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NEW ORLEANS — Mikayla Bates, Whitney Gathright and Alesha Smith scored 10 points apiece Monday, and NAIA No. 13 Xavier University of Louisiana rolled to an 80-41 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against Tougaloo.
The Gold Nuggets (14-6, 3-1), 8-0 at home this season, won for the fifth time in six games overall.
Bates, a freshman, matched her career highs in points, and had career highs of eight rebounds and five assists. Gathright had five assists, and Smith scored in double figures for the second straight game.
Xavier outscored the Lady Bulldogs (0-11, 0-4) 10-0 in the first two minutes and led 51-19 at halftime. The final margin was the Gold Nuggets' largest of the game.
Donyeah Mayfield and Trana Hopkins scored nine points apiece for Xavier. Mayfield grabbed nine rebounds, and Hopkins had four steals to match her career high.
Montoria Atkinson scored nine points and Ahsia Clayton eight for Tougaloo.
Xavier outshot the Lady Bulldogs 42 to 28.6 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 49-32. The rebound margin was the Gold Nuggets' best of the season, as were their 21 steals.
Xavier will travel to Little Rock, Ark., to play GCAC opponent Philander Smith at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Gold Nuggets' next home game will start at 5:30 p.m. against GCAC leader Talladega, ranked 21st nationally.
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana produced a season-high six double-figure scorers Monday in an 83-75 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against Tougaloo.
Thibodeaux grabbed 14 rebounds in his first double-double of the season.
Xavier scored the first 15 points and led 35-26 at halftime. The Bulldogs (8-7, 1-3), cut the Gold Rush lead to 76-73 in the final minute, but Xavier clinched with 5-of-6 free throws in the final 48 seconds.
Quintarius Porter had 28 points — he made six 3-pointers — 10 rebounds and four steals for Tougaloo. De'Andre Scott scored 16, and Andravious Smith had 15 points and seven steals.
Xavier outshot Tougaloo 58.3 to 31 percent from the floor and won for the 13th time in 14 home games this season. The Gold Rush outrebounded the Bulldogs 47-24. Carter grabbed eight rebounds for Xavier and blocked four shots.
Xavier's next game will start at 4 p.m. Saturday in Little Rock, Ark., against GCAC opponent Philander Smith. The next Gold Rush home game will start at 7:30 p.m. Monday against eighth-ranked Talladega.
RICHMOND, Virginia -- Ray Anderson poured in 32 points and Virginia Union defeated Virginia State 70-68 at the Richmond Coliseum in the Freedom Classic on Sunday.
Virginia Union erased a three-point halftime deficit with a 9-0 run to start the second half. Anderson, the CIAA's leading scorer, scored eight of those points.
It was the first victory over Virginia State for first-year Union head coach Jay Butler.
It's the first time the Panthers have won three consecutive games this season. It's their first victory over their in-state rivals in the past five meetings.
Kevin Williams led the Trojans with 20 points. Elijah Moore added 19. It was the first CIAA loss of the season for Virginia State, who had won three straight entering Sunday.
The win evened VUU's record to 9-9 overall and 2-4 in the CIAA. Virginia State fell to 11-4 overall and 6-1 in the CIAA.
Virginia Union will face Bowie State University at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 20, in Barco-Stevens Hall in Richmond, Va.
JACKSON, Mississippi -- It took a little while, but Jackson State displayed it could hang with defending SWAC champion Texas Southern on Saturday.
While JSU did put together a strong rally at the end of its 71-65 loss to TSU, a moral victory won't make up for the ground they lost in the conference standings.
Wayne Brent described the Texas Southern matchup as a "make-or-break" game for the Tigers, now they'll have to move past the disappointment of the loss and focus on their upcoming contest with Prairie View A&M (1-15, 1-3) at 7:30 p.m. on Monday night at the Lee E. Williams AAC.
Eight days ago, JSU sat at 3-0 in conference play. After back-to-back losses to Southern and Texas Southern, the Tigers are looking to stop their losing skid.
"Just (need to avoid) the droughts," JSU guard Raeford Worsham said. "We need to stay together, believe in each other and exit out the scoring droughts we have, the mishaps on defense. That's it."
GREENWOOD, Mississippi — The Southern women’s and men’s teams are both among the hottest basketball teams in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The women won their fourth consecutive game when they started a two-game road trip with a 78-61 victory at Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday. A short time later, the men followed them on to the court at the H.O. Clemmons Arena and won their third consecutive game 67-57.
Both Jaguars teams will seek a repeat performance when they play Mississippi Valley State on Monday at the Leflore County Civic Center.
The Southern women (4-1 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and 7-7 overall) and their Delta Devils counterparts (1-3, 3-11) meet at 5:30 p.m.
The women took control in the second quarter against UAPB and never relinquished the lead, though it wasn’t a blemish-free performance.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The Tennessee State women’s basketball team extended its winning streak to four with a 69-58 win over Murray State on Saturday night in the Gentry Center.
For the second time this week, the Lady Tigers had to recover from a weak third quarter to push past the Racers. After leading by 14 at the half, the Lady Tigers fell victim to fouls and turnovers, allowing a 22-14 run by Murray State. A strong defense and late run would prove key in the Lady Tiger’s fourth conference win of the season.
The Lady Tigers (9-9, 4-1 OVC) had three players score in double-digits. Junior Jayda Johnson led the team with a career-high 28 points on the night. Fellow junior I’mani Davis finished with a double-double, scoring 12 and notching a career-high 17 rebound while senior Brianna Lawrence finished the contest with 18 points.
Murray State (6-10, 2-3 OVC) had two players score in double-digits and was led by Jashae Lee, who notched 15 points on the night.
TSU opened the game with 15 unanswered points, keeping the Racers scoreless until a layup at the 4:26 mark put Murray State on the board. The Racers ate away at their 13-point deficit with a 9-4 run in the final minutes of the first, but would continue to trail the Lady Tigers 19-11 going into the second.
A Murray State foul took Davis to the line in the opening minutes of the second, allowing The Lady Tigers to tack on two more and extend their lead, 21-11. The teams went back and forth for the next five minutes, with Murray outscoring TSU 10-9 before the media timeout. With 4:43 left on the clock, the Lady Tigers would use a 9-4 run, highlighted by five points from Johnson, to go into the second half with a 14-point lead (39-25) over the Racers.
Multiple Tennessee State fouls and turnovers in the third would allow the Racers to outscore the Lady Tigers 22-14, cutting their double-digit deficit to six (53-47) heading into the final quarter of the game.
Looking to make a comeback, Murray State continued to close the gap in the score with a 5-4 run to pull within three (57-54) with 6:19 left in the game. TSU’s defense would hold off Murray State for the next four minutes of the quarter while tacking on four before forcing the Racers into their first timeout of the period at the 2:28 mark. Three Racer fouls in the remaining minutes of the game made way for an 8-4 run, pushing the Lady Tigers past the Racers with a 69-58 final score.
The Lady Tigers are back in action on Thursday as they begin their four-game road stretch against Tennessee Tech at 6:00 p.m in Cookeville, Tenn.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Tahjere McCall (Philadelphia, Pa.) hit a layup with 2.5 seconds left to lift the Tennessee State men’s basketball team to a 73-71 home victory over Murray State on Saturday night at the Gentry Center to keep the Tigers undefeated in Ohio Valley Conference play at 5-0. The win was the first for TSU over the Racers since Feb. 9, 2012.
The Tigers improved to 14-4 on the season, matching the start of the 1994-95 team that won the OVC regular season championship, while the Racers slip to 8-10 overall and 2-3 in the OVC. TSU’s last home win over Murray State came on Feb. 14, 2008. The victory also extends TSU winning streak to five games.
“A win like tonight, that kind of solidifies you in terms of your program getting better,” second-year TSU Head Coach Dana Ford said. “We haven’t beaten Murray State in a few years.”
McCall led the home side with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists on the night. Three other TSU players finished in double figures in Keron DeShields (Baltimore, Md.) with 15, 12 from Wayne Martin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and 10 from Darreon Reddick (Belleville, Ill.).
For the Racers, Bryce Jones finished 10-for-10 from the free throw line and led his team with 18 points.
A back-and-forth contest in the early going saw the Tigers take a 19-14 advantage midway through the half on a jumper from Marcus Roper (Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.).
After the Racers took a 21-20 lead with 7:50 left in the first half, TSU responded with a 9-0 run to regain the advantage at 29-21. During the run, which was highlighted by a Martin layup off a McCall no-look pass, TSU held the Racers scoreless for more than three minutes.
The visitors ended the half by scoring the final three points to close the gap to 37-34 through 20 minutes.
The Racers had the better of the play to kick off the second half, leveling the score at 42-42 1:38 into the half. Bouncing right back, the Tigers answered with an 11-2 run for a nine-point edge at 53-44. On the run, Martin finished a layup, blocked a shot on Murray State’s next possession and hit another layup next time down the floor.
Murray State tied the score at 55-55 with 9:16 to play and took the lead at 58-55 on Justin Seymour’s corner three on the next possession.
The game remained close, and TSU tied it back up at 67-67 on Martin’s free throws with 3:24 left.
Down the stretch, the Tigers gained a four-point edge at 71-67 on two McCall free throws with 1:14 to play before Jeffrey Moss’ layup with just over a minute left put the margin back down to two.
A pair of Jones free throws for MSU leveled the score at 71-71 with 22.1 seconds left setting up McCall’s late-game heroics.
TSU held a noticeable advantage inside, scoring 36 points in the paint to Murray State’s 16. The Tigers also finished with a 35-27 rebounding edge.
Next up, TSU heads to Belmont to face the Bruins on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 5 p.m. at the Curb Event Center.
GAME NOTES: TSU improves to 17-51 in the all-time series versus Murray State… TSU led at the half for the sixth game in a row… For the second time during the OVC schedule, the Tigers finished with four players with double figures… TSU also accomplished the feat at Southeast Missouri on Jan. 2, 2016…TSU moves to 7-1 at home this season… The Tigers have now won five in a row.
Tennessee State Head Coach Dana Ford
“They’re good. They’ve got some really good players and they strike you off the bounce and they’re athletic and they’re strong, they can handle the ball… When you get in that bonus early your guys, they play a little more timid and they had made some shot so they loosened our defense, they loosened our gaps up when we had to be closer to our man then to the ball. They took advantage of it. They’re well coached, great preparation and we just had to weather the storm at the line to be honest.”
•On Facing Murray State
Tennessee State Guard Tahjere McCall
“I wish I could tell you what was going through my mind. I knew it was going to come down to one shot. Coach said ‘make sure you take the last shot.’ So that’s what I was waiting for. Going to the rack, (the defender) actually played really good D. I was taller so I was able to get over him on the last shot, and I watched it go up. It felt good, and I was just waiting for it to go in. The feeling was amazing.”
•On the game-winning shot
Tennessee State Guard Darreon Reddick
“We’re a family, and we’re always together. We came together in the huddle and Coach (Dana) Ford said it’s now or never. We just came together for the last four minutes and got it done.”
•On staying together down the stretch.
SALISBURY, North Carolina -- Kaula Jacks (Chesapeake Beach, MD) of the Shaw University women's basketball scored a season-high 24 points to lead the Lady Bears to a 75-72 victory over Livingstone College on Saturday afternoon inside New Trent Gymnasium.
The win boasts Shaw to 13-5 overall, 5-1 in CIAA action and 1-0 in the Southern Division. The Lady Blue Bears drop to 8-7 overall, 3-3 in the league and 0-1 in the division.
For the contest, Shaw outscored LC 40-36 in the paint, 10-6 in fast breaks, 26-13 in bench points and scored 26 points off of the Lady Blues 23 turnovers.
Shaw opened up the first quarter with a 4-0 run before the Lady Blue Bears got on the scoreboard at the 9:04 mark. Things got going for LC as they would go on a 14-8 run to lead 20-13 at the end of the quarter.
The Lady Bears cut at the Lady Blue Bears lead with 4:24 left in the second quarter after a layup from Laquisha Taylor (Charlotte, NC). Shaw got within three points (28-25) on a good bucket from Mercer but LC quickly went up by eight points off a 7-2 run.
With 1:07 left in the first half, Jacks hit a jumper to spark a 6-0 run for the Lady Bears as they went into the locker room trailing by one-point (35-34).
Shaw trailed by as many as 11-points with 2:44 left in the third quarter but they were able to close the gap and get within four points (56-52) going into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Bears took their first lead since the first quarter at the 5:35 mark after a layup from Taylor but that would be short lived as LC's Zena Lovette was fouled on a 3-point play – giving the Lady Blue Bears the lead again.
Down the stretch, both teams exchanged baskets over the next two minutes but the deciding factor came the 1:14 mark when Wright hit a layup to tie the game for the fifth time in the quarter. LC failed to score on the next possession as Ross went to the line to sink one-of-two free throws to give SU a 70-69 lead.
A crucial turnover from the Lady Blue Bears resulted in a layup for Tyson. From there, Shaw held a 5-3 scoring advantage in the final seconds to seal the deal.
Livingstone had four players score in double-figures including, Lovette with 16 points, Brittany Taylor with 13 points, while Wende Foster and Toxiana Wilson finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Shaw will return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 20th when they host Winston-Salem State University in a CIAA Southern Divisional matchup. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on Shaw women's basketball and its 11 varsity sport teams, visit shawbears.com.
Jesse Ward finished with a career-high 18 points in the win over SUNO. Courtesy: J. Williams
NEW ORLEANS -- Dillard enjoyed a 12-point halftime lead en route to a 70 to 60 victory over the Southern University at New Orleans Knights at the Battlefield in Dent Hall. The win marked the tenth victory of the season and second straight Gulf Coast Athletic Conference win for the Bleu Devils.
Dillard's Jesse Ward (SO/Maringouin, La.) finished with a game-high 18 points, nailing all eight of his free throws and hitting 2-of-4 from behind the arc. Ward also pulled down five boards and had two steals in 31 minutes of action and has been flourishing for the Bleu Devils as of late.
Dillard (10-6, 2-1 GCAC) controlled the game by dominating the glass with a total of 44 rebounds to just 28 for SUNO, and the Bleu Devils had as many offensive rebounds (19) as SUNO had defensively (19).
SUNO struggled from the line and only made a total of five free throws all night while Dillard scored 25 points from the charity stripe.
Last season's GCAC Freshman of the Year Patrick Thompson (SO/Geismar, La.) posted his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 boards and Kristian Clark (JR/Ocean Springs, Miss.) chipped in with 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals for Dillard.
The Knights (5-8, 0-2) were led by Dominique Suggs who finished with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting while former Bleu Devil Junaid Olusesi finished with 10 points, hitting 5-of-6 shots from the field.
Dillard continues GCAC action on Saturday, January 23 as they host the nation's eighth-ranked team in Talladega College. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m.
Ladonna Richards Breaks Women's 60m Hurdles Record at University of Missouri Invitational ...Twice!!
COLUMBIA, Missouri -- Ladonna Richards shattered a pair of records (60m hurdles), highlighting the Lincoln women's track & field team's day at the Missouri Invitational on Friday (Jan. 15).
The meet was hosted by the University of Missouri at the Hearnes Center, and Richards broke the facility record not once, but twice. Richards initially won the preliminaries of the event with a time of 8.43, which was good enough to break the building record of 8.53, set in 2004. During the finals, Richards broke her own mark with a time of 8.25, the best in the country and an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division II National Championships. The 8.25 mark is also a new meet record.
Yanique Ellington was also a winner on Friday, taking the crown in the 200m with a time of 25.34. Kimona Shaw also competed in that event, taking fourth after timing in at 26.31. Shaw later ran in the 400m, finishing 10th in 1:00.78.
Diana Cauldwell had a pair of top-three finishes for Lincoln, placing second in the triple jump (12.11m) and third in the finals of the 60m dash (7.78). Tina Coombs finished fourth in both the triple jump (10.94m) and the long jump (5.46m) while Lexanna Morgan placed fifth in the latter event (5.39m).
The Blue Tigers also had a top-five finish in the 4x400m relay, as the foursome of Shaw, Cauldwell, Ebony Rose and Shanice Clarke took third in 4:04.62. Clarke rounded out Lincoln's performance by competing in the 800m, placing third with a time of 2:27.23.
Lincoln will be back on the track next weekend, as the Blue Tigers travel to Joplin, Mo. to compete in the MSSU Open Invitational, which will be hosted by Missouri Southern State University on Jan. 22-23.
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pennsylvania -- The Bowie State University men's basketball had its two-game win streak snapped on Saturday afternoon as the Bulldogs dropped a huge 72-70 CIAA divisional decision to the Lions of Lincoln University of Pennsylvania.
The setback sets the Bulldogs record at 11-7 overall, 4-3 in the CIAA and 0-1 in the Northern Division. As for the Lions, they improve to 6-11 overall, 4-3 in the league and 1-0 in the division.
"Three words best describes today's game … They played tougher" said a very disappointed Bowie State head coach Darrell Brooks.
Senior Justin Beck (Ellicott City, Md.) led Bowie State's scorers with 16 points to go along with nine rebounds, four assists and blocked three shots. Senior Andre Jackson (Baltimore, Md.) and junior Enuoma Ebinum (Greenbelt, Md.) chipped in 15 and 10 points respectively for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs were outrebounded 51-44, outscored 18-16 in the paint, while the Lions bench outscored Bowie State 43-16.
Bowie State opened the game with 6-0 advantage before a Joshua Davis layup ended a Lincoln 0-11 drought over the five minutes. Bowie State led by seven twice in the first half before the Lions shot their way back to tie the game at 19-all at the 3:36 mark of the first half.
The Lions defense held Bowie State to just one field goal over the final five plus minutes of the opening half of play and took a 27-23 lead into halftime.
Field goal shooting was simply awful in the first 20 minutes for both teams. Lincoln (Pa.) made 9-of-37 from the field (24.3 percent) compared to 22.6 percent for Bowie State on 7-of-31 shooting from the field.
The Bulldogs erased their halftime deficit and a 3-pointer by junior Julian Livingston (Bowie, Md.) shifted the advantage over to Bowie State at 32-31 at the 16:52 mark of the second half.
The lead would change hands five more times before Lincoln's Sean James drilled a triple with 4:53 left in the game that gave the Lions a 58-56 lead they would not relinquish the rest of the afternoon. From there, Lincoln (Pa.) went on a 10-2 run to seal the win.
Lincoln's Davis recorded a double-double of 19 points and 19 rebounds while Quaman Burton and James scored 15 and 12 points respectively. Vernon Young just missed a double-double, hauling down a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with eight points.
The Bulldogs shot a season-low 31.3 percent from the field (21-of-67), which included 10-of-29 beyond the 3-point line (34.5 percent) and made only 18-of-28 (64.3 percent) at the charity stripe.
Bowie State will look to rebound on Wednesday (1/20) night with they travel to Richmond to face the Panthers of Virginia Union University at 7:30 p.m. in VUU's Barco-Stevens Hall.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The University of the District of Columbia women's basketball team dominated the 2nd and 3rd quarters of action en-route to a 69-46 victory vs. Mercy College in East Coast Conference play Saturday afternoon in our nation's capital.
The Firebirds (13-3, 8-0 ECC), who have now won 11 straight games, out-scored Mercy 16-4 in the 2nd quarter and 25-17 in the 3rd quarter, as they went on to win by their 2nd largest margin of the season, 23. Mercy has now lost three of its last four, as the Mavericks fell to 4-11 overall and 1-7 in league play.
Seniors Tiara Goode and Tajruba Baldwin-Kollore paced the Firebirds with 21 points apiece while combining for nine rebounds and eight steals, defensively. Senior forward Iman Scott pitched in with 12 points, while junior transfer Brandi Henton added five off the bench.
Mercy was led by two double-figure scorers in Deasia Goodson (14 pts, nine rebounds, two blocked shots) and Latisha Clark (11 points, six rebounds, two assists).
UDC forced Mercy into 29 turnovers and scored 32 points off of those turnovers. The Firebirds combined for 16 steals as a team.
Next up, UDC will host LIU Post on Wednesday, January 20th at 5 p.m.
TEANECK, N.J. - Teaneck High School held a ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, to name the basketball court in honor of coaching legend Curtis March, a Saint Augustine's University alumnus.
March spent nearly 40 years teaching history at Teaneck High School, where he also was the boys and girls basketball coach. He was named head girls coach in 1980 and guided the team for 11 years. He then took over as head boys coach in 1991 and directed the squad for 17 years.
His girls and boys teams combined to win 594 games and captured 34 league, county and state championships including two Group 4 state boys' titles in 1999 and 2003. He won numerous coaching awards and is the only coach in the state of New Jersey to win 300 games in boys' basketball and 200 games in girls' basketball. A Columbia, S.C., native, March retired in 2010 and currently resides in Charlotte, N.C.
March was a standout collegiate basketball player at then Saint Augustine's College in the 1960s. He graduated with a Bachelor of Art degree in history and government in 1968. March is a member of the Saint Augustine's University Athletic Hall of Fame, the New Jersey Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame and the Rucker Pro Basketball League Hall of Fame.
GREENSBORO, North Carolina – In what was often a defensive struggle Saturday afternoon, the Hampton University women's basketball team got back into the win column by defeating North Carolina A&T 55-52 at the Corbett Sports Center.
The Lady Pirates improved to 5-12 overall and 3-1 in MEAC play.
Freshman guard K'lynn Willis led all scorers with a career-high 19 points – 16 of which came in the second half – going 5-for-12 from the floor and hitting all eight of her free throws. Junior guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas added 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Sophomore forward Kaylah Lupoe grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
The Lady Pirates shot 32.7 percent (18-for-55) from the floor and went 1-for-16 (6.3 percent) from behind the arc. Hampton was also 18-for-25 (72.0 percent) from the free throw line.
Hampton scored 15 points off of 17 Aggie turnovers.
The Aggies opened the game on an 8-0 run, before the Lady Pirates responded with a 9-2 run of their own to cut the deficit to 10-9 after the first 10 minutes of play. A Dana Brown trey put the Aggies up 15-11 with 5:24 left in the second quarter, but the Lady Pirates went on an 11-1 run to take a 22-16 lead after sophomore forward Mikayla Sayle sank a putback with 19 seconds left in the half.
Hampton led 22-18 at the half. Tate-DeFreitas had six points at the break.
Willis scored the first six points of the third quarter, and her fastbreak jumper with 8:43 left in the frame put the Lady Pirates up 28-18. Freshman guard Dejane' James converted a 3-point play at the 8:02 mark that gave Hampton a 31-21 lead.
But the Aggies scored the next six points to cut the lead to 31-27 after a pair of free throws from Aprill McRae at the 5:14 mark. Willis hit two free throws with 2:34 left in the quarter to give Hampton a 36-31 lead, and her jumper with three seconds left put the Lady Pirates up 38-34 after 30 minutes.
A 10-4 Aggies run gave North Carolina A&T a 44-42 lead with 5:44 left in the contest following a layup from McRae. A Tate-DeFreitas fastbreak layup with 2:19 left put the Lady Pirates up 47-46, before Courtney Powell gave the lead back to the Aggies with a pair of free throws.
Two Willis free throws with 12 seconds left put the Lady Pirates up 53-49, before Whitney Martin took what she thought was a trey while getting fouled. But an official review revealed that Martin had a foot on the line, which meant she took just two free throws.
She hit both to cut the lead to 53-51, but free throws from Tate-DeFreitas and senior guard Kristine Rose down the stretch iced the game.
The Aggies (7-9, 3-2 MEAC) shot just 27.0 percent (17-for-63) from the floor and made only three of their 14 3-pointers (21.4 percent). North Carolina A&T also went 15-for-23 (65.2 percent) from the free throw line, while out-rebounding Hampton 48-42.
McRae led the Aggies with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
The Lady Pirates will be in Durham, N.C. to take on North Carolina Central on Monday at 6 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.
JACKSON, Mississippi – Texas Southern remains undefeated in conference play as the Lady Tigers pushed past Jackson State 62-36 on Saturday afternoon. TSU is currently ranked first in the SWAC, while JSU stands second.
Twenty-four points, four rebounds, five blocks, two steals and one assist came from game leader Keiana Vines. She went 11-for-12 in shooting and 2-for-3 at the line.
Toni Cheadle put up 11 points and seven rebounds, while Brianna Sidney managed 10 points while grabbing six boards.
JSU was held with single digit scorers as they were led by Bridgette Robinson, Kierra Adams and Daisha Williams each netting eight points with Robinson gaining a team-high six rebounds.
Defensively, TSU held JSU to shooting 22.8 percent from the field and 15.4 percent in three-point range, while the Lady Tigers shot 49 percent from the field.
COURTESY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
GREENSBORO, North Carolina – The Hampton University men's basketball is still undefeated in MEAC play after Saturday afternoon's 79-62 win over North Carolina A&T at the Corbett Sports Center.
The Pirates, winners of four straight, are now 9-7 overall and 5-0 in the MEAC.
Reginald Johnson, Jr. led three Pirates in double figures with 29 points, going 11-for-20 from the floor and hitting six 3-pointers. He also dished out a team- and career-high seven assists and grabbed a team-high (and career high-tying) nine rebounds. Brian Darden chipped in 17 points, hitting four 3-pointers.
Quinton Chievous added 10 points and six boards, going 4-for-7 from the floor.
The Pirates shot 46.6 percent (27-for-58) from the floor – including a 53.3 percent clip (16-for-30) in the second half – hitting 14 of their 34 3-pointers (41.2 percent) and out-rebounding the Aggies 41-36.
Hampton scored 20 points off of 10 Aggie turnovers, and the Pirates also had the edge in second-chance points (11-8), bench points (18-11), and fastbreak points (12-8).
The Aggies held an early 5-3 lead, but the Pirates responded by scoring 11 of the next 15 points, going up 14-9 at the 14:32 mark of the first half when Darden hit a trey. The Aggies fought back to within one, cutting the lead to 14-13 on a Denzel Keyes layup, but a 5-0 Hampton spurt gave the Pirates a 19-13 lead after a pair of Kalin Fisher free throws.
Keyes cut the lead to one again, 24-23 at the 4:42 mark with a fastbreak dunk, but the Pirates went on an 11-2 run to take a 35-25 lead with 45 seconds left in the half on a fastbreak layup from Charles Wilson-Fisher.
The Pirates held a 35-26 lead after the first 20 minutes, with Darden scoring 12 points in the opening frame.
The Aggies opened the second half on a 9-3 run to cut Hampton's lead to 38-35 with 13:22 left to play. A jumper from Ahmad Abdullah at the 11:38 mark cut the lead to 40-38.
But the Pirates responded with a 16-2 run, taking a 56-40 lead with 8:23 left to play after a fastbreak layup from Johnson. Hampton led by double figures for the rest of the game, at one point taking a 77-57 lead after a trey from Fisher with 2:07 remaining.
That basket capped off a 13-6 Hampton run.
The Aggies (5-14, 2-3 MEAC) shot just 32.7 percent (18-for-55) from the floor – including a 27.6 percent clip (8-for-29) in the first half. They went just 3-for-17 (17.6 percent) from behind the arc.
Sam Hunt led the Aggies with 16 points.
The Pirates will be in Durham, N.C. on Monday to take on North Carolina Central at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. 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.
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina — South Carolina State had another hot shooting day from junior guard Eric Eaves and sophomore Ed Stephens, as each tossed in a game-high 22 points each to lead the Bulldogs to an 90-79 victory over Delaware State Saturday (Jan.16) at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.
South Carolina State improves 9-10 overall, 4-1 in the MEAC. The Bulldogs are in second in league standings behind last season's tournament champion the Hampton Pirates (9-7 overall, 5-0 MEAC).
Sophomore guard Ty Soloman added 13 points and three assists, while senior guard/forward Gabriel McCray chipped in 12 in the victory.
Stephens knocked down 7-of-14 from behind the three-point arc, while Eaves posted an all-around solid effort grabbing six (6) rebounds and dishing out five (5) assist to go along with his 22 points.
As a team, the Bulldogs shot 78.3 % (18-of-23) from the charity stripe, while dominating in several categories such as Points off Turnovers (SCSU 15, DSU 3), Fast Break Points (SCSU 16, DSU 2) and Points in the Paint (SCSU 34, DSU 32).
SC State built their largest lead of the night 24, 42-18 off a 3-pointer by Stephens with 4:00 minutes remaining in the first-half. The Bulldogs closed out with a 51-33 lead during halftime.
Delaware State sparked a late rally in the second-half cutting the lead to three, 61-58 with 9:28, off a 3-pointer by Scott Sill. Back-to-Back 3-pointers from the Hornets tied the game 68-68 with 5:15 left in regulation.
Stephens responded connecting on three of his seven 3-pointers late in the game to push SC State's lead to ten (10) 80-70 with 1:31 remaining. The Bulldogs held on to win their fourth-straight and have scored at least 90 points in each of their last three games.
DSU had four players in double-figures with Devin Morgan leading the way with a team-high 21 points. Scott Sill tossed in 12 and Dana Raysor finished with 11 and DeAndre Haywood added 10 in the loss.
SC State returns to action on Monday (Jan.18) when they host Maryland-Eastern Shore in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference doubleheader. Tipoff for the women is 5:30 p.m., with the men following immediately afterwards in a 7:30 p.m. start. BOX SCORE
COURTESY SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- It definitely wasn’t the prettiest win, but Saturday night’s 72-65 victory over the Morgan State Bears was one Florida A&M head coach Byron Samuels was happy to get.
The Rattlers didn’t take control of the game until the final minute, burying the Bears after first grabbing a 62-59 lead, then sinking 10 free throws in a row.
It was a gritty win for Samuels’ young group – one that gave the season-high home crowd of 2,670 something to cheer for after Florida A&M’s women’s team dropped the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader against Morgan State.
“It’s great to get this victory,” Samuels said.
“Our guys fought really, really hard. That was the last key of the game – fight for as long as it takes. Even though we had some pockets in there where we weren’t playing our best, our guys continued to stay in there. They were engaged and we were finally able to get over the top.”
TALLADEGA, Alabama — Qua Doster scored 18 points and made four 3-pointers Saturday to lead NAIA No. 8 Talladega in a wire-to-wire 70-55 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against 14th-ranked Xavier University of Louisiana.
XU senior guard Morris Wright, named Friday to the 100-member watch list for the inaugural Bevo Francis Award, scored a career-high 28 points. He reached double figures for the 28th consecutive game and became the 15th Gold Rush player to reach 1,300 career points.
The Tornadoes (14-3, 2-0) made 3-pointers on each of their first three possessions, the last by Doster, to take a 9-2 lead. Talladega led 40-30 at halftime, and the final margin was its largest of the game.
But the Gold Rush (14-6, 1-2) threatened in the second half, getting six points from Wright and five from Elex Carter in a 11-0 run that cut Talladega's lead to 46-45 with 13:27 remaining. Then the Tornadoes answered with 11 straight points, and Generra Varmall's 3-pointer at 9:26 capped the surge and made it 57-45. Xavier did not get closer than seven points thereafter.
Wright, who made a season-high five 3-pointers for the sixth time this season, was Xavier's only double-figure scorer. Carter scored seven and grabbed eight rebounds. All of Carter's rebounds came in the second half.
Jordan Washington had 15 points and five assists for Talladega, which has an eight-game win streak, and Courtney Mack had nine points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Xavier outshot the Tornadoes 45.5 to 41.4 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 35-31. Talladega had a 10-6 advantage in made 3-pointers and was plus-10 in turnovers, committing a season-low five and gaining 15. The Tornadoes committed one turnover in the second half.
Xavier will play its fourth game in eight days when it meets GCAC opponent Tougaloo at 7:30 p.m. Monday at XU's Convocation Center. The Bulldogs were 25th in the NAIA coaches of poll Jan. 5 before dropping out this week.
NOTES: Xavier will get a rematch at home with Talladega Jan. 25, one week from Monday . . . Wright has 1,315 career points in 85 games (15.5 points per game). Next on the Gold Rush career list are Derrick Collins (1983-87) in 14th place with 1,319 points and Rodolfo Gill (1981-85) in 13th place with 1,339 points . . . Wright's previous point high was 27 against Mid-America Christian in the opening round of the 2015 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Divison I National Championship at Kansas City, Mo.
TALLADEGA, Alabama — Xavier University of Louisiana suffered a long dry spell Saturday and lost 54-47 to Talladega in a matchup of ranked NAIA women's basketball teams from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.
The Gold Nuggets (13-6, 2-1 GCAC), ranked 13th, led 7-2 in the fifth minute, then was outscored 34-15 during the next 23 minutes. The Lady Tornadoes (13-3, 2-0), ranked 21st, took the lead for good shortly before halftime and led by 18 in the second half.
"We struggled offensively and made too many unforced turnovers," XU coach Bo Browder said.
Xavier shot 25 percent from the floor to match a season low, failed to make a 3-pointer and committed 27 turnovers. XU reserve guard Alesha Smith scored a season-high 12 points and had three steals to match her career high. Trana Hopkins scored nine points, and Hopkins, Kelsee Singleton and Mikayla Bates grabbed five rebounds apiece.
Tajanee Wells scored 11 points for Talladega, Tashieba Henry scored 10, and Latisha Brown had nine points and 12 rebounds. The Lady Tornadoes shot 28.2 percent from the floor.
Xavier led 9-6 through the first quarter, but Talladega led 20-14 at halftime and 41-27 through three quarters. Henry's two free throws with 6:12 remaining made it 48-30.
Making her XU debut was Ariel Sneed, a 6-foot junior forward from Harvey, Ill. Sneed, who attended Southern Mississippi during the fall and was a standout at Kirkwood (Mo.) Community College last season, had two points and three rebounds in 15 minutes.
The teams will meet again Jan. 25 — one week from Monday — at 5:30 p.m. at XU's Convocation Center. Next for the Gold Nuggets will be their fourth game in eight days — 5:30 p.m. Monday against GCAC opponent Tougaloo at XU's Convocation Center.
GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- The Grambling State University Tigers rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat Prairie View A&M, 66-63, on Saturday at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
The win was Grambling’s first over PVAMU since 2005.
Four GSU players scored double digits, with Deonte Hearns leading the team with 21 points.
“I was really disappointed, angry, with my team at halftime,” GSU coach Shawn Walker said after the game. “Prairie View is a difficult team to play against Our team has been down every game. I really don’t concern myself with how far we’re down. I challenged them all the way through the game.”
PINE BLUFF, Arkansas — Southern played without two starters, but it mattered little as the Jaguars defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 69-55 on Saturday night in the H.O. Clemmons Arena.
Center D’Adrian Smith missed his fifth straight game because of a sprained ankle and guard Trelun Banks was sidelined because of a sprained ankle he aggravated against Jackson State on Monday.
But Adrian Rodgers scored 15, Jared Sam had 13 points and Rashad Andrews 12. Sam grabbed a game-high eight rebounds as the Jaguars outrebounded the Golden Lions 42-27 to win their third consecutive game.
“I thought we did a pretty good job of rebounding the basketball,” Southern coach Roman Banks said. “I thought we guarded them well, and we played with a whole bunch of energy.”
Southern (11-7, 3-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) is expected to be without Allen and Banks again when it visits Mississippi Valley State on Monday. UAPB fell to 1-3, 3-15.
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Wayne Brent didn't want to leave Jackson State's home court with a loss on Saturday, but Texas Southern left him no choice.
TSU, the defending SWAC champion, led by as many as 20 points in the second half, and held off a frantic JSU rally to earn a 71-65 victory at the Lee E. Williams AAC on Saturday night.
Jackson State (8-10, 3-2 SWAC) crept to within four points with 1:03 remaining, but Texas Southern's Malcolm Riley pulled down a clutch offensive rebound during the ensuing possession, which eventually led to a Christ Thomas layup to put a stop to the bleeding.
The win allowed Texas Southern (5-11, 4-0) to remain in first place in the conference standings and was the first by a road team at Jackson State this season.
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Jason Mai, a former assistant coach at Winston-Salem State, had a domestic dispute case against him dismissed Friday.
Mai, 34, was arrested in October after his ex-wife, Amanda Jean Garnett, called police and accused him of pushing her against a wall.
Mai was suspended by WSSU for the final two games of the season and was fired in December.
The school gave no reason for Mai being let go. At the time of the firing, athletics director Tonia Walker said only that Mai was “no longer employed by the university” and that it was “a personnel matter.”
The case was set to be heard Dec. 11, 2015, but the arresting officer didn’t appear and it was moved to Friday. CONTINUE READING
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Morris Wright was announced Friday as one of 100 student-athletes on the first watch list for the inaugural Bevo Francis Award. The award will be presented in April to the men's basketball player who has the finest overall season among small colleges in NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA Division I, NAIA Division II, the NCCAA and the USCAA.
Wright, a 5-foot-10 senior guard from Zachary, La., and a former Zachary High School and Baton Rouge Community College standout, ranks 20th in NAIA Division I through Thursday with 18.8 points per game. He ranks fifth in NAIA DI and first in Louisiana (all 4-year colleges) with 59 made 3-pointers. Wright is a two-time first-team All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference selection and was the 2015-16 GCAC Preseason Player of the Year. He is the reigning GCAC Player of the Week and has won that award twice this season. The watch list will be pared to 50 players Feb. 15 and to 25 players March 15. Finalists will be announced April 1. The award is named for Clarence "Bevo" Francis, a 6-foot-9 center who was a prolific scorer for Ohio's Rio Grande College (now the University of Rio Grande) more than 60 years ago. Francis averaged 46.5 per points per game — still the NCAA all-division season record — in 1953-54. Francis also holds scoring records in the NAIA. Francis died in June at age 82. The website smallcollegebasketball.com is the sponsor of the Bevo Francis Award. Xavier, 14-5 and ranked 14th in NAIA DI, will play No. 8 Talladega in a GCAC game at 5 p.m. Saturday at Talladega, Ala. The next Gold Rush home game will start at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Convocation Center against the GCAC's Tougaloo. Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
NEW ORLEANS — Mikayla Bates, Whitney Gathright and Alesha Smith scored 10 points apiece Monday, and NAIA No. 13 Xavier University of Louisiana rolled to an 80-41 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against Tougaloo.
