Norfolk State women's player in coma, fighting for her life

NORFOLK, Virginia -- A week ago, Amber Brown was like thousands of other women's college basketball players, playing and practicing with her Norfolk State teammates.

Now, the junior forward is fighting for her life laying in a hospital bed.

Brown, 19, was found unconscious on her dorm room floor on New Year's Day.

She has been hospitalized the last eight days in a medically induced coma at a Norfolk, Virginia hospital. Family members say they are praying for the best, though doctors suggested the prognosis is not good.

Brown's mother, Coretta, has kept vigil at her daughter's bedside at Norfolk General Hospital since arriving from her home in Atlanta, said Ebony Brown, the player's sister.

While doctors have been brutally honest about Brown's prognosis, the family remains anchored by its faith.

"Sometimes, out of nowhere, I'll stop to pray," Ebony Brown said. "It's just what needs to be done."

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NSU Football Announces Signing of Kenneth Kirby

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Norfolk State head football coach Latrell Scott announced Friday that prep school offensive lineman Kenneth Kirby has enrolled for the spring semester.

Kirby (6-5, 285) played last fall at Fork Union Military Academy after graduating from Menchville High School in Newport News in 2014. At Menchville, Kirby was a first-team All-Conference 10 offensive lineman and a second-team defensive lineman as a senior for the Monarchs. He was an honorable mention all-conference performer as a junior in 2013.

Kirby is the fifth FUMA player in the last calendar year to enroll at NSU, and second this semester. Fellow offensive lineman Jordan Crockett signed with the Spartans last month. Defensive linemen Walter Brantley IV and Cornelius Tyler and offensive lineman Craig Rodwell joined the program last January.

"We're excited to have Kenneth join the Spartan family," Scott said. "He is a big, athletic offensive lineman who we think will be able to compete for time immediately after spending last fall at Fork Union. He continues what is becoming a strong pipeline of talented Fork Union players to play at NSU."

Kirby, the nephew of former U.Va. and NFL running back Terry Kirby, joins Crockett and Indian River High School quarterback Tyre Givers-Wilson as spring semester enrollees for Scott and the Spartans. All three will participate in NSU's off-season conditioning program and spring practice.

Matt Michalec, Asst. AD/Communications
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Jackson State looks for road win against rival Alcorn

JACKSON, Mississippi -- There hasn’t been many times this season when Jackson State has been expected to win a road game.

The Tigers figure to be the favorite heading into their matchup at Alcorn State, but realize it won’t be an easy task against their rival on the road when the two teams tip at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Davey L. Whitney Complex in Lorman.

“It’s a rivalry — if Alcorn is coming here or we’re going there, it’s probably going to be a packed out crowd,” JSU guard Raeford Worsham said. “It’s going to be a good game, no easy way about them. They’re going to play hard, so we have to play hard from the beginning until the end.”

Kenpom.com is predicting JSU (7-8, 2-0 SWAC) to earn a 72-64 victory against the Braves (3-10, 1-1). In order for the Tigers to do that, they’d have to overcome not only the aspects of a rivalry game, but also their road woes.

In non-conference play JSU is ...

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UAPB men look to rebound against Alabama A&M

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas -- The Arkansas-Pine Bluff men should be expected to enter Saturday’s game at Alabama A&M with something to prove given how close the Golden Lions came to opening the Southwestern Athletic Conference season with a victory in its previous outing at Mississippi Valley State.

If the expectation is for the Lions (2-13, 0-1) to come out fired up, the Bulldogs (4-7, 0-2) should be expected to enter with a take-no-prisoners attitude. That’s what happens when a team loses its first two league games by a combined four points. A SWAC-opening 81-78 overtime loss at Grambling State was followed up by a 67-66 defeat at Jackson State.

One play here and there and Alabama A&M is sitting joint-top of the conference with Texas Southern. Instead, the Bulldogs are joint-bottom of the standings with Southern and Alabama State.

Back at home and facing the possibility of ...

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Streaking Grambling visits Southern

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — The Grambling State Tigers take a three-game winning streak to Baton Rouge as they face the Southern Jaguars in a 4 p.m. game.

Grambling is currently 2-0 in the SWAC and tied for first place along with Jackson State and Texas Southern. Grambling is 5-9 overall.

Southern, meanwhile, is 0-2 in the conference and 8-7 overall. The Jaguars have lost three consecutive games.

Grambling and Southern will present contrasting styles.

Southern leads the SWAC in scoring at 73.1 points per game. Grambling is second in the SWAC in scoring defense at 70.6 points per game.

Grambling’s Nigel Riberio leads the scoring at 14 points per game. He is seventh in the conference in scoring. His teammate Remond Brown is 12th in the league in scoring at 11.8 points per game.

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Tides finally turn for TSU with solid start to SWAC play

HOUSTON, Texas -- The Texas Southern men's basketball team went from road underdog in non-conference play to the upper echelon in SWAC play.

So far, the Tigers have responded well.

TSU opened SWAC play with an 88-66 win over Southern and a 74-58 win over Alcorn State at home.

Those wins snapped a seven-game losing streak and put the Tigers (3-11) out in front in the early goings of SWAC play.

Everything that ailed TSU in those stout non-conference road games - mid-game lulls, wasted possessions, turnovers - hasn't shown up in SWAC play much.

What's more, TSU head coach Mike Davis sees how much finally playing at home means to his players.

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Fields living NFL dream with Redskins

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Linebacker Carlos Fields says he’s not sure when he will get over the “awe factor” of being in the NFL.

“The reality is when I was growing up, it was so much of a dream that I never thought it could happen,” said Fields, a second-year player with the Washington Redskins and a former Winston-Salem State star.

Fields, 25, has been on a whirlwind since he was signed to the Redskins practice squad in November, and three weeks later he was elevated to the 53-man roster. He played in the final five games of the regular season mainly on special teams.

“I’m kind of tired because things happen fast in the NFL,” Fields said by telephone this week near the Redskins practice facility in Ashburn, Va. “I was talking to some of the veteran players we have, and they’ve been doing this for eight or nine years, so it’s something I have to get used to.”

Fields, who is from Henderson, grew up a Dallas Cowboys fan, so it wasn’t lost on him that he made his debut against the Cowboys on Monday Night Football on Dec. 13. Even though he’s in his second season in the NFL, he finally got to play in his first regular-season game.

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2016 S.C. State Hall of Fame Class Announced

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- South Carolina State will induct ten new members, including one honorary into its Athletic Hall of Fame during the 2016 football season. The university will also enshrine a team.

The 2016 class includes David DeShawn Baker (Football 2003-06), William "Will" Ford (Football 2006-09), Albert Lester-deceased (Football 1975-79), Leon Myers (Contributor/Supporter), Timothy Kemp (Track & Field 1978-82), Daryl Reeves (Track & Field 2002-04), Eugene "Gene" Richards, Jr. (Baseball 1971-74), Jeffrey Washington (Wrestling 1982-87), and Sonya Wilson (Basketball 91-94).

Also to be enshrined, the 1995-96 Men's Basketball Team, which captured the MEAC championship and earned the school's second berth to the NCAA Basketball Championship, and the late Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, as an honorary member. Coleman, one of the nine killed last June at Mother Emanuel AME church in Charleston, was a member of the SC State track and field team four seasons (1988-89-1990-91).

Detailed information concerning the Hall of Fame Ceremony will be

given at a later date. For more information on SC State Athletics visit www.scsuathletics.com or call the Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 536-7060.

COURTESY SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Livingstone women roll past ECSU

ELIZABETH CITY. North Carolina — Livingstone shot the basketball very well and rolled past Elizabeth City State, 70-49, here Thursday night in CIAA women’s action.

The Blue Bears, 9-4 overall and 3-0 in the conference, made almost half of their 3-point field goals (7-of-15) for the game. Livingstone enjoyed a 12-point lead at halftime and blew the Vikings out in the third quarter, going up by 24 points at 52-28 at the 2:16-mark.

Guard Zena Lovette scored 12 of her game-high 14 points during the third period, leading the Livingstone rout. Senior guard Amber Curtis also had a strong third period, scoring six of her 12 points.

The Vikings, 4-8 overall and 1-3 in the CIAA, prevailed in the fourth quarter, 15-12, but it was way too little too late.

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St. Louis would be a great site for future Celebration Bowls

ST. LOUIS, Missouri -- The inaugural Celebration Bowl in Atlanta provided a great game between North Carolina A&T and Alcorn State, and it could also breathe new life into faltering HBCU football programs.

A&T prevailed over Alcorn 41-34 in the December 19 game, a historic partnership between the SWAC, MEAC and ESPN. The respective conference champions declined automatic bids into the FCS playoffs to participate in the Celebration Bowl. The reward is a $1 million payout to each conference, which breaks down to $100,000 for each SWAC member and $91,000 for MEAC schools.

To pocket that kind of cash, both teams would have had to advance deep into the FBS playoffs. Should either A&T or Alcorn want to host an FBS playoff game, a $30,000 minimum bid would have to be submitted.
With an 11 a.m., kickoff on the first Saturday of NCAA bowl season, the game was one of the most-watched on television that day – something that had to impress the bottom-line folks at ESPN.

According to ShowBuzz Daily, the thrilling game drew a ...

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TSU Tigers win big over Prairie View A&M at home

HOUSTON, Texas -- The Texas Southern Tigers continued their winning ways as they dominated the visiting Panthers of Prairie View A&M University 64-38 to remain undefeated in conference play (3-0) and remain tied for first place in the SWAC.

TSU's Orlando Coleman led the Tigers in scoring with 12 points and 4 rebounds on 5-of-11 shooting.

Texas Southern never trailed and took control of the game from the opening tip, scoring the first 11 points of the game. The run was capped off by a Brian Carey 3-pointer just five minutes into the first half. TSU would continue to keep the visiting Panthers at arm's length in the early going, leading 30-19 at the half.

TSU started the second half much like they started the first. This time, it was a 7-0 run, capped by Chris Thomas' layup just three minutes into the second session, making the score 38-19 Tigers.

That run essentially put the game out of reach as TSU eventually pushed their lead to 28 on a Tyree Bynum jumper with 4:24 to play in the game.

It was a team effort tonight, as TSU received solid performances from Chris Thomas and Derrick Griffin. Thomas had 9 points and 9 rebounds on 4-of-7 shooting, and Griffin had 8 points and 9 rebounds on 3-of-6 shooting.

The Tigers outrebounded the Panthers 46-26, while shooting 44 percent from the field, and 23 percent from beyond the arc.

The Panthers were led in scoring by Jayrn Johnson, who had a game high 16 points. Next up for the Tigers is a first place showdown with the Jackson State Tigers next Saturday in Jackson, Mississippi.

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Hughes names Dwayne Curry as JSU Defensive Line Coach

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State head football coach Tony Hughes has named former Mississippi State standout Dwayne Curry as the program’s defensive line coach. Curry comes to JSU after serving as the defensive line coach at the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff for four seasons.

While at UAPB, Curry produced All-SWAC performer Demarcus Berry, who earned all-conference second team honors in 2015 and first team All-SWAC recognition in 2014.

Curry began his coaching career at Southside High School in Atlanta, Ga., where he served as linebacker coach and co-defensive coordinator from 1999-2001. During his tenure there, he coached both inside and outside linebackers and produced an all-conference performer.

In 2005, he was named co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Pensacola High School in Pensacola, Fla. In addition, he served as the assistant track and field coach. While at PHS, Curry produced a high school All-American and had three of his student-athletes to sign Division I National Letter of Intents.

Curry then moved on to the collegiate ranks, when he was named linebacker and assistant punt return coach at East Texas Baptist University (2006-07) in Marshall, Texas. He produced an all-conference linebacker. After two seasons at East Texas Baptist, Curry accepted the defensive line coach and assistant special teams coordinator position at East Mississippi Community College (2007-08) in Scooba, Miss.

In 2008, Curry left the junior college ranks when he was named the defensive line coach at Birmingham Southern (2008-09) in Birmingham, Ala. In 2009, he was named the defensive line coach at Hinds Community College in Raymond, Miss. While at Hinds he produced an all-conference performer at defensive end.

Curry accepted the defensive coordinator/linebacker coach at Savannah State (2010-11) in Savannah, Ga. He was also the punt team coordinator. Curry then traveled to Garden City, Kan., where he was named the defensive line and strength and conditioning coach at Garden City Community College (2011-12). While at GCC, Curry helped produce the defensive player of the Year in the J. Hank Conference

After two seasons at GCC, Curry became the defensive line coach at the University of West Alabama in Livingston, Ala. in 2012 the UWA Tigers won the Gulf South Championship and finished the season ranked No. 3 in all of Division II in total defense.

Curry was an outstanding linebacker for Mississippi State University from 1993-1996. During his time at Mississippi State he was a candidate for the Butkus award three times. He was also selected as an All-SEC linebacker three times as well as being selected to the All-SEC freshman team. He was a two-time Consensus All-American and an honorable mention All-American at linebacker one season. He is a 1997 MSU graduate with a degree in physical education and fitness management.

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JSU Hughes names LaMarcus Hicks as Safties Coach

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State head football coach Tony Hughes has selected LaMarcus Hicks to serve as his safeties coach. Hicks comes to Jackson State after a two year stint with the University of North Texas, where he served as the cornerbacks coach.

In his first-season with the Mean Green Hicks led the cornerbacks into record-breaking territory in 2014.

North Texas had seven different defensive backs with an interception in 2014, which was a school record for most DB’s in a single season with at least one pick. Five of those seven were cornerbacks coached by Hicks. Two Mean Green cornerbacks had interceptions returned for touchdowns.

Cornerback James Jones was named to the C-USA second-team in 2014 as he was the second leading tackler and led the team with nine PBUs.

Hicks, a defensive back with Iowa State who played professionally with the Detroit Lions, worked at North Texas after spending a season at Concordia University as the defensive backs coach. Hicks played for McCarney at Iowa State for two seasons and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2005 while leading the conference in interceptions. He earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week twice that season.

Hicks spent 2011 and 2012 at Truman High School in Michigan as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. In his first season at Truman in 2011, he helped the Cougars improve 15 points per game in scoring defense. In 2012, Truman went 9-2 and won their second playoff game in school history while allowing only 11.2 points per game.

Hicks began coaching in 2010 at Rhodes College as wide receivers coach. Three players at the position were selected as All-SCAC.

Prior to coaching, Hicks played professionally for the Detroit Lions at defensive back. He spent two seasons with the Lions.

Hicks, native of Clarksdale, Mississippi, received his Bachelor’s degree from ISU in 2006.

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Livingstone men also have big comeback to defeat Bulldogs

SALISBURY, North Carolina — It was a night of comebacks at New Trent Gym.

Livingstone rallied from 17 points down in the second half to pull out a CIAA men’s basketball thriller on Tuesday night, topping Bowie State, 95-94, in overtime.

Just like in the earlier women’s game, Livingstone came from behind against long odds. When Bowie’s Miles Jackson sank a 3-point shot with 9:07 left in the game, the Bulldogs led, 73-56.

But Coach James Stinson’s Blue Bears outscored Bowie down the stretch, 31-14, forcing the game into overtime. Eric Dubose’s jumper knotted the score at 87-87 with 43 seconds left.

The Blue Bear women were down 16 points in the second half, but rallied to win over Bowie State, 59-51 (see article on page 1B).

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FAMU overcomes slow start, drops Savannah State

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M’s men’s basketball team is still young, but Byron Samuels’ crew is full of promise.

The Rattlers won their fifth game of the season Tuesday night against Savannah State, overcoming a slow start and dismal 3-point shooting to defeat the Tigers 61-58 in front of a home crowd of 1,398.

Yes, the Rattlers are 5-10 and 1-1 in the MEAC, but they’ve already won nearly three times as many games as they did in the 2015-16 season. Plus, they’ve avoided losing more than three games in a row so far this season.

Not bad for a team that lost 23 in a row last year.

“We’re very, very close,” Samuels said. “But it starts with our decisions, defensively and offensively. We’ve got to continue to come to practice with a hardhat mentality. We’ve got to learn how to win ugly.

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GSU's Walker had doubts if DI win would ever come

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  — A white basketball sits on a shelf in Shawn Walker's office with fresh black, bold signatures and words of wisdom that are only a few days old.

The gift was given to Walker, who is in his second year as Grambling's basketball coach, by his players over the weekend to celebrate his first Division I victory in 36 tries. It's something he can now view daily to put things in perspective.

Grambling beat Alabama A&M this past Saturday to snap a 37-game Division I losing streak (one loss came prior to Walker's arrival in 2014) and won again Monday in overtime against Alabama State to improve to 2-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The two wins weren't just wins, especially Saturday's. They were a reminder, or better yet a symbol, of how hard Walker has worked to get his team to its current state. And they almost never happened, at least in Walker's mind as he's navigated through a complete overhaul and rebuilding process at Grambling.

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JSU's Hughes picks Germany, Hendrick as coordinators

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Tony Hughes has never coached in the SWAC before. He's hired coordinators who have, though.

Jackson State announced the hiring of Chad Germany as offensive coordinator and John Hendrick as defensive coordinator on Tuesday.

Germany, who will also be the Tigers’ quarterbacks coach, has spent the past few years at Southern, where he was co-offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator.

He called plays for the Jaguars, who had seven offensive players earn All-SWAC honors in 2015. Southern’s offense ranked fourth in the SWAC in total and scoring offense this past season.

JSU finished fifth in total offense and seventh in scoring offense.

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Gold Nuggets fall to 14th after dropping 3-of-4

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana fell five places to 14th Tuesday in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll.

The Gold Nuggets, 11-5 after a 73-65 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference home victory Monday against Edward Waters, dropped out of the top 10 after closing December with three consecutive losses. They ended the streak Saturday with a 55-46 home victory against then-No. 22 LSU-Shreveport and knocked the Pilots out of the top 25.

Despite the drop, the Gold Nuggets have their fourth-highest ranking in the first January poll in Bo Browder's 17 seasons as head coach.

GCAC member Talladega joined Xavier in the top 25. The Lady Tornadoes are No. 23 and in the top 25 for the first time since April 2, 2014. Xavier will visit Talladega Jan. 16 and play host to the Lady Tornadoes Jan. 25.

Westmont received 8-of-9 first-place votes to capture its first No. 1 ranking since March 27, 2013. Vanguard, the No. 1 team in the previous poll, dropped to 12th after losing three in a row to top-10 opponents, two at home.

Xavier's next game will start at 5:30 p.m. Monday against GCAC opponent Philander Smith at XU's Convocation Center.

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Jan. 3)
Rank Team Record Points Last

1 Westmont (8) 12-1 219 2
2 Montana State-Northern 12-1 205 3
3 Campbellsville 14-3 203 4
4 Bethel (Tenn.) 10-3 190 5
5 Carroll (Mont.) 12-1 189 6
6 Our Lady of the Lake 10-2 187 tie-10
7 Benedictine (Kan.) 12-1 181 8
8 Columbia (Mo.) (1) 14-0 173 16
9-tie Shawnee State 14-2 160 12
9-tie MidAmerica Nazarene 9-3 160 tie-10
11 Lyon 11-2 151 14
12 Vanguard 7-3 150 1
13 Freed-Hardeman 9-4 133 7
14 Xavier 10-5 118 9
15 Oklahoma City 5-4 117 13
16 The Master's 10-2 113 19
17 Langston 6-2 112 18
18 Cumberland 10-4 105 15
19 John Brown 9-5 95 17
20 Pikeville 14-0 89 23
21 Baker 10-2 73 RV
22 Rocky Mountain 10-4 62 tie-20
23 Talladega 11-3 51 RV
24 Martin Methodist 11-3 50 tie-20
25 Lindsey Wilson 13-2 46 RV

Dropped from rankings: No. 22 LSU-Shreveport, No. 24 Wayland Baptist, No. 25 Great Falls
Others receiving votes: Lewis-Clark State 40, Wiley 37, Wayland Baptist 37, Great Falls 24, Loyola 22, Central Methodist 19, Culver-Stockton 3, William Woods 3

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Gold Rush poll streak continues; XU climbs to 14th

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana extended its streak in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll and climbed three places to 14th Tuesday.
     
The Gold Rush, 13-4 after a 71-52 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference home victory Monday against Edward Waters, are in the top 25 for the 53rd consecutive time — the longest active streak in the division — and the 66th time in the last 67 polls. The poll position is the highest for the XU men since they were 13th on Oct. 28, 2014. It's their highest rank in a non-preseason poll since March 12, 2014, when they were 12th.
     
It's the first time since 2010-11 that the Gold Rush climbed in each of the first two regular-season polls. Xavier was 19th in the preseason Oct. 27 and tied for 17th Dec. 8.
     
For the second time this season, Xavier is one of three GCAC teams in the top 25. Talladega climbed from 11th to 10th, and Tougaloo is 25th in its first top-25 appearance since March 7, 2012.
     
Georgetown (Ky.) received all 10 first-place votes to earn its first No. 1 ranking since Oct. 29, 2013, and replace Pikeville at the top spot. Starting with the 2010-11 season, eighteen men's programs have been No. 1.
     
Xavier's next game will start at 7:30 p.m. Monday against GCAC opponent Philander Smith at XU's Convocation Center. Philander Smith is unranked this week but was 20th in the preseason and defeated current No. 4 Columbia (Mo.) 72-69 in December.

NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Jan. 3)
Rank Team Record Points Last

1 Georgetown (Ky.) (10) 14-0 250 2
2 Pikeville 13-1 238 1
3 Freed-Hardeman 12-2 231 3
4 Columbia (Mo.) 14-1 220 5
5 William Penn 12-1 219 6
6 LSU-Alexandria 11-2 203 8
7 Lewis-Clark State 14-1 201 7
8 Dalton State 11-2 195 9
9 Arizona Christian 13-2 194 4
10 Talladega 13-3 182 11
11 Hope International 12-2 175 10
12 Westmont 12-3 144 14
13 Texas Wesleyan 8-3 143 20
14 Xavier 12-4 141 tie-17
15 Lindsey Wilson 11-3 132 19
16 Carroll (Mont.) 9-3 119 16
17 Wayland Baptist 10-3 116 12
18 Southwestern Assemblies of God 11-3 106 15
19 MidAmerica Nazarene 9-4 105 13
20 Biola 15-1 100 RV
21 Langston 8-3 97 23
22 Central Methodist 9-4 82 NR
23 Montana State-Northern 12-2 80 24
24 Vanguard 10-2 54 21
25 Tougaloo 7-4 47 RV

Dropped from rankings: No. 17 (tie) Martin Methodist, No. 22 Wiley, No. 24 Avila
Others receiving votes: Our Lady of the Lake 42, Campbellsville 42, Martin Methodist 31, Benedictine (Kan.) 27, Park 12, Wiley 9, Mid-America Christian 6, Mobile 5, Oklahoma City 4, Montana Western 4, Avila 3

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Florida A&M Announces Changes To Football Staff

Courtesy Florida A&M Sports Information

Dennis Smith, left, and Walter Stewart have left the staff at Florida A&M

TALLAHASSEE, Florida – Florida A&M head football coach Alex Wood confirmed today the departure of two coaches from last season’s staff. Special teams and recruiting coordinator Dennis Smith and defensive line coach Walter Stewart have taken jobs at other institutions and Wood is actively seeking to fulfill the vacant positions. Alex Peffley, graduate assistant, began immediately serving in the role of recruiting coordinator as the Feb. 1 national signing day approaches.

Smith, will return closer to his home as an assistant coach with McNeese State. He will work under head coach Lance Guidry, with whom he and Wood have worked before. McNeese plays in the NCAA FCS Division as a member of the Southland Conference.

“I would like to thank Dennis for his work here as recruiting coordinator and special teams coach. His move is one that makes sense at this point in his career and I think he will do well,” Wood said.

Stewart, who is engaged, will also move closer to where he played at the University of Cincinnati. Stewart, who Wood afforded the opportunity to coach the defensive line last season, will join head coach Mark Elder as he assembles his new staff at Eastern Kentucky University.

“Walter came to us from the University of Tennessee and he took the opportunity to be a position coach here with us, as defensive line coach. We wish him well in his new chapter at EKU,” Wood said.

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Dillard remains unbeaten in conference with crucial 1-point road victory in Little Rock

COACH NORBERT ROME
HEAD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
DILLARD UNIVERSITY

Little Rock, Arkansas -- The Dillard University Lady Bleu Devils hit a total of 29 free throws and remain undefeated in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference play after a crucial road victory over Philander Smith College by the score of 80-79 at the Dr. Crawford Mims Gymnasium. The win is the first time Dillard head coach Norbert Rome has defeated the Lady Panthers during his stint as head coach.

The Lady Bleu Devils (7-8, 2-0 GCAC) were led by freshman sharpshooter Shaelynn Moore (FR/Houston, Texas) as she finished with 26 points, hitting 8-of-10 shots from the foul line. Her team trailed by one point at the half after an ill-advised foul at the buzzer on Moore which allowed PSC's Juquecia Chaney to shoot three free throws to end the half.

In the third quarter, both teams put up nearly 30 points apiece after only scoring in the teens in previous quarters. As a result, Dillard finally was able to take a 56-53 lead to end the quarter after a wild series of events that resulted in a technical foul on Philander's coach when his shooting guard Brittany Leonard was called for an offensive foul. A total of 20 fouls were called in the thrilling quarter.

The final quarter proved to be just as exciting as both teams exchanged baskets throughout the quarter. The Lady Panthers cut the deficit down to as low as one point with a basket from Leonard until Dillard's Alena Evans (SR/Las Vegas, Nev.) hit a key basket to take a 3-point lead, then Moore buried a 3-pointer after a PSC miss, giving the Lady Bleu Devils a 6-point lead with less than two minutes to play. With 0.3 seconds left to play in the game, and with a 3-point lead, Dillard's Rashida Ademosu (SR/Nashville, Tenn.) fouled PSC's Tamara Heard at the 3-point line. Heard was only able to connect on 2-of-3 shots from the charity stripe as Dillard escaped with the 1-point victory.

Point guard Shantrell Lumar (JR/Baton Rouge, La.) had a sensational game for Dillard as she finished with a season-high 22 points and hit 11-of-13 free throws in the win.

As a team Dillard nailed 29-of-36 free throws (81 percent) while Philander Smith hit 25-of-38 free throws (66 percent). The Lady Bleu Devils produced 11 steals and forced 17 turnovers in the victory.

With the loss, PSC drops to 9-6 on the season and 1-1 in conference play.

Dillard returns to action on Saturday, January 16 as they travel 3.7 miles to face Southern University at New Orleans in GCAC action. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m.

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Balanced Bleu Devils Earn Rare Road Win; Beat Philander Smith 87-80

MIKE NEWELL
HEAD MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH
DILLARD UNIVERSITY

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas -- Dillard University had six players score in double figures as the Bleu Devils went on the road and defeated Philander Smith 87-80. It was the Bleu Devils' first conference road win since they won at Tougaloo on Feb. 16, 2013, snapping a 16-game conference road losing streak.

To pull out the win Dillard had to overcome a 39-36 halftime deficit. The Bleu Devis shot a blistering 62 percent in the second half as they outscored the Panthers 51-41.

Demetric Austin scored a team-high 15 points for the Bleu Devils. Austin, Dillard's leading scorer at 19.4 points per game, has scored in double figures in 13 of 14 contests this season. Starters Dexter Porchia (14 points, five rebounds) and Dennis Reed (12 points, 8 rebounds) combined to shoot 12-19 from the floors, while Dillard's reserves combined to go 10-for-19. Jesse Ward (11 points), Dennis Hightower (11 points, eight assists), and Patrick Thompson (10 points, five rebounds) led the second unit.

The Bleu Devils took command of the game in the early going, building a 14 point lead with 8:17 to go in the first half. But Philander Smith would close the half on a 23-6 run. Rashad Brackeen was the linchpin of the surge, both with his scoring and his passing. He made consecutive baskets to cut the lead to nine before giving an assist to Daldric Sargent to make the game 23-30. Philander had reeled off 15 straight points to take a 31-30 lead before Ramon Johnson was able to make a free throw that tied the game at 31. But Ronald March would score two of his game-high 25, putting the Panthers back on top. Tyson Oliver (10 points) and Chris Ward (18 points, eight boards) scored on the Panthers' last two possessions of the half, sending them into the locker room with the lead.

Ward would put PSC up five at 43-48 before Dillard would begin to make its second half push. Austin would convert an "and-one" opportunity with 12:11 to play to bring the Bleu Devils within one at 54-53, then Dennis Hightower would score off of a turnover to give Dillard the lead just over a minute later. The game was knotted at 69 all when Dennis Reed scored to give Dillard the lead for good as they outscored the Panthers 16-11 down the stretch.

Dillard converted five out of eight free throw attempts late to ice the game.

The Bleu Devils outshot the Panthers 53 percent to 45 percent from the floor. Philander Smith struggled from long distance, making just seven of 31 attempts from beyond the arc. Dillard also held advantages in total rebounds (33-30), offensive rebounds (11-7), free throws made and attempted and bench points (38-16).

Dillard (9-5, 1-1 GCAC) returns home to host Texas College in a non-conference matchup on Jan. 14 before facing SUNO on The Battlefield at Dent Hall on Jan. 16. Philander Smith (8-9, 1-1) begins a four-game road swing at SUNO on Jan. 9.

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Gold Nuggets again are a GCAC opening success

NEW ORLEANS — Whitney Gathright and Donyeah Mayfield scored 13 points apiece Monday, and Xavier University of Louisiana shot a season-high 46.4 percent from the floor to defeat Edward Waters 73-65 in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball.

The Gold Nuggets (11-5), ranked ninth in NAIA Division I, won their GCAC opener for the seventh consecutive year and the 23rd time in 24 seasons. They're 6-0 at home this season and 13-0 all-time against the Tigers (12-4, 0-2).
     
Mayfield matched career highs with five assists and four blocked shots. Gathright had seven assists and four steals and tied SiMon Franklin for 18th place on Xavier's career point list with 1,136.
     
Freshman Kiera Robinson had 10 points and six rebounds for Xavier.
     
Jermisha Collins scored a career-high 21 points for Edward Waters. Bianca Thornton scored 14 points and made all four of the Lady Tigers' 3-pointers, and Valerie Hill and Kyeshia Dawkins scored 11 points apiece. Hill and Kadajah Allen grabbed 10 rebounds apiece, and Dawkins had eight assists and three steals.
     
Xavier outscored Edward Waters in 3-of-4 quarters, but none by more than four points. Xavier led 29-28 at halftime, and Gathright's 3-point play at 8:08 of the third quarter but the Gold Nuggets ahead to stay, 36-33.
     
Edward Waters shot 36.2 percent from the floor.
     
Xavier will play host to GCAC opponent Philander Smith at 5:30 p.m. next Monday.

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Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Gold Rush dig deep for 71-52 victory in GCAC opener

NEW ORLEANS — Morris Wright scored 26 points Monday, and the defense of NAIA No. 17 Xavier University of Louisiana excelled again in a 71-52 men's basketball victory against Edward Waters.
     
Xavier (13-4) won its Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opener and allowed fewer than 60 points for the fourth consecutive game and the eighth time this season. The Gold Rush entered No. 3 nationally in scoring defense.
     
Edward Waters (6-10, 0-2) entered leading NAIA Division I in 3-point field-goal percentage defense, but Wright made his first four attempts from behind the arc — giving him nine consecutive makes over two consecutive games — and finished 5-of-7. It was the eighth time this season that Wright reached 20 points and the 19th time in the last 20 games that he led his team in scoring.
     

Xavier's Gary Smith, with 10 points, reached double figures for a career-best third straight game.Elex Carter and Seth Jackson scored seven points apiece, and Carter and Jarvis Thibodeaux grabbed eight rebounds each.
     
Keith Williams made three 3-pointers and scored 15 points for the Tigers, who have lost eight straight to Xavier since 1996. Charles-Eddie Smith had 13 points and four steals, and Oceann Maddox had nine points and seven rebounds.
     
Xavier led 35-22 at halftime — the third consecutive game the Gold Rush held a double-digit advantage at the break — and took its largest lead, 64-43, on Thibodeaux's two free throws with 2:58 remaining.
     
Xavier outshot the Tigers 51.9 to 34 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 39-26.
     
Xavier, 11-0 at home this season, will play host to GCAC opponent Philander Smith at 7:30 p.m. next Monday.

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Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Dawson Odums “leaning toward” relinquishing Southern defensive coordinator duties

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern coach Dawson Odums said he’s “leaning toward” hiring a defensive coordinator to take those duties off his hands.

Odums has held the dual roles since being promoted to interim head coach two games into the 2012 season, and he’s considering how to revamp his staff in the wake of four departures last month.

The recent firing of defensive line coach Myron Jackson, linebackers coach Lorick Atkinson and cornerbacks coach Chris Scott gives Odums flexibility as he hires replacements. Odums also has to replace co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach/recruiting coordinator Chad Germany, who has announced his resignation, effective Jan. 14.

“I’m in no hurry,” Odums said Monday in his first public comments since The Advocate reported the departures Dec. 2. “I haven’t decided (about a defensive coordinator). It’s like riding a horse — some days he agrees with you and some days he doesn’t. I’ve leaned both ways. Right now I’m leaning toward (hiring a defensive coordinator).”

Odums said he doesn’t expect to ,,,

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