NCCU Races Past Norfolk State Advances To MEAC Title Game

NORFOLK, Virginia  –  Step two of three is complete for North Carolina Central University, as the regular season champions used an 11-0 second half run coupled with four Eagles in double figures, and the typical solid defensive effort to outlast Norfolk State 68-45 in the semifinals of the 2014 MEAC Basketball Tournament on Friday night inside the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.

The win places the maroon and gray in the MEAC Tournament Championship game, the first in in any conference since Feb. 28, 2004 and gives NCCU 19-straight victories, one shy of tying the school record, which was set during the 1987-88 season.

In meeting No. 37 between these two programs both teams struggled early on the offensive end as the Eagles started 4-for-17 (23.5 percent) from-the-field, but a Jeremy Ingram (Charlotte, N.C.) three-pointer gave the maroon and gray a seven point cushion with 4:58 to go.

NCCU led much of the first frame and took a 32-24 advantage into the locker when redshirt senior Ebuka Anyaorah (Suwanee, Ga.) dropped in a layup with 12 seconds left.

The second half proved to be the turning point for the Eagles as the maroon and gray went a 11-0 run to spread the margin out to 19 at 43-24 following Jordan Parks (Queens, N.Y.) layup with 15:44 to go.  The Spartans did not score their first second half field goal until Pendarvis Williams drilled a three-pointer with 15:03 to go.

NSU was never able to make a dent in the Eagle advantage as head coach LeVelle Moton's squad led by as much as 23 on the way to a 68-45 win.

The maroon and gray defense was stellar once again as they held second team All-MEAC performers Williams and Malcolm Hawkins to 12 points and six points respectively.

On the other hand, NCCU got contributions from eight different Eagles as Ingram finished with an efficient 14 points, going 3-for-6 from-the-field, 2-for-2 from three-point range, and 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.  Parks also finished with 14 points for the maroon and gray, while point guard Emanuel Chapman (Raleigh, N.C.)  added 13 points and four assists.  Junior Karamo Jawara (Bergen, Norway) scored 11 points and set a new career-high with 7 assists in the win

NCCU (27-5, 15-1 MEAC) takes on Morgan State in the 2014 MEAC Championship Game on Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. from the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.  The Eagles will be looking to end a 64-year old drought as the maroon and gray have not won a conference tournament championship since 1950.

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             
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Championship Saturday Awaits PVAMU Basketball Teams

WBB GAME NOTES | MBB GAME NOTES | KPVU 91.3 | OpenMic Broadcast Network | ESPN3
MBB BRACKET | WBB BRACKET

HOUSTON, Texas -- Tickets to the 2014 NCAA Men's and Women's Championships are on the line today as the SWAC Tournament commences with a history making PVAMU-TSU doubleheader beginning at noon in the Toyota Center in Downtown Houston.  Both games can be heard on KPVU 91.3 FM and the OpenMic Broadcast Network along with viweing on ESPN3 (women/men) and ESPN2 (men/live).

WOMEN'S NOTES

The Prairie View A&M women's basketball team returns to the SWAC Tournament Championship Game for the fourth consecutive year and seventh time in eight years as they'll battle SWAC rival Texas Southern on Saturday afternoon at noon in the Toyota Center.

 

This is the time of year when PVAMU shines as the Lady Panthers are the reigning three-time SWAC Tournament Champion with a 11-0 postseason mark since 2011.  Since returning to tourney play in 2007, PVAMU is 19-2 in SWAC Tournament contests with its last tourney loss to Alabama State (first round in Shreveport, La.) in 2010.

 

Sophomore post Shamiya Brooks has grabbed five or more rebounds in 15 of the team's 18 SWAC contests this season and is averaging 10 rebounds per game in the SWAC Tournament.  She also has recorded 54 blocks on the season for an average of 1.9 per game. She has recorded 38 blocks over the past 15 games and has four career double-doubles. 

 

With the average margin of victory spanning 5.3 points over the past six meetings, an exciting contest is expected as the contest went down to the wire.  TSU holds a 32-29 lead in the all-time series and has won four of the past five over PVAMU but fell to PVAMU in last season's SWAC Tournament semifinal.

 

TSU head coach Johnetta Hayes-Perry is a former assistant at PVAMU from 2005-2007.

 

Junior guard Jeanette Jackson has doubled her scoring average from last season as she's scoring an average of 19.3 points per outing.  She's a four-time SWAC Player of the Week honoree this season, an All-SWAC First Teamer and has already surpassed 1,000 points in her career.  She needs 18 points for the all-time PVAMU single season scoring title.

 

The Lady Panthers were picked to finish second in the Southwestern Athletic Conference this season after capturing their third consecutive NCAA Tournament Berth and SWAC Tournament Championship in 2013.

 

MEN'S NOTES

The Prairie View A&M Panthers are in the championship round of the 2014 SWAC Tournament for the second straight year as they'll play SWAC rival Texas Southern at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday in the Toyota Center.  This marks the first postseason championship game meeting between both teams since PVAMU's win in 1998.

 

The Tigers currently have a three-game winning streak over PVAMU.  Dating back to 1980, TSU holds a 56-19 mark against PVAMU with 17 of PVAMU's wins occurring in 1997 or later.  PVAMU and TSU have met four times on a neutral court in tournament history with TSU holding a 3-1 mark.

 

TSU  is the SWAC's hottest team as they've won 9-of-10.  Texas Southern has turned the tide of the series lately by winning seven-of-nine contests since March of 2010. 

 

The Panthers snapped a seven-game regular season slide with a postseason win on Tuesday night and have won three straight for the first time since Jan. 18-Jan. 25.   PVAMU has only allowed 52.7 points in tourney play.

 

PVAMU head coach Byron Rimm II is 6-12 lifetime versus Texas Southern and 1-3 when coaching against TSU's Mike Davis on the sidelines.

 

PVAMU has made history as the Panthers have never made back-to-back championship round appearances.

 

The 2013-14 Panther roster returns only one starter, seven letterwinners and adds seven newcomers. 

 

The Panthers were picked to finish fourth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference this season.  The team finished eighth in the regular season standings this season and fell in the championship of the 2013 SWAC Tournament. 

 

COURTESY PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

MEAC Title Up For Grabs When Bears Meet #1 Seed N.C. Central

Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be televised by ESPNU

Gamenotes

Game #31 - MEAC Tournament Finals
Date: Saturday, March 15, 2014
Opponent: No. 1 North Carolina Central Eagles (27-5)
Site: The Scope Arena, Norfolk, Va.
Game Time: 6 p.m.
Television: ESPNU
Radio: WEAA, 88.9 FM (weaa.org)
Live Stream: www.meacsports.com
In-game Twitter Updates: @MEAC1970 and @morganstbears
Record:  MSU 15-15 (11-5 MEAC)
MSU Coach: Todd Bozeman (143-115 - 8th yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com/www.NCCUEaglePride.com
Series History: NCCU leads series, 44-40
Last Meeting: NCCU 53, MSU 52 on Jan. 27, 2014 in Durham, N.C.

BALTIMORE, Maryland  -- Scoring its fourth win in five games, No. 3 seed Morgan State (15-15) advanced to the championship of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament for the sixth time in eight seasons after taking down No. 7 seed Coppin State, 79-64, last night. The win marked the third time this season the Bears have downed the crosstown rival Eagles. The Bears tip-off against No. 1 seed North Carolina Central (27-5) at 6 p.m. and will be attempting clinch its fourth MEAC Championship title and clinch its third trip to the NCAA Tournament.

The Bears have had unprecedented success in the MEAC Tournament under head coach Todd Bozeman. The Bears have participated in six of the last eight MEAC Tournament championships, captured back-to-back MEAC Titles, and made appearances in the NIT and two NCAA Tournaments.

FOLLOW ALONG WITH LIVE STATS
Live stats of all games will be available on the conference's official website, www.MEAChoops .com. The preliminary games will also be streamed live on MEACsports.com.

IT'S OK TO BE A FOLLOWER
MSU men's basketball fans can follow their favorite team, or any of the other MSU athletics programs on Twitter through the handle @MorganStBears.

MEAC TOURNAMENT FACTS
• Morgan State has won three MEAC Tournaments (1977, 2009 & 2010) and will be making its sixth championship appearance under Coach Bozeman.

• Morgan State has advanced to the MEAC Semifinals seven times in the last eight seasons.

• Todd Bozeman has led Morgan State to 17 of the school's 32 MEAC Tournament wins.

• Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman was the 2009 and 2010 Outstanding Coach of the MEAC Tournament.

• Morgan State has had four MVP's of the MEAC Tournament: Marvin 'The Human Eraser" Webster (1975); Eric "The Pencil" Evans (1977); Reggie Holmes (2009); and Kevin Thompson (2010).

• Legendary Morgan State center Marvin Webster averaged 21.3 rebounds per game during the 1975 MEAC Tournament.

----------------

SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL
N.C. Central, 27-5 overall, finished 15-1 in the MEAC and earned the number one seed. The Eagles, who rank No. 18 in the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, advanced to the championship as a result of rolling No. 8 seed Howard, 92-46, in the quarterfinals round of the MEAC, followed by a 68-45 blowout against No. 4 seed Norfolk State Friday night in the semifinals. N.C. Central is on a 19-game winning streak and will attempt to make it 20 when they enter tonight's matchup with No. 3 seed Morgan State. The Eagles are vying for its first MEAC Tournament Championship and its first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

WE MEET AGAIN
The Morgan State Bears will square off against the Eagles for the 87th meeting between the two. N.C. Central holds a 46-40 advantage, and has gone 2-1 against the Bears since rejoining the MEAC.

THE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Senior guard Jeremy Ingram, an All-MEAC First Team selection, has fueled N.C. Central by averaging  at 20.3 ppg this season, while junior Jordan Parks has added 10.3 ppg and standout senior point guard Emanuel Chapman has contributed 6.8 ppg, 6.5 apg and 2.1 spg. The Eagles are led on the glass by redshirt-junior Jay Copeland (5.9 rpg). Senior Justin Black enters tonight's contest averaging 19.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.8 apg while senior Ian Chiles is averaging 15.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg and 3.1 bpg, and senior Anthony Hubbard has added 10.8 ppg and 6.9 rpg.

THE ONLY MEETING THIS SEASON WAS AT N.C. CENTRAL, JAN. 27, 2014
DURHAM, N.C. – Jeremy Ingram posted a game-high 20 points, Maramu Jawara added 13 for N. C. Central. It all added up to the Eagles erasing a 13-point deficit to hold on and beat Morgan State 53-52 at McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium. Justin Black finished with 17 points for the Bears who came up short down the stretch for the second game in a row, having lost to N.C. A&T 68-67 in overtime.

The Bears tied the game at 52-52 when Donte Pretlow hit a jumper with 33 seconds to go. The Eagles came out of the timeout and worked the clock down before taking a shot that missed badly as the horn sounded. But the game was not over.

Morgan's Shaquille Duncan was called for a foul against Karamo Jawara on a loose ball rebound. The officials adjusted the clock to display 1 second remaining in the game. Jawara stepped up and hit the first free throw, and missed the second on purpose. The Bears had .4 seconds left on the clock, but Thair Heath's inbounds pass sailed past Chiles as time expired.

NEXT UP: If Morgan State wins, they will earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. It would mark the Bears third appearance in the "Big Dance" in the last eight seasons.

BLACK A MEMBER OF THE 1,000 POINTS CLUB 
Senior guard Justin Black eclipsed the 1,000 point mark for his career as a result of his 24-point outing against Cal State Northridge (12/27) ... Black recently moved in front of Jason McCoy (1,292 pts - 1987-91) as the school's No. 13 leading scorer and following his career-high 29 points outing against No. 6 seed Florida A&M he currently has 1,350 career points.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB MR. CHILES
Senior center Ian Chiles scored 18 points in the semifinals and moved up to No. 21 on Morgan State's all-time scoring list with 1,028 career points. He is only 8 points shy of becoming the school's No. 20 leading scorer held currently by James Turk (1,035 pts / 1961-63).

VETERANS HUNGRY FOR THE 'SHIP
Seniors Justin Black and Ian Chiles have advanced to the third MEAC Championship game of their career. The standout duo were members of the Bears squad that was defeated by Hampton (60-55) in 2011 MEAC championship game, and they fell short again when North Carolina A&T (57-54) captured the title in 2013.

WELCOME TO MY BLOCK PARTY
Ian Chiles has been making the most of his 7-foot-2 frame. The senior recorded a career-high 9 blocked shots against Norfolk State on Feb. 8. He completed the regular season ranked No. 3 in the MEAC (3.0 bpg). He posted six blocks in the MEAC semifinals and currently has 92 blocks for the season, and 191 for his career.

THE ALMOST-TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Despite the loss against Norfolk State (Feb. 8), Ian Chiles had a strong effort and came close to finishing with the oh so rare -- triple-double. "Big Slew" completed the night with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and notched a career-high nine blocked shots ... one rejection short a triple-double.

ANOTHER ALMOST-TRIPLE-DOUBLE
In the MEAC semifinals win against No. 7 seed Coppin State, Anthony Hubbard nearly finished with a triple double. The senior small forward seemed to be everywhere on the floor. He finished with 12 points to go along with nine rebounds and dished out a career-high nine assists in 31 minutes of work.

POSTSEASON HONOR ROLL
Two Bears landed postseason honors from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2013-14. Seniors Justin Black and Ian Chiles were named to the All-MEAC first-team. With Black and Chiles receiving first team accolades, Morgan State has now registered at least one member on the All-MEAC first team in six of the last eight years under head coach Todd Bozeman.  In
fact, this marks the third time under Bozeman that the Bears have had two players as first team selections.  The duo has also been named to the NABC First Team All-District team and College Hoops Daily All-MEAC First Team.

COURTESY MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Lady Pirates To Take On Coppin State In MEAC Final

Game Notes

NORFOLK, Virginia –  For the fourth straight year, the Hampton University women's basketball team will face Coppin State in the MEAC Tournament – this time, the two teams will meet for the championship on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Norfolk Scope.

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com and air via tape delay on ESPNU on Sunday at 11 a.m.

The top-seeded Lady Pirates (27-4) won their 17th straight game on Friday, using a strong second half to defeat Savannah State 65-49 in the semifinal round. Senior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) scored a game-high 29 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds.

Freshman guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas (Harrisburg, Pa.) added 16 points, while junior guard Kenia Cole (Silver Spring, Md.) hit four 3-pointers – three in the second half – and scored 12 points.

Hampton is making its sixth straight appearance in the MEAC title game.

Coppin State (17-13), the No. 3 seed, has won five straight games after beating No. 2 seed North Carolina A&T 57-55 in Friday's semifinal round. Coppin State is in its 12th full season under head coach Derek Brown, who has won three MEAC titles.

Senior forward Kyra Coleman, a First Team All-MEAC selection, leads Coppin State in scoring (17.1 ppg), while senior forward Larrisa Carter is averaging 13.3 points and a team-high 8.1 rebounds per game.

The Lady Pirates are 23-15 all-time against Coppin State, and Hampton has won the last six meetings — including a season sweep this year. Hampton won 80-52 in Hampton, Va. on Jan. 18, before taking an 83-75 win in Baltimore, Md. on Feb. 1. Coppin State was the last MEAC team to hand the Lady Pirates a loss — a 69-66 overtime decision in Hampton, Va. in 2011-12.

Hampton is 6-1 against Coppin State on neutral courts.

Hampton is 312-138 against teams currently in the MEAC — including a 23-15 mark against Coppin State — and the Lady Pirates have won seven MEAC regular-season titles to go along with seven tournament titles, including each of the last four.

Overall, the Lady Pirates have won their last 48 games against MEAC foes, including conference tournament games.

The Lady Pirates are 20-9 on neutral courts in head coach David Six's tenure, including a 5-0 mark so far this season. Hampton has won its last nine neutral-court games dating back to last season, and under Six, the Lady Pirates are 14-0 in MEAC Tournament games.

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.

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SWAC Tournament: Texas Southern Tigers advance to SWAC Title Game

HOUSTON, Texas  -- The Texas Southern Tigers defeated Alabama State 73-61 in a semifinal game Friday afternoon at the Toyota Center and will now play for the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament Championship for the first time since the 2002-03.

Aaric Murray scored 16 points, all but one after halftime. D.D. Scarver added 14 while Madarious Gibbs pitched in 12 for Texas Southern.

 The Tigers (18-14), have now won eight games in a row and advance to Saturday's title game as they will face Prairie View A&M.

After gaining the lead for good just six minutes in, Texas Southern shot 50 percent from the field. Scarver scored 11 points after halftime with eight rebounds. Gibbs scored 10 in the second half with seven assists.

Jamel Waters led the Hornets (19-12) with 21 points. Luther Page tallied 13 points while freshmen Tarrance LeFlore added 12 and five steals.

The Tigers scored 11 of 14 at the line in the last 3 minutes, Murray sinking 7 of 8 free throw attempts in that span.

Box Score

COURTESY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION   

MEAC Tournament: Second-Half Surge Lifts HU Lady Pirates to MEAC Title Game

NORFOLK, Virginia  –  For roughly 27 minutes, Friday's MEAC Tournament semifinal between the Hampton University women's basketball team and Savannah State was tight, grind-it-out affair, before the Lady Pirates surged ahead at Norfolk Scope at pulled away to a 65-49 win.

The top-seeded Lady Pirates (27-4) will advance to Saturday's title game at 3 p.m. against Coppin State. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com and on ESPNU via tape-delay (airing Sunday at 11 a.m.).

This will be Hampton's sixth straight MEAC championship game appearance.

Senior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) had another monster game for the Lady Pirates, who won their 17th straight game, pouring in a game-high 29 points and grabbing a career-high 18 rebounds – while also dishing out four assists and grabbing three steals.

Freshman guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas (Harrisburg, Pa.) added 16 points, while junior guard Kenia Cole (Silver Spring, Md.) poured in 12 points on four 3-pointers – three in the second half.

"Tough, tough game," head coach David Six said. "Savannah State came to play. [It was] really a defensive struggle for large parts of the game. We were able to make some adjustments at halftime, Kenia loosened them up a bit with some threes, Malia hit a couple shots, and Bennett got going.

"I thought that was the difference in the game."

The Lady Pirates scored the game's first six points, thanks to 3-pointers from Cole and senior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.), but Savannah State went on a 7-2 spurt to cut the lead to 8-7 at the 14:05 mark after a trey from Kenyata Hendrix.

Hampton responded with a 10-2 run, taking an 18-9 lead after Bennett hit a pair of free throws at the 7:45 mark. The Lady Tigers then went on a 12-2 run of their own to tie the game at 21-21 on a layup from Jasmine Norman.

Bennett, who recorded her 14th double-double of the season, hit two free throws with 55 seconds left in the half to put Hampton up 24-21, but Savannah State clawed back yet again and tied the game at 25-25 at the half.

Bennett had 13 points and 10 rebounds at the break.

Savannah State cut Hampton's lead to 30-29 with a jumper from Norman with 17:35 left in the contest, but the Lady Pirates scored the next 10 points to take a 40-29 lead with 13:09 left after a trey from Cole. Bennett and Cole combined to score Hampton's first 15 points of the second half.

Ezinne Kalu hit a layup with 12:10 left to cut Hampton's lead to 40-31, but that was the last time Savannah State closed within single digits; Hampton maintained a 10- to 13-point lead for the middle portions of the second half, before Bria Dorsey cut the lead to 46-36 with 6:00 left.

Hampton scored the next seven points, going up 53-36 with 4:13 left after a trey from Tate-DeFreitas.

From that point forward, Savannah State could not get any closer than within 14 points. The Lady Tigers went from the 12:12 mark of the second half to the 3:46 mark without a field goal.

Despite how tight the game was through the first half and beyond, Savannah State never held a lead.

The Lady Pirates, winners of their last 48 games against MEAC foes, shot 38.0 percent (19-for-50) from the floor – but shot at a 54.2-percent clip (13-for-24) in the second half. Hampton also went 7-for-16 (43.8 percent) from behind the arc and 20-for-28 (71.4 percent) at the free throw line.

Hampton also out-rebounded Savannah State 41-31.

Savannah State (19-14) shot just 29.1 percent (16-for-55) from the floor and went 2-for-14 (14.3 percent) from 3-point range.

Norman led the Lady Tigers with 12 points.

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 SPORTS INFORMATION

PVAMU Lady Panthers Roll To Fourth Straight SWAC Tourney Championship Game

HOUSTON, Texas -- The Prairie View A&M women's basketball team made its biggest statement of the season on Friday evening as they rolled past Southern 72-43 in the Toyota Center.  As a result of the win, PVAMU will play for the SWAC Tournament Championship for the fourth consecutive year and seventh time in eight years as they'll battle SWAC rival Texas Southern on Saturday at noon in the Toyota Center.

With Southern sweeping the season series and winning the SWAC Regular Season Championship, the target was on its back as they entered the game looking to advance to its first SWAC Tourney Championship Game since 2010.  Southern started off with a pair of four-point leads early on but an inspired PVAMU backcourt led by Gabrielle Scott, Jeanette Jackson, Alexus Parker and LaReahn Washington turned up the pressure and outscored Southern 31-9 over the final 14:56.  During the run and for most of the first half, PVAMU found ways to get to the free throw line and took advantage of the opportunity as they finished 13-of-18 in the half en route to a 34-17 halftime lead.



Two baskets by Southern's Cortnei Purnell within the first three minutes cut the Lady Panthers' lead to 11 at 35-26 in the second half.  Prairie View A&M wasted no time in reestablishing its dominance as Larissa Scott and Jeanette Jackson nailed consecutive jumpers.  Southern's Kendra Coleman answered with a jumper of her own but the inside game of Shamiya Brooks and Larissa Scott went to work as Brooks scored four straight points followed by two free throws from Scott for a 21-point (48-27) lead.

 

With the game firmly in control, Prairie View A&M settled back into a comfortable groove and extended its lead to as much as 32 points with 5:30 remaining.  The Lady Panthers received a huge opportunity to rest most of their starters the remainder of the way en route to claiming their first win over Southern since March 2, 2013.

 

Jackson, who needs only 18 points to become PVAMU's all-time single season scoring leader, led the way with 18 points.  Parker, Larissa Scott and Gabrielle Scott and chipped in with 10 points apiece while Shamiya Brooks added eight points, two blocks and 11 rebounds.

 

Prairie View A&M will face SWAC rival TSU for the second consecutive year in postseason play as this year's edition is for a trip to the NCAA Tournament.  Tip-off is set for noon at the Toyota Center in Downtown Houston.

 

BOX SCORE

 

COURTESY PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

MEAC Tournament: Rally sends Coppin to MEAC title game

NORFOLK, Virginia  -- The Coppin State women’s basketball team refused to lose despite a myriad of obstacles that included foul trouble, an 11-point second half deficit and lots of missed shots.

 

Yet, despite those issues, third-seeded Coppin State turned to its suffocating defense and showcased tremendous heart and desire, facets of its game that’s been reliable all season. The Eagles dug deep to pull off a rally to remember and beat second-seeded North Carolina A&T, 57-55, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) semifinal barnburner at the Scope Arena Friday night.

 

“It was a very hard fought game,” Coppin State head coach Derek Brown said. “It wasn’t the prettiest, but I think it was very interesting for the fans; a lot of up and down. Either team could have won this game, but these young ladies from the seniors on down to the freshmen, there’s no quit. It seems like they will not denied.”

 

The decisive basket was scored when Kyra Coleman got off a shot that missed and Janelle Lane was able to keep it alive and got the ball out to Larrisa Carter, who hit the short jumper with 28 seconds remaining. The Lady Aggies rushed a shot at the other end that was rebounded by Lane, but she turned the ball over with 8.1 seconds remaining while being surrounded by three Aggie players.

 

It seemed only fitting that the game came down to the Eagles making one final defensive stand. Coppin State (17-13 overall) survived two clean North Carolina A&T 3-point shot attempts in the final 8.1 seconds to earn a third shot at No. 1 seed Hampton in Saturday’s championship. Coppin State handed North Carolina A&T (24-6) two of its six losses this season.

 

Coppin State will be making its first appearance in the MEAC championship game since 2008. The women’s basketball is also the second CSU women’s team to compete for a MEAC title this year, joining the volleyball team, who also lost to Hampton.

 

The championship game will be broadcast on tape delay Sunday morning at 11 a.m. on ESPNU. The winner of the Hampton-Coppin State game will advance to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship tournament with selections and pairings to be held Monday night at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN.

 

The Pirates have ended the Eagles season in each of the last three years in the semifinals. Clearing the semifinal hurdle was sweet relief for Coppin State’s sensational senior triumvirate of Coleman, Ashle Craig and Carter. Once the ball bounced off the rim following North Carolina A&T’s final shot and the buzzer sounded, Coleman threw the ball high in the air as the Eagles celebrated an amazing come-from-behind victory.

 

“Myself, Ashle and Larrisa, this our first time getting this far,” Coleman said. “We know how hard that we work and we know that we deserve to play for a championship. Just the fact that we got it done, we never quit, even when we were down by 11 points, but the fact that we kept fighting was proof that we can do it. Coach Brown told us to execute, which we weren’t doing. That’s why we were in the position we were in. The fact that we kept fighting, to me, was enough to make me throw the ball in the air.”

 

The final seven minutes of the game featured six ties, three lead changes and more suspense than an episode of “Scandal.”

 

Carter made two foul shots with 3:23 remaining to give Coppin State a 52-51 lead. The Eagles never trailed again even though the Aggies tied the game three times and for the last time at 55 on an Eboni Ross putback basket with 52 seconds remaining.

 

Coleman led Coppin State with 17 points, five rebounds and five assists. She upped her career scoring total to 1,327 points. Carter, who played 15 minutes because of foul trouble, scored nine points and pulled down five rebounds. Carter moved past Leola Spotwood and into 10th place on the all-time Coppin State scoring list. She has scored 1,054 points in her career. Craig also added nine points for the Eagles, who extended their season-best winning streak to five games.

 

This was a total team performance for the Eagles as everybody contributed to the victory. Battling against the bigger, stronger and taller North Carolina A&T front line, sophomore forward Janelle Lane was huge with seven points and a team-best eight rebounds. Sophomore Jordan Swails ignited the Eagles with six of her eight points in the first half to help Coppin State recover from an early 16-9 deficit. Sophomore Omaah Tayong added five points and four rebounds and Bria Harris contributed a pair of steals.

 

Everybody’s best was needed when Coppin State fell behind, 41-30, with 16:07 remaining following a Tracey King fastbreak layup. Brown took a timeout and the Eagles returned to the court more determined than ever to get back into the game. Led by Craig and Coleman, the Eagles turned the defense up a few notches and switched to a 2-3 zone defense that befuddled the Aggies.

 

North Carolina A&T scored two points during an 8:53 stretch of the second half as Coppin State worked its way back into the game. Coppin State unleashed a 14-2 run -- capped by a Swails jumper -- that gave the Eagles their first lead of the game, 44-43 with seven minutes remaining. During their run, the Eagles defense forced eight turnovers and limited the Aggies to a 1-for-7 shooting effort.

 

“Both teams went back and forth,” North Carolina A&T coach Tarrell Robinson said. “I thought Coppin State wanted it a little more. Coach Brown is by far one of the best coaches in this league and he did a good job of managing the game. His girls did a good job of staying in it.”

 

The two teams battled hard in the first 20 minutes. It featured six ties and six lead changes. Following Coleman’s two free throws that tied the score for the sixth time, the Lady Aggies closed out the half with a 6-0 run over the last 2:01 to take a 31-25 lead at the half.

 

Now, this terrific senior class has the opportunity it always believed it would have.

 

“Before the tournament even started, we looked at every game like it was our last game, like every game was the championship game,” Craig said. “We knew it was going to be tough from the beginning. We knew we were going to have to match their intensity and their fight and we did that. After winning a game like that, it felt like we won a championship already, even though it wasn’t. We know we have another game and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

BOXSCORE

By Rob Knox
COURTESY COPPIN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SWAC Tournament: Lady Tigers advance to SWAC Tournament Championship for the first time in school history

HOUSTON, Texas  --  Ashley Ferguson scored a layup with only two seconds left in overtime play to lift No. 2 Texas Southern University to a 79-77 victory over No. 3 Jackson State on Friday. With the win, TSU will have the chance to be crowned the 2014 Toyota SWAC Basketball Champions for the first time in the school's history. The Lady Tigers will face No. 4 Prairie View A&M on Saturday, March 15 at 12:00 p.m.

TSU (20-11) took a comfortable 41-33 lead at halftime but a layup by JSU's (15-15) Ayanna Hardy-Fuller in the second half put the Lady Tigers ahead 51-50 with 10:52 to go. The Lady Tigers would hold onto the lead before TSU's Ferguson helped bring the score to 65-62.

With 20 seconds left in the extra session, the score was tied at 77. Johnson came from the top of the key and found Ferguson as she scored the layup that would carry TSU to the final round of the tournament.



TSU's offense was powered by Parker who scored a team best 21 points, Ferguson who notched 18 and Johnson who tacked on 12 points with 13 rebounds, including 11 offensive boards. Morgan Simmons added 11 rebounds and four assists to help pace the Lady Tigers.

Dominique Brothern tallied a game-high 22 points with four rebounds, two assists and three steals to lead JSU. Alisa Ross joined Brothern with 19 points and Ekwara Ndongo chipped in 10 for the Lady Tigers.

TSU shot 41 percent from the field to JSU's 35 percent and connected on 21 of their 29 free throws, while outrebounding the Lady Tigers 55-39.

Box Score    

COURTESY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

ASU Lady Rams rally to stun Delta State in NCAA first round

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida  --  Freshman Artisha "Tip" Holston had 16 points and eight rebounds and sophomore Keidra Green added 15 points to lead the fifth-seeded Albany State Lady Rams to a 49-45 victory over the fourth-seeded Delta State Lady Statesmen in the first round of the NCAA South Region Tournament. With the win, ASU, now 22-6 overall, advances to the regional semifinals to face Nova Southeastern, the tournament's top seed.

Delta State finishes the year at 24-6.

The first half produced a defensive duel between the two highly-touted teams. Green scored Albany State's first eight points, and the two teams were tied at eight apiece at the 11:18 mark.

Albany State was never able to take the lead in the first half. Despite 5-13 firing from the free throw line and 30.4% shooting from the field, ASU only trailed 25-21 at intermission.

In the second half, the Lady Rams went scoreless for nearly seven minutes to open the period. Delta State took advantage, using an 8-0 run to take a 33-21 lead. The Lady Statesmen led most of the half by double figures until ASU made its run.

Trailing 38-27 at the 9:53 mark, Albany State was ignited by its full court pressure that produced a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 38-37 with 7:40 left to play. Jillian Anderson helped sparked the run with six points.

DSU's Seneca Walton hit a jumper to put her team up 40-37 at the 6:27 mark. The Lady Rams answered with baskets by Holston and Green to take their first lead of the game 41-40 with 5:21 left in regulation.

A pair of free throws by Holston provided ASU with a 43-40 advantage before the Lady Statesmen tied the score at 43 all with 4:06 remaining. Holston hit two more free throws and Mecca Frost added a pair of her own to give Albany State a 47-45 lead at the 2:16 mark. Anissa Jackson converted a basket for Delta State to make the score 47-45. After an empty possession by ASU, Delta State was unable to tie the score. Free throws by Frost and Ieshia Young accounted for the final score.

Anderson finished with eight points off the bench.

Albany State shot 14-44 (31.8%) from the field, 3-16 (18.8%) from three-point range, and 18-30 (60%) from the free throw line. The Lady Rams' 13-17 firing from the charity stripe in the second half helped fuel their comeback.

ASU also held Delta State center Seneca Walton in check. The Gulf South Conference and NCAA South Region Player of the Year was held to eight points, six below her average. Albany State forced DSU into 18 turnovers and 32.1% shooting from the field.

The Lady Rams will face tournament host Nova Southeastern on Saturday, March 15^th at 7:30 p.m. Nova eliminated Benedict 75-61 earlier in the day to advance.

BOX SCORE

COURTESY ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Huskies Hold Off No. 13 Virginia State To Advance To Regional Semifinals

Box Score (HTML) | Photo Gallery | Highlights/Post-Game Video

GLENVILLE, West Virginia  –  The Bloomsburg University women's basketball team built a large lead early and held off a second half charge from No. 13 Virginia State to score a 75-57 victory in the first round of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournament on Friday evening at Jesse R. Lilly Gym on the campus of Glenville State College.

The victory gives the fourth-seeded Huskies (25-4), ranked 14th in the last USA Today Top 25, their first NCAA Tournament triumph since a second round win in 2001

With the win the Huskies advance into the regional semifinals and a Saturday night date with host and top-seeded Glenville State, which defeated No. 8 seed West Liberty, 82-70, on Friday evening. Saturday's regional semifinal is slated for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

The Huskies had to fend off a valiant comeback effort from the Trojans (25-3) to move on to the national Round of 32.

After Virginia State started the scoring on a layup from Lamesha Deal 32 seconds into the game, only a free throw from Deal followed for either team until the 16:59 mark. Following a wait of over three minutes for their first points, Taylor Kaminski (Philadelphia/Archbishop Wood) broke the ice for the Huskies with her 3-pointer to tie the score at 3 apiece.

Kaminski's jumper opened the flood gates for the fourth-seeded Huskies. Bloomsburg raced to an 18-4 run, moving ahead 18-7 on a basket from Noack with 11:13 remaining in the half. VSU momentarily pulled back within single digits at 20-12 on a three-point play from Tiffanie Adair, but the Huskies counter-punched by scoring nine of the game's next 12 points and continued to pull away.

A pair of 3's in the corner from Noack allowed the Huskies to double up the Trojans, 32-16, and ultimately head to intermission with a 38-20 lead after sinking 6-of-11 3-point attempts and shooting 46.7 percent overall (14-30).

Jocelyn Ford (Lansing, NY/Lansing) connected on a 3-pointer on the wing 10 seconds into the second period and another trey from Morgan Klunk (Felton/York Catholic) gave the Huskies their largest lead of the night at 46-23 with 18:41 to play.

From there the Trojans, an at-large from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), began to claw their way back into the game. Deal cut the VSU deficit to 13 (49-36) on her running one-hander at the 15:24 mark, but the Huskies appeared to remain in full control following a pair of free throws from Noack and a lay-in by Kaminski for a 53-36 advantage and continued to hold a 17-point lead through the 12:20 mark when Ford poured in a jumper for a 57-40 lead.



VSU refused to go away, however, embarking on a 12-2 run to slice the Huskies lead to single digits for the first time since the midway point of the first half. With the score at 59-52, Ford began the final swing in momentum by connecting on a key 15-foot jumper to give the Huskies their first field goal in over eight minutes.

Adair hit two free throws to pull the Trojans back within seven, but a second chance opportunity for the Huskies led to a 3-pointer from Brianna Dudeck (Sugarloaf/Hazleton) following an offensive rebound by Erica Maciejewski (Red Lion/Red Lion) for a double-digit lead once more at 64-54 with 3:01 to go.

Dudeck's long-range shot started a game-ending 14-3 sprint for the Huskies over the final three minutes to put the game away.

"We said (in a timeout), 'Listen, as long as we defend and keep them off the glass and don't give up easy baskets we'll be fine,'" Bloomsburg head coach Bill Cleary said. "If we didn't score it wasn't the end of the world. Particularly this year our defense has been very tough. Our ladies have done a fantastic job of buying in and being very disciplined."

Five Huskies worked their way into double figure scoring with Noack netting a game-high 19 points to power the offense. Adreana Sadowski (Fleetwood/Brandywine Heights) added 13 points and six rebounds while Ford and Marla Simmons (Lebanon/Cedar Crest) recorded 11 points apiece. Kaminski tallied a career-high 10 points as well as four assists.

Adair led the way for Virginia State with 18 points and Deal finished with 14 points and six boards.

Next up is Glenville State, the host of the Atlantic Regional, which defeated eighth-seeded West Liberty, 82-70, on Friday night. The Pioneers (29-3) lead the nation in scoring, averaging over 98 points per game entering the tournament.

"The way they sub five in, five out and get after it, pushing the ball for 40 minutes, it will be a great contrast," Cleary said. "Glenville is one of the best offenses we've seen and I'd like to think our defense is one of the toughest that they've come up against. It's going to be a great battle and we're looking forward to the challenge."

GAME NOTES: Bloomsburg finished off a perfect day at the Atlantic Regional for Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference teams, as third-seeded Gannon defeated sixth-seeded Shaw, 76-70, in the early game Friday and second-seeded Edinboro escaped an upset attempt by seventh-seeded Charleston (WV), 64-62...Gannon and Edinboro will meet in Saturday's other semifinal. Saturday's winners advance to Monday's Regional Championship Game...Virginia State led the battle of the boards 42-39...Bloomsburg had 19 assists on 26 made field goals, led by Ford's five...the Huskies shot 44.8 percent from the floor for the game (26-58) while holding VSU to 33.8 percent (22-65)...Bloomsburg's last NCAA Tournament win was over West Chester, 91-87, in 2001...the Huskies have now won their last four NCAA Tournament games against non-PSAC opponents...Friday's game marked the 25th win for the Huskies in 2013-14, breaking a tie with the 2012-13 and 2000-01 seasons. Bloomsburg has only won more games in three seasons: 1988-89 (28); 2011-12 (26) and 1990-91 (26)...the Huskies broke the all-time school season record for assists and now have 530 on the year. The old record was 522 set by the 2011-12 team...Virginia State entered Friday with just two losses, both coming at the hands of CIAA champion Shaw...Friday was the second meeting between schools, with the Huskies owning a 2-0 all-time record vs. VSU.

COURTESY BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

University of the District of Columbia Women’s Basketball Falls to Stonehill in NCAA East Regional Quarterfinals

Telisha Turner led all scorers with 27 points.
Courtesy: UDC Athletics

WALTHAM, Massachusetts  – The University of the District of Columbia women's basketball team's storybook 2013-14 season came to a close in the NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament quarterfinals as the No. 5 seeded Firebirds were defeated by No. 4 seed Stonehill, 79-61 on Friday night at the Dana Center.

 

UDC (21-8) led by as many as 10 points in the first half, but runs by the Skyhawks where they outscored the Firebirds 12-3 midway through the period and 4-0 in the final minute, resulted in a mere one-point lead (34-33) at halftime for UDC.

 

After trading blows for the first five minutes of the second half, Stonehill took control of the game with a 17-2 run over a span of about six minutes to take a commanding, 57-44 lead with 8:37 left to play. The Firebirds, who shot just 25-percent from the field in the second half, could get no closer than 10 points the rest of the way as the Skyhawks out-scored UDC, 46-27 in the closing period en-route to a comfortable, 18-point margin of victory.

 

Junior transfer guard Telisha Turner (Criminal Justice – Wilmington, DE/Harcum), a First Team All-ECC selection, led all scorers with 27 points. She shot 6-of-12 and finished with 17 points in the first half, but cooled off considerably in the second half as she made just 2-of-10 field goals (0-for-5 from behind-the-arc). Junior forward Denikka Brent (Mechanical Engineering – Chesapeake, VA/Booker T. Washington HS) also posted her seventh double-double of the season with 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass.

 

Stonehill (19-9), who out-shot the Firebirds 43-percent to 32-percent from the field and 35-percent to 32-percent from three-point range, featured a much more balanced offensive attack that saw five different Skyhawk players score in double-figures. Sophomore reserve guard Shannon Brown led the way with 18 points in 21 minutes off the bench, and senior guard Mary Louise Dixon, a First Team All-East Region selection, added 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Forward Tori Faieta and guard Paige Marshall gave the Firebirds fits inside as they scored 14 points apiece and together combined for 21 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass.

 

After winning the rebounding battle, 21-20 in the first half, UDC was out-rebounded 26-16 in the second half and allowed Stonehill 15 second-chance points on nine offensive rebounds. Also, UDC's bench, which had been a strength all year long, simply did not come alive in the second half to compensate for Turner's second half struggles. The Skyhawks outscored the Firebirds 21-9 for the night in bench points, including a 14-0 advantage in the second half.

 

The Firebirds say goodbye to four departing seniors who helped the program win its first ever East Coast Conference championship, earn its sixth 20-win season, and return to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the sixth time and the second time in three years. Those seniors are: Julissa Anderson, Snezana Blagojevic, Milena Bubnjevic and Teara Shaw.

 

Also along the way, head coach Lester Butler, Jr. surpassed 150 career wins in his 10^th season at UDC, and Telisha Turner surpassed 1,000 career points.

 

Box Score

 

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SPORTS INFORMATION

Nova Southeastern Pulls Away From Benedict Lady Tigers, 75-61

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida  --  The top-seed Nova Southeastern University Sharks scored the final 14 points of the game to pull away from a close contest and escaped with a 75-61 victory over Benedict College in the first round of the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament on Friday in the Don Taft University Center on the campus of NSU.

The final score doesn't reflect how close a game it was between the No. 1 seed and the No. 8 seed. There were 10 lead changes and the score was tied 12 times.

 "Coming in, we knew it was going to be a real tough game. Nova is a very good offensive team. Their motion offense is really hard to guard. We knew it was going to be an uphill battle, but we were up for the challenge."

Benedict ends its season at 20-10. The Sharks, 26-4, advance to the semifinals on Saturday, where they will play Albany State, which defeated the Delta State in the final game on Friday.

The Lady Tigers took a 59-56 lead with 6:04 left to play on a jumper by Ashley Thompson. But from that point on, Benedict scored just two points - a jumper by Santera Grooms with 4:29 left to play to tie the game at 61. Benedict did not score in the final 4:29, missing four shots and turning the ball over four times. Nova Southeastern, on the other hand, made three-of-four field goal attempts and six-of-seven free throws in the same span.

Sophomore KaDeeja Vaughn led Benedict with 14 points and seven rebounds. Ashley Thompson, Britenique Harrison and Jasmine Stubbs all added nine points.

Taylor Buie led Nova Southeastern with 23 points. Richelle Carach added 15 points. Amanda Burakoski had a game-high 11 rebounds.

Benedict, which came into the came as the nation's leader in field goal defense, held the Sharks to 33 percent shooting in the first half. Nova Southeastern led 32-28 at the break.

The Sharks led 46-40 with 14:22 left to play, but Benedict rallied back to tie the game at 48 with 10:20 to play. The game stayed close the rest of the way until Nova Southeastern pulled away at the end.

"I thought it was quite a battle," said Nova Southeastern head coach Lee Ann Freeland. "Benedict came ready to play. Coach Rice did an amazing job scouting us and putting together a game plan. I thought their ladies fought to the very end. I give my ladies credit for weathering the storm."

It was a much different effort for the Lady Tigers than an early season 39-point loss to the Sharks on this same court.

"I told our team we had to stick to our defensive principles. The last time we played them, we didn't do that," Benedict head coach James Rice said.

"We thought we had a chance to take the lead, and that pumped us up," said senior Santera Grooms, whose layup and two free throws gave Benedict a 57-56 lead with 6:54 left to play.

Vaughn said this game will only serve as motivation for the players who will be returning for next season like herself. "This is going to motivate everyone to work hard in the offseason," Vaughn said.

Box Score

COURTESY BENEDICT COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

Shaw Closes Out Season With 76-70 Loss To Gannon

GLENVILLE, West Virginia -- Despite double-digit scoring from four players -- and double-doubles by two -- the Shaw University women's basketball team took a hard 76-70 loss to Gannon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Jesse R. Lilly Gymnasium on the campus of Glenville State College.

 

"It was the type of game we expected," said Shaw head coach Jacques Curtis.  "We knew they had a high quality team.  Our kids played hard, we got after them, but we came up a bit short."

The Bears were missing two key players -- Kaula Jacks and Ariel Hatcher -- because of injuries and were down to an eight-person roster.

"I think our girls stepped up and played well today because we were missing our second and third leading scorers," said Curtis.  "We knew we had our back to the wall, missing two ingredients, but they stepped up all year and did it today.  We just fell short."

Bryann Guyton, who had 14 points, added, "I saw my teammates stepping up.  We knew they were a great team and we got out on their shooters, but we fell short."

With the loss, Shaw finishes its season 21-9.  Gannon, now 28-3, will face the winner of the Edinboro-Charleston (WV) matchup Saturday.

Both Micah Brooks and Kamiya Burwell had 19 points for the Lady Bears in the loss.  Burwell coupled her points with 11 assists for a double-double, while teammate Verdine Warner had 11 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double of her own.

Jen Papich led the Lady Golden Knights with 15 points while Nettie Blake added 12.  A total of ten Gannon players -- two more than Shaw had on the floor -- scored.  Papich fell short of the double-double with nine rebounds.

Overall, Gannon outrebounded Shaw (42-38), outshot the Lady Bears (44.8 percent to 40.0), and hit a higher percentage from the free throw line (88.9 percent to 60.9 percent).

Shaw held an early lead, but Gannon found its footing in the last ten minutes of the first half and never looked back.

The two teams started slowly, with the Lady Bear zone defense appearing to bother Gannon, while Shaw hit only 33 percent of their early attempts.

At the 11:54 mark, Shaw held a 10-8 lead, with the Lady Golden Knights hitting only 23 percent of their shots.

By the next media time out (7:43), Gannon had taken a 16-13 lead and had improved their shooting percentage to 33 percent.

With 6:07 left in the first half, Kelley Sundberg hit a three that extended the Gannon lead to 21-17.  The Lady Bears got a single free throw, then Gannon ran off nine straight to extend their lead to 12 points, 30-18 before Guyton hit a pair of free throws to stop the scoring drought and cut the Gannon lead to 30-20.

The teams all but exchanged buckets the rest of the first half, with Guyton hitting a basket with three seconds left on the clock to send the two teams to the locker room with Gannon holding a 37-29 lead.
Down 12 with 14:44 left in the game, Shaw scored eight straight, including a long three from Burwell that started the run.  With 12:58 left, Guyton drove for a layup the cut the Lady Golden Knight lead to only four, 49-45.

The Lady Golden Knights scored 14 of the next 20 points to extend the lead back to double digits at 63-51 with 8:42 left.

The lead hovered at the eight-to-ten point mark for the next six minutes.  With 2:51 left, Micah Brooks hit a three to cut the Gannon lead to 73-66.  Burwell followed with a layup, trimming the lead to five with 1:37 left in the game.

The Lady Bears could get no closer, and Gannon extended their lead by one to close out the game with the 76-70 victory.
For Shaw, it is time to look ahead.  Guyton,  a sophomore, felt the loss might lead to bigger things next year.

"Falling short today definitely makes us hungrier for next year.  We just have to come out stronger.  We've seen what we have to correct and will work on that in the offseason.  We'll come out strong next year.

Audio | Video | Live stats || Box Score | Preview

COURTESY SHAW UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SWAC Tournament: AAMU Advances to SWAC Semi-Finals

HOUSTON, Texas -- Justan Banks earned his third straight double-double in the quarterfinal round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament from the Toyota Center Thursday night. He and Brandon Ellis combined for 34 points and 19 rebounds.

Ellis scored 18 points while Banks added 16 points and 11 rebounds.

AAMU (14-15) will play eighth-seeded Prairie View A&M Friday in the semifinal game. Prairie View knocked off the No. 1 seed Southern 64-46 Wednesday. The Bulldogs swept the regular season series between the two schools.

The AAMU defense stymied the Golden Lions in the first half, limiting them to just 10 points in the first 17 minutes of play, as the Bulldogs held a 34-18 halftime advantage.

UAPB started the second half strong as Ghiavonni Robinson knocked down a three pointer and DaVon Haynes followed with a dunk to cut the lead to 34-23 but could get no closer than 52-42.
Tevin Hammond led UAPB (13-18) with COUR14 points. Haynes chipped in 13 points and five rebounds.

 

BOX SCORE

 

COURTESY SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS

MEAC Tournament: Black's Offense, Chiles' Defense Propels Morgan State To Win, 81-68

NORFOLK, Virginia — Justin Black scored 21 of his game-high 29 points in the second half and Ian Chiles spearheaded the defense as Morgan State defeated Florida A&M, 81-68 in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament at the Norfolk Scope. 

The Bears (15-13), the Number 3 seed, advance to the semifinal round where they will play Coppin State, the Number 7 seed on Friday at 8 pm.The two teams played it close through the first 20 minutes.  The Rattlers (14-18), the Number 6 seed, were led in scoring by guard Jamie Adams and Christopher Rozier, who combined for 12 points.  Morgan State countered with Black (8) and Chiles (6) who had 14 points between them as the Bears led 31-29 at intermission.

In the second half, Morgan State began to impose its defensive will on Florida A&M.  The 7-2 senior center blocked only two shots, but his presence helped alter a number of shots and caused indecision from the Rattlers, who missed seven of their first eight shots.

The Bears would later take advantage when they reeled off a 14-0 run during a four-minute stretch to increase the lead to 52-36 at the 14:24 mark. Black was sizzling, connecting on seven of eight from the floor in the second half.  Chiles aided the cause as he contributed nine of his points in the second stanza.

"He's a rim protector and that's what we told him," said Morgan State head coach Todd Bozeman of Chiles. "The thing he did today that he hadn't done a lot this year is he just kept his hands up he didn't really come down. I thought they were fouling him, coming underneath him a lot, but I thought he did a good job. We had some breakdowns, but for the most part they did a good job."

Black, a first team All-MEAC selection, connected on 10 of 14 from the floor while adding nine rebounds and three assists to his stat line.

"Black scored his points and I'm not taking anything away anything from anyone else," said Florida A&M head coach Clemon Johnson. "Our biggest factor was the 7-footer. Because Black was driving to the basket and now I have a 7-footer behind him, what do I do? Do I let Black drive or throw the lob to the 7-footer. I told my guys to stay with the 7-footer; we don't want them to get these dunks and get them really motivated. So we had to give up one or the other. He had a philosophy, we were supposed to be pushing Black back toward the middle, but he'd give a head-fake or shoulder-fake and we'd jump and then of course he'd take off baseline and there was nothing we could do to cut him off."

The lead expanded to 17 before Florida A&M fought its way back on the scoring of Adams, a second team All-MEAC honoree, and cut the deficit to 74-64 with 2:38left.  But the Bears spread the floor and ran isolation plays for Black.  When the first team All-MEAC selection was not scoring, he set up teammates Cedric Blossom (12 points) and Anthony Hubbard (9 points, 11 rebounds).The Rattlers, who had beaten the Bears at their place late in the season, were hurt by the lack of production from Reggie Lewis, their second leading scorer and by the inside dominance.  Lewis went scoreless and Morgan State held a 48-31 advantage on the boards, including 20-10 on the offensive glass and 40-28 edge in points in the paint.

Adams led Florida A&M with 26 and Jomari Bradshaw tallied 12. Chiles finished with 15 and Blossom with 12 for the Bears.

The Bears swept their crosstown rival Coppin State this season, but both games were hard fought.  It is one of the most intense rivalries in the MEAC.

"To me it's just another game," said Chiles, a first team All-MEAC selection. "It's a rivalry game, yes. They're from Baltimore and we're from Baltimore, but it's just another game to us. We've had some success against Coppin and we hope to continue that tomorrow."

Bear Notes
Ian Chiles eclisped the 1,000 mark and currently has 1,010 career points


COURTESY MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS

MEAC Tournament: Norfolk State Spartans Top Savannah State, 57-47; Advance to Face NCCU Friday

NORFOLK, Virginia – The Norfolk State men's basketball team held Savannah State to a nearly eight-minute scoring drought in the second half, and NSU came out victorious over the Tigers by a 57-47 score on Thursday evening in the quarterfinal round of the MEAC tournament.

The victory propelled No. 4 seed NSU (19-13) into the semifinals of the tournament at Scope Arena, where the Spartans will face No. 1 seed North Carolina Central on Friday at 6 p.m.

The Spartans were only up by one at the break but led the entire second half of the game. NSU scored seven straight out of intermission, but the big run did not start until No. 5 seed Savannah State had cut the deficit to just one thanks to a 9-2 run with 12 and a half minutes left.

Up 33-32 at the point, NSU put together a 13-0 run, sparked at first by a trey from senior Pendarvis Williams at the 10:32 mark with the shot clock winding down. Senior Marese Phelps followed with a trey from the right corner, Williams converted a 3-point play around a media timeout, and Phelps finished off the spurt with a fastbreak layup that had the green and gold crowd on its feet.

Savannah State finally broke that nearly eight-minute scoreless streak with 4:47 left, part of a 9-0 effort from the Tigers over the next two minutes that made it 46-41 with less than three minutes left. NSU, though, hit 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch - after starting the game just 1-of-6 - to ice the win.

Williams had a big game for the Spartans, hitting 7-of-11 field goals and finishing with 20 points and three steals.

Senior Brandon Goode was the only other NSU player in double figures, as he tallied 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting with six rebounds and three blocks.

Jyles Smith led Savannah State (13-17) with 15 points, six boards and three blocks as well.

In the first half, NSU had a couple of putbacks to get going at the start of the game before the Tigers knocked down a pair of treys in less than a minute. Williams then countered with a pair of long jumpers to erase SSU's four-point lead. Goode had a putback layin at the 8:25 mark to cap a 12-2 run for the Spartans, giving NSU an 18-12 lead.

Junior Jamel Fuentes had a pair of successful drives to the lane to keep the lead at six with less than five minutes in the half. Deven Williams, though, knocked down a 3-pointer from the right corner with 6.8 seconds left to cut the Spartan lead to 24-23 heading into the break.

NSU held a 10-2 advantage in second chance points during the opening stanza.

Norfolk State also committed just eight turnovers on the night, compared to 14 for the Tigers, and held an 18-6 advantage in points off turnovers.

SSU only shot 5-of-10 from the free throw line. The Spartans sank 13-of-19, including 12-of-13 at the end.

NSU also connected on 21-of-47 from the floor (44.7 percent) while holding SSU to 19-of-49 shooting (38.8 percent).

Sophomore RaShid Gaston finished with seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Box Score

Mike Bello, Asst. SID
NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Area Coaches Invited to A&M Spring Practice

Dear Coach,

Spring Practice is an exciting time of the year for all coaching staffs.  Here on "The Hill", we are counting down the days!  We will take the practice field 15 times this Spring, beginning on Friday, April 4^th and culminating with our annual Spring Game on Saturday, April 26^th at 7:00 pm in scenic Louis Crews Stadium.

Our practices are always open to High School coaches and players and we encourage you to visit as often as possible this Spring.

I would like to extend a special invitation for Wednesday, April 16, as our staff will host a High School Coaches Clinic & Social.  Registration will open at 4:30 pm in the stadium press box and the event will begin at 5:00 pm.  A controlled scrimmage will follow at 7:00 pm.  This will be a great opportunity to socialize and chalk talk the Pistol Offense and Defensive schemes and then see them in action!   We will provide food and beverage, for a minimal fee, as mandated by the NCAA.

I look forward to seeing everyone on April, 16 at 4:30 pm and throughout Spring practice.

If you have any questions, or would like to RSVP for the Coaches Clinic & Social, please contact Matt Sanders at 256-372-4014 or matthew.sanders@aamu.edu.

Go Bulldogs,

James Spady
Head Football Coach
Alabama A&M Bulldogs

A&M Football Alumni invited to First Spring Practice

Dear AAMU Football Letter Winner,

It is my sincere hope that this letter finds you doing well and eagerly anticipating this new era of Alabama A&M football!  Currently, we are grinding through winter conditioning and counting down the days until Spring practice begins on "The Hill".  Your Bulldogs will take the practice field 15 times this Spring, beginning on Friday, April 4^th and culminating with our annual Spring Game on Saturday, April 26^th at 7:00 pm in beautiful Louis Crews Stadium.

I cannot put into words how vital the support of the AAMU alumni base is to our success, both on and off the field.  Your hard work and dedication has built the tradition that is Bulldog football, and it is important to us that our alums are connected with the program in a unique way.

I would like to extend a special invitation for you to attend the first practice of 2014, on Friday, April 4^th.  This "Friday Night Under the Lights with the Bulldogs" AAMU Alumni Event will offer you inside access into Bulldog football. Sign-in will open at 5:00 pm in the George H. Hobson Athletic Field House, with the event beginning at 5:30 pm.   The new era of AAMU football will follow with practice at 7:00 pm.  This will be a great opportunity to interact with the new coaching staff and get an exclusive look at the 2014 Bulldogs.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the event on April, 4 at 5:00 pm.

If you have any questions, or would like to RSVP for the AAMU Alumni Day, please contact Matt Sanders at 256-372-4014 or matthew.sanders@aamu.edu.

Go Bulldogs,

James Spady
Head Football Coach Alabama A&M