the SWAC “March Madness Official Alumni Party” at Sugarhill Social Club from 8pm – 2am.  Additionally, SWAC and Aristocrat Life will present the “Official Weekend Kick-off Party Hosted By August Alsina” from 10pm – 2am at Gatsbys located at 1902 Washington Avenue. 

 

After the SWAC basketball champions are crowned on Saturday, March 15, fans will be treated to a “Post Game New School Concert” at Toyota Center featuring Wale and Sevyn Streeter.  The concert ticket is included with the tournament championship ticket for Saturday.

 

Wale will keep the party going at the “Official SWAC Championship After Party” at Club Venue located at 719 Main Street from 10pm – 2am.  The “Official SWAC Alumni Championship After Party” will take place at Prospect Park at 3100 Fountainview Drive from 10pm – 2am.

 

Festivities will conclude on Sunday, March 16 with the “SWAC Sunday Funday Party” at Social Junky from 2pm – 5pm. 

 

Tickets to the 2014 Toyota SWAC Football Championship are available online at www.houstontoyotacenter.com, on the phone at 1-866-446-8849, or in person at the Toyota Center box office.  All session booklets are available starting at $125 for access to all men’s and women’s tournament games.  The purchase of an all session booklet is the only way to access off-site special events at no additional charge.  Individual session passes and tickets to the championship night games are also available for purchase.  Discounted ticket pricing is available for groups of ten or more by calling the Toyota Center box office.

 

The 2014 Toyota SWAC Basketball Tournament will feature men’s and women’s teams vying for the conference title with the chance to advance to the NCAA Basketball Tournament.  Additional information may be found on the official basketball tournament website at www.swachoops.org. 

 

Southwestern Athletic Conference

The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), established in 1920, is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., which is comprised of historically black universities in the Southern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports and the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). 

For Canton High School's Keontre Anderson, his decision was pure agony

CANTON, Mississippi -- It's 2 a.m. and Keontre Anderson is wide awake. He had a nightmare. It was about football. He hasn’t played since the Bernard Blackwell All-Star Classic in December. But, lately, he’s more consumed than ever before by the sport and the role it will play in his future.



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NSU Spartans Take Down Morgan State, 64-53

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- The Norfolk State men's basketball team shut down Morgan State and got a measure of revenge in the process in a 64-53 victory over the Bears on Saturday afternoon at the Talmadge Hill Field House.

Both teams were tied for second place in the MEAC coming into the day, but the Spartans pushed ahead of MSU in the standings thanks to 16 points from senior Pendarvis Williams and a defensive effort that held the Bears to just 33 percent shooting on the day.

The victory moved NSU into sole possession of second place in the conference at 7-2 behind league leader North Carolina Central. The Spartans now stand 13-10 overall as well.

MSU (8-13, 6-3), which won the season's earlier meeting in Norfolk, was led by Justin Black with 16 points and Ian Chiles with 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine blocks.



Sophomore RaShid Gaston added 11 points, and junior Jamel Fuentes also scored in double figures for NSU with 10.

The Spartans overcame an early deficit to start the game thanks to an extended 13-2 run in the first half. NSU never relinquished the lead the rest of the game and eventually went into the half up by five.

The Bears then cut the deficit to just two early in the second stanza, 30-28, on Chiles' putback dunk. Williams drained a 3-pointer and a 10-foot baseline jumper to put the Spartans back up by nine, 39-30, at 15:42. Fuentes later completed a 3-pointer play, and junior Kievyn Lila-St. Rose came up the court and quickly drained a trey for a 47-34 Spartan edge with less than 12 minutes to go.

The Spartans pushed their lead to the largest of the game at 15, 51-36, on a layup from Goode. Morgan State cut the lead to 10 with 4:28 left when Bozeman went in for an easy layup following an inbounds pass on the other end.

Shaquille Duncan had a pair of dunks in the last three and a half minutes of the game, getting the Bears to within eight at one point. Those two buckets, though, were the only points MSU scored over that closing stretch.

The Bears finished 19-of-57 (33.3 percent) from the field, including a paltry 2-of-22 from 3-point range. The Spartans shot 26-of-62 (41.9 percent), with all but six of those attempts coming from inside the arc.

Morgan State scored seven of the first nine points of the game, but Goode had six early points to keep NSU on pace with the Bears. The second of those baskets for the senior started a 13-2 run for the Spartans that lasted almost nine minutes and pushed their lead to 17-11, with less than nine minutes to go in the half.

Chiles finally ended that drought with a pair of free throws, but Gaston's bucket down low gave NSU an eight-point advantage, its largest of the first stanza, at 23-15. A pair of free throws from Anthony Hubbard with 9.0 seconds on the clock cut the Spartan lead to 28-23 heading into the intermission.

For the second game in a row, NSU finished with single digit turnovers, committing just eight against the Bears. Fuentes also tallied eight assists and three steals, while senior Anell Alexis added eight points and six boards.

Williams led NSU with seven boards.

The Spartans will return home to face Howard Monday night at 8 p.m. at Joseph Echols Hall.

Box Score

By Mike Bello, Asst. SID
COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

NCCU Sets School Record in Victory over B-CU

DURHAM, North Carolina – North Carolina Central University shot a season-best 61.9 percent from the field and forced the visiting Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman University into 20 turnovers as the Eagles cruised to the 77-54 win on Saturday afternoon, setting a new school record as the maroon and gray have now won 20-straight games inside McDougald-McLendon Gym.

The win breaks the previous mark of 19-straight which was set from Jan. 7, 1989 till Feb. 17, 1990 as the Eagles won the last six home games during the magical National Championship season, then went unbeaten at home in 13 contests in the 1989-90 campaign.  This now stands as the new mark on record as there were no home or away designations for games played prior to the 1987-88 campaign in the record books.  The maroon and gray are tied with Harvard for sixth in the nation with 20 consecutive wins at home.

NCCU jumped out to a 21-7 lead in the first nine minutes aided by the golden touch of Reggie Groves (Raleigh, N.C.) who drilled his first three shots from deep to get the Eagle offense rolling.  The maroon and gray led by as many as 13 in the first frame and took that margin into the locker room with a 35-22 advantage.



Bethune-Cookman continued to fight in the second half, mounting a rally through the first three-and-a-half minutes as Malik Jackson's three-pointer cut the margin to single digits at 41-32, but a minute later an Emanuel Chapman (Raleigh, N.C.) three-pointer and a Karamo Jawara (Bergen, Norway) dunk stretched the lead back to 14 at 48-34 with 14:27 to go.

The Wildcats were never able to get it within single digits again as the Eagles used a 14-8 spurt to make it a 20-point ballgame at 68-48 with 4:13 left following Groves' fifth three-pointer of the game.

NCCU rolled from there to upend B-CU 77-54 and earn their ninth straight win on the year.  The Eagles dominated in the paint 30-to-18 over the Wildcats, 24-to-10 in points off turnovers, and 12-to-4 in fast break points.

In the victory, NCCU shot an astonishing 9-for-13 (64.3 percent) from behind-the-arc, the best performance from deep since Nov. 29, 2011 when the Eagles shot 11-for-17 (64.7 percent) in a 94-60 blowout win over Southern Wesleyan.  The 61.9 percent from the field (26-for-42) is the first game in which the Eagles have shot better than 60 percent since Jan. 8, 2013 as NCCU beat Virginia University of Lynchburg, 97-28, shooting 39-of-65 from-the field (60 percent).  The maroon and gray also earned the regular season sweep over B-CU for the third straight season.

Groves led the maroon and gray with 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting from-the-perimeter, while Chapman recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 assists, along with five rebounds, and two steals.  Redshirt junior forward Jay Copeland (Suffolk, Va.) finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and a season-high three blocks in the win.

Bethune-Cookman had three Wildcats in double figures led by Jackson's 14 points, which had the 6-6 senior not fouled out, could have been much more as he caught fire in the second half.  Mikel Trapp was limited to six shot attempts and finished with 13 points, while guard Maurice Taylor contributed 10 points in the loss.

NCCU (17-5, 8-1 MEAC) looks to make it 10-straight wins on the year, 21-straight at home on Monday night, Feb. 10, as the Rattlers of Florida A&M University make the trip to the Bull City for an approximate 7:30 p.m. tipoff in McDougald-McLendon Gym.  FAMU issued the only defeat in league play to the Eagles at this point back on Jan. 11 (63-60) inside the Lawson Center in Tallahassee, Fla.

Visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com or download the NCCU Sports Network app available in the App Store, Google Play and Amazon for the latest on NCCU Athletics.  

Chris Hooks, Assistant Sports Information Director/Broadcast Media Coordinator

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Southern Jaguars cruise over Grambling

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  -- The Southern and Grambling men’s basketball teams pretty much kept doing what they’ve been doing all along Saturday night.

The Jaguars kept winning to maintain their hold on first place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and the Tigers kept losing to maintain their hold on last.

Southern raced to a 55-29 halftime lead and cruised to a 104-54 victory against Grambling in the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.

“Whenever you play your rivalry school like Grambling and you see the crowd that’s going to be here, you’re always concerned about focus and I know that’s a weakness of this team,” Jaguars coach Roman Banks said. “I was glad to see our shoot-around this morning was really good and this was one of our better focused games.”

CONTINUE READING

Southern women get crazy win

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  -- Southern women’s basketball coach Sandy Pugh walked out of the visitor’s locker room, shook her head and said, “I’ve never seen anything like that in all my days.”

She was referring to the Jaguars’ bizarre 74-72 victory against Grambling on Saturday afternoon in the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.

Pugh had just watched the Tigers cut her team’s late lead from eight points to two on one trip up the floor. Then she saw her team fall behind, regain the lead, have a chance to put it away, turn it over and withstand a missed layup just before the buzzer.

“SWAC-tion,” Pugh said. “You’ve got to love it.”

Southern (12-6 overall), which hadn’t played since suffering its first league loss to Alcorn State a week earlier, remained in first place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference at 9-1. The Jaguars play at Jackson State on Monday. Grambling is 8-13, 5-5.

CONTINUE READING

Hot Shooting TSU Lady Tigers Dominate Austin Peay, 96-61

NASHVILLE, Tennessee --- The Tennessee State University women’s basketball team used one of its best shooting performances of the year to dispatch Austin Peay, 96-61, Saturday night in the Gentry Center.

 

The 96 points was a season-high for the Lady Tigers who extended their home winning streak to four with the victory. TSU had four players to score in double-digits, led by Jayda Johnson’s 17 points. Rachel Allen added 15 while Chelsea Hudson and Alana Morris each tallied 14. I’mani Davis just missed a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds.

 

Tennessee State improved to 9-14 overall and 6-4 in league play while Austin Peay fell to 9-15 (6-5 OVC).

 

The Lady Govs were led in scoring by Jennifer Nwokocha’s 15 points while Nicole Olszewski tallied 13.

 

In the first half, Austin Peay burned a timeout with just 2:28 ticked off the clock after TSU jumped out to an 8-0 lead. The Lady Tigers extended their advantage to 15-6 before the first media timeout but the Lady Govs responded with a run to cut the deficit down to four.

Over the next several possessions, however, TSU regained control and posted the next nine points to increase its advantage to 27-14.

 

The Lady Tigers dominated the rest of the half and outscored the opponent, 27-13. TSU led by as many as 30 points before going into the break ahead, 54-27.

 

The home team shot a scorching 61.1 percent from the field while Jayda Johnson exploded for 17 points off the bench in the first half.

 

Austin Peay made the first two buckets of the second frame but Tennessee State scored the next six points to go up, 60-31.

 

At the 15:24 mark, Alana Morris buried a jumper from near the top of the key to make the score, 67-31, in favor of the home team.

 

The Lady Tigers swelled the advantage up to 38 points and maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way.

 

The Lady Tigers forced Austin Peay into 23 turnovers, in which they turned into 25 points. TSU also controlled the glass, outrebounding APSU, 46-33.

 

TSU shot 53.6 percent from the field and 70.4 percent from the free-throw line. APSU finished the game with a 40.3 percent clip from the field but only managed to connect,54.5 percent from the charity stripe.

 

Tennessee State returns to action on Monday against Murray State. Game time is slated for 6:00 p.m. in the Gentry Center.

 

FINAL STATS

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Gold Rush lose 83-72 conference game at SUNO

NEW ORLEANS -- NAIA No. 11 Xavier University of Louisiana lost 83-72 to SUNO in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball Saturday.

Broc Willis scored 21 points and Merlin Walker a season-high 20 for the Knights (12-9, 4-5), who defeated the Gold Rush (18-6, 7-2) at The Castle for the first time since 2004.

Xavier still has the GCAC's best conference record. The Gold Rush are a half-game better than 6-2 Edward Waters and a game ahead of 5-2 Talladega.

Morris Wright scored 19 points and Lucas Martin-Julien 13 for Xavier, and Sydney Coleman and Anthony Goode had 12 apiece. Coleman led the Gold Rush with six rebounds.

SUNO led 33-32 at halftime and never trailed in the second half. After Goode's basket tied the score at 40 with 15 minutes remaining, the Knights made three 3-pointers in an 18-4 run during the next seven minutes.

SUNO outshot Xavier 51 to 43.1 percent from the floor. The Knights made 23-of-25 free throws -- 19-of-21 in the second half -- and the Gold Rush made 16-of-20. Both teams made five first-half 3-pointers -- Wright was 3-of-3 in the first seven minutes -- but SUNO finished 8-of-15 to Xavier's 6-of-16.

It was Xavier's first road defeat since Dec. 19. The Gold Rush had won five straight on the road, four in conference.

The Knights gained a regular-season split with the Gold Rush, and SUNO got its first doubleheader sweep of Xavier since 2002. The Lady Knights defeated the Gold Nuggets 61-56 in the opening game.

The next two Gold Rush games will be against ranked NAIA teams -- 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at No. 5 William Carey and 7:30 p.m. at home on Feb. 17 against No. 17 Philander Smith.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
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Gold Nuggets' second-half rally falls short at SUNO

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana reduced a double-digit lead to three in the closing minutes before SUNO secured a 61-56 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory at The Castle on Saturday.

The Gold Nuggets (17-8, 8-2), ranked 20th in NAIA Division I, suffered back-to-back GCAC losses for the first time in five years.

Xavier trailed 39-23 after Sabrina Scott's basket for SUNO with 14:32 remaining. But Paige Gauthier made 3-of-3 3-pointers for the Gold Nuggets thereafter, and her final trey cut the Lady Knights' lead to 59-56 with 27 seconds remaining.

After an XU timeout, Vinnie Briggs produced a backcourt steal for Xavier, but SUNO's Brandy Broome -- the NAIA Division I leader in steals -- answered with another steal with 15 seconds remaining. Broome was fouled and made two free throws with 10 seconds remaining to close the scoring.

Broome had 21 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and four steals. Scott had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. Victoria Davis made 6-of-6 free throws and scored 14 points.

Gauthier had 10 points and was Xavier's only double-figure scorer. She also had six rebounds, four assists, a block and two steals. Danielle Tucker had nine points and 11 rebounds, and Chelsea Broussard scored eight. The Nuggets' season scoring leader, Whitney Gathright, was 1-of-7 from the floor and had four points, but the sophomore guard also had six assists and three steals.

SUNO (12-6, 6-3) led the final 28 minutes, including 33-21 at halftime. They gained a regular-season split with the Gold Nuggets, who won 74-52 at Xavier on Jan. 11.

SUNO outshot the Gold Nuggets 38.3 to 29.7 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 50-40.

Xavier's next game will start at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at William Carey. The Gold Nuggets' next home game will start at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 17 against Philander Smith.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
https://www.facebook.com/xulagold

A&T Wins Rematch Against Florida A&M

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  -- No one said it would be easy but the North Carolina A&T women’s basketball team used everything they had to defeat Florida A&M, 82-77 at Corbett Sports Center Saturday evening.

The Aggies (17-4, 7-2 MEAC) placed five players in double figures and shot a solid 55.6 percent from the field in the rematch against FAMU (11-12, 5-5 MEAC).

“I think Florida A&M is one of the better teams in the league from a talent standpoint,” head coach Tarrell Robinson said. “The games that they’ve won have been at home and they’ve struggled on the road but that’s a good team that we beat. They have one of the best scorers in the country but I’m just glad that we got away with a win. I thought our post players gave us great effort today. Everyone who played contributed.”

The Aggies dominated in the paint where they scored 52 points. A&T was led by junior Ariel Bursey who scored 14 points, dished out four assists and had four steals.  Senior DeAndra Davis finished with 13 points, followed by redshirt sophomores Aprill McRae, Eboni Ross and redshirt junior Debbie Smith who all scored 11 points. Smith also led A&T in rebounds with eight.

A&T also did a good job of spreading the ball around by recording 15 assists with seven coming from Christina Carter.

 The Aggies defense slowed down the Rattlers in the second half as they cruised on a 16-6 run and took the 52-42 advantage with 15:30 in the game. A&T remained ahead and benefited from three Rattlers fouling out of the game.

A&T took the 70-57 lead with less than six minutes remaining as it looked like it was going to close out the game with no problem. However FAMU fueled a 15-5 run and cut the Aggies lead to 75-72 with 3:30 left. After the timeout Carter and Bursey used a jumper and layup to push A&T’s lead to 79-72. FAMU responded with a three but it wasn’t able to consistently connect on many shots in the final minutes as the Aggies retained control.

Jasmine Grice led all players with 38 points followed by Tanke Rubin who tallied 16 points for FAMU.

From tip-off, the game was packed with a lot of energy from both teams. The Aggies led 13-12 eight minutes into the half until a turnover caused it to trail 14-13. Grice nailed a jumper and a 3-pointer to extend FAMU’s edge to 19-13 with 10:47 left in the half. Both teams exchanged baskets but it was Bursey’s 3-pointer that tied the game at 22 with 7:57 left. Tracy King put the Aggies back on top 33-31 at the 2:11 mark but they found themselves tied at 36 at the end of the half.

A&T struggled handling the ball in the first half as FAMU connected on 21 points off A&T’s 18 turnovers. The Aggies also had to find a way to stop Grice who had already tallied 17 points.

“We prepared all week to work on handling the ball and being more disciplined,” Robinson said. “We still need to improve on that. We didn’t run any gimmick defenses to try and stop Grice. We trust our defense. We know that she’s going to score we just had to make sure that we took care of everyone else and we did. “

The Aggies will host Bethune-Cookman on Monday, Feb. 10 for a league game starting at 6 p.m.

A&T 82, FAMU 77

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

National Signing Day Proves Profitable for Stillman

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – Fourteen young men have made the decision to sign with Stillman and join the Tiger football program in 2014.

"Today was a good day," said head coach Teddy Keaton.  "This is going to be a group that can come in and develop themselves, which is something that I really wanted for them.  I am proud of the work that the staff put in."

Spending much of the offseason looking to redefine some roles of returning players, Keaton and the Tigers' staff recruited a number of quality athletes who should fill several needs for the program.

"We had a couple of athletes who will join the program that will be definite upgrades to the team," said Keaton.  "A lot of the credit for this class goes to the coaching staff.  These guys really went out and worked the recruiting trail and today is the culmination of that.  There deserve a lot of the credit today."



1.  Bryan Hypolite (5-11 • DB • Sandersville, Ga. • Washington County "Golden Hawks")
Hypolite should bring athleticism and some height to the Tiger defensive backfield.  He registered 133 total tackles (including 81 solo) and two forced fumbles in his career.  The Golden Hawks, coached by Joel Ingram, were region champs and a state runner-up between 2010-2014.

2.  Ryan Sherman (5-6 • 180 • RB/KR • Powder Springs, Ga. • McEachern "Indians")
Sherman comes to Stillman as a running back/kick returner that looks to bring some inside toughness and speed to the backfield.  He tallied 547 yards and three touchdowns while tallying nearly 300 kick return yards.  He has been clocked with a 4.6 40-yard dash.

3.  Connor Eggleton (5-7 • 160 • WR/PR • Dothan, Ala. • Dothan "Tigers")
Eggleton is a tough-nosed athlete who should be a good complement in both the Tiger's offense and the special teams' scheme.  He has posted times of 4.6 and 4.7 in the 40-yard dash and was named the top receiver and the Step It Up National Elite Camp and was a top performer at Dothan during the 2013 season.

4.  Zeb Finch (6-2 • 310 • OL • Kennedy, Ala. • Pickens County "Tornados")
Finch finished his senior season as a member of the Tuscaloos News Al-Metro Team.  He was a key component of the offensive line that paved the way for running back Jamarcus Brown (1A Alabama State Player of the Year) and the Tornadoes offense.

5.  Jeremie Saffold (5-11 • 186 • LB • Dothan, Ala. • Dothan "Tigers")
Saffold played a number of positions at Dothan HS, but spent a lot of time as a linebacker during his senior year.  He finished with 57 total tackles (41 solo) along with four sacks and seven tackles for loss.

6.  Luis Pimentel (5-10 • 165 • K/P • Dothan, Ala. • Dothan "Tigers")
Pimentel was a solid kicker for the Tigers during the 2013 season.  The 5-foot-10 kicker/punter connected on 14-of-17 field goal attempts with a long of 46 yards.  He also made 26-of-28 PAT kicks for the Tigers.  As a punter, he had 36 registered punts with an average of 39 yards per punt.  In total, he scored 68 points for Dothan this season.

7.  Brett Standifer (6-2 • 215 • QB • Cleveland, Tenn. • Bradley Central "Bears")
Standifer helped guide the Bears program to its fourth consecutive TSSAA playoffs.  In his senior season, he completed 168-of-291 pass attempts for 2,239 yards and 19 touchdowns.  He also rushed 134 times for 419 yards and seven touchdowns.  Against nationally ranked Maryville in the state playoffs, he finished with 228 passing yards and a touchdown on 25-of-37 pass attempts along with eight carries for 21 yards.  Standifer started for three seasons at Soddy-Daisy High School and threw for more than 3,000 yards before transferring to Bradley Central.

8. Jamarcus Brown (5-11 • 170 • RB • Reform, Ala. • Pickens County "Tornadoes")
Brown finished his senior season as the Alabama 1A Player of the Year.  He rushed for 2,730 yards and 38 touchdowns while catching 20 passes for seven scores.  He also scored on a punt return and had five interceptions – three of which he returned for touchdowns. Brown rushed for a record 329 yards and three touchdowns, as Pickens County High School took down Maplesville High School 38-18 in the AHSAA Class 1A state championship game in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The Tornados set 1A championship game records for yards rushing (441), total offense (471) and individual rushing yards to claim the school's first AHSAA title. The game also set 1A championship records for combined total offense (799) and points (56).

9. Marcellas Butler (6-3 • 225 • QB • Eufaula, Ala. • Eufaula "Tigers")
Butler, who played multiple sports for Eufaula, passed for 1756 yards and 21 total touchdowns this season for the Tigers.  Butler, a member of the Eufaula basketball team, Completed 10 of 17 passes for 250 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-14 win over Abbeville.  Butler was ranked as a two-star recruit by several agencies.

10. Maurice Crumpton (6-2 • 195 • SS/QB • Orrville, Ala. • Keith "Bears")
Crumpton finished his career with 72 touchdowns (52 rushing, 19 passing, 1 receiving).  A standout on both sides of the football, he was named Selma Times Journal Player of the Week in September.  Crumpton helped lead the Bears to an 8-3 record and a trip to the Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 1A state playoffs last season in his first year as a starter in his junior season.  He is the nephew of Stillman head women's basketball coach Cassandra Moorer.

11. Isaiah Webster (6-4 • 320 • OL • New Orleans, La. • Southern University)
Played his high school ball at O. Perry Walker High School.

12. Jorrell Thurmon (6-0 • 195 • SS • Florence, Miss. • East Mississippi Community College)
Thurmon tallied 11 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown while registering five tackles last season at EMCC.  He is the brother of Stillman running back Jovontae Thurmon.

13. Dominique Stollings (6-2 • 180 • WR • Dayton, Ohio • Northmont "Thunderbolts")
In his final season at Northmont High, Stollings had 24 receptions for 471 yards and seven touchdowns.  He was named first-team all-division as a receiver.

14.  Everett Curry  6-0, 255 defensive line, Birmingham, AL finished his senior  season with 72 total tackles (43 solo), 12 sacks, three tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, one blocked punt, one blocked field goal and a defensive touchdown.  He was named defensive player of the game in the AAA state championship game against Monroe Academy where he finished with eight tackles and 1.5 sacks.

COURTESY STILLMAN COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

Shaw Football Signs Ten for 2014

RALEIGH, North Carolina - The Shaw University football team has received National Letters of Intent (NLI) from ten players, it was announced Friday.

"Most importantly, we recruited good students," said Shaw head coach Robert Massey. "They're also good football players and young men that will have a positive influence on this campus."

The signees include four offensive linemen and four linebackers.

"We looked to fill our two biggest needs," said Massey. "We needed offensive linemen and linebackers. We succeeded in meeting those needs with this incoming class. We have players here who can make an immediate impact."

The ten signees are:

Anfernee Anderson, 6-6, 230, TE, Rockledge, FL, Rockledge HS

Andrew Cash, 6-2, 210, TE/LB, Semara, NC, Person County HS

Dominique Davis, 6-2, 275, DL, Laurel Hill, NC, Scotland County HS

Shaiquan Holder, 6-2, 225, LB/TE, Raleigh, NC, Knightdale HS

Julian Jackson, 5-11, 220, LB, Charlotte, NC, NW Cabarrus HS

Dominique Mims, 5-10, 220, LB/LS, Durham, NC, Southern Durham HS

Joshon Perry, 6-3, 280, OL, Louisburg, NC, Franklinton HS

Khalil Reese, 6-2, 285, OL, Desoto, TX, Hyde Prep

Brandon Thompson, 6-3, 320, OL, Durham, NC, Hillside HS

Zedrious Wright-Starks, 6-3, 300, OL Atlanta, GA, ASA (Atlanta)


Last season, the Bears were 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the CIAA.



COURTESY SHAW UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

ASU Golden Rams football signs 10 prospects on National Signing Day

ALBANY, Georgia — Head James "Mike" White and the Albany State Golden Rams signed 10 new players on National Football Signing Day. Nine of the new Golden Rams come from the high school ranks and the entire class will join the program for the 2014 season.

"We were pleased with the guys we signed on the first day," White said. "We hope to sign a few more guys. We're off to a good start, and we're looking to keep this momentum and pick up some more good players."

 

2014 ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL SIGNEES

 

Darryl Hill DB 6'0 190 Central High School Macon, GA   

Emmanuel Brown LB 6'1 205 Kendrick High School Columbus, GA
Marvin Lewis LB 6'2 215 Kendrick High School Columbus, GA
Kenneth Averhart OL 6'3 315 East Mississippi College Columbus, MS
Damion Dixon LB 6'1 220 Bryan County High Pembroke, GA
Nick Scott DB 6'0 190 Bryan County High Pembroke, GA
Trimarcus Collins DL 6'5 250 Stockbridge High Stockbridge, GA
Devon Wallace LB 6'0 225 Lithonia High Lithonia, GA
Quadrey Simmons WR 6'1 180 Atlanta Sport Academy Cope, SC
Douglas Turner OL 6'5 280 Spencer High Columbus, GA  

COURTESY ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Cougars Hit Double-Digit Win Mark In 81-74 Decision Over Kansas City

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CHICAGO, Illinois – Thanks to a 27-of-32 performance from the free throw line, Chicago State men's basketball finished a season-series sweep of Kansas City by defeating the Roos 81-74 in a Western Athletic Conference contest at the Jones Convocation Center on Saturday (Feb. 8).

In the previous meeting between the two clubs it was senior Quinton Pippen (Hamburg, Ark./Hamburg) making the game-winning basket with less than two seconds remaining. On Saturday, Pippen was again a main reason for the victory. He finished with a career-high 28 points on 7-of-10 shooting. He made 5-of-6 3-point attempts and was a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. He also added two steals an assist and committed just one turnover.

Pippen was one of four Cougars in double-digits. Junior Clarke Rosenberg (Skokie, Ill./Evanston Township) added 19 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the free throw line. Senior Nate Duhon (Lansing, Mich./Sexton) scored 11 points and senior Eddie Denard (Chicago, Ill./Foreman) provided 10 points.

The Cougars opened a 34-26 lead at halftime thanks to 13 Kansas City turnovers in the opening period. CSU built their lead to 15 points in the second half on a jumper by Pippen with 15:17 left to make the score 48-33. Less than two minutes later Pippen picked up his fourth foul. When he left the court, Kansas City responded with a 17-4 run to tie the game at 53 with 8:06 remaining. However the Cougars would never trail in the second half. Pippen, back on the court, followed with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to put the Cougars in the lead again. It was the start of a 12-3 run by the Cougars to essentially ice the contest. Chicago State built their lead up to 12 points again and made enough free throws down the stretch to earn the victory.

"Kansas City made their run to tie it up but we didn't give up," Chicago State head coach Tracy Dildy said. "That's the one thing about this team is this group doesn't give up and will keep fighting. That's what you need to win conference games."

The Cougars' success at the line was pivotal as Kansas City earned only five fewer attempts from the charity stripe but made 11 fewer free throws. The Roos shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the floor while the Cougars finished 44.4 percent (24-of-54) for the contest.

Junior Rahjan Muhammad (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) saw his first action of the season and added two points, two steals, two rebounds and three assists in a starting role.

The victory moves Chicago State to 10-12 (5-3 WAC) on the year. Kansas City falls to 7-15 (4-5 WAC). The Cougars hit the road next week for a pair of WAC contests. First up is UTPA on Thursday (Feb. 13). The game has a 7 p.m. CT start. Chicago State will look to avenge an earlier season loss to the Broncs.

COURTESY CHICAGO STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Hampton Lady Pirates Hold Off Rival Howard at Home

HAMPTON, Virginia – The Hampton University women's basketball used a surge in the second half to pull away from rival Howard Saturday evening at the HU Convocation Center, escaping to a 76-64 win to remain unbeaten in MEAC play.

The Lady Pirates (19-4, 10-0 MEAC), winners of nine straight, are one win away from their fifth straight 20-win season. Hampton has won its last 16 home MEAC games, and the Lady Pirates have won their last 40 games against MEAC foes (including conference tournament games).

Junior guard Kenia Cole (Silver Spring, Md.) led four Lady Pirates in double figures with 24 points – 20 of which came in the second half – going 8-for-15 from the floor and hitting three of her seven 3-pointers. Senior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) added 14 points and four assists.

Senior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) and freshman guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas (Harrisburg, Pa.) each added 13 points, and Bennett grabbed 10 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season.

Redshirt-sophomore forward Brielle Ward (Baltimore, Md.) grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds.

The game was tied at 43-43 with 13:35 left in the second half, thanks to a jumper from Cheyenne Brown, but the Lady Pirates responded by scoring 13 of the next 15 points, taking a 56-45 lead after a layup from redshirt-sophomore forward Tyler Hobgood (Oxford, N.C.).

Cole scored four points in that run.

Howard answered that run with the next five points, closing the gap to 56-50 on a 3-pointer from Te'Shya Helsip with 7:58 remaining, but Cole had the answer, recording a free throw, a 3-pointer, and a breakaway layup to put Hampton up 62-50 with 6:22 left in the game.

Two Bennett free throws with 3:52 left gave the Lady Pirates a 65-52 lead.

Howard went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 65-58 on a Victoria Gonzalez layup with 2:33 to go, but a Hamilton jumper 21 seconds later gave the Lady Pirates a 68-58 lead. Shavonne Duckett hit a jumper with 1:17 left to cut the lead to 70-62, but Cole answered with the dagger 20 seconds later, hitting a trey from the wing to give Hampton a 73-62 lead.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair, featuring four ties and 10 lead changes. A 3-pointer from sophomore guard Ryan Jordan (Manassas, Va.) gave the Lady Pirates a 19-15 lead at the 11:36 mark, before Duckett went on a personal 7-0 run to give Howard a 22-19 lead with 9:39 left in the half.

Jasmine Hill put the Bison up 25-21 with a trey at the 7:19 mark, before a 4-0 Hampton spurt tied the game at 25-25 after Cole hit two free throws. Heslip gave Howard a 28-25 lead with a 3-pointer at the 5:19 mark, but a 7-1 Hampton run put the Lady Pirates up 32-29 with 2:13 left in the half after Ward hit a jumper.

Cole gave the Lady Pirates a 36-31 lead (Hampton's largest lead of the half) with 32 seconds left in the half on a free throw, before Allese Morrison hit two free throws with 19 seconds left to cut that lead to 36-33.

Hampton took that lead into the half; the Lady Pirates are 17-0 this season when leading at halftime.

The Lady Pirates shot 35.9 percent (23-for-64) from the floor and made seven of their 22 3-pointers (31.8 percent). Hampton out-rebounded Howard 45-38, and the Lady Pirates turned 18 Howard turnovers into 18 points.

Hampton also held a 22-12 edge in points in the paint.

Howard (9-13, 5-4 MEAC) shot 40.4 percent (21-for-52) from the floor and hit seven of its 15 3-pointers (46.7 percent).

Duckett led the Bison with 16 points.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Monday, taking on Maryland Eastern Shore at the HU Convocation Center at 6 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 ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Livingstone Blue Bears Announce 2014 Signing Class

SALISBURY, North Carolina  -- Livingstone College's head football coach Daryl Williams announced his first signing class on Thursday, including two mid-year transfers and eight who signed National Letters Of Intent to compete as a Blue Bear.

"We signed a very good recruiting class with football players who are highly competitive, love the game of football, can run, and know what the standard is required from them, in order for the team to win," said Williams.

Mid Year Transfers:

-Troy Williams (LB, 6'3/220) is a transfer from Compton Community College.  A Compton, California native, he made 2nd Team All Conference as a Linebacker at Compton Community College during the Fall 2013 season.

-Elbert Zeke Coley (WR, 5'11/200)  is a transfer from the North Georgia Sports Academy from Fitzgerald, Georgia.

National Letter of Intent Signee's

-Ivan Chatmanm (DB, 5' 10/185) is a transfer from Compton Community College from Compton, California.

-Lafayette Taylor  (DL, 6'3/245)  is a transfer from Compton Community College from Compton, California.

-Frank Ah Kiong  (DL, 6'2/290) is a transfer from Mount San Antonio College from Salt Lake City, Utah.

-Josh Kaiwi  (DL, 6'6 275)  transfer from Mount San Antonio College from Anchorage, Alaska.

-Faleupolu Maloata   (DL, 6'3/265) is a transfer from Mount San Antonio College from Corona, California.

-John Roberson  (WR, 6'1/190) is a transfer from University Of Idaho from Los Angeles, California.

-Marcus Baisy  (RB, 5'9/175)… High School:Eastern Hills High School… Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas

-Marcus Wright (OL, 6'3/330)… High School--John Carroll Catholic High School… Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama

COURTESY LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

TU Golden Tigers sign 21 on National Signing Day

TUSKEGEE, Alabama  -- The Tuskegee University Department of Athletics has announced the signing of 21 student-athletes today who have intentions of playing football under Coach Willie Slater this Fall.  The student-athletes were signed from five different states, with Georgia and Alabama each having seven kids apiece sign with the school, leading all states.

"Today was a great day," Slater said.  "We addressed some needs, but we still have some holdouts that we would like to have sign with us.  We hope to accomplish more work, but I like what we have been able to accomplish."

Social media had a major impact on the signing of the student-athletes, as participants from Mill Creek High School in Georgia and Miami Central High School in Florida were captured on camera making their declaration.

Three different college transfer players signed from three different states.  These players include natives of California, Maryland and an additional signee from Fairmount State University in West Virginia.  Slater was also impressed with the variety of high school kids that were able to sign with the team.

"There are college transfers that we signed from different parts of the country," Slater said.  "We also managed to get some high school kids from Miami, too.  I am pleased with how [Recruiting Coordinator] Coach (Kelvin) Powell has worked to find the kids that are the best fit for our program."

The Golden Tigers will begin their 2014 season Sept. 6, as Tuskegee will host Alabama A&M on campus for the first time since 1998.

2014 Signing Class
#	Name	High School/ College	HT	WT	Position	Home Town
1.	Christopher Edwards	Washington County HS	6'3	240	TE	Sandersville, GA
2.	Saul Dorvilus	Golden  Gate HS	6'3	275	OL	Naples, FL
3.	DeVozea Felton	Mill Creek HS	5'7	165	Athlete	Buford, GA
4.	Ken Hike	Columbia HS	6'1	180	DB	Decatur, GA
5.	Anthony Williams	North View HS	5'11	185	DB	Dothan, AL
6.	Demarcus Gamble	Sweet Water HS	6'2	230	FB	Sweet Water, AL
7.	Brandon Jackson	Lincoln HS	6'1	175	DB	Tallahassee, FL
8.	Andre Revere	Fairmont State University	6'1	280	DT	Atlanta, GA
9.	Carlin Clark	Miami Central HS	6'2	230	DE	Miami, FL
10.	Twan Adams	Miami Central HS	6'0	275	DT	Miami, FL
11.	Sidney Battle	Clay- Chalkville HS	6'0	190	RB	Birmingham, AL
12.	Ladarius Wimbush	Dothan HS	6'2	255	TE	Dothan, AL
13.	Tyler Deans	Monroe Area HS	6'3	275	OL	Monroe, GA
14.	Kenyn Richey	Oxford HS	6'0	280	DT	Oxford, AL
15.	Desmon Owens	Oxford HS	6'2	220	TE	Oxford, AL
16.	Christopher Hickson	Sierra College	6'1	220	LB/LS	Laurel, MD
17.	Blaise Burroughs	Duluth HS	6'4	280	OL	Duluth, GA
18.	Rick Hardrick	Duluth HS	6'3	275	OL	Duluth, GA
19.	Kisione Pale	Cerritos College	6'2	285	DT	Lakewood, CA
20.	Ricky Norris	Daytona Mainland HS	5'10	210	LB	Daytona Beach, FL
21.	Phillip Brown	Spain Park HS	6'4	200	WR	Hoover, AL

COURTESY TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION