Alabama State Hornets Men's Basketball Upset Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Virginia – Jamel Waters led four players in double digits as the Hornets went on the road and picked up one of the biggest wins in ASU history with an 85-82 win at Virginia Tech, a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

"A great team victory for our team at Alabama State," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said.  "I thought our guys came out and stuck with the game plan and just competed every possession."

"We tried to get the bigs involved in ball screens, get in the lane and kick and find guys.  Just a great team victory we knew we had to do a great job on the glass and I don't know exactly how it turned out, but we really worked and played hard, made some free throws down the stretch and was able to hang on."

The Hornets led early (5-0) but trailed for most of the game as there were only two lead changes.  The final came on a Bobby Brown field goal with six minutes left to give ASU a 67-65 lead, and the Hornets never trailed again.

A basket by Glenn Hollaway with 4:20 left in the game gave the Hornets their largest lead at 74-66.  That basket was the final score on an 11-0 ASU run.  From there the Hornets hung on for the three-point win by hitting five of seven free throws over the final minute of action.

Brown finished the game with 14 points while two newcomers Torloft Thomas andCorvon Butler finished with 13 and 10 points.

Waters added a team-high six rebounds and a game-high seven assists to go with his points.  Steve Rogers, Butler and Hollaway helped with the rebounding numbers finishing with five each.

ASU did a good job of taking care of the basketball only committing eight turnovers against the taller Hokies.  They had four blocked shots and four steals with Waters' two a game-high.

The Hornets shot 42 percent from the field, but hit 50 percent (17-34) of their second half field goals.  ASU hit nine of their 28 three point attempts for 32 percent.  The Hornets were out shot two-to-one at the free throw line, but did knock down 16 of their 21 attempts for 76 percent.

With the host team working their size advantage, the Hokies continued to get the ball inside to their post players where the finished the game out scoring ASU 46-28 in the post.  It also helped them shoot a strong 47 percent for the game, including 54 in the second half.

Virginia Tech also out rebounded ASU, but not by as many as one would think, 41-36 was the final tally.  The home team held a 40-21 advantage in free throws, but only hit 25 of those for 63 percent.

Zach LeDay was the big man that was able to take advantage in the post.  He finished with a game-high 26 points and even had a game-high 15 rebounds.

Jackson talked about the size disadvantage the Hornets faced.  "We knew they were bigger, their guards were big.  We were starting three guys six-two or under and we were starting a 6-5 guy at forward.  We just wanted to keep the floor open and try to attack their big wing guys, get in the lane and get kick outs.  We were fortunate enough to do some of that a little bit and they missed a couple of shots there late and got the rebound.  We were able to execute down the stretch and hit some free throws. We knew the size would be a big problem but the guys fought hard."

ASU trailed at halftime 42-37 as the taller and more physical Hokies took advantage of their size on the inside and were able to score 22 of their points in the paint and hit 12 of their 18 free throws.

The Hornets struggled shooting the ball connecting on only 35 percent of their shots, but were able to hit five three point field goals to stay close.  Waters scored 10 in the opening half to lead ASU.

"This was just a great win mainly because we lost so many guys out of our eight-man rotation last season," Jackson said.  "The way they played tonight just shows the things we can accomplish if we work hard each and every day in practice and try to continue to get better."

The Hornets will be back in action with in-state rival Alabama-Birmingham Monday, Nov. 16 in Birmingham.  Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m.  Catch all of the live action on the ASU Hornets Radio Network.

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The champs are here: Last-second field goal gives Rams CIAA title

DURHAM, North Carolina  — Winston-Salem State went into Saturday's CIAA Championship Game with nothing to lose. And for a while, the Rams played like they were going to lose.

But the team came up with the big plays when it counted to defeat Bowie State 17-14 before a near sellout crowd at Durham County Stadium.

Kicker Will Johnson nailed a 23-yard field goal with 2 seconds left to give the Rams the come-from-behind victory. It is just the second time in CIAA championship history a game was decided by a field goal. The win is the Rams' third league title since 2011 and 11th overall.

“We’ve been playing in spurts all year long, but we finally saved our best game for last,” said coach Kienus Boulware of Winston-Salem State. “We played the old Rams defense today, and the team that we were looking for all season came to play.”

Redshirt freshman quarterback Rod Tinsley Jr. completed 15 of 27 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown, but, most importantly, no interceptions.

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from THE EDITOR: Two A&M Teams Win Big

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Alabama A&M made a statement on Friday night by beating the Tulane University Green Waves in the unfriendly confines of the Delvin Fieldhouse, New Orleans, in overtime. Florida A&M made its own statement at home by dominating a Division II Johnson University while introducing a talented young group of transfers and freshmen.

Alabama A&M 68 Tulane University 67
With new rules in place this year by the NCAA, referees will call a foul just for touching an offensive player. There were concerns that such a clear rule would create a foul fest, slow the pace of the game, and frustrate fans. Though the Alabama A&M Bulldogs received the kind of calls expected of an away team, they kept their composure to take the game in the last seconds of overtime.

Alabama A&M led at the half by 25-19 and maintained the lead most of the game. However, Tulane scored in the second to last possession of the game to tie it at 65. Tulane then stole the ball from the Bulldogs and could not get off a game winning attempt before the final second in game regulation ticked off.

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Battle-tested Rams vying for CIAA title

DURHAM, North Carolina -- Winston-Salem State doesn’t have to be reminded just how far it’s come to wind up in today’s CIAA championship game against Bowie State.

“We’ve been through a lot this season,” coach Kienus Boulware of the Rams said about a roller-coaster regular season.

The Rams (5-5) and Bulldogs (9-1) play at 2 p.m. at Durham County Stadium.

Winston-Salem State went 0-3 in nonconference play and then lost two CIAA games, both at Bowman Gray Stadium. Through it all, they emerged as the Southern Division champions. They’ll be making their fifth straight championship game appearance in search of their third CIAA title since 2011.

Defensive end Michael Bloomfield, the Rams’ leading tackler and a first-team all-CIAA selection, is the lone Ram to be a part of all five Southern Division titles. The senior is focused on one task.

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SIAC Championship draws thousands to Montgomery

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Thousands of fans will flock to Montgomery this weekend as the top two teams in the SIAC face off for the title.

Two undefeated teams will meet on Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Cramton Bowl at 6 p.m. in the 2015 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) football championship. The Albany State Golden Rams will take on the Golden Bears of Miles College.

Albany State won its fifth straight game on Nov. 7 when it defeated Fort Valley State 21-17 for the SIAC east division title. Miles College claimed the west division title last Saturday with a 26-23 win over Tuskegee to also nab its fifth consecutive win.

“SIAC has been leading in attendance in the NCAA Division II games for 23 of the last 25 years and they're anticipating around 10,000 people coming to this game so lots of people coming in to have a great time and watch some great football,” said Meg Lewis, Director of Tourism & Special Projects for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.

Alabama State University is also playing at home this weekend and geared up for their game against Prairie View A&M with a pep rally Friday night. The game is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at ASU Stadium.

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HBCU Football Judgment Day Schedule: Week 11 (Nov.14)

SATURDAY, November 14, 2015



CIAA CHAMPIONSHIP
Bowie State vs. Winston-Salem State,  Durham, NC 2 PM  TV: ASPIRE NETWORK

SIAC CHAMPIONSHIP
Albany State vs. Miles, Montgomery, AL 7 PM

CSFL
Texas College at Langston, 3 PM

PSAC
Cheyney at Indiana (Pa.), 12:00 Noon

MEC
West Liberty at West Virginia State, 1 PM

GLIAC
Lincoln (Mo.) at Southwest Baptist, 2 PM

MEAC
Delaware State at North Carolina A&T, 1 PM, TV: ESPN3
Florida A&M at Morgan State, 1 PM
Hampton at Savannah State, 1 PM
North Carolina Central at Howard, 1 PM
South Carolina State at Norfolk State, 1 PM

SWAC
Alcorn State at Texas Southern, 2 PM
Prairie View A&M at Alabama State, 3 PM
Grambling State at Arkansas Pine Bluff, 3:30 PM, Homecoming

SIAC
 Livingstone at North Greenville, 1 PM

INDEPENDENT 
Concordia-Selma at Point U., 12 Noon

ALL GAME TIMES SHOWN IN EASTERN TIME ZONE

Ragin' Cajuns defeat Gold Nuggets 77-69

LAFAYETTE, La. 738212; Jalyn Gordon scored 27 points Thursday to lead Louisiana-Lafayette to a 77-69 women's basketball victory against NAIA No. 21 Xavier University of Louisiana.
     
The Ragin' Cajuns counted the game as an exhibition, but the Gold Nuggets (2-1) are counting it in their regular-season statistics and records.
     
Gordon also had four assists and three steals.
     
Kia Wilridge produced 17 points and nine rebounds for the Cajuns, and Keke Veal and Jordan Alexander scored 10 points apiece.
     
Whitney Gathright had 18 points, six assists and two steals for Xavier, and Trana Hopkins scored a season-best 14. Next in scoring for Xavier were freshmen Kiera Robinson with nine points and Joi Simmons with eight.
     
Louisiana-Lafayette led 29-25 at halftime and took its largest lead, 66-49, when Wilridge made 1-of-2 free throws with 8:21 remaining. The Gold Nuggets rallied thereafter but got no loser than eight points.
     
Gathright, limited to two free throws and 0-of-6 from the floor in the first half, scored 16 points after halftime. Simmons scored all her points in the second half.
     
Xavier spent 53 seconds with the lead, all in the first quarter. Donyeah Mayfield's basket with 30 seconds remaining gave the Gold Nuggets their final lead, 8-7. Gordon hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and Louisiana-Lafayette took the lead for good, 12-10, on Brooklyn Arceneaux's layup at 8:45 of the second period.
     
Xavier will stay on the road and play NAIA No. 7 Our Lady of the Lake at 2 p.m. Saturday in the LSUS Classic at Shreveport, La.

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Pirkl selected GCAC Setter of the Year

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — Xavier University of Louisiana's Franziska Pirkl is the 2015 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Setter of the Year.
     
Pirkl, a senior from Munich, Germany, and a graduate of Theodolinden Gymnasium, leads the GCAC this season with 8.9 assists per set, and her 170 digs are the most by a GCAC setter this season. Pirkl's 3,169 career assists are an XU record. On Tuesday, Pirkl was named first-team All-GCAC for the fourth consecutive year.
     
"I'm so proud and impressed with the strides Fran has made since she joined our program," XU coach Hannah Lawing said. "She used to be very unsure about running her offense and lose confidence in herself pretty quickly. Now, she is a decisive setter who is hungry to feed her hitters a ball they can put away. Not only has her setting improved, but her defense has had the most vast progression. We are so fortunate to have added her to our program and have her be our court captain for the past two years. Her shoes will be extremely difficult ones to fill."
     
Pirkl also excels in the classroom. The mass communications major has a cumulative GPA of 3.69.
     
Pirkl's award was announced Thursday at a banquet prior to the GCAC Tournament, which will begin Friday morning at Philander Smith's Mims Gym. There were six additional "of-the-year" awards presented, but Xavier — the tournament's No. 1 seed and co-champion of the regular season with SUNO — received none of them. SUNO collected five, and fourth-place Philander Smith received one. Awards were based on voting by the GCAC's seven head coaches. SUNO senior Ana Privrat won Player of the Year and Defender of the Year.
     
Xavier (17-7) has a first-round bye in the tournament will play third-seeded Dillard or sixth-seeded Talladega in the semifinals at 10 a.m. Saturday. The championship match is scheduled for 3 p.m. that day.

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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Nuggets to play 6th-seeded Talladega in GCAC tourney

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — Xavier University of Louisiana will begin the defense of its Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament championship when it meets Talladega at 10 a.m. Saturday in the semifinals.
     
The Gold Nuggets (17-7), seeded No. 1 and regular-season co-champion with SUNO, had a bye in Friday's opening round. Sixth-seeded Talladega got 30 kills from Carla Novaes and rallied to upset third-seeded Dillard 11-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-22, 15-7.
     
Xavier is 10-0 all-time against Talladega, 3-0 in the GCAC Tournament. This season the Gold Nuggets won 25-15, 25-14, 25-21 Sept. 7 at Xavier and 25-17, 25-11, 25-18 Oct. 17 at Talladega.
     
Second-seeded SUNO advanced to the semifinals with a 25-19, 25-15, 25-21 victory against fifth-seeded Tougaloo. The Lady Knights will play seventh-seeded Edward Waters, which upset fourth-seeded Philander Smith 25-22, 25-18, 14-25, 25-23.
     
Philander Smith's Mims Gym is the tournament venue. Xavier won the previous four GCAC Tournament titles.

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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Florida A&M Rattlers Breezes Past Suns In Season Opener, 103-71

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The Florida A&M Men’s Basketball team hosted their first season opener at home since 2008 Friday, and made a serious splash at the Al Lawson Center in a breezy 103-71 romp over the visiting Johnson (Fla.) University Suns.

FAMU coach Byron Samuels was all smiles as his charges used solid defensive pressure to create fastbreak opportunities to start the runaway Friday night, forging a 51-30 lead at the break on 51.3 percent shooting, while holding the Suns to 29 percent from the floor.

“We played with great energy tonight,” Samuels said “and our defensive intensity helped create some offensive chances for us.

“Plus, us having a chance to open at home for the first time in eight years was big for us, and our guys fed off the home crowd without question. Opening at home is something we are going to try to do in the future too,” Samuels said.

The Rattlers ran the floor at will, thundering down at least a half dozen dunks to get the crowd of over 893 going early.

FAMU placed four players in double figures on the scoring parade, led by Malcolm Bernard with 17 points and eight rebounds, Craig Bowman with 16 points, Isaiah Omoregie with 14 points and Justin Ravenal with 12 points.

In the second half, the Rattlers continued their hot shooting, cashing in on 51 percent of their floor shots to stay ahead of the Suns, 52-41.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Rattlers will head to Carbondale, Illinois for a 3:00 p.m. Central Time Sunday matinee against Southern Illinois in the opening round of the MTE Tournament.

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Chicago State Men's Basketball Sets School D-I Scoring Record Against Illinois Tech

CHICAGO -- Trayvon Palmer (Milwaukee, Wis./Brown Deer) had 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead Chicago State in a 137-59 rout over Division III member Illinois Tech in the season opener for both teams on Friday night.

It was the most points scored for Chicago State since losing to Troy State 140-131 in 1995.

Jawad Adekoya (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) and Kieran Woods (Chicago, Ill./Crane) scored 16 points, and Elliot Cole added 16 points with five assists. The Cougars made a school-record 56 field goals, and matched a school-record with 26 steals, with Woods leading with four.

Anthony Mosley scored 26 points and Jake Digiorgio had 15 points to lead the Scarlet Hawks.

The Cougars opened on a 30-9 run and never trailed while building a 66-42 halftime lead. Jordan Madrid-Andrews (Denver, Colo./Bishop Machebeauf) made consecutive layups and the Cougars opened the second half on a 14-5 run. They outscored the Scarlet Hawks 71-17 in the second half.

CSU opens play in the Emerald Coast Classic on Monday night as it heads to Ames, Iowa for a showdown against seventh-ranked Iowa State with the opening tip set for 7 p.m.

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Martin’s Double-Double Helps TSU Defeat Loyola in Season Opener, 86-71

BALTIMORE, Maryland – Wayne Martin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) put on a dominating performance with 27 points and 21 rebounds to carry the Tennessee State men’s basketball team to an 86-71 road win over Loyola Maryland at Reitz Arena to open the 2015-16 season.

For the Tigers (1-0), junior Tahjere McCall (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored 23 points, while senior Keron DeShields (Baltimore, Md.) chipped in with 15 points in front of his hometown friends and family. The victory over Loyola (0-1), was the first road win for the Tigers since a 70-68 victory at Morehead State on Feb. 27, 2014.

“I thought the guys put in a pretty good team effort,” TSU Head Coach Dana Ford said. “We had a very good togetherness about us for 40 minutes. We knew it would take 40 minutes, and the guys just did a great job.”

In a back-and-forth contest that featured 14 ties and eight lead changes, the Tigers used a 21-6 run over the final six minutes to pull away for the victory.



In the first half, the Tigers jumped out to a fast start, taking a 7-5 lead 1:30 into the game on a corner three from Johnny Woodard (Duluth, Minn.). The momentum quickly shifted, however, as the Greyhounds reeled off 13 of the game's next 15 points for an 18-9 lead.

TSU went just over six minutes between buckets with Martin ending the scoring drought with a spinning layup with 12:03 to cut the deficit to 18-11. The basket spurred an 11-4 run by the Tigers to put the visitors down just two at 22-20.

Later in the half, the Tigers regained the lead at 33-31 on Martin’s layup from a long outlet pass from Christian Griggs-Williams (Milwaukee, Wisc.) with 1:45 to go before halftime, and the teams went into the locker rooms tied at 36-36. Griggs-Williams finished with six points and four assists in his TSU debut.

Martin completed the first half with 16 points and 10 rebounds in 14 minutes on the court.

In the second half, Marcus Roper (Walton Beach, Fla.) broke a 62-62 tie with an elbow three with just under eight minutes to go. After the score was again tied at 65 apiece, TSU went on a 13-2 run capped by a McCall three pointer for a 78-67 lead with 1:17 left. McCall scored seven points during the stretch.

The Tigers went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 33 seconds in the win.

Tyler Hubbard led four Greyhounds scoring in double figures with 21. Jarred Jones collected a team-best seven boards for the home side, and added 14 points on the offensive end.

TSU’s bench outscored Loyola’s bench, 37-0, and the Tigers held a 36-33 rebounding edge on the night.

“Anytime you can win on the road, it’s good," Ford said. "The main thing is we are 1-0 today, and that’s how we go about our business on a daily basis.”

GAME NOTES: TSU moves to 2-0 in season openers under Head Coach Dana Ford… TSU earned its first win over Loyola Maryland, moving to 1-3 in the all-time series… Wayne Martin recorded his first career double-double… 11 different players saw the floor for TSU.

TSU Forward Wayne Martin
“We’ve got four more wins to go to match last year’s record. We started off well with a good win in an away game. Everybody bought in, and we just got the win.”

Following his 27 point, 21 rebound effort.

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UAPB Men’s Basketball Wins Close Game at Seattle U.

SEATTLE, Washington -- Seattle University held the advantage for most of its season opener, but Arkansas Pine Bluff was able to come back and defeat the Redhawks in the 2015 Elgin Baylor Classic, 58-56, Friday night in a men’s collegiate basketball game at KeyArena at Seattle Center.

Jack Crook (Manchester, England) led the Redhawks in scoring with 11 points, plus he pulled down eight rebounds, while William Powell (Huntsville, Ala.) finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. In his first game with Seattle U, Brendan Westendorf (Kent, Wash.) collected nine points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and two steals.

Arkansas Pine-Bluff (1-0) took the early lead in the first half, but Seattle U responded with a 13-0 scoring run, capped by a three-pointer from Jack Shaughnessy (Woodstock, Ga.). The Golden Lions closed their deficit to four later in the half with a 7-1 scoring run, featuring back-to-back baskets by Marquis Cunningham, but the Redhawks outscored their opponents 9-2 over the next two minutes, with Powell beginning and ending the run with layups.

Another 7-1 scoring run allowed Arkansas-Pine Bluff to cut the Redhawk lead to five at halftime at 33-28, and then a three-pointer by Ghiavonni Robinson and a layup by Deshon Bayless tied the game at 33-33 five minutes into the second half. Seattle U retook the lead with an 8-1 scoring run, thanks in part to three-pointers by Westendorf and Manroop Clair (Vancouver, B.C.).

Down 43-37 with 11:30 remaining in the second half, Arkansas-Pine Bluff scored 10 unanswered points over the next four minutes, including three-pointers by Bayless and JoVaughn Love. The Redhawks retook the lead on a three-pointer by Jadon Cohee (Langley, B.C.) and five points from Shaughnessy.

After a jumper by Crook with two minutes to go increased the Seattle U lead to 56-53, Love made two free throws, followed by a jumper with 28 seconds left in regulation to put the Golden Lions back on top. The Redhawks had a couple of chances to win the game, but could not convert, and Love made one more free throw to establish the final margin.

“It would have been nice to finish tonight, especially when you feel like you had control the whole way through. We had a chance to spread it out in the first half, but we committed some turnovers that gave them easy baskets. We fixed the turnover problem in the second half, but just could not make field goals or free throws, and we had our opportunities to score,” Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said.

Love led the Golden Lions with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Bayless contributed 10 points and eight rebounds. Neither team shot the ball from the field particularly well, hitting less than 40 percent of their field goal attempts, and the Redhawks enjoyed a slight rebounding edge, 41-37.

Seattle University (0-1) will face Sacramento State Sunday, Nov. 15, starting at 2 p.m. at KeyArena. Dave Grosby and Gary Hill Jr. will broadcast the game on 770 AM KTTH, starting with the pregame show shortly before tipoff. Tickets for Sunday’s game as well as all Seattle U home games at KeyArena are available through Ticketmaster.

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Alabama A&M Bulldogs knock off Tulane in overtime

NEW ORLEANS -- The Alabama A&M basketball team got its season off on the right foot Friday with a 68-67 overtime win over Tulane.

For Head Coach Willie Hayes, it was a little revenge because the Green Wave handed him a loss four years ago in his first game as the Bulldogs' coach.

Jacob Perry provided the winning basket on a layup with a little more than one second left in overtime. He made the basket after Nick West grabbed a rebound with 24 seconds left.

West had 20 points and eight rebounds in the game. Ladarius Tabb led all players with 22 points and nine rebounds before fouling out.

The Bulldogs led 25-19 at the half and held a 65-63 lead with 12 seconds left when Arthur Wade was called for his fifth foul and Tulane's made both free throws to tie the game.

Dabney was one of four Green Wave players to reach double figures in scoring.

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N.C. A&T can clinch share of MEAC title Saturday

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- The math isn’t hard.

N.C. A&T has two football games left in the regular season. If the Aggies win one, they share the MEAC championship. If they win two, they win the title outright.

So the chase for the league’s berth in the inaugural Celebration Bowl — a matchup between MEAC and SWAC champions Dec. 19 in Atlanta — comes down to two teams that control their own destinies.

A&T (8-1, 6-0 MEAC) hosts winless Delaware State (0-9, 0-6) at 1 p.m. today at Aggie Stadium.

N.C. Central (6-3, 5-1) plays at Howard (1-8, 1-5) today.

Barring an upset in either game today, the MEAC race will come down to a winner-take-all Aggie-Eagle Classic game next Saturday in Greensboro.

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Morgan State football looking to end three-game skid against Florida A&M

FLORIDA A&M (1-8) @ MORGAN STATE (3-5)

When: Today, 1 p.m.

Site: Hughes Stadium, Baltimore

Radio: 88.9 FM

Series: Florida A&M leads 19-6

What's at stake: Saddled with their first three-game losing streak during coach Lee Hull's two-year tenure, the Bears find themselves no longer in the hunt for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship that they shared with four other teams last fall. Instead, Morgan State (3-3 in the MEAC) will try to end the season with wins in its last two contests to reach the .500 mark. The good news for the Bears is they welcome a Rattlers squad that is just 1-5 in the conference and has already been shut out by league foes South Carolina State (36-0) and Hampton (33-0). Florida A&M, which has been outscored 174-102 in the league, has dropped all five of its games on the road and has lost four of the past six meetings with Morgan State including the last two.

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S.C. State Bulldogs will be without starting QB for final two games

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina --As if the heartbreaking, 9-6 loss at home last Saturday against lone MEAC unbeaten North Carolina A&T wasn’t enough disappointment for the South Carolina State football team, the Bulldogs were dealt another blow this week.

While regrouping, refocusing and preparing for Saturday’s 1 p.m. MEAC game at Norfolk State, the SCSU program (now 5-4 overall, 4-2 in MEAC play) learned that it will be without freshman starting quarterback Caleb York for the final two games of the season.

Early in the week York, who started and played all game against the Aggies last week, was diagnosed with a health condition unrelated to football. He spent a few days in a Columbia hospital for treatment and evaluation and was released on Wednesday. All indications are that he will be able to begin off-season workouts soon, having him on schedule and healthy for the 2016 preseason.

“Caleb is going to be fine and we should have him back ready to go for next season,” SCSU head football coach Buddy Pough said on Thursday. “This just kind of caught all of us a bit off-guard.”





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SCSU women's hoops team ready for 2015-16 season, with new players and assistants

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- The South Carolina State women’s basketball team opens the 2015-16 season this Saturday, when the Morris College Lady Hornets come to the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. Tip-off is at 4 p.m.

Led by head coach Doug Robertson, who is in his eighth season at the helm, the Lady Bulldogs are looking to build on their accomplishments from last year, when they finished 16-12 overall and 9-7 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play.

The Lady Bulldogs have a few new additions to the program, both on the sideline and the court.

Robertson welcomes new assistant coaches Roderick Woods and Alexis Pace. Woods comes to SCSU from Clinton Junior College, where he spent 12 years as the head women’s basketball coach and athletics director. Pace joins the staff after a four-year stint as an assistant coach at her alma mater, the University of West Georgia.

On the court, Robertson added four newcomers, as eight players return from last season. Leading the way are returning senior guards Amber Howard and Jazzmine Johnson (a Columbia native) and senior forwards Jasmine Coleman and Toni Grier. Howard was second on the team last season in scoring with 10.8 points per game and led the squad with 3.0 assists per game. Johnson averaged 8.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 27 games last year.

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Gold Rush improve to 5-0 after defeating Miles 73-62

\

NEW ORLEANS — Senior guard Morris Wright scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half Thursday to lead NAIA No. 19 Xavier University of Louisiana in a 73-62 men's basketball victory against Miles.
    
The Gold Rush are 5-0 for the seventh time in Dannton Jackson's 13 seasons as head coach.
    
Wesley Pluviose-Philip had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists for Xavier. Elex Carter had 10 points, seven rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals, and Gary Smith and Lucas Martin-Julien scored eight points apiece.
    
Martin-Julien had seven assists and three steals, and Smith had five assists. Martin-Julien and Smith have combined for 45 assists and 13 turnovers this season.
    
Joshua Samuels scored 16 points for Miles, an NCAA Division II member which counted the game as an exhibition. Gerrald Maddox scored 14 points, and Eric Halliwell had 10. The Golden Bears, who will open their regular season Saturday in a tournament at West Georgia, lost all three of their exhibitions.
    
Xavier built its advantage to 24 points after leading 38-23 at halftime.
    
Xavier shot 51 percent from the floor — the third consecutive game the Gold Rush topped 50 percent — and limited Miles to 33.9 percent. Xavier is 2-0 this season against NCAA Division II opponents and 21-7 during Jackson's tenure.
    
Xavier will visit Mobile at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the first Gold Rush road game of the regular season.

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Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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New Mexico Lobos Open Season Against Texas Southern

NEW MEXICO NOTES | MOUNTAIN WEST NOTES | LIVE STATS | LIVE AUDIO

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico  – The University of New Mexico men's basketball team will begin the 2015-16 regular season Friday against the Texas Southern Tigers at 5:30 p.m. MT/ 7:30 p.m. ET in the WisePies Arena aka The Pit. The game will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS.
 
The Lobos will kick off the 2015-16 season with "Heroes Night" in honor of the current and former men and women who have served our country in the armed services, as well as the first responders of our community. There will be $10 tickets in bench Rows 11-25 & 1-10 while supplies last. You can also use THANKYOU as a promo code and receive the same price for online purchases on www.unmtickets.com.
 
New Mexico enters Friday looking for its 13^th straight season-opening win. The Lobos are coming off a strong preseason, in which they defeated CSU-Pueblo, 96-84, and Rogers State, 80-69. The revamped Lobos roster was led by redshirt sophomore Cullen Neal, who averaged 26.5 points per game on 57 percent shooting. Tim Williams, the Preseason Mountain West Conference Newcomer of the Year, averaged 14 points and six rebounds in two games.
 
Texas Southern was selected to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference, earning 123 points in the conference preseason poll. They had 11 more points than second-place Southern. David Blanks was named SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, while Chris Thomas and Malcolm Riley were each selected Preseason All-SWAC Second Team. They did not have a traditional slate of exhibitions this past month, but travelled to China for exhibition play over the summer.
 
The Coaches:
Neal enters his third season as head coach of the Lobos and his ninth year with the university. Neal holds a 42-23 overall record as a head coach. He reached 40 wins in just 53 games and is the second fastest coach in school history to reach that mark. Mike Davis leads the Tigers after three seasons at the helm. He has led Texas Southern to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. He previously coached at UAB and Indiana.
 
Series History:
The Lobos' season-opener on Bob King Court will be the seventh matchup, all in WisePies Arena, between New Mexico and Texas Southern. The Lobos lead the series, 5-1. The series dates back to Nov. 26, 1984, when the Lobos won a close battle, 64-63. The two teams have not met since Nov. 19, 2001, when the Lobos won, 97-51. It was the largest margin of victory in series history. The lone win for Texas Southern over New Mexico came on Nov. 28, 1994 by a score of 73- 67.
 
Broadcast Information:
The men's and women's basketball doubleheader will be televised on ROOTS SPORTS. The broadcast will begin at 5:30 p.m. MT with the men's game against the Tigers. The women's basketball team's 2015-16 debut against Houston Baptist will take place 30 minutes after the conclusion of the men's game. In between games, ROOT SPORTS will air UNM-related programming brought to you by LoboTV.
 
The Lobo games on Nov. 13 will air exclusively on ROOT SPORTS in most areas of New Mexico, as well as Colorado, Eastern Wyoming, and portions of South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. The game may also be available in additional markets, so please check your local listings.
 
For fans tuning in on the radio, Robert Portnoy will give the play-by-play action alongside analyst and Lobo great Hunter Greene on 770 KKOB, the flagship station of the New Mexico Lobos. This feed will also be available via the TuneIn Radio App.

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S.C. State men's basketball opens season at CofC

CHARLESTON, South Carolina — The South Carolina State (0-0, 0-0 MEAC) men’s basketball team will open season play Friday (Nov. 13) on the road against The College of Charleston (0-0, 0-0 CAA) at TD Arena/John Kresse Court (5,100). Tipoff is 7 p.m. (ET).

• GAME INFORMATION: TV (None); Radio (College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM)

• SERIES HISTORY: College of Charleston leads series 11-8. The last time the Bulldogs defeated the Cougars was on Jan. 22, 1992, 60-52 in Orangeburg, S.C.

• LAST MEETING: The last time the two teams met South Carolina State dropped a heartbreaking 50-47 (12/11/14) loss to the College of Charleston at TD Arena in Charleston, SC.

• OUTLOOK: Last season the Bulldogs finished seventh in the MEAC with an 11-22 overall, 7-9 MEAC record. Meanwhile the Cougars under the direction of first-year head coach Earl Grant finished the 2014-15 campaign 9-24 overall, 3-15 in the CAA.

• SCOUTING THE TEAMS: Despite, finishing 9-24 last season.

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East Carolina Opens New Season Against Grambling State

East Carolina Game 1: Grambling State
Date	Friday, Nov. 13
Time	8 p.m. EST
Location	Greenville, N.C. (Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum)
Live Game Coverage	Radio: WNCT 107.9FM | ECU Pirates On Demand (Listen Live)  TuneIn Radio Online (within the app search ECU or Pirate IMG Sports Network)  Online: ESPN3
Live Stats	GameTracker
Game Notes	East Carolina

GREENVILLE, North Carolina -- The East Carolina men's basketball team opens up its 2015-16 slate on Friday, Nov. 13 at 8 p.m., inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum against Grambling State. The game is part of a doubleheader with ECU volleyball team which host Memphis at 5:30 p.m. Anyone purchasing a ticket to the basketball game will receive free admission to the volleyball match. Friday's game will be broadcast on the ESPN3 and the the Pirate-IMG Radio Network.

East Carolina has won its season opener each of the last 14 years and has won its home opener each of the past 12 seasons. This will be the 11th consecutive season in which the Pirates have opened at home, but their first season lid-lifter against a Division I opponent since 2006.

The Pirates and Tigers will be the first meeting on the hardwood since 1982, which resulted in a 64-61 Pirate victory at the Bayou Classic in Lafayette, La.

NOTABLE POINTS 

•The Pirates enter Friday's night game having won five consecutive non-conference home games. ECU was 6-1 against teams outside The American here a year ago. During the previous five seasons, ECU has compiled a 34-7 record in non-conference home games. 

•Grambling is one of three historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) on the Pirates' schedule this season. ECU will also host North Carolina A&T on Dec. 13 and South Carolina State on Dec. 22. It has won 11 in a row over HBCUs with a 9-0 record under coach Jeff Lebo. 

•Juniors Caleb White and Michel Nzege are each expected to make their second-straight opening night starts. Nzege had 18 points and 12 rebounds in the 2014-15 season opener against N.C. Wesleyan, while White netted 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Last season's other opening night starters were Marshall Guilmette (injured),Terry Whisnant (professional) and Antonio Robinson (graduated). 

•East Carolina has scored 97 or more points in three of its past four home openers.
•An East Carolina victory will be the 299th win of coach Jeff Lebo's career. 

ABOUT GRAMBLING STATE 

•The Tigers are entering their second season under head coach Shawn E. Walker, a native of Roper, N.C. and two-time all-conference guard at Elizabeth City State University. 

•Grambling finished the 2014-15 campaign with an overall record of 2-27 and 0-18 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The Tigers were picked to finish 10th in their conference in a preseason poll of the league's head coaches and sports information directors. 

•Grambling has lost 28 consecutive games against Division I opponents with its last victory coming against Jackson State in the first round of the 2014 SWAC Tournament.

•Grambling returns five letterwinners from last year's squad and welcomes nine newcomers. 

•Among those returning are the team's second leading scorer from a season ago, senior Mark Gray (10.5 ppg). Gray was also the Tigers' leading rebounder last season (5.9 rpg) and top free throw shooter (.755). He led the team with 105 made foul shots and was second on the unit with 17 made 3s.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN 

•The Pirates' roster features 15 players (12 scholarship) representing seven states with as well as Australia and Switzerland.
•Eight players are listed a 6-foot-7 or taller and five stand 6-foot-3 or shorter.
•Six players hail from the state of North Carolina (three walk-ons) and two from Florida with no other state represented by more than one player (Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia).

THE SCHEDULE
• East Carolina's 2015-16 men's basketball schedule includes 13 games against teams that participated in postseason play last season with 10 games versus teams that competed in either the NCAA Tournament or NIT.
• The Pirates will play a pair of road games against teams ranked in the AP Preseason Top 25: No. 14 California (Nov. 20) and No. 20 UConn (Feb. 7). ECU also has three road games at team receiving votes in the AP preseason poll: SMU, Cincinnati and San Diego State.
• East Carolina's non-conference includes three games against teams from the Colonial Athletic Association (College of Charleston, UNCW, James Madison), two from Conference USA (Charlotte, Florida Atlantic) and two from the MEAC (N.C. A&T, South Carolina State).
• This year's slate features three first-time opponents: California, San Diego State and South Carolina State. The Pirates will also be playing on the west coast and in Las Vegas for the first time.

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UAPB men open two-month road trip in Seattle

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas  -- It’s still over two months until the Arkansas-Pine Bluff men’s basketball team will play its home-opener. The Golden Lions’ season, though, gets started Friday.

The setup is nothing new for head coach George Ivory. According to past schedules on its website, UAPB hasn’t scheduled a home nonconference game since at least 2010-11.

It might be tough for some players to adjust to the bus trips and plane rides across the country, but Ivory hopes the team, which features several newcomers, uses the time to grow closer together.

“Just having that time to be together and getting to know one another (will be good), because we’ve got some new guys coming in that are pretty good, and we’ve got some guys that are coming in that are really going to help our ballclub,” Ivory said.

UAPB (12-20 last season) will open with one of its longer trips of the season as it heads to the Pacific Northwest to face Seattle. It’s the first of 17 straight road or neutral-site games for the Lions to start the season. The last three of those games away from H.O. Clemmons Arena are the team’s first three of Southwestern Athletic Conference play.

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