FGCU Women's Basketball Travels to North Carolina A&T For 2015-16 Opener

The Rundown: FGCU (0-0) at North Carolina A&T (0-0)
The Matchup: Karl Smesko (Kent State, '93) 14th season at FGCU v. Tarrell Robinson (NC A&T, '01) fourth season at NC A&T
When: Friday, Nov. 13  |  5:30 p.m.
Where: Elliot F. Corbett Sports Center |  Greensboro, N.C.
Live Stats: via NCATAggies.com
Hashtags: #WingsUp | #WeAreFGCU | #RainingThrees
Series History: First Meeting
Game Notes: FGCU | NC A&T
 
GREENSBORO, North Carolina  –  As the defending champions of both the Atlantic Sun Regular Season and the A-Sun Tournament Championship, the FGCU women's basketball team will begin a new season Friday evening with a road contest against North Carolina A&T. Tipoff at the Ellis F. Corbett Sports Center is slated for 5:30 p.m.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Live stats will be available through North Carolina A&T's website and can be found at FGCUAthletics.com or by clicking here prior to tipoff. Fans can also find live, in-game updates on Twitter by following @FGCU_WBB.
 
QUICK HITS
• The Eagles will travel 17,290 miles this season, starting with the 787 mile trek north to face the Aggies WingsUp WheelsUp
• FGCU produced a historic 2014-15 season with a record of 31-3, a 26-game win streak and a top-25 ranking #EaglesRising
• Senior Whitney Knight - the reigning #ASunWBB Player of the Year - hails from Winston-Salem, just 32 miles from NC A&T
• The Green and Blue boast nine seniors on the roster this year. That crew has combined for 791 career games in their first three years
• FGCU ranked third in the nation last season with an average of 9.6 3-pointers per game RainingThrees WeAreFGCU
 
TOP RETURNERS 
Backed by six-time Coach of the Year Karl Smesko, the Eagles return two double-figure scorers in seniors Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School) and Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westwood High School/VCU). Knight was named the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year after averaging 14.8 points per game last season, while Atwater contributed 14.2 in 34 games. The duo each earned First Team All-Conference accolades last season and took home Preseason All-Conference honors last month.
 
Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat High School) added 9.2 points per contest last season and joins Knight and Atwater as part of the team's large senior class. The squad boasts nine players in their final season with a combined 791 games of collegiate experience under their belt.
 
In addition to the high scorers, the Eagles return the team's assist leader in this year's captain DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) and sharp-shooter Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School). Dunson led the program with 114 assists last year and produced a nationally-ranked assist to turnover ratio of 2.43. Dunson's helper mark put her among the nation's top-15 and led the league last season, while Gradinjan sank 47 3-pointers at a rate above 40 percent.
The Eagles will look to use their experience to their advantage, while seeing key contributions from newcomers as well with transfers Kady Schrann (York, Pa./York Catholic/Vanderbilt) and Sierra Harley (Columbus, Ohio/Africentric High School/Owens Community College) and redshirt-freshman Tayler Goodall(Columbus, Ind./Columbus North High School) eligible for competition to begin the year.
 
SCOUTING THE HOME TEAM
• Despite losing its top scorer to graduation, North Carolina A&T was voted as the Preseason favorite in the MEAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Aggies went 20-11 a season ago with a 12-4 record in league play and won 11 of 13 games at the Ellis F. Corbett Sports Center.
• 2014-15 marked the third-straight 20-win season for NCA&T under head coach Tarrell Robinson, who enters his fourth season. The team won 11-straight MEAC contests and never lost more than three in a row.
• Robinson's Aggies lost 35.9 percent of last year's scoring but return a balanced attack with four players who started at least 15 games back this season. Aprill McRae, a Preseason All-MEAC selection, is the team's top returner with 10.0 points per game last season. The graduate student maintained a field goal percentage of .470 with 5.0 rebounds per game and 17 total blocks. Christina Carter dished out a team-high 87 assists last year with an added 6.9 points per game and 61 steals. Carter joins McRae and Adriana Nazario on the Preseason All-MEAC Team. Nazario helped the Aggies to another 20-win season with 7.0 points per game and 85 assists. She started 20 games and averaged 22.9 minutes per game.

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Experienced UD Hens, rebuilt DSU Hornets collide in opener

DOVER, Delaware – Delaware State’s lineup is revamped. Delaware’s is largely the same.

Those are about the only certainties the two take into their men’s basketball season opener at DSU’s Memorial Hall Friday at 8 p.m.

DSU is coming off an 18-18 season in which it reached the MEAC championship game and made a postseason appearance in the College Basketball Invitational.

But gone from that team are Amere May and his 21 points per game, Kendall Gray and his 11.8 rebounds per game and Tyshawn Bell, who did a lot of scoring and rebounding along with Gray.

“I really can’t complain,” Hornets coach Keith Walker said. “The new guys we have, I’m feeling really good about. I think we’ll be OK once these guys get some experience. That comes with playing games.”

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K-State Tips Off Season vs. UMES Friday

OPENING GAMES OF THE CBE HALL OF FAME CLASSIC
FAN GUIDE  |  GAMECENTER  |   LIVE AUDIO  |  AFFILIATES  |  WEATHER  |  TWITTER UPDATES  |  GAMEDAY APP

TELEVISION 
*FOX Sports Kansas City (*state of Kansas, Kansas City and bordering areas only)K-StateHD.TVESPN3• Ben Boyle (play-by-play)• Stan Weber (analyst)DirecTV 671-5  |  AT&T 748  |  Dish 444/412-32WatchESPN Link

RADIO

K-State Sports Network• Brian Smoller (play-by-play)
Satellite Radio: None

TICKETS

www.kstatesports.com/tickets(800) 221.CATS $10 (bench)  |  $20 (chairbacks)  |  $5 (12+group)Bramlage Bundle: $20 (GA/Bench ticket + $10 concessions voucher + souvenir)

COACHES

Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)Overall: 375-193/18th seasonAt K-State: 62-38/4th seasonvs. UMES: 1-0UMES: Bobby Collins (Eastern Kentucky ’91)Overall: 198-182/14th seasonAt UMES: 18-15/2nd seasonvs. Kansas State: 0-0

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (0-0)G: #3 Kamau Stokes (6-0, 170, Fr.-HS)G: #14 Justin Edwards (6-4, 200, Sr.-1L)G: #25 Wesley Iwundu (6-7, 210, Jr.-2L)F: #32 Dean Wade (6-10, 225, Fr.-HS)F: #41 Stephen Hurt (6-11, 265, Sr.-1L)

UMES (0-0)G: #1 Marc Seylan (6-4, 190, Jr.-TR)G: #4 Devin Martin (6-4, 205, Sr.-1L)G: #21 Bakari Copeland (6-6, 235, Jr.-TR)G: #24 Derrico Peck (6-7, 205, Gr.-TR)F: #32 Dominique Elliott (6-9, 225, Sr.-1L)

INSIDE THE SERIES

Overall: K-State leads 2-0vs. Mid-Eastern Athletic: K-State leads 26-0 (26-0 at home)In Manhattan: K-State leads 2-0 (last meeting: 11/22/2011)In Princess Anne: n/aCurrent Streak: K-State, 2Last Meeting: K-State won 92-50 in Manhattan (11/22/2011)Weber vs. Collins: First meeting

QUICK HITTERS• Kansas State officially tips off the 112th season of men’s basketball on Friday, as the Wildcats play host to MEAC member Maryland-Eastern Shore [UMES] (0-0) at 7 p.m. CT at Bramlage Coliseum.• The match-up is the first of two Opening Games of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic, which concludes on Monday against Columbia (0-0). K-State plays in the championship round of the tournament, Nov.  23-24, at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, beginning with Missouri at 6 p.m. CT on Nov. 23.• Friday’s opener is the first of three straight for the Wildcats at home to start the season, including Monday’s doubleheader tilt with Columbia and concluding with South Dakota on Friday, Nov. 20. • K-State is 86-25 (.775) all-time in season openers dating back to the first season in 1903, including a 74-9 (.892) mark at home. • The Wildcats are 21-2 (.913) in season openers at Bramlage Coliseum, which includes a 16-game winning streak from 1995-2012. The 2 losses have come to Southern Miss (Nov. 27, 1993) and Northern Colorado (Nov. 8, 2013). Overall, the team is 23-4 (.852) at Bramlage in home openers.• K-State has a 71-5 (.934) record at home in non-conference play dating back to 2006-07, including a 69-4 (.945) mark during the regular season. The squad has won 60 of its last 63 non-conference home games.• Bruce Weber is 15-2 (.882) in his 17-year head coaching career in openers (Southern Illinois and Illinois), including a 15-1 mark in home openers. His 2 losses have come in 1989 (SIU) and 2013 (K-State).• Weber is 44-7 (.863) at Bramlage Coliseum since taking over as head coach with losses to No. 3 Kansas (2012), Northern Colorado (2013), Baylor (2013), Texas Southern (2014), Georgia (2014), West Virginia (2015) and Texas (2015). The 7 losses have come by a total of 24 points (3.4 ppg.).• K-State won its 2014 season opener, 98-68, over Southern Utah, as the Wildcats connected on 58.7 percent (27-of-46) from the field, including 55.6 percent (10-of-18) from 3-point range. Six players scored in double figures, including 11 each by Justin Edwards and Stephen Hurt.• The 98 points were the most scored in the Bruce Weber era and the most scored in an opener since UTSA (103, Nov. 23, 1991). The team also set Weber era highs for free throws made (34) and attempted (48).• K-State went 2-0 in exhibition play defeating Emporia State, 80-42, on Oct. 30 and Fort Hays State, 70-52, on Nov. 6. The Wildcats have now won 18 consecutive home exhibition games dating back to 2004.

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CIAA Releases 2015 Football’s All-Rookie Team

Charlotte, North Carolina -- The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) in conjunction with its Football Coaches Association and Sports Information Directors has released the 2015 CIAA All-Rookie Teams.

Virginia Union University’s star running back Hakeem Holland (Baltimore, Md.) is the 2015 CIAA Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was also named to the All-CIAA First Team in the running backs position. Holland ranks #2 in the conference in rushing touchdowns with 10. He averaged 101.2 yards a game and is the leading rusher for the Panthers. Hakeem had a game high 153 yards against Saint Augustine’s in Virginia Union’s 42-7 victory. His longest scamper was for 79 yards against Chowan. Hakeem Holland has scored a total of 74 points.

DeVonta’ High (Upper Marlboro, Md.) of Bowie State University was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year. He played in nine games during his collegiate start and amassed 26 tackles from the defensive back position. Fifteen of those were solo stops. High also forced one fumble and recovered two to go along with one pass breakup.

 The Rookies of the Year will be honored during the championship’s pre-game activities.

OFFENSIVE ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

#24	Desean Binyard	JCSU	RB	Winston-Salem, N.C.
#25	Chase Byrum	ECSU	RB	Monroe, N.C.
#6	Anthony Elliott	CU	WR	Chesapeake, Va.
#86	Julian Granby	BSU	TE	Silver Spring, Md.
#9	Hakeem Holland	VUU	RB	Baltimore, Md.
#1	Jordan Lane	JCSU	QB	Charlotte, N.C.
#4	Gedari Liverman	FSU	WR	Elizabeth City, N.C.
#20	Stephen Mines	VSU	RB	Chesterfield, Va.
#13	Joe Nguyen	SU	K	Charlotte, N.C.
#14	Rod Tinsley, Jr.	WSSU	QB	Charlotte, N.C.
#82	William Belcher	WSSU	WR	Atlanta, Ga.

CIAA OFFENSIVE Rookie of the Year

#9

Hakeem Holland

VUU

RB

Baltimore, Md.

DEFENSIVE ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

#90	Russel Ballance	VUU	P	South Hampton, Va.
#46	Armond Cox	LC	DL	Teaneck, N.J.
#25	DeVonta’ High	BSU	DB	Upper Marlboro, Md.
#35	Kyle Jackson	BSU	LB	Upper Marlboro, Md.
#19	Quinton Jordan	BSU	DB	Upper Marlboro, Md.
#92	Loimataf Motu’apuaka	VUU	DL	Virginia Beach, Va.
#21	Daveon Perry	WSSU	DB	Kannapolis, N.C.
#16	Malik Sexton	VSU	LB	Portsmouth, Va.
#98	Elijah Washington	ECSU	DL	Pittsboro, N.C.
#52	Marquise Williams	FSU	LB	Laurinburg, N.C.
#55	Kyrell Williamson	WSSU	LB	Kannapolis, N.C.

CIAA DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

#25

DeVonta’ High

BSU

DB

Upper Marlboro, Md.

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