Gold Nuggets collect 4 major awards at GCAC tourney banquet

METAIRIE, Louisiana — Xavier University of Louisiana volleyball received four major Gulf Coast Athletic Conference awards Thursday during a banquet honoring the seven GCAC Tournament teams.
     
XULA, the regular-season champion and tournament's No. 1 seed, will play at 3 p.m. Friday in the semifinals at Dillard's Dent Hall against SUNO or Tougaloo. The Lady Knights and Lady Bulldogs will meet in a first-round match at 9 a.m. XULA has a first-round bye.     



The Gold Nuggets' major winners were:

     •  Juliana Tomasoni, Newcomer of the Year.
     •  Amanda Perry, Defender of the Year.
     •  Tiffany Phillips, Setter of the Year.
     •  Hannah Lawing, Coach of the Year.
     
Tomasoni — a junior outside hitter/defensive specialist from Nova Trento, Brazil, and a graduate of Francisco Mazzola in her home country and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M — leads the Gold Nuggets through 30 matches with 301 kills and 22 aces and is second with a .232 hitting percentage and 368 digs. In her third XULA match she produced a school-record 25 kills Aug. 20 against Evangel.
     
Perry, a freshman libero/defensive specialist from Bolingbrook High School and a graduate of Bolingbrook High School, has a school-record 490 digs and is third on the Nuggets with 20 aces. A three-time GCAC Defender of the Week, Perry also set school season records with 27 matches of double-figure digs and 18 matches in a row.
     
Phillips, a freshman setter/defensive specialist from Gardena, Calif., and a graduate of Bishop Montgomery High School, leads XULA with 743 assists, is second with 21 aces and third with 219 digs. She also has 70 kills and 21 blocks. Five times she has been chosen GCAC Setter of the Week; that ties the XULA record for most weekly awards in this sport. Her 12 assist-dig double-doubles are a XULA season record.
     
"We're all very proud of them," Lawing said. "If I could give each of our players an individual award I would, because that's how meaningful they are to me and to each other. We appreciate the awards we've been given. Everybody has given a team effort to chip in for each of those awards."
     
Last week Tomasoni and Perry were named first-team All-GCAC, and Phillips and Hasani Salaam made the second team.
     
Lawing, in her fifth season at XULA and her fourth as head coach, directed the Gold Nuggets to a sixth consecutive GCAC regular-season championship. XULA returned none of its starters nor its libero from a year ago. The Gold Nuggets were 11-1 in conference and won the regular-season title by two matches.
     
"This award is more of a reflection of my players and assistant coach (Hilary Lobenstein) and the staff at Xavier," Lawing said. "I would not have been able to win Coach of the Year without them."
     
XULA won Setter of the Year for the second consecutive year — Franziska Pirkl was honored in 2015 — and Lawing won Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
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Nuggets sweep SUNO to advance to GCAC tourney final

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana, led by freshman Hasani Salaam's career-best 17 kills and .571 hitting percentage, defeated SUNO 25-17, 25-21, 26-24 Friday in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball tournament at Dillard's Dent Hall.
     
The Gold Nuggets (15-16), the tournament's No. 1 seed, will play second-seeded Talladega for the championship at 11 a.m. Saturday at Dillard. XULA seeks a sixth consecutive GCAC Tournament championship. There will be free admission to the match.
     
Salaam committed one error in 28 attacks.
     
Juliana Tomasoni had 11 kills, hit .500 and served three aces for XULA. Sarah Pitts-Groce hit .375 with a season-high-tying seven kills, Amanda Perry had eight digs, Tiffany Phillips had 34 assists, and Cara Ford served two aces.
     
Sonja Backovic had nine kills for SUNO (10-18).
     
XULA trailed 19-16 and 23-22 in the third set before ending the match on kills by Terri Drake and Tomasoni.
     
XULA outhit SUNO .275 to .155 and, for the sixth consecutive year, eliminated the Lady Knights from the tournament. It was the first time since 2012 that the Gold Nuggets and Lady Knights did not meet in the championship round.
     
Talladega rallied from an 8-4 fifth-set deficit to defeat third-seeded Dillard 27-29, 25-15, 15-25, 25-17, 15-12 in the other semifinal. The XULA-Talladega winner will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship, which will begin Nov. 19. XULA and Talladega split their two regular-season meetings, with the Lady Tornadoes winning in five sets this past weekend at Talladega.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

DSU Falls To NCCU To Drop To 0-9

DOVER, Delaware -- North Carolina Central scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams in a 38-19 victory over Delaware State at Alumni Stadium this afternoon.

The Eagles, co-leaders with North Carolina A&T in the MEAC standings (6-0), won their seventh straight to improve to 7-2 overall. The Hornets are winless in nine games, including six league contests.

Quarterback Malcolm Bell completed 17-of-31 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns, while Ramone Simpson rushed for 112 yards and a score to lead the NCCU attack.

Aris Scott (sr.) had five receptions for a season-best 128 yards and two touchdowns, while fellow wide receiver Mason Rutherford (jr.) hauled in eight passes for 111 yards to lead the Hornets.

North Carolina Central totaled 469 yards, including 236 rushing.

The Hornets racked up 432 yards, highlighted by a season-best 319 passing.

Delaware State linebacker Brian Cavicante (fr.) led all players with 13 tackles (10 solo) to tie his career-best.

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North Carolina A&T State Aggies Survive Tough Game, Win On Senior Day

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- North Carolina A&T is ranked 10th in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. They are the No. 1 black college football team in the nation, and they are the two-time defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football champs.

Therefore, they know every game they compete in, they’re going to take the other team’s mightiest blow. Saturday afternoon at Aggie Stadium, the 10th-ranked Aggies took a left uppercut, straight jab and right cross that would have knocked out most teams. Instead of staying down however, the Aggies overcame their second fourth-quarter deficit of the season to come away with a 30-20 win over South Carolina State on Senior Day.

The win keeps N.C. A&T (8-1, 6-0 MEAC) in a first-place tie with North Carolina Central (7-2, 6-0 MEAC) after NCCU defeated Delaware State 38-19 on Saturday. S.C. State fell to 3-5 overall and 3-2 in the MEAC.

“It does make you play better because everybody we play gets ready to play us now. We’re the standard these days. Teams think if they beat us, they can get on the right track. So we’re going take everybody’s best shots, but our guys aren’t going to get hit and not hit back. We’re going to stand there and fight with them.”

SCSU quarterback Caleb York threw his share of haymakers after entering the game toward the end of the second quarter. He ended the first half with a 41-yard touchdown pass to De’Montrez Burroughs. With 3:03 remaining in the third quarter, he connected with Quan Caldwell for 46 yards down to the Aggies 1-yard line. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, York ran into a fortress the Aggies front formed at the goal line before bouncing outside to score and give the Bulldogs a 20-16 lead with 1:56 remaining in the third quarter.

“South Carolina State is a good football team, a really good football team,” said Broadway. “I think they’ve won five or six championships in the last 12 years, so they’re always tough. They had lost one conference game and three Division I (FBS) games coming in here, so we knew it was going to be a dogfight and it always is.”

To withstand SCSU’s upset bid the Aggies went back to playing the type of defense that has them ranked No. 1 in the MEAC. SCSU compiled 359 yards of offense, but only 46 of those came in the fourth quarter. After forcing the Bulldogs to punt from their own 11, Jerome Pettiway shanked a 26-yard punt that gave the Aggies 1st-and-10 from the Bulldog 37. On 3rd-and-7 from the Bulldog 9, Raynard turned to his right, and when he did, he saw man-to-man coverage on freshman receiver Elijah Bell.

He tossed a pass in Bell’s direction on a fade route, allowing Bell to outfight the defender for the ball and the touchdown. It was Bell’s second TD reception of the day, and it gave N.C. A&T a 23-20 lead with 5:25 to play. Bell said he thought the play was going to 6-foot-4 wide receiver Denzel Keyes, but once Raynard got to the line of scrimmage, he saw something different.

“South Carolina State stacked their coverage to Denzel’s side, so I knew it was going to Elijah,” said Raynard who was 18-for-30 for 169 yards and two touchdowns. “Elijah always makes plays every day in practice and in games. I went to him because I knew he was going to make the play.”

Redshirt sophomore cornerback Marquis Willis then came away with the knockout play. He intercepted a York pass near the SCSU sideline and returned it 29 yards for his second career pick-6.

“I think it took a lot of character for our guys to come back,” said Broadway. “We gave up some big plays here and there, but this team has something in them that they keep fighting.”

Redshirt junior Jeremy Taylor led the Aggies defensively with 12 tackles and two pass break ups. The Bulldogs did hold All-American running back Tarik Cohen to 57 yards on 16 carries. Cohen did, however, score a first-quarter touchdown giving him his first career TD against the Bulldogs. He also had 48 yards receiving on six catches.

Before the game, Cohen and teammates Tyree Andrews, Oluwafemi Bamiro, Gerald Caskey, Wes Cole, Demetrius Fairley, Malik Hampton-Prioleau, Cody Jones, Angelo Keyes, Denzel Keyes, Corbin Martin, Anthony McMinn II, Marquis Ragland, D’Anthony Ross, Lorenz Suttles and Michael Weaver, Jr., were honored as a part of the Aggies Senior Day ceremony.

“These guys are special. They’ve hung in there and helped to develop this team and this program,” said Broadway. “They got us back in good graces around the country, and I couldn’t be prouder of those guys. We still have two more games with these seniors, so we’re going to enjoy two more games and try to win two more games and then see what happens.”

N.C. A&T will finish on the road at Delaware State on Saturday, Nov. 12 and at NCCU on Saturday, Nov. 19. Both games start at 2 p.m.

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

MEAC men's basketball preview: HU success not a surprise

HAMPTON, Virginia -- For the second year in a row, Hampton University won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2015-16. The first time, it was unexpected. The second time, the Pirates had a target on their backs.

5 STORYLINES

1. J-BYRD RETURNS FOR ANOTHER RUN. Howard guard James Daniel III comes into his senior season with 1,899 points. That's already a school record, and it's only 376 short of the MEAC superlative held by Delaware State's Tom Davis. The Phoebus High graduate finished as the nation's leading scorer last season with 27.1 ppg, but Daniel is expected to miss the start of the season with a sprained ankle.

2. BULLDOGS ARE EXPERIENCED. In previewing the MEAC race, Hampton coach Buck Joyner said Howard and South Carolina State are "1A and 1B." S.C. State's Bulldogs (19-15, 12-4) are coming off their best season since 2005 and return guards Eric Eaves (17.3 ppg), a first-team All-MEAC pick last season, and Ed Stephens (13.1 ppg).

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Tennessee State Tigers Travel to Austin Peay for OVC Matchup

Tennessee State Game Notes | Austin Peay Game Notes
2016 Tennessee State Media Guide | Live Stats

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Game 9: Tennessee State (5-3, 2-2) vs. Austin Peay (0-8, 0-6)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016
Location: Clarksville, Tenn.
Venue: Fortera Stadium
Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. CT
TV: OVCDN
Audio: 102.1 FM The Light

The Series: This is the 19th meeting with the Tigers leading the series, 12-6, while the Governors lead 5-4 in Clarksville. The teams first met in 1988, a 16-12 victory for the squad from Clarksville. TSU earned its first win in the series a year later, 38-10. The last ten meetings have run in streaks for the teams. TSU won a trio of games from 1996-2008, only to see the Governors reel off three of their own from 2009- 11. The Tigers are currently on a four game run over the past four seasons, including a 20-6 win at Hale Stadium in 2015.

Last Meeting: Tennessee State used a 97-yard drive; lasting 8:44 during the final quarter to earn secure a 20-6 win. Erick Evans broke through for a 25 yard touchdown with just over a minute remaining in the game. Austin Peay marched 66 yards on 11 plays on the opening drive of the game to took a 3-0 lead on a Logan Birchfield 35-yard field goal. Ty Law blocked a punt allowing Gabe Terry to pull down the deflected setting up a Lane Clark 47-yard field goal. Telvin Hooks jump started the Tiger offense with runs of 23 and 13 yards before O’Shay Ack­erman-Carter found Joshawn Bowens for a three yard touchdown pass to give TSU a 10-3 lead. Clark and Birchfield traded field goals to close out the first half with the Tigers leading 13-6 at the break. Evans finished the game with 13 rushes for a game high 83 yards; Hooks added 76 yards on 18 carries. The Tiger defense would hold the Governors to 46 yards of total offense during the second half. Linebacker Blair Edwards entered midway through the first quarter due to an injury to Van Williams and went on to lead the Tigers defense with 13 tackles, six solo.

Head Coach: Rod Reed is in his seventh season at the helm of the Tigers. During his time at TSU, he has compiled a 41-37 record, including a 33-22 mark since 2012. Reed is 20-29 in Ohio Valley Conference play and is 4-2 versus Austin Peay, 1-1 at Fortera Stadium.

Tennessee State: The Tigers dropped an OVC contest, 38-31, at Murray State to fall to 5-3, 2-2 in conference play. TSU entered halftime with a 20-17 advantage, only to be outscored 14-0 in the third quarter. Ronald Butler set career bests in passing (329 yards) and rushing (109 yds) while tossing three touchdowns and was on the receiving end of a two-point conversion. Butler is ranked 17th nationally in passing efficiency (149.1) and 14th in yards per completion (14.11). The senior moved into TSU’s career top 10 for completions (339) and passing touchdowns (34). Patrick Smith hauled in six catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns. Smith has 10 touchdowns on the season, matching his 2015 total. The junior wide receiver now has 20 scores in 18 career games and is ranked sixth on the TSU Career List. Lane Clark made three field goals (31, 25, 20) to move into a tie for second place in school history (28). Chris Collins leads the defense with 63 tackles and is tops in the OVC and 13th in the FCS averaging 5.8 solo tackles per game. Ebenezer Ogundeko is 10th in the country in sacks (0.92 pg) and 16th in tackles for loss (1.7 pg).

Scouting Austin Peay: The Governors are under first year head coach Will Healy. APSU fell to 0-8, 0-6 in the OVC, after a 41-21 loss at Southeast Missouri. JaVaughn Craig completed 12-of-17 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown and carried the ball 12 times for 126 yards (10.5 ypc) and a touchdown. Jared Beard caught nine passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. Beard leads the OVC and ranks eighth nationally in receptions/game (7.3). The junior wide out leads the OVC in receiving yards (752) and receiving yards/game (94.0). Linebacker Gunnar Scholato collected 18 tackles, including 3.0 for loss, helping his per game average rise to 13.0, which leads all FCS players.

Radio: 102.1 FM The Light will carry the game live with Greg Pogue (play-by-play), Albert Dawson (analyst) and Gary Dawson (sideline). Pregame will begin at 3:30 p.m. CT.

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

TSU Men’s Basketball Defeats Fisk, 77-43, in Exhibition Game

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Balanced scoring and stifling defense carried the Tennessee State men’s basketball team to a 77-43 win over Fisk in an exhibition game on Thursday night at the Gentry Center. Six different TSU players scored seven or more points on the night.

Armani Chaney (Chicago, Ill.) recorded a team-high nine points to lead the TSU offense, while Wayne Martin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added eight points and seven rebounds for the Tigers. On the other end of the floor, the Tigers held the Bulldogs to 22.4 percent (13-for-58) shooting. For TSU, 13 different players saw the floor on the night. 

After Fisk took an early 6-1 lead just two minutes into the game, the Tigers quickly leveled the scoring at 6-6 on a three by Darreon Reddick (Belleville, Ill.) and a jumper by A’Torey Everett (Dallas, Texas).

Later in the half with a 19-12 lead, the Tigers exploded for a 13-0 run to stretch the advantage to 32-12 with 2:30 left before halftime. TSU closed the half with a 40-18 advantage. TSU’s offense was efficient in the first half, finishing 15-for-30 (50 percent) from the field in the opening 20 minutes.

The Tigers turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, limiting the Bulldogs to 19.4 percent shooting. TSU took its biggest lead of the night of 36 points at 75-39 on a three-pointer from Thomas Davis (Nashville, Tenn.).

Fisk’s Walter Arnold led all scorers with 13 points on the night.

The Tigers held a 55-32 rebounding edge and shot 49.1 percent (26-for-53) on field goals.

TSU will open the regular season with three games at the Cable Car Classic in Santa Clara, Calif. beginning on Nov. 11 versus UC Davis.

GAME NOTES: Thursday night’s contest was TSU’s lone exhibition of the 2016-17 season… TSU is 16-3 in regular season games versus Fisk. 

Head Coach Dana Ford
“I thought our guys competed for 40 minutes and tried to compete as a unit. I was pretty pleased with how they came out in the second half and tried to continue to compete hard and not pay much attention to the scoreboard. That was encouraging. Couple things we have to get better at, we turned the ball over 17 times which is definitely too high of a number no matter what game you’re playing in. We need to clean up our free throw shooting a little bit and also keep them off the free throw line, but overall, I thought our guys competed pretty hard tonight.”

- General Thoughts on the Game

“I thought we did ok. We wanted to force them to shoot threes. They were smaller than us, they’re quicker than us. They had quick first steps and we didn’t want to give up driving lanes. I feel we did fairly well with that. They shot around 26-percent; we will live with that number every night.”

- On Defensive Performance 

“It is early to tell what we have. A lot of guys played their first game in a TSU uniform tonight. Obviously we wanted to get as many players into the rotation as possible. I was pleased we did not have to play certain guys very many minutes.”

- On Expectation Balance Scoring 

“We are fairly healthy, that’s the top thing. Just trying to find that rhythm, find our rotation, that’s what we are really searching for now.”
- On Key Points from the Game 

“Jordan Reed played tonight, got in early foul trouble he did better in the second half. He just needs to adjust to the officiating. Some new guys, Ken’Darrius Hamilton played a lot tonight. Armani Chaney saw extensive minutes. We need to see what they can do. A lot of our success will depend on if our young players can produce for us early in the season.”

- On the Use of First Year Players

Sophomore Guard Armani Chaney“It was pretty fun. Everybody was energetic because it was our first game as a team. We were trying to see what everyone could do, since we are trying to fill in the pieces. It was fun.”

- On Getting Back on the Floor 

“We competed hard. We were trying to complete a task as a team. We tried to do the things we do as a team; perform as a team. That was the positive we did everything as a team”

- On the Positives Taken from Fisk Exhibition

“We can go deep on our bench. Teams cannot really scout us; you never know, anyone can go for 20 points on any given night.”

- On the Team’s Balanced Scoring

 Sophomore Guard A’Torey Everett

“It was exciting. Good to get back out there. I haven’t played since junior college. It was fun.”
- On Playing for the First Time at Tennessee State

“I think they did well. They were aggressive, nobody was shy. We did the defensive principles. It is never going to be good enough for Coach Ford, but we did well defensively. We held them to 43 points and we met our goal in the first half.”



- On the Play of the Newcomers 

“I think we will be prepared. I think we will be good.”

- On How this Helps Prepare Team for Season

BOX SCORE

PHOTO GALLERY - BY SAM JORDAN

PHOTO GALLERY - BY KATHERINE SEGHERS

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Alcorn State at Prairie View

When/where: 1 p.m.; Panther Stadium, Prairie View.

Radio: 91.3 FM.

Records: Alcorn State 3-4, 3-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference; Prairie View A&M 5-3, 5-1.

Series: Alcorn State leads 46-21.

Storyline: Second-year Panthers coach Willie Simmons formerly was Alcorn State's offensive coordinator and is 1-0 against the Braves. Alcorn State, which is tied for first in the SWAC East, is the two-time defending conference champion.

Alcorn wins if: The Braves can sustain a ground game to complement the passing of Lenorris Footman. Twice this season, Prairie View A&M has held an opponent to negative rushing yards.

Prairie View wins if: The Panthers get another outstanding defensive performance. In last week's 28-14 win at Jackson State, they limited the Tigers to minus-3 yards rushing.



CONTINUE READING

Texas Southern/Southern gameday: Will Willie Quinn get a shot to flash his return skills?

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern has seen it all this season when it comes to teams trying to take return man extraordinaire Willie Quinn out of the game.

There have been rugby punts and sky kicks — kickoffs that usually land between the 20 and 30-yard lines. Sometimes they don’t even bother to try something creative and just kick it out of bounds, even if that means incurring a penalty and giving Southern great field position — anything to keep the ball out of the hands of the guy with 10 career return touchdowns.

Lately, Southern has been combating that with its own chess moves, putting Quinn in better position to field short kicks. Last week, it paid off with a 67-yard punt return that set up a short field.

“When you have a special player like that, you try to find a way so he can touch the football,” Southern coach Dawson Odums said. “It’s tough to keep it away from him, because we spend a large amount of time on understanding what they’re doing, what they’re trying to do, so we can put him in position.”

It has paid off. Southern’s average starting field position in the past two games has been its own 41- and 37-yard line.

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Chemistry test: Southern is using offensive line familiarity to its advantage during a dominant run in SWAC play

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern senior right guard Anthony Mosley knows he can trust senior center Terrell Lee, because he knows his grandmother makes the best “ooey gooey cakes.”

He knows he can count on junior right tackle Skyler Prol to have his back, because he has stayed the night at the Prol family home.

“It’s like I know these guys — I personally know them,” Mosley said. “You can play for somebody when you personally know them, you know their background and where they came from.”



Mosley, Lee and left guard Jamal Boulden, all fifth-year seniors, have been playing next to one another — and starting — for most of the past three years. Prol is in his second year as a starter and his fourth year with the program.

“We’ve played a lot of snaps together, so we have good chemistry,” Boulden said.

The bond they’ve formed is showing on the field this season.

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Road-tested Grambling begins stretch run

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — The home stretch is here for Grambling.

Sporting a 14-game win streak inside Southwestern Athletic Conference play, Grambling has four regular season games left in its quest to win a conference championship.

All four come away from home with two road games and a pair of neutral site games in Shreveport and New Orleans.

“We've played well on the road since we've been here at Grambling State University. I don't think this week is any different,” Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs. “You want to play flawless every week. That's the dream, that's the goal to do so.”



Grambling (5-1) is on the road this weekend at Alabama A&M to preserve its unblemished 5-0 mark in the SWAC.

The Tigers, who are coming off a 70-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, face their fourth SWAC East Division opponent this season.

Grambling is 10-5 on the road during the past three years under Fobbs, including a 6-2 mark since 2015. The lone loss this year came at Arizona in a game Grambling led 21-3 at halftime.

CONTINUE READING

JSU seeks revenge against Alabama State

JACKSON, Mississippi -- It’s easy to see there will be a lot on the line when Jackson State and Alabama State kick off a key SWAC East matchup Saturday in Montgomery, Alabama.

There’s positioning in the SWAC East, in which the Tigers (3-5, 3-3 SWAC) are currently tied for the lead with rival Alcorn State. At this point, a loss puts either team at a serious disadvantage in the race for a berth in the conference championship.

But perhaps the bigger factor for JSU is a shot at revenge for last year’s 17-12 loss at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“I remember that game as cold. Cold and sloppy,” sophomore linebacker Shawn Bishop said. “We would make a play on defense, then they’d come back and make a play. Then, we’d answer right back. In the end, it came down to us making one mistake.”

That one mistake was giving up a touchdown on a deflected pass from Ellis Richardson to DeMario Bell on fourth-and-11 early in the fourth quarter.

But Alabama State (2-6, 2-5) is a much different team this year. The Hornets have already lost as many games as they did all last year, with their only wins coming against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Mississippi Valley State — two teams with a combined 1-15 record.



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North Carolina A&T Aggies Face S.C. State On Senior Day

S.C. State (3-4, 3-1 MEAC) at *No. 11/10 North Carolina A&T (7-1, 5-0 MEAC)
Date: Nov. 5, 2016
Time: 1 p.m.
Facility: Aggie Stadium (21,500)
Series: SCSU leads, 32-19-3
Radio: 1320 AM/93.7 FM WCOG; Play-by-play – Donal Ware, Analysts – Al Swann
*FCS media poll listed first/coaches’ poll listed next

LAST GAME’S OFFENSIVE STARTERS: WR Denzel Keyes (6-4, 215, Sr., led the team with 5 rec.);  LT Brandon Parker (6-7, 299, R-Jr., 4x MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Week ); LG Joshua Mattocks (6-3, 332, R-Jr.); C Darriel Mack (6-2, 291, R-Jr.); RG Daquan Blake (6-3, 315, Jr.); RT Wes Cole (6-6, 335, Sr.); WR Michael Weaver, Jr. (5-7, 163, Sr.); RB Tarik Cohen (5-6, 179, Sr., had another 3-touchdown game); QB Lamar Raynard (6-4, 176, R-So., completed 20 of 27 passes for 230yds and a TD); WR Khris Gardin (5-7, 158, Jr.); WR Elijah Bell (6-2, 210, Fr., 25 TD rec.). 

LAST GAME’S DEFENSIVE STARTERS: DE Angelo Keyes (6-1, 270, R-Sr., 1TFL); DT Marquis Ragland (6-3, 277, R-Sr., 3 unassisted tackles); NG Julian McKnight (6-3, 291, R-So.); DE Kenneth Melton (6-2, 220, R-Jr., 1TFL); LB Deion Jones (5-11, 207, R-So.); LB Kiaundric Richardson (6-0, 207, So., all 3 tackles went for loss); LB Jeremy Taylor (5-11, 181, R-Jr., 5 unassisted tackles); ROV Marcus Albert (5-10, 207, R-Jr., led the Aggies with six tackles); CB  Zerius Lockhart (5-10, 175, R-Jr.); CB Timadre Abram (5-10, 164, R-So.); FS Tyree Andrews (6-1, 194, R-Sr., secured career-high six tackles).

The Game: N.C. A&T will play their home finale on Saturday as they welcome one of the conference’s best teams in South Carolina State. In fact, the Aggies play two of the top-three teams in the conference over the past three weeks of the season. The Bulldogs have dominated the series lately. Under head coach Buddy Pough, the Bulldogs are 13-2 against the Aggies. The only two losses Pough has endured to N.C. A&T came during the six-year Rod Broadway era at N.C. A&T. Even superstar running back Tarik Cohen has struggled against the Bulldogs, averaging 56.3 yards in three games against the Bulldogs, while averaging 141.5 yards against the rest of the league in 25 games played. He is also averaging 3.3 yards per carry against S.C. State.

The Aggies are coming off a 42-17 homecoming win over Florida A&M. The Aggies held their fifth straight opponent to under 100 yards rushing in winning its fifth straight game. Before the game the Aggies will honor 16 seniors including all-time great Cohen, all-time touchdown receptions leader Denzel Keyes, record-breaking kicker Cody Jones and All-MEAC defensive linemen Angelo Keyes and Marquis Ragland. The Bulldogs last trip to Aggie Stadium resulted in a 17-7 loss to the Aggies. The Bulldogs are coming off a 28-26 loss to Hampton, therefore, they need a win over N.C. A&T to remain in the MEAC title race. The Bulldogs played three FBS schools in the non-conference, but since playing conference games only, they are ranked No. 1 in scoring defense against MEAC foes. 

News & Notes

• Cohen fumbled at the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter at N.C. Central on Nov. 22, 2014. Cohen hasn’t fumbled since. Cohen has now had 460 straight touches without a fumble.  
• Defensive end Angelo Keyes has 14 pass break ups in his career. That is more career pass break ups than any defensive back on the Aggies roster.  
• S.C. State coach Buddy Pough is the longest tenured coach in the MEAC. He is followed by Aggies coach Rod Broadway and Howard coach Gary Harrell who have each been at their respective institution for six seasons.
• Tarik Cohen has won MEAC Offensive Player of the Week five weeks in a row. He has won a weekly honor from the conference in 15 of the 42 weeks he has played in his career.
• N.C. A&T is the unanimous No. 1 black college football team in two polls. In eight of the nine polls the Sheridan Broadcast Network has released this season, the Aggies have garnered all 30 first-place votes. The Aggies also secured all the first-place votes in the BoxToRow Black College Football poll. Nationally, the Aggies reached the top-10 in the NCAA FCS Coaches’ poll.     

Opposing Point of View

“They’ve now started to, I believe, settle in at the quarterback position. They kind of went back and forth for a while between (Lamar Raynard) and (Oluwafemi) Bamiro. Both guys are big, strapping, tall kind of guys, but I think the young guy has kind of taken over. You can see they’ve settled in with his style of attack. I think with him settled in there, they have the entire package now. They’ve got tight ends. Their wide receivers are exceptionally good football players, so they look like a big-time college football program. I’ve got to do all I can to make sure we are prepared for A&T come this weekend.”

S.C. State coach Buddy Pough on the Aggies quarterback situation

NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

SSU looks to continue home-field edge vs. Norfolk State

SAVANNAH, Georgia --  Savannah State will be looking forward to playing in T.A. Wright Stadium today. Maybe Norfolk State is, too.

The Tigers have clawed their way to two home victories in two tries this season. The Spartans have never lost in Savannah in seven previous contests.

So something has to give when the two schools meet here at 5 p.m.

“The most important thing is to protect your house,” Tigers defensive end Marquis Smith said. “You never want someone to come in and take something from you. You can’t allow that. That’s not what men allow.”

No doubt SSU is feeling a little frisky these days after tripping Howard 31-27 a week ago. Coming into the season, the Tigers had a total of five wins in six years. Now, they not only have a modest two-game winning streak at T.A. Wright Stadium, but they’ve won two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference games in a season for the first time since joining the league in 2011.

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Gold Nuggets' 2016-17 roster includes 11 newcomers

NEW ORLEANS — The largest group of newcomers during the Bo Browder era — 11 student-athletes — is on the 2016-17 Xavier University of Louisiana women's basketball roster.
     
Those 11 will join five returning letterwomen and open the season at 5:30 p.m. Friday against Florida Memorial at XULA's Convocation Center. Browder, whose 412-154 record makes him the winningest in the program's history, is back for his 18th season as head coach.
     
New Gold Nuggets this season are:

     •  Aliyah Bell, a 5-foot-8 guard/forward from Pass Christian, Miss., Pass Christian High School and Jones County (Miss.) Junior College. She's a pre-pharmacy major at Xavier.
     •  Jordan Coleman, a 5-8 guard from Kansas City, Mo., and a pair of California schools: San Juan Hills High School and Irvine Valley College. She is majoring in business with a minor in mass communications.
     •  Rosie Davis, a 5-5 guard from Lancaster, Texas, and Duncanville High School. Her XULA major is business management.
     •  Jalyn Hodge, a 5-8 guard from Plano, Texas, and Plano West High School. Hodge is a biology/pre-medical major, and she hopes to become an orthopedic surgeon.
     •  Rexesha Hollis, a 5-9 guard from Spring, Texas, and Klein Collins High School. Hollis is majoring in political science.
     •  Dasha Pitre, a 6-foot forward/center from Lake Charles, La., and St. Louis Catholic High School. Her XULA major is accounting.
     •  Terriel Ross, a 5-9 guard/forward from Baton Rouge, La., University Lab School and Baton Rouge Community College. Ross is majoring in mass communications.
     •  Angelle Simon, a 6-2 center from Marrero, La., Edna Karr High School and Texas A&M-Commerce. She's majoring in mass communications.
     •  Gina Smith, a 5-11 forward from Atlanta, Ga., and Mays High School. She is majoring in public health.
     •  Maya Trench, a 5-2 guard from Edgard, La., and West St. John High School. Her XULA major is pre-pharmacy.
     •  Essence Wells, a 5-10 guard from Irving, Texas, and MacArthur High School. Wells is a business major.
     
Bell averaged 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last season as a starter at Jones County. As a freshman she helped the Lady Bobcats finish second in the region. In high school Bell was all-district three times in basketball and once in volleyball. She averaged 15 points a game as a prep senior and helped Pass Christian reach the 4A South state quarterfinals.
     
Coleman was All-Orange Empire Conference in both her seasons at Irvine Valley. She averaged 10.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and three assists as a freshman and 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists as a sophomore. As a prep senior she was co-MVP of her league and became the first San Juan Hills girl to record a triple double (15 points, 10 assists, 10 steals).
     
Davis was a part-time starter at point guard her final two years at Duncanville, which was 39-0 last season, won the Texas Class 6A championship and ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today newspaper. Three times she was academic all-district.
    
 Hodge averaged 9.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and two assists a game last season and helped Plano West reach the quarterfinals (regional runner-up) of the Texas 6A state playoffs. She was all-district and had a high game of 26 points. Hodge is a cousin of UConn men's basketball head coach Kevin Ollie and former NFL wide receiver Arnaz Battle.
     
Hollis averaged 10.9 points last season, 12.8 as a junior and finished her Klein Collins varsity career with 1,059 points. She helped the Lady Tigers qualify for the 6A state playoffs each of her final two seasons. She was district offensive MVP as a senior and was academic all-district four times.
    
Pitre was a three-sport standout at St. Louis. She was all-district in basketball, softball and volleyball and a team captain in all three. She was a member of four state-playoff basketball teams and reached the Class 3A second round in 2013 and 2015. As a senior she averaged 13.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and three blocks. As a softball third baseman she batted .654 her senior year and was all-state.
    
Ross averaged 7.4 points and 2.7 rebounds last season for BRCC. She was Class 3A first-team all-state as a senior after averaging 14.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.8 steals and helping U-High win state and district championships.
     
Simon averaged 1.5 points and 1.7 rebounds and shot 50 percent from the floor for Texas A&M-Commerce as a sophomore. She averaged 3.1 points and 3.2 rebounds as a freshman at the College of Central Florida, a two-year school in Ocala, and had game highs of 11 points and eight rebounds.
     
Smith helped Mays finish second in Georgia's Class AAAAA state playoffs her junior season. She was chosen to the Atlanta City of Champions All Star Classic following her senior year. Her brother, Garrison Smith, is a defensive tackle with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks.
     
Trench averaged 19.2 points, six assists and three steals for West St. John last season and was second-team all-state in Class 2A. She scored more than 2,000 career points. As a junior she was the NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune Small Schools Player of the Year and first-team all-state in Class 1A. Trench was second-team all-state in 1A as a sophomore.
     
Wells made 91 3-pointers her final two seasons at Irving MacArthur, and as a junior she averaged 11.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 steals. She helped her team reach the 6A second round last season and the final 16 (regional semifinalist) her junior year. Wells' mother, Cassandra Lumpkins, was a standout basketball player at the University of New Orleans and was named to the Sun Belt Conference all-time team for its first 30 seasons. Wells' uncle, Tony Harris, was a conference player of the year at UNO and played in the NBA.
     
Returning Gold Nuggets are guards Mikayla Bates and Kelsey Joseph, center Kelsee Singleton, giuard/forward Ireyon Keith and forward/center Bianca Brown. Keith did not play in 2015-16 because of injury.
     
Friday's opener will be followed by a XULA men's game at 7:30 against Wayland Baptist. The Gold Nuggets will play host to Webber International at 3 p.m. Saturday.

2016-17 Xavier women's basketball signees
Name	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.*	Hometown	High School (College)
Aliyah Bell	G/F	5-8	Jr.	Pass Christian, Miss.	Pass Christian (Jones County JC)
Jordan Coleman	G	5-8	Jr.	Kansas City, Mo.	San Juan Hills (Irvine Valley JC)
Rosie Davis	G	5-5	Fr.	Lancaster, Texas	Duncanville
Jalyn Hodge	G	5-8	Fr.	Plano, Texas	Plano West
Rexesha Hollis	G	5-9	Fr.	Spring, Texas	Klein Collins
Dasha Pitre	F/C	6-0	Fr.	Lake Charles, La.	St. Louis Catholic
Terriel Ross	G/F	5-9	Jr.	Baton Rouge, La.	University Lab (Baton Rouge CC)
Angelle Simon	C	6-2	Jr.	Marrero, La.	Karr (Texas A&M-Commerce)
Gina Smith	F	5-11	Fr.	Atlanta, Ga.	Mays
Maya Trench	G	5-2	Fr.	Edgard, La.	West St. John
Essence Wells	G	5-10	Fr.	Irving, Texas	MacArthur
* athletic classification at Xavier in 2016-17 Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA  twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold