Haywood, Pirkl receive honorable-mention all-state

NEW ORLEANS — Claudia Haywood and Franziska Pirkl received more volleyball honors late Saturday when the Xavier University of Louisiana seniors earned honorable mention on the 2015 All-Louisiana team.
     
Haywood, a 5-foot-11 middle blocker from Memphis, Tenn., and a graduate of Cordova High School, also received a vote for Player of the Year and finished third in balloting for that award. She led the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference this year with a .292 hitting percentage. She was first-team All-GCAC her final two seasons, and she was GCAC Tournament MVP this year and in 2013. Haywood finished her career with a .287 hitting percentage, 756 kills and 207 blocks, all of which rank among the top four in XU history.
     
Pirkl, a 5-9 setter from Munich, Germany, and a graduate of Theodolinden Gymnasium, led the GCAC this year with 8.97 assists per set. She was first-team All-GCAC four times, the 2015 GCAC Setter of the Year and a two-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete. Her 3,293 career assists are an XU record. Pirkl also produced 227 kills, 116 aces, 754 digs and 103 blocks in her career — those latter three numbers rank in XU's top five.
     
For the third straight year, XU's Hannah Lawing was runner-up for Coach of the Year. Lawing received three votes, and Millicent Van Norden of the University of New Orleans received six. Receiving a vote for Libero of the Year and placing third was XU seniorDarian Harris.
     
A Louisiana Sports Writers Association panel of sports publicists selected the All-Louisiana team, which consists of student-athletes from NCAA Division I and NAIA members.
     
Xavier's Gold Nuggets were 19-8 this year, and for the fifth consecutive season they won GCAC regular-season and tournament championships and qualified for the NAIA National Championship.

2015 All-Louisiana Women's Volleyball Team

FIRST TEAM Malina Sanchez, senior, McNeese State Tea Juric, junior, Tulane Kelly Graham, senior, McNeese State Landry Bullock, junior, Southeastern Louisiana Glynna Johnson, senior, Northwestern State Blessing Dunn, freshman, New Orleans Libero: Diamond Williams, junior, Southern SECOND TEAM Kaci Eaton, junior, Nicholls State Gina Tillis, sophomore, LSU Sarah Ray, sophomore, Tulane Taylor Zaeske, junior, Louisiana-Monroe Hope Pawlik, junior, Louisiana-Monroe Celeste Ramirez, senior, New Orleans Libero: Bridget Justis, junior, McNeese State PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  Malina Sanchez, McNeese State      Voting:  Sanchez 7, Juric 3, Claudia Haywood (Xavier) 1 LIBERO OF THE YEAR:  Diamond Williams, Southern      Voting:  Williams 6, Justis 2, Darian Harris (Xavier) 1, Haley Smith (LSU) 1 NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR:  Keke Irby, New Orleans      Voting:  Irby 8, Madi Odom (Southeastern Louisiana) 3 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:  Blessing Dunn, New Orleans      Voting:  Dunn 8, Lisa Mordell (Tulane) 3 COACH OF THE YEAR:  Millicent Van Norden, New Orleans      Voting:  Van Norden 6, Hannah Lawing (Xavier) 3, Patrick Hiltz (Louisiana-Monroe) 1, Jim Smoot (Southeastern Louisiana) 1 HONORABLE MENTION Claudia Haywood, senior, Xavier; Amanda Kunz, senior, Northwestern State; Madi Odom, junior, Southeastern Louisiana; Marta Monne, sophomore, Louisiana Tech; Eva Allen, senior, Loyola; Keke Irby, junior, New Orleans; Franziska Pirkl, senior, Xavier Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA  twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold

FINAL: North Carolina A&T and Tuskegee Finish Atop HSRN Football Polls

HARTLEY, Delaware – North Carolina A&T’s victory in the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl and Tuskegee’s deep run in the Division II Playoffs have vaulted the Aggies and Golden Tigers to the top spots in the final 2015 HSRN Football Polls.  The MEAC co-champion Aggies defeated SWAC champion Alcorn State, 41-34, before an announced crowd of 35,528 in the Georgia Dome to cap off a 10-2 season.

Tuskegee became the first HBCU team to get to the regional finals since Winston-Salem State’s run to the D2 championship game in 2012.  The Golden Tigers defeated Catawba and North Alabama before falling to national semifinalist West Georgia.

Final  Rankings
Division I FCS
	School (First Place Votes)	Record	Pts	Previous
1	North Carolina A&T (9)	10-2	104	2
2	Alcorn State (1)	9-4	98	3
3	Grambling State (1)	9-3	86	1
4	Bethune-Cookman	9-2	82	4
5	Prairie View A&M	8-2	59	5
6	North Carolina Central	8-3	58	6
7	South Carolina State	7-4	46	7
8	Southern	6-5	28	8
9	Alabama State	6-5	23	9
10	Hampton	6-5	10	10
	Others receiving votes
	Alabama A&M (6), Tennessee State (2)

Final Rankings
Division II/NAIA
	School (First Place Votes)	Record	Pts	Previous
1	Tuskegee (7)	10-3	72	4
2	Bowie State	9-3	60	1
3	Virginia Union	8-3	54	2
4	Winston-Salem State	6-5	48	3
5	Albany State	6-4	40	7
6	Miles	7-5	36	5
7	Virginia State	6-4	33	6
8	Fort Valley State	5-4	30	10
9	Chowan	6-4	16	8
10	Livingstone	5-4	14	9
	Others receiving votes
	Langston (FPV-1 | 10 pts), Central State (10), Benedict (6) Texas College (4), Johnson C. Smith (3), Cheyney (2), Elizabeth City St. (1), Fayetteville St. (1)

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. 

Texas Southern Lady Tigers beat Rice 69-66 in overtime

HOUSTON, Texas -- Jazzmin Parker scored eight points in overtime to give Texas Southern its third win on the season over Rice Monday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse. The Lady Tigers won the non-conference match-up 69-66.

Parker registered a game-high 29 points off the bench, shooting 11-for-26 from the field, 3-for-9 in three-pointers and 4-for-7 at the line.

Three additional Lady Tigers hit double figures in scoring including Toni Cheadle who claimed a double-double (10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds), Kianna Vines (10 points and seven rebounds) and Joyce Kennerson (10 points and five rebounds).

The Owls were led by Shani Rainey who captured 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Wendy Knight put up 14 points and Alyssa Lang earned 11 points.

Rice took the lead early, but points from Cheadle and Vines tied the score up at 10.

In the second quarter, Kennerson used a jumper to pull the Lady Tigers ahead, never losing the lead until the overtime session.

With one minute and 41 second on the clock, Rice's Rainey served a layup to pull ahead of TSU by one point, but it did not last as Parker ran up eight points on the Owls in four minutes and 13 seconds to take the game.

The Lady Tigers held Rice shooting at only 39.1 percent from the field and 28.6 percent in three-pointers while also forcing 14 turnovers.

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Southern gets back on winning track by beating North Carolina Central

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Southern ended its first losing streak of the season when it defeated North Carolina Central 68-63 in the Global Sports Classic on Monday afternoon.

The Jaguars (8-4) lost back-to-back games against Memphis and Louisiana Tech last week before holding off the Eagles, who are 3-8 after losing their fourth straight.

Southern will play Omaha in the championship game of the visitors bracket of the classic at 3:30 p.m. CST Tuesday in its final game until next month.

“(UNCC) came out with a lot of energy,” Jaguars coach Roman Banks said. “They were more aggressive, but we just kept playing. We didn’t panic.

“It was a very tough, physical ballgame. And when you’re in a heavyweight fight, you try to make it through all 12 rounds. We were able to stand toe to toe with them, and we got the lead late in the first half and were able to keep it.”

Adrian Rodgers led Southern with 18 points, Jared Sam scored 15, Shawn Prudhomme had 12 and Trelun Banks 10.

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SWAC mourns the loss of Texas Southern's Jamal Small

ASBURY PARK, New Jersey -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference mourns the loss of former Texas Southern student-football athlete Jamal Small.

Small (24) passed away on Sunday, December 20th in his hometown of Asbury Park, New Jersey.

"The Texas Southern Athletics Department would like to send our prayers and condolences to the family and friends of former student-athlete Jamar Small," said TSU Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Charles McClelland.

In 2014, Small led the Tigers in passing yards (904) and touchdowns (8). Their 5-0 start was the schools best since 2009.

"While attending Texas Southern University Jamal was admired and highly respected by school administrators, his fellow peers and his teammates. This is an extremely tragic loss for the entire TSU community, and the positive impacts he made at this institution and within our football program as a student-athlete will never be forgotten."

Small was celebrated as a success story for school officials and community organizers. Small channeled his competitive spirit into football, becoming one of the Shore's best all-around Asbury Park High School players before graduating in 2010. He earned a football scholarship and graduated from TSU with a bachelor's in business administration.

COURTESY SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS

Southern seeks strong finish to nonconference schedule

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern concludes its nonconference schedule with two games in the Global Sports Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Jaguars (7-4) play North Carolina Central at 3:30 p.m. Monday afternoon and will face either Eastern Illinois or Nebraska-Omaha on Tuesday. After that, they break for Christmas and don’t play again until visiting Texas Southern for the Southwestern Athletic Conference opener Jan. 2.

Southern has been on the road for a week, having lost at Memphis (72-67) on Tuesday and at Louisiana Tech (83-76) on Friday. In both games, the Jaguars had a lead in the second half but got outscored down the stretch.

“We’ve got to zero in on North Carolina Central,” Southern coach Roman Banks said. “We’ve got to put together a good game and try to get back in the win column.”

The Jaguars have lost consecutive games for the first time this season. In both games, Southern was beaten badly at the foul line. The Jaguars shot half as many free throws (40) as their opponents (80) and got outscored by 30 points at the line. They committed 57 fouls and their opponents committed 38.

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Judge dismisses Coach Barlow lawsuit against Alabama State

COACH REGGIE BARLOW

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- A Montgomery County Circuit Court judge on Friday dismissed a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by football coach Reggie Barlow against Alabama State University.

Barlow's attorney, Donald Jackson, filed a motion asking the Circuit Court Judge Greg Griffin to recuse himself and set aside his decision. Short of that legal longshot, Friday's decision would bring an end to Barlow's case.

"Alabama State University is very pleased at the court's decision today that finds in favor of the university by dismissing the lawsuit filed against it," a statement from ASU officials read. "The university was vindicated and absolved as the court concluded that all standard operating procedures were followed appropriately by the university."

Barlow's lawsuit alleged ...

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Lady Rattlers Hold Off UC Davis Aggies For 61-58 Win at USC Classic

Los Angeles, California (Dec. 20) – The Florida A&M Lady Rattlers (5-7, 0-1 MEAC) used a solid team effort to hold off the University of California Davis (6-5), 61-58, to win the consolation game in the Women of Troy Basketball Classic at the Galen Center on the campus of the University of Southern California.

Khadejra Young, who also made the Women of Troy Basketball Classic All-Tournament Team, led the Rattlers playing three positions on the day. Young scored 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field. She also pulled down four rebounds and swept four steals in the game. Olivia Antilla scored 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. Cedrick Sweeting added 11 points to round out the trio of Lady Rattlers in double figures.

Alicia McCray pulled down eight rebounds to lead the Rattlers. Antillia pulled down six rebounds in the game.

FAMU head coach LeDawn Gibson was pleased with the team’s effort. “This was a good week for our team. Even with the loss to USC, I felt the team was just outmanned, but the effort was there. It feels as though the team bonded on our day off and played as one today. I keep stressing to them that when they finally did that, they would be surprised how good they can play. On all levels of sports, earning a split on a road trip is considered to be successful,” Gibson said.

Khadejra Young led the Rattlers with 19 points. 
Courtesy: Florida A&M Sports Information

The Lady Rattlers used a very physical run game to take an 8-4 lead in the first quarter. UC Davis would fire back using sharp shooting to take a 13-12 lead with 3:32 remaining in the first period. The Aggies would build the lead up to four points by the end of the first period. The second period belonged to the Lady Rattlers who outscored UC Davis 22-13. Fueled by eight points from the Rattler bench, FAMU took a five point lead into halftime.

FAMU would jump out in the second half and continue their aggressive play against the Aggies. Field by seven bench points and eight points in the paint, the Lady Rattlers would get to their largest lead of the game at 11 points with 2:47 remaining in the third period.

Going into the final period, a determined UC Davis team would cut the lead back to five. Playing a man-to-man defense, the Rattlers applied full court pressure on the Aggies. Using dribble-drives, the Lady Rattlers were able to weave around the taller Aggies and make their way to the basket, scoring three layups that would figure big in the final tally. With the game at a three-point margin, FAMU was able to get two key rebounds to seal the game.

“We’ve got to compete every day. We’ve got to bring this mentality to every game. If we play like we did today, we can begin to see the results we all want to see. When we add Shalaunda (Burney-Robinson) back to the lineup when we return, I expect the team to compete in conference play down the stretch,” Gibson said.

What’s next: The Lady Rattlers will take a short break and return to play Clemson in Clemson, S.C. on Dec. 29.

Antilla on Fire

Olivia Antilla heads into the Christmas break shooting 48.6 percent (34 of 70) from three-point range, ranking 17th in NCAA D-I and first in the MEAC in percentage and triples made per game. With a season sustained at this pace, Antilla could reach the all-time single season record of 86 set by Kimberly Sparkman in 2013.

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UAPB's Coach Monte Coleman Inducted Into Washington Redskins Ring Of Fame

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The crowd died down for Monte Coleman to take the microphone, but he couldn’t just yet. He had to pause for just a moment and hold back some tears.

“Thank you very, very much. I’m deeply moved, I’m deeply humbled, a little lost for words,” Coleman eventually said before the FedExField faithful at halftime.

Coleman, flanked by his Hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs and family members, stood at midfield raising his arms to the crowd, the culmination of 16 years of service to the Redskins, now remembered forever as a member of the Redskins Ring of Fame.

To make it official, his plaque, sitting next to Joe Jacoby, was unveiled, just a few spots down from Jeff Bostic, who was inducted earlier in the year.

“I just wanted to thank Dan Snyder, the Redskins organization,” Coleman said. “I want to thank my family, my wife, Yvette, my children, all of the support that they’ve given me through the years.”

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Sidney leads Texas Southern to win past TAMU-CC

HOUSTON, Texas -- Texas Southern secured a non-conference victory Saturday afternoon, pushing past Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 51-43.

Brianna Sidney managed a game-high 13 points, adding three rebounds, two assists and four steals to her resume.

Jazmin Parker also snagged 12 points and three rebounds, while Amari Dennis put up 10 points with five rebounds. Kianna Vines claimed a game-high 13 rebounds with seven points.

Brittany Mbamalu led the Islanders in scoring with 11 points while adding three rebounds and two steals. Gee Lawler grabbed seven points, two rebounds and recorded three steals in 19 minutes of work.

Key highlights from the game include TSU going on a 9-0 run, holding the Islanders scoreless for seven minutes and 50 seconds between the first and second quarters.

The Islanders were outrebounded 35-25 by the Tigers, while Texas Southern forced 25 turnovers.

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North Carolina A&T State University Aggies Win HBCU National Championship

Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl Attendance: 35,528; Nationally Televised by ABC

ATLANTA, Georgia -- There is a saying that permeates inside the Bryan Fitness and Wellness Center and Aggie Stadium on the c1ampus of North Carolina A&T State University.

If something good happens, keep playing. If something bad happens, keep playing. There was plenty of good and bad that happened to N.C. A&T during the inaugural Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl Saturday afternoon. The Aggies withstood it all in front of a national television watching on ABC to win the school’s third HBCU National Football Championship with a 41-34 win over SWAC champion Alcorn State at the Georgia Dome.

The Aggies are now 4-4 in bowl games all-time and now will forever hold the distinction of being the first-ever Celebration Bowl Champions. For N.C. A&T head coach Rod Broadway, it was his first career postseason win.

Some say junior Tarik Cohen was introduced to the nation over the summer thanks to the fact his videos of doing backflips while catching one, sometimes two footballs went viral and earned him live appearances on ESPN SportsCenter. But if some around the country thought his talents only consisted of backflips, then they saw a whole new side of him Saturday.

Cohen rushed for 295 yards and three touchdowns and had some amazing runs that had Twitter nation buzzing. In fact, the Celebration Bowl was ESPN’s second-highest trending event on Twitter. Cohen played a big role in that.



“We’ve said all along Tarik’s special,” said Broadway. “I guess the nation got a chance to see what we’ve been looking at what he is capable of doing for three years now. He had a big game for us, and we needed it. “

But Cohen wanted to talk about the guys who weren’t being discussed on social media.

“Without my offensive line none of this would have been possible,” said Cohen. “I felt like they played a tremendous game. All week they have been hearing how they are holding the team back. A lot of people want to say they are the soft point of our team. So they took that and ran with it, and showed everybody on national TV they are not to be messed with.”

It has been a season of good and bad that would perhaps derail most teams without the Aggies motto. Not only had the play of the offensive line been brought into question, but the offense as a whole. Late in the season the Aggies struggled offensively in a 9-6 win at S.C. State. The following week the offense didn’t blowout the Delaware State Hornets the way many thought it would. Then came the loss to N.C. Central where the Aggies scored 16 points, seven of them off of a kickoff return.

It led prognosticators to believe the combinations of the offensive struggles late in the season, Alcorn’s powerful running game and the disappointment of losing to their archrival, N.C. Central two years in a row, would be too much for the Aggies to overcome. Too bad they didn’t know the motto. The Aggies compiled a season-high 543 yards of offense. Senior quarterback Kwashaun Quick threw for 149 yards on 11-for-16 passing with no interceptions.

“Central wanted to beat us a little more than we wanted to beat them and that’s the honest truth,” said senior cornerback Tony McRae. “Making the bowl game gave us a chance to refocus and become hungry again.”

The Aggies finished the season 10-2 overall. It is their first 10-win season in 12 years. It marks the third time in school history the Aggies have recorded double-digit wins in a season (1999, 2003, 2105).

Not bad. Only good.



Turning points

Tarik Cohen had already scored on runs of 74 and 83 and sophomore punt returner Khris Gardin had a 74-yard punt return as the Aggies led 24-6 midway through the second quarter. But an interception by freshman quarterback Kylil Carter gave the Braves the ball on the N.C. A&T 10-yard line. Lenorris Footman then completed a 10-yard pass to Aaron Baker to help the Braves halt the Aggies momentum, and gain a little of their own.

In fact, the Braves kept getting the breaks in their rally against A&T. A 47-yard kickoff return set the Braves up at the Aggies 49 which led to a score. With the Aggies leading 27-20 in the third quarter, the Braves also blocked a Cody Jones field goal, which led to the game-tying score at 27.

The Aggies regained the lead on a 1-yard Quick touchdown, but an unsportsmanlike penalty on the ensuing kickoff gave the Braves the ball at their 48, leading to another game-tying score. But the one mistake that didn’t harm the Aggies eventually became the games finally turning point. Leading 41-34, Aggies punter Steven Sawicki shanked a 6-yard punt giving the Braves the ball at the 50.

But on 4th-and-9 from the Aggies 9, Footman’s pass dropped incomplete in the final seconds to give the Aggies the win.

Player of the game

It was Tarik Cohen who recorded his fourth career 200-yard rushing performance. He ties Maurice Hicks for the most 200-yard plus games in an Aggies career. The Aggies are 3-1 when Cohen rushes for more than 200 yards.

Stats of the game

Cohen’s 295 yards helped him break the school’s single-season rushing record. The record was 1,487 yards by Maurice Hicks in 2000. Cohen ends the 2015 season with 1,543 yards and 15 touchdowns. He is now four TD’s shy of breaking Stoney Polite’s career mark of 41.

Cohen’s 295 was third best single-game rushing performance in school history behind Maurice Hicks’ 437-yard game at Morgan State in 2001 and Hicks’ 353 performance vs. S.C. State in 2000.

Three of Cohen’s runs Saturday rank among the top-15 in school history in terms of distance. His 83-yarder is tied for the fourth longest run in school history. His 74-yarder is 14th and the 73-yarder is 15th.

Khris Gardin broke the NCAA FCS records for punt return yards in season. He finished the season with 740 punt return yards to establish the new mark. His 61.7 punt return yards per game is also a new NCAA record. He broke the total punt return yards record on a 74-yard punt return for TD which served as the game’s first points.

Alcorn State’s 260 yards of offense was a season-low for the Braves.

Aggies junior kicker Cody Jones made two field goals from 40 yards or more. It is the first time in his career he has accomplished the feat. He has made five kicks in his career of 40 yards or more.

The Aggies 543 yards of total offense are the most the Aggies have compiled in the five-year Broadway era.

The Aggies are now 13-12 all-time against SWAC schools.

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Daniel Leads Howard Bison Balanced Attack in Win Over UMBC

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- James"J-Byrd" Daniel, III poured in a game-high 28 points to lead five players in double figures as Howard University defeated the University of Maryland Baltimore County in a 103-93 shootout at Burr Gymnasium.

Playing without two of its starters and some key reserves, the Bison (7-5) rode the scoring of Daniel and Tyler Stone (16 points) who combined for 33 first-half points as Howard led 42-35 at intermission. It must be noted that Stone, normally a forward, was playing in place of starting center Marcel Boyd, who is out for three weeks with a fractured finger. Boyd leads the team in rebounding and averages close to a double-double on the season.

The two teams went back and forth in the second half, exchanging runs. The Retrievers (4-9) embarked on a 12-4 run to start the second half, led by Jarius Lyles, who poured in 17 of his team-high 27 and Will Darley who added 14 of his 21 before fouling out. A three pointer by Joe Sherburn gave the visitors a 47-46 lead at the 14:46 mark.

The Bison responded with a 24-11 push that gave them a 70-57 advantage at the 11:17 mark. The run was fueled by Collins and Dalique Mingo who scored all of his 14 points in the second stanza. It was Collins' first action since coming up with a stomach virus after the Purdue game.

"I saw that I put up only three shots in the first half, so I felt I had to be more aggressive in the second half," said Collins, who was 5-of-8 from the field after intermission and 7-of-9 from the free throw line. "Also, they started to double J-Byrd near the end of the first half so I used ball screens and I got out in transition. That gave me some better looks and I was able to take advantage of it."

But UMBC was not finished as it reeled off a 25-14 spurt that got the score to within 84-82 at the 3:15 mark of the second half. That is when Daniel, Collins, Mangham and Mingo closed the door. Combining for all 19 of their team's points, the Bison closed with a 19-11 run that put the game away.

"I take my hat off to the coaches," praised Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry. "Being shorthanded, we put in several defenses in practice and they were all effective when we needed them to establish or change tempo. I thought the players were locked in well. J-Byrd was especially effective for us keeping the right tempo that we wanted against UMBC."

Added Daniel. "We stuck to our defensive principles and made shots down the stretch. My teammates and the coaching staff believe in me and my decisions. The key though was how our reserves, Dalique and Solo stepped up big for us. They made some shots and got rebounds when I missed."

Daniel, the nation's leading scorer at 29.4 points added five assists and four steals to his stats while Mangham (17 points, 13 rebounds) and Mingo (14 points, career-high 10 rebounds) posted double-doubles. Stone finished with 18.

The Retrievers got 27 and 10 rebounds from Lyles, who played locally at DeMatha High School (Hyattsville, MD) , 21 from Will Darley, 16 from Sherburne and 13 and 12, respectively from Rodney Elliott and Jourdan Grant.

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Albany State University exceeds goal for Rams in the Roses and Beyond campaign

The ASU Marching Band will march in the 2016 Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 16

ALBANY, Georgia -- Albany State University has exceeded its goal to raise $270,000 for the “Rams in the Roses and Beyond” campaign. The campaign raised $332,775; thanks to supporters, the Albany State University Marching Band will head to the 2016 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif. The remaining funds will be used to support need-based scholarships.

“This is an outstanding accomplishment for the university and the hundreds of supporters who donated, not only funds, but time and effort to help us send this talented group of scholar musicians to Pasadena,” said Chanta Haywood, vice president of Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the ASU Foundation.



The ASU Marching Band is the only Georgia band, the only university band from the southeastern United States, and the only historically black university band in the nation to participate in the event that serves as a prelude to the nation’s oldest bowl game.

“We really can’t thank everyone enough who donated to help us get to Pasadena,” said Band Director Michael Decuir. “All of the alumni, students, and supporters in Albany and around the nation, on behalf of the band, I want to let you know that we couldn’t have done this without you. We’re ready to show the world what it means to be a Golden Ram.”

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Alcorn State falls short in close Celebration Bowl loss

ATLANTA, Georgia -- On Friday, Alcorn State coach Jay Hopson said every football team wants to go as far as it can go.

The Braves went as far as they could this season, but still fell 9 yards short of taking home a trophy.

Alcorn State quarterback Lenorris Footman’s pass fell incomplete on fourth-and-goal from the 9 with 13 seconds left, which sealed North Carolina A&T’s 41-34 victory in front of 35,528 fans in the inaugural Celebration Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Saturday.



“It was a hard-fought football game; those are always tough to lose,” Hopson said. “Give North Carolina A&T a lot of credit. They played a very good football game, exceptional game … we played hard and gave ourselves a chance, but just fell short.”

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2015 Celebration Bowl Battle of the Bands: North Carolina A&T vs. Alcorn State

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Tarik Cohen rushes for 295 yards as North Carolina A&T tops Alcorn State in Celebration Bowl

ATLANTA, Georgia -- A pair of conference champions from the HBCU ranks kicked off the bowl season on Saturday with a thrilling showcase in the inaugural Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl, as North Carolina A&T defeated Alcorn State 41-34 to claim the title on Saturday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Here's a breakdown of the action:

What the win means for North Carolina A&T: It completes an impressive rise for this program over the past five seasons since coach Rod Broadway took the helm. In the season prior to Broadway’s arrival, the Aggies were 1-10, were stuck in a streak of seven straight losing seasons and had scholarship and practice limitations because of low NCAA Academic Progress Rate scores. This win gives the Aggies (10-2) a total of 33 victories over the past four years and marks North Carolina A&T’s first 10-win season since 2003. In addition to finishing atop the MEAC -- where they earned a berth to this game via a three-way tiebreaker -- winning the Celebration Bowl caps off an impressive season for the Aggies, giving them the HBCU national title, as well.

What the loss means for Alcorn State: It’s a disappointing end to an otherwise great season for the Braves (9-4), who won the SWAC championship on Dec. 5. It stops the Braves just short of having back-to-back 10-win seasons, but they still have had marked success under coach Jay Hopson.



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Aprill McRae Leads North Carolina A&T Past NDSU

WICHITA, Kansas – North Carolina A&T looked turned to their all-conference center to end a two-game slide. Aprill McRae scored a career-high 24 points to lead the Aggies to a 72-64 win over North Dakota State during the first day of the Wichita State Christmas Tournament.

McRae connected on 10 of her 13 field goal attempts and all four of her free throw attempts. Dana Brown added 15 points for the Aggies who improved to 4-6 on the season. Taylor Thunstedt led the Bison with 23 points on 5 3-pointers. Marena Whittle added 20 points.

Turning point

The Aggies started the game hitting shots and ended the game hitting shots. That was a big for a team shooting 31.7 percent from the floor over its previous two games. On Friday, the Aggies opened the game by hitting four of their first five shots capped off by a Brown 3-pointer that gave the Aggies a 9-2 lead in the first four minutes.

Over time the Bison gained their footing and led by as many as nine, 34-25, with 1:53 remaining in the first half before the Aggies rallied with an 8-1 run to trail 35-33 at halftime as Kala Green scored at the buzzer. The Aggies found themselves back in the lead by the end of the third quarter, 55-51, but Taylor Thunstedt’s 3-pointer cut the lead to one in the first nine seconds of the fourth.

N.C. A&T went back to hitting shots, namely McRae. Another Thunstedt 3-pointer cut the Aggies lead to 61-59. McRae quickly answered with a layup. Thunstedt could not respond as she missed on a 3-pointer. McRae then took a pass from Christina Carter to score again to cap off a string of eight straight points as the Aggies grabbed a 65-59 lead with 2:55 remaining.

Player of the game

When Aprill McRae is making baskets the Aggies are hard to beat. Friday marked the fourth time the graduate center scored 20 or more points in her career. The Aggies are 3-1 in those games with the only loss coming to William & Mary by two points. McRae is shooting 76.1 percent (35-for-46) from the floor when she scores 20 or more points.

Stats of the game

North Dakota State outrebounded the Aggies 46-32 and grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, yet the Aggies matched the Bison in second chance points, 8-8.

The paint was the Aggies paradise on Friday. They outscored the Bison 40-14 in the paint. The 40 points in the paint are a season high. N.C. A&T is 4-0 this season when they outscore their opponents in the paint.

N.C. A&T had a season-low 11 turnovers on Friday. The Aggies also dished out 14 assists. The Aggies are 4-1 when they have more assists than turnovers this season. The Aggie point guards were especially good with the basketball as freshman Rejoice Spivey had a season-high four assists and only one turnovers. Graduate guard Adriana Nazario had three assists and no turnovers and Carter had four assists and two turnovers.

Next Game

The Aggies continue play in the Wichita State Christmas Tournament by playing host Wichita State Saturday at 4 p.m., EST on ESPN3.

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COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

DWIGHT FLOYD COMMENTARY: Air Force Reserve Clebration Will Be Short Lived

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Ever heard of the “Brain Bowl.” It is a competition for intellects performed at schools across the country. Like the international spelling bee, you are considered cream of the crop if you win one. Not as prevalent is the “Black Brain Bowl,” an event once had in Tallahassee, Florida to celebrate black history.

I was the school advisory chair at the middle school where my sons and daughters attended and as such was vested in any and everything that promoted learning and gave the school a positive image. I recall my twin boys competing with their friends in the middle school Black Brain Bowl. It was a special program run through a college grant and no the college was not an HBCU. Though humorous at times to watch, it was pleasing to see the boys practicing in preparation for the brain bowl event.

Every middle school in the county was involved and the group of contestants were diverse. To give an idea of what the program was about, one of the questions asked was “who was the football player seen running across the airport to catch a plane in a TV commercial.” The answer was O.J. Simpson.

When it was all said and done my sons’ middle school team made up of all black males brought home the first place trophy. Reporting back to the school I was excited and proud, that is until the school principal gave me that look. She really cared about these kids, but didn’t have the heart to celebrate much about the victory.

At that point the O.J. question completely registered as ...

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Gold Rush shooting touch knocks off Concordia

MEMPHIS, Tennessee — In its final game before Christmas, the Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball team was hotter than chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

The Gold Rush, ranked 17th in NAIA Division I, shot 60 percent from the floor for the game and 68.2 percent in the second half — both season highs — and pulled away for a 65-55 victory against Concordia (Ala.) in the Jerry C. Johnson Classic at LeMoyne-Owen College.

After trailing 31-30 at halftime, Xavier (10-4) made its first eight field-goal attempts of the next period, seven during a 15-0 run in which the Gold Rush seized momentum and didn't let go.

Another season high: four starters scoring in double figures. All-star senior guard Morris Wright had 15 points and led for the 17th straight game, and he was followed closely by Lucas Martin-Julien with 11 points and Elex Carter and Jarvis Thibodeaux with 10 apiece.

Martin-Julien reached double figures for the third time in four games and the sixth time this season. Carter and Thibodeaux matched their season scoring highs. Thibodeaux had consecutive dunks during the second-half run.

Concordia (4-8), a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, made 7-of-10 3-pointers during a first half with 11 lead changes. But Xavier's defense was as effective as its offense in the second half. The Gold Rush limited the Hornets to 29.4 percent from the floor and 3-of-7 from behind the arc.

Wright's 3-pointer at 18:21 put Xavier ahead to stay, 35-33, and Martin-Julien's shot-clock-beating trey from the top of the key at 10:19 gave Xavier its largest lead, 50-38. Concordia never came closer than six points thereafter.

The fifth Xavier starter, Kevin Murph, did not score less than 24 hours after making 3-of-3 3-pointers in a loss to LeMoyne-Owen. But Murph, in his first collegiate start, recorded his first two blocked shots of the season and played a career-best 20 minutes.

Wright matched his season high of five assists, and his final points — a 3-pointer at 1:13 — made him the 18th Gold Rush player to reach 1,200 in a career. Wright has 1,202 points; next in line are Louis Williams (1979-82) with 1,206, Webster Stewart (1987-91) with 1,231 and Alvin "Bo" Dukes (1979-83) with 1,285.

For the game, Concordia shot 41.2 percent from the floor and made 10-of-17 3-pointers. Five Hornets made at least one trey, but only Ken Atwood (four treys, 16 points) scored in double figures. Xavier won the boards by four and was plus-3 in turnovers.

Xavier will begin a five-game home stand after Christmas. Next will be a rematch with LSU-Shreveport at 5 p.m. Dec. 29 in the Gold Rush Holiday Classic at the Convocation Center. Mobile and Fisk are the other two teams in that event.

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Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Florida A&M's Tiffany Greene blazes path as college football play-by-play commentator

TAMPA, Florida -- Tiffany Greene always aspired to work at ESPN.

The Tampa native put herself on that path as an undergraduate after meeting a recruiter at a 2000 job fair at Howard University. The recruiter suggested Greene take on a production job at the network; she declined.

She wanted to be a reporter.

So Greene took her degree from Florida A&M University and poured everything into her work.



Her big break came this year when she earned a fulltime job with the sports network. She's handling play-by-play duties on college softball, volleyball and basketball, but it's her work on college football that stands out.

Greene, who will work as the sideline reporter Saturday for ABC's broadcast of the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl from Atlanta, became one of only a handful of women to ever handle college football play-by-play for the network this year.

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Three reasons to watch the Celebration Bowl: Alcorn State vs. North Carolina A&T

ALWAYS WATCH IN 1080p HD, WIDE SCREEN

ATLANTA, Georgia -- Bowl season kicks off on Saturday with a new flavor. FCS schools Alcorn State and North Carolina A&T will meet in the first Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl at the Georgia Dome (Noon ET, ABC). Why should you watch this game? Here are three reasons:

1. It pits two conference champions: So many bowl games involve teams with six-win seasons (or in this year's case, 5-7 teams) or teams with interim head coaches since the coaching carousel has completed a few spins already in the offseason. Why not watch two quality teams who actually won something of substance -- a conference championship -- do battle? Alcorn State won the SWAC championship game, beating Grambling State on Dec. 5; North Carolina A&T won the MEAC via a three-way tiebreaker over Bethune-Cookman and North Carolina Central. Both teams won nine games; these are good football teams.

2. It's historic: This is a new game but the third attempt at a MEAC-SWAC bowl that would be considered a national championship of sorts for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), which comprise both conferences. The last attempt at such a game, the Heritage Bowl, ran from 1991 to 1999. Could the third time be a charm? Perhaps this is the game that sticks around for a long time and becomes a mainstay for the champions in each conference. Plus, the bands are certain to put on a show. HBCUs are known for their excellent marching bands and Alcorn State's Sounds of Dyn-O-mite and A&T's Blue & Gold Marching Machine are sure to impress.



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