Week 11: Aggies Solidify Lead; Bulldogs Hold On Atop HSRN Football Polls

HARTLEY, Delaware – North Carolina A&T was a unanimous choice but Bowie State's lead narrowed on top of the HSRN Football Polls following week 11 of the season. The Aggies remained alone in first place in the HSRN Division I Poll, while Bowie State's first place lead narrowed to just one point in HSRN's Division II/NAIA Poll.

Division I/FCS

Nine of the top ten spots were unchanged from last week. The only change was Hampton moving in to the #9 position, replacing Alabama State, who move out of the top 10

Division II/NAIA

Despite being knocked off by a last second field goal, Bowie State held onto first place by a single point. The Bulldogs were pushed by #2 ginia Union and both teams received bids to the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Winston-Salem State jumped to third place after winning the CIAA Championship over BSU. Tuskegee, another playoff participant, fell to fourth. SIAC Champion Miles College round out the top five.

About HSRN:

HSRN (Heritage Sports Radio Network) is the national leader in live radio broadcasts of mid-major athletics. HSRN combines innovative programming and production with a vast broadcast network. The SiriusXM platform avails partners of HSRN exposure on the world's largest radio broadcaster as measured by revenue and exposure to 28.3 million subscribers. In addition to SiriusXM, HSRN is available on terrestrial radio affiliates, smartphones and other connected devices as well as online at HSRN.com. 

Coppin State athletic director resigns

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Saying he wants to “do some other things I enjoy doing,” Coppin State athletic director Derrick Ramsey has resigned, the university announced Wednesday.

Ramsey has been athletic director at the West Baltimore school since July 1, 2008, when he was appointed by then-university president Dr. Reginald S. Avery.

In a brief telephone interview Wednesday, Ramsey said a desire to work elsewhere led to his decision.

“It's been a great run,” the 58-year-old former NFL tight end said. “I hope I've been able to do some things to impact the university and the students. It's time for me to go off and do some other things that I would like to do. I'm later in my career now. It's not like I'm at the early part. I'm at the end of my career.”

Dr. Maria Thompson, Coppin State president, said in a written statement that associate athletic director Alecia Shields-Gadson would serve as interim athletic director. Gadson has been the coach of the women's cross country and track and field teams for the past 11 years.

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Bryan Henry: FAMU Early-signing period a success

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The early-signing period for our baseball program at Florida A&M has come and gone. We ended with six players signing their National Letter of Intent (NLI) to play for FAMU next year.

We are extremely proud of the class we have put together during the early stage. We still have a lot left to do in order to finish our class but we got six very talented players to start it off. We doubled the amount of guys we signed early last fall. The best part about the first six signees is that half of them are from right here in Tallahassee.

We are excited to announce and welcome to the Rattler family the following players:

Let’s start with the local guys. Please hold the applause until the last player is announced, just kidding, but I am clapping as I type.

First, from Leon High we have Russell Rauh. Rauh is a 6 foot 5, 175-pound catcher with a lot of upside. Rauh does everything well now and will only get better as he adds strength to his athletic frame.

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Alcorn State one win from division title

LORMAN, Mississippi -- Alcorn State doesn’t look in the rearview mirror and charges ahead with a new attitude every week.

Saturday, the Braves (6-3, 5-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) take on Alabama A&M (2-7, 2-5) in another tough SWAC matchup at Spinks-Casem Stadium. An Alcorn victory will give it back-to-back conference championships under coach Jay Hopson, but its focus remains steadfast.

“That’s why you play the game, to have the opportunity to compete for championships,” Hopson said. “It’s a goal of ours but we understand we have to play 60 minutes of football to achieve that. Our focus is on A&M and that’s all we can focus on.”



Bulldogs’ coach James Spady is ready to go against the Braves. In his SWAC teleconference comments this week, he commended the Braves’ coaching staff for their well-mannered structure and decorum on the field.

“Alcorn’s a really good football team,” Spady said. “Coach Hopson and his group are quite well organized. They have things in place where they’re able to just keep one foot in front of the other and keep it moving. We would love to be at that stage.”

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Rush, in 1st road game of regular season, lose to Rams

SETH JACKSON
6'-1"/176 GUARD
JUNIOR
HOMETOWN: BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
LAST SCHOOL: BATON ROUGE CC

MOBILE, Alabama — Xavier University of Louisiana led for 10 minutes in the first half Tuesday before Mobile took control and earned a 54-39 men's basketball victory.

James Davis scored 15 points for the Rams (4-0), and Dominique Lawrence had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Morris Wright scored 16 points for the Gold Rush (5-1), ranked 19th in NAIA Division I, and was Xavier's only double-figure scorer. No other XU player scored more than five. It was Xavier's first road game of the regular season.

Chris Ward's basket at 10:52 of the first half gave Xavier its final lead, 10-9. A Davis basket at 7:49 put the Rams ahead to stay, 11-10.

Mobile led 25-18 at halftime and by double digits for the final 17:17. The Rams' largest lead was 18.

Xavier shot 24.6 percent from the floor, 16.7 percent from 3-point range and 38.9 from the line. Mobile shot 42.2 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Gold Rush 44-37.

The Gold Rush grabbed a season-high 14 offensive rebounds, blocked five shots to match a season best and committed a season-low 11 turnovers.

Wright has led Xavier in scoring in every game this season. Elex Carter led the Gold Rush with seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Carter has produced multiple blocks in each of the last four games.

Mobile defeated Xavier for the first time in 12 meetings and the second time in the last nine meetings at Pharr Gym, Xavier, which leads the series 36-27, will play host to the Rams Dec. 1.

Next for Xavier will be its homecoming game against NCAA Division II's LeMoyne-Owen at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center.

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Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Bethune-Cookman hoping for convincing win over FAMU, postseason opportunity

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Bethune-Cookman’s chances of making it to the Celebration Bowl are all but gone, but Wildcats coach Terry Sims admits the potential consolation to not making it isn’t all that bad.

If B-CU (8-2) can beat Florida A&M (1-9) in Saturday’s Florida Classic, slated to be played at 2:30 p.m. at the Citrus Bowl, it could put itself in the running for an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs.

“That’s not bad at all,” Sims said. “As I’ve said all this week, ‘I just want to continue to play Saturday. That’s our goal as a team. If it’s the Celebration Bowl, let’s go play. If it’s the playoffs, let’s go play."

The Celebration Bowl — the Dec. 19 showdown between the MEAC and SWAC conference champions — isn’t completely out of the question.

It’s just a big-time longshot.

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JCSU's Steve Joyner on verge of coaching milestone

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- Steve Joyner doesn’t have time to look back. Or ahead.

The Johnson C. Smith basketball coach is on the verge of his 500th career win, rare territory in the CIAA, where only Naissmith Hall of Fame inductees Big House Gaines and Dave Robbins have more. Joyner, who could join them at this weekend’s Tip-Off Classic, is more interested in winning right now.

“I don’t worry about individual records in terms of this one coming up,” he said. “A lot of attention would be brought to me for that, but when I do think about that, I think about the number of people I’ve been associated with who’ve helped us get there. I’m more concerned about these guys getting better and winning their next ball game. That’s what’s most important to me.”



When Joyner took over the Golden Bulls in 1987, Ronald Reagan was president, the PTL scandal engulfed Charlotte TV evangelist Jim Bakker and Michael Jackson was atop the music charts with “Bad.” Joyner couldn’t recall his first win when asked by a reporter – an 81-63 victory against Knoxville College at Brayboy Gym – but the Golden Bulls (1-1) are eager to deliver the 500th.

“We were aware of it as a team last year, but he doesn’t talk much about it,” senior guard Diondre Pratt said. “He’s more into taking it one game at a time. He’s more worried on getting his team together than him. He’s a coach who puts his team before himself at all times.”

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KSU women hope to ride momentum of last year’s NCAA appearance

FRANKFORT, Kentucky -- Coming off of last year’s NCAA Tournament appearance, the Kentucky State University women’s basketball team enters this season as one of the favorites in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

“We’re in a different position now; we have that target on our back,” KSU head coach Serena King-Coleman said. “I definitely don’t believe we’re going to sneak up on anybody. We’re riding the momentum, excited about the year and have very high expectations.”

KSU finished with a 22-6 record last season, its best overall record since the 1996-97 season (25-6), and earned its first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament since the 2007-08 season.

The Thorobrettes finished atop of the SIAC West with a 16-2 conference record and were predicted by the coaches to finish first in the division again.

However, if KSU will repeat as division champion, it will be with a different cast of players. KSU lost five players to graduation, including three of its top four scorers. This year’s roster of 13 players includes just three players who played more than 15 minutes per game last season for KSU.

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Jenkins, ASU Hornets Prep for Turkey Day Classic

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – The 2015 football season has seen plenty of ups and downs for the Alabama State University team and this week marks a big final week for the Hornets as the season will end with the playing of the 92nd Turkey Day Classic which is the oldest HBCU classic football game in the country.

This year the Hornets will face Miles College, who comes into Montgomery coming off the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's (SIAC) championship game at the Cramton Bowl which they won this past weekend 20-7 over Albany State. Miles has now won six consecutive games and this will mark the third consecutive weekend they have been in the River Region, defeating Tuskegee two weeks ago and this past weekend's championship game.

"I tell you what, watching them on tape they have a lot of good football players," Head Coach Brian Jenkins said. "They are going to be a challenge and will get all of our attention, just like everybody else. We are going to have to line up and play our best to give ourselves a chance to win."

"I'm pretty sure it's going to be a star-studded event and it's our Homecoming which will add some more excitement to the game. Miles just won their championship and didn't make the (NCAA) Division II playoffs and I'm surprised because they are a playoff-caliber team so this is going to be their playoff game and they are going to bring their best. They are no slouch and they are a well-coached football team."

There will be a full week of Homecoming events on the campus which will lead up to Saturday's game. Check ASU website at alasu.edu to keep up with all of the campus events during the week and this weekend, which will include the always-popular Turkey Day Parade Saturday morning.

The game on Saturday has been pushed back to a 3 p.m. kick, giving all of the students, alumni and visitors to campus this week a chance to be involved in all of Saturday's events leading to the game.

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Fourth-quarter run leads Prairie View A&M past Nicholls State

THIBODAUX, Louisiana -- Prairie View A&M opened Tuesday's fourth quarter with a 10-2 run that helped lift the Lady Panthers to an 80-71 win at Nicholls State.

Lamaria Cole scored a game-high 21 points and handed out seven assists, while Larissa Scott turned in a double-double performance, scoring 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds to help lead Prairie View A&M to its first road win of the season.

The Lady Panthers improved to 2-0 with the win, marking the first time since 2006 Prairie View A&M has opened the season with two consecutive victories.

Hope Pawlowski scored 17 points and grabbed six assists to lead the Colonels, which fell to 1-1 on the season.

Jeronia Allen scored 16 points and pulled in five rebounds for Prairie View A&M. Alexus Parker added 10 points.

The Lady Panthers seized control of the game in the first quarter, outscoring their hosts 23-11. PVAMU's full-court press and transition game yielded a 12-2 advantage in points off turnovers and 11 fast-break points. Prairie View A&M scored 21 of their 23 first-quarter points in the paint.

"We definitely wanted to jump out early and push the ball in transition," head coach Dawn Brown said. "We're in shape and we wanted to test that tonight, and that's what allowed us to be successful getting a lot of transition points."

PVAMU held a 12-point lead at halftime, but the Colonels fought their way back into the game by winning the third quarter 22-12. NSU used a 7-2 run over the last 2:02 of the period.

Prairie View A&M returns to action next Tuesday when they travel to Fort Worth to face TCU. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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COURTESY PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Jackson State Men’s Basketball beats Southern Miss 78-60

HATTIESBURG, Mississippi – Javeres Brent came off the bench to score a game high 22 points to lead the Jackson State men’s basketball team to a 78-60 victory over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles Tuesday night at Reed Green Coliseum.

The Tigers used an aggressive defense and efficient offense to beat the home-standing Eagles. For the game JSU shot 52.6 percent from the field, 44 percent from three-point range and 70 percent from the free throw line. USM shot 40.8 percent from the field, 25 percent in threes and 64 percent from the line. The difference in the game for the Tigers was scoring off the bench. The Tigers bench scored 43 points and USM’s bench scored 26 points.

Three other Tigers followed Brent’s double-digit scoring total. Brent scored his 22 points on an efficient 8-11 from the field and went 6-8 from three-point range. Chace Franklin followed with 17 points on 6-11 shooting from the field, including going 3-4 in threes. He also pulled down five rebounds and dished out four assists. Paris Collins came off the bench to score 15 points on 5-9 shooting from the field. He also had four rebounds and four assists. Raeford Worsham rounded out the double-digit scoring for the Tigers with a 13 point, eight rebound and three assist effort. He went 6-10 from the floor.

JSU jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and never trailed for the remainder of the game. With the win JSU improves to a 1-1 record and Southern Miss falls to 0-2. The Tigers led 42-26 at halftime. The Golden Eagles opened the second half with a 5-0 run to cut JSU’s lead to 11 points, but would pull no closer.

JSU returns to action Friday, Nov. 20 when the Tigers travel to Waco, Texas to face Baylor.

COURTESY JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Hampton's Joyner Picks up 100th Career Win at American

WASHINGTON, D.C. – When the Hampton University men's basketball team defeated American 61-48 on Tuesday evening in Bender Arena, it gave head coach Edward Joyner Jr. the 100th win of his career.

Joyner, who has won two MEAC titles at Hampton, is now 100-97 in six-plus seasons.

The Pirates (1-1) got 19 points from senior guard Reginald Johnson, who went 7-for-17 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the free throw line. Senior forward Jervon Pressley added a season-high 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting, while Quinton Chievous finished one point shy of yet another double-double with nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

Hampton shot 46.9 percent (23-for-49) from the floor and made 13 of its 19 free throws (68.4 percent). Both teams grabbed 29 rebounds, and the Pirates scored 20 points off of 16 American turnovers.

The Pirates also led 12-6 in second-chance points.

Most of the Pirates' damage on offense came in the second half; after 20 minutes of play, American held a 23-21 lead and the Pirates had shot just 36.0 percent (9-for-25) from the floor.

In fact, Hampton never led in the first half; Dionte Adams tied the game at 8-8 with a jumper at the 7:54 mark, before the Eagles went on a 9-2 run to take a 17-10 lead after a basket from Delante Jones. But Hampton went on a 7-2 run of its own, cutting the lead to 19-17 after an Akim Mitchell layup.

A 3-point play from Kalin Fisher tied the game at 21-21 with 1:03 left in the half.

But Alex Paquin gave American a 23-21 halftime lead with a layup with 36 seconds left.

Hampton responded after the intermission by opening the second half on a 16-2 run, taking a 37-25 lead with 14:53 remaining after a layup from Chievous. Pressley later added a jumper at the 11:38 mark that put the Pirates ahead 42-29.

But the Eagles responded by scoring the next nine points, cutting the lead to 42-38 after a Paris Maragkos jumper with 8:46 left to play. An 8-0 Pirates run followed, and the lead ballooned to 50-38 after a free throw from Johnson at the 4:53 mark.

Another American run followed; the Eagles used an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 50-46 with 1:12 to play after a layup from Jesse Reed. Hampton called timeout following that basket, and a 3-point play from Johnson was the first score after the break.

That basket kicked off a game-ending 11-2 run for the Pirates.

Adams brought the game to its final margin with a fastbreak layup with four seconds remaining.

Hampton shot 58.3 percent (14-for-24) from the floor in the second half, while also going 10-for-13 (76.9 percent) from the line in that timeframe.

Fourteen of Johnson's 19 points came after halftime.

American (0-2) shot 40.8 percent (20-for-49) from the floor and made just three of its 12 3-pointers.

Maragkos and Reed each had 12 points to lead the Eagles.

The Pirates will have their home opener on Friday at 7 p.m. against Appalachian State at the HU Convocation Center. 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.

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

FAMU coach Wood: Coleman to start at QB for Florida Classic

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- It took a while, but Kenny Coleman has finally shed the “backup” part of his position on Florida A&M’s football team.

Coleman was the starter in FAMU’s 21-7 loss to Morgan State, and tens of thousands of eyes will be on him when he takes the field – again as the starter – this Saturday in the annual Florida Classic against Bethune-Cookman in Orlando.

FAMU coach Alex Wood on Tuesday said Coleman will start against the Wildcats. Coleman, who split time with quarterback Carson Royal before the latter was benched midway through the team’s game against Hampton, said he’s ready to make plays for the Rattlers.

“There’s no pressure at all,” Coleman said after practice on Tuesday. “I’ve just got to do my assignments, take care of the ball and get the ball to my playmakers. They’re going to do what they do in open space.”

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Morgan State's Lee Hull says Bears could've been better if not for certification blunder

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- If Morgan State can defeat Norfolk State this Saturday, the team will post back-to-back .500 campaigns for the first time since the program went 6-6 in 2008 and 6-5 in 2009.

But one can wonder if the Bears (4-5 overall, 4-3 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) might've achieved more if not for a university snafu.



Before Morgan State began its quest to repeat as MEAC champion, the school announced Sept. 4 that several players were ruled academically ineligible after an NCAA review found flaws in mandated academic requirements. The review, which determined that certain student-athletes were not certified to play this season, sidelined at least five starters including junior running Herb Walker Jr., who set a school single-season rushing record with 1,408 yards and scored 15 total touchdowns (13 rushing) in 2014.

Coach Lee Hull acknowledged that the team might have enjoyed greater success this fall if not for the university’s mistake.

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NCCU Football vs. NC A&T Press Conference

DURHAM, North Carolina -- As the NCCU football team prepares for its match-up against North Carolina A&T, head coach Jerry Mack and redshirt senior C.J. Moore answer questions from the media about the upcoming contest.

A&T turns to two freshmen QBs with MEAC title on line

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  — There’s a conference title at stake Saturday when N.C. A&T hosts the annual Aggie-Eagle Classic.

And the Aggies (9-1, 7-0 MEAC) will go without their senior quarterback in the regular-season football finale, turning the offense over to a pair of freshmen.

Kwashaun Quick, the only quarterback in school history with more than 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career, has been nursing a knee injury and appears unlikely to play against rival N.C. Central (7-3, 6-1).

“Yes. He’s out,” A&T coach Rod Broadway said. “I don’t know if he’ll be ready this weekend or not, but he couldn’t do much Saturday and he couldn’t do anything the Saturday before. We’ll see what kind of progress he makes this week, but we don’t expect him to be ready.”

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How about them Jags? Southern basketball pulls off big upset at Mississippi State, 76-72

STARKVILLE, Mississippi — Southern pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the early days of the college basketball season when it beat Mississippi State 76-72 Monday night in Humphrey Coliseum.

“One of the biggest wins in program history,” coach Roman Banks said.

It was the Jaguars’ second victory against a Southeastern Conference team in Banks’ five seasons. Southern beat Texas A&M 53-51 on Dec. 22, 2012, in College Station, Texas.

SLIDESHOW

That team, Banks’ second, went on to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament and flirted with an upset of No. 1-seeded Gonzaga before losing 64-58 in the NCAA tournament.

“That season put a spotlight on where the program was headed,” Banks said. But the past two seasons the Jaguars were ineligible for postseason play because of NCAA probation, which was lifted in May.

“This victory creates excitement for recruiting again,” Banks said. “But we can’t let one game get in the way of our focus. We want to play consistent and continue to win.”

So far this season, which began Friday, the SWAC has five upsets, claiming victories over squads from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Conference USA, SEC and the Western Athletic Conference.

Video

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Future looks bright for WSSU football

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- It’s time to change the Winston-Salem State helmets thanks to Saturday’s 17-14 win over Bowie State in the CIAA championship game in Durham.

The Rams broke out a new helmet this season with the 10 years of CIAA titles listed. That 11th CIAA title and the year 2015 will have to be added after the Rams won in one of the most unexpected ways.

The young Rams, who lose just six starters from a team that went 6-5, should be right back in contention for another conference title next season.

Soon after junior kicker Will Johnson made the game-winning field goal Saturday night, he couldn’t help but look forward to 2016.

“This sets the tone for us going into next year and just shows that it’s not how you start, its how you finish,” said Johnson, the unofficial team MVP after handling place-kicking and punting duties this season. “A lot of people doubted us and counted us out, but we fought hard through some adversity and prevailed in the end.”

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Potts' 25, Salaam's 3s Help BCU Hoops Net Road Win

MARTIN, Tennessee – Jordan Potts scored 25 points, and Josue Salaam scored all 15 of his points on second-half three-pointers as Bethune-Cookman downed Tennessee-Martin 86-79 Monday evening.

Ricky Johnson also scored 15 points, including four free throws down the stretch, LaRon Smith posted his second straight double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Mario Moody 10 as the Wildcats went to 2-0 for the first time since they won the 2010-11 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season championship.

This was also Bethune-Cookman’s first non-conference win since a 71-65 victory at New Orleans on November 15, 2012 – a streak of 24 games.

UT-Martin (0-2) trailed by as many as 17 in the first half, but rallied to take a 34-33 lead and led 49-41 on a Richard Lee three-pointer with 13:43 left.

Trailing 63-59, the Wildcats used an 11-0 run to take a 65-63 lead on a Smith dunk followed by a Potts jumper with 5:35 left.

The Skyhawks closed to one on three occasions, the last at 74-73 on a Jacolby Mobley three-pointer with 2:17 left. B-CU answered with three-pointers from Potts and Salaam to push their lead to 80-74 with 1:14 left. .

Johnson helped iced the game with his four free throws, while Smith and Quinton Forrest each added a free throw that kept the game out of reach,

A strong start saw B-CU score the first eight points and take a 24-7 lead on Potts’ three-pointer with 10:54 left.

Potts also had six assists in addition to his four three-pointer. Salaam, one of nine newcomers on the roster, was 5-8 from behind the arc in the second half.

Randy Holmes had seven points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats. Moody, the MEAC player of the week, was one rebound shy of a double-double and also had three assists and two blocks.

Mobley’s 17 points led the Skyhawks, who beat B-CU 74-56 last season in Daytona Beach.

B-CU travels to face Richmond Saturday.

HEAD COACH GRAVELLE CRAIG

“It’s a very satisfying win. We played hard. After the way they handed it to us last year, we were prepared.”

“We made big plays. Potts hit shots. LaRon came up big. Ricky hit the free throw and [Salaam] hit some huge threes.”

“We knew UT-M would make a run. We just had to maintain and keep doing what we were doing.

“This was a good test to let us know where we are. We’re starting to execute. We’re playing good zone defense and offensively, we’re more in sync. Playing those games in the Bahamas has helped with that.”

JORDAN POTTS

“UT-M is a strong Ohio Valley Conference team. We knew we had to weather whatever they came at us with. We’re confident and we stuck together.

“We want to prove we belong and can be a force to reckon with.”

“Randy Holmes did a great job on the boards. [Salaam] was the difference in the second. His threes opened up the floor.”

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COURTESY BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Late rally lifts Savannah State to 59-57 win over Campbell

SAVANNAH, Georgia – Savannah State closed the game on a 13-0 run to rally for a 59-57 win over visiting Campbell Monday at Tiger Arena.

The Camels (1-1) had a chance to win when Kyre' Hamer's 3-point from the right corner almost went down, but rimmed out.

Christopher Martin led Savannah State (2-0) with 17 points, including what proved to be the difference – a turnaround jumper in the paint with 23.1 seconds left.

Lenjo Kilo added 10 points for the Tigers, but missed two foul shots to give the Camels a final shot.

Chris Clemons led the Camels with 13 points before fouling out with 2:31 to play. Shane Whitfield added 12 points for the Camels, who led 57-46 with 4:46 remaining, but went 0-of-6 from the line down the stretch.

Campbell built a double-digit lead thanks to a 12-2 run midway through the final half. Trailing 37-35with 13:05 to go, Curtis Phillips started the rally with a bucket and Whitfield scored twice in transition. Troy Harper made four free throws and the Camels led 49-39 with 7:52 to go.

Harper drew a charge and later hit two more from the line for CU's 11-point edge. Casey Wells made his only two baskets of the night – both 3-pointers – in the final surge for the Tigers, who shot 50 percent in the second half (11-22), 38 percent on the night (19-50).

The Camels shot 43.2 percent overall from the field, 50 percent (9-18) in the second half, but made only 4-of-14 threes and 15-of-26 (.577) from the stripe. Campbell committed 24 turnovers, which Savannah State converted into a 21-14 edge in points off miscues.

D.J. Mason pulled down seven rebounds for the Camels, who finished with a 37-31 advantage on the glass.

Campbell jumped to a 12-4 lead in the first 4:05 and led 24-18 after Curtis Phillips scored with 7:39 to play in the opening half. However, the Camels went 1-of-7 from the floor and committed nine turnovers in the last 7:08 of the period.

The Tigers closed the period on an 11-2 run and led 29-26 at the break.

Campbell returns to action Saturday when they host Morgan State at 4:00 p.m.

BOX SCORE (PDF)

COURTESY CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

XU will visit 15th-ranked College of Idaho Saturday

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana will travel to play 15th-ranked College of Idaho at 2 p.m. MST Saturday in the 2015 NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round. The NAIA announced Monday the tournament pairings, which include 36 teams and 12 matches this weekend.

The venue will be C of I's J.A. Albertson Activities Center in Caldwell, Idaho, a suburb of Boise.

It will be the longest-ever trip for XU volleyball — it's 1,741 miles as the crow flies from New Orleans to Caldwell — and the Gold Nuggets' first match in the Mountain Time Zone.

Both Xavier (19-7) and College of Idaho (21-10) qualified with automatic bids after winning conference tournaments Saturday. The Gold Nuggets earned the Gulf Coast Athletic title for the fifth consecutive year, and the Lady Coyotes won the Cascade Collegiate for the fourth straight time.

The Gold Nuggets are 0-4 in first-round appearances at nationals.

Saturday winners will join the top 12 seeds in Sioux City, Iowa, for pool play Dec. 1-5.

Xavier extended its win streak to 11 — the second longest in program history — by defeating SUNO in four sets in the GCAC Tournament final at Little Rock, Ark.

The Gold Nuggets feature six seniors: Darian Harris, Claudia Haywood, Jodi Hill, Franziska Pirkl, Taylor Reuther and CeCe Williams. All are top-3 or higher in one or more XU career statistical categories. Reuther is the XU all-time leader in sets played, kills, aces, digs and attack attempts, and Pirkl is No. 1 in career assists.

College of Idaho is led by senior Kylie Porter, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker and the 2015 Cascade Player of the Year. Porter hit .413 in conference matches and was a two-time NAIA National Attacker of the Week this season.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAgold.com
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Orlando Predators add former FAMU DL Padric Scott

ORLANDO, Florida – The Orlando Predators have agreed to terms with veteran defensive lineman Padric Scott, the franchise has announced today.  Scott enters his third campaign in the Arena Football League after spending his first two seasons with the Philadelphia Soul.

“Padric has a great motor and plays with a lot of energy,” said Head Coach Rob Keefe. “He has aspirations of playing at an elite level and is the kind of self-motivated player we desire. We’re excited to add a player with Padric’s work ethic to our roster.”

Scott (6-1, 295, Florida A&M) was a three-year starter during his collegiate career at Florida A&M after transferring from Stanford in 2008. He played in 38 games for the Rattlers, totaling 76 tackles with eight sacks, 14 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He earned second-team All-MEAC honors as a senior after delivering 26 tackles with 2.5 sacks and five tackles for loss.

Scott signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He later entered the Arena Football League as a rookie with the Philadelphia Soul in 2014, posting two sacks in his first four games. Scott saw action in 14 games last season with Philadelphia and logged 10 tackles with three sacks, 2.5 stops for loss, one pass breakup, and one blocked kick.

A native of Tallahassee, Scott prepped at Lincoln High School, where he earned Wendy's​ High School Heisman honors and first-team All-Big Bend accolades as a senior in 2007.

About The Orlando Predators
The Orlando Predators celebrate their
25th Anniversary in 2016 as Central Florida’s most exciting and innovative professional sports franchise. Proud members of the Arena Football League, the Predators have achieved unprecedented success on the field. Orlando has advanced to the AFL playoffs a league-leading 22 times in their history while securing seven conference championships, including two ArenaBowl Championship victories in 1998 and 2000.

SWAC Football Teleconference - Week 12

Alabama A&M - James Spady 

Alabama State - Brian Jenkins

Alcorn State - Jay Hopson

Jackson State  - Derrick McCall

Mississippi Valley State - Rick Comegy

Prairie View A&M - Willie Simmons

Grambling State - Broderick Fobbs

Southern - Dawson Odums

Texas Southern - Darrell Asberry

Arkansas-Pine Bluff - Monte Coleman

COURTESY SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS

Grambling players entering new territory by playing for SWAC title

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — Another milestone toward Grambling's sudden football resurgence occurred over the weekend when the Tigers clinched a spot in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game next month in Houston.

The win, which came on the road at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, came more than two years after the program hit rock bottom with a player revolt that eventually led to the start of a new era of Grambling football.

Since that 1-11 season, Grambling has gone 15-7 and can now call itself the 2015 SWAC West Division champs.

On Monday, Tigers defensive coordinator Everett Todd wasn't so sure the turnaround had registered with Grambling's players.

"Some of the guys on this team have gone through ...

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FAMU Athletic Director Announces Sanctions for NCAA Violations

TALLAHASSEE, Florida – Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) Athletic Director Milton Overton, today, announced self-imposed penalties and other sanctions due to the identification of violations of secondary NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) rules during previous academic years.

After an internal investigation by the University and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), and a joint investigation by FAMU and the NCAA, FAMU self-reported findings of violations to the NCAA Infraction Committee regarding the Athletics Department’s failure, in previous years, to properly administer general student-athlete eligibility and playing season requirements between the 2010-2011 and 2013-2014 academic years, in addition to financial aid requirements during the summer of 2013.

hese specific violations include (1) student-athletes not completing drug testing forms, (2) student-athletes failing to complete a medical examination within the required time frame, (3) the Department of Athletics failing to provide a number of student athletes with the proper written notification before the reduction of their athletic aid, and (4) the Department failing to monitor appropriately the administration of eligibility and playing season requirements.

FAMU self-imposed a three-year probation and annual compliance reporting to the NCAA on its athletics program. While the NCAA has not made its official announcement on the findings, a final disposition is expected to include an additional one-year probation based on the fact that these specific violations were determined to be systemic and recurring in that they were identified in the 2006 NCAA report.

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