The Long Ball Fuels Split on Day Two of TSU Tiger Classic

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- Tennessee State softball used a pair of long balls to earn a split on day two of the 2014 Tiger Classic. TSU came up short against Western Michigan, 3-2, in the first game of the day and picked up their first win at Tiger Field against Temple, 7-5.

 

TSU moves to 4-9, while Western Michigan is 5-5 and Temple is 2-2.

 

In the opener, WMU held a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. Jayna Hanawahine picked up a one-out double to centerfield and scored a batter later to make the score 3-1. Kate Morris would beat out a ground ball back to the pitcher and advanced to second as the throw got away, allowing Hanawahine to cross home plate.

 

Liz Stansberry worked a walk in between outs in the seventh inning to give TSU one last shot at the Broncos. The freshman moved to third on a passed ball and was chased home by a Lindsey Burgess single down the right field line. Courtney Gearlds continued the inning with a double to left-center, giving the Tigers runners on second and third with two outs. Hanawahine followed and lifted a ball to centerfield, but the Broncos were able to make the catch to end TSU’s chance at a comeback victory.

 

Shea Morris went the distance and fell to 3-4 as she was touched for three runs, two earned, off five hits and a walk. Morris ended the game with five strikeouts.

 

The nightcap was scheduled to start at 7:00pm, but due to the length of each game of the day, the Tigers and the Temple Owls would have to wait till 9:33pm to throw the first pitch. TSU loaded the bases in the first inning as Hanawahine reached on a fielder’s choice and moved up 60-feet on a single by Burgess and another on a single by Rebekka Gross. The Tigers gained the early 1-0 lead as the Owls were not able to handle a Kate Morris grounder.

 

The lead was short-lived as Temple picked up an unearned run in the second and two more in the top of the third.

 

Trailing 3-1, the Tigers fired back as Hanawahine delivered a rocket over the left field fence with Kiarra Freeman on base to tie the game at 3-3. The blast is the third on the season for the sophomore, who matched her total from her rookie campaign.

 

In the top of the fourth, Temple regained the lead off Tiger starter Olivia Gamache with their fourth unearned run of the game. But once again, the TSU offense fired back and would take the lead for good in the bottom half of the inning.

 

Stansberry led off with a walk and advanced to second on a ground out by Gearlds. Stansberry moved to third on a Freeman single and scampered home as Temple was not able to handle a hard ground ball off the bat of Hanawahine. A Burgess walk loaded the bases for Kate Morris. The junior delivered with a single up the middle to drive in Hanawahine and Freeman for a 6-4 lead.

 

Gamache would return to the circle in the fifth with the lead, but was lifted after a walk to the leadoff batter. Gamache left the game on her fourth walk and allowed three hits to the hot hitting Owls, while fanning six in her four innings of work.

 

Shea Morris would enter in relief and immediately walked the first batter she faced to put the game tying runs on base. Morris settled in and struck out the next two batters and induced a ground ball to get out of the fifth with the two-run lead intact.

 

The Owls did inch closer in the sixth with a run, but Burgess answered back on the second pitch she saw in the bottom of the sixth with a line drive shot over the centerfield fence. The leadoff home run reestablished a two-run lead for the Tigers.

 

Morris picked up the three-inning save with five strikeouts and surrendered just two hits. The save was the first of the season and the fourth of her career. Gamache earned the win to improve to 1-4.

 

Burgess finished the game 3-for-3 with a walk and batted .714 (5-for-7) on the day with a run and two RBI.

 

TSU will close out the Tiger Classic with a pair of games on Sunday. Dayton and the Tigers are scheduled for a 1:30pm contest, while Indiana State will be the final test for TSU at 3:30pm. Both games can be heard on TSUTigers.com and seen on the OVC Digital Network.

 

Tiger Classic - Day One – Results

Game 1 - Dayton 3, Temple 2

Game 2 – Western Michigan 14, Dayton 2

Game 3 - Temple 11, Western Michigan 3 (5)           

Game 4 – Youngstown State 1, Tennessee State

Tiger Classic – Day Two – Results

Game 5 – Indiana State 5, Youngstown State 4

Game 6 – Dayton 9, Youngstown State 3

Game 7 – Western Michigan 3, Tennessee State 2

Game 8 – Indiana State 7, Dayton 3

Game 9 – Temple 8, Western Michigan 4

Game 10 – Tennessee State 7, Temple 5

 

Box Score TSU vs. Temple

Box Score TSU vs Western Michigan

 

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Gold Rush reach 20 victories for fourth straight season

NEW ORLEANS -- Reserve guard Anthony Goode needed just 19½ minutes to score 20 points and lead NAIA No. 14 Xavier University of Louisiana in an 83-61 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against Tougaloo on Saturday.

The Gold Rush (20-7, 9-2) reached 20 victories for the fourth straight season. Xavier has 29 20-win seasons, a Louisiana men's collegiate record. Second on the list is Louisiana-Lafayette with 22.

Goode was 8-of-10 from the floor and became the first Gold Rush player this season with consecutive 20-point games.

Xavier Rogers scored 16 points and Morris Wright 15 for Xavier, which won for the ninth time in its last 10 home games.

Cordaryl Campbell scored 19 points, Andravious Smith 16 and Jermell Anderson 10 for Tougaloo (11-17, 5-6).

Xavier trailed 7-1 through the first two minutes, then tied the score four times before taking the lead for good, 18-16, on an RJ Daniels basket at 10:29 of the first half. A Rogers 3-point play at 8:43 capped a 14-2 run and gave the Gold Rush a 26-16 lead.

Wright's buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave Xavier a 41-23 halftime lead. Rogers scored with 3:23 remaining to give Xavier its largest lead, 77-47.

After allowing an average of 87.7 points in its previous three games, Xavier clamped down on a Tougaloo team which entered with a five-game win streak and was averaging 88.4 points during that time. The Gold Rush outshot the Bulldogs 55.6 to 38 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 38-23. Daniels grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.

Tougaloo had four players with three fouls by halftime and two fouled out. Xavier capitalized by making 21-of-25 free throws, 16-of-16 in the final 28:43.

Rogers and Olivier Siewe (three rebounds, one steal) were honored in a senior-day ceremony.

Xavier's Dannton Jackson reached 20 victories for the ninth time in 11 seasons as head coach. He tied LSU-Shreveport's Chad McDowell for third place on the all-time state list, which is led by Grambling's Fred Hobdy (14) and LSU's Dale Brown (10). Hobdy is deceased, and Brown and McDowell are retired from the sport.

Xavier will play non-conference opponent Belhaven at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Convocation Center -- that's a makeup of a Jan. 28 game postponed because of wintry weather -- then conclude the regular season at conference and city rival Dillard at 5 p.m. Saturday. Xavier will play host to the GCAC Tournament from March 6-9.


Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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SWAC Men's Indoor Track & Field Championship Recap

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  –  The Southwestern Athletic Conference wrapped up Day one of the 2014 SWAC Indoor Track and Field Championships. This is the third year the event has taken place at the Birmingham Crossplex. Finals for the three field events (shot put, long jump, high jump) were completed along with the finals of the 3,000 Meter Run and Distance Medley Relay, while preliminaries set the field for the finals on Sunday in the remaining events.

After Day 1 (5 Events)
1 – Mississippi Valley State - 42
2 - Southern - 30
3 – Prairie View A&M - 29
3 – Alabama State - 28
5 – Grambling State - 19
6 – Arkansas Pine Bluff - 15
7 – Texas Southern - 14
7 - Jackson State – 14
9 – Alcorn State A& - 4

HIGHLIGHTS FROM DAY 1Daniel Kibet (Mississippi Valley State repeated as the men's 3,000 meter run champion with a time of 8:59.34. Jacques Williams (Jackson State) crossed the line second at 9:06.42, with Matthew Agard (Arkansas - Pine Bluff) finishing third at 9:08.28.

D'Wayne Houston of Southern repeated as the leader from a year ago in the Shot Put once again winning the title with a throw of 16.06m (52-08.25). Reginald Redding placed second throwing a 15.61m (51-02.75), while David Young of Grambling State came in third with a throw of 15.20m (49-10.50).

In the men's Long Jump, Afton McClammy (Alabama A&M) came away with the title-winning jump of 5.97m (19-07.00). Shawn Jackson (Grambling State) came in second with a jump of 5.84m (19-02.00) while Rodney Noel of Alabama A&M earned a third place finish with a leap of 5.76m (18-10.75).

Mississippi Valley State led the way in the Distance Medley Relay, winning the event with a time of 10:28.65. Prairie View A&M came in second with a time 10:35.64 for the second consecutive season with last season’s winner Grambling State finishing third clocking in at 10:36.60.

Pierre Shepherd (Prairie View) was the winner in the High Jump, clearing 6-09.00 (2.02m). Devauntay Brown (Alabama State) placed second at 6-09.00. Anthony Hall (Grambling State) finished third 6-07.50.

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FAMU Rattler Win Shootout With B-CU 80-75 On Senior Day

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- The FAMU Rattlers(11-16, 7-7 MEAC), defeated the Wildcats of B-CU (6-23, 4-10 MEAC) 80-75 in a shootout on Senior Night at the Ocean Center.

On a night designed for B-CU seniors, FAMU senior guards Jame Adams and Reggie Lewis were determined to play spoiler.  Adams shot 7-of-12 from the field, carding 26 points, while Lewis hit on 6-of-15 for 20 points.  Jomari Bradshaw scored 15 points, while Trey Kellum added qq points to round out the double figure scorers for the Rattlers.

Mikel Trapp scored 26 for B-CU, while Clemmye Owens would be the only other Wildcat in double figures with 24 points.

Kellum pulled down a game high 12 rebounds, while Trapp led the Wildcats with eight.  The game was tightly contested, resulting in just 31 total turnovers, with B-CU having one more than FAMU.

The stat lines looked as close as the game did.  FAMU shot 42.9 percent from the field, while B-CU shot 43.3.  B-CU shot 50 percent from the three-point line, while FAMU shot 47.4.  FAMU shot 67.6 percent from the free throw line, while B-CU shot 70 percent.  FAMU did however dominate scoring in the paint, pouring in 55, while B-CU made 44.

The Rattlers will return to the Al Lawson Center to play the Tigers of Edward Waters College on Wednesday Night in a 7 p.m. start.

BOX SCORE

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XU Nuggets defeat Tougaloo, extend home win streak to 17

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana celebrated women's basketball senior day with a wire-to-wire 76-62 victory against Tougaloo on Saturday.

It was the 17th consecutive home victory for the Gold Nuggets (19-9, 9-2 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference), ranked 25th in NAIA Division I. Xavier is 11-0 at home this season.

Danielle Tucker, one of five seniors honored in a halftime ceremony, led Xavier with 14 points in 15 minutes. Tucker was 6-of-8 from the floor and made both her 3-point attempts. Whitney Gaston-Loyd, another senior, had 12 points and a team-high five rebounds for the Gold Nuggets. Sophomore Whitney Gathright had 10 points and five assists.

The other seniors honored were Carmen Holcombe (seven points, four assists, two steals), Paige Gauthier (two points, six assists, three steals) and Chelsea Broussard (six points and a career-best four blocked shots).

Portia Craft had 21 points and six rebounds for Tougaloo (11-14, 3-8) and Chasity Kearney had 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Xavier outscored Tougaloo 9-0 in the first three minutes and led 15-5 through seven minutes. Gaston-Loyd's basket at 9:36 made it 23-12, and Xavier maintained its double-digit lead for the remainder of the game.

Broussard's four blocks were the most in a game by an XU player since February 2010. The Gold Nuggets blocked a season-high seven shots.

Gaston-Loyd scored in double figures for the first time in 11 games.

Xavier outshot the Lady Bulldogs 44.3 to 34.5 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 41-36. The Gold Nuggets have won 32 straight at home against Tougaloo since 1982.

Xavier will conclude the regular season at 3 p.m Saturday at conference and city rival Dillard, then play host to the GCAC Tournament from March 6-9.


By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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NCCU Women's Tennis Tops Appalachian State in Thrilling Fashion

DURHAM, North Carolina  --  The North Carolina Central University women's tennis team made history as the Lady Eagles (1-6) captured their first win of the 2014 season during their home opener. NCCU defeated the Appalachian State Mountaineers (1-3) for the first time in the programs history, 4-3 on Friday (Feb. 21).

The Lady Eagles fell behind during doubles competition as rookies Lynsey Cover and Tamara Jeremic fell to App State's Olivia Isbey and McKayla Zupan (8-1) at the No. 3.

NCCU earned victories in the other two doubles matches to capture the doubles point and juniors Ekaterina Nekrasova and Rebecca Wood defeated Clare Cox and Gabrielle Wreder (8-4) and the sophomore duo of Aissa Muamba and Mia Ramic defeated the Mountaineers Brianna Armellino and Mackenzie LaSure (8-5).

App State's Sarah King quickly evened the match with a 6-1, 6-0 victory in the No. 6 singles spot over Jeremic while the Mountaineers pulled ahead 2-1 after App State's Jessica Thaggard defeated Cover at the No. 5 (6-1, 6-1).


Nekrasova dropped the No. 3 singles in a tiebreaker (6-4, 1-6, (10-8)) giving the Mountaineers the 3-1 edge.

The Lady Eagles responded in the No. 2 spot as Muamba defeated Wreder in convincing fashion (7-5, 6-0).
To tie the match at 3-3 Ramic battled back from behind to defeat App State's LaSure in a 7-6, 6-7 (10-8) tiebreaker at the No. 4.

The historic win rested in the hands of Wood as she came out victorious against the Mountaineers No. 1 with a 6-2, 7-5 win.

NCCU returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 23 as the Lady Eagles travel to Norfolk, Va., where they will take on Norfolk State in a 1 p.m. match-up.

Written By Andrea Wheeler, Assistant Sports Information Director
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NCCU Earns Season Sweep over A&T, Wins 13th Straight Game

Eagles hold Aggies to 29.8 percent shooting, force 16 turnovers in the victory

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Another 30-point performance by senior Jeremy Ingram (Charlotte, N.C.) and the patented solid North Carolina Central University defense was all the maroon and gray needed to earn the season sweep over North Carolina A&T in the 73-55 victory inside a sold-out Corbett Sports Center on Saturday night in Greensboro, N.C.
                                                             
The win is No. 13 in-a-row for the Eagles as they now have 21 victories on the year.

NCCU jumped out front of NC A&T early and often taking a 16-3 advantage with 13:24 left in the first frame as Ingram showed the Aggie faithful he was playing at another level, scoring 8 points in the first six minutes.



A&T did make a move, going on an 11-3 run over the next six minutes to cut the margin to 19-14 on an alley-oop dunk to Waylan Siverand that gave the raucous crowd something to cheer about.

The Eagles did not budge stretching the lead back out to double figures at 27-17 with 4:54 left on another Ingram shot from deep as the maroon and gray took a 35-23 advantage into the locker room

Despite the solid defensive effort, the maroon and gray had not done enough to put away the pesky Aggies who finished the first frame shooting 6-for-27 (22.2 percent) from-the field, but 9-for-13 from the foul line.  On the other hand, NCCU shot 3-for-10 (30.0 percent) from three-point range and was out rebounded 24-19.

Trailing by 12, NC A&T head coach Cy Alexander's resilient squad tried to fight back in the second half, but simply could not muster up enough offense to make a late charge.  Every time the Aggies cut the deficit to single digits, the Eagles had an answer.

Two minutes into the second half, a Bruce Beckford jumper cut it to seven at 37-30 getting the Aggie faithful on their feet, but the Eagles simply pushed the lead back to 11 by drilling four straight free throws to make it 41-30.

With 7:02 left, an Ahmad Abdullah three-pointer brought A&T back within nine at 55-46 one last time, but the mighty Eagles put the Aggies back in their crate for the night with a quick 7-0 spurt, highlighted by an Ingram three-pointer with 4:27 left to make it 63-47.

The maroon and gray led by as much as 20 down-the-stretch on the way to a 73-55 victory over NC A&T.

When the final whistle blew, there was a combined 59 fouls called and 84 free throws attempted in the contest.  In the second half alone, there were 35 personal fouls called and 50 free throws attempted, slowing down the contest greatly.  NCCU was not affected shooting a clutch 23-for-30 (76.7 percent) from the foul line to keep the lead intact.

The beneficiary of Alexander's defensive adjustments and the number of fouls was senior guard Alfonzo Houston for the Eagles who finished the game with 21 points going 15-for-18 from the foul line in the win with 11 of those coming in the second half.

Ingram led all scorers with 30 points on 8-for-16 shooting from-the-field, 3-for-7 from three-point range, and 11-for-15 from the charity stripe in the win.

NC A&T (8-20, 4-9 MEAC) was led by senior guard Lamont Middleton (15 points) and sophomore forward Bruce Beckford (15 points).  Middleton struggled offensively going 3-for-13 from-the-field, just 1-for-6 from beyond-the-arc, but was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.  As a team, the Aggies finished the game shooting 29.8 percent from-the-field (14-for-47), 4-for-20 (20.0 percent) from behind-the-arc, and 16 turnovers in their fourth straight loss.

NCCU (21-5, 12-1 MEAC) has another quick turnaround as they hit the road for the final nonconference game of the year as the Eagles take on the Highlanders of NJIT on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 7:00 p.m. from the Fleisher Athletic Center in Newark, N.J.

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
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Johnson’s game-high 22 leads Southern to win

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Yondarius Johnson usually does his work on the defensive end for the
Southern men’s basketball team.

Saturday night, however, with Alabama A&M focusing on Malcolm Miller, the preseason Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Johnson got a chance to show off his offensive skills.

He didn’t disappoint.

Johnson scored a game-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and had two steals in 34 minutes to help the Jaguars turn back the Bulldogs 70-62 in Elmore Gym.

“I try to shut down the top offensive player from the other ...

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Four Finish In Double-Digits As Chicago State Tops Bakersfield 73-68

CHICAGO –  Senior Quinton Pippen (Hamburg, Ark./Hamburg) recorded 18 points, five rebounds and four steals in Chicago State men's basketball's 73-68 victory over Bakersfield on Saturday (Feb. 22) afternoon in a Western Athletic Conference contest at the Jones Convocation Center.

"When Quinton is playing the way he did from the energy stand point, from a hustle stand point, from the rebounding and defensive stand point, were going to be hard to beat," Chicago State head coach Tracy Dildy said. "We go as Quinton Pippen (Hamburg, Ark./Hamburg) goes."

Bakersfield's only lead of the game came at 2-0 to open the game. Chicago State used a 10-0 run in the first half to open a 17-7 lead. The Roadrunners didn't tie the game again until the 13:20 mark of the second half on a jumper by Issiah Grayson to make the score 50-50. Each time the Bakersfield made a run, the Cougars had an answer. First it was junior Rahjan Muhammad (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley)'s 3-pointer to make it a 53-50 game. Following a Corey Hall layup to cut Chicago State's lead to 63-62, Pippen drained a pair of free throws. At 65-64, junior Clarke Rosenberg (Skokie, Ill./Evanston Township) found Matt Ross (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) on the right wing for a 3-pointer to put the Cougars back up by four points with 2:48 to play. The biggest offensive play of the game came with Chicago State up 68-67 and under a minute to play. Pippen delivered a bullet pass from the 3-point arc to Ross under the basket. Pippen's pass was just under the rim, allowing Ross to go up and finish the layup in one motion.

On the ensuing possession, Bakersfield's Javonte Maynor had a chance to tie it with a three but his attempt was off the mark. Muhammad made 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to ice the game.

"We beat a really good team today, a team that was on a roll and a team that had won its last three games in conference," Dildy said. "This is a huge win for us."

The Cougars earned 10 steals and forced 19 turnovers thanks to heavy defensive pressure, especially in the first half. Chicago State shot 52.0 percent (26-of-50) from the floor while limiting Bakersfield to 45.1 percent (23-of-51) shooting.

Rosenberg totaled 16 points and like Pippen, added four steals. Senior Eddie Denard (Chicago, Ill./Foreman) scored all 11 of his points in the first half to help the Cougars open the early lead. Muhammad added 11 points. Ross scored seven points, with five coming in the final two minutes.

Bakersfield falls to 12-15 (5-8 WAC). Chicago State improves to 11-15 (6-6 WAC). The Cougars have matched last season's win total with five games remaining in the regular season. Chicago State steps out of conference play on Monday for a trip to Eastern Illinois. The game can be heard on WVON 1690 AM with Emil Williams Jr. on the call.

Box Score

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LC's Mark Thomas Named CIAA Player of the Year

MARK THOMAS
Courtesy LC Athletics

 HAMPTON, Virginia  --  Livingstone College men's basketball standout Mark Thomas has been named the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year as announced by the  CIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Coaches Associations on Saturday.

Thomas has also been named to the 2014 All-CIAA Men's Basketball Backcourt Team, along with teammate Jody Hill.

 A 2013-14 All-CIAA Preseason Team selection, Thomas' performance this season has been enough for him to be named CIAA Player of the Week twice. Thomas helped lead the Blue Bears to their second consecutive CIAA Southern Division title, starting every game during the 2013-14 season and averaging 21.2 points per game to lead the conference.

 Playing three seasons as a Blue Bear, Thomas joined the 1,000-point club after aiding Livingstone in its 79-47 win over Lincoln (PA) University. This season, Thomas has recorded 22 double-figure games, including a career-high 42 points against Fayetteville State.

 Hill's presence has been felt throughout the entire season. Also a CIAA Preseason selection, Hill ranks fourth in points, averaging 19 per game. Hill has recorded 21 double-figure games. He scored a season-high 37 points against Chowan and has been named CIAA Player of the Week twice.

Omar Briggs of Virginia Union was recognized as the CIAA Defensive Player of the Year. The All-Conference honorees will be formally recognized at the Men's and Women's Tip-Off Awards Luncheon on Monday, Feb. 24 at the Charlotte Convention Center. 




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Livingstone Blue Bears Claim 2nd CIAA Southern Division Title, Suffers 81-74 Loss to WSSU

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina --  The Livingstone College men's basketball team suffered an 81-74 loss to the Winston-Salem State University Rams on Saturday evening. The Blue Bears claim their second CIAA Southern Division title for the second consecutive season.

Both teams kept the first half within close range. The score was tied seven times with the lead changing five times. The Blue Bears dominated in the paint, outscoring the Rams 24-16. From beyond the arc, the Blue Bears struggled only hitting 1-of-11 three pointers. Led by Emarri Bailey, Livingstone shot 50 percent within field goal range. He scored 12 points.

At the half the Blue Bears held on for a 39-37 lead over the Rams.

The Blue Bears began the second half leading by as much as eight points. With 12:09 left in the second half, the Rams scored a basket to pull within two points 52-50. The Rams tied the game 52-52 with 11:38 left to play.

Anthony Welch's 3-ponter at the 10:45 mark allowed the Blue Bears to regain the lead 55-52. The Rams, however quickly scored six points to regain the lead.

Livingstone pulled within five points with a put back by Daresse Johnson, 68-63. The Rams countered with a 5-3 run before the Blue Bears managed to score again. A pair of free throws by Jody Hill cut Livingstone's deficit to 74-68 with 2:04 left to play.

With 1:38 left to play Eric Mayo's layup pulled the Blue Bears with five points. With less than a minute to play Livingstone was forced to foul.

Mayo led the Blue Bears with a team high 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Emarri Bailey and Jody Hill scored 16 points respectively.

The loss drops the Blue Bears to 18-7 overall and 11-5 in the conference.

Livingstone will receive a first and second round bye before beginning play on Thursday, Feb. 27 in the quarterfinals of the CIAA Tournament.

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CIAA tournament could leave Charlotte next year

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- The CIAA basketball tournament is free to leave Charlotte for another venue after this year, and tourism officials acknowledge it may cost more than the city’s current $1 million payment to keep the athletic association’s week-long spree of parties, shows and games.

The 2014 tournament opens Tuesday for the ninth consecutive year in Charlotte. This is the final year that it is contractually bound to the city.

Last year, the CIAA rebuffed the city’s request to exclusively negotiate a contract extension. Instead, the Hampton, Va.-based association has said it will issue a formal request that all interested cities submit proposals.

But the CIAA has not yet taken that step — causing growing concern for the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.



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SWAC Indoor Track & Field Championship Recap

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference wrapped up Day one of the 2014 SWAC Indoor Track and Field Championships. This is the third year the event has taken place at the Birmingham Crossplex.

Finals for the three field events (shot put, long jump, high jump) were completed along with the finals of the 3,000 Meter Run and Distance Medley Relay, while preliminaries set the field for the finals on Sunday in the remaining events.

After Day 1 (5 Events)

1 - Alabama State - 38
2 - Prairie View - 32.50
2 – Grambling State - 32.50
4 – Arkansas Pine Bluff – 29
5 - Southern - 17
6 - Jackson State - 13
6 – Texas Southern - 13
8 – Mississippi Valley State - 9
9 - Alabama A&M – 6
10 – Alcorn State - 10

HIGHLIGHTS FROM DAY 1

Ninfa Barnard (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) broke the SWAC record that she set a season ago in the 3000 meter run, winning the race with a time of 10:00.34. The previous record was 10:05:59. Joyce Chumo of (Mississippi Valley State) came away with a second place finish clocking in at 10:04.64. Artrailia Lesane rounded out the top three with a time of 10:12.82. The trio finished in the exact some order a season ago.

In the Shot Put, Sireta Roach of UAPB repeated as the winner with a throw of 14.08m (46-02.50). Sharond Bryant of JSU was second with a distance of 13.15m (43-01.75), while Mia Mike from ASU came in third at 13.13 (43-01.00).

Camirey Jackson of JSU claimed the championship in the Long Jump, flying 5.61m (18-05.00) into the pit. GSU’s Morgan Simon came in second with a distance of 5.54m (18-02.25), while Robyn Hancock of Alabama A&M claimed third at 5.53m (18-01.75).

Alabama State came out on top in the Distance Medley Relay, breaking its own record from last season at 12.08.5. UAPB came in second 12.36.30 and Texas Southern placed third in the DMR with a time of 12.36.89.

In the last finals event of the day, Alicia Terrell of ASU took first place in the High Jump, clearing the bar at 5-05.75 which tied former Hornet Tyrisha Chamber’s mark last season. GSU’s Morgan Simon finished second at 5-04.25 with PVAMU’s Chantelle Hamilton placing third at 5-02.20.

 

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Alcorn State 4, Louisiana-Monroe 3

MONROE, Louisiana -- Alcorn State University defeated host, Louisiana-Monroe 4-3 in day one of the Warhawk Classic. This was Alcorn’s first non-conference win against a Division I school in six years. 

The Lady Braves got off to a slow start and allowed the Warhawks to gain a run in the second inning. Alcorn State (2-5) plated three runs on a pair of homers in the top of the third. Hannah Vesper delivered the big blow of the inning with a two-run shot to straightaway center.

Devon Ryan’s solo shot in the top of the fifth proved to be the game winner for the Lady Braves.
Jessica Castillo (1-0) lifted the win for the Alcorn, she struck out seven in 4.2 innings.

After trailing 4-1, ULM (8-4) was unsuccessful keeping their starting lead falling in the bottom of the seventh. Jessica Colliver (2-2) received the loss giving up four hits on three runs in 2.1 innings.

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2014 VSU Football Schedule Features Six Home Games

PETERSBURG, Virginia  --  Facing a very challenging non-conference schedule, 2^nd year Head Football Coach Latrell Scott and the Virginia State University Trojans will play two of their first three games on the road. VSU kicks off the 2014 campaign at Adamson Stadium against California University (PA) on Saturday, Sept. 6^th in the first ever meeting between the two teams. VSU will then come home to Rogers Stadium to face 2013 Division II runner up Lenoir-Rhyne University on Saturday, Sept. 13. In week three the Trojans will travel to Frankfort, KY to take on Kentucky State University.

Following the Kentucky State game VSU will play three consecutive home contests. The Trojans will take on Fayetteville State University, St. Augustine's University and Elizabeth City State University at Rogers Stadium.

On October 18^th VSU will visit Bowie State University for the Bulldogs homecoming.

VSU will welcome Trojan Alumni home for Homecoming 2014 on October 25^th with a game versus Lincoln University (PA). The final regular season home game and senior day will be on November 1^st versus Chowan University.

To conclude the regular season the Trojans will travel North on Interstate 95 to take on longtime rival Virginia Union University.



2014 Virginia State University Trojans Football Schedule

DATE	OPPONENT	LOCATION	TIME
September 6, 2014	California PA University	California, PA	1:00 p.m.
September 13, 2014	Lenoir-Rhyne University (Military Appreciation Day)	Ettrick, VA	2:00 p.m.
September 20, 2014	Kentucky State University	Frankfort, KY	4:00 p.m.
September 27, 2014	Fayetteville State University	Ettrick, VA	2:00 p.m.
October 4, 2014	St. Augustine's College	Ettrick, VA	2:00 p.m.
October 11, 2014	Elizabeth City State University	Ettrick, VA	2:00 p.m.
October 18, 2014	Bowie State University	Bowie, MD	TBA
October 25, 2014	Lincoln University (Homecoming)	Ettrick, VA	2:00 p.m.
November 1, 2014	Chowan University	Ettrick, VA	2:00 p.m.
November 8, 2014	Virginia Union University	Richmond, VA	TBA
November 15, 2014	CIAA Football Championships	TBD	TBA
November 22, 2014	NCAA Play-Offs	TBD	TBA

HOME GAMES ARE IN BOLD



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Johnson C. Smith wins completion of suspended game

CHARLOTTE, N.C.  — Johnson C. Smith defeated Winston-Salem State 89-86 in overtime on Friday afternoon in the completion of the game that was suspended Wednesday night.     

Joshua Linson, who knocked out a light fixture Wednesday with a desperation shot after the buzzer, hit a 3-pointer with 24 seconds left that proved to be the difference.

The Rams trailed 89-86 and had the ball at the end, but Marquez Jones and Preston Ross III each missed 3-point shots to tie.

The game was completed about 42 hours after it started.

The Golden Bulls (15-10, 4-5 Southern Division) scored on six of their eight possessions in overtime, which started with the teams tied at 76.

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2014 SWAC Indoor Track & Field Preview

2014 SWAC Indoor Track and Field Championship Central

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Alabama State University men and women's track and field teams are set to compete in this weekend's 2014 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Indoor Track and Field Championship.

The Hornets will travel to the Birmingham CrossPlex which will host to the championships held on Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 22-23rd.

The Lady Hornets are looking to defend last year's championship as well as extend their consecutive win streak to six titles, spanning from 2009-13, and push their overall team Indoor crowns to ten. The men will be looking to better their seventh place finish from last season.

"We have worked hard this season," Head Coach Ritchie Beene said. "We have done everything we could do leading up to the championship, and now it's in the hands of our athletes to go out and perform to the best of their abilities this weekend."

We understand that our athletes compete every week with targets on their backs especially our ladies' as defending champions, so we're excited to go up there with a positive mindset and handle university business."

The Lady Hornets will need someone to step up this weekend as the they will be without top former student-athlete, now ASU graduate and coach, Tia Rolle who played a big part in last year's title run scoring 30 big points winning the 60m,200m and long jump events.

Several of the ladies will be looking to break SWAC records this weekend as the 4x400m relay team which has ran 3:42 earlier in the season will try and break Prairie View's old mark of 3:46.19 set at last year's championship. Artrailia Lesane will look to break the mile record of 5:02 set by Vasity Chemweno having run 4:58.47 already this season. Paige Rankine who has ran a 17:32.61 in the 5,000m run this season will look to break the old record set by Joyce Chumo of 18:27.47 back in 2012.

"Records are always hard to break," Beene said. "We are going up there with the mindset that we are going to put the fastest people on the track in our relays and any events they are going to be competing in and with that being said if records are broke that will be something exciting for the program that we can do again this year."

The men will need Lee Thrasher to continue his strong marks in the throws this season in order for the Hornets to contend for the championship. He placed second last season in both the weight throw and shotput events. Christopher Amisial the lone first place finisher from a season ago in the pole vault will look to defend his title in a packed field.

"I'm excited about where we're heading with our men's program," Beene said. "Our expectation for our men is to go to Birmingham and improve from where we finished off last year."

Saturday's events will begin at 9 a.m. with the men's and women's shot put and long jump. The running events are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. with the women's 3000 meter run.

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McNeese beats XU Nuggets; Abbes still unbeaten in singles

Nour Abbes

LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana  --  Xavier University of Louisiana's Nour Abbes remained unbeaten in singles, but McNeese State defeated the Gold Nuggets 6-1 in women's tennis Friday.
    
Abbes, a freshman, improved to 5-0 with her 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 (10-3) victory against Klaudia Gawlik at the top flight.
    
The Gold Nuggets' next most competitive match was at No. 5 singles, where freshman Brandi Nelson lost 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 (10-3) to Anastasia Surkova.
    
McNeese (3-3) won the doubles point with victories at the first and third flights. Playing together for the first time since October were Kourtney Howell and Brion Flowers, who lost 8-1 to Gwalik and Sara Castellano. Howell and Flowers finished third in the NAIA division of the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships during the fall and were ranked third entering the spring semester.
    
"Overall not a good day for the Nuggets," XU coach Alan Green said. "We struggled today at the positions we did well at last year with this team. We need more production throughout the lineup. We will get this thing figured out."
    
Xavier is 3-4 and ranked sixth in the NAIA. Three of the Nuggets' losses are to NCAA Division I opponents.
    
Green said the XU men's and women's home duals Saturday against Alabama State were canceled. Next for the Nuggets will be a 1 p.m. Sunday dual against Southeastern Louisiana at the XU Tennis Center. The next Gold Rush dual will start at 1 p.m. Friday at West Florida.


By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Morehead State Eagles Baseball Drop Game One of Grambling Series

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  -- The Morehead State baseball team dropped a 5-2 decision to Grambling State on Friday night in the opening contest of a three-game weekend series at Ellis Field.

The Tigers improve to 1-4 this season, while the Eagles fall to 2-4. Each team registered eight hits i

"I told the guys we didn't deserve to win tonight, because we didn't do the little things right," Head Coach Mike McGuire said. "We hit too many weak ground balls, and had trouble finishing innings on the mound."

GSU senior righty Edvaradas Matusevicius (1-1), who picked up the win, allowed eight hits and only two runs in 6.2 innings. MSU junior right-hander Matt Anderson (0-2) was saddled with the loss, despite allowing only six hits in 6.1 innings.

Grambling State struck first, plating one in the bottom of the second on an RBI from junior catcher Roger Diaz.

Morehead State junior shortstop Robby Spencer evened things in the top of the fifth when he drove in junior first baseman Kane Sweeney on an RBI single. The Tigers plated two in the bottom half of the inning, on two hits and an MSU error, to retake the lead, 3-1.

The teams traded runs in the sixth, MSU's coming on a sacrifice fly from junior center fielder Clayton Meyer, before another in the eighth for GSU to put away the victory.

Senior designated hitter Bobby Burns and junior right fielder Brandon Rawe both went 2-for-4, and were the only Eagles to register multiple hits in the contest.

Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 4 p.m. ET, with the start time of Sunday's finale moved up one hour to 1 p.m.

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2014 Football Schedule will Feature a Long Road Trip for the Grambling State Tigers

HEAD COACH BRODERICK FOBBS
Courtesy GSU Athletics
 

Grambling, Louisiana – The Grambling State University 2014 football schedule will be a challenge for first year Head Coach Broderick Fobbs.  The Tigers will spend the first six weeks on the road before having a home game.

The Tigers will begin the 2014 season on the road against Lamar University August 30^th in Beaumont, Texas at 6 p.m.  The Tigers will spend the entire month of September on the road starting with the University of Houston on September 6^th at the all new Houston Football Stadium.  The following week the Tigers will make their first trip to Florida in over a decade as they will face Bethune Cookman College in Daytona Beach.  GSU will continue their road trip on September 20^th against Jackson State and they will finish out the month against Prairie View A&M University at the State Fair Classic in Dallas, Texas.

During the first weekend in October, the Tigers will conclude their six game road trip as they will face Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Alabama.  The Tigers will come home to the confines of Robinson Stadium for two consecutive weekends as they will host Alcorn State University on October 11^th for High School Day at 2 p.m. and then Homecoming 2014 on Saturday, October 18^th at 2 p.m. against the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

The Tigers will spend the first two weekends in November on the road.  They will face Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas on November 1^st and then the Tigers will travel to Itta Bena, Mississippi to face Mississippi Valley State on November 8th.  The Tigers will have Senior Day on November 15^th as they will host Alabama State University at 2 p.m.  The Tigers will conclude the regular season on November 29^th as they will face Southern University in the 41^st Annual Bayou Classic in New Orleans.

For season ticket information or information on any of the Tigers road games, contact the Grambling State University Ticket office at 318-274-2625.

2014 GSU Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Conference Game	Location	Time
8/30/2014	Lamar University		Beaumont, TX	6:00 P.M.
9/6/2014	University of Houston		Houston, TX	6:00 P.M.
9/13/2014	Bethune-Cookman University		Daytona Beach, FL	4:00 P.M.
9/20/2014	Jackson State University		Jackson, MS	6:00 P.M.
State Fair Classic
9/27/2014	Prairie View A&M University		Dallas, Texas	4:30 P.M.
10/4/2014	Alabama A&M University		Huntsville, AL	6:00 P.M.
High School Day
10/11/2014	Alcorn State University		Grambling, LA	2:00 P.M.
Homecoming
10/18/2014	University of Arkansas - Pine Bluff		Grambling, LA	2:00 P.M.
11/1/2014	Texas Southern University		Houston, TX	2:00 P.M.
11/8/2014	Mississippi Valley State		Itta Bena, MS	2:00 P.M.
Senior Day
11/15/2014	Alabama State University		Grambling, LA	2:00 P.M.
Bayou Classic
11/29/2014	Southern University		New Orleans, LA	1:00 P.M.

EMAIL OR PRINT 2014 GSU FOOTBALL SCHEDULE



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UAPB Golden Lions Lose A Heartbreaker To Auburn Tigers, 2-1

Auburn, Alabama  -- Locked in a defensive chess match in the first game of the Tigers Invitational Tournament, the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff missed out on offensive opportunities and fell to the Auburn Tigers, 2-1, Friday night (Feb. 21) at Samford Stadium - Hitchcock Field in a crowd of 3,667

The second game of the tournament began as a pitcher's duel, as neither team's offense could put up much of a threat for the first three innings. In the bottom of the fourth, Auburn Anfernee Grier single up the middle and on the next batter, stole second, then Dan Glevenyak reached on an error by the short stop to put the first run on the board.



Auburn would put up a safety run in the bottom of the seventh inning with Glevenyak, leading off with a single, advanced to second when Ryan Tella grounded out to the pitcher, then on the next batter Glevenyak stole third base but there was a controversy call when one umpire called him out, but he was over rude by the umpire crew. Glevenyak would then increase the Tigers lead 2-0 with a single to right field from Keegan Thompson.

With Schwartz making a good performance, UAPB offense finally broke through in the top of the eighth inning. Senior Mike Wieland led off the rally with a single up the middle and then advanced to second off a fielding error by the center field. Kirby Campbell single to right field for an RBI, scoring Wieland making the score 2-1, with a runner on first, Rashawn Tillman would then single up the middle, moving Campbell to third with two outs. With a runner on first and third, Mitch Bruckshaw struck out looking to end the inning.

Kyle Schawtz, took a tough-luck loss on the mound, throwing a spectacular 7.1 innings, striking out six and giving up no earn runs.

Kirby Campbell led the Golden Lions at the plate going 3-for-1, with 1 RBI; Mike Wieland also went 3-for-1 with 1 run.

Ortman Dillon was the top pitcher for Auburn pitching eight innings, giving up four hits and striking out 11 players.

UAPB will face East Tennessee State Sat. (Feb 22) at 2:00 P.M. in the second round of the Auburn Tigers Invitational Tournament.

BOX SCORE

Cameo Stokes, UAPB Sports Information
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TSU Tigers Ties School Record to Open the Spring Season

Kelly Merkel
Photo courtesy of Sam Jordan/TSU Athletics

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The Tennessee State women’s golf team began the spring the same as they closed out the fall. The Tigers fired a team 326 at McCabe Golf Course on Friday afternoon. The score ties a school record for lowest round, which they set at the Chyarles Braun Jr. Intercollegiate in Evansville, Ind., on the final day of the early season schedule.

 

The Tigers fell in today’s match with Lipscomb, 308-326

 

“Overall, I am pleased with the players sticking to our process to improve as individuals and as a team,” said head coach Parrish McGrath.

 

Kelly Merkel, Erica Edwards, Sarah Needleman and Natalie Spicer teamed up to close the gap on the Bison, who outscored TSU by 37 strokes in October.

 

Merkel led the way as she shot a 39 on the front side, before cutting a pair of strokes off the back nine for a 76. The sophomore hit nine fairways and nine greens, while picking up five up-and-downs on the day. Merkel closed out the day with a birdie, as she stuck the approach shot on the par-4, 18th about five feet from pin to setup a one-putt.

 

Edwards used a two-foot birdie on the 150-yard par-3, 14th, to pace her round of 77. Edwards completed play with 35 putts, 10 fairways and nine greens in regulation.

 

Needleman started the day par-par on her way to an 85. She used 36 putts and hit eight fairways and six greens. Spicer’s birdie on the par-4, 4th highlighted her round of 88. The freshman’s drive off the box found the middle of the fairway, setting up an 8-iron from 132-yards out to set up a 10-foot putt for the birdie. Spicer hit 11 fairways and found six greens.

 

Amelia Dap shot an 89 with seven fairways and eight greens, while Laura Bremer carded a 90 with 33 putts, six fairways, four greens and one birdie.

 

“Our ball striking was good and I saw some great progress on the adjustments we have been making to some of their swings,” McGrath commented.

 

The Tigers are off until March 3, when they travel to take part in the MSU Invitational in Murray, Ky. The two-day event will consist of 18-hole play on each day.

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