Gold Rush maintain position among NAIA's top 15

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana dropped two places to 14th in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 on Tuesday.

The Gold Rush (19-7, 8-2 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) are in the top 25 for the 33rd consecutive time -- the longest active streak in the division -- and the 46th time in the last 47 polls. It's the third time in four seasons that Xavier has spent four or more consecutive weeks in the top 15.

Xavier bounced back from a loss at top-5 William Carey last week with a 103-99 overtime home victory Monday against then-No. 24 Philander Smith. The Gold Rush reached 100 points for the first time since the 2009-10 season opener.

The other ranked team from the GCAC is Talladega, which climbed from seventh to sixth. The Tornadoes are in the top 10 for the seventh consecutive poll.

Cal State San Marcos is No. 1 for the fourth consecutive week.

Xavier's next two games will be at home -- 5 p.m. Saturday against Tougaloo, 6 p.m. on Feb. 25 against Belhaven -- then the Gold Rush will close the regular season March 1 at conference and city rival Dillard. Xavier will be one of the hosts of the GCAC Tournament from March 6-9.

The Tougaloo game will include a senior-day ceremony for Xavier Rogers and Olivier Siewe.

The top 25:

1. Cal State San Marcos
2. Pikeville
3. William Carey
4. Southwestern Assemblies of God
5. Freed-Hardeman
6. Talladega
7. Columbia (Mo.)
8. Emmanuel (Ga.)
9. Vanguard
10. Rocky Mountain
11. Benedictine (Kan.)
12. Culver-Stockton
13. LSU-Shreveport
14. Xavier
15. Concordia (Calif.)
16. Georgetown (Ky.)
17. Mid-America Christian
18. Montana State-Northern
19. Rio Grande
20. Wiley
21. Westminster (Utah)
22. Central Methodist
23. St. Gregory's
24. Martin Methodist
25. Arizona Christian


By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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TSU Men's Basketball to Hold Senior Night on Feb. 20

GAME NOTES | WATCH LIVE | LISTEN LIVE | LIVE STATS

TODAY'S GAME

The Tennessee State men’s basketball team will host its final home contest of the season against SIUE for Senior Night on Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

TIGERS AT A GLANCE

Tennessee State is coming off of a, 73-71, loss to Belmont on Thursday dropping the Tigers to 3-24 overall and 2-11 in league play.

TSU is averaging 68.9 points per game while shooting 42.7 percent from the field. Senior Patrick Miller has been the team’s top scorer all season long and is leading the OVC in points per game (23.2). M.J. Rhett has also been a top contributor, pouring in 10.6 points and securing 9.3 boards each outing.

The Tigers, led by second year head coach Travis Williams, returned five letter winners from last year’s 18-15 squad. However, the club lost four starters due to graduation last year, but the three big missing pieces are All-OVC second team members Robert Covington and Kellen Thornton as well as Jordan Cyphers. Last season, that trio of players averaged 43 points per contest which was 60 percent of the team’s scoring.

LAST TIME OUT

Patrick Miller scored 23 points and Jay Harris added a career-high 19, but the Tennessee State men’s basketball team fell to Belmont, 73-71, on Thursday night in the Curb Event Center.

Miller finished 8-for-21 (38 percent) from the field and four assists while Harris was 5-of-9 (56 percent) and 7-for-7 from the charity stripe.

M.J. Rhett recorded his 13th double-double this season with 10 points and a personal-best 19 rebounds.

True freshman Jamonte Graham also finished with 10 points and his 4-for-8 line helped Tennessee State (3-24, 2-11 OVC) shoot 42.2 percent for the game.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS

SIUE comes into Thursday’s matchup after a convincing 83-68 road win over Austin Peay at the Dunn Center. The Cougars have now won five of their last seven games and seven of their last 10.

SERIES HISTORY

Tennessee State will square off against SIUE for the fifth time, and the Tigers are a perfect 4-0 against the Cougars.

LAST TIME WE MET

Making his return to his home state, Kellen Thornton led the Tennessee State men's basketball team to an 83-73 victory on Wednesday night in Edwardsville, Ill.

Thornton finished the game with a team-high 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He also led the team with seven boards.

Fellow Illinois products Robert Covington and Patrick Miller also cashed in 18 and 17 points, respectively, while Jordan Cyphers added 18 of his own from the shooting guard position.

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 Thursday, Feb. 27 at Morehead State. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

XU Rush drop to 8th but in top 10 for 22nd straight time

NEW ORLEANS --Xavier University of Louisiana was eighth in the NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll on Tuesday. Despite dropping two places from the previous rankings, it's the 22nd consecutive time that the Gold Rush are in the top 10.

Xavier is 2-4 with losses to NCAA Division I members Nicholls State and Louisiana-Lafayette and NAIA members Belhaven and Georgia Gwinnett, both in this week's top 10. The best Gold Rush victory thus far was 6-3 Friday at William Carey, which fell from 13th to 15th.

Defending champion Embry-Riddle (Fla.) again was a unanimous choice at No. 1.

Three teams ranked ahead of Xavier -- No. 2 Auburn Montgomery, No. 6 Lindsey Wilson and No. 7 Cumberland -- are on the Gold Rush schedule this season. Auburn Montgomery will visit Xavier on April 5.

Xavier's current poll streaks include 52 consecutive top-25 appearances -- that started April 4, 2007 -- and 28 consecutive times in the top 15.

New rankings will be announced March 4.

The Gold Rush have two more February dual matches: 3 p.m. Saturday against NCAA DI Alabama State at the XU Tennis Center and Feb. 28 at West Florida, ranked third in NCAA Division II.

The top 25:

1. Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
2. Auburn Montgomery
3. Vanguard
4. Georgia Gwinnett
5. Westmont
6. Lindsey Wilson
7. Cumberland
8. Xavier
9. Belhaven
10. Aquinas
11. Bethany (Kan.)
12. Concordia (Calif.)
13. Bethel (Tenn.)
14. Graceland
15. William Carey
16. Northwestern Ohio
17. Warner
18. Oklahoma Baptist
19. Northwood (Fla.)
20. Lewis-Clark State
21. Pikeville
22. Olivet Nazarene
23. Campbellsville
24. Davenport
25. McPherson

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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SU women hold on to first in SWAC

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- About the only thing that was normal for the Southern women’s basketball team Monday night was that it won.

The Jaguars (15-6) beat Mississippi Valley State 70-65 in the F.G. Clark Activity Center to maintain their hold on first place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference with a 12-1 league mark.

But Southern got off to slow starts in both halves, the defense was porous at times, leading scorer Kendra Coleman’s shooting was way off, Kenidi Robinson had to fight through a migraine and coach Sandy Pugh didn’t feel well enough to do her usual post-game interviews.

Nonetheless the Jaguars found a way to fight off the feisty Devilettes, 8-16, 7-6.

“I thought we played extremely hard coming down the stretch,” assistant coach Carlos Funchess said. “We kept battling and battling. You’re going to have some games like this.

CONTINUE READING

Southern men bounce back with win

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Maybe it was the sting of seeing its 16-game home-court winning streak in conference play end two days earlier.

Or maybe it was the sight of a Mississippi Valley State team that had provided its only previous conference loss.

Or maybe it was the stage provided by the ESPNU telecast.

Whatever it was, the Southern men’s basketball team that defeated the Delta Devils 83-74 on Monday night in the F.G. Clark Activity Center looked a whole lot different than the one that lost to Arkansas-Pine Bluff 64-58 in the same building Saturday.

The Jaguars started fast and finished strong to improve to 15-11 and 11-2 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play as they prepare to visit Alabama A&M on Saturday.

CONTINUE READING

Gold Nuggets beat Lady Panthers to end losing streak

NEW ORLEANS -- Sophomore guard Whitney Gathright scored 15 points Monday to lead NAIA No. 23 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 70-59 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against Philander Smith.

The Gold Nuggets (18-9, 8-2) ended a three-game losing streak and extended their home winning streak to 16. They're 10-0 at home this season.

Gathright also had six rebounds, four assists and three steals. She made 8-of-8 free throws and scored in double figures for the 17th time this season.

Paige Gauthier had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Xavier. Vinnie Briggs scored 10 points, and Chelsea Broussard had nine points and a season-high 10 rebounds.

Jerricka Scott had 18 points, eight rebounds and four steals for Philander Smith (15-13, 6-4), which lost for the second time in three days after winning 8-of-9. Caryan Jones, Kanesha Merritt and Brittany Leonard scored nine points apiece for the Lady Panthers.

Xavier scored the first five points and never lost its lead. The Gold Nuggets led 33-24 at halftime and by 12 points three times in the second half.

Xavier outshot the Lady Panthers 33.8 to 31.3 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 60-34. The Nuggets converted 26 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points.

Xavier avenged an 83-59 loss to Philander Smith from two weeks earlier.

The Gold Nuggets' next game will start at 3 p.m. Saturday against GCAC opponent Tougaloo at the Convocation Center. It will be senior day for Broussard, Gauthier, Whitney Gaston-Loyd, Carmen Holcombe and Danielle Tucker.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Gold Rush prevail in overtime against Panthers, 103-99

NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Goode and Morris Wright scored 24 points apiece Monday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 103-99 overtime victory against Philander Smith in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball.

The Gold Rush (19-7, 8-2), ranked 12th in NAIA Division I, snapped a two-game losing streak. The Panthers (16-9, 5-5), ranked 24th, have lost four straight.

Xavier scored the first seven points of overtime -- Goode had the first five -- and did not lose the lead thereafter. It was Xavier's third overtime victory of the season and its third victory of the season against a ranked opponent.

Wright, who did not start, made 4-of-6 3-pointers and had five assists.

Sydney Coleman had 15 points and seven rebounds for Xavier. Lucas Martin-Julien scored 14 points, and Xavier Rogers had 11.

D'Alvin Brown scored 23 points and Tevlin Morris 22 for Philander Smith. Andre Clark had 17 points and had eight rebounds.

Xavier led 49-36 at halftime and held its largest lead, 59-38, after Martin-Julien's 3-pointer at 17:19 of the second half. The Panthers' Andre Clark made 1-of-2 free throws with 15 seconds remaining to tie the score at 91. Wright then missed a 3-pointer at the end of regulation.

Philander Smith, the NAIA D-I leader in 3-point accuracy, made 13-of-27 treys. Brown made 5-of-9 3-pointers, and Morris made 4-of-11.

The next Gold Rush game will start at 5 p.m. Saturday against GCAC opponent Tougaloo at the Convocation Center. It will be senior day for Rogers and Olivier Siewe.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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FAMU Lady Rattlers Streaking With 95-79 Win Over DSU

TALLAHASSEE, Florida – The FAMU Lady Rattlers continued to roll through MEAC play with a 95-79 victory over the visiting Hornets of Delaware State tonight int he Al Lawson Center.

Jasmine Grice ended the day with 26 points, after struggling through the first half with just 12 points. She added to her NCAA Division I-leading steals total with five. Freshman Kenya Dixon has continued to show improvement, as she scored 16 points behind two crucial three-pointers to help keep the Hornets out of range. Tierra Prothro would be the only other Lady Rattler to score in double figures as she chipped in 13. Patrice Collie and Prothro controlled the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds each.

Raven Bankston led all scorers with 33 points on 13-for-25 shooting from the field for DSU. Deanna Harmon and Tylinn Carter added 15 points each. Bankston also led the Hornets on the boards with nine rebounds.

The Lady Rattlers led by as many as 21 points, dominating on second chance baskets by a 20-6 margin over DSU. With Dixon leading the way, the Lady Rattler bench outscored DSU's reserves by 24 points, which was a major factor in the ball game.

The Lady Rattlers will travel to Daytona Beach to take on the Lady Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman on Sat., at the Ocean Center.



COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Jasmine Grice's Scoring Spree Earns MEAC POW

NORFOLK, Virginia –- Florida A&M’s Jasmine Grice repeated as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday. 

 

Hampton’s Malia Tate-DeFreitas was selected as the Rookie of the Week, while Norfolk State’s Rachel Gordon earned Defensive Player of the Week honors.

 

Grice (G, 5-10, Sr., Quincy, Fla.) totaled 70 points, eight rebounds, eight steals, seven assists and one block while playing the entire 40 minutes in wins against North Carolina Central and Coppin State. Grice shot 13-of-29 from the floor to finish with 36 points in a 83-80 win against Coppin State. She also added four assists, four steals and three rebounds.

 

Tate-DeFreitas (G, 5-8, Fr., Harrisburg, Pa.) recorded her second-career 30-point game in a 93-59 win against Norfolk State. Tate-DeFreitas sank a career-high seven 3-pointers and was 11-of-22 from the floor to finish with 33 points, two rebounds and two steals against the Spartans.

 

Gordon (F, 6-0, Sr., Woodbridge, Va.) pulled down a total of 24 rebounds in a pair of conference games against Howard and Hampton. Gordon recorded 13 rebounds one block and one steal in 33 minutes against Howard. She also registered 11 rebounds and two blocks against Hampton.

 

Other Top Performers: 

 

Racquel Davis (NCCU) averaged 20.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in games against Florida A&M and South Carolina State.

 

Shavonne Duckett (Howard) averaged 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals in games against Norfolk State and Maryland Eastern Shore.

 

Tiffany Gray (NCCU) grabbed 11 rebounds in a 57-51 win against South Carolina State.

 

Tracy King (NCAT) recorded 19 points, five rebounds and five steals in a 75-61 win against Maryland Eastern Shore.

 

Te’Shya Heslip (Howard) registered 14 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals in a loss to Maryland Eastern Shore.

 

Tyler Hobgood (Hampton) finished with nine rebounds, five points and five blocks in 16 minutes against Maryland Eastern Shore.

 

Taylor Houston (BCU) dropped in 22 points, eight rebounds and one steal in a 80-51 victory against Delaware State.

 

Logan Powell (NSU) registered 14 points and five rebounds in a loss to Howard.

 

Shawnee Sweeney (UMES) poured in 16 points, on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, in a 66-57 win against Howard.

 

Alexis Udoji (UMES) finished with nine rebounds, five points, four blocks and two steals against Howard.

 

Kailyn Williams (BCU) registered 11 points, nine boards, two assists, one block and one steal in a 66-60 win against Delaware State.

 

 

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

 

St. Aug Defends Titles at CIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships

2014 CIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships Men's 800m Finals

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  -- Saint Augustine’s University successfully defended its men’s and women’s titles at the 2014 CIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships held at the JDL Fast Track on Sunday, February 16 and Monday, February 17.

The Falcons picked up their 18th straight league crown and 29th overall. The Lady Falcons captured their second crown in a row and 18th in 19 seasons. Overall, the Falcons and Lady Falcons have amassed over 150 CIAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships and 33 NCAA Division II Titles under legendary Head Coach George Williams.

"The ladies championship was very unexpected but I knew the guys would be strong since they were coming off a national championship", said Williams just before the awards ceremony.  "The ladies came in, stepped up and did the job.  This is a new, really young group that I have and they performed well and that makes me feel  good."

This year, the Falcons flew past the competition by a 95-point margin, outdistancing second place Virginia Union, 194-99.  Virginia State finished third (72 points) followed by Johnson C Smith, Lincoln, Bowie State and Livingstone.

SAU finished first in 10 events including 1-2 finishes in the 200m dash, 60m hurdles and a 1-2-3 finish in the 800m run.

The Falcon squad was so successful that three men from SAU tied for Most Valuable Field Performer.  DeJon Wilkinson, David Shaw and JaQuan Demiel finished the meet with the same individual point totals.

Virginia Union's Franck Charles was the Most Valuable Track Performer.

St. Aug's women (117 points) fought off challenges from Virginia State (90 points) Johnson C. Smith (87 points) and Winston-Salem State (81.5 points) to defend their title.  The Lady Falcons finished first in only the 4X400m relay but consistently placed second or third in nearly every other event.
Winston-Salem State's Tajanel McNeil was named MVP of field events after she won four titles.  Virginia State's Hughnique Rolle finished first in the 3000m run, mile run and 800m run to earn Most Valuable Track Performer honors.

COURTESY THECIAA.COM

Southern women seek ways to keep Coleman in offense

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana --  Southern coach Sandy Pugh didn’t think Kendra Coleman was getting enough shots during Saturday’s game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

But she had a simple solution — move her leading scorer and starting shooting guard to point guard. It paid off as Coleman scored a game-high 21 points in the Jaguars’ 77-68 victory.

Coleman has played point guard periodically throughout the season, but Pugh said Coleman could find herself at the point more often down the stretch, beginning when Southern (14-6 and 11-1 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference) plays Mississippi Valley State (8-15, 7-5) at 5 p.m. Monday in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

“When you move Kendra to the point, you go with a bigger lineup,” Pugh said. “So you’re always better defensively because you’re more athletic, you’re bigger, and instead of playing two little ones, you play one.

CONTINUE READING

Nunez's Homer Carries A&M Past IPFW, 11-4

NORMAL, Alabama -- Led by senior Julio Nunez's four-RBI day, the Alabama A&M baseball team scored seven runs in the final two innings for an 11-4 win against Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne, Sunday afternoon at Bulldog Field.

Nunez, who was 4-for-5 on the day, plated two of his three RBI's in a three run bottom of the fourth for the Bulldogs, who move to 2-2 on the season. IPFW falls to 2-2.

Derrick Winter picked up the win on the mound, his first, pitching four innings and striking out two batters in the process.

IPFW would take a 2-0 lead over the Bulldogs in the top of the second inning to open the scoring.  In the bottom half of the same inning, Nunez earned his base with a single to left field and would eventually score on a RBI single from Austin Hulsey.

The Mastodons then scored their final runs of the game in the top half of the fourth inning. IPFW's third baseman Zach Mishler and Tyler Shepherd both scored on a RBI single and a fielder's choice.

Nunez would put the Bulldogs on board in the bottom of the fourth, with a three-run homer to right field, his first, tying the game at four. Nunez batted in Dylan Johnson and Brandon Crutcher who earn his place on base with a hit by pitch to his shoulder.

"We swung the bat very well today," head coach Mitch Hill said. "I thought that we had some good approaches (at the plate)."

"It's great when guys who don't get to play a lot come in to get hits. That makes it fun for everybody," Hill continued. "I'm proud of Julio Nunez he started off very rough, but got out of that first inning. It was just a good day."
Caleb Bowen came in to pitch the fifth and sixth innings. He faced eight batters, striking out one and walking two.

In the bottom half of the fifth inning, Hulsey started off with a walk, then advanced to second on a Cornelius Woods' single.  Justin Folger was then walked to load the bases for the Bulldogs.  IPFW went to the bullpen, but that didn't help their cause as Dylan Johnson's smacked a shot to right center field scoring two runs for the Maroon and White.

Nunez, added his final RBI on the day with a single to score Johnson, giving the Bulldogs a 9-4 lead.

A&M would tack on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning as Johnson and Crutcher recorded RBI singles, to bring home Allen Smith and Dustin Dhanani.

IPFW starter Cody O'Neal (0-1) took the loss, giving up four runs on five hits before being lifted in the third inning.

A&M will return to the diamond on Feb. 18, when they face the Blazers of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. at Bulldog field.

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2   
   
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FAMU Rattlers Sweep Doubleheader Over Naval Academy

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The Florida A&M Baseball team picked up a pair of wins today as the Rattlers swept the Naval Academy with a 3-2 win in game one and a 7-3 victory in game two, here Sunday afternoon at Moore –Kittles Field.

Navy grabbed the early lead 2-0 lead as the Midshipmen scored two runs in the top of the third with Travis Blue scoring on a FAMU error, followed by a Kash Manzelli single up the middle scoring Brad Borosak.

Bennie Robinson would cut Navy’s lead to 2-1 with a 405 ft. homer off the scoreboard in right-center field in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Rattlers would tie the contest in the bottom of the eighth inning as Michael Birdsong scored on a Navy infielder’s error.

Robinson would give the Rattlers the win with a double to right center scoring Marlon Gibbs in the bottom of the 10th inning, giving FAMU the 3-2 win.

FAMU finished the contest with four hits with Robinson finishing with two hits and two RBIs. Navy finished the contest with eight hits with both Borosak and Connor Deneen tallying two hits each to lead the Midshipman.

Jordan Montague (1-0) received the win for the Rattlers as he pitched two innings in relief and struck out one in the six batters he faced. David Duncan got the start for the Rattlers as he pitched six solid innings, allowing six hits, one earned run and striking out six in the 26 batters he faced. Also making his first collegiate appearance on the mound for the Rattlers was Matthew Schaeffer as he pitched two innings, allowing two hits and striking out one in the 10 batters he faced.

Sam Sorenson received the loss for Navy as he pitched two innings of relief allowing one hit and one earned run in the nine batters he faced. Stephen Moore, the Midshipmen's starter, pitched six innings, allowing two hits, one earned run and striking out nine in the 21 batters he faced. Also making appearances on the mound for Navy was Charlie LaMar and Andrew Bartek.

In game two, the Rattlers tallied 11 hits, while the Midshipmen finished with nine.

FAMU (2-1) was led by both Ryan Kennedy and Ryan Hutson as they both finished with three hits each for the Rattlers, while Navy had three to finish with two hits each in Robert Currie, Connor Deneen and Jack Keller.

Kendal Weeks (1-0), picked up the win for the Rattlers as he pitched four scoreless innings, allowing two hits, and striking out four in the 13 batters he faced. William Carrasco was the FAMU starter as he pitched two and one-third innings, allowing five hits and one earned run in the 14 batters he faced. Brandon Fleming pitched two-third innings, allowing two hits and two earned runs in the four batters he faced.

Luke Gillingham (0-1) received the loss for Navy as he pitched four innings, allowing seven hits, three earned runs and striking out five in the 21 batters he faced. Kyle Condry and Colby Sciarrilla made appearances on the mound for the Midshipman.

Deneen gave Navy the early 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning with a single up the middle scoring Robert Currie.

FAMU would regain the lead in the bottom of the third inning with a Ryan Kennedy two-run homer to left center. Michael Birdsong stroked a single up the middle scoring Hutson, giving the Rattlers a 3-1 lead.

Navy would tie the contest in the top of the fourth inning with a Travis Blue single scoring Drew Hayes, followed by a Borosak single scoring Blue, knotting the score at 3-3.

Kennedy would give the Rattlers a 4-3 lead on a Blake Quillin sacrifice fly to right field in the bottom of the fifth inning.

The Rattlers would plate three more runs in the bottom of the sixth innings for the 7-3 finale.

FAMU will return to action as they will travel to Macon, Ga., to take on Mercer University on Thursday, Feb. 18 at Claude Smith Field in a 4 p.m. start.

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Hill and Gearlds Spark TSU Tigers Over New Mexico, 6-4



Courtesy: Tennessee State Athletics

Courtney Gearlds led the Tigers on the week with a .467 average

TUCSON, Arizona – The Tigers earned a win as they concluded play at the Hillenbrand Invitational on Sunday morning. Tennessee State (3-7) used a run in the fifth and two runs in each of the final two innings to claim a 6-4 win over New Mexico (1-7) in front of 2,471 fans.

Carmen Hill gave a spark to the Tigers lineup from the nine-hole and was instrumental in the win over New Mexico. Hill finished the day 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a run driven in. With the Lobos leading 2-1, the transfer led off the fifth inning with a hard shot to third. Hill reached as the ball shot away towards left center. Jayna Hanawahine grounded out to first to push Hill to second, who then moved to third on a bunt hit by Courtney Gearlds. Hill scored from third to tie the game at 2-2, as she was able to break for home as a throw would get away from the fielders as Gearlds stole second

A frame later, Hill started a two-out rally in the top of the sixth with a single down the right field line. After a Hanawahine walk, Gearlds hit a slow roller that received help from an unexpected hope to shoot over the fielder’s glove into right center allowing both runners to move up two bases, as well as a 3-2 lead. The Tigers would extend the lead to two runs as Gearlds held up between bases to give Hanawahine time to score from third on a double-steal.

 
The Lobos would bounce back in the bottom of the inning by taking advantage of a Tiger mishap. Naomi Tellez used the extra at bat for UNM in the sixth with a two-run bomb to left field to tie the game at 4-4. 

TSU continued the pressure on the Lobos in the top of the seventh inning as Kate Morris earned her second walk of the game and was followed by the second hit of the game by Lindsey Burgess. Two batters later, Tayler Shimizu hit a ground ball too short for a potential double play. Morris was able to avoid the tag and Burgess slid into second in time to cause a bobble, giving the Tigers bases loaded for Kiarra Freeman. The sophomore fell behind in the count 0-2 and battled her way back for a walk six pitches later, giving the Tigers a 5-4 lead as Morris crossed home plate.

Hill stepped to the plate and made her presence felt again as she delivered a ball into center on a line drive, pushing Burgess home for a 6-4 lead.

Starter Shea Morris would make the score hold up as she retired the Lobos in the bottom half of the last inning. Morris improved to 3-3 allowing four runs, two earned, and six hits while striking out six.

Shimizu finished 1-for-4 on the day as she collected a leadoff single in the second inning. Shimizu would eventually score in the inning on a passed ball that gave TSU an early 1-0 lead.

The Tigers completed their trip through Arizona 2-4. Gearlds led Tennessee State over six games with a .467 average. Hanawahine hit the lone home run on the week and scored five runs. Kate Morris finished with three doubles and five RBI.

Tennessee State returns home to host the Tiger Classic Feb. 21-23. All games can be heard on tsutigers.com.

 

BOX SCORE

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

XU teams lose to unbeaten, ranked Georgia Gwinnett

HATTIESBURG, Mississippi -- Xavier University of Louisiana lost to Georgia Gwinnett in matchups of ranked NAIA men's and women's tennis teams Sunday. The Gold Nuggets lost 5-2, and the Gold Rush lost 6-1.

Georgia Gwinnett, a second-year NAIA member, is 5-0 and ranked fifth among men's teams, and its women are 6-0 and ranked 20th. New rankings will be announced Tuesday afternoon.

The Gold Nuggets (3-3) are ranked third, and the Gold Rush (2-4) are sixth.

Xavier never led in either dual. Brion Flowers and Simone-Alyse Ewell won at No. 2 doubles for the Nuggets with an 8-6 decision against Paloma Cortina and Victoria Svensson. XU freshman Nour Abbes remained unbeaten in singles with a 6-3, 6-1 victory against Ines Costamagna at No. 1.

The women's dual was stopped after Chiara di Salvo clinched with a 6-3, 6-1 victory against Ewell at No. 5 singles. At the time the match ended, XU freshman Brandi Nelson was one point from a victory against Svensson at No. 4. Flowers lost 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 to Cortina at No. 3.

It was the second straight day that the Grizzlies' women defeated a top-3 team. They won on Saturday at No. 2 William Carey, which lost to the Nuggets on Friday.

The only XU point in the men's dual came at No. 1 doubles, where Kyle Montrel and Nikita Soifer remained unbeaten with an 8-6 decision against Mark Verryth and Tony Kostadinov. The Grizzlies won at the top four singles flights, and only freshman Tushar Mandlekar won a singles set for the Rush.

Georgia Gwinnett's men defeated a ranked opponent for the third consecutive day.

The Gold Nuggets were 2-1 and the Rush 1-2 in their Mississippi duals. Next for Xavier will be a women's dual at 2 p.m. Friday at McNeese State. Both XU teams will play Alabama State at 3 p.m. Saturday at the XU Tennis Center, and the Gold Nuggets will play host to Southeastern Louisiana at 1 p.m. Sunday.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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MONDAY NIGHT: Mississippi Valley at Southern on ESPNU

Ram Ramblings: Parity ruling the CIAA this season

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  -- Parity, parity, parity.

That’s the only way to describe this season's CIAA where it’s hard to find a dominant team.

Because of this parity next week’s CIAA Tournament in Charlotte will likely be one of the most wide open tournaments in a long time.

Because there is no clear-cut favorite and no one team that is a sure-fire at-large pick to the NCAA Tournament it’s likely that the only school from the conference that makes it to the tournament will be the winner of the CIAA Tournament.

That should make the tournament that much more exciting.

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DWIGHT FLOYD COMMENTARY: Trey Kellum Most Valuable Player in Rattler Defeat of Coppin State

Delaware State University vs. Florida A&M University

Monday Night, February 17, 2014
Women 5:30 P.M./Men 7:30 PM
Tallahassee, Florida
Al Lawson Multipurpose Center
Watch live on Rattler Vision   

Dwight Floyd

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Can the FAMU Rattlers go 2-0? On Saturday night the Rattlers defeated a Coppin State team that is coached by the legendary Fang Mitchell. For those who have been around as long as he has, we were waiting on him to take off his jacket and loosen his tie. Like the days of Grambling’s Eddie Robinson in football, that is when you know he means business. Mitchell didn’t take his jacket off or loosen his tie, but he did something else we’re used to seeing. He raised his voice particularly when Reggie Lewis or Jamie Adams were left open to make a three point basket. That happened all night.

In games the Rattlers have loss since conference play started, the majority of the losses have been due to an anemic offense. Both the Rattler players and coaches have been trying to figure out how to get open shots. It’s not that the shots haven’t been falling, rather other teams have figured out ways to shut down Lewis and Adams and force someone else to win the game. Not so on this night.

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Big Inning Lifts ASU Hornets To First Win

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- A five-run seventh inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Alabama State baseball team to an 8-2 win over Eastern Kentucky Saturday night at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.

After the Colonels tied the score in the top half of the inning, Dillon Cooper led off the home seventh by being hit by pitch ahead of an Emmanuel Marrero single to left field. Dexter Price then hit a bunt single to the left side to load the bases. Einar Muniz' bloop single to right scored pinch runner Marcus Swint, which put the Hornets ahead 3-2. After a sacrifice fly by Richard Amion scored Marrero, Richard Gonzalez laced a two-run double on a 2-1 pitch to the left field wall, scoring Prince and Muniz. Cesar Rivera's single to left-center field scored Gonzalez to give the Hornets a 7-2 lead.

All but one Hornet starter got at least one hit, with Price, Muniz, Amion, Rivera and Waldyvan Estrada each with two hits in the 13-hit attack.

"It was a totally different ball game for us tonight," head coach Mervyl Melendez said. "We put runners in scoring position like we did Friday, but we made it happen in this game. We got a couple of hits when we had runners in scoring position (after stranding 12 runners Friday night) and were able to put a good inning together. When you have a big inning, you usually win that game. You have to stay away from them defensively, and you have to have them offensively."

Joseph Camacho earned the win, going seven innings, allowing seven hits, two runs, with two walks and five strikeouts. He consistently worked out of jams, as Eastern Kentucky left at least one runner on base in the first four innings, and five of the seven innings he pitched.

"It was a very strong outing," Melendez said of Camacho. "He threw every pitch for a strike, located very well, and got their best hitters out, which is key when facing a good-hitting ball club, which they are. You have to contain their best hitters. That's one of the things we discussed that we had to do better against their best hitters, and take advantage of key situations."

The Hornets scored in the first inning. Amion hit a leadoff double to right-center field, and scored on a one-out single to left field by Rivera to give ASU a 1-0 lead.

Alabama State added a run in the third after another leadoff hit by Amion, this time a single to right field. With two out, Estrada dropped a single into right field between several defenders, scoring a hustling Amion from first base for a 2-0 Hornets' lead.

Swint score the final Alabama State run in the eighth. He walked, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a two-out single by Muniz through the left side for the final margin.

The teams conclude the three-game series Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
 Box Score

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

ASU Lady Rams fall to Claflin at home

ALBANY, Georgia  -- Senior guard Kourtney Alexander scored 19 points, but the Albany State Lady Rams couldn't get past the Claflin Lady Panthers, falling 65-57 in a rare home loss. With the setback, ASU falls to 15-5, 10-3 in the SIAC and enters into a first place tie with Benedict in the SIAC East. Claflin improves to 12-11, 8-5.

Cold first-half shooting put Albany State into an early deficit. The Lady Rams were only 10-29 (34.5%) from the field in the first stanza. Claflin led 33-19 with 1:07 left before halftime. A three-pointer by Alexander and a jumper by Ieshia Young during the remaining time closed the gap to 33-24 at intermission.

In the second half, Lady Rams slowly chipped away at the Lady Panthers lead. A Keidra Green trey with 6:26 left in the game brought Albany State within one, 49-48. Claflin expanded its advantage to 51-48, only to see Amber McKenzie make two free throws to make the score 51-50 at the 5:13 mark.

With 4:19 left in regulation, Green gave ASU a 52-51 lead, its first of the game. However, the Lady Rams went cold once again. Claflin ended the game on a 14-3 run to close the contest.

Green scored 14 points from Albany State. Artisha Holston pulled down a game-high 13 points to go along with eight points. Mecca Frost recorded six assists.

The Lady Rams shot 22-65 (33.8%) from the field, 7-26 (26.8%) from three-point range and 6-10 (60%) from the free throw line. They outrebounded Claflin 40-36 and forced 23 turnovers.

Albany State returns to action on Monday, February 17^th when they face Clark Atlanta University for the program's annual Breast Cancer Awareness "Think Pink" Game. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.

 

Box Score

 

COURTESY ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Coach Sandy Pugh not happy despite SU women’s win

Head Coach Sandy Pugh
Courtesy Southern University Athletics
 

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- Kendra Coleman and Britney Washington were the primary reasons the Southern women’s basketball team defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 77-68 on Saturday in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Coleman scored a game-high 21 points and Washington came off the bench to score 20 as the Jaguars overcame a slow start offensively and an uneven defensive performance.

“I thought the biggest thing in the game was Kendra and Britney just getting to their mid-range jump shots and hitting some shots,” Pugh said. “I thought starting the game we had everybody shooting but the right people.”

But even Coleman and Washington didn’t play well enough to satisfy Pugh, who didn’t make any players available for post-game interviews.

“I look at the opportunity to be in the media as a perk,” Pugh said. “I want them to do that, but not when we play with a lack of passion and intensity. Nobody played well tonight.”

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TSU Defeats Grand Canyon, Falls to #22 Arizona

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

TUCSON, Arizona --The Tigers split a pair of games on day two of the Hillenbrand Invitational on Saturday afternoon. Tennessee State (2-7) earned a 3-2 victory over Grand Canyon University (4-6) and lost a five inning 10-1 game to No. 22 Arizona (6-0) in front of 2,471 fans.

 

The Tigers opened the day by avenging a loss from a day ago against Garand Canyon. Kate Morris continued her hot hitting with a double to left center, as Courtney Gearlds tried to score from first on the hit. GCU executed the relay to get the freshman as she slid in to home plate. Morris advanced to third two pitches later and scored on a passed ball late in the at bat to give TSU an early 1-0 lead.

 

The Lopes tied up the game at 1-1 in the top of the third with an unearned run off starter Shea Morris. The junior would get help in the Tigers half of the inning from her twin sister, as Kate Morris would once again come through in a key situation. Jayna Hanawahine reached on a one-out single and moved to second as Gearlds was hit-by-pitch for the second of three times in the game. Morris came up with a drive off the wall in left center driving in both base runners for a 3-1 lead.

 

The runs would stand as Shea Morris continued to put out any fires the Lopes tried to start. The hurler improved to 2-2 by allowing just six hits and a walk. Morris struck out five batters, including Camree Wartman for the final out of the game with runners on second and third.

 

In the late afternoon game, the Tigers tried to stand toe-to-toe with the Wildcats. Arizona looked to get things started early with a leadoff double by Hallie Wilson, but she was stranded at third as Morris recorded back-to-back strikeouts of Kellie Fox and Chelsea Goodacre.

 

Eventual winner, Michelle Floyd (1-0), would retire all nine batters she faced in her three innings of work. The perfect innings led to the bottom of the third when the Wildcats took advantage of a leadoff error and a two-out home run to take a 3-0 lead. Morris would give up four runs in the inning, all unearned, as Arizona took a 4-0 advantage into the fourth.

 

The Tigers would end a bid for a perfect game as Hanawahine greeted relief pitcher Nancy Bowling with a hard line drive over the wall in left center to cut the lead to 4-1. The blast is the second of the season for the Waimanalo, Hawai’i native.

 

It would be as close as the Tigers would get as UA exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fourth.

 

The Big Blue will wrap up play at the Hillenbrand Invitational as they face New Mexico at 9:00am (MT) on Sunday. All games can be heard at tsutigers.com.

TSU vs. Grand Canyon Box Score
TSU vs. #22 Arizona Box Score

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
 

FSU's Deja Middleton Stars as Lady Broncos Top WSSU

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina  -- Deja Middleton scored 15 points and had a career-high 22 rebounds as Fayetteville State beat Winston-Salem State 75-65, in its "Ball in Pink" game at Felton J. Capel Arena on Saturday. The Lady Broncos donned its pink uniforms and improved to 17-5 overall, 10-3 in the CIAA and 6-1 in the Southern Division. The Lady Rams falls to 3-4 in the division, 7-6 in the conference and 13-10 overall.

The fifth annual breast cancer awareness event raised awareness and funds for the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation Friends of the Cancer Center. The donations will be used to provide patient support for cancer survivors in Fayetteville."

Middleton, a Richmond, VA, native, also had seven blocks.

"We came out and got the win. I knew we were going to get it the whole time," Middleton said. "I was just sitting there hoping I had a double-double. I didn't even know I had a double-double. I was just playing, that was all."

It was the first 20-rebound game for the Lady Broncos since SheQuitia Manning had 25 in a game against Salem Intermont on Dec. 11, 2012.

Amber Calvin (Fayetteville, NC) scored 14 points despite making just one of her 13 shots from the field. She was 11-of-14 from the foul line. Je' Lena Robertson (Houston, TX) finished with 11 points and went 7-of-11 from the free throw line.

After battling to an early 12-12 tie, FSU scored nine points in a row on layups by Akysia Resper (Concord, NC) and Robertson, a 3-pointer by Calvin and two Robertson free throws to build some cushion.

The Lady Rams cut into the gap and reduced the FSU lead to seven, but the Lady Broncos went on a 13-1 run to make it 36-17 with 4:51 to play in the half. WSSU was able to trim nine points off that deficit before halftime, but the Lady Broncos still took a 38-28 lead into the locker room.

Final Stats

COURTESY FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

No. 13 Virginia State Cruises Past Elizabeth City State

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina – The 13^th-ranked Trojans defeated the Vikings of Elizabeth City State University for the series sweep, 71-59 at the RL Vaughan Center on Saturday. This was the 11th consecutive victory for the team, maintaining first place in the CIAA Northern Division standings.

The Trojans (21-1, 12-1 CIAA) received an offensive boost with three players scoring in double figures, including a season-best 14 points from Senior Shakirah Gray (Philadelphia, PA). Gray was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Lamesha Deal (Norfolk, VA) led the Trojans with 16 points and added five rebounds, while Alexandria Massado (Wilmington, DE) chipped in 14 points, collecting five rebounds.

VSU never trailed in this game, coming out with two free-throw shots from Gray after she collected a steal from a turnover of Elizabeth City. They built the lead to seven, making a 7-0 run before the Vikings finally got on the scoreboard with a jumper by Chelsey Davis.

ECSU trimmed the Trojans lead to 16-12, going on a 6-2 run, highlighted by three offensive rebounds from the Vikings.

However, VSU gained separation, ignited by a 10-0 spurt over the next 5:07 to take a 25-14 lead. Tiffanie Adair (Spartanburg, SC) collected 6 points during the run.
The Trojans were able to maintain a comfortable lead for the remainder of the half, taking a 37-23 lead into intermission. VSU scored ten points off of Elizabeth City's turnovers and got 9 points from its second unit in the opening half.

The second half mimicked the first half as the Trojans would open the frame with an early bucket by Deal, 39-23. The Vikings would cut the deficit to seven with 16:52 left in the game but VSU responded with another good jumper by Deal.

VSU would begin to dominate offensively as they gained a lead as large as 25 points with 9:41 left in the game. ECSU pulled within nine points, but the Trojans scored the game's last and final three points, with a final score of 71-59.

The Trojans will be on the road again on Monday, February 17^th as they take on Chowan University at 5:30 p.m.
      
Final Stats

COURTESY VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS