JACKSON, Tennessee -- Jacoby Jones didn’t make it back to Jackson and his alma mater, Lane College, in 2013.
He was caught in a whirlwind in the weeks and months after he and the Baltimore Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII. And he was competing on the reality television show “Dancing with the Stars.”
“I was busy dancing,” Jones told a crowd of Lane College students and alumni Wednesday.
He demonstrated a few moves he learned on “Dancing With the Stars,” much to the enjoyment of the crowd.
Jones, who is arguably the most famous graduate of Lane, was on campus for the school's Founder’s Day Chapel Assembly. He is a wide receiver and kick returner for the Ravens.
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Saturday, March 8, 2014
Gathright, Gauthier lead Nuggets to GCAC title game
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| From left: All-GCAC Whitney Gathright, coach Bo Browder, All-GCAC Paige Gauthier — at 2014 GCAC Basketball Tournaments, Xavier University of Louisiana. |
NEW ORLEANS -- All-conference guards Whitney Gathright and Paige Gauthier combined for 47 points Saturday to lead NAIA No. 24 Xavier University of Louisiana to an 84-73 women's basketball victory against Tougaloo in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament at XU's Convocation Center.
The Gold Nuggets (22-9), the tournament's No. 2 seed, won their fifth in a row and reached the championship game for the fourth time in five years. They'll play 16th-ranked and top-seeded Talladega, a 76-71 semifinal winner against Philander Smith, for the title at 3 p.m. Sunday at Xavier.
Gathright made 4-of-6 3-pointers and scored 24 points, and Gauthier had 23 points -- a career high -- eight rebounds and five assists. They combined for all the XU points in a 12-3 run to close the game after Tougaloo (12-16) cut its deficit to 72-70 on Re'Yada Stinner's 3-pointer with 2:43 remaining.
Chasity Kearney had 29 points and 18 rebounds, and GCAC Player of the Year Portia Craft scored 16 points for Tougaloo. The Lady Bulldogs, who were seeded sixth and upset third-seeded SUNO on Friday, lost in the semifinals to Xavier for the second time in three years.
Tougaloo scored the first six points and led 27-17 after Craft's two free throws at 9:17, then Gauthier and Gathright combined for 12 points in a 21-5 run which covered 7 1/2 minutes and gave the Nuggets the lead for good.
In the first semifinal, Ryven Jackson, Jamie Robinson and Ashawnte Hawkins combined for all the points in Talladega's decisive 15-4 run in the final seven minutes. The Lady Tornadoes (26-3) turned a 62-59 deficit into a 74-66 lead with 47 seconds remaining.
Jackson had 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Robinson had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Hawkins scored 14. Jerricka Scott had 28 points and 19 rebounds for fourth-seeded Philander Smith (18-14).
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Ask Sports: How did an undefeated Alcorn State team not make the 1979 NCAA Tournament?
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| Alcorn State legendary 2010 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Famer coach Mr. Davey L. Whitney raised the bar high. His teams won 711 games in 35 years of coaching, winning a total of 12 SWAC championships. Whitney’s Braves became the first historically black college team to win an NIT game (1979), and one year later, Alcorn became the first historically black college to win an NCAA Tournament game. |
WICHITA, Kansas -- If you’ve seen the list of college basketball teams to have finished with perfect regular season records since 1976, one of them stands out as a head-scratcher.
Sure, hoops fans remember the 1979 Indiana State team with Larry Bird, or the 1991 UNLV squad that was trying to repeat as champion. Even the 2004 Saint Joseph’s team was memorable with two NBA players and Billy Packer complaining loudly about the Hawks’ weak conference.
But one other team on those lists that Wichita State joined last week is basically forgotten – the 1979 Alcorn State Braves.
Alcorn State, located in Mississippi, went 27-0 to win the SWAC, which is comprised of historically-black schools. The Braves did not play in the NCAA Tournament, which was a 32-team field that season.
How was that possible? A big-conference bias by the selection committee? Not quite.
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ASU Football Wraps Up First Week Of Spring Practice
MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- The Alabama State football team wrapped up the first week of spring practice with a spirited session Friday afternoon at Hornet Stadium.The intensity level always rises when practice turns physical, and that was the case under very spring-like conditions.
"I was encouraged by the excitement and energy the guys had for being out here," head coach Reggie Barlow said. "Obviously, from a football standpoint, there are a lot of things we need to clean up as we move through practice. With the energy level being high, we've seen that a lot of players have retained information. We look forward to building on it and getting better next week."
Among the key elements of the first week of spring has been the emphasis placed on individual skills development at every position.
"During the season, there's not a lot of time to do a lot of individual position work," Barlow said. "Right now, it's about building on that foundation of skills development, and it's important our players understand we're going to give them all the individual time they
need to develop. Then, we want them to carry that over into the summer and fall."
Remaining 2014 Alabama State Spring Football Practice Schedule
Tue. March 11 11 a.m.
Thurs. March 13 11 a.m.
Sat. March 15 9 a.m. Scrimmage
Tue. March 18 11 a.m.
Wed. March 19 3 p.m.
Thur. March 20 11 am.
Tue. April 1 11 a.m.
Thurs. April 3 11 a.m.
Sat. April 5 9 a.m. Scrimmage
Tue. April 8 11 a.m.
Thur. April 10 11 a.m.
Sat. April 12 1 p.m. Black and Gold Game (New ASU Stadium)
COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Savannah State Tigers To Open Spring Practice March 10
All weekday practices will be from 5:45 a.m.-7:45 a.m. The team will practice is shells on March 10, 12 and 13.
The university will have spring break March 17-21 and the team will resume practice on March 24 in full pads.
The first scrimmage will be March 29. The Tigers will practice on March 10, 12, 13, 24, 26, 28, 29 and 31. April practice dates are April, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 12.
Wilson was hired in June of 2013, so this will be his first spring practice with the Tigers.
The team lost a dozen seniors off last year's 1-11 squad.
One expected battle will be at the quarterback position. Antonio Bostick graduated after passing for 1,397 yards and 11 touchdowns but expected to return are Leon Prunty, Zach Hutcheson and Victorian Hardison.
Mid-year transfers Tino Smith and Kersean Wilson are already enrolled in school and are expected to participate in spring drills. High school recruit Michael Knox, who signed in February, will join the team over the summer.
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Hardwrick's double lifts UAPB past St. Louis, 3-2
NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff Softball team picked up their second win of the season with a 3-2 win over St Louis University, here Friday afternoon at Tiger Field in their first game of the Tiger Invitational.UAPB (2-12) finished the contest with five hits with Jasmine Hardwrick finishing with a team high two hits.
SLU (8-4) tallied four hits in the contest with four Billikens finishing with one hit each for SLU.
Lacie Sutterfield (2-7) picked the win for the Lady Lions as she pitched seven innings, allowing four hits, two earned runs and striking out three in the 27 batters she faced, while Laney Kneib (3-1) received the loss for the Billikens as she pitched six innings, allowing five hits, three earned runs and striking out two in the 26 batters she faced.
SLU would plate one run in the top of the first on an Alex Nickel double to left field scoring Friedman.
Paige Garcia would tie the contest at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth as she scored on Hardwrick single.
The Billikens would go up 2-1 in the top of the sixth as Lindsay Friedman scored on a McKenzie Peter sacrifice fly to centerfield.
UAPB would plate two runs in the bottom of the sixth for the 3-2 win as both Kelsey Ridegeway and Tiressa Jacobs scored on a Hardwrick double to left center.
COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF SPORTS INFORMATION
TSU Tigers Softball Shutout Arkansas-Pine Bluff; Stop North Carolina A&T
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| Courtesy: Sam Jordan / TSU Athletics |
NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Kate Morris drove a ball into the left centerfield gap to drive home Jayna Hanawahine late Friday night to give Tennessee State a pair of wins to start the 2014 Tiger Invitational. The late heroics capped off a 5-4 win over North Carolina A&T, while Hannah St. Clair teamed up with Shea Morris to record a shutout win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 6-0, earlier in the day.
TSU improved to 9-15, while UAPB moved to 2-13 and the Bulldogs dropped to 4-8. UAPB opened the Invitational with a 3-2 win over Saint Louis. The Billikens fell 7-4, in game three, to N.C. A&T. SLU is now 8-5.
St. Clair (1-3) earned the first win of her career as she tossed five innings of scoreless ball. The freshman scattered four hits and a walk. Shea Morris came in with the Tigers holding a 2-0 lead and pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three and earning her second save of the season. Morris attacked the Golden Lions from the start as she threw 29 strikes in 34 pitches.
TSU received all the runs they needed in the second inning with a two out rally. The Tigers used three consecutive hits from Kiarra Freeman, Tayler Shimizu and Liz Stansberry to forge ahead 1-0. Stansberry’s single allowed Freeman to touch home plate for the early lead.
The Tigers picked up an insurance run in the fourth off a single, a walk and two sacrifices. Rebekka Gross opened the inning with a ball up the middle and moved to second on a Freeman walk. Shimizu sacrificed the two runners up 60-feet, setting up a sacrifice fly from Lindsey Burgess for a 2-0 advantage.
A four run sixth gave the Tigers a comfortable lead heading into the final frame. Ashley Haynes returned to action for her first plate appearance after being injured on Feb. 15. Haynes came through with a pinch hit single to score Shea Morris extending the lead to 3-0. With bases loaded, Burgess picked up another RBI with her second sacrifice fly of the game, giving TSU a 4-0 lead.
Courtney Gearlds added to the lead with an RBI double down the right field line. The extra base hit chased home Shimizu for a five-run lead. Stansberry closed out the scoring on a wild pitch.
Game two saw another strong pitching performance from the Tiger staff. Olivia Gamache earned a career high nine strikeouts in six innings of work. With the punch outs, the Exeter, R.I., native is now fifth all-time in strikeouts at TSU. The senior issued three hits and was touched for four runs, three earned. An unearned run chased Gamache from the game with no chance of a win.
Morris entered and was even more efficient than the first game. The junior pitcher threw 11 pitches, 10 for strikes, as she fanned all three batters she faced. The inning of work and the clutch hit in the bottom of the seventh inning improves Morris’ record to 6-6.
Lindsey Burgess and Kate Morris took charge in the night cap to propel the Tigers to the 5-4 victory. Burgess finished 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, as Morris finished 2-for-4 with two runs driven in, including the game ending run.
The first of Burgess’ three hits opened the bottom of the first. The sophomore made her way to third on a wild pitch and a passed ball. Freeman singled to center on the next pitch to plate Burgess.
In the third, Burgess once again led off with a hit. Freeman converted on a sacrifice bunt to move her classmate 60-feet. Two batters later, Morris delivered with a drive through the left side of the infield to bring home Burgess for a 2-0 lead.
With the score 2-2 in the sixth, Burgess used her final hit of the day to plate Shimizu, who reached on a fielder’s choice after a Gross single. Stansberry, who singled with two outs, went from first-to-third on the Burgess single and hustled home on an errant throw. The freshman got underneath the tag for a two-run lead, 4-2.
The two runs off Gamache in the top of the seventh set up the exciting finish at Tiger Field. Hanawahine led off the inning with a single just out of the reach of Tranea Jones at third base. Morris stepped to the plate and wasted no time as she drove a ball to the fence in left center. Hanawahine raced around the bases as head coach Jeff Dabney waved her home to give TSU the 5-4 win.
Day two of the Tiger Invitational will begin at 10:00am with the Tigers’ first game at 12:15pm versus Saint Louis. Bracket play will begin at 2:30pm with North Carolina A&T and UAPB; No. 1 seed Tennessee State will close out day two at 4:45 versus the No. 4 seed, Saint Louis. All games can be seen on OVCDigitalNetwork.com.
TSU-Arkansas-Pine Bluff Boxscore
TSU-North Carolina A&T Boxscore
COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
TSU-North Carolina A&T Boxscore
COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Rush, Nuggets defeat ranked Coastal Georgia teams
MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- In matchups of ranked NAIA tennis teams, Xavier University of Louisiana's men and women defeated Coastal Georgia in the opening round of the AUM Invitational on Friday. The Gold Rush won 6-3, and the Gold Nuggets won 7-2.
The XU men (3-5), ranked ninth, snapped a three-dual losing streak. Kyle Montrel clinched for the Rush with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory against Louis Volclair at No. 1 singles. Adam Albrecht won in doubles and singles for Xavier.
Kourtney Howell clinched for the fifth-ranked XU women (5-4) when she defeated Elektra Hunter 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1 singles. Howell, Brion Flowers, Brandi Nelson and Amber Brown won in doubles and singles for the Gold Nuggets. Nelson won 8-0 in doubles with her older sister, Carmen, who competed for Xavier for the first time since 2011.
Coastal Georgia's men are 2-5 and ranked 25th. Coastal Georgia's women are 3-3 and ranked 14th.
The Gold Nuggets have three victories this season against ranked NAIA opponents, and the Gold Rush have two.
On Saturday, Xavier's women will play Martin Methodist at 9 a.m., and the men will play NAIA No. 7 Cumberland at noon.
NOTE: XU basketball today, GCAC Tournament semifinals: Gold Nuggets vs. Tougaloo, 2 p.m. . . . Gold Rush vs. Philander Smith, 7 p.m. . . . Both games at XU Convocation Center.
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICSXAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Benedict Lady Tigers Advance To SIAC Championship With 64-36 Victory Over Tuskegee
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| 2013-2014 BENEDICT COLLEGE LADY TIGERS BASKETBALL TEAM ROSTER COURTESY BENEDICT COLLEGE TIGERS ATHLETICS |
The Lady Tigers, the No. 2 seed from the East advance to Saturday's championship game, where they will face Albany State, the No. 1 seed from the East, at 5 p.m. Central Time.
Latoya Fairley had a dominating first half, as she had nine points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots to help give Benedict a 28-20 lead at the break. She finished the contest with 15 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots. The 15 rebounds were a season-high, and the four blocked shots matched her season high.
Britenique Harrison had her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Ashley Thompson contributed 14 points and Maya Nelson added 11. Benedict improved to 19-9 on the season.
The Lady Tigers dominated the glass, out-rebounding Tuskegee 68-36. The 68 rebounds for Benedict was a season-high.
Tuskegee's 36 points matched a season-low for Benedict opponents. It was also a season-low for Tuskegee.
With 12:07 left in the second half, Tuskegee's Halle Bentley scored a layup to cut Benedict's lead to 38-28. But the Lady Golden Tigers did not score again for six and a half minutes as Benedict scored 15 straight points and pushed the lead to 53-28.
Alannah Vincent and Kajuanna Rivers led Tuskegee with nine points each. Tuskegee ends its season at 17-11.
"Defensively, we wanted to challenge every shot they took and rebound. I thought we did a good job with that," said Benedict coach James Rice. "Latoya always plays well for us. She's a big part of our team. In the first half, they didn't want to double-team her, so she went to work."
Benedict advances to the tournament championship game for the second year in a row, although this year's Lady Tiger team has few holdovers from last year's squad. But Rice said he learned the importance of having good post players in last year's championship game against Clark Atlanta, so he added height to the roster in Fairley and Harrison.
Albany State swept the regular-season series against Benedict.
"Albany State is a good team. They've got a good inside-out game," Rice said
. "They play good defense like we do. We know it's going to be a challenge. We're going to step up and accept that challenge."
Box Score
COURTESY BENEDICT COLLEGE TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION
FVSU Wildcats Play for Championship with Victory over Paine
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- #1E Fort Valley State University Wildcats (21-8; 15-3) is ranked seventh in the NCAA South Region and will play for the SIAC Championship on Saturday, March 7 at 8 pm after defeating the Lions of #3E Paine College(18-13) 64-61.
Head Coach Sammie Jackson has accomplished what no other FVSU coach has done and it is win 20 games or more in any one season. In Jackson first two seasons he went 14-16 in 2011-12, 8-19 in 2012-13 and this season 21-8 and the best overall record of any Wildcat team. Michael Moore was the closest with an overall record of 19-12 in 1997-98.
This marks the third meeting between the Wildcats and Lions, as they split during the regular season. FVSU won game one 72-64 and Paine the second 86-81.
Senior forward's Brandon Davey led all scorers with 20 points and Nigel Domineck pumped in 15. Davey hit 7-of-16 shots from the floor, 6-of-8 free throws and six rebounds, while Domineck went 5-for- 8 from the field, 5-of-7 at the line and grabbed six boards.
Alfonso Davis led Paine with 12 points and Gianni Dailey put up 11, along with Kenny Fluellen's 10.
Domineck led the Wildcats in scoring at halftime with 13 points while heading to the locker room down 29-31. Alfonso Davis scored 10 points for Paine. FVSU's leading scorer and SIAC Player of the Years, Davey played only nine minutes in the half.
FVSU shot 46.2 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent at the free throw line, while Paine made 40.0 percent of their shots and 60.0 percent at the line before half.
For the game, FVSU made 23-of-55 shots from the field and 15-of-22 free throws. FVSU out-rebounded Paine 35-34. Paine made 17-of-46 shots on the floor and 22-of-34 from the foul line.
With 18.1 seconds remaining, FVSU's Davey drained two free throws to give the Wildcats a four point (63-59) lead. FVSU's senior forward Corey Hunter fouled Paine's Kenny Fluellen to send him to the foul line for three shots. Fluellen made two of three shots for a 63-61 score with 3.4 seconds left. Davey was fouled and headed to the line for two shots. Davey made one-of-two free throws for the 64-61 score with 2.2 seconds left. FVSU's senior point guard Anthony Bell stole the in-bound pass to seal the game at 64-61.
FVSU will play Tuskegee University for the SIAC Championship on Saturday, March 8, at 8 pm.
The selection show for the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship will be at 10:30 pm ET Sunday, March 9. Here is a direct link to that announcement:
http://www.ncaa.com/live/player?vid=2014/1346&date=2014/03/09
Albany State women advance to SIAC title game
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Albany State women’s basketball program has been waiting 16 years to celebrate a conference championship.
After beating Clark Atlanta in Friday’s SIAC semifinal game, 70-58, the Lady Rams might not have to wait much longer.
ASU advanced to the conference title game for the first time since its 1998 championship season with a come-from-behind win against Clark Atlanta, but Lady Rams head coach Robert Skinner had to remind his players after the victory that the real celebration needs to wait at least another day.
“They got a little beside themselves after the game was over and started some premature celebration on the sideline,” Skinner said. “I had to settle them down and remind them that we are just winning another game. The championship is (today). Win that, and you can celebrate all you want.”
SIAC Tournament: Paine Lions Suffer Season Ending Loss Against Fort Valley State
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| 2013-14 PAINE COLLEGE LIONS MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM ROSTER COURTESY PAINE COLLEGE ATHLETICS |
Both teams started the game sluggishly on the offensive side of the ball with only 14 combined points scored in the first eight minutes of the game. To end the first half, Jordan Warner stole the ball from Fort Valley's LeRoy Broner as he drove to the hole hoping for the last second bucket. Instead, Paine had the last move of the half with a Warner dunk to give the Lions a 31-29 lead going into halftime.
Fort Valley's Montreal Holley quickly tied the game at 31 with free throws to begin the second half. The Wildcats soon pulled out to an eight point lead, their largest lead of the game, after a Brandon Davey layup and two Joshuah Davis three pointers. Things seemed to change for Paine with 11:56 remaining in the game when freshman Gianni Dailey nailed a three and was fouled by Davis. Dailey made his free throw to tie the game at 43. A few minutes later, Dailey was again fouled off a successful three but this time by Davey. Dailey made the free throw and gave Paine another lead that they would keep until less than two minutes to play.
Fort Valley's Nigel Domineck made two free throws at the 1:41 mark to give his team a 59-57 lead. Although Paine inched back, the Wildcats continued scoring and maintained their final lead. In the final seconds, Kedric Taylor drove towards the hoop hoping to connect with a teammate for a game tying three. However, Taylor ended up turning the ball over on a bad pass with two seconds to play to close the game.
All in all, the game was tied 12 times, the lead changed 12 times and no team led by more than eight points. The Wildcats scored 28 points in the paint and 23 points off of Paine's 24 turnovers. Both teams rebounding efforts proved to be equal with the Wildcats snagging 35 rebounds and Paine pulling down 35 rebounds. The Lions scored 20 points in the paint and gained another 21 points from Fort Valley's 20 turnovers.
Paine was led by Alfonso Davis, Dailey and Kenny Fluellen who had 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively. Taylor (8) and Toby Veal (8) were the leading rebounders for Paine. Taylor also had eight points, seven rebounds and four steals. Warner (9) and Veal (7) were Paine's other top scorers.
The Lions shot 37 percent from the field, 39 percent from behind the arc and 65 percent from the line. The Wildcats shot 42 percent from the field, 27 percent from behind the arc and 68 percent from the free throw line. Davey, the 2014 SIAC Player of the Year, led Fort Valley and the game in scoring with 20 points.
With this win, Fort Valley advances to the 2014 SIAC Championship Game tomorrow, March 8 at 8 p.m. CST.
Box Score
COURTESY PAINE COLLEGE LIONS SPORTS INFORMATION
SIAC Tournament: Tuskegee advances to championship with rout of Kentucky State
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama---Not this time.
Tuskegee had jumped out to a double-digit lead right out the gate but let it slip away before eventually emerging victorious with a strong finish against Miles in the quarterfinals of the SIAC men's basketball tournament Wednesday.
The Golden Tigers, seeded No. 1 in the western half of the bracket, jumped out to a 20-2 lead against third-seeded Kentucky State and was never seriously threatened as they cruised to a 90-68 semifinal victory.
Tuskegee forward senior Richard Dixon, who netted 27 against Miles, finished with a double-double, leading his team with 19 points and added 11 rebounds in Tuskegee's third win of the season against its division foe.
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Gold Nuggets win at Dillard again, reach GCAC semifinals
The Gold Nuggets (21-9), seeded second, defeated their longtime city rival at Dent Hall for the second time in seven days and the third time this season. Both women's semifinals will be played Saturday at Xavier's Convocation Center -- Talladega and Philander Smith will meet at noon, followed by Xavier and Tougaloo at 2 p.m.
Gathright's 3-point play with 13:08 remaining put Xavier ahead to stay, 38-36, and started a 19-3 run. Whitney Gaston-Loyd scored seven of her 11 points during the run.
Chelsea Broussard had eight points and seven rebounds for Xavier, and Carmen Holcombe grabbed a career-high-tying 10 rebounds, nine in the second half.
Kierrariel Mitchell scored 10 points for Dillard (3-16), the No. 7 seed.
Gathright's 3-pointer, her first points of the game, beat the halftime buzzer and cut Dillard's lead to 27-26.
Xavier outshot the Lady Bleu Devils 35.1 to 32.7 percent from the floor outrebounded them 47-37. In the second half, the Gold Nuggets made 18-of-21 free throws and outrebounded Dillard 29-9.
Coach Bo Browder's Nuggets are 6-0 against Dillard in the GCAC Tournament in his 15 seasons. They eliminated the Lady Bleu Devils for the second time in four seasons.
In the other women's quarterfinals, Tougaloo defeated defending champion SUNO 81-74, Philander Smith beat Edward Waters 73-58, and top-seeded Talladega defeated Fisk 74-59.
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Top-seeded Gold Rush advance to GCAC semifinals
The Gold Rush (23-7) will play fourth-seeded Philander Smith, a 75-67 winner against SUNO, in the semifinals at 7 p.m. Saturday. Philander Smith is the defending champion.
Xavier Rogers and Jarvis Thibodeaux scored 12 points apiece for Xavier, and Anthony Goode had 11. Thibodeaux grabbed nine rebounds and Olivier Siewe eight.
Thibodeaux, a sophomore who averaged 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds during the regular season, reached career bests in those categories. It was the first time this season he led his team in rebounding.
Cameron Lewis, the GCAC Player of the Year, made five 3-pointers and scored 28 points for the Bulldogs (10-23), who were seeded eighth. Richmond Jackson scored 18 points, and Chris Pollard scored 13.
Xavier, winning for the fifth time in a row overall and the 11th time in its last 12 home games, led 48-28 at halftime and built the lead to 24 early in the second half. Thibodeaux's two free throws at 11:48 of the first half gave Xavier a 21-10 lead, and the Gold Rush led by double digits for the remainder of the game.
The Gold Rush outshot the Bulldogs 55.6 to 47.3 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 40-20. Xavier dominated at the line, making a season-high 35-of-47 free throws to Fisk's 14-of-25.
It was the 13th time this season that Xavier shot 50 percent or better from the floor and the fourth time in the last five games.
Second-seeded Talladega and third-seeded Edward Waters will meet in the other men's semifinal at 5 p.m. Saturday at Xavier. Talladega defeated Voorhees 92-73, and Edward Waters beat Tougaloo 73-68.
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Tennessee State Softball Hosts Tiger Invitational
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennessee State hosts the Tiger Invitational to conclude a seven game home stand. The three day event is the final tournament for the Tigers before Ohio Valley Conference play starts. TSU hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff, North Carolina A&T and Saint Louis with the Invitational beginning at 12:00pm on Friday. The Tigers opens play at 2:15pm versus UAPB and NCA&T at 6:45pm on day one.
LIVE action can be heard for all TSU games on TSUTigers.com.
Tennessee State is 3-4 in their last seven games and finished 2-3 at the Eagle Classic hosted by Georgia Southern last week. TSU picked up a pair of wins over Middle Tennessee (7-1 and 5-1) and lost twice to Georgia Southern (13-1 and 3-0) and once to Troy (7-0). The Tigers returned home and split a twin bill with Holy Cross.
Shea Morris became TSU’s career strikeout leader on Saturday with her first strike out versus MTSU. Morris passed Amanda Vaught (07-08), who fanned 438 in her career. The junior pitcher sits at 451 as a Tiger.
Sophomore Kiarra Freeman finished batting .400 for the second consecutive weekend and is now batting .250 on the season. Jayna Hanawahine was 6-for-17 (,353) over the five game classic with a pair of doubles and four RBI. The sophomore recorded her first three-hit game of her career.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-12)
2013 Record: 14-29
Conference: SWAC
2013 Finish: 12-5/2nd Western
Series Record: First Meeting
Last Time Played: N/A
Last Win: N/A
The Golden Lions are coming off a six-game stretch where they have faced Ole Miss, Oklahoma State and defending National Champions, Oklahoma. UAPB is batting .164 as a team and are led by Jasmine Hardwick who is batting .321 (9-for-28), and has five runs, a double, a triple, two home runs, and seven RBI on the season. Lacie Sutterfield has started seven games and has compiled a 1-7 record.
North Carolina A&T (3-7)
2013 Record: 9-35
Conference: MEAC
2013 Finish: 7-8/4th Southern
Series Record: 2-0
Last Time Played: 2/12/11, W, 8-0
Last Win: 2/12/11, 8-0
Sabrina Edmonds, Alehandra Barcenas and Dasia Moore lead the Bulldogs attack. Edmonds is batting .313 with seven walks and has been hit by pitch four times for a .533 on base percentage. Edmonds tops NCAT with two home runs and seven RBI. Barcenas is batting .346 with six runs and three doubles, while Moore is hitting .333 with six runs and five doubles. Jenika May is 2-2 with a 6.75 ERA and Maiven McKnight is 1-2 with a 6.39 ERA.
Saint Louis (8-3)
2013 Record: 28-23
Conference: Atlantic-10
2013 Finish: 13-9/5th
Series Record: 1-5
Last Time Played: 3/8/13, L, 0-6
Last Win: 2/25/01, 1-0
The Billikens are batting .265 with 12 doubles and nine home runs, while averaging over five runs a game. Mackenzie Peter is hitting at a .467 clip with a team high six doubles. Lindsay Friedman is batting .313 and is leading SLU with 13 runs and six stolen bases. Friedman is tied for the top spot with three dingers and nine RBI. In the circle, Brianna Lore has amassed 51.1 innings in nine appearances and eight starts. Lore is 5-3 with a save and a 2.86 ERA. Laney Kneib adds support at 3-0 and a 2.72 ERA in three starts and 18.0 innings of work.
COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
SIAC Tournament: Kentucky State, Paine College move on to semifinals
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Kentucky State upset Albany State 73-62 Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference at the Birmingham Crossplex's Bill Harris Arena.
The Thorobreds got a team-high 15-points from guard Antonio Sullivan on 6-for-10 shooting, including 3-for-5 downtown to lead five KSU players, who scored in double-figures.
KSU shot 46 percent from the field while limiting ASU to a dismal 35 percent.
Troy Adams had 13. Ulysses Thomas and Brandon Darrett had 12 apiece and Darrien Wilkins chipped in with 10 points.
Friday, March 7, 2014
In the FCS Huddle: SWAC spring football primer
Philadelphi, Pennsylvania -- The declining Southwestern Athletic Conference has endured a lot of criticism in recent seasons, but the title races sure are interesting.
Quite simply, they're so wide open each season.
There are five teams in the West Division and each one has won the SWAC title over the last five years (although Texas Southern vacated its 2010 championship).
Since the SWAC switched to a championship game in 1999, either Alabama A&M, Alabama State or Jackson State has been the East Division representative. This year, Alcorn State could change that dynamic, having gone 9-3 last season for its first winning record since 2006.
Here's a look across the conference with spring practices getting underway across the nation:
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