FAMU Lady Rattlers edge SCSU, 55-50; Gibson Get 100th Win

LEDAWN GIBSON
HEAD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
CAREER RECORD: 100-88 (58-39 MEAC)

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- Freshman guard Dawn King (Waxahachie, Tex.) scored a season high 26 points Saturday evening to spark the FAMU Lady Rattler Basketball team past South Carolina State, 55-50 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener for both teams at the Smith-Hammond Center on the SCSU campus.

Saturday’s win was also a milestone victory for FAMU head coach Ledawn Gibson, who reached the 100-career win plateau Saturday.

But the evening belonged to King, who scored 15 of her 26 points in the opening half, as FAMU (3-4, 1-1 in MEAC) built a six-point lead midway through the first half, 18-12 on Teneka Rubin’s (Orlando, Fla.) jumper with 9:01 left in the half.

King got the Lady Rattlers going, giving them their first lead of the game at 4-3, on a three-pointer with 17:42 left. She would later score back-to-back buckets to break a 10-10 tie and put FAMU ahead, 14-10 with 13:46 left.

Olivia Antilla (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Khaderja Young (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) scored back-to-back baskets to push FAMU to a 25-21 edge with 24 seconds to go, but SCSU (4-2, 0-1 MEAC), rallied to the score 25-25 at the break, on two foul shots by Kourtney Williams with 15 seconds left, and a Jazzmine Johnson jumper with 11 seconds to play.

In the second half, SCSU opened with a 12-7 run, keyed by six points from Williams and three-pointers from Amber Howard and Toni Grier to build a 37-32 lead, before FAMU rallied behind King and Young to take the lead for good.

Young’s jumper sliced the SCSU lead to 37-34 with 13:37 left, then King scored the next seven FAMU points on a layup to make it 37-36 at 11:06, before her three-pointer tied the game at 39-39 with 10:32 to play.

King’s second layup in a one-minute span at 10:11 put FAMU ahead to stay at 41-39, then sophomore Kenya Dixon’s (Baton Rouge, La.) three-pointer pushed the FAMU edge to five points at 44-39.

A pair of free throws by Antilla with 4:19 left extended FAMU to an eight-point cushion at 49-41, then a jumper by King made it a 10-point game at 51-41 with 3:46 left.

SCSU would not go away though, as they staged a 9-4 scoring surge to end the game, with a King jumper and two charity tosses by Young holding off the home team for the FAMU win.

Young and Dixon each finished with eight points behind King’s 26, while Young and Jamie Foreman (Beech Island, S.C.), each pulled down eight rebounds for the Lady Rattlers.

Kourtney Williams led SCSU with 18 points, while Toni Grier had 10 points and a team-high six rebounds.

Turnovers kept the scoring low by both squads as the two teams combined for 44 miscues (FAMU 23, SCSU 21), but FAMU had the much better shooting night, shooting 46.9 percent from the floor, led by King’s superb 11-of-15 shooting night, to 27.9 percent for the Lady Bulldogs.

RATTLER NOTE: Coach Gibson became just the third FAMU Women's coach to reach 100 career wins.... She joined Mickey Clayton (199/1979-90) and Claudette Farmer (177/1991-01) in the exclusive FAMU Women's Basketball Century Club.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Lady Rattlers will break for Fall finals this week, but continue a 10-game road tour next Sunday with three pre-Christmas games in Louisiana at Nicholls State (Sunday, Dec. 14 / 2 p.m. CST), Southern-Baton Rouge (Wednesday, Dec. 17 / 7 p.m. CST) and Southeastern Louisiana (Saturday, Dec. 20 / 2 p.m. CST).

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Hampton Lady Pirates Beat Richmond for Second Straight Win

RICHMOND, Virginia -- Behind four double-digit scorers, the Hampton University women's basketball team picked up its second straight win on Saturday evening, upending Richmond 64-53 at the Robins Center.

The win closed out a 2-1 road trip for the Lady Pirates (2-5).

Sophomore guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas (Harrisburg, Pa.) led Hampton with 16 points and four assists, while senior guard Kenia Cole (Silver Spring, Md.) and junior guard Ryan Jordan (Manassas, Va.) each added 14 points.

Jordan also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

Senior guard Kyani White (Manassas, Va.) chipped in 12 points, going 5-for-7 from the floor and 2-for-4 from 3-point range. She also had six rebounds and four assists.

The Lady Pirates shot 44.6 percent (25-for-56) from the floor and hit nine of 21 3-pointers (42.9 percent). Hampton turned the ball over just nine times and turned 19 Richmond turnovers into 24 points.

The Spiders held an early 10-4 lead, before the Lady Pirates went on a 15-4 run to take a 19-14 lead at the 7:07 mark after a layup from junior guard Areana Davis (Virginia Beach, Va.). Richmond answered with six straight points to take a 20-19 lead with 4:53 left in the half.

A 5-0 spurt gave the Lady Pirates a 25-20 lead with 2:23 left in the half following a layup from freshman forward Kaylah Lupoe (Phoenix, Ariz.), but Richmond closed the half with an 8-2 run to take a 28-27 lead into the locker room.

A 3-pointer from Tate-DeFreitas 25 seconds into the second half gave the Lady Pirates a 30-28 lead and kicked off a 7-0 run – which gave Hampton a 34-28 lead at the 18:05 mark after a fastbreak jumper from Tate-DeFreitas.

Richmond cut the lead to 34-31 before the Lady Pirates went on a 7-2 run to take a 41-33 lead at the 13:23 mark after a Tate-DeFreitas layup. A 3-pointer from Cole with 12:39 remaining put the Lady Pirates up 44-36.

Lauren Tolson hit a trey with 11:34 left cut the lead to 46-42, but the Lady Pirates answered with a 13-0 run, taking a 59-42 lead following a 3-pointer from Jordan with 5:03 left to play. A Cole trey at the 4:28 matched that lead, putting Hampton up 62-45.

Hampton's largest lead came at the 3:26 mark, when Tate-DeFreitas sank a layup to put the Lady Pirates up 64-45.

Richmond (3-4) shot 38.0 percent (19-for-50) from the floor and held a 39-32 rebounding edge.

Tolson led three Spiders in double figures with 20 points.

The Lady Pirates will return home on Monday to open MEAC play against Morgan State at 6 p.m. For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

BOX SCORE

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Alcorn State beats Southern, claims SWAC championship title

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 Highlights  » 

HOUSTON, Texas -- In what was deemed judgment day at the 2014 SWAC Football Championship, the Southern Jaguars wanted to make the outcome different than the one that took place in late September vs. the Braves, while Alcorn State wanted more of the same result in Lorman. In the end, the Braves were able to finish what they started with a balanced attack led by quarterback John Gibbs Jr.'s three touchdown passes in piling up 480 yards of total offense leading Alcorn State to a 38-24 victory over the Southern Jaguars to claim the SWAC football championship at NRG Stadium.

"Great season, we came up short today, our seniors are leaving this program better than when they came in," Southern head coach Dawson Odums said. After winning 56-16 back in late September, Alcorn State started the game the same way leading the Braves on a seven play, 71 yards on their first possession of the game when Gibbs Jr. connected with Jordan Payne for 13 yards and the score to give the Braves a 7-0 lead.

"We were really good on offense, winning two of the three phases of the game, teammates really picked me up when we slumped a little bit in the second half," Gibbs Jr. said.

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FAMU Board Discusses Future of Football Program at Meeting

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The Board of Trustees at FAMU met yesterday and discussed the future of the school's football program.

According to the meeting's minutes, a search committee will gather today to review selection criteria and interview questions for those they're considering for the school's open head coaching position. They'll also reduce the pool of applicants for the head football coach position from 44 to five.

The five candidates will be interviewed by the committee via Skype and three finalists will be selected. The board members also said, President Elmira Mangum would be making the final decision on who to hire.

Also at the meeting, Kellen Winslow told the board he has raised $34,000 for the school's golf and tennis teams to compete in the spring.

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NSU/Detroit Lions' Don Carey working on Master's in theology

DETROIT, Michigan -- It's a rainy Monday evening in early October and Don Carey is running a little later than usual because of an accident on the Southfield Freeway. Carey just finished a day of meetings, walkthroughs and film review after the Lions' 17-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills, and he'll spend the next few hours like he does every Monday, immersed in study of the Old Testament at the Moody Theological Seminary in Plymouth Township.

He pulls his GMC Sierra into a spot in the back parking lot, grabs a leather satchel loaded with books, and hustles down the hall to Room 116, where he sits down at the end of a long table next to a 59-year-old accountant who's going back to school to teach and a young nurse who wants to become a minister one day.

Carey, dressed in a black Dri-fit shirt and matching athletic pants with his No. 26 emblazoned on the right front hip, isn't entirely sure what he'll do when he finishes his Master of Theological Studies degree a few years from now, other than expand his own ministry.

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To move forward, NSU Spartans go back

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Norfolk State coach Robert Jones turned to his team's recent past to help with its immediate future.

Former Spartans swingman Rodney McCauley, an integral but unheralded part of NSU's 2011-12 MEAC championship and NCAA tournament run, addressed the team after Friday's practice. Now an accountant in Dallas, McCauley helped drive home some of Jones' favorite tenets.

"He was just telling guys the importance of playing defense, sticking together and how much the NCAA tournament means and how much it's fun to be a part of," Jones said of the year NSU pulled its landmark upset of second-seeded Missouri. "He thinks we can do it if we just stick together."

The Spartans (4-4) can take a step in that direction at 6 tonight, when they host Morgan State to open MEAC play.

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Penn Women's Basketball Outpaced by Hampton, 58-43

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania  --  An impressive nine-game home winning streak -- the second-longest in school history -- came to an end on Friday night when four-time defending MEAC champion Hampton used an early second-half run to surge past the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team, 58-43, at The Palestra.

How it Happened
It was a game of runs. A series of small ones in the first half, and then a game-changing stretch to start the second half.

Penn (3-3) got out to an early lead with seven of the game's first nine points behind buckets from Sydney Stipanovich and Anna Ross, and a three from senior captain Kathleen Roche. But Hampton answered with eight of the next 10 and held a 10-9 lead after the first seven minutes.

The Pirates, who have not lost a conference game in three years, led 13-12 at the 12:21 mark. But freshman forward Michelle Nwokedi started a 9-0 run with a three and sophomore Melanie Lockett added the last four points for a 21-13 lead with 8:49 left in the half.

Penn maintained a 23-15 edge before the Pirates scored six of the next seven to get within a possession. However, freshman Anna Ross tacked on four straight points to halt Hampton's momentum and send the Quakers into the break with a 31-26 lead.

The largest run of the day came at the start of the second half and was ultimately the deciding factor. The Quakers missed their first 10 shots of the half and Hampton (1-5) capitalized with an 18-2 run over the first eight minutes.

Sophomore Sydney Stipanovich stopped the Penn drought with a drive and lay-in to get within 44-35, but the Quakers were never closer than that the rest of the way.

Hampton held its largest lead, 58-39, with just over four minutes to play.

Inside the Numbers
Rebounding was the difference as the Pirates pulled in 30 offensive boards and totaled 58 for the game compared to Penn's 35.

The Quakers scored just 12 points in the second half -- the fewest in head coach Mike McLaughlin's tenure. Penn was just 3-of-22 (13.6%) from the field over the final 20 minutes, including 1-of-10 (10%) from three. Overall, the Red and Blue were 13-of-47 (27.7%) from the floor and 5-of-19 (26.3%) from three. Hampton was 25-for-78 (32.1%) on the night and 4-of-18 (22.2%) from beyond the arc.

One game after moving into third-place on Penn's all-time career blocks list, Stipanovich had six rejections -- five in the second half. Lockett had a team-high seven points and contributed four rebounds. Ross led the Quakers with five assists, and added six points, while Nwokedi scored six, pulled in a team-best seven rebounds and had two blocks in 14 minutes off the bench.

Up Next
A Big 5 matchup awaits as the Quakers host Saint Joseph's at The Palestra on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the first game of a doubleheader with the men, who are set to tip off at 8 p.m. against Marist. Tickets for the doubleheader start at $14.

 Box Score

 

Courtesy: Eric Dolan, associate director of athletic communications

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North Carolina Central 68, Maryland-Eastern Shore 63

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland -- Jordan Parks scored a game-high 20 points as the visiting North Carolina Central Eagles held off the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks 68-63 on Friday in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener for both teams at Hytche Arena in Princess Anne, Md.

North Carolina Central (5-3) is the defending MEAC champion, but the Hawks stayed close throughout. The lead swung back and forth throughout the second half, and UMES (3-7) went up 49-48 on guard Devon Walker's three-pointer with 7:38 left.

But North Carolina Central scored the next six points, four of which came on dunks from Parks, and the Eagles never trailed again. Parks, a forward, scored 10 points in each half.

UMES cut the lead back to 58-56 on two free throws from center Mike Myers with 2:02 left, but the Eagles held off the Hawks after that.

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Lynch’s 24 points carry SU to 68-55 win

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- After spending the first few weeks of the season watching from the bench, Southern senior guard Trey Lynch made sure his return to the F.G. Clark Activity Center was one to remember.

Lynch — who missed almost a month after suffering a sprained ankle before the start of the season — dropped 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field, including five scores from beyond the arc in the Jaguars’ 68-55 win over Dillard on Friday night.

“Any time you come in and do your job, your points are going to add up,” Lynch said. “(I just wanted to) get back in the rhythm. I spent three and a half weeks on a sprained ankle and I just wanted to get into the flow of the game.”

Lynch played a limited role in Southern’s last few games, but coach Roman Banks considered Friday as his official return to the court as he played a team-leading 31 minutes.

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Southern ‘ready to go’ at SWAC title game

HOUSTON — Five minutes before the SWAC news conference at NRG Stadium was set to begin, Southern football coach Dawson Odums grabbed the microphone and told everyone to take their seats so they could get started.

Despite conference officials and Alcorn State representatives not yet entering the room, Odums got everyone’s attention and made it clear he and seniors Zachary Brown and Brian McCain were ready to go.



On the football field, the Jaguars are taking that same mindset, as Southern eyes its second straight SWAC championship when it faces Alcorn State at 3 p.m. Saturday.

“I think we’ve done a great job of getting our guys in position to go take care of business, and we are ready to go,” Odums said. “At the end of the day, it is all about the hunger to go out and get what is in front of you.”

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As the SWAC title game arrives, Southern and Alcorn State both feel up to the challenge

HOUSTON, Texas — Southern and Alcorn State enter Saturday’s Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game at NRG Stadium from different backgrounds.

But both 9-3 teams have reason to believe they’re up to the challenge.

The defending champion Jaguars (8-1 in the SWAC) are making their second appearance in the title game in 365 days. The Braves (7-2 in league play) are making their first appearance in the 16-year-old event.

“I think you understand the surroundings,” Southern coach Dawson Odums said. “I think you understand the schedule. You understand the type of mindset that we want when we go on the road. I think you’ve got some guys who say, ‘This is what we did; this is what it’s about.’ ”

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XU Nuggets produce 3 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes

Chinedu Echebelem

Jodi Hill

Franziska Pirkl

NEW ORLEANS — The NAIA announced Friday that three from Xavier University of Louisiana — Chinedu Echebelem, Jodi Hill and Franziska Pirkl — have been named 2014 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes in women's volleyball.

The XU student-athletes are among 445 in this sport to receive the honor this season. It's the second consecutive year that Echebelem has received it, and it's the first time for Hill and Pirkl. Xavier is one of 76 NAIA volleyball teams with three or more Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes.

Student-athletes are nominated by their institution, must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved junior academic status to qualify for Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete.

Echebelem, a senior outside hitter from Dallas and a graduate of Duncanville High School, is a chemistry/pre-medical major and a three-time All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference selection. This year Echebelem was the GCAC Player of the Year, GCAC Player of the Week and Capital One Academic All-District 2 in the college division. She finished her XU career with 907 kills and 982 digs, both No. 2 in Gold Nuggets history.

Hill, a junior middle blocker from Prairieville, La., and a graduate of Dutchtown High School, is a political science major who was All-GCAC Tournament and GCAC Player of the Week this season. Hill was a 2014 James S. Kemper Foundation Scholar, one of 20 nationally.

Pirkl, a junior setter from Munich, Germany, and a graduate of Theodolinden Gymnasium, is a mass communications major and a three-time first-team All-GCAC selection. She was All-GCAC Tournament this year.

The Gold Nuggets were 20-6 in 2014. For the fourth consecutive year they won GCAC regular-season and tournament championships and earned the GCAC's automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship.

Xavier produced six Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes during the fall 2014 semester. Catherine Fakler and Hannah Finnegan earned the honor in women's cross country, and Brent Kitto did it in men's cross country.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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End of basketball dream doesn’t deter Livingstone College grad

Mark Thomas is the first recipient from a historically black college or university named an NCAA Today’s Top Ten winner.  The 2014 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year is a business administration major and graduated with a 3.7 GPA.

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- When Livingstone captured its first CIAA title in March, Mark Thomas couldn’t have been happier. The historic victory helped erase the sting of losing the title game the year before to Bowie State.

During the championship win over Winston-Salem State University, Thomas scored a game high 23 points and earned MVP honors for his efforts. Two months later after graduating summa cum laude, he set his sights on a professional basketball career. If he couldn’t play in the NBA, he at least hoped for a shot at playing overseas.

But in July after passing out during a pickup game and being rushed to a Charlotte hospital, Thomas received some grim news: He suffers from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He can no longer play basketball.

“I’m not sure how I felt when the doctor told me the news,” said Thomas, who recently underwent surgery to be fitted for a defibrillator. “The whole time I still thought I was going to be able to play basketball.”

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Savannah State women stun Florida 68-58

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- They came to Tiger Arena on Thursday night with confidence and determination. What they lacked in name, they made up with moxie.

“We broke down so many barriers,” Savannah State senior guard Ezinne Kalu said.

An enthusiastic crowd of 2,260 — one of the largest to see a Tigers women’s basketball — probably agreed.

SSU (4-1) led just about the entire way and, behind Kalu’s game-high 21 points, stunned the Florida Gators 68-58.

“We are a good school, and we have a good athletic program,” Tigers point guard Bria Dorsey said.

The win was a breath of fresh air for a well-documented, struggling athletic program. The football team lost all 12 games, and when the men’s basketball team recently lost to Louisville 87-26, the Tigers were the brunt of the joke after Cardinals coach Rick Pitino said he tried to keep the game competitive by playing “four white guys and an Egyptian” down the stretch.



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NCCU Baseball Announces 2015 Schedule

DURHAM, North Carolina -- The North Carolina Central University baseball program will host 30 games at the Durham Athletic Park (DAP) during the 2015 season as fourth year head coach Jim Koerner announced on Wednesday.

"We have a great home facility and quite frankly one of the better playing surfaces in the state of North Carolina," said Koerner. "Our guys love playing at the Durham Athletic Park and we want to take full advantage of that."

The Eagles are coming off a 19-32-1 campaign that saw the maroon and gray in position to win the MEAC's (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Southern Division down-the-stretch, finishing 12-12 in league action.

"We have a very exciting schedule this year," said Koerner. "I believe we are going to really challenge ourselves with our non-conference weekends as well as our mid-week dates. In order to keep us prepared for our MEAC weekends it's our goal to play quality competition every time we take the field. This not only keeps us sharp, but it also pushes us to get better."

NCCU will battle seven in-state opponents (Campbell, UNC Asheville, UNC Wilmington, NC A&T, Gardner-Webb, and High Point) to go along with the highly anticipated crosstown showdown against Duke University.

The 2015 season begins with doubleheader action on Feb. 14 and 15, at home against Norfolk State University with the opening day action beginning at 1:00 p.m., followed by game two 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first contest. The Eagles dropped both games in the MEAC Tournament against the Spartans last season, as NSU made a run all the way to the championship game.

After a Tuesday afternoon contest at High Point (Feb. 17, 4:00 p.m.), the maroon and gray are on the road for an in-state battle against the Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb (Feb 18, 4:00 p.m.).

The Eagles return home for a season long nine-game home stand beginning with a three-game set against the Leopards of Lafayette College to take place Feb. 20 through Feb. 22. NCCU dropped all three games to Lafayette last season.

Following that matchup, the maroon and gray will host UNC Asheville and High Point on Feb 24 and Feb 25 with both days game action beginning at 4:00 p.m. from the DAP.

NCCU then hosts the arch-rival Aggies of North Carolina A&T to begin conference action. That series commences on Feb. 28 to March 1. First pitch for the league twinbill on Saturday, Feb 28, is set for 1:00 p.m. at the Durham Athletic Park. The maroon and gray went 4-2 last season against the Aggies, including a sweep in Durham.

The Eagles will end the homestand with a March 3 contest against Longwood (6:00 p.m.), and then hit the road for a mid-week matchup on March 5 road against UNC Wilmington (6:00 p.m.). NCCU heads south to the Sunshine State, to battle the defending MEAC Champion Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman on March 7-8 at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Daytona Beach, Fla. Both days are slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The maroon and gray took the series from B-CU in Daytona last season after dropping game one.

NCCU travels back to Durham for a return match against Gardner-Webb (March 10, 6:00 p.m.) and will hit the road the following day to face Charleston Southern (March 11, 6:00 p.m.) for the first time in program history.

"I believe it's important that we schedule a few different teams each year," said Koerner. "This keeps our players excited and helps avoid any potential letdowns due to familiarity. Due to the parity in our conference, it's also important that our schedule, as a whole, keeps our guys focused on a day to day basis. If we are to accomplish our goal of winning a MEAC Championship we can't afford lapses in energy or focus. We also have more weeks this year where you will see us play multiple mid-week games. Again this should keep us sharp as the season progresses."

The Eagles jump back into league action against Savannah State on the following weekend on March 14-15 at Tiger Field in Savannah, Georgia. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m. each day.

Following a mid-week, home, nonconference double header matchup against Maryland Eastern Shore on March 18 (4/7:00 p.m.), the Eagles will host Florida A&M in another crucial league series on March 21-22. NCCU and FAMU were an even 3-3 against one another last year.

After the Eagles host Charleston Southern (Mar. 25, 6:00 p.m.), the Eagles travel to Spartanburg, South Carolina to take on the Terriers of Wofford University in a three game series March 27-29. This will be the first meeting between these two programs. Game one of the series from Russell C. King Field is set for 4:00 p.m., while the final two days of the series will begin at 1:00 p.m.

Next up on the slate is Virginia State in twinbill action on Wednesday, April 1 at 4:00 p.m., as the Eagles renew their rivalry with their former CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) foe. After that affair, Koerner and his troops head over to Greensboro, North Carolina to take on North Carolina A&T at War Memorial Stadium in a huge conference series to take place with doubleheader action on Saturday, April 4 at 1:00 p.m. Sunday's series final is slated for a 1:00 p.m. start as well.

As the Eagles continue the April schedule, NCCU hosts UNC Wilmington on April 7 at 6:00 p.m. and then makes the short trip to Buies Creek, N.C. to face Campbell University on April 8 at 6:00 p.m.

April 11-12 will see the maroon and gray head back to the Bull City for a series rematch with Bethune-Cookman as the Eagles hope to be playing for the top spot in the Southern Division. Last year, B-CU escaped with the series win taking the first two games of the set before NCCU came-from-behind to win game three.

After non-conference affairs against Longwood (April 14, 6:00 p.m.) and Presbyterian (April 15, 4:00 p.m.), the Eagles return to the DAP to face Savannah State in the last home conference series of the season beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 18 at 1:00 p.m. Last season, the maroon and gray used two walk-off home runs to beat the Tigers in Durham.

Right after a mid-week game at UNC Asheville (April 21, 6:00 p.m.), the Eagles travel to face Florida A&M in league action in the final MEAC series of the year. The double header on Saturday, April 18 is set for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch, with the series finale on Sunday to begin at the same time from Moore-Kittles Field.

The last stretch of the year will see the Eagles make the 2.5-mile trek across town to face Duke in doubleheader action on May 3 at 1:00 p.m. from Jack Coombs Field.

The final two home games will see NCCU face Presbyterian (May 5, 6:00 p.m.) and Campbell (May 6, 6:00 p.m.) as the maroon and gray will look to end the year on a high note.

The MEAC Baseball Tournament will see a different format in 2015 as the top three teams in each division will qualify. Should the maroon and gray make the cut, NCCU will head to Purdue Stadium, in Salisbury, Maryland, home of the Delmarva Shorebirds, single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, on May 13-16.

"Our conference is always challenging," said Koerner. "I feel that on any given weekend we are all capable of beating each other. In order to separate yourself from the pack, you have to pay attention to the details. With the restructuring of the conference tournament, that's going t
o be even more important this year. Each weekend has now been magnified and with that you are going to notice the overall intensity increase as well."

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.

2015 NCCU Baseball Schedule (PDF)   I   2015 NCCU Baseball Schedule (WORD)

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Now healthy, Mike Jones gives Southern another weapon

HOUSTON, Texas -- Mike Jones puts on a show when he’s healthy.

The Southern University redshirt junior caught three passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday against Grambling in the Bayou Classic.

Last season against Alabama State, Jones finished with six catches for 211 yards and three touchdowns in place of then-starter Lee Doss.

Jones’ ankle injury has limited him for most of this season, so nearly half of his total 288 receiving yards came during the Bayou Classic.

Wide receivers coach Chris Coleman said the speedy receiver has been patient and humble throughout the recovery process, but Jones said injuries come with playing the sport.

“It’s something that you don’t want to deal with, but it’s part of the game,” Jones said. “Everybody experiences it in football.”

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Video: Can Southern defeat Alcorn State and win the black college national title?

Opinion: Southern's ban reveals problems with NCAA structure

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Every year, construction begins on a new LSU athletic building to draw in recruits. Every LSU sporting event contains one, typically multiple, employees of the athletic department recording stats. Every season of every sport will get more than enough attention for fans and the NCAA.

Only 11 miles north, it’s a complete reversal. In the same city as the Tigers, Southern University shows the other side of college athletics.

The one-year ban on Southern athletics from the NCAA expired Tuesday, with a group of NCAA officials re-evaluating the school’s progress on Thursday. The ban was for inadequate reporting of student-athletes’ Academic Progress Rates.

The Jaguars were essentially banned from postseason NCAA play because they could not finish and turn in paperwork on time. It’s not a sign of laziness or incompetence, but a lack of manpower behind the unfinished work.

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Loyola defeats Gold Rush to gain season split

NEW ORLEANS -- Jalen Gray scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half Wednesday to lead Loyola to a 59-46 men's basketball victory against NAIA No. 13 Xavier University of Louisiana at The Den.

McCall Tomeny had 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Wolf Pack (4-4), which gained a season split with the Gold Rush (8-4).

Anthony Goode scored eight points for Xavier, and Jarvis Thibodeaux and RJ Daniels scored seven apiece. Wesley Pluviose-Philip grabbed a season-high eight rebounds.

Loyola, leading 20-17 at halftime, pulled away by shooting 61.1 percent from the floor in the second half. Gray was 5-of-5 from the floor in the second half, including three 3-pointers.

Gray's 3-pointer gave Loyola a double-digit lead for the final 14:47.

For the game, Loyola outshot Xavier 43.9 to 28.3 percent from the floor. The Gold Rush attempted a season-best 40 free throws but made 20 to shoot a season-low 50 percent. Xavier did not make a 3-pointer for the first time this season.

Xavier's only lead occurred for 58 seconds in the final three minutes of the first half.

Xavier beat Loyola 72-66 in overtime Nov. 11 at Xavier.

The Gold Rush will break for final exams, then visit Mobile at 3 p.m. Dec. 13. The next Gold Rush home game will start at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 against Faulkner.

Box score

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

XULAATHLETICS

XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Southern University defense much better than in first meeting with Alcorn State

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- As Grambling lined up to run what would be the final play of the game on Southern's 1-yard-line Saturday, Jaguars coach Dawson Odums called time out to get everyone on the same page. Southern senior defensive end Arthur Miley was already there.

Odums said when the defensive unit came to the sideline, he asked what they saw when Grambling came to the line of scrimmage. Miley noticed something about Grambling quarterback Johnathan Williams.

"Miley said, 'I think they're going to sneak it,''' Odums said, recalling the conversation. "He said the quarterback had his right foot back and he was in a crouched position. I said, 'Let's get our sneak defense in then.' And Miley said, 'Coach, let's run the one we ran two years ago.' I'm like, 'Two years ago?' So I said okay, 'Out of Delta, let's go wham.' And that's what we did.''



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Gold Nuggets use late spurt to defeat LeMoyne-Owen

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana scored 10 consecutive points in the final five minutes Wednesday to earn a 52-45 women's basketball victory against LeMoyne-Owen.

Vinnie Briggs and Whitney Gathright scored 13 points apiece for the Gold Nuggets (6-4), ranked 18th in NAIA Division I. They have won four straight and five of their last six games.

Teneshia Jones' 3-pointer for the Lady Magicians (0-5) tied the score at 40 with 5:19 remaining. Then Xavier rattled off 10 straight points during the next two minutes, starting with Gathright's basket at 4:59.

Xavier won for the second straight game after trailing at halftime. LeMoyne-Owen led 24-22 at the break. But the Lady Magicians never led again after Eliqua Brooks' 3-pointer gave the Gold Nuggets a 25-24 lead with 19:27 remaining.

Brooks scored 11 points, and teammate Donyeah Mayfield grabbed 11 rebounds to reach double figures for the second time this season.

Tenesha Wright had 15 points and 10 rebounds for LeMoyne-Owen, an NCAA Division II member.

Xavier extended its home win streak to 23 games. The Gold Nuggets are 4-0 this season in their Convocation Center.

Xavier will break for final exams, then play host to Faulkner at 5 p.m. Dec. 15.

Box score
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Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

XULAATHLETICS

XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Southern University Football: 2014 SWAC Experience

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- The 2014 Toyota SWAC Experience is a series of videos capturing moments of the 2014 football season that leads you up to the Toyota SWAC Football Championship. Judgment Day is this Saturday December 6 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Enjoy the sights and sounds of head coach Dawson Odums and the Southern University Jaguars.



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VSU Trojans' Success Brought Pride Back

ETTRICK, Virginia — Bloomsburg University quarterback Tim Kelly lined up under center with under a minute remaining and took two kneel-downs to bring the clock to zero on Virginia State's football season. Kelly had run in three touchdowns, mostly untouched, and was the difference-maker the Huskies needed to blow by the Trojans in the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs.

But as the clock hit zero and both teams met at midfield for the typical post-game handshakes, something unexpected happened. Even though the Trojans had been manhandled in a 35-14 loss, there were cheers emanating from their side of the field. Many Virginia State alumni had made the six-hour trek to Pennsylvania to cheer on the team which had helped ease the pain the university has felt over the past two years.

Virginia State has been in the news for all of the wrong reasons recently with crime, last year's suspension of the CIAA Title game and petty violence occurring on campus which has led to lower enrollment numbers at a time when the school has a shortfall of $19 million. Additionally, the school has cut services while continuing construction projects which includes an $84 million multipurpose center.

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Gold Nuggets rally to win at No. 22 Mobile, 57-55

MOBILE, Alabama  --  Vinnie Briggs scored 11 of her 16 points in the second half Monday to help Xavier University of Louisiana rally for a 57-55 victory against Mobile in a matchup of ranked NAIA Division I women's basketball teams.

The Gold Nuggets (5-4), ranked 18th, defeated the Lady Rams (2-5), ranked 22nd, for the second time this season.

Xavier, which trailed by 13 points late in the first half, took the lead for good, 54-53, when Eliqua Brooks made two free throws with 1:54 remaining. Mobile missed two shots in the final five seconds, including a Kali Koenig 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Whitney Gathright scored 13 points and Brooks 10 for the Gold Nuggets, who won their third straight and climbed above .500 for the first time this season.

Brooks scored all her points in the second half, including Xavier's final seven. Her 3-point play at 1:32 gave the Gold Nuggets a 57-53 lead.

Koenig scored 20 points and Jakela Johnson 13 for Mobile, and Jammieca Hudson had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Xavier trailed 30-21 at halftime after shooting 19.4 percent from the floor. The Gold Nuggets shot 50 percent in the second half.

"Our defense was outstanding in the second half, and we shot the ball much better than we did in the first half," XU coach Bo Browder said.

Xavier will play LeMoyne-Owen of NCAA Division II at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Convocation Center.

 Box score

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

XULAATHLETICS

XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

https://twitter.com/xulagold

ttps://www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Alcorn State Football: 2014 SWAC Experience

LORMAN, Mississippi -- The 2014 Toyota SWAC Experience is a series of videos capturing moments of the 2014 football season that eads you up to the Toyota SWAC Football Championship. Judgment Day is this Saturday December 6 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.



COURTESY SWAC.ORG