UNA Lions End Season with 93-87 Loss to Tuskegee Tigers in Regional Semifinal

LAKELAND, Florida  --  The University of North Alabama men’s basketball team could not overcome a 16-point second-half deficit in a 93-87 loss to Tuskegee Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. The loss wraps up the Lions’ season with a 23-10 record.

Tuskegee (20-11) shot 51 percent from the floor, including several baskets at point blank range. The Golden Tigers led 50-36 at the half and held off a late UNA surge over the final 20 minutes of play.

“We got behind and couldn’t get over the hump,” said UNA head coach Bobby Champagne. “We battled back but just couldn’t get it done. I’d like to give a lot of credit to Tuskegee. They played tremendous last night against Florida Southern and continued to do so tonight.”

The Lions held an early 11-8 lead before Tuskegee went on a 20-9 run to take control. UNA never regained the lead.

Trailing 56-40 early in the second half, North Alabama was able to close the gap to single digits. A basket by Rashaun Claiborne cut the lead to 58-50 with 15:37 remaining. After the Golden Tigers regained an 11-point advantage, UNA went on a 7-0 run to pull to within four.

The Tuskegee lead never got above eight the rest of the way, but North Alabama could never get closer than three. After UNA closed the gap to four on two different occasions, a late Tuskegee surge pushed the lead back to 84-76 with 2:55 remaining.

The Lions used a 7-2 spurt to make the score 86-83 at the 1:10 mark and got a steal by Tyler Pritchard in the final minute of play. The defensive play led to a three-point attempt by Marquel Darrington. The shot, however, rattled in and out before Tuskegee grabbed the defensive rebound.

After the Golden Tigers made only one of two free throws, a runner by Claiborne again rattled out and fell to Tuskegee’s possession. Kevin May made both free throws at the other end and the Lions would get no closer than six the rest of way.

Bruce Adams led the Lions with 21 points. Rashaun Claiborne and Nathan Spehr added 18 points each. Claiborne, who added 12 rebounds on the night, wrapped up his two-year career at UNA with 999 points. Calvin Dade rounded out the top scorers for the Lions with 10 points.

Senior Wes Long turned in eight points to go over 1,000 points for his career. He went over the mark with a three-point basket at the 16:06 mark in the second half and finishes his career with 1,002 points, including 247 three-pointers.

“I’d trade all 1,000 points for a win tonight,” said Long. “It was just tough for us to match Tuskegee’s fire. We just didn’t have enough intensity.”

Six players reached double figures in scoring for the Golden Tigers. Richard Dixon turned in a game-high 22 points for Tuskegee.

Printable Box Score COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA SPORTS INFORMATION

JCSU Women's Track and Field Places Second at the 2014 NCAA DII Indoor Championships

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  -- The Johnson C. Smith University women's indoor track and field team finished second overall at the 2014 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships held at the JDL Fast Track. JCSU recorded 59 team points, while Adams State University won the title with a score of 67. The Golden Bulls made a dramatic improvement from their seventh place finish in the 2013 NCAA DII Indoor Championships.

Senior and reigning USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year Danielle Williams (St. Andrew, Jamaica) had a superior performance during the championships. Williams won individual national titles in three events (60m dash, 60m hurdles, and 200m dash).


JCSU's Danielle Williams and Samantha Elliott placed 1st and 2nd, respectivley in the 60m hurdles event at the 2014 NCAA DII Indoor Championships held at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, NC.

In the 60m hurdles, Williams and junior teammate Samantha Elliott (Kingston, Jamaica) claimed first and second place on the medal stand. Williams won with a time of 8.12 to earn 10 team points, while Elliott finished in 8.32 seconds for eight team points. Williams won the 60m dash event in 7.32 seconds; an improvement from her preliminary time of 7.42 on day one. Elliott placed fifth in the 60m dash with a time of 7.53 seconds. Those combined results added 14 points to the team total.

Williams established a new JDL Fast Track facility record with her time in the 200m dash. She surpassed the facility mark of 24.05 with her event winning time of 23.80 seconds. Elliott placed in eighth in the event clocking 24.75 at the finish line. Their results added another 11 points to the team score.

Sophomore Tovea Jenkins (St. James, Jamaica) took third overall in the 400m dash. Jenkins picked up six points finishing in 55.15 seconds; an improvement from her preliminary time of 55.90 on day one.

The 4x400m relay team of Jenkins, Elliott, freshman Crystal Campbell (St. Catherine, Jamaica), and freshman Domenique Julius-Williams (Ontario, Canada) brought home the fourth event title for JCSU. The quartet won the event and set a new facility record with a time of 3:43.33.

The five JCSU competitors will return with 11 All-American honors.

JCSU women's track and field concludes the indoor season and begins the outdoor season. The Golden Bulls will compete in the UNC-Charlotte 49ers Classic on March 21-22 at the Irwin Belk Track on the campus of UNCC.

2014 DII INDOOR T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS
Championship Photo Gallery
Final (W): Adams State wins title with 67 points
Final (M): St. Augustine earns 34th national title
Day 2 men's video recap
Day 2 women's video recap
Day 1 (W): Grand Valley State lead after five events
Day 1 (M): Adams State has 29, leads field
Day 1 video recap
Complete Results | Qualifiers released

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Lincoln Blue Tigers Finish Third At The NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships

The Lincoln (MO) Women's team took 3rd place with an overall total of 47.00 points
during the Division II Men's and Womenâ??s Indoor Track and Field Championships
 held at the JDL Fast Track in Clemmons, NC, Saturday March 15, 2014.

Credit: Bruce Chapman/NCAA Photos

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Thirteen members of the Lincoln women's track & field team combined to turn in 11 All-American performances as the Blue Tigers took third at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships. The Blue Tigers finished with 47 points on Saturday (March 15), the final day of the two-day national title meet.

Yanique Ellington led Lincoln in two events, finishing third in the 60m (7.50) and fourth in the 200m (24.01) to twice earn All-American status. Twishana Williams was also a two-time All-American performer, taking third in the mile in 4:53.08 and joining with Monique Thompson, Donna-Lee Hylton and Jhevere Hall to finish third in the distance medley relay (11:46.70).

Thompson also earned All-American honors individually in the 800m, finishing fourth with a time of 2:10.54. Hylton, meanwhile, earned multiple All-American distinctions as a member of relay teams, as she also joined with Kimberly Bailey, Tamara Keane and Lovan Palmer to take eighth in the 4x400m relay.

The Blue Tigers had multiple individual All-American winners in three events, including the 200m, where Janae Johnson finished sixth after clocking in at 24.61. Ladonna Richards and Juneille Barker were both All-American performers in the 60m hurdles, with Richards finishing fourth (8.39) and Barker taking seventh (8.56). In the long jump, Nickeisha Beaumont placed fourth (5.94m) while Shakeisha Miller ended in sixth (5.80m).

Also competing on Saturday was Jonelle Campbell, who earned the right to represent Lincoln in the triple jump. Campbell finished 17th in that event, posting a longest distance of 11.53m.

Adams State picked up 67 team points to win the national championship while Johnson C. Smith finished second with 59 points. The Blue Tigers edged out fourth-place Grand Valley State (44 points) for third while Ashland (30 points) rounded out the top five. With Lincoln's third-place finish, the Blue Tigers' dynasty continues, as LU has now finished in the top three at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships in nine of the past 11 years.

With the indoor season complete, the Lincoln women's track & field team will now be off for two weeks before opening the outdoor season in St. Louis, Mo. from March 28-29 at the Washington University in St. Louis Invite.

NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championship Central

Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY BLUE TIGERS ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

from THE EDITOR: Some Folks Should Stop Whining!

Dwight Floyd
THE EDITOR
http://sportsedit.org/

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- This is in response to the ESPN article: Coach K: ACC deserves respect.

The best of the NCAA college men’s basketball teams make it into the playoffs. The best of the rest don’t, however it is fair and most entertaining.

As I perused the most talked about predictions, ESPN Joe Lanardi’s Bracketology, I saw a lot of teams that were close in talent, making it almost impossible to predict where the so called upsets will come from. Some would say that there is great parity in the college ranks and I would not necessarily disagree. It is just that the dispersion of talent is not as equal as we would like.

In their parings the NCAA selection committee does more to ...

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Lincoln Captures 2014 ECAC Men's Basketball Championship & Secures 20th Season Victory

FAIRFIELD, Connecticut – The Lions were crowned the 2014 ECAC Men's Basketball Tournament Champions after a 65-49 victory against Caldwell College notching their 20th win of the season. Senior guard George Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) was named ECAC Tournament MVP after posting a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Four players netted double figures as the Lions shot 36% from the field and made six three-pointers. Defensively, Lincoln forced Caldwell into 15 turnovers and held them to 32% shooting from the field.

Derrick Washington (Washington, DC/Coolidge SHS) and Tony Efese (Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional HS) led the Lions bench in scoring. Washington had a game-high 15 points while Efese had 13 points, four steals, three assists, and two blocks. George Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) had 12 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists and Justin Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) finished with 12 points also.

The Lions were crowned the 2014 ECAC Men's Basketball Tournament Champions
after a 65-49  victory against Caldwell College notching their 20th win of the season.
Senior guard George Jackson was named ECAC Tournament MVP after posting
 a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lions led the entire way in their battle with the Cougars. In the opening half, the Lions held an 18-7 advantage after a Will Cole (Newark, NJ/Cesar Chavez HS) made basket in the paint giving Lincoln their first double digit lead. The duo of Tony Efese (Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional HS) and Derrick Washington (Washington, DC/Coolidge SHS) carried the offensive load from off the bench combining for 15 points. Lincoln also out-rebounded Caldwell 26-16 and grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and carried a 33-24 lead into the half.

In a valiant effort, Caldwell fought their way back into the contest and went on a 10-0 run in the second half cutting the lead to 43-41 at the 10:29 mark. Derrick Washington (Washington, DC/Coolidge SHS) put the Lions on his shoulders and hit back-to-back jump shots for some much needed breathing room. The Lions closed the game on a 22-6 run in the final nine minutes of action and captured their first post season championship with a 65-49 win over Caldwell.

George Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS), Justin Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS), Derrick Washington (Washington, DC/Coolidge SHS), Chris Kinney (Washington, DC/Theodore Roosevelt SHS), and Stefan Washington ended their collegiate career with a win and more importantly brought The Lincoln University their first ECAC Championship as an NCAA Division II institution. The Lions conclude their 2013-14 season with an overall record of 20-9.

Box Score

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NCCU Eagles Soar To MEAC Tournament Championship; Earn Berth Into Big Dance

NORFOLK, Virginia  – Jeremy Ingram's game-high 29 points coupled with clutch shooting and tenacious defense down-the-stretch was all North Carolina Central University needed to earn its first trip to the NCAA Tournament after taking down third-seeded Morgan State 71-62 in the 2014 MEAC Basketball Tournament Championship Game on Saturday night inside the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.

The win gives NCCU 20-straight victories, ties the single season record for wins in school history and ends a 64-year old drought as the Eagles last won a conference tournament championship in 1950.



The 87th meeting between the Eagles and Bears shaped up to be a heavyweight title fight with as the maroon and gray led for most of the frame behind the torrid start by Ingram, as the MEAC Player of the Year, scored 18 points in the first half, while Morgan State's Justin Black was saddled with foul trouble early.  The Charlotte, N.C. product finished the first half shooting 7-for-10 from-the-field, including 3-for-3 from three-point range, while Black was 0-for-4 shooting and logged just 10 minutes scoreless with two assists and a turnover.

Despite the foul issues, the Bears used 7-2 Ian Chiles, who caused problems for the maroon and gray through the first half finishing with 10 points, with six ties and three lead changes through the first 20 minutes.

With NCCU ahead 31-29, Morgan State used a last-second shot by Anthony Hubbard to send the game into the locker knotted up at 31 apiece.

In the second half, the Eagles used a Karamo Jawara (Bergen, Norway) three-pointer along with a couple of Alfonzo Houston foul shots around the 17-minute mark to give NCCU a five-point cushion at 38-33, but Chiles willed the Bears back to tie at 39 with a hoop-and-the-harm with 15:41 remaining.

Ingram and the Eagles responded with one of his four three-pointers to take the lead back at 42-39 with 14:39 remaining in the game, but Black returned the favor with a three-point play to tie the game back up at 42 with 13:13 left.

Perhaps the play that turned the momentum in came with on the next possession as Jawara threw down a vicious dunk thanks to a spectacular pass from senior Emanuel Chapman (Raleigh, N.C.) which sent the partisan NCCU crowd into a frenzy.

From that point forward, the Eagles led by as much as seven, but a Blake Bozeman layup made it 52-50 with 5:22 to go, when senior Reggie Groves (Raleigh, N.C.) drilled a step-back three-pointer to stretch the lead back out to five at 55-50 as the Scope erupted.

The final dagger came from the tournament's most outstanding performer with 1:59 left as he drilled a 17-foot jumper to make it 61-54 as the Eagles scored the next 10 points from the foul line and the celebration ensued.

Ingram ended the game with 29 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field, while Jawara added 10 points with six rebounds.

As a team, the Eagles shot 26-for-33 (78.8 percent) from the foul line and finished 7-for-13 from three-point range.  On the other hand, the Bears were just 5-for-21 (23.8 percent) from-the-outside.

The NCCU defense frustrated Black all night as he ended up with nine points on 3-for-10 shooting as he fouled out of the game.  Chiles finished with a career-high 26 points and six rebounds in the loss.

Morgan State (15-16, 11-5 MEAC) ends the year with another loss in the championship game as the Bears have competed in six-of-the-last-seven finals in the conference tournament.

Fifth year head coach LeVelle Moton earned the Tournament's Most Outstanding Coach award as Ingram was also named to the MEAC All-Tournament team, which is listed below:

2014 MEAC All-Tournament team
Jeremy Ingram, North Carolina Central
Pendarvis Williams, Norfolk State
Du'Vaughn Maxwell, Hampton
Justin Black, Morgan State
James Daniel, Howard

Tournament Most Outstanding Performer
Jeremy Ingram, North Carolina Central

Tournament Most Outstanding Coach
 LeVelle Moton, North Carolina Central

 NCCU (28-5, 15-1 MEAC) will know their fate on Sunday night at 6:00 p.m.as CBS will air the NCAA Tournament Selection Show to announce the 68-team field.  Stay tuned to www.NCCUEaglePride.com for updates.

Visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com or download the NCCU Sports Network app available in the App Store, Google Play and Amazon for the latest on NCCU Athletics.

Box Score

Chris Hooks, Assistant Sports Information Director/Broadcast Media Coordinator

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION         

NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament - Tuskegee 98, Florida Southern 95: Golden Tigers upset top-seeded Mocs

LAKELAND, Florida  -- Senior Elliot Dean scored 31 points in leading Tuskegee to a 98-95 upset win over top-seeded Florida Southern in the South Regional quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II tournament Saturday.

Senior Richard Dixon added 23 points off bench as the eighth-seeded Golden Tigers (19-11) will play either fourth-seeded North Alabama in today’s regional semifinals.

The game will be at 6:30 p.m.

Tuskegee and North Alabama split their home-away series this season.

Kevin Capers scored a game-high 46 points on 17-of-30 shooting for the No. 10-ranked Mocs (26-5). The rest of the team shot 17-of-52 from the field.

Tuskegee, which lost 106-90 to Florida Southern in December, returned to Jenkins Field House to beat Florida Southern on its home floor.

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XU Fakler wins, Jackson and Rolland 2nd at McNeese meet

Fakler wins, Jackson and Rolland 2nd at McNeese meet

LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana -- Xavier University of Louisiana got a victory from Catherine Fakler, seconds from Zahri Jackson and Devinn Rolland and a fifth-place team finish Saturday in the women's division of the McNeese Cowboy Relays track and field meet.

Fakler (4 minutes, 44.21 seconds) and Jackson (4:47.55) finished 1-2 in the 1,500-meter run. Rolland, already qualified for the NAIA National Championships in May, long-jumped 19 feet, one-half inch to finish second.

Also second was the Gold Nuggets' 400-meter relay team of Chelsea James, Kaylee Moore, Katelyn McMorris and Rolland. Their time was 48.21, which meets the NAIA's B-qualifying standard for the national meet.

The Gold Nuggets scored 67 points and finished ahead of NCAA Division I's Texas Southern and Nicholls State. Louisiana-Lafayette won the women's title with 371 1/2 points.

Best finishes for the XU men were fifth by Christopher Kennie in the long jump (20-6 1/4) and sixth by Brent Kitto in the 1,500 (4:14.84). The Gold Rush scored 10 points and placed sixth among men's teams. McNeese State won that division with 190 points.

The next meet for the Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush will be the Tulane Team Challenge on March 29 at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans.

Results

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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ASU Hornets Football Holds A Fast Pace First Scrimmage

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- The Alabama State University football team held its first spring scrimmage in forty-five minutes and 60 plays at the ASU football practice field, Saturday morning.

The offense was able to move the ball quickly down the field, making big plays where they could, scoring on three of the 60 plays that was ran.  The first of three touchdowns was on a Malcolm Cyrus run down the sideline.  The defense took a stance, allowing the next touchdown to come 24 plays later on another run this time by junior Andre Kincey.  The Hornets offense would see its last touchdown a few possessions later, when red-shirt freshman quarterback Sir Jackson hit Ephriam "EJ" Henderson for a one yard touch.

Those three plays accounted for 87 yards of the 286 offensive yards gained as the Hornets defense had 19 defensive stops, to include four sacks and a fumble recovery.

"Today's goal was to get 60 plays," said head coach Reggie Barlow.  "We wanted to get our work in and give the guys an opportunity to compete, there were some positives that came from the scrimmage today, we wanted to create big plays and Cyrus did that for us today.  Although, I would have liked to see the team create more positive runs, we weren't very effective in the run game.  There were also some inadequate throws and those are the things that we need to get cleaned up its spring ball, but we will look to improve in those areas as much as we can now."

"Our defense came out with great energy and embraced what we were trying to do, you can tell that they were excited to be out here".  "They came out here with the right mind frame, we will go back and watch and critique the film and see where we can get better.  There are still some things that we need to get cleaned up and we will go from there."

All three quarterbacks played with the return of Arsenio Favors leading the way hitting seven of his 12 passes for 58 yards.  Daniel Duhart hit seven of his eight pass attempts for 43 yards, and Jackson was four of six for 24 yards and a touchdown.

Cyrus led the run game for the offense as he totaled 91 yards and one touchdown on four carries, while Jahaad Coleman had nine carries for 36 yards.  Kincey totaled 35 yards and one touchdown carrying the ball six times and had one reception for 11.

DeMario Bell led the receivers with 50 yards for a scrimmage high of three receptions.  Earl Lucas had two catches for 22 yards and Ka'Ra Stewart had 10 yards on two receptions.

Defensively the Hornets were led by a host of players, but Edward Mosley had the most impact with three sacks and four tackles.  Nathaniel Black, James Graves, II and red-shirt freshman Amin Worthy had four tackles apiece.  Worthy had one sack to add to his numbers.  Senior Chris Terry had three stops and a quarterback sack, while Deontrelle Silmon and Ed Murray added three stops apiece.

"We had some guys who did well right off the bat like Mosley, who had two or three sacks created some great pressure for us and I think he did a really good job.  Defensively we wanted to be combative and that's what they did."

ASU will take Sunday and Monday off and will be back on the practice field Tuesday, April 18th at 11 a.m.

Follow Alabama State Athletics via its official website at: www.bamastatesports.com to get all the latest updates.

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

ASU Lady Rams' season ends in NCAA Tournament second round

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida  —  The Albany State women's basketball team built one of its finest seasons in school history with defense.

On Saturday, the Lady Rams finally found an opponent they couldn't contain.

 

No. 1 seed Nova Southeastern flexed its offensive muscles in a 96-69 victory in the South Region semifinals to advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament Sweet 16, ending the Lady Rams' season.

Fifth-seed ASU (22-7) had held 12 straight opponents under 70 points and entered Saturday's game with the eighth-ranked defense in the country, but host NSU pulled ahead early with a bombardment of 3-pointers and never looked back.

 

For Albany State, it put an end to one of its deepest postseason runs in program history.

"You have to appreciate what the girls did this year," ASU coach Robert Skinner said. "They won more than 20 games and got a region tournament win against a really good Delta State team (on Friday). But man, the difference between Delta State and Nova was night and day."

 

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Lincoln Advances to ECAC Championships With 71-68 Victory over Dominican

FAIRFIELD, Connecticut  –  Justin Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) scored 26 points lifting the Lions over Dominican College 71-68 in the Semifinal round of the 2014 ECAC Men's Basketball Tournament on Saturday, March 15^th on the campus of Fairfield University.

Lincoln dominated the opening half with six made shots from three-point range. Justin Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) made 3-of-4 attempts while George Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) made 2-of-4 from downtown. The Lions led the entire first half and opened up a double-digit advantage after back-to-back three's by Derrick Washington (Washington, DC/Coolidge SHS) and Justin Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) giving Lincoln a 32-22 lead at the 6:27 mark in the half.



The Lions continued to click on all cylinders and led 43-26 with three minutes remaining, springing to their largest lead. Defensively, Dominican was forced into 11 turnovers and Lincoln held a 27-14 rebounding advantage. Justin Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) had 17 first half points while Derrick Washington (Washington, DC/Coolidge SHS) added nine points and George Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) has eight as the Lions held a 45-31 lead over the Chargers at halftime.

 In the second half, the Chargers were the aggressors while the Lions struggled from the field. Lincoln shot 34% from the field and only made one three-pointer. After a viscous dunk by Tony Efese (Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional HS) that gave the Lions a 59-44 lead, the Chargers went on a 13-0 run to pull within two points with 6:59 left to play.

Down the stretch, both teams battled and Dominican finally tied the contest at 63-63 at the 4:10 mark.  Tony Efese (Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional HS) gave the Lions a 67-64 lead with two minutes left on consecutive layups. He also played a key role defensively with several rebounds and two blocks on the Chargers. Lincoln held onto a 69-66 lead with 38-seconds after Efese's last layup. Dominican cut the lead to 69-68 with 24-seconds left, but Derrick Washington (Washington, DC/Coolidge SHS) made two crucial free-throws with one second left in regulation and the Lions advanced to the finals with a 71-68 win.

Justin Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) was 10-for-18 from the field including 4-of-6 from three-point range on his way to scoring a game0high 26 points. The Lions bench was led by Derrick Washington (Washington, DC/Coolidge SHS) and Tony Efese (Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional HS) who scored 14 and 12 points, respectively. Washington dished out four assists and Efese grabbed four rebounds against the Chargers. George Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) recorded a career-high 12 rebounds with eight points and Will Cole (Newark, NJ/Cesar Chavez HS) had seven points and seven rebounds.

The Lions advance to the ECAC Championship game where they will face Caldwell College at 4 p.m.

Box Score

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Bluefield State Lady Blues sting WVSU Yellow Jackets in overtime, plays for ECAC title today

FAIRFIELD, Connecticut — Jenaya Abernathy scored 24 points to lead five Bluefield State scorers in double figures, and the Lady Blues defeated West Virginia State 76-70 in overtime in the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) tournament semifinals on Saturday at Fairfield University.

Bluefield State (15-10) will face Goldey Beacom for the ECAC title today at 1 p.m.

Tasia Nolan added 12 points and eight rebounds for Bluefield State, while Kearah Jeffery

The Lady Blues outscored the Yellow Jackets 13-7 in the extra period.

West Virginia State (19-12) was paced by Asia Greenleaf with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Shealyn Shafer (16 points), Lexy Carson (14) and Rachel Ward (12) also reached double figures for the Yellow Jackets.
s, Shay Gravely and Shae Mebane had 10 points each. Mebane also had seven rebounds, Abernathy snared four steals and Jefferys dished out three assists.

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Gold Rush win pair of matches but lose 6-1 at Troy

TROY, Alabama -- Mansingh Athare defeated Jordan Harrell 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 to clinch Troy's 6-1 men's tennis victory against NAIA No. 9 Xavier University of Louisiana on Saturday.

The Gold Rush (4-7) won a singles and doubles match. But the Trojans (3-11) of NCAA Division I eked out the doubles point and won a pair of three-set singles matches.

Winning for Xavier were Kevin Chaouat and Tushar Mandlekar, who beat Athare and Sami Ghorbel 8-5 at No. 2 doubles. It was the fourth victory in five attempts for Chaouat and Mandlekar.

XU's Vincenzo Ciccone scored the lone Gold Rush point with a 7-5, 6-1 victory against Tadju Davies at No. 6 singles. It was Ciccone's first singles victory in more than a month and his second of the semester against an NCAA Division I opponent.
Gabriel Sciacca Dias beat XU's Kyle Montrel 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) at No. 1 singles. That ended Montrel's seven-match win streak in three-setters which do not employ the super tiebreaker.

Troy won the other two doubles matches 8-6, rallying from a 6-3 deficit at No. 1 and a 40-love deficit in the 13th game at No. 3. Xavier's No. 3 team of Viktor Svoboda and Adam Albrecht had tied their match at 6 after trailing 6-2.

"We had some opportunities but just didn't take advantage of them," XU coach Alan Green said. "It will be a learning experience for us."

Xavier's men and women will travel next week for four duals apiece in four days, beginning with 11 a.m. Thursday matchups against Graceland at Nashville, Tenn. Graceland's men are ranked 13th in the NAIA.

Results

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Alabama State football: Kerry Williams has huge shoes to fill at center

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  --  It’s a daunting task to fill the shoes of a four-year starter, but Kerry Williams thinks the tutelage of Edmond Davis paved the way for the sophomore to take over as Alabama State’s starting center.

“He was like a big brother that took me under his wing,” Williams said. “He showed me certain moves to improve my skills at the center position. Having him there made a big impact on me on how to prepare for this year.”

Williams will get his first test as the Hornets’ first-team center this morning in Alabama State’s first scrimmage of the spring, set for 9 a.m. at the Houston Markham Football Complex.

“I want to see how I react in game situations,” he said. “Practice and a game situation are two different things. It’s not five plays and that’s it, it’s the whole game. That tests your conditioning, how hard you push yourself.”

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Wil Jones, flamboyant UDC basketball coach, dies at 75

VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia  -- Wil Jones, an undersized star in the big man’s game of basketball who set scoring records at Dunbar High School and American University and who, as the flamboyant coach at the University of the District of Columbia, led his team to a national championship, died March 12 at a hospital in Virginia Beach. He was 75.

The cause was cancer, his son, William Jones II, said.

Known as Willie Jones when he played in high school and college, Mr. Jones was a 5-foot-9 dynamo on the court and on D.C. playgrounds, where he gleefully took on anyone with the audacity to challenge him.

In the mid-1950s, he was one of the first players in Washington to make regular use of the jump shot, and he is considered one of the finest pure shooters in the city’s storied basketball history. He was a trash talker before anyone invented the term, backing up his taunts with an unstoppable array of hook shots, jump shots and lightning-fast drives to the basket.

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ESU (29-1) Holds Off Livingstone, 99-98, in First Round of NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional

EAST STROUDSBURG, Pennsylvania – Junior guard Whis Grant scored 29 points to lead five double-figure scorers and No. 2-ranked East Stroudsburg University secured the second NCAA postseason win in program history with a 99-98 victory over Livingstone in the first round of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional on Saturday night at Koehler Fieldhouse.

ESU (29-1), the Atlantic Region's No. 1 seed and regional host for the first time in program history, advances to face the winner of tonight's fourth first-round game between No. 4-seed Charleston and No. 5 Gannon.

Mark Thomas scored 36 points and Jody Hill, Jr. had 29 for Livingstone (21-8), the CIAA tournament champion, which scored the final nine points after ESU led 99-89 with 2:48 left, but the Warriors held on.

Thomas missed a jumper, pressured by Grant, with three seconds left and senior forward Zechariah Runkle grabbed the last of his career-high 15 rebounds to secure the victory.

Earlier in the day, No. 3-seed IUP posted a 75-68 win over West Chester, and No. 2-seed West Liberty, the three-time regional champion, won 88-72 over Glenville State.

The victory is ESU's first NCAA postseason win since 1990 and comes by the same score. The Warriors outlasted Slippery Rock, 99-98 (OT), in an East Region semifinal game at Mercyhurst in Erie, Pa.

Freshman forward Rasheed Moore had 18 points and seven rebounds, redshirt junior guard Will Brown scored 16 points off the bench, junior point guard Matt Tobin had 11 points and 11 assists for his fourth double-double of the year and sophomore guard Jamal Nwaniemeka – the PSAC Tournament MVP last Sunday – had 10 points for the Warriors.

The entire contest was played at a frenetic pace and included just 24 turnovers – 10 by Livingstone and 14 by ESU – just the second time the Warriors have committed more turnovers than their opponents this season. ESU leads DII in turnover margin (+7.7) entering the NCAA Tournament.

ESU led by as many as 13 points (67-54) in the second half before Livingstone climbed back to tie the game at 83-all with 7:26 remaining.

The Warriors stretched their lead back to 10 (99-89) with 2:48 left, including a 6-0 surge sparked by a three-point play by Tobin, but Livingstone had a final push.

Thomas hit a three-pointer with 2:08 left, knocked down three free throws at the 1:20 mark to make it 99-95, and drilled another three after an ESU turnover to bring the Blue Bears with

A layup by Grant was waved off on an offensive goaltend with 15 seconds left, and after a Livingstone timeout, Thomas pulled up for a jumper from the wing that came up short.
in 99-98 with 47 seconds left.

Box Score

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Prairie View A&M Claims Fourth Straight SWAC Championship

COURTEST SWAC,ORG

HOUSTON, Texas  -- Last years tournament champions, Prairie View A&M, picked up its fourth consecutive championship title with a close 63-58 upset over in-state rival and No. 2 seed Texas Southern on Saturday at Toyota Center.

Jeanette Jackson fueled PVAMU (14-17), scoring 22 points, shooting a perfect 10 from the free throw line. She added four assists and one steal before being crowned the 2014 Toyota SWAC Basketball Tournament's Most Valuable Player.

LaReahn Washington posted 10 of PVAMU's 31 points in the first half and finished with 22.

The Lady Panthers trailed by five with 8:52 left on the clock in the first half but a three-pointer by Washington and a jumper by Alexus Parker gave the Lady Panthers their first lead of the half. A three by TSU's Jazzmin Parker lifted the Lady Tigers to within one but Washington knocked down another three to put the Lady Panthers ahead 31-29 at halftime.

As both teams exchanged back-to-back baskets after the break, Jackson scored toeven the game at 51 with 5:38 to go in the game. The Lady Panthers jumped on a 5-0 run creating a gap that the Lady Tigers were unable to close in the final minutes.

For the first time in programa history, TSU (20-12) made its debut in the SWAC Basketball Tournament.

The Lady Tigers shot 38 percent from the floor, 40 percent (6-15) from behind the arc and connected on 10 of their 16 shots from the line.

This year's SWAC Women's Basketball Player of the Year, Jazzmin Parker, scored 20 points to pace the Lady Tigers while Alexus Johnson scored 16 points and was one of five to make the All-Tournament team. Second Team All-SWAC recipient, Morgan Simmons, snatched a game-high 18 boards in the loss.

 

BOX SCORE
 

TOURNAMENT MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Jeanette Jackson - Prairie View A&M

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM

Name	School
Dominique Brothern	Jackson State
Alexus Johnson	Texas Southern
Brianna Sidney	Texas Southern
Jazzmin Parker	Texas Southern
Shamiya Brooks	Prairie View A&M

COURTESY SWAC.ORG 

TSU tops rival Prairie View for SWAC championship, NCAA tournament bid

TSU HEAD COACH MIKE DAVIS

HOUSTON, Texas  -- Mike Davis is taking another team to the NCAA Tournament.

Aaric Murray scored 27 points to lead the Tigers to their first NCAA appearance since 2003 with a 78-73 victory over Prairie View A&M in Saturday's Southwestern Athletic Conference final at Toyota Center.

This will be the third time Davis, the Tigers' second-year coach, has taken a team to the NCAA Tournament, following his 2002 trip to the championship game with Indiana and 2011 with UAB.
TSU, the tournament's No. 2 seed, erased a seven-point halftime lead with a hot-shooting start in the second half.

The Tigers (19-14) went on a 13-0 run in the opening minutes of the second half, led by Murray, the SWAC's Player of the Year, to take their first lead since the opening minutes of the game.

CONTINUE READING 

History Made: HU Lady Pirates Win Fifth Straight MEAC Title

NORFOLK, Virginia  -- David Six has an affinity for Jimmie Johnson.

The NASCAR driver won five straight Sprint Cup championships from 2006-10, a string of dominance unprecedented in that sport that once earned Johnson the nickname "Five-Time." Now, Six has led Hampton University to an unprecedented mark of MEAC dominance: five straight conference tournament crowns.

So in a sense, Hampton now has its own "Five-Time."

The Lady Pirates delivered that historic milestone Saturday afternoon at Norfolk Scope with a hard-fought, gritty 50-47 win over Coppin State.

Senior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds for her third straight double-digit rebounding effort, and Six was named Most Outstanding Coach.

Senior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) led Hampton with 20 points on an afternoon in which points were at a premium, while redshirt-sophomore forward Brielle Ward (Baltimore, Md.) added a season-high 10 points to go along with 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season.

"I tell you what, we didn't have it today" Six said. "We just didn't have it. Tough, tough game. Coppin [State] came to play, and they always play us tough. As always, it's the defense that bails us out. We never did get going offensively."

A Hamilton jumper with 1:45 left gave the top-seeded Lady Pirates (28-4) a 50-47 lead – a lead that seemed huge given how much of an offensive struggle the game was. Coppin State turned the ball over on the next possession, then fouled, but Hampton couldn't convert at the free throw line.

That gave the fifth-seeded Lady Eagles (17-14) a chance with 23 seconds left, but Coppin State couldn't convert on its three attempts from behind the arc, and the ball sailed out of bounds as the final horn sounded.

"Because we went undefeated in the conference … we get everybody's best shot every game, and sometimes you're not on your best game," Six said. "So was there tension? Yes. But was this the first time we dealt with this? No. We knew this would be a close game because Coppin [State] always plays us this way."

Coppin State appeared to have control early on, leading 20-13 after Kyra Coleman, a First Team All-MEAC selection this season, hit a free throw with 9:25 left in the first half to cap a 10-2 run. Hampton answered by closing out the first half on a 16-3 run, taking a 29-23 lead after a free throw from sophomore guard Ryan Jordan (Manassas, Va.) with 1:01 left.

The Lady Pirates took that lead into the break, as Coppin State only made one field goal in the final 10:36 of the first half.

Coppin State opened the second half with an 11-5 run, tying the game at 34-34 after a Larrisa Carter jumper with 15:08 left in the contest. Bennett answered with a jumper with 12:34 remaining to give Hampton a 36-34 lead, but the Lady Eagles would not go away.

In fact, the score was tied five times in the second half, including a 39-39 score with 7:23 left after Ashle Craig hit a 3-pointer. Hampton scored the next five points – the closest the Lady Pirates came to a run in the second half – taking a 44-39 lead with 5:55 remaining.

During that run, Hamilton hit a 3-pointer with 6:31 left – Hampton's only trey of the contest.

Coppin State cut that lead to 44-43 with four straight free throws, before Ward hit a layup with 3:51 left to give Hampton a 46-43 lead. From that point forward, Coppin State couldn't get any closer than within one, including 48-47 after a Craig layup with 2:08 left.

The Lady Pirates shot just 26.2 percent (17-for-65) from the floor, but Hampton held Coppin State to just 25.7 percent shooting (18-for-70) and turned the Lady Eagles over 18 times – resulting in 12 points.

Coppin State, which never led in the second half, held a 55-53 edge in rebounding.

The five straight MEAC titles aren't the only history the Lady Pirates made on Saturday.

In picking up their 18th straight win overall, and their 49th straight win over a MEAC team, the Lady Pirates tied their Div. I mark for most wins in a season with 28. Six is also tied for the program Div. I lead for most wins by a coach, joining Patricia Cage-Bibbs at 127.

Overall, Hampton has won eight MEAC Tournament titles (2000, 2003-04, 2010-14).

The Lady Pirates earned the MEAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament; Hampton will learn its seed, opponent, and location when the brackets are unveiled Monday on ESPN at 7 p.m.

For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

Box Score

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SC State Releases 2014 Football Schedule

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- The South Carolina State University Department of Athletics announced its 2014 football schedule Tuesday (Mar. 11). The Bulldogs 12-game slate includes five home contests and seven road games, two which are Classics.

The Bulldogs open the 2014 campaign with three straight road games with the first against intrastate rival Benedict in the Palmetto Capital City Classic in Columbia, SC on August 30, the second is at Clemson – the only Football Bowl Subdivision opponent on the schedule, Sept. 6, and then Coastal Carolina in Conway, SC on Sept.13.

SC State opens the home campaign in Oliver. C. Dawson Stadium on Aug. 20 against Furman University in another series being renewed. Other home games include North Carolina Central , Oct.11; Bethune-Cookman, Oct. 25; Savannah State (Homecoming), Nov. 1; and Norfolk State, Nov. 22.

Additional road games are at Hampton, Sept. 27; a return to the Atlanta Football Classic on Oct. 4, against North  Carolina A&T in Atlanta, GA; Florida A&M, Nov. 8; and Morgan State, Nov. 15.

Bulldogs fans and supporters are encouraged to purchase tickets for both classics at the SC State Ticket Office. For additional information, call 803-536-8579 or 800-298-9157.

Starting times for all games on the 2014 schedule, which is listed below, will be announced later.

For more information on South Carolina State University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (803) 536-7060, or visit the official Bulldogs website at www.scsuathletics.com

2014 SC State Football Schedule

Date                       Opponent                              Location                             Time

8/30                        Benedict College                    Columbia, SC$                    TBA

                               (Palmetto Capital City Classic)

9/6                           Clemson                               Clemson, SC                       TBA

9/13                         Coastal Carolina                   Conway, SC                        TBA

9/20                        FURMAN                              ORANGEBURG, SC           6 p.m.

                              (Hall of Fame/Former Appreciation Day)

9/27                        Hampton*                              Hampton, VA                      TBA

10/4                        North Carolina A&T*             Atlanta, GA%                      TBA

                              (Atlanta Football Classic)

10/11                      NC CENTRAL*                    ORANGEBURG, SC           TBA

                              (Youth/ROTC Day)

10/18                      OPEN

10/25                      BETHUNE-COOKMAN*      ORANGEBURG, SC           TBA

                               (Business & Industry Day)

11/1                        SAVANNAH STATE*          ORANGEBURG, SC           2 p.m.

                                (Homecoming)

11/8                        Florida A&M*                        Tallahassee, FL                   TBA

11/15                      Morgan State*                      Baltimore, MD                      TBA

11/22                      NORFOLK STATE*             ORANGEBURG, SC           TBA

                               (Faculty/Staff Appreciation/Senior Day)

*MEAC Contest – Home games in Bold – #Dates, times and locations subject to change
$Columbia, SC; %Georgia Dome



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SWAC Tournament: Historic SWAC Basketball Championship Set

COURTESY SWAC.ORG
Men's Game at 4:30 PM ET, ESPN2 HD

HOUSTON, Texas  --  In the first year of the Southwestern Athletic Conference hosting its basketball tournament in Houston, the 2014 Toyota SWAC Basketball Tournament will feature a Lone Star in-state rivalry between the men and women teams of Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M.

The Texas shoot-out is historic. For the first time in the 32-year history of the league's joint men and women's basketball tournament, the championship match-ups is spotlighted by the men and women's team from the same universities.

You could not ask for a better story line.

The TSU Lady Tigers and PVAMU Lady Panthers will square off at 12 p.m. CT, before the Tigers and Panthers tip off at 3:30 p.m. Both games will be held inside Toyota Center on Saturday, March 15.

The women's game will air live on ESPN 3 with the replay televised on ESPNU at 12:00 a.m. CT. The men's championship round will broadcast on ESPN 2.

No. 2 Texas Southern (20-11)
The Lady Tigers make their first appearance in the championship game after moving through the rounds with wins over Grambling State (82-74) and Jackson State (79-77 OT). TSU is led by the 2014 SWAC Women's Basketball Player of the Year, Jazzmin Parker.

Parker spent much of the season among the nation's elite scorers and is averaging 19.1 points per game. For the tournament, she is shooting 50 percent overall (12-of-24) and is coming off a 21-point effort to help lift TSU to its first championship berth, slipping past JSU in overtime.

Joining Parker includes: Briana Sidney, Sarah Williams (SWAC Newcomer of the Year) and Morgan Simmons (All Conference). Sidney has totaled 27 points in two games during the tournament and leads the team in steals (57). Williams enters the game as TSU's leader in assists (4.8 apg) and Simmons spearheads the rebounding effort with 8.4 per contest.

No. 4 Prairie View A&M (13-17)
The winners of three consecutive tournament crowns, the Lady Panthers have a chance to join Jackson State (1982-85) and Grambling State (1996-99) as winners of four straight SWAC tournament titles.

PVAMU crawled through the non-conference slate picking up its first win of the season in conference play. However, the Lady Panthers showed tournament experience out weighs a regular season record defeating Alabama State (71-61) and upsetting No. 1 seed and regular season champions Southern. The Lady Panthers defeated the Lady Jaguar with a convincing 72-43 win.

The Lady Panthers have won five of the last seven titles including four within five years. They make their eigth appearance and are powered by veteran guard tandem Jeannatte Jackson and LeReahn Washington.

As result of her tournament perfromance, Jackson is now the league's top scorer with 19.3 points per game. She scored a combined 42 points and is posting 21 per game in the tourney. She leads her team in assists (3.8 apg) and steals (2.6) spg. Washington chips in 9.6 points per game to join at least three players scoring in double digits through the tourney.

---

No. 2 Texas Southern (18-14)
The winners of eight straight games, TSU makes its 13th tournament championship appearance, its last in 2012. The Tigers have made more appearances in the tournament championship game than any other team but have only won four.

The Tigers missed last year's tournament due to APR and with a win, head coach Mike Davis can carry his third team to the NCAA tournament.

The Tigers are spearheaded by SWAC MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, Aaric Murray. Murray guides TSU with a league best 21 points per game with 7.6. In two games, he has totaled 34 points in the tourney with eight blocks, propelling TSU over Grambling State (79-54) and Alabama State (73-61).

Madarious Gibbs pushes the offense and is the team's leader in assists with 5.2 per game. At least three players have scored in double figures through the tournament for TSU.

No. 8 Prairie View A&M (11-22)
Closing out the season with seven straight losses, the Panthers picked up three wins to make back-to-back championship game appearances without an all-conference selection.

PVAMU proved postseason sparks a clean slate beating Mississippi Valley State (79-63), upsetting No. 1 seed and regualr season champions Southern (64-46), and stifling Alabama A&M (55-49).

Montrael Scott, Tre Hagood, and Demondre Chapman shared the load for the Panthers' offense. Each are avearging double figures for the tournament as Scott leads the team in scoring with 14.8 points per game. Hagood has led the team in the tourney with 14.7 points per game and the entire field with 7.3 rebounds per game a guard.

Chapman adds 11.3 points per game for the tournament and is the team's leader in rebounds with 5.6 per game. Scott holds 10.3 per game through the bracket as the Panthers make their fourth appearance in the final round winning notching one crown in 1998.

COURTESY SWAC.ORG 

Bethune-Cookman Wildcats Announces 2014 Football Schedule

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida --  The 2014 Bethune-Cookman University football schedule was officially released Tuesday evening, featuring an 11-game slate announced by B-CU Director of Athletics Lynn W. Thompson. The schedule has a chance to upgrade to 12 games, with a date yet to be solidified with an opponent in early September.

Coming off its second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title in as many years, the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats will open the 2014 schedule on the road in familiar territory. The Cats travel to FIU Stadium for a rematch with Florida International University at Alonso Field – the site of B-CU’s first victory over an FBS opponent in school history from a season ago. The date for the game is set for Aug. 30, with a game time to be determined later.

The game in Miami marks the fourth consecutive year the Cats have traveled to South Florida.

Following the season opener, Bethune-Cookman hosts Grambling State in the home opener at Municipal Stadium on Sept. 13, with kickoff set for 4 p.m. The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opponent marks the first time a SWAC member has visited Municipal Stadium since Alabama State in 2008.

The following week, the Cats will face their second FBS opponent of the year in the form of UCF out of the America Athletic Conference. The game will take place on Sept. 20, inside Bright House Stadium in Orlando on the campus of UCF. It is the first time B-CU and UCF have played since UCF joined the Football Bowl Subdivision and the first meeting overall since Nov. 6, 1995, in Orlando.

Bethune-Cookman returns home for a pair of games to begin the October slate, beginning with Delaware State on October 4. The 2014 Homecoming date is scheduled for Oct. 11, as the Cats welcome Howard University to Municipal Stadium for a game scheduled to start at 4 p.m.

The Maroon and Gold finish the month of October on the road at Savannah State (Oct. 18) and defending MEAC co-champion South Carolina State (Oct. 25), respectively.

B-CU plays the last of its four home games on the year on November 1, playing host to North Carolina Central at 4 p.m.

Back-to-back trips to the Tidewater area of Virginia highlight the middle of November. B-CU travels to Norfolk State (Nov. 8) and Hampton (Nov. 15) with a pair of games before taking on Florida A&M (Nov. 22) in the annual Florida Blue Florida Classic at Orlando’s Citrus Bowl to close the regular season.

Fans can keep up-to-date with all B-CU Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/BCUathletics, in addition to the official football twitter page at Twitter.com/BCUGridIron. You can also become a fan of the Wildcats on Facebook at Facebook.com/BCUathletics.

2014 B-CU Wildcat Football Schedule

8/30 at Florida International, FIU Stadium, Miami, FL  TBD
9/13     Grambling State, Municipal Stadium, Daytona Beach, 4PM
9/20 at Central Florida, Bright House Stadium, Orlando, FL TBD
10/4     *Delaware State, Municipal Stadium, Daytona Beach TBD
10/11   *Howard, Municipal Stadium, Daytona Bch, 4PM Homecoming
10/18 at *Savannah State, Ted Wright Stadium, Savannah, GA  TBD
10/25 at *S. Carolina State, Dawson-Bulldogs Stadium, Orangeburg, SC  TBD
11/1       *North Carolina Central, Municipal Stadium, Daytona Bch., FL 4PM
11/8   at *Norfolk State, Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk, VA
11/15 at *Hampton UArmstrong Stadium, Hampton, VA
11/22 vs. *Florida A&M, Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL  Florida Blue Florida Classic

*MEAC Game
BOLD: Home Game



COURTESY BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Gold Rush, with highest seeding since '82, take on Hope

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana will play Hope International at 9:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 20 in the opening round of the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship.

For the second consecutive year and the third time in their last five tournament appearances, the XU men will play the last of 16 first-round games.

Xavier (23-8) is seeded 12th, its highest since 1982. It's the first time that the Gold Rush are seeded in consecutive seasons. Xavier was No. 15 a year ago. This is Xavier's 15th appearance at nationals.

The Gold Rush won a third consecutive Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship. Xavier ranks among the top 10 in its division in field-goal percentage defense, scoring defense and rebound margin. Sophomore guard Morris Wright (13.3) leads the Gold Rush in scoring. Wright and junior forward Sydney Coleman (13.2) were All-GCAC selections.

Hope International, located in Fullerton, Calif., is 22-10 and finished third in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Royals lead NAIA Division I in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense. Sophomore guard Garrett Neiland (13.2) leads his team in scoring and is one of four averaging in double figures.

It will be the first-ever meeting between Xavier and Hope International. The XU-Hope winner will play No. 5 Southwestern Assemblies of God or St. Catharine (Ky.) in the second round at 9:45 p.m. on Friday, March 21.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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