Gold Rush defeat Dillard, win 3rd straight GCAC title

Xavier plays host to GCAC tournaments next week

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana won 61-54 at Dillard on Saturday to clinch its third consecutive Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball regular-season championship.

The Gold Rush (22-7, 10-2), ranked 13th in NAIA Division I, closed the regular season with four consecutive victories and won the title by a half-game over Talladega. Xavier will be the No. 1 seed in the GCAC Tournament, which will begin Thursday in New Orleans. Xavier will play its first game in the quarterfinals Friday.

Tournament seedings, pairings and game times will be announced Sunday.

It's the first time that the Gold Rush have won three consecutive regular-season conference championships. It's the first time since 1986-87 that Xavier won the title outright. The championship is the fifth in Dannton Jackson's 11 seasons as head coach.

Anthony Goode scored 16 points, Sydney Coleman 15 and Morris Wright 10 for the Gold Rush. Coleman grabbed nine rebounds, and Wright had a career-high eight rebounds.

Houston Chatman scored 17 points and Lance Theard 14 for the Bleu Devils (4-14, 0-12), who have lost 13 straight.

Xavier led for 38 minutes, including the final 37:06. After Chatman's 3-pointer at 17:16 gave Dillard its only lead, 3-2, Coleman scored 10 seconds later to put the Gold Rush ahead to stay. Xavier led 30-19 at halftime and held its biggest lead, 37-22, after Coleman's two free throws with 17:27 remaining.

Theard's two free throws with 3:04 remaining cut the Gold Rush lead to 52-48, but Xavier scored on its next four posessions, including a Wright 3-pointer at 1:26 which made it 59-50.

Xavier outshot the Bleu Devils 48.8 to 35 percent from the floor, outscored them 17-8 from the line and outrebounded them 39-31. The Gold Rush are 11-0 this season when allowing fewer than 60 points.

Xavier leads the series with its city rival 80-48. The Gold Rush have won 10 of the last 11 meetings and 20 of the last 23. It was Xavier's 10th consecutive victory at Dent Hall. The series began in the 1947-48 season.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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How will Southern football do when spring football starts Wednesday?

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  The Southern football team returns to practice as the reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Wednesday.

The Jaguars have lost some star power from the 19 seniors on last year’s team, and the statistics can quantify just how much was lost. But Dawson Odums says he begins his second set of spring practices as head coach confident he has everything he needs up and down the roster for Southern to continue to grow as a program.

“It’s all about consistency,” Odums said. “We’re probably the only school in the SWAC to keep all of its coaches. That’s consistency. We just have to continue to get better during the spring. It’s tough on younger players when they have to learn a different defense or a different offense. But when you’re able to be consistent, you get better and better.”

The Jaguars will start an inexperienced quarterback next season in the wake of losing Dray Joseph, the school’s all-time leader in touchdown passes who was a SWAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year last year.

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Powers Leads Hampton Pirates Past Rival NSU Spartans

HAMPTON, Virginia  –  Points were hard to come by for anyone not named Deron Powers Saturday night at the HU Convocation Center, but the sophomore guard poured in 23 points as the Hampton University men's basketball team beat rival Norfolk State 61-53.

The Pirates (17-11, 12-3 MEAC) won their sixth straight game and swept the season series over the Spartans for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) went 8-for-12 from the floor and hit three of his five 3-pointers. Senior forward Du'Vaughn Maxwell (Manhattan, N.Y.) added 12 points and fell one rebound shy of his third straight double-double with a team-high nine rebounds.

Pendarvis Williams hit two free throws at the 11:02 mark of the second half to cut the Pirates' lead to 35-33, but Hampton went on an 8-0 run – punctuated by a fastbreak dunk from sophomore guard Ke'Ron Brown (Savannah, Ga.) that put the Pirates up 43-33 at the 8:30 mark.

Norfolk State never got closer than within four, when Anell Alexis hit a layup at the 6:25 mark to slice the Pirates' lead to 45-41. Sophomore guard Brian Darden (Hampton, Va.) answered with a 3-pointer on the next possession to quell the Spartans' momentum and give Hampton a 48-41 lead.

A Maxwell dunk and a Powers layup followed, and the Pirates led 52-41 with 4:23 remaining.

The Spartans went on a 6-1 spurt to cut the lead to 53-47 with 2:01 left after a pair of free throws from Malcolm Hawkins. But the Pirates hit six free throws in the closing minutes – on top of a breakaway layup from senior guard Ramon Mercado (Hollywood, Fla.) to put the game away.

Norfolk State only had nine field goals in the second half (compared to 16 turnovers) – and the Spartans went from the 12:17 mark to the 7:22 mark without a field goal.



The Spartans held a 17-11 lead with 9:00 left in a low-scoring first half, before the Pirates went on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 17-17 on a free throw from sophomore guard Breon Key (Hampton, Va.).

After Norfolk State took a 21-19 lead on a Jamel Fuentes jumper at the 4:33 mark, Hampton closed the first half on a 6-2 run, taking a 25-23 lead into the locker room thanks to a jumper from Powers with 56 seconds left in the half.

The Pirates shot 37.5 percent (21-for-56) from the floor and hit five of 19 3-pointers (26.3 percent). Hampton turned 25 Norfolk State turnovers into 26 points and held a 28-24 edge in points in the paint.

Norfolk State (16-12, 10-4 MEAC) shot 43.2 percent (19-for-44) from the floor – despite the Spartans' second-half struggles – but went just 3-for-11 from behind the arc.

Hawkins and Brandon Goode each had 12 points to lead the Spartans.

The Pirates will close the regular season on Thursday at the HU Convocation Center, celebrating Senior Night against North Carolina A&T at 8 p.m. For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

Box Score

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

NCCU Earns 15th Straight Win in Convincing Fashion on Senior Day

DURHAM, North Carolina  -- North Carolina Central University made Senior Day even more special as the Eagles used another dominating performance to dismantle the South Carolina State University Bulldogs 86-44 in front of 2,414 maroon-clad fans inside McDougald-McLendon Gym.

Despite the early setback as the Eagles found themselves down 9-3 on Jalen White's layup with 16:41 to go, the veteran Eagles used the next five minutes to go on a 14-3 run and take the lead at 17-12.

Senior Jeremy Ingram (Charlotte, N.C.) had it going early and often in the first frame, scoring 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting, 4-of-6 from beyond-the-arc.  Ingram also collected a season-high five steals through the first 20 minutes of play.

With the mixture of solid defense as the maroon and gray forced 10 turnovers, a five-point lead ballooned to a 40-24 halftime advantage.

The second half was more of the same as the maroon and gray used a 10-1 run through the first five-and-a-half minutes in the second half to make it 50-25.

It took until the 12:51 mark of the second stanza for SC State to get their first field goal in the second half as Jalen White connected on a layup to make it 59-27.



NCCU's dominance continued the rest of the way, which gave head coach LeVelle Moton the opportunity to send all of his seniors out with a curtain call in front of the Eagle faithful who gave each student-athlete a standing ovation.

The Eagles went to win 86-44 behind Ingram's 25 points and junior Jordan Parks recorded his second double-double of the year with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

As a team, the maroon and gray committed a season-low five turnovers, marking a new record in the NCAA Division I era for the program.  In fact, the last time an NCCU team had five or less turnovers took place on Feb. 27, 2003 when the maroon and gray beat Fayetteville State 85-75 in the CIAA Tournament in Raleigh, N.C.  That Eagle squad only turned the ball over four times in the opening round win.

SC State (9-18, 5-9 MEAC) struggled mightily from-the-field in the contest, shooting a dismal 28.3 percent going 15-for-53, including 2-for-16 from beyond-the-arc.

With the win, NCCU (23-5, 13-1 MEAC) has now recorded 15-straight victories on the year, 22 consecutive inside McDougald-McLendon Gym dating back to the 2012-13 campaign, and needs one more victory to secure the school's first MEAC regular season title at the NCAA Division I level.  The 23 victories are now the most in a season since the 1992-93 campaign (Moton's freshman year).

Next up for the Eagles, the Tigers of Savannah State University, in front of a national television audience as the game will be broadcasted on ESPNU on Monday, March 3 at 7:00 p.m. from McDougald-McLendon Gym.

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.

 Box Score

Chris Hooks, Assistant Sports Information Director/Broadcast Media Coordinator
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION         

Free-throw shooting lifts SU women over Alcorn in OT

LORMAN, Mississippi — The overtime period of the Southern women’s basketball team’s victory against Alcorn State on Saturday told the story of the entire game.

The Jaguars made 7-of-10 free throws, and the Braves made 2-of-8 as Southern prevailed 67-62 in the Davey Whitney Complex. For the game, Southern made 28-of-43 free throws and Alcorn made 19-of-41.

The victory came just hours after the Jaguars (17-7 and 14-2 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference) learned they would be allowed to play in the SWAC tournament, though they remain banned from NCAA postseason play. The Braves, who beat Southern 58-52 on Feb. 1 in the F.G. Clark Activity Center, are 7-20 and 6-10.

Neither coach Sandy Pugh nor any players were available for comment after the game, a policy that will continue until after the regular-season finale against Texas Southern on March 8, according to a university statement.

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Rabalais: It’s clear — Southern has failed its athletes

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- Southern’s winter sports programs have been banned from NCAA championship competition because of missing and unusable academic data pertaining to its student-athletes.

In other words, the NCAA has no way to properly verify their grades and academic progress.
There is an easy way to grade Southern University on this subject, though.

A big, fat “F.” Underlined. Inside a red circle.

One is tempted to label Southern’s academic compliance grade incomplete, given the Swiss-cheese state of the academic records of its student-athletes.

But that would be being kind when kindness is not deserved.

CONTINUE READING

Morgan State Bears overcome Bethune-Cookman late rally, 65-61

BALTIMORE, Maryland  -- Ian Chiles scored a game-high 23 points, Cedric Blossom had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Morgan State overcame a late rally to beat Bethune-Cookman 65-61 on Saturday at Hill Field House.

The Bears improved to 12-14 overall and sit tied for 3rd place with a 10-4 record in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Bethune-Cookman (6-24, 4-11 MEAC) almost had enough down the stretch to overtake the Bears. However, Morgan State's lead was just enough, despite having what seemed to be an off night.

"Obviously I'm glad we won the game, but it wasn't' pretty and we've got to do better," Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman said. "So we've got to get out of whatever it is we're in, because we can't keep doing it like that. That wasn't good. That wasn't the way we play basketball -- we took a step backwards today."

Justin Black, who entered the game averaging 19.3 ppg, finished with a season-low 8 points and added eight rebounds and three assists. Blake Bozeman also chipped in 8 points.

The Wildcats were held to 9-for-29 shooting in the first half, but shot 44 percent in the second half and made things uncomfortable for the Bears down the stretch.

The Bears played through Ian Chiles throughout most of the first half. The 'Cats had a hard time containing the 7-foot-2 center who simple dominated the first half, shooting 6 of 8 from the floor for 16 points to lead the Bears. Clemmye Owens' halftime buzzer beater cut Morgan's lead to 30-28 at the break.

"My teammates were looking for me early," said Chiles. "I was able to give them some good production, offensively. During the second half, I slowed down a little bit; they kind of changed defenses so they had two, three people on me every time I touched the ball. So it was kind of tough in the second half, but I was able to pull through."

Owens led the Wildcats with 18 points and Malik Jackson added 11.

Bethune's Mikel Trapp (8 pts) opened up the second half scoring and tied the game at 30 apiece, before the Bears began pushing the accelerator. Morgan State proceeded to outscore the 'Cats 20-9 over the course of an 8 minute stretch. Following a dunk by Shaquille Duncan and a fastbreak layup by Justin Black, the Bears held a 50-38 lead with 11:28 remaining.

Morgan's lead grew to as many as 17 points (59-42) following a pair of dunks by Chiles. After that, things got interesting.

Bethune used a 19-4 run during the final 8 minutes to whittle away at the Bears lead. Mikel Trapp's layup cut Morgan's lead to 63-61 with 32 seconds left to go. Fortunately for the Bears, Cedric Blossom hit a pair of from throws with 15 seconds left and Maurice Taylor had his shot blocked by Duncan in the final moments to help the Bears hold on for the win.

Chiles added, "It was ugly and sloppy on both ends – offense and defense, but we pulled it out in the end and that's all that matters."

Box Score


Leonard Haynes, MSU Athletics Media Relations 
COURTESY MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS        

Texas Southern softball upsets Southern Miss 8-5 picking up sixth win of the season

AUSTIN, Texas  -- The Texas Southern University Lady Tigers softball team picked up another big win this season with a 8-5 victory over Southern Mississippi at the UT softball tournament today. The Lady Tigers dropped an 8-0 decision to tournament host UT in the final game of the day for Texas Southern.

In game one Southern Miss was the first team to plate a run, taking the lead with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Golden Eagles double their lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning.

Texas Southern chipped into the Southern Miss advantage with a run in the top of the third inning. The Lady Tigers used a bunt single and a fielder's choice to place two runners on base. TSU used a deep fly ball to advance the runners up one base. Texas Southern got on the scoreboard with a Brianna Parker sacrifice fly to right field.

The Lady Tigers rallied to take the lead in the top of the fourth inning. The first run of the inning came across on a RBI single by Monica Castillo. Back-to-back singles loaded the bases for the Lady Tigers and a base-clearing double by Thomasina Garza gave TSU a 5-4 advantage.

Southern Miss tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Texas Southern regained the lead in the top of the sixth inning. Castillo singled to start the inning, but was retired on a fielder's choice. TSU used a bunt single to place a second runner on base.

With two outs, the Lady Tigers used a Parker two-RBI double to left center field to regain the lead. Texas Southern singled up the middle to score a third run of the inning and take an 8-5 advantage that they would not relinquish.

Samantha Jimenez got the win for Texas Southern pitching three innings allowing no earned runs and just three hits.

In game two of the day UT junior RHP Gabby Smith pitched a complete game shutout and the Longhorns offense stayed hot to help Texas defeat Texas Southern in five innings.

Madison Staton was saddled with the loss in game two as she pitched 2.2 innings allowing seven earned runs on eight hits. Texas Southern will close out play at the tournament tomorrow morning at 8:00 am versus the Texas Longhorns.

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2    

COURTESY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Official Statement: SWAC Lifts League's Postseason Ban

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference and its Council of Presidents and Chancellors reviewed, voted, and approved to amend the SWAC bylaw that governs if an institution’s team and/or student-athletes can participate in the conference season-ending tournaments and championships.

“Today we received the approval from the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees to amend our men’s and women’s basketball automatic qualification policy for the NCAA Tournament,” said SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp.

The adopted bylaw, which allows all 10 member institutions to participate in the SWAC Tournament, will be used to determine which SWAC member institution will receive the conference Automatic Qualification (AQ) to represent the conference in the NCAA tournaments for each respective sport. The previous policy restricted several current SWAC institutions from participating in post season play due to Academic Progress Rates (APR) restrictions.

As it relates to the upcoming basketball tournament, the NCAA issued a statement acknowledging the acceptance of the SWAC’s proposed bylaw change by saying that the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees will allow the conference to amend its automatic-qualifying policy for the 2014 championships only. The conference basketball tournament for both men and women will still determine the automatic berths into both NCAA championships. The eligible team that advances furthest in the conference tournaments will receive the automatic berth to the NCAA championships. In the event of a tie (for example, all tournament-eligible teams are eliminated in the same round), the automatic berths will go to the highest-seeded team.

“It is the conference’s goal to ensure that each student-athlete has equal opportunity for academic and athletic success,” said Sharp. “The Conference and Council of Presidents acknowledge the financial strain that affects our member institutions in meeting APR requirements. With the approval of the amended policy, the SWAC not only can provide a quality athletic experience, but optimistically provide the means for academic advancements,” added Commissioner Sharp.

The Council voted in favor of lifting the postseason ban, for all SWAC Championship Sports, as the old policy inhibited the current student-athletes. To some extent, postseason penalties were based on budget issues that prevent league institutions from hiring personnel to support the athletic system.

“The academic success of the student-athletes is a top priority of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and its member institutions. While staying committed to improving the APR scores of our member institutions, the SWAC will continue to work with each institution and the NCAA to reach the appropriate benchmarks set by the Committee on Academic Performance,” said Sharp.

The old policy did not allow member institutions that are not eligible for NCAA postseason to participate in SWAC season-ending tournament and championship games, but the change does allow for it. The ruling immediately allows Grambling State, Mississippi Valley State, Southern and Arkansas-Pine Bluff to compete at the end of the regular season in its respective competition, including the 2014 SWAC tournament, which will run March 11-15 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Southwestern Athletic ConferenceThe Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), established in 1920, is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., which is comprised of historically black universities in the Southern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for its 18 sports and the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

WVSU Jacket Men Win Fifth Straight, Open Walker Victory

INSTITUTE, West Virginia  --  It did not matter that an 11-point lead had slipped away with 1:47 to play.
   
The WVSU men's basketball team was not going to allow rival Charleston to spoil the opening of their new home.
   
Playing scrambling, tenacious defense, the Yellow Jackets accounted for the final four points of the game to pick up a hard fought 78-74 win in front of a standing room only crowd in the brand new 1,350 seat Walker Convocation Center.
   
Senior Anton Hutchins sank a pair of free throws with 1:24 remaining and Dimitrios Jelen-Joy followed suit with 42 seconds showing and the Jacket defense did the rest.
      
Dominic Phillips had a big game for WVSU with 20 points while Hutchins added 19, and Juan Johnson 12.
     
The Yellow Jackets will now host Notre Dame Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in a first round Mountain East Conference tournament game.

Box Score   

COURTESY WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS 

Gold Nuggets win at Dillard, reach 20 victories again

Xavier plays host to GCAC tournaments next week

NEW ORLEANS -- Whitney Gathright scored nine of her 12 points in the second half Saturday to help NAIA No. 25 Xavier University of Louisiana earn a 63-56 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against Dillard at Dent Hall.

The Gold Nuggets (20-9, 10-2) closed the regular season with their third consecutive victory. They reached 20 victories for the 13th consecutive season and the 21st time in the last 22 seasons. Xavier will play in the quarterfinals of the GCAC Tournament in New Orleans on Thursday; seedings, pairings and game times will be announced Sunday.

After a halftime tie at 25, five Gold Nuggets scored during a decisive 14-2 run in the first five minutes of the second half. Chelsea Broussard capped the run at 15:24 to give Xavier its largest lead, 39-27. Dillard never got closer than six points thereafter.

Gathright, a sophomore guard, scored in double figures for the fourth consecutive game and a team-leading 19th time this season. She made both XU 3-pointers and had six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot.

Vinnie Briggs scored 10 points for Xavier, and Danielle Tucker and Whitney Gaston-Loyd had eight apiece. Paige Gauthier had seven points, seven rebounds and six assists. Tucker had four of the Nuggets' 14 steals.

Keylantra Taylor had 11 points and 12 rebounds for Dillard (3-15, 3-9), and Julia Hendrieth scored 10 points on 5-of-5 from the floor.

Xavier shot 48.9 percent from the floor -- its second-best performance of the season -- and limited the Lady Bleu Devils to 38.2 percent. The Nuggets had 16 assists on 23 field goals and blocked six shots, three by Broussard.

Xavier spent 35 minutes with the lead. Dillard led for 90 seconds late in the first half.

Xavier defeated its city rival for the 11th consecutive time and the 20th time in the last 21 meetings. The Gold Nuggets lead the series 61-19.

Box score


By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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TSU Tigers Down Middle Tennessee 7-1, Drops Game to Troy

Courtesy: Sam Jordan / TSU Athletics

 

STATESBORO, Georgia -- A tale of two games describes the day for Tennessee State softball on day two of the Eagle Classic. The Tigers were no-hit in a 7-0 loss to Troy to open Saturday’s play, but bounced back to grab a 7-1 win over Middle Tennessee. The Trojans improved to 8-8-2, the Blue Raiders fell to 5-14 and the Tigers are now 5-13.

 

Middle Tennessee tried to add to TSU’s misery by jumping out to a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Shea Morris walked leadoff hitter LaRi Mitchell to start the game. Mitchell stole second and scored on a single off the bat of Kayla Toney. Two batters later, Morris issued another walk to give MTSU two runners on and one out. The junior hurler settled in by striking out the next batter she would face.

 

The punch out by Morris moved her into the top spot of the TSU career strikeout list. Morris passed Amanda Vaught, who completed her Tiger career in 2008.

 

The Lawrenceburg, Tenn., native would retire the next 14 Blue Raiders allowing the offense a chance to take control of the game. The streak was erased by Toney who ripped a double into right center with one out in the sixth. Morris retired the next two to end any threat.

 

Morris’ twin sister, Kate Morris, would be the first Tiger to scratch a hit on the day with a single into center to leadoff the second inning. Two batters later, with Kate on third, Kiarra Freeman hit a hard grounder to short for an RBI single, evening the score at 1-1. Tayler Shimizu followed with a ground ball up the middle; Freeman did not break stride rounding second and forced the play at third. Freeman slid in safely as the ball would get away, allowing the speedy sophomore a chance to charge home giving the Tigers a 2-1 lead.

 

TSU would not look back as they added two runs in each, the third and fourth innings. With one out in the third, the Tigers would string three hits together to take a 4-1 lead. Kate Morris delivered a two-run single to center to plate Courtney Gearlds and Lindsey Burgess.

 

In the fourth, TSU loaded the base on a single by Freeman, a hit-by-pitch of Shimizu and a sacrifice bunt, fielder’s choice by Liz Stansberry. Jayna Hanawahine wasted no time as she ripped the first pitch she saw up the middle to chase home Freeman and Shimizu, making the score 6-1.

 

The Tigers added a single run in the fifth to provide the margin. Shea Morris and Freeman sandwiched hits around Rebekka Gross getting plunked to load the bases. Stansberry followed two batters later with a walk to force home Gross.

 

Freeman finished the game 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Kate Morris was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI.

 

Hanawahine, Gearlds and Burgess all ended the game 1-for-4. Shimizu went 1-for-2 with a run scored and Shea Morris was 1-for-3 at the plate. Morris earned the win and improved to 4-6 allowing three hits, while fanning four.

 

In the first game of the day, the Tigers could only manage two runners on base against pitcher Jaycee Affeldt. Shimizu was the first to reach base with a walk to open the third inning, while Burgess reached on an error two innings later. Affeldt (3-5) finished the game with eight strikeouts.

 

Olivia Gamache (1-6) took the loss as she surrendered five runs, four earned, on three hits and four walks. Gamache finished with two strikeouts and made way for Hannah St. Clair who pitched the final two innings. St. Clair allowed two runs on two hits and fanned one.

 

The Eagle Classic wraps up on Sunday with the Tigers playing in the final two games. TSU will take on Middle Tennessee at 12:00pm ET and Georgia Southern at 2:00pm ET. Both games can be heard on tsutigers.com.

    TSU-Middle Tennessee Boxscore

        TSU-Troy Boxscore


COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Hampton Lady Pirates Upend NSU Spartans, Win MEAC Again

HAMPTON, Virginia – Fourth verse, same as the first.

With an 83-54 win over Norfolk State Saturday evening at the HU Convocation Center, the Hampton University women's basketball team clinched its fourth straight MEAC regular-season title – and the corresponding No. 1 seed in the MEAC Tournament (March 10-15, Norfolk Scope).

Fitting, since the Lady Pirates (24-4, 15-0 MEAC) lowered the banners celebrating last season's championship as well.

Freshman guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas (Harrisburg, Pa.) led the festivities with 19 points, while senior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) scored 17 points and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds for her 12th double-double of the season.

Senior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) added 18 points – including four 3-pointers in the second half – and junior guard Kenia Cole (Silver Spring, Md.) poured in 16 points.

Hampton jumped out to its 14th straight win in short order, opening the game with a 13-0 run that ended in a jumper from Tate-DeFreitas at the 16:07 mark. Norfolk State answered with a 7-2 run to cut the lead to 15-7, before the Lady Pirates scored the next 14 points.

A Hamilton layup at the 10:12 mark ended that run and gave the Lady Pirates a 29-7 lead.

Norfolk State cut the lead to 29-14 at the 8:16 mark, when Dominique Harper ended a 7-0 Spartans run with a free throw. But that was as close as the Spartans would get in the remainder of the half, and Hampton used a 9-2 run to take a 38-16 lead with 5:41 left in the half after a Tate-DeFreitas trey.

Cole's layup with 39 seconds left in the half sent the Lady Pirates into the break with a 44-23 lead.

The Spartans only managed six first-half field goals.

The offensive struggles continued for Norfolk State in the second half, despite seven field goals in the first eight minutes. Koryn Lawrence hit a layup with 12:18 left to cut Hampton's lead to 56-40, but that was the last field goal for Norfolk State but Ebony Brown hit a layup with 1:41 remaining.

All 10 Norfolk State points in the interim came at the free throw line.

A free throw from Logan Powell at the 9:47 mark cut Hampton's lead to 58-45, but a 10-1 Lady Pirates run grew the lead to 68-46 with 6:54 remaining after a free throw from Bennett. That run included back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers from Hamilton.

A layup from sophomore guard Ryan Jordan (Manassas, Va.) with 2:42 left gave the Lady Pirates an 80-50 lead, and Hampton had its largest lead of the game with 1:01 to play, after freshman guard Bayley Coleman-Cox (Durham, N.C.) hit a trey to put Hampton up 83-52.

The Lady Pirates shot 34.6 percent (27-for-78) from the floor and made 10 of their 26 3-pointers (38.5 percent). Hampton also forced Norfolk State into 21 turnovers, converting them into 22 points.

Hampton also held a 32-22 edge in points in the paint.

Norfolk State (11-14, 7-7 MEAC) shot just 23.8 percent (15-for-63) from the floor and made just two of its nine 3-pointers. The Spartans did hold a 57-52 edge in rebounding.

Powell led the Spartans with 18 points.

The Lady Pirates will close the regular season on Thursday at the HU Convocation Center, celebrating Senior Night against North Carolina A&T at 6 p.m. For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

Box Score

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Alabama State Hornets Fall at Texas Southern

HOUSTON, Texas  -- Alabama State fell into a tie for second place when they fell to Texas Southern 86-66 in a Southwestern Athletic Conference game.

The Tigers (13-14/9-6 SWAC) shot over 50 percent from the field in pulling even with the Hornets in the SWAC standings.  They hit six of 17 from beyond the three point line and hit 18 of 24 free throws.

The Hornets (15-11/9-6 SWAC) struggled shooting the ball finishing hitting only 38 percent from the field and that includes only hitting four of their 20 three point field goals and also struggled from the free throw line only hitting 10 of its 19 attempts.

"We have to get guys who want to play with the effort it takes to win games on defense," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said.  "Our last three ball games we have given up 86 points to all three of those opponents and we were fortunate enough to win one of those games at home but the other two we lost."

"We have to get people to change their minds because if we play like this the rest of the way we may not win another game."

Luther Page led ASU with 14 points and Maurice Strong added 10.  ASU's two leading scorers Jamel Waters and DeMarcus Robinson only managed 16 points combined with Robinson scoring nine and Waters seven.  Combined they were seven for 25 from the field.  Tony Armstrong came off the bench to score nine points.

D'Aris Scarver led TSU's offense with 21 points, but had plenty of offensive help.  D'Angelo Scott scored 13 and Lawrence Johnson-Danner scored 10.  ASU held the SWAC's leading scorer Aaric Murray to 11 points which is half of his 22 points per game average.

"You have to come out and match intensity and our guys, one through five, are not getting it done," Jackson said.  "Over these last three games we have to find some guys that are going to come out and play with some enthusiasm."

ASU also lost the rebounding battle 47-28 with Strong's six leading the Hornets.  Waters finished with a game-high seven assists and also added two steals.  The Hornets only turned the ball over five times while forcing 14 turnovers.

TSU came out in the first half and shot 58 percent (19-33) from the field.  They hit three of their nine three point attempts and six of eight from the free throw line.

Scarver led the Tigers effort with 17 first-half points as he hit eight of his 13 field goals.   Johnson-Danner added seven and Scott six.

For the Hornets Robinson had seven and Armstrong came off the bench to add six.  ASU only shot 34 percent (11-32) from the field and that includes hitting only two of their 11 three point field goal attempts and also struggled from the free throw line only shooting two of six.

ASU will continue its final road trip of the regular season with a game at Prairie View A&M trying to hang on to a tie for second place, Monday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m.

"This is what basketball is all about," Jackson said.  "Everyone is trying to do the little things to win ball games and right now we are sitting at 9-6 with TSU and these last ball games are going to be crucial and we have to step up and do our job.  On the road you want to try and win both games but if you get a split you are doing ok.  So we have an opportunity to get a split here at PV before going home.  But no matter where you play you have to come out and play with some energy and you have to play with some toughness."

Box Score

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Southern men clinch SWAC title

LORMAN, Mississippi — The Southern men’s basketball team learned Saturday that it will be able to compete in the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament.

Then the Jaguars left little doubt that they will be the team to beat when tournament play starts March 11 in Houston.

Southern clinched the regular-season title outright when it defeated Alcorn State 67-54 in the Davey Whitney Complex. The Jaguars (18-11 and 14-2) can’t be caught even with two league games remaining at home against Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. The Braves are 11-17 and 8-8.

The regular-season title and berth in the conference tournament took some of the sting out of an NCAA postseason ban due to inadequate reporting of date relating to student-athletes’ Academic Progress Rates. Southern learned Thursday that the ban will not be lifted in time for this year’s
NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens in the SWAC Tournament.

CONTINUE READING 

Cinderella Watch: Can North Carolina Central Repeat the MEAC's NCAA Tournament Success?

DURHAM, North Carolina  -- The Eagles have been the class of the MEAC this season, but that is unlikely to even guarantee them an auto-bid, especially given their streaky nature. However, they still have a chance to make the Big Dance and match some historic surprise success by their league.

As we enter the home stretch in conference play everybody is going to be looking for this year's Florida Gulf Coast. That's why we've put together "Cinderella Watch" to profile all the mid-major teams you should know before heading into March.

North Carolina Central Eagles

Mid-Eastern Athletic ConferenceOverall Record: 22-5
Conference Record: 12-1
RPI: 126
Key Wins: North Carolina State (55)
Worst Losses: Florida A&M (296), IUPUI (313)
Average RPI Win: 286
Average RPI Loss: 142
NCAA Tournament History: 0 Appearances

 

This Season

I think it says a lot about NCCU's non-conference schedule that they have two losses against opponents in the bottom 60 of the RPI and the average RPI of the five teams they've lost to is still that high - that's thanks to early season games against Cincinnati, Wichita State, NC State, and Maryland - all on the road.

 

CONTINUE READING

SWAC finally decides on basketball bracket

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- After a week of waiting on a decision from the NCAA, Southwestern Athletic Conference officials announced that all 10 teams would participate in the 2014 conference tournament despite the fact that four teams are barred from NCAA tournament play because of poor Academic Progress Rates.

In the past, the conference barred those teams from participating in the conference tournament, which earns the winner an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. Last year, only seven men’s teams competed in the tournament, which was held in Garland, Texas.

This year, at the insistence of SWAC commissioner Duer Sharp, a teleconference that included the presidents of the 10 teams in the conference voted on whether to include the ineligible teams along with the six eligible teams. The presidents voted 8-2 to include the teams, with Alabama State president Gwendolyn Boyd and Jackson State president Carolyn Meyers voting to exclude Southern, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Grambling and Mississippi Valley State from the tournament.

1. CONTINUE READING

SWAC allows four ineligible teams in conference tournament

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  -- Last season, only seven teams played in the SWAC tournament as three teams were ineligible for the NCAA tournament due to APR penalties.

This year, the league has decided to let every team play in the postseason tournament -- including four teams that are banned from the NCAA tournament for 2013-14.

According to USA Today, the 10 school presidents voted to include the ineligible teams: Southern, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Mississippi Valley State and Grambling.

Southern will be the top seed in the conference tournament, but they cannot play in the NCAA tournament. As a result, the NCAA released a statement regarding what would happen in the event one of the four ineligible teams wins the conference tournament.

CONTINUE READING

SWAC allowed to amend its automatic qualification policy for 2014

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana  --  In response to a request from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees will allow the conference to amend its automatic qualification policy for the 2014 championships only.

The conference tournaments will still determine the automatic berths into both NCAA championships. The eligible team that advances furthest in the conference tournaments will receive the automatic berth to the NCAA championships. In the event of a tie (for example, all tournament-eligible teams are eliminated in the same round), the automatic berth will go to the highest-seeded team.

The process will be revisited when the men’s and women’s basketball committees meet in the summer.

COURTESY NCAA.COM

NCCU eyes regular-season MEAC title, hosts S.C. State

DURHAM, North Carolina  -- An N.C. Central win against S.C. State would allow the Eagles to clinch at least a share of the regular-season championship in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

The Eagles (22-5, 12-1 MEAC) have been rolling, 14 wins in row. And they’ve been outstanding at home, winning 21 straight at McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium — 12-0 there this year.

NCCU will look to protect its nest on senior day today. The S.C. State Bulldogs will come barking and hope to have the bite to back it up (4 p.m., NCCUEaglePride.com).

Today and Monday — when NCCU hosts Savannah State — will be the last times Eagle seniors Jeremy Ingram and Emanuel Chapman will perform at home.

CONTINUE READING

A bit of everything Saturday at the CIAA

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- Basketball, concerts, step teams, the Miss CIAA competition and even a bit of stock car racing will be part of Saturday’s schedule as the CIAA tournament comes to an end.

The tournament’s champions will be crowned in the women’s title game at 5 p.m. and the men’s at 8:30 p.m. at Time Warner Cable Arena. But as has been the case all week, there will be much more to the CIAA experience in Charlotte than just basketball.

The Miss CIAA event, sponsored by Food Lion, is set for 11 a.m. at Time Warner Cable Arena, with no admission charge.

The CIAA Stepshow, featuring step teams from the conference’s member schools, will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Grady Cole Center.

CONTINUE READING

Tournament Brackets

Women | Men

Mar. 1 - WOMEN

Shaw Fayetteville State

@Charlotte, NC - Time Warner Cable Arena   CIAA Tournament Championship 5:00 PM  ASPiRE TV -LIVE

 

Mar. 1 - MEN

Winston-Salem State Livingstone

@Charlotte, NC - Time Warner Cable Arena   CIAA Championship Game 8:30 PM  ESPNU Tape Delayed - 1 AM Live: Bounce TV Live Audio Stream at www.HSRN.com

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/28/4731089/a-bit-of-everything-saturday-at.html#.UxIGJ8uYZjo#storylink=cpy

Gregory returns as MVSU offensive coordinator

ITTA BENA,  Mississippi -- Mississippi Valley State University head football coach Rick Comegy has added another member to his coaching staff.

Shawn Gregory has returned for his second stint as offensive coordinator for the Delta Devils. Gregory, who first came to MVSU in 2002 under then head coach Willie Totten, arrives back in Itta Bena following one season as the head coach at his alma mater New Hope High School in Columbus, Mississippi.

Gregory began his coaching career in 1996 as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks and running backs coach at Redan High (Ga.) before stops at the collegiate level at Morris Brown College, Tuskegee, Samford and MVSU.

While at MVSU, Gregory served as the offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks and receivers coach from 2002-03 for the Delta Devils. In his first season coaching the Delta Devils offense, the team posted a 5-6 record after going 0-11 the year before.

He was the receivers coach and head baseball coach at Tuskegee University from July 2000 to January 2002. Both of his teams at Tuskegee won the Pioneer Bowl and the 2000 team won the Black College National Championship with a record of 12-0. The 2001 team finished second in a race for the championship, posting an 11-1 record.

During the 1998 and 1999 seasons, Gregory coached at Morris Brown College. In 1998, he coached the quarterbacks and tight ends before serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks and receivers coach in 1999. Morris Brown's record improved from 3-8 in his first year to 6-5 in his second year at the school.

Gregory also previously served as head football coach for one season at Jackson-Olin High School in Birmingham, Ala in 2008.

Gregory was a three-year starter at quarterback for the Jackson State University, where he played from 1986-90. In his senior year at JSU, the Columbus, Mississippi native was named First Team All-SWAC after passing for 2,762 yards. That season, he also set an NCAA single game record for most yards gained per completion (33) in a 52-14 win over Southern University. He passed for 462 yards on 14 completions in the victory. In 2009, Gregory was elected to the JSU Sports Hall of Fame. Gregory and the Tigers won three SWAC titles (1987-88, 1990) during his time at JSU.

Gregory is a 1996 graduate of Jackson State University with a degree in
health, physical education and recreation.

COURTESY MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION    

TSU Completes Day One of OVC Indoor Championship

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The Tennessee State Tigerbelles and Flying Tigers completed the first day of the 2014 OVC Indoor Track and Field on Friday.

Clairwin Damues got TSU off on the right foot by placing first in the Pentathlon with a total score of 3,625. JaLyn Burr also had a strong performance in the event, picking up a fifth place finish.

Newly crowned OVC Female Freshman of the Year Amber Hughes ran a scorching 7.68 seconds in the 55-meter hurdles to take top prize while Dameus placed second.

Dameus also had a second-place finish in the long jump with a leap of 6.10 meters and Burr gave TSU 10 points with a winning 1.70 meter hop in the high jump.

For the Flying Tigers, Travon Alexander came in fourth in the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.41 seconds and Michael Johnson also came in fourth after a 49.60 second finish in the 400-meter.

In the field events, Daryl Rice placed third after a 2.08 meter leap in the high jump while Royce Dates (7.71 meters) and Tyler Anderson (7.58 meters) were second and third, respectively, in the long jump.

The teams will look to take home the championship trophies when action continues today.

 

DAY ONE RESULTS

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

The Lincoln University Appoints Pope as New Athletics Director

Dr. Darryl A. Pope

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pennsylvania – The Lincoln University appointed Dr. Darryl A. Pope, the current Director of Athletics and Physical Activity at the College of Lake College in Grayslake, IL, as its new Director of Athletics.

Dr. Pope will join Lincoln on March 31, 2014.

“We are excited to have Dr. Pope join us,” said President Dr. Robert R. Jennings.  “He has more than 20 years of progressive supervisory and managerial experience along with demonstrated leadership qualities in directing athletic programs and proven compliance experience.”

Dr. Jennings appointed Dr. Pope after a recommendation from the Athletic Director’s Search Committee, which was comprised of faculty, staff, alumni and students.   Dr. F. Carl Walton, Vice President of Student Affairs, to whom Dr. Jennings expressed his gratitude, had served as Interim-Athletic Director after the departure of former Athletic Director Dianthia Ford-Kee.

Dr. Pope has 18 years of administrative experience in Division I Athletics.  He has also served as Associate Athletic Director for Internal Affairs and Associate Athletic Director for Compliance at Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA and as Consultant Sports Information Director at Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, GA.

Additionally, he has served as Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance at California State University-Northridge, Los Angeles, CA and Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.  From 1995 to 1997, he served as Compliance Coordinator at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD and he was an Instructor with the National Youth Sports Program at Temple in the mid-90s.

Dr. Pope has served on several NCAA committees, including the NCAA Peer Review Certification Team — a position he has held since 2000; as well as is a member of the NCAA Leadership Institute Class of 2003.

A graduate of Howard University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications Management and Business Administration, he also holds a Master’s degree in Sports Administration from Grambling State University and a Doctorate of Education degree in Sports Management and Leisure Studies from Temple University.

Dr. Pope holds a certification from the United States Professional Tennis Registry and competed on the USTA Professional Satellite Circuit.

EDITOR’S NOTE: ‘THE LINCOLN UNIVERSITY’ IS NOW THE OFFICIAL NAME FOR THE INSTITUTION FORMERLY REFERRED TO AS ‘LINCOLN UNIVERSITY’ OR ‘LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF PA’ AND SHOULD BE ADHERED TO IN ALL REFERENCES.

Founded in 1854, The Lincoln University (PA) is the FIRST of four Lincoln Universities in the world and is the nation’s FIRST degree-granting Historically Black College and University (HBCU).  The University combines the elements of a liberal arts and science-based undergraduate curriculum along with select graduate programs to meet the needs of those living in a highly-technological and global society.  Today, Lincoln, which enrolls a diverse student body of approximately 2,000 men and women, possesses an international reputation for preparing and producing world class leaders such as Thurgood Marshall, the FIRST African American U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Lillian Fishburne, the FIRST African American woman promoted to Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy, Langston Hughes, the noted poet, Kwame Nkrumah, the FIRST President of Ghana, Nnamdi Azikiwe, the FIRST President of Nigeria and a myriad of others. 

COURTESY THE LINCOLN UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS

Xavier plays host to GCAC tournaments next week

Free admission for XU, Dillard and SUNO students with valid university ID

Xavier University of Louisiana's Convocation Center
 opened in November 2012 and seats nearly 4,000.

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Convocation Center will be the site of 10 games next week — five men's and five women's — in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference basketball tournaments.
   
Tournament dates will be March 6-9, with games at Xavier on March 7-9. Students with a valid university ID from Xavier, Dillard and SUNO — the GCAC's three New Orleans members — will receive free admission to all games.
   
Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for children.
   
Regular-season games will conclude Saturday. Seedings, pairings and the schedule will be finalized and announced Sunday. Here's the schedule of tournament games:

Thursday, March 6 — First Round:
At Dillard's Dent Hall
Women (No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed) at 5 p.m.
Men (No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed) at 7 p.m.

Friday, March 7 — Quarterfinals:
At Dillard's Dent Hall
Women at noon
Men at 2 p.m.
Women at 5 p.m.
Men at 7 p.m.

At Xavier's Convocation Center
Women at noon
Men at 2 p.m.
Women at 5 p.m.
Men at 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 8 — Semifinals:
At Xavier's Convocation Center
Women at noon
Men at 2 p.m.
Women at 5 p.m.
Men at 7 p.m.

Sunday, March 9 — Championship:
At Xavier's Convocation Center
Women at 3 p.m.
Men at 5 p.m.

There will be an awards luncheon from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Thursday in the ballroom (third floor) of Xavier's University Center. Driving directions to the University Center can be found online by using 4980 Dixon St. and the 70125 zip code as the destination.

The GCAC men's and women's tournament champions will receive automatic berths in the NAIA Division I National Championship. The NAIA men's tournament will be played in Kansas City, Mo., and the women's tournament will be played in Frankfort, Ky. Dates of both events will be March 19-25.


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