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Gold Rush make 40th consecutive appearance in top 25

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana fell from 22nd to 24th Tuesday in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 and held on to its NAIA-leading current streak of appearances.

The Gold Rush (11-6) are in the top 25 for the 40th consecutive time — the streak began on Dec. 12, 2011 — and the 53rd time in the last 54 polls. Tied for second with 29 consecutive appearances are Cal State San Marcos and Pikeville.

For the third time in as many polls this season, Xavier is one of three Gulf Coast Athletic Conference teams in the top 25. Talladega is fifth, and Philander Smith is 16th. Both moved up one place from a week ago.

Philander Smith is the next Gold Rush opponent — 5 p.m. Saturday at XU's Convocation Center. It will be Xavier's fifth game of the season against a top-25 opponent and its fourth in a row. Xavier won at home against ranked Philander Smith teams each of the past two seasons.

The Gold Rush won three straight games since the previous poll Dec. 9, including a 92-82 victory at then-No. 5 William Carey. Xavier then lost 70-65 at home to Concordia (Calif.), which remains at No. 9.

Xavier lost its GCAC opener 93-78 at Talladega on Monday, but that game was not included in this week's rankings. Talladega will visit Xavier on Feb. 9.

Campbellsville replaced Cal State San Marcos as the No. 1 team. Campbellsville and Hope International received five first-place apiece, but the Tigers had a 246-245 advantage in points. Cal State San Marcos dropped to third.

The next poll will be announced Jan. 13.

The top 25:

1. Campbellsville
2. Hope International
3. Cal State San Marcos
4. Pikeville
5. Talladega
6. Freed-Hardeman
7. Martin Methodist
8. Oklahoma Baptist
9. Concordia (Calif.)
10. Montana Western
11. Benedictine (Kan.)
12. Texas Wesleyan
13. Our Lady of the Lake
14. Dalton State
15. Wayland Baptist
16. Philander Smith
17. Arizona Christian
18. Rocky Mountain
19. Georgetown (Ky.)
20. William Carey
21. LSU-Shreveport
22. Central Methodist
23. Lewis-Clark State
24. Xavier
25. Southwestern Assemblies of God

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

XULAATHLETICS

Monday's HBCU Basketball Scoreboard

Monday, January 5, 2015

WOMEN
Xavier 67, Talladega 60
Edward Waters 74, Tougaloo 54
#22 Princeton 75, Hampton 63
North Carolina A&T 87, Guilford 41
Coppin State 58, Norfolk State 56
Pittsburg State 86, Lincoln (Mo.) 56
Jackson State 90, Alabama State 85
Texas Southern 62, Southern 48
Alcorn State 68, Prairie View A&M 46
Alabama A&M 59, Grambling State 56

MEN
Talladega 93, Xavier 78
Tougaloo 80, Edward Waters 61
Pittsburg State 74, Lincoln (Mo.) 50
Alabama A&M 67, Grambling State 46
Alabama State 72, Jackson State 52
Alcorn State 68, Prairie View A&M 62
Texas Southern 59, Southern 58 Watch Replay

Delaware State 90, Cheyney 68
Bethune-Cookman 97, Trinity Baptist 71

SCSU Football: Hargrave’s hard-working holidays

SALISBURY, Maryland — North Rowan graduate Javon Hargrave has been transformed from a guy with NFL dreams to a guy with realistic NFL possibilities.

The South Carolina State junior did a lot to raise his stock on Oct. 25 when his team won, 20-14, against Bethune-Cookman, the 13th-ranked team in the FCS poll. Hargrave, a 6-foot-2, 310-pound defensive tackle, made 11 tackles in that physical struggle between bitter Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rivals. Six of his tackles were sacks.

Seriously — six sacks. Hargrave made sacks when he was lined up inside and he made sacks from the outside. He broke the school single-game record and tied the MEAC and FCS records. He was the national player of the week.

“That one game changed my life — it really did,” Hargrave said. “Since that game, lots of scouts have come around to watch me. That game was the spark for a lot of good things that have happened to me.”

It’s hard to believe but Hargrave’s physical status was doubtful going into the Bethune-Cookman game.

CONTINUE READING

DSU Hornets fly by Cheyney in final MEAC tuneup

DOVER, Delaware -- DeAndre Haywood scored a career-high 25 points and Kendall Gray recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds to lead Delaware State to a 90-68 men’s basketball win over Cheyney in Memorial Hall this evening.

The Hornets (5-8) shot a season-high 56.1% from the field, hitting 32 of their 57 shots in the contest. DSU was also 10-for-22 from three-point territory (45.5%).

Haywood was nine-for-11 from the floor, including three-of-four on three-point shots. He was also four-for-five at the free throw line.

Haywood’s previous career-high was 23 points in the Hornets’ 77-75 overtime win at Penn in the season opener on Nov. 15.

Gray also had five blocks in the game, marking the 21st time in his career with at least that many. He now has 43 blocks this season. The Dover, Del., native was No. 1 in the MEAC and 10th among all NCAA Division I players in blocks per game entering the contest. Gray was also second in the MEAC and 13th in the nation in double-doubles before the game.

Amere May was the only other DSU player in double figures with 10 points.
Charles Burley had six points and led all players with six assists for the Hornets.

Kevin Larkin was high scorer for Cheyney with 19 points, while Jerrod Johnson came off the bench to add 18 for the Wolves.

Delaware State scored the first 11 points of the game, and opened up a 30-14 lead after back-to-back three-pointers by reserves Aric Dickerson and Kevon Waller midway through the first half.

The Hornets opened up their biggest first half lead, 38-16, on Waller’s second three-point shot of the game at the 7:39 mark of the opening period.

Cheyney outscored DSU 12-6 in the last 2:32 of the first half to trim the Hornets’ lead to 50-35 at the break.

The Wolves hung tough in the opening minutes of the second half, and pulled to within 55-45 on a three-pointer by with 15:46 left to play.

Delaware State answered with a 12-2 run, and stretched its lead to 67-47 on a three-ball by Haywood at the 12:13 mark of the second half. He scored 10 of Hornets’ 12 points during the spurt.

The Hornets led 69-52 before another 12-2 rally to take control of the game for good. Gray capped off the run with a lay-up to give DSU a 81-54 lead with 7:26 left to play.

Cheyney could get no closer than 21 points the rest of the way.

The Hornets will begin the 2014-15 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference portion of the schedule in their next contest on Saturday (Jan. 10) at home against Morgan State. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m., following the DSU/Morgan State women’s contest in Memorial Hall.

BOX SCORE

COURTESY DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Rogers sparks Alabama State past Jackson State

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama State needed a lift after a slow start against Jackson State. A local product gave the Hornets exactly what they needed.

Hornets guard and former Brewbaker Tech star Steve Rogers finished with a career-high 14 points as Alabama State got a 72-52 win over Jackson State on Monday.

After ASU fell behind 14-11 early in the first half, Rogers would take over. He scored seven points in a row, part of a 15-1 run for the Hornets.

"It was probably my best game," Rogers said. "I still have a lot of things to work on. I'm trying to learn from the older guards and just contribute as much as I can to the team."

The Hornets held a 28-18 halftime lead as they struggled with offensive continuity. The Hornets shot just 37.9 percent from the field in the first half. In the second half, they shot 59.1 percent.

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Texas Southern tops Southern 59-58 after a wild final few seconds

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- For most of the game, it looked like Southern and Texas Southern were destined for a photo finish Monday night.

But the number of twists and turns in the final moments would have been almost impossible to predict.

In a game that was tied 10 times, there were four dramatic possessions in the final 10 seconds.

In the end, Chris Thomas made a tie-breaking free throw with 0.7 seconds left, and two replay reviews went the Tigers way in the final second as they won 59-58 victory in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

“We knew it was going to be a battle,” said TSU coach Mike Davis, whose team scored six points in the final 3.8 seconds to defeat Kansas State by two points last month.

This victory improved the Tigers to 5-10 and 2-0. The Jaguars, 4-12 and 1-1, visit Grambling on Saturday.

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Report: Derrick Burroughs not sure why released by JSU

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Derrick Burroughs said in a report that he was surprised to be released after one year at Jackson State and is still not sure why it happened.

"You tell me. I finished third in the conference in total defense," Burroughs told The Jackson-Sun (Tennessee) on Monday. "To this day I still have not been given a reason."

Burroughs was named JSU's defensive coordinator last January, but the school announced it would not renew his one-year contract in November.

According to The Jackson-Sun, Burroughs will return to Lane College as its head football coach and athletic director. The former Buffalo Bills defensive back coached the Dragons for four years prior to joining JSU's staff.

He was among new head coach Harold Jackson's first hires.

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Stewart scores 33 to move Talladega past Gold Rush

Morris Wright
5'-10"/175 Junior Guard
Zachary, LA

TALLADEGA, Alabama -- Shondel Stewart scored 33 points Monday, leading Talladega to a 93-78 victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in a matchup of ranked NAIA men's basketball teams.

The Tornadoes (15-3, 2-0 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference), ranked sixth, won their 10th in a row. It was the second straight loss to a top-10 opponent for the 22nd-ranked Gold Rush (11-6, 0-1).

Stewart, a senior guard and the GCAC Tournament MVP last season, tied a GCAC record by making 21-of-23 free throws -- 16-of-18 in the second half -- and reached 30 points for the third time this season.

Stewart tied the record for free-throw attempts set by Xavier's Angelo Taylor against Mobile on Feb. 16, 2002, and equaled by Stewart last season. Stewart matched Taylor's GCAC record for free throws made, also accomplished in that '02 Mobile game.

Charles Winborne scored 17 points and Brandon Peters 14 for Talladega.

Morris Wright scored 15 points for Xavier. Anthony Goode and Troy Salvant scored 13 points apiece, and Wesley Pluviose-Philip had 10.

The Gold Rush scored 14 consecutive points -- including Goode's back-to-back 3-pointers -- to take a 16-7 lead in the sixth minute. Then the Tornadoes scored 21 consecutive points -- including a pair of Courtney Mack 3-pointers -- to take a 30-19 lead at 7:15 of the first half.

Josh Freeman's basket at 1:15 capped a 15-4 XU run and tied the score at 35, but Stewart's basket with 59 seconds remaining gave Talladega a 37-36 halftime advantage.

Xavier took its only second-half lead, 38-37, on Goode's basket at 19:42. Talladega answered with a 9-1 run -- Stewart had a 3-point play and two more free throws -- and survived an XU rally which got the Rush within one point three times, the last at 54-53 with 10:01 remaining.

Xavier shot 59 percent from the floor, made 8-of-13 3-pointers and 24-of-33 free throws. The Tornadoes shot 56.9 percent -- they're the first XU opponent this season to reach 50 percent from the floor -- and made 5-of-17 3-pointers and 30-of-35 free throws. In the second half, Talladega was 22-of-27 from the line, and Xavier was 16-of-20.

Salvant (3-of-3), Goode (3-of-4) and Wright (2-of-4) accounted for all the XU 3-pointers.

Xavier and Talladega will meet again Feb. 9 at Xavier. Next for the Gold Rush will be a 5 p.m. Saturday game against NAIA No. 17 Philander Smith at XU's Convocation Center. It will be Xavier's fourth consecutive game against a ranked opponent.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

XULAATHLETICS

Xavier Nuggets win at Talladega, snap losing streak

Whitney Gathright
5'-4 Junior Guard
Hometown: New Orleans, LA

TALLADEGA, Alabama -- Whitney Gathright scored 18 points Monday, and Trana Hopkins' 3-pointer keyed a late run which gave NAIA No. 19 Xavier University of Louisiana a 67-60 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against Talladega.

The Gold Nuggets (8-8, 1-0) ended a four-game losing streak and limited the Lady Tornadoes (7-7, 1-1) to their fewest points at home since Dec. 3, 2012.

Gathright, who scored a season-low six points in Xavier's previous game, was 6-of-9 from the floor, 2-of-3 on 3-pointers and 4-of-4 from the line. The junior point guard had five rebounds and four assists.

After five ties and nine lead changes in the second half, Hopkins put the Gold Nuggets ahead to stay, 53-51, with a 3-pointer with 5:48 remaining. Baskets by Gathright and Hopkins in the 38th minute gave Xavier a 61-55 lead.

Gathright and Vinnie Briggs each made a pair of free throws in the final eight seconds.

Briggs and Daylin Boatner scored 11 points apiece -- Boatner, a freshman, reached double figures for the first time at Xavier -- and Hopkins and Donyeah Mayfield each scored nine. Emoni Harvey grabbed a career-best nine rebounds, and Briggs had eight rebounds.

Tajanee Wells led Talladega with 24 points and nine rebounds. Shakeena Benton scored 10 points, and Ella Rodriguez grabbed 10 rebounds.

Xavier committed a season-low 11 personal fouls and outshot Talladega 42.4 to 31.4 percent from the floor.

Xavier has won 22 of its last 23 conference openers. The Gold Nuggets won at Talladega for the first time since Jan. 7, 2002.

Xavier will play city rival Loyola (12-0) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at XU's Convocation Center. The Wolf Pack women are ranked eighth in the NAIA.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

XULAATHLETICS