FINAL UPDATE: Dillard & Xavier Co-Host 2014 GCAC Basketball Tournaments

DakStats tournament scoreboards:   men    women

Students with a valid university ID from Xavier, Dillard and SUNO will receive free admission to all games. Ticket prices: $10 for adults, $5 for children

The tournament schedule



Thursday, March 6

11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Awards luncheon Ballroom, Xavier University

5 p.m. Women, first round — Voorhees (No. 8 seed) vs. Fisk (No. 9 seed) Dent Hall, Dillard University . . . Fisk won 82-79

7 p.m. Men, first round — Fisk (No. 8 seed) vs. Dillard (No. 9 seed) Dent Hall, Dillard University . . . Fisk won 72-64

Friday, March 7

Noon Women, quarterfinals — Philander Smith (No. 4 seed) vs. Edward Waters (No. 5 seed) Dent Hall, Dillard University . . . Philander Smith won 73-58
2 p.m. Women, quarterfinals — Talladega (No. 1 seed) vs. Fisk (No. 9 seed) Dent Hall, Dillard University . . . Talladega won 74-59  
5 p.m. Women, quarterfinals — Xavier (No. 2 seed) vs. Dillard (No. 7 seed) Dent Hall, Dillard University . . . Xavier won 60-47    

7 p.m. Women, quarterfinals — SUNO (No. 3 seed) vs. Tougaloo (No. 6 seed) Dent Hall, Dillard University . . . Tougaloo won 81-74 

Noon Men, quarterfinals — Edward Waters (No. 3 seed) vs. Tougaloo (No. 6 seed) Convocation Center, Xavier University . . . Edward Waters won 73-68

2 p.m. Men, quarterfinals — Talladega (No. 2 seed) vs. Voorhees (No. 7 seed) Convocation Center, Xavier University . . . Talladega won 92-73

5 p.m. Men, quarterfinals — Philander Smith (No. 4 seed) vs. SUNO (No. 5 seed) Convocation Center, Xavier University . . . Philander Smith won 75-67

7 p.m. Men, quarterfinals — Xavier (No. 1 seed) vs. Fisk (No. 8 seed) Convocation Center, Xavier University . . . Xavier won 87-76

Saturday, March 8

Noon Women, semifinals — Talladega- winner vs. Philander Smith-Edward Waters winner Convocation Center, Xavier University ...Talladega won 76 -71

2 p.m. Women, semifinals — Xavier-Dillard winner vs. SUNO-Tougaloo winner Convocation Center, Xavier University...Xavier won 84-73

5 p.m. Men, semifinals — Talladega-Voorhees winner vs. Edward Waters-Tougaloo winner Convocation Center, Xavier University ...Talladega wins 76-62

7 p.m. Men, semifinals — Xavier-Fisk winner vs. Philander Smith-SUNO winner Convocation Center, Xavier University ...Philander Smith wins 106-102, 2 Overtimes

Sunday, March 9

3 p.m. Women, championship — Talladega (26-3, #1 seed) vs. Xavier (22-9, #2 seed), Semifinal winners Convocation Center, Xavier University... Xavier wins 66-59, Gold Nuggets 2013/14 GCAC Women's Basketball Champions

5 p.m. Men, championship — Talladega (27-5) vs. Philander Smith (20-10), Semifinal winners...Talladega wins 104-95 O.T., Tornadoes 2013/14 GCAC Men's Basketball Champions.
 

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

SWAC Announces Complete Basketball Tournament Bracket

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - The Southwestern Athletic Conference released its bracket and seeding for the 2014 Toyota SWAC Basketball Tournament with Southern and Texas Southern men and women teams earning the top seeds.

The 2014 Toyota SWAC Basketball Tournament will be played Tuesday through Saturday, March 11-15, at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. All tournament game times are central.

SU, the winners of the men and women regular season titles, claim the No. 1 seed in both brackets with TSU seeded at No. 2.

With a 71-66 win over Texas Southern on Saturday, the Lady Jaguars (19-7, 16-2) captured their six overall regular season championship including its third in five seasons. Both teams earn first round byes.



For the men, the Jaguars (19-12, 15-3) clinched its ninth regular season crown with a win over Alcorn State on March 2. Texas Southern and Alabama State finished 12-6, but as a result of splitting head-to-head match-ups, the Tigers enter the tournament at the No. 2 slot owning the largest margin of victory in the point difference.

Jackson State (14-14, 12-6) and Prairie View A&M (11-17, 11-7) enter the women's tournament as the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, respectively, with Alabama State (16-13, 9-9) and Mississippi Valley State (9-20, 8-10) rounding out the first-round byes as the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds.

The women will tip off at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, as No. 7 Grambling State (10-19, 7-11) takes on No. 10 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-25, 2-16), followed by No. 8 Alcorn State (8-21, 7-11) facing No. 9 Alabama A&M (5-23, 3-15) at 5:30 p.m. Despite finishing with the same conference mark, GSU earned the higher seed over ALCN due to point differential as both split the regular season meetings.

The slate for Wednesday posts No. 2 seed TSU matching up against the victor of GSU/UAPB at 10:30 a.m. No. 1 seed SU will play the winner of the ALCN/AAMU game at 5:30 p.m. Thursday's session tips off with No. 3 JSU facing No. 6 MVSU on March 13 at 10 a.m. as No. 4 PVAMU will meet ASU at 5:30 p.m.

The men's bracket includes No. 3 ASU (18-11, 12-6), No. 4 UAPB (13-7, 11-7), No. 5 AAMU (13-15, 10-8), and No. 6 ALCN (12-18, 9-9) earning byes and will begin tournament play in the quarterfinals.

For Tuesday, No. 7 JSU (11-19, 7-11) will face No. 10 GSU (4-23, 3-15) with tip-off slated for 12:30 p.m. No. 8 PVAMU (8-22, 6-12) takes on No. 9 MVSU (9-22, 5-13) in the second session at 8 p.m.

No. 2 TSU will meet the winner of JSU/GSU game to open Wednesday's session before No. 1 SU awaits the outcome of the PVAMU/MVSU match-up. Thursday's line up includes No. 3 ASU squaring off against No. 6 ALCN at 12:30 p.m. before No. 4 UAPB and No. 5 AAMU end the session with an 8 p.m. tip.

Friday's semifinals begins at 12 p.m. with the second session starting at 6 p.m. The Toyota SWAC Tournament finals will be played on Saturday, March 15, with the women opening the championship round at 12 p.m. The game will air live on ESPN3 with replay on ESPNU on March 16 at 12 a.m.The men's final is slated for 3:30 p.m. and will air live on ESPN2.

Nine different programs have won the men's tournament with seven garning the women's tourney. Southern holds eight titles on the men's side, including last year's crown, to lead all conference teams. Jackson State leads the women tournament champions with seven followed by GSU and ALCN with six apiece.

Complete tournament bracket and central, including game times and television information, can be found on swachoops.org.

COURTESY SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS

MEAC Tournament: Preview, CBSSports.com prediction, TV info

What: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship.
When: March 10-15.
Where: All games held at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia
Bracket: View tournament field here.
TV: Championship game on ESPNU (March 15, 6 p.m.).
Last year's champ: North Carolina A&T (19-16, No. 16 seed)

What matters: This is a league that would greatly benefit from getting its top seed into the field. North Carolina Central is far and away the best team the MEAC has this season. The Eagles went 25-5 overall, 15-1 in the league and in fact have won 17 in a row. It ranks 99th in KenPom and 111 in RPI, both strong numbers for a MEAC club. The team allows less than 60 points per game.


NCCU'S JEREMY INGRAM NO. 7 ON SPORTSCENTER TOP 10

Hampton is the No. 2 seed, having finished 18-11 overall, 13-3 in the MEAC.  Morgan State and Norfolk State are the three and four (11-5 in league play). The MEAC is like the big-conference tournaments in that it's day after day after day, as opposed to most smaller leagues, which either spread out their brackets or only have three days tops of consecutive play. This one starts Monday and ends Saturday.

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FAMU Rattlers sweep, clinch series at Savannah State

SAVANNAH, Georgia  -- Florida A&M scored three runs in the top of the seventh to erase a 2-0 deficit and earn a series-clinching 3-2 victory Saturday over defending MEAC champion Savannah State. In game one, freshman Chase Jarrell (1-1) earned his first collegiate win, tossing six innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts in a 10-7 win. 

Senior David Duncan (1-1) earned the win in game 2 with six solid innings, scattering six hits as the Rattlers improved to 5-10 on the season, 2-3 in conference play.

Courtesy: Florida A&M Sports Information
Brandon Fleming earned his first save of the season in
Florida A&M's 3-2 win over Savannah State on Saturday.

Florida A&M entered the final inning down 2-0 and was held to just one hit over the first six innings by Tigers' starter Austin Denny. But FAMU rallied for three runs in the final frame thanks to a lead-off double by Bennie Robinson and a walk to Ryan Kennedy. Pinch runner Peter Jackson stole second base, and Ryan Hutson added an RBI single to score Robinson and make the score 2-1.

One out later, catcher Jeremy Barlow put down an RBI-bunt single to score Jackson and tie the game 2-2. The Rattlers then took a 3-2 lead on an RBI single by second baseman Kendall Weeks.

Fleming, who finished game one with two scoreless innings, would come on to pitch a scoreless bottom of the seventh to earn his first save of the season and seal the series win. Freshman Matthew Schaeffer is slated to take the mound for the Rattlers in the series finale scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Twenty-Two LU Blue Tigers Earn All-Region Honors

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri  -- Twenty-two Lincoln athletes combined to earn 35 all-region awards, the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced on Wednesday (March 5). The top five individuals in each event, as well as the top three relay teams, in each region earn the annual honors. Lincoln's indoor track & field teams, which will combine to send 20 athletes to next week's NCAA Division II Championships, compete in the Central Region.

Donna-Lee Hylton led the way with four all-region honors, earning the distinction in the 200m and 400m as well as part of LU's 4x400m and distance medley relay teams. Tamara Keane, who is also on the 4x400m relay squad, was next with three awards, as she also picked up the honors in the 200m and 400m. Kimberly Bailey and Lovan Palmer were the other Blue Tigers who were honored for the 4x400m relay.

Yanique Ellington and Janae Johnson earned two all-region accolades apiece, both in the 60m and 200m, and Twishana Williams earned honors for both the mile and the distance medley relay. Monique Thompson and Shakeisha Miller were also multiple-award winners, with Thompson earning the distinction in both 800m and distance medley while Miller was honored in both the 60m hurdles and the long jump. Willomena Williams was the fourth and final honoree from the distance medley squad.

Six other members of the Lincoln women's indoor track & field team were named all-region, including Ladonna Richards and Juneille Barker, who were both honored in the 60m hurdles. Rounding out Lincoln's award-winners in the track events was Latoya King, who was recognized in the 60m dash. In the field events, Nickeisha Beaumont was honored in the long jump while both Daniele Newman and Jonelle Campbell were honorees in the triple jump.

Michael Ashley, Jermaine Blake and Romel Lewis led the Lincoln men's indoor track & field team with two all-region honors apiece. Ashley pick up his awards in both the 400m and 4x400m relay while Blake was recognized in the 800m and the 4x400m relay. Lewis, meanwhile was honored in the 60m and 200m.

Three other members of the Blue Tiger men's team were recognized, including Winston Edwards and Roger Blake, who both received their awards for competing in the 4x400m relay. The final Lincoln honoree was Romone Hill, who received his distinction in the 60m.

All of Lincoln's all-region award winners, except for King and Newman, will represent the Blue Tigers at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, which will be held in Winston-Salem, N.C. from March 14-15.

COURTESY LINCOLN UNIVERSITY BLUE TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION

Lady Pirates Again Top Seed in MEAC Tournament

2014 MEAC Tournament Women's Bracket

HAMPTON, Virginia  -- The Hampton University women's basketball team will be the No. 1 seed for the 2014 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament, which will be held Monday through Saturday at the Norfolk Scope.

It is the fourth straight top seed for the Lady Pirates (25-4, 16-0 MEAC), who have won 15 straight games and are looking for their fifth straight conference tournament crown – a feat never accomplished in the MEAC.

Hampton will play in Wednesday's quarterfinal round at 12 p.m., taking on either No. 8 Howard or No. 9 North Carolina Central. Those two teams will play a first-round match-up on Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Six teams have gone unbeaten in conference play in MEAC history, and the Lady Pirates have accomplished that feat in back-to-back years.

North Carolina A&T will be the No. 2 seed, with Coppin State claiming the No. 3 seed and the final first-round bye.

The semifinals will be held on Friday at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., and the championship game will be held on Saturday at 3 p.m. That game will be televised on ESPNU via tape-delay, and the broadcast will air on Sunday, March 16, at 11 a.m.

To learn more about the 2014 MEAC Tournament, visit www.meachoops.com.

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.



2014 MEAC Tournament Men's Bracket

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Big Day For Anguiano As B-CU Sweeps UMass-Lowell

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  -- Sabrina Anguiano had a game-winning hit and her first collegiate shutout as Bethune-Cookman swept UMass-Lowell Saturday at Sunnyland Park.

Anguiano's two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the seven scored Destinee Williams to give the Wildcats (8-14) the come-from-behind 2-1 win. In the second game, Anguiano scattered five hits and struck out four as the Wildcats posted a 3-0 decision.

Kelsey Rodney drove in two runs in the second game and three of the Wildcats' four runs for the day.

UMass-Lowell (1-8) kept B-CU hitless for four innings and took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth.

The Wildcats answered when Rodney broke the no-hitter by drilling a two-out single to right to score Destinee Williams to tie the game.

In the seventh, Williams and Calesha Shelley reached on error.  After two outs, a double steal advanced to Williams and Shelley to third, and the Riverhawks elected to pitch around Bailey Conner and intentionally walked her.

Anguiano made them pay with a single up the middle for the win.

Bailey Conner struck out a season-high nine to get the first game win. She walked five, but gave up four hits.

B-CU’s bats showed up early in the second, as back-to-back doubles from Shelley and Rodney gave the Wildcats a quick 1-0 lead.

The Wildcats added runs in the third when Williams scored on a Kaitlin Alamprese single and in the fifth when Williams scored her third run of the day, this time on a Rodney sacrifice fly.

Anguiano, now 3-6 on the season, only allowed one runner past second base, and got an infield pop-up double play to get out of that potential jam.

B-CU travels to Stetson Sunday morning to face Memphis at 10 a.m. and South Dakota at noon as part of the Stetson Invitational.

BOX SCORE GAME 1

BOX SCORE GAME 2



COURTESY BETHUNE-COOKMAN ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Stillman College Releases 2014 Football Schedule

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama  – The Stillman Department of Athletics releases its 2014 football schedule with a calendar that includes a tough CIAA opponent, three in-state non-conference adversaries and a tough SIAC slate.

"The 2014 season will be a tough, but competitive one for us," said head coach Teddy Keaton.  "From the beginning of the schedule to the end are teams that each present a different challenge.  However, I do believe that we will be up for each one."

The season begins with the start of a new in-state "classic" as Stillman hosts West Alabama in "Tiger Bowl 2014 on September 6.  The inaugural Tiger Bowl will mark the fourth time the two programs square off, with UWA currently holding a 3-0 series lead.  The following Thursday, Stillman travels to Birmingham to take on the Samford Bulldogs, 2013 co-champions of the Southern Conference.  The last time these two programs met was in 2011 when Samford downed Stillman 45-6 in Birmingham.

On September 20, Stillman welcomes St. Augustine's to Tuscaloosa looking to even the all-time series against the Falcons.  The month ends with the opening of SIAC play as Stillman and Kentucky State meet at Stillman Stadium on September 27.  Last season, Stillman left Frankfort with a 26-21 win over the Thorobreds and are currently riding a four-game series win streak against KSU.

"We are expecting the 2014 campaign to be special. With the good group of returning players along with a talented group of newcomers, we are hoping for good things to occur.  However, we are not going to overlook anyone on our schedule, nor will we take anyone lightly.  We are going to take each game one at a time, each play one at a time and look to be successful along the way," said Keaton.

The month of October features five games against SIAC Western Division foes.  On October 4, Stillman will travel to Jackson, Tennessee to take on Lane College and look to rebound from last season's 27-28 loss at the hands of the Dragons.  The following week, Stillman will again take to the road, this time a trip to Columbia, S.C. to face the Benedict Tigers.  Stillman has defeated Benedict the last three meetings and six of the last ten contests. 

 

On October 18, the Stillman campus will be alive as the Tigers welcome the Tuskegee Golden Tigers to Stillman Stadium. Following that contest, Stillman will take to the road for the third time in October as they travel to Wilberforce, Ohio for an October 25 game against Central State.  The Tigers defeated a tough CSU squad 35-33 in Tuscaloosa with several big plays in the final minutes of regulation. 

 

The month ends with the annual renewal of the rivalry between Stillman and Miles.  Stillman enters the game looking to avenge a one-point loss, 31-30, at the hands of the Bears in 2013.

"The SIAC portion of our schedule will be critical in 2014," said director of athletics Paul Bryant.  "Each game should be tough for the programs on the field and enjoyable for the fans in the stands."

November opens with Stillman hosting Clark Atlanta for Homecoming 2014.  Stillman defeated the Panthers 27-6 in 2013 and currently have a three-game win streak over the Atlanta-based institution.  The season comes to a close on Saturday, November 22 as Stillman will again travel to Montgomery, Ala. for the Turkey Day Classic against Alabama State.

"Playing Alabama State was a good experience for us last season; we look forward to the challenge as we participate in this year's Turkey Day Classic," said Bryant.

Last season, the Tigers finished 6-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
 

2014 Stillman Tigers Football Schedule
 

September	6	West Alabama	Tiger Bowl 2014	Stillman Stadium	3 p.m.
	11	at Samford		Birmingham, Ala.	TBA
	20	Saint Augustine's		Stillman Stadium	3 p.m.
	27	Kentucky State%		Stillman Stadium	3 p.m.
October	4	at Lane%		Jackson, Tenn.	2 p.m.
	11	at Benedict%		Columbia, S.C.	2 p.m. EST
	18	Tuskegee%		Stillman Stadium	1 p.m.
	25	at Central State%		Wilberforce, Ohio	1:30 p.m. EST
	30	at Miles College%		Fairfield, Ala.	6 p.m.
November	8	Clark Atlanta%	Homecoming 2014	Stillman Stadium	1:00 p.m.
	22	Alabama State	91st Turkey Day Classic	Montgomery, Ala.	TBA

BOLD: Home Games

% SIAC Game

 

COURTESY STILLMAN COLLEGE TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION

TSU Tigers Sweep Saint Louis; Will Face Arkansas-Pine Bluff for Title

Courtesy: Sam Jordan/TSU Athletics

Kate and Shea Morris help propel Tigers over Saint Louis

 

All games can be seen LIVE on OVCDigitalNetwork.com.

 

NASHVILLE, Tennessee --  Tennessee State used the same recipe to sweep Saint Louis on day two of the 2014 Tiger Invitational. The Tigers set them up and the Morris twins set them down. Kate Morris picked up key RBI hits in each game, while Shea Morris closed out both games with saves.  

The Tigers thwarted a Billiken comeback in game one for a 4-3 win to close out pool play undefeated. TSU closed out day two action with a 3-0 shutout in the first round of bracket play. The two wins secure a spot on the championship game, as they improve to 11-15. SLU falls to 8-7. 

The Tigers used a four-run fourth inning to take control of game one. Kate Morris stepped to the plate with bases loaded and came through with a big double for the second straight game. Morris drove the ball into left center allowing the speedy Kiarra Freeman to charge around the bases right behind Lindsey Burgess and Liz Stansberry. 

Stansberry led off the inning with a hit, ahead of the second double of the game by Burgess. Freeman earned a walk to set up the Morris gaper. 

The Tigers upped the lead to 4-0 as Rebbekka Gross singled to center to push home Morris from second base. 

Hannah St. Clair worked out of a bases loaded jam in the first and settled in to retire 10 of the next 11 batters. Saint Louis would get to the freshman hurler in the fifth, as they used a two-run home run and an RBI double to get with in a run of the Tigers. 

St. Clair made way for Shea Morris who entered in the top of the fifth with the tying run on second. Morris would catch Elizabeth Everingham looking to end the threat. The junior would shut down the Billikens over the final two innings with four strikeouts to earn her third save of the season. 

St. Clair acquired her second consecutive win in as many games and is now 2-3. 

In the night cap, the Tigers pounced for two runs in the third. Kate Morris delivered an RBI hit with a drive through the left side of the infield to score Burgess from second. On the play, SLU tried to throw out Freeman at third, but the throw ended up in left field. Freeman wasted no time, as she sprinted home to give TSU an early 2-0 lead. 

Burgess added to the lead as she blasted a solo home run to right field with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, making the score 3-0. 

Shea Morris entered in the top of the fifth with two outs and runners on second and third. In a repeat of the first game, Morris was able to strikeout a Billiken hitter to avoid any damage. Morris replaced starter Olivia Gamache, who went the first 4.2 innings keeping the Billikens off the board as she scattered four hits and three walks. Gamache fanned five as she earned the win and improved to 3-6. 

Morris held SLU hitless during her time in the circle and struck out five of the seven batters she faced to earn her fourth save of the season. It was the second on the day and third of the tournament. The save is the seventh in her career, making her the all-time leader in saves in TSU history. 

Burgess finished the day 4-for-6 with two doubles and a home run. Kate Morris recorded four RBI on the day. 

The final of the Invitational will consist of the consolation game at 11:00 a.m. between Saint Louis and North Carolina A&T. The Tigers will face Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the championship game at 1:15pm. All games can be seen on OVCDigitalNetwork.com.

BOX SCORE GAME 1

BOX SCORE GAME 2

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Odums sets tone for Southern spring

Refreshed by SWAC title, Jaguars resets mental focus

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- Southern coach Dawson Odums established the theme for spring football practice at the outset.

When the team convened before dawn last Wednesday for the first of 15 practices, Odums mentioned the theme and continued to through the first week of practice, which concludes Sunday.

“Our theme this whole spring is your ‘get to’ versus your ‘go to,’ which really works the mindset,” Odums said. “The difference is, you say, ‘I get to go to practice and get better today. I get to go to class and get better today,’ not that ‘I’ve got to go, so I’m just going to go and not do what I’m really supposed to do.’

“It’s your ‘get to’ versus your ‘go to’ so it’s a big mindset point. Everything else just comes down to discipline, execution and fundamentals.”

In addition to working on ...

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Hampton Softball Wins Pitchers' Duel Over St. Bonaventure

HAMPTON, Virginia  -- The Hampton University softball team's first game of the Lady Pirates Classic on Saturday was a pitchers' duel, one which the Lady Pirates escaped with a 1-0 win over St. Bonaventure at the Lady Pirates Softball Stadium.

The Lady Pirates (6-7) have won five of their last seven games.

St. Bonaventure threatened in the top of the second inning, loading the bases on a pair of walks and a double, but junior Jailyn Jackson (Virginia Beach, Va.) didn't allow a run to score by striking out the side around all the trouble.

Meanwhile, the lone run of the contest came in the bottom of the fifth, when redshirt-junior Margaret Wilkins (Tustin, Calif.) brought home sophomore McKalee Rouse (Aledo, Texas) with a sacrifice fly to center field.

Rouse led off the inning with a single and later advanced to third on a throwing error.

Jackson picked up her fifth win of the season, giving up just two hits in seven innings of work. She also struck out a season-high 10 batters.

Freshman Danielle Budden (Jackson, N.J.) had two of Hampton's five hits.

The Lady Pirates will close out the Lady Pirates Classic on Sunday with a pair of games, taking on Iona at 1 p.m. and Drexel at 3 p.m. at the Lady Pirates Softball Stadium.

For more information on Hampton University softball, 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 SPORTS INFORMATION
VISIT: HAMPTON UNIVERSITY: THE STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE 
VISIT: HAMPTON PIRATES.COM

SIAC Tournament: Birmingham native, Benedict's Amanda Toliver leads Tigers to title game win

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama --  Birmingham native Amanda Toliver scored 16 points and while pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out as many assists to help lead Benedict College to a 67-64 overtime victory against Albany State in the women's final of the SIAC basketball tournament Saturday night. 

"It feels pretty good," said the junior, who attended Minor High School. "I'm glad I'm with this certain team right here. This is a different team from any other I've played with. I've never experienced a team like this. We've had ups and downs, people got hurt and still came back. Like coach (James) Rice always says, 'You gotta go through something' and we went through something today and we proved that we grew up as a team." 

Saturday, the Tigers trailed by nine against ASU with under ... 

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Xavier Rush, Nuggets reach title round at AUM Invitational

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Xavier University of Louisiana's tennis teams won  Saturday to reach the championship round of the AUM Invitational. The Gold Rush defeated NAIA No. 7 Cumberland 5-4, and the Gold Nuggets beat Martin Methodist 9-0.

Both XU teams will play Auburn Montgomery for the men's and women's titles at noon Sunday.

Jordan Harrell's 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) victory against Diogo Soares at No. 4 singles clinched the dual for the Gold Rush (4-5), ranked ninth in the NAIA. The Gold Nuggets (6-4), ranked fifth, did not lose a set in their dual. Kourtney Howell and Brandi Nelson won in doubles and singles for the XU women.

It was the third victory of the season for the Gold Rush against a ranked opponent.

Auburn Montgomery's women are No. 1 in the NAIA, and the AUM men are ranked second.


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

SIAC Tournament: Tuskegee claims championship with OT win against Fort Valley State

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Down seven points with about 8:30 to go in the second half.

Down five with less than four to go in the second half.

Tuskegee just kept coming.

The Golden Tigers clawed their way back late on their way to an 88-80 overtime victory against Fort Valley State in the SIAC men's basketball championship game Saturday night at the Birmingham Crossplex's Bill Harris Arena.

Tied at 75 at the end of regulation, Tuskegee outscored the Wildcats 13-5 in the extra time.

"We've been through a lot, as a group, and we persevered mainly because of the efforts and the hard work of these young men," eighth-year coach Leon Douglas said. "From Day 1, from the initial day when we started, we had turmoil. But we stayed together as a group. We stayed steadfast. We kept working and working and working and working. That's the bottom line."

Douglas added: "Like one of our smaller guys would say, 'We finally got a chance to eat'.



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ASU Lady Rams denied SIAC title with OT loss

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  -- They waited 16 years for a shot at an SIAC title.

After Saturday’s heartbreaker, the Albany State Lady Rams are going to have to wait even longer.

 

Albany State led by five points in the final minute of regulation in the SIAC championship game against Benedict College, but the Lady Tigers stormed back to force overtime and then knocked off the No. 1 seed Lady Rams, 67-64, in OT to win the conference title and earn an automatic bid to the Division II national tournament.

 

“We had been able to close the deal in almost every game this year,” ASU coach Robert Skinner said. “There are very few games when we haven’t been able to close it out. I’m very surprised.”

 

Now Albany State, which is fifth in the Division II regional rankings after the program’s best regular season in more than a decade, can only hope to receive an at-large bid to the national tournament to extend its season.

 

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Southern men lose on Senior Day

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- The Southern men’s basketball team finished the regular season on a losing note Saturday night when it fell to Texas Southern 67-64 in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

The outcome was especially disappointing for seniors Malcolm Miller, Javan Mitchell, Yondarius Johnson and Bryce Clark, who were playing the final home game of their careers.

But it doesn’t change the fact that the Jaguars (19-12, 15-3) are the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season champions and will be the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. They’ll play the winner of Tuesday’s game between the eighth and ninth seeds at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Houston.

The Tigers (16-14 and 12-6) tied Alabama State for second place.

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Southern women beat Texas Southern for SWAC title

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- The Southern women’s basketball team was trailing Texas Southern by eight points midway through the second half Saturday.

The F.G. Clark Activity Center was lifeless as the Jaguars’ goal of winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season championship seemed to be evaporating.

But then Britney Washington made a jumper from the corner. She followed with an 18-footer, then two mid-range jumpers, then a 3-pointer.

Quickly, the crowd came to life — and so did Washington’s teammates. Southern outscored the Tigers by 13 points down the stretch to claim a 71-66 victory and join the Jaguars men as SWAC regular-season champions.

Southern, 19-7 and 16-2, will begin play in the SWAC tournament at ...

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Panthers beat Rush in double OT in GCAC semifinals

NEW ORLEANS -- Sophomore guard Braylon Spicer scored six of his 18 points in the second overtime Saturday to lift Philander Smith to a 106-102 men's basketball victory against NAIA No. 12 Xavier University of Louisiana in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament at XU's Convocation Center.

The Panthers (20-10), seeded fourth and the defending champion, will play second-seeded and seventh-ranked Talladega (27-5) for the championship at 5 p.m. Sunday at Xavier. The Gold Rush (23-8) -- the tournament's top seed and winner of three consecutive GCAC regular-season championships -- will await a possible at-large bid to the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship. That tournament's 32-team bracket will be announced Wednesday.

Spicer, who made all 14 of his free-throw attempts, sank two with three seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score at 85 and send the game to overtime. Xavier trailed by five in the first overtime but forced a second extra period when Anthony Goode made two free throws with 29 seconds to play.

D'Alvin Brown's 3-pointer at 3:34 of the second overtime broke the game's 21st tie and put the Panthers ahead to stay, 98-95.

Juvon Demerson had 24 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots for Philander Smith. Brown scored 23, Aquill Baynard had 17 points and 15 rebounds, and Andre Clark had 11 points and seven rebounds. Spicer had eight assists.

Morris Wright scored a career-high-tying 26 points for Xavier. Goode had 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Sydney Coleman scored 18.

Xavier was 2-0 against Philander Smith in the regular season, including a 103-99 overtime home victory Feb. 17. The Gold Rush are 3-2 in overtime this season.

If Xavier is invited to the national tournament, it would be the fourth in a row for the Gold Rush and the eighth in the last 10 seasons.



By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
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Benedict Lady Tigers Win 2014 SIAC Championship With 67-64 OT Victory Over Albany State

2013-2014 SIAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS
BENEDICT COLLEGE LADY TIGERS
COURTESY BENEDICT COLLEGE ATHLETICS

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  --   Latoya Fairley was named the tournament Most Valuable Player with her second straight double-double and Santera Grooms scored 10 points in overtime to lead the Benedict College Lady Tigers to the 2014 SIAC Championship with a 67-64 overtime victory over Albany State University on Saturday in the Bill Harris Arena.

It was Benedict's first women's basketball championship since 2010, and the first for second-year head coach James Rice, who lost to Clark Atlanta in last year's title game. This was Benedict's fourth championship in 10 years. Benedict, now 20-9, earned the SIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Tournament seedings and pairings will be announced Sunday night.

Fairley had 12 points and 10 rebounds and two blocked shots. Grooms had a team-high 18 points. She took control in overtime, driving to the basket and scoring or getting fouled. She was six-for-six from the line in overtime. Amanda Toliver, who was also named to the All-Tournament team, had 16 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.

Fairley, who was left off the SIAC All-Conference Team, said there was no personal incentive on her part to prove she is one of the conference's top players.

"I don't think about stuff like that. I think about we, I don't think about I," Fairley said. "I'm just so excited right now. I just knew my team needed me in this tournament. I did everything I could to help us win."

Albany State, now 21-6, was led by Artisha Holston with a game-high 22 points. Kourtney Alexander added 14.

Albany State got off to a hot start, scoring the first eight points of the game and leading 17-5 midway through the first half. Benedict rallied to cut the lead to 28-27 at the half.

A layup by Britenique Harrison to open the second half gave Benedict its first lead of the game, 29-28.

The Golden Rams had a 50-41 lead with 3:58 left in regulation after a layup by Holston. Benedict came back with a jumper by Grooms, two free throws by Toliver and a layup by Fairley to cut the lead to 50-47 with 1:41 left to play.

Holston scored for the Golden Rams, then Grooms scored a layup with 35 seconds to make it 52-49. Holston hit one of two free throws with 31 seconds left, then Toliver scored to make it 53-51 with 26 seconds left. Mecca Frost made one of two free throws, but Ashley Thompson sank two free throws for Benedict to cut the lead to one point, 54-53 with 18 seconds remaining.

Thompson sank two more free throws a few seconds later to give Benedict a 55-54 lead. A Benedict foul put Alexander on the line, where she made one of two attempts to tie the game at 55 with 14 seconds left and send the game to overtime.

Back-to-back jumpers gave Albany State a 61-59 lead in overtime, but Grooms hit two free throws to tie the game and Maya Nelson hit two free throws to give Benedict the lead, 63-61 with 1:38 to play. After Albany State made one free throw to cut Benedict's lead to one point, Grooms scored a layup for a 65-62 lead with 1:05 on the clock. After Albany State cut the lead back to one point on two free throws by Frost, Grooms sank two free throws for a 67-64 lead with 24 seconds left. Albany State missed three 3-pointers in the final 11 seconds.

"We were kind of tight at the beginning of the game and we gave up too many easy baskets," Rice said. "I told them to stay focused, that the game wasn't over yet. That was our thing this whole tournament, to stay focused, and our young ladies bought into it. This is big for our young ladies and our school."

Albany State coach Robert Skinner said he was expecting Benedict to come back after the Lady Rams took the early lead.

"Basketball is a game of runs. I knew it was coming. Everybody makes their runs.

They just made the last one," Skinner said. "They were the better team today. We didn't execute as well when we got tired, but Benedict had a lot do to with that."

Box Score    

COURTESY BENEDICT COLLEGE TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION

Jacoby Jones dances in with $10K for Lane College

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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Gathright, Gauthier lead Nuggets to GCAC title game

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?

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.

 SI's COMPANION ARTICLE: All's More Than Well At Alcorn

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2014/03/08/3333065/ask-sports-how-did-an-undefeated.html#storylink=cpy

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.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2014/03/08/3333065/ask-sports-how-did-an-undefeated.html#storylink=cpy

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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

SAVANNAH, Georgia  -- The Savannah State football team will open spring practice on March 10 at 5:45 a.m. The squad will have 15 practices that will end on April 12 with the annual Orange and Blue Scrimmage as well as an alumni flag football game.

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.

COURTESY SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION   

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