Hampton Pirates Battle Back to Defeat Bethune-Cookman

HAMPTON, Virginia  –  Despite trailing by as many as 10 in the second half, the Hampton University men's basketball team battled back to beat Bethune-Cookman 75-70 Saturday evening at the HU Convocation Center.
 
The Pirates improved to 7-7 overall and 3-0 in MEAC play.
 
Reginald Johnson, Jr. led three Pirates in double figures with 18 points, hitting seven of his 11 free throws, while also dishing out four assists and grabbing three steals. Brian Darden and Jervon Pressleyeach added 17 points; Pressley also grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
 
Pressley also set a new career high in points.
 
Darden, who also dished out four assists, hit three 3-pointers.
 
The Pirates shot 44.1 percent (26-for-59) from the floor – including a 52.0 percent clip (13-for-25) in the second half – hitting five of their 21 3-pointers (23.8 percent) and 18 of their 33 free throws (54.5 percent). Hampton also held a 42-30 edge on the glass.
 
Ricky Johnson gave Bethune a 56-46 lead with 13:09 left in the second half with a 3-pointer – one of four he hit in the second half – capping a 9-0 Wildcats run. Hampton kept chipping at the lead, cutting it to six on four separate times.
 
When Reginald Johnson hit a layup with 8:28 remaining, it cut the Wildcats' lead to 62-56 and kick-started a 7-0 Pirates run that ended when Reginald Johnson hit a pair of free throws with 7:10 remaining that cut the lead to 62-61.
 
A 6-2 Wildcats spurt gave Bethune a 68-63 lead with 4:49 remaining, but from that point on, Bethune only managed one field goal. Hampton ended the game on a 12-2 run – taking the lead back with 46 seconds remaining on a Reginald Johnson 3-point play that put the Pirates up 73-70.
 
Darden hit two free throws with four seconds left to ice the game.
 
The Pirates jumped out to a 13-2 lead to open the game, and with 13:22 left in the first half, Hampton took a 20-6 lead after a free throw from Reginald Johnson. A 14-5 Bethune run followed, cutting the Pirates' lead to 25-20 at the 7:20 mark.
 
In fact, Bethune cut the lead to 34-33 with 2:32 left in the half, and the Pirates went into the locker room for halftime with a just a 38-36 lead.
 
Darden led the Pirates with 12 points at the break.
 
Bethune opened the second half on a 20-8 run – which was what allowed the Wildcats to take that 10-point lead at the 13:09 mark.
 
Bethune-Cookman (4-12, 1-1 MEAC) shot 45.6 percent (26-for-57) from the floor and made eight of 24 3-pointers (33.3 percent). The Wildcats also went 10-for-13 (76.9 percent) from the free throw line.
 
Ricky Johnson led four Wildcats in double figures with 20 points.
 
The Pirates will play host to Florida A&M on Monday at 7 p.m. 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.

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Coleman's Double-Double leads S.C. State Women to 58-51 Win Over N.C. Central

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- Senior forward Jasmine Coleman recorded a double-double of 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to lead the SC State women's basketball team to a 58-51 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win over North Carolina Central on Saturday afternoon at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.
 
The Lady Bulldogs (6-7, 2-1 MEAC) also got double-digit scoring performances from sophomore forward Jahmia Bradley (13 points) and senior guard Amber Howard (11 points). Senior forward Toni Grier finished with nine points, nine boards and two blocks.



SC State led 12-9 after the first quarter, but NCCU (2-11, 1-2 MEAC) got back-to-back 3-pointers from Kristin Askew and Morgan Jones to take a 15-14 lead with 8:52 left in the second quarter. The Lady Bulldogs went on a 20-8 run to end the period, taking a 35-22 lead into halftime.
 
NCCU outscored the Lady Bulldogs 29-23 in the final 20 minutes, but could not overcome the 13-point deficit from the first half.
 
Askew tallied 15 points for NCCU, while Morgan had 12 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
 
The Lady Bulldogs look to continue their winning ways when they host North Carolina Central at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. The game is Military Appreciation Night. All military members with a military ID will be admitted to the game for free.

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KSU Thorobrettes claim 77-73 win over Clark Atlanta

COURTESY KSU ATHLETICS

FRANKFORT, Kentucky -- Kentucky State took control of a back-and-forth game in the fourth quarter and held on for a 77-73 win over Clark Atlanta in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball action Saturday at the Exum Center.

Shaia Horton had 21 points and connected on four 3-pointers to lead the Thorobrettes in scoring, while Logan Powell picked up a double double with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Alexis Stallard chipped in 11 points for Kentucky State, while Clark Atlanta's Mykala Jones led all players with 23 points.

The Thorobrettes were able to overcome a slow start in which they went six minutes without a field goal early on and fell behind 15-9 at the first quarter break. They trailed by as many as nine points in the second quarter, but they closed the half on a 14-5 run over the last 3:25, eventually taking a 32-31 lead to halftime after a 3-pointer by Horton.

After the game went back and forth early in the third quarter, the Thorobrettes took the lead back for good on another 3-pointer by Horton at the 7:32 mark. Still, the victory didn't come easily for Kentucky State. Clark Atlanta pulled within one at 67-66 with 4:20 left, but Powell, Jamesha Mosley, and Brooklyn Sharpey scored on three straight possessions to push the Thorobrettes' lead out to 73-66 with less than a minute to play.

Kentucky State shot 44 percent (28-of-64) from the field and 41 percent (7-of-17) from 3-point range to Clark's 36 percent (25-of-69) overall and 22 percent (2-of-9) from outside. The Thorobrettes also held a 45-35 rebounding advantage.

Kentucky State improves to 9-3 overall and 4-2 in SIAC play with the win, while Clark Atlanta falls to 5-10 overall and 3-2 in the conference. The Thorobrettes return to the court when they travel to Stillman on Thursday.

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Norfolk State Rolls Past Florida A&M, 77-56

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Norfolk State outscored Florida A&M by 17 in the second half on the way to a 77-56 men's basketball win over the Rattlers on Saturday evening at Joseph Echols Hall.
 
The Spartans broke a four-game losing streak with their second solid win of the year in conference play. NSU led by four at the break but exploded in the second half, shooting 50 percent and outscoring the Rattlers 50-33.
 
The victory improved NSU's MEAC record to 2-0 and its overall mark to 6-11. The Spartans are now just one of two teams in the league without a loss along with Hampton (3-0).
 
Senior Jeff Short led the Spartans and was one of four players in double figures with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. He added seven boards and four assists as well. NSU also got a strong showing from senior D'Shon Taylor, who tallied his second double-double of the year with 13 points and 11 rebounds while adding two assists and two steals.
 
Florida A&M (5-11, 1-2 MEAC) was led by Malcolm Bernard, who posted 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists. The Rattlers, though, shot just 17-of-56 (30.4 percent) from the floor and committed 16 turnovers.
 
NSU turned it around after a lackluster first half in which the Spartans shot just 36 percent. The Rattlers were down by as little as three early in the second half before an 8-0 run, including four points from sophomore Devonte Banner, gave the Spartans their first double-digit lead of the game.
 
The lead stretched to 13 at 45-32 after a pair of free throws by senior Charles Oliver at the 14:13 mark. A few minutes later Florida A&M cut the deficit to eight, but that marked the last time the Rattlers got to within single digits. Still, NSU never led by more than 14 as the game wore on. Then up 63-52 with five minutes left, the Spartans finally broke the game open.
 
Taylor sank a 3-pointer with three and a half minutes left to begin a 12-1 run that gave the Spartans a 22-point lead with a minute left. Sophomore Zaynah Robinson made two free throws for the final scoring as he finished with nine points on the night.
 
Short and Taylor combined for 20 points in the second half, and NSU hit 15-of-30 overall after the intermission.
 
Freshman Alex Long, meanwhile, added a career-best 11 points with five rebounds. He shot 4-of-5 from the floor as NSU hit 25-of-58 (43.1 percent) for the game.
 
The first stanza was a half of runs, first for Florida A&M when the Rattlers started the game up 8-2 after three minutes of play. Long had a pair of buckets and Oliver completed a 3-point play to finish a 13-1 run that lasted nearly three and a half minutes. That gave the Spartans a 15-9 lead, the largest of the first half.
 
The Rattlers immediately responded by scoring the game's next nine points, and Florida A&M still had the lead after Justin Ravenal drained a trey at the 5:56 mark. Down 21-19 at that point, the Spartans closed the half on an 8-2 run for a 27-23 lead at the break. Oliver led all players with seven points.
 
On the night, NSU outscored the Rattlers 30-16 in points in the paint, 21-6 in points off turnovers and 10-2 in fastbreak points.
 
NSU also held the rebounding edge 42-32 and did not allow FAMU to score a second-chance point. Along with Taylor and Short, sophomore Jordan Butler added seven rebounds with five points, three blocks and two steals.
 
Both teams made eight 3-pointers in the game. NSU also connected on 19-of-24 from the free throw line.
 
The Spartans will host Bethune-Cookman on Monday at 8 p.m. to close out the weekend.

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Kentucky State Thorobreds hold on for 74-73 win over Clark Atlanta

FRANKFORT, Kentucky -- A free throw by Dorian Jordan with 4.3 seconds to play helped lift Kentucky State to a 74-73 win over Clark Atlanta in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball action on Saturday at the Exum Center.

After the Thorobreds spent most of the game recovering from a slow start, Jordan, who tied for the team lead with 15 points and had a game-high eight assists, found himself at the free throw line with the game tied at 73 and 4.3 seconds left. After making the first free throw, he missed the second, and the Panthers got out on a fast break. Time expired as a Clark player was in the air on what would have been a game winning dunk, allowing Kentucky State to hold on for the win.

Malcolm Smith also finished with 15 points to tie Jordan for the team lead, while Tryston Ford added 11. Clark Atlanta's Derek Harper and Damien Enoch each had 16 points to lead all scorers.

Jordan scored the first basket of the game, but it would be the only lead they would hold in the first half. The game was close throughout, with neither team reaching a double digit lead, but Clark Atlanta closed the first half on an 11-4 run, taking a 43-34 lead to the break after a Harper 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Thorobreds spent much of the second half trying to battle back from that deficit, eventually taking back the lead at 64-63 after a pair of Jordan free throws at the 6:24 mark. The game would be closely contested the rest of the way with four lead changes, three ties, and neither team holding a lead of more than three points down the stretch.

Clark took its last lead when a Lawrance Freeman jumper made the score 73-71 at the 2:30 mark, but Smith was able to make a pair of free throws to tie the game on the next possession. Each team came up empty on its next two possessions, but Jordan was fouled on a drive to the basket with time running out, giving him the opportunity to win the game from the free throw line.

Clark Atlanta shot 51 percent (30-of-59) for the game to Kentucky State's 41 percent (29-of-70). The Thorobreds held a 39-35 rebounding advantage and turned the ball over 13 times to the Panthers' 18.

With its fourth straight win, Kentucky State moves to 7-4 overall and 6-1 in SIAC competition, while Clark Atlanta drops to 3-11 overall and 1-4 in the conference. The Thorobreds are back in action when they travel to Stillman on Thursday.

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Lady Tigers remain unbeaten in SWAC play

COURTESY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

HOUSTON, Texas -- The Texas Southern Lady Tigers remained unbeaten in the SWAC (3-0), as they defeated their rivals from Prairie View A&M University 72-65.

The win pushed the Lady Tigers current winning streak to six games. Senior center Keiana Vines had a dominant performance. She scored a career high 29 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.

Vines controlled the paint the entire night, shooting 13-of-19 from the field as she led her team to victory Saturday night at the HPE Arena.

Vines was aided by Brianna Sidney's 16 point, 4 assist, and 2 steal effort, along with Toni Cheadle's 10 points and game high 9 rebounds.

TSU jumped out to an early 10-4 lead midway through the first period on a basket by Vines. Joyce Kennerson's jumper with two seconds to play in the first session gave the Lady Tigers the early advantage, 19-11 at the end of one.

Prairie View would rally in the second period. The Lady Panthers Jeronia Allen cut the lead to one, 26-25 on a jumper with 5:15 to play in the first half. Texas Southern re-gained the momentum on a Vines layup with 1:41 to play in the half, giving the Lady Tigers their biggest lead of the night, 38-25.

A 7-0 Prairie View A&M run to end the half; cut the lead to 38-25 at the break.

The second half was evenly matched, as TSU and Prairie View A&M traded baskets. The game was put out of reach on a free throw by freshman guard Joyce Kennerson, which gave the Lady Tigers a 72-65 lead with 35 seconds to play.

Texas Southern shot 48 percent from the field and held a 36-29 advantage on the boards. TSU will take their winning streak on the road as they face the Jackson State Tigers Saturday, January 16, in Jackson, Mississippi.

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Balanced Southern women roll past Grambling

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern women’s coach Sandy Pugh has been playing as many as 15 players in search of a dependable rotation.

She seems to be finding some answers.

On Saturday, the Jaguars won their second consecutive game as everybody played and contributed in an 80-68 victory against Grambling in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Of the 15 players, 12 scored and nine played at least 10 minutes. Britney Washington scored a team-high 13 points, Skylar O’Bear and Briana Green had 10 each, Tashi-ana Thompson scored nine, and Cortnei Purnell and Miaya Crowder had eight each. Green had nine rebounds and Washington and Purnell had seven each.

The Southern bench outscored the Grambling bench 40-25 and outrebounded it 23-7.

“I was happy with everyone going in and contributing,” Pugh said. “But I wasn’t happy with the overall effort.”

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Christopher Hyder leads the way as Southern holds off Grambling

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern saw its 17-point lead early in the second half against Grambling shrink and shrink and shrink.

But point guard Christopher Hyder made sure the lead never disappeared, leading the Jaguars to a 66-61 victory Saturday night in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Hyder twice stopped Tigers runs with jumpers, assisted on three crucial late baskets and helped secure the victory by making all four of his free-throw attempts in the final 30 seconds. In all he scored or assisted on 17 of Southern’s final 24 points.

“After four years, I just have a feel for it,” Hyder said. “Most teams play off of me because in the first half I usually look for assists and have zero points. But when they back off of me and give me the jumper I have confidence I can knock my shot down.”

Hyder had four assists and no points at halftime after missing his only two shots. He made all three of his shots in the second half and finished with 10 points, seven assists, three rebounds and two steals. He played all 40 minutes and didn’t turn the ball over.

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HU Lady Pirates Beat B-CU Wildcats, Stay Unbeaten in MEAC

HAMPTON, Virginia -- tellar nights from junior guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas and sophomore forward Kaylah Lupoe helped the Hampton University women's basketball team stay unbeaten in conference play with a 60-45 win over Bethune-Cookman Saturday at the HU Convocation Center.
 
The Lady Pirates improved to 4-11 overall and 2-0 in MEAC play.
 
Lupoe had a team-high 16 points on 8-for-12 shooting, while also grabbing a team-best 12 rebounds. She also had three blocks and three steals. Tate-DeFreitas became the first Hampton player since 2003 to record a triple-double, netting 13 points to go along with 11 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists.
 
The last Hampton triple double came when Lynetta Sullivan had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 steals against Coppin State on Jan. 13, 2003.
 
Junior guard Georgianna Gilbeaux tied her career high with eight points.
 
The Lady Pirates shot 43.1 percent (22-for-51) from the floor, hitting three of their 16 3-pointers (18.8 percent). Hampton also hit 13 of 20 free throws (65.0 percent) and dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Wildcats 43-29.
 
Senior guard Ryan Jordan hit the first basket of the game, a 3-pointer at the 7:41 mark of the first quarter, before Bethune scored the next eight points. Hampton ended the quarter on a 6-2 run, closing the gap to 10-9 after 10 minutes of play.
 
Overall, the run ballooned to 10-2, giving the Lady Pirates a 13-10 lead at the 8:47 mark of the second quarter after a jumper from Tate-DeFreitas. Kendra Cooper hit a jumper 25 seconds later to make it a one-point game, but a Tate-DeFreitas trey started another Hampton run.
 
That run ultimately wound up being 21-4, which gave the Lady Pirates a 34-16 lead after a jumper from Gilbeaux with 21 seconds left in the half.
 
Hampton took that lead into the break. Lupoe had 10 points at the half.
 
The Lady Pirates shot 50.0 percent (14-for-28) from the floor in the first half, while holding the Wildcats to 22.7 percent shooting (5-for-22) in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Lupoe hit a layup with 7:48 left in the third quarter to give Hampton its largest lead of the game at 38-16. But the Wildcats scored the next seven points to cut the lead to 38-23 after a jumper from Alea Godfrey, and Godfrey added another jumper at the 1:37 mark to cut the lead to 41-27.
 
Hampton led 43-28 after three quarters, but Bethune opened the final frame with an 8-2 run, cutting the lead to 45-36 after a Kailyn Williams free throw at the 6:45 mark. A Cooper jumper with 4:31 to play cut the lead to 49-41.
 
But the Wildcats went cold from there, and the Lady Pirates responded by going on an 11-2 run – taking a 60-43 lead with 48 seconds remaining after a layup from junior guard Chanel Green.
 
Over that stretch, Bethune went 1-for-6 from the floor and had three turnovers.
 
The Wildcats (7-8, 1-1 MEAC) shot just 32.1 percent (17-for-53) from the floor and made three of 15 3-pointers (20.0 percent). Bethune only made eight of 16 free throws.
 
Cooper led three Wildcats in double figures with 13 points.
 
The Lady Pirates will play host to Florida A&M on Monday at 5 p.m. 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.

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Sharp-Shooting FAMU Women Top NSU 83-67

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Kenya Dixon scored 22 points off the Florida A&M bench and hit six of her team's nine 3-pointers as the Lady Rattlers topped Norfolk State 83-67 on Saturday afternoon at Echols Hall.

FAMU (8-8, 2-1 MEAC) shot 50 percent from the floor while holding NSU (0-13, 0-3) to a 38-percent effort. Kayla Roberts led the Spartans with 15 points and 10 rebounds, Siobhan Beslow also had a double-double of 14 points and 11 boards, and Kiara Phillips chipped in with 14 points.

The Lady Rattlers never trailed. They hit five field goals in the first quarter, all from behind the arc. Dixon hit a pair as did Olivia Antilla to stake FAMU to the early lead.

The Lady Rattlers started to pull away in the second quarter, outscoring NSU 24-12. FAMU scored the final eight points of the quarter, capped by a layup by Alicia McCray, to carry a 41-24 lead into the half.

Antilla scored the first basket of the second half to stretch the FAMU lead to 19 at 43-24. But the Spartans mounted a spirited rally thereafter, using a 13-0 run to climb back into the game. NSU, which did not hit a 3-pointer in the first half, got consecutive 3-pointers by Phillips, Yazmen Hannah and Roberts to start the spurt. Hannah and Phillips each added a pair of free throws, the latter two cutting the Spartans' deficit to 43-37 with 7:34 left in the third period.

But Victoria Nguyen scored six of the next eight FAMU points, and a triple by Dixon pushed the Lady Rattlers' lead back to 12. The Spartans couldn't get closer than 10 in the final quarter.

Saturday marked the second time this year that both Roberts and Beslow tallied a double-double in the same game. It was Beslow's sixth double-double of the year and Roberts' fourth. Roberts added four steals and Beslow and guard Dominique Harper had three assists apiece.

Khadejra Young contributed 19 points, Antilla had 15 and McCray 10 for FAMU.

The Spartans are back in action Monday as they host Bethune-Cookman at 6 p.m.

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Matt Michalec, Asst. AD/Communications
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S.C. State Bulldogs Slam Home Victory Over NCCU Eagles

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina --  Four Bulldogs scored double-figures as South Carolina cruised to an, 91-75, victory over NC Central Saturday (Jan.9) at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.

 Sophomore guard Ed Stephens led the Bulldogs with a team-high 23 points, five assist, and three steals. Orangeburg native sophomore forward Tashombe Riley was the surprise of the night with 20 points, while teammate senior guard/forward Gabriel McCray chipped 15 points and five rebounds.

 The Bulldogs (7-10, 2-1 MEAC) hot-shooting afternoon out-gunned the Eagles (6-11, 1-2 MEAC) squad shooting 63.3 percent from the floor (31-49) and hitting 12-of-22 three-pointers in the victory.



Stephens nailed two of his five 3-pointers in the first-half to give the Bulldogs a 41-31 advantage at halftime.

 SC State continued the strong three-point shooting into the second-half as Stephens and Riley dominated combining for 21 of the Bulldogs 50 after the break. Dante Holmes had a strong second-half with eight of his 10 points, and Jeremiah Ingram put in 12 points for NCCU.

 SC State led by as many as 20 in the second-half, but NCCU cut the deficit to as low as nine with help from Cole as he poured in 12 points of his game-high and career-high 24 after the midway point. 

Junior guard Eric Eaves finished with 13. The win for SC State marked its first victory against NCCU in 10 meetings, and the first time in the Division I era for NC Central.
 
The Bulldogs return to action on Monday (Jan.11) when they host North Carolina A&T in another MEAC doubleheader beginning at 5:30 p.m.

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

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BSU Lady Bulldogs Basketball Punishes Saint Augustine's 66-49

BOWIE, Maryland – The Bowie State Lady Bulldogs basketball team defeated St. Augustine rather easily on Thursday evening, punishing the Lady Falcons 66-49.

No player on either team shined brighter than Bowie State sophomore Kyah Proctor (Capitol Heights, Md.), who finished with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-20 from the field and 4-of-8 behind the 3-point line.

It was a game where its outcome could have easily been predicted from the first quarter as the Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a 12 point lead by the end of the period. Proctor set the tone early with a trio of 3-pointers. Sophomore Kiara Colston (Burtonsville, Md.) pumped in 15 points and junior forward Ashley Jennings (Newark, N.J.) notched her fifth double-double of the season, recording 12 points and 13 rebounds. The 13 rebounds marks the third time Jennings has grabbed 13 boards this season.

Even when the Lady Falcons tried to fight back, the Lady Bulldogs had a rebuttal for nearly every offensive possession. Lady Bulldog sophomore Jasmine Orsted (Dickson, Tenn.) played tenacious defense and contributed seven rebounds, four points and helped Bowie State force many of Saint Augustine's 18 turnovers.

The Saint Augustine's duo of Shanika Harris (Richmond, Va.) and Shakeisha Washington (Atlanta, Ga.) paced the Lady Falcons with 13 points apiece. Ke-Ashe Lee (Roanoke, Va.) rounded out Saint Augustine's double figure scorers with 10 points in the loss. Leading the Lady Falcons on the glass was Sycora Dorsey (Richmond, Va.) and Ashanti Reid (Statesville, N.C.) with seven rebounds apiece.

In terms of team statistics, Saint Augustine's shot 36 percent from the field (18-of-50) and a horrific 9-of-21 (42.9 percent) at the free throw line. Bowie State's field goal was only slightly better as the Lady Bulldogs hit 38.5 percent from the field on 25-of-65 shooting and made 10-of-15 free throws. Bowie State also held advantages in rebounds (43-37), points in the paint (26-16) and second chance points (24-7).

The Lady Bulldogs improve to 2-1 within the CIAA division and a 9-4 record overall while the Lady Falcons fall to 0-3 with the CIAA and 3-10 overall.

The Lady Bulldogs return to the hardwood on (Saturday) January 9th, hosting the Shaw University Lady Bears at 2 p.m.

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Moore leads Virginia State past WSSU

ETTRICK, Virginia — It was good for the Trojans to be home.

Virginia State, playing its first home game since Nov. 25, defeated Winston-Salem State 84-75 on Thursday at Daniel Gym.

Elijah Moore scored a game-high 21 points, Waymond Wright added 17, and the Trojans, playing their first game in 2016, moved to 4-0 in CIAA play.

“I knew it would be a tough game. They’re talented. They’ve got a really good team,” said Virginia State coach Lonnie Blow. “I knew it would be tough.”

Terrell Leach led the Rams with 18 points. Carlos Rankins chipped in 15.

The Trojans hit a trio of 3-pointers, two from Melvin Gregory, before the Rams got on the scoreboard in the first half.

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Kentucky State Holds On to Beat Morehouse; Moves to 5-1 in SIAC

FRANKFORT, Kentucky -- It has been a great start to 2016 for Kentucky State University’s men’s basketball team.

The Thorobreds began January with two road wins against Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponents and followed with a 91-87 victory over SIAC foe Morehouse College Thursday.

“We wanted to start off the new year right,” KSU head coach Darnell Williams said. “Coming back after break, to go on the road and get two wins was big. The best thing about being on the road was that it was just us. So there was a lot of team bonding and a lot of talks. Everybody is just buying in now.”

The Thorobreds stayed aggressive on both sides of the ball throughout the game and improved to 6-4 overall and 5-1 in SIAC play.

“Like I tell them, I don’t care if a team plays a zone or plays a man, we are always in attack mode,” Williams said. “Unless the clock is on our side with under three minutes to go and we want to run some clock that’s different. But we’re always in attack mode. We always want to be in attack mode defensively and offensively.”

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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.

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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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