FLORIDA CLASSIC: FAMU on the cusp of best win total since 2011

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- For the first time since 2012, Florida A&M’s football team will finish the season with four wins and at least a .500 record in conference play.

This season has been a sharp turnaround from head coach Alex Wood’s first year at the helm, when the team finished 1-10, the worst record in school history. The Rattlers, after starting 0-4, are 4-6 with a chance to finish with five wins – the most for the program since 2011.

FAMU is in fourth place in the MEAC with a 4-3 conference record. The Rattlers were picked to finish eighth in the conference in the MEAC preseason poll.

The team standing in the Rattlers’ way is Bethune-Cookman, FAMU’s arch rival and winner of five straight Florida Classic games in Orlando.

“Just to finish off the season on a high note to kind of catapult us and get going,” Wood said. “Something really to buy into is winning in November. That’s what the goal is and hopefully we can do that.”

Speaking plainly, Wood said, “The game is big.”



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Grambling State Hands ULM Warkhawks an -- L, 59-54

MONROE, Louisiana – Despite taking a 10-point lead to the locker room at halftime thanks to a buzzer-beating three-pointer, the ULM women’s basketball team’s offense came to a standstill in the third quarter, allowing visiting Grambling to hand the Warhawks a 59-54 defeat on Tuesday night.

THE TURNING POINT

ULM shot just 4-of-15 in the third quarter (26.7 percent), while Grambling erased the halftime deficit by shooting 47 percent (8-of-17) in the quarter and outscored the Warhawks 22-10 in the period. The teams’ third quarter shooting percentages nearly flipped from the second half numbers – ULM knocked down 41 percent of its shots in the second quarter (compared to Grambling’s 25 percent) to take the 10-point advantage into the locker room.

Tied at 48-all with 7:38 to play, Grambling closed the game on an 11-6 run as ULM was able to tally just four points over the final 2:15 of action.

NOTABLES

-Stephanie Ratliff finished with the game’s only double-double in the loss, notching 16 rebounds and 14 points before fouling out in the final minute. The senior filled her final stat line, adding two blocks and two steals in 32 minutes of action in addition to her double-double numbers.

-Alexis Collins played all 40 minutes for ULM, also finishing with 14 points, as she tallied a 5-for-10 shooting night from the floor. Two of Collins’ buckets came from three-point range, and she added two rebounds and two assists from her guard position.

-The Warhawks finished the night with 27 turnovers as a team, which turned into 21 Grambling points off those miscues.

-ULM’s 10-point halftime lead turned out to be its biggest advantage of the night, while Grambling led by as many as 12 during the first quarter. The game was tied at seven different points, but the lead only changed four times during the night.

-ULM outrebounded Grambling by a 50-39 overall margin, pulling down 32 defensive rebounds (64 percent).

-Grambling finished with a final shooting percentage of 34.4 percent (22-of-64 from the floor) and ULM connected at a 33.3 percent clip (20-of-60) while both sides hit five three-point attempts (ULM 5-for-27, Grambling 5-of-14).

-As a team, ULM finished with more points in the paint (28-24), more second chance points (18-15) and more points from its bench (15-10) than Grambling. Grambling controlled two key stats – total turnovers (15 compared to ULM’s 27) and points off turnovers (21-11 advantage.

Grambling’s Shakyla Hill (19 points) and Jazmin Boyd (16 points) were the game’s high scores, while Jazmine Torian pulled down a team-high eight rebounds for the visitors.

QUOTABLES FROM HEAD COACH JEFF DOW

On the game – “Sometimes it is as simple as defending, rebounding and taking care of the ball. The first half we hold them to zero free throws and in the second half they shot 20 free throws. The turnovers – obviously that’s 12 more opportunities for them to shot. Some of them were as simple as I say ‘playing catch.’ You have to look the ball in your hands, catch it with two hands…do the fundamental things. We got off to a slow start, rallied and went into halftime with a 10-point lead. They started the second half quick and I felt like we never really totally recovered from that. We never answered their run with a run of our own.

Going Forward – “We have to move on. We did some good things in stretches tonight. We have to learn from this game. We have a lot of newcomers – whether it be junior college players, freshmen or even some of our returning players in different roles than they had last year. It’s been a tough stretch with three games in five days with keeping the players motivated and focused. We’ll keep fresh mentally and physically and put ourselves in the best opportunity to succeed down at Nicholls.”

UP NEXT

-ULM hits the road for a Saturday road contest at Nicolls State on Saturday afternoon, the second game of a five-game stretch the Warhawks will play against schools from the state of Louisiana across the next three weeks. Tipoff in Thibodeaux is set for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. ULM returns home for two straight contests inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum beginning next Tuesday night
against LSU-Alexandria.

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Prairie View A&M Basketball Holds Off Nicholls State, 69-67

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- The Prairie View A&M women's basketball team earned the first win of the Ravon Justice era with a 69-67 win over Nicholls State Tuesday afternoon at the William J. Nicks Babydome.
 
Alexus Parker scored a career-high 23 points to lead four Lady Panthers in double figures. Jeronia Allen scored 15, Dominique Newman had a career-high 13 and Tori Carter11 for the Lady Panthers (1-1).
 
"First I have to tip my hat to Nicholls' head coach Dobee Plaisance," Justice said. "She does a really good job with having her girls ready to compete. She's had a lot of success. Our girls came out and played hard and competed. I thought they fought to the end, and some of our upper classmen stepped up and made big plays when we needed them to."
 
In what proved to be a decisive second quarter, PVAMU outscored Nicholls St. (0-2) 24-12. Parker (nine points) and Newman (eight) combined for 17 points for the Lady Panthers, who shot 8-12 from the field, including 4-of-4 from three-point range. Defensively, they limited the Lady Colonels to 4-of-16 shooting in outrebounding Nicholls 14-4.
 
"We made some key adjustments that helped us get into the groove of the game," said Justice of her team's highest-scoring quarter of the young season combined with tying the fewest points allowed in any period this season (fourth quarter at Rice). "Once we got into that groove, we were relentless in scoring the basketball."
 
After taking a 56-46 lead into the final period, the Lady Panthers held off a late Nicholls' rally, never relinquishing the lead. Parker made one of two free throws with one second remaining for the final margin.
 
"It was impressive the way we maintained our poise down the stretch," Justice said. "I give a lot of credit to the leaders on the team. I thought Alexus and Jeronia were both poised today, and that experience goes a long way."
 
The Lady Panthers return to action Saturday hosting Bethune-Cookman at 3 p.m.

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Colts claim former NSU linebacker Deon King off waivers

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- The Indianapolis Colts made a roster move today as they claimed linebacker Deon King off of waivers from the San Diego Chargers. In order to make room on the roster for King, the Colts waived wide receiver Marcus Leak.

King (6-1, 230 pounds) played in two games for the Chargers this year (over the past two weeks) and recorded one tackle, but he was waived yesterday. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of Norfolk State by the Dallas Cowboys and he participated in the offseason program, training camp, and preseason with Dallas before he was cut during final roster cutdowns. The Cowboys initially signed him to their practice squad but soon waived him. The Chargers picked him up in early October on their practice squad and a month later promoted him to the active roster.

He had a very impressive collegiate career at Norfolk State, playing in 46 games (starting 35) and recording 372 tackles, 52.5 tackles for loss, 22 sacks, four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, and three picks. As a senior in 2015 he earned the Buck Buchanan Award as the top FCS defensive player in the country, and he was a consensus first-team FCS All-American that year as well. He was a three-time All-MEAC honoree during his collegiate career. As a senior, he led all Division I football players (both FBS and FCS) in tackles with 163 and also added eleven tackles for loss, three sacks, a pick, and a forced fumble while starting all eleven games.

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Texas Southern's Mike Davis Makes Appearance on ESPN's OUTSIDE THE LINES

HOUSTON, Texas -- Appearing on ESPN's Outside the Lines, Texas Southern men's basketball coach Mike Davis spoke on the issues of playing away from campus and becoming the 'ultimate road warrior.'

"It gives our players an opportunity to go to arenas and play places they would never be able to play," Davis told ESPN's Ryan Smith.

ESPN OTL Segment with TSU Head Coach


CLICK ON FULL SCREEN

Texas Southern will play its first 16 games on the road. The Tigers will face powerhouse schools including Arizona, Louisville, Cincinnati, LSU and Baylor before beginning Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play.

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XULA will host Saint Francis (Ill.) in NAIA 1st round

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana will host an NAIA National Championship event on its campus for the first time ever.
     
XULA was named Monday as a host site for the 2016 NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round. The Gold Nuggets (16-16) will play the University of Saint Francis (30-11) Saturday (Nov. 19) at XULA's Fitness Center (939 S. Jefferson Davis Parkway, New Orleans, La. 70125). The starting time of the match will be announced Tuesday afternoon. (11/15/2016 update:  Match time will be 4 p.m.)
     
Tickets will cost $5. Students of both universities and XULA faculty and staff will be admitted free.
     
The XULA-USF winner will advance to the 2016 NAIA National Championship, presented by F&M Bank and Absolute Screen Art, at Sioux City, Iowa, Nov. 29-Dec. 3.
    
The Fitness Center, which opened in 2015, will be the match site because of homecoming events at the Gold Nuggets' usual home, the Convocation Center. A 1 p.m. basketball game between the Gold Rush and LeMoyne-Owen and a Greek stroll off that evening are scheduled at the Convocation Center.
     
"We are excited to bring an NAIA national tournament event to the Xavier campus for the very first time," said Jason Horn, XULA director of athletics & recreation. "It will be a fun addition to an already busy weekend. We hope to fill the Fitness Center with enthusiastic fans cheering for our Gold Nuggets."
     
The Gold Nuggets seek their first-ever victory in the national tournament. This is their sixth consecutive appearance at nationals and sixth overall. XULA qualified as champion of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, which it won for the sixth straight year.
     
The Saints, from the Chicago suburb of Joliet, Ill., qualified for nationals for the 10th time and the first time since 2012. They earned an automatic bid by winning the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
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Notebook: 'I think they have the ability' Odums discusses possibility of Tillery, Quinn getting NFL shot

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- There is not much more left to accomplish at Southern for senior stars Lenard Tillery and Willie Quinn.

Individually, Tillery is spending every week expanding putting distance between himself and everyone else for the SWAC career rushing record, and Quinn owns school marks in receptions and receiving yards. They’ve both been a part of tremendous team success as well.

It’s logical then to wonder what their next step is, and Southern coach Dawson Odums was asked about that at his Tuesday news luncheon. Do Tillery and Quinn have what it takes to play in the NFL?

“I’m going to be biased — I think they have the ability,” Odums said. “I just think they need an opportunity, and I think someone is going to give them an opportunity.”

Both will have big hurdles to clear to simply get a shot. Both are undersized according to the professional positional prototype, especially Quinn. Both must overcome a small-school stigma that will in all likelihood leave them trying to make a roster as an undrafted free agent.



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Chance at undefeated home slate motivates Southern against Mississippi Valley State

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- From a purely logical standpoint, Saturday’s home finale against Mississippi Valley State is a meaningless football game for Southern.

With the ultimate goal in mind — representing the SWAC West in the conference championship game — a loss to the lowly Delta Devils has zero consequences. Regardless of what happens Saturday, the Jaguars’ fate entirely rests on whether they can beat Grambling next week, and the same applies for Grambling.

Southern could win this week, Grambling could lose to Texas Southern and the Tigers could still advance to the title game by beating Southern next week — or vice-versa. It’s all about the head-to-head tiebreaker.

When this idea was posed to Southern coach Dawson Odums, along with the notion that key players may be in line for an early trip to the bench, Odums got a sour look on his face.

“We’ve never been undefeated at home, so we’ve got a lot to play for,” Odums said, referring to the fact that Southern has never won all its home games during his tenure. “It’s all about playing the team that is in front of you. Our goal all year has been 1-0, nothing has changed about that.



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Soul Bowl: Jackson State Coach Tony Hughes Weekly Press Conference (Nov. 14, 2016)

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S.C. State football reeling as losses, injuries mount

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- There’s a somber but hopeful mood resonating from the South Carolina State football program, now that a young and injury-riddled Bulldogs team has lost three consecutive games in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play.

After Saturday’s 13-10 home loss to Norfolk State, S.C. State has just two games left to make this a winning season in conference play. Chances for a winning season record went away at the final whistle of Saturday’s loss to the Spartans.



The Bulldogs can earn a bit of redemption by getting a win this Saturday at home against Savannah State. That would assure them of not having a losing conference record. Then, a win at home on Saturday, Nov. 26 against Bethune-Cookman could give S.C. State a winning conference record.

For an offense that has struggled for consistency in recent losses to Hampton, North Carolina A&T and Norfolk State, things appear a bit more challenging the rest of the season.

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GSU's Fobbs a finalist for FCS Coach of the Year

GRMBLING, Louisiana -- Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs was named Monday as one of 15 finalists for FCS Coach of the Year.

The Eddie Robinson Award, named after legendary Grambling coach Eddie Robinson and his contributions to football, is given out annually to the top coach in the FCS ranks.

Fobbs is the only finalist from the Southwestern Athletic Conference and joins North Carolina A&T's Rod Broadway, a former coach at Grambling, and North Carolina Central's Jerry Mack as the three finalists from HBCU programs.

Grambling is 7-1 this year and 7-0 in the SWAC. The Tigers have won their league games by an average of 35 points per game. Grambling hasn't lost a league game in two years thanks to a 16-0 regular season mark.

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Prairie View A&M Panthers Post Road Win At Fresno State

FRESNO, California – The Prairie View A&M men's basketball team earned its first win of the season with a hard-fought 84-78 win at defending Mountain West Champion Fresno State Monday night.

The Panthers (1-1) shot 52 percent from the field in the second half (12-23), including 21-of-25 from the free throw line in outscoring Fresno State (1-1) 48-37 in the final 20 minutes as Byron Smith gets his first win as full time head coach.

Six PVAMU players scored in double figures, led by Daquan Cook's 17 points. L.J. Westbrook scored 14, Admassu Williams 12, Ja'Donta Blakley and Tevin Bellinger each scored 11, and Zachary Hamilton 10 as the Panthers were a stellar 26-31 from the free-throw line in the contest.

Williams' two free throws with 6:28 remaining in the game gave the Panthers the lead for good, 64-63. A three-pointer from the top of the key by Hamilton gave Prairie View A&M a 73-65 lead with 3:32 to play in the game, and a pair of free throws by Hamilton with: 49 seconds to play pushed the margin to double-digits.

Cook scored 10 first-half points as the Panthers trailed 41-36 at halftime. PVAMU shot 41.9 percent from the field (13-31), as the Panthers made five 3s in the first 20 minutes and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.

Prairie View A&M returns to action Wednesday at Saint Mary's at 9 p.m. CT.

Team Notes:

• With the loss, Fresno State had its nine-game winning streak snapped at the Save Mart Center. It was the Bulldogs' first loss at home since Jan. 2 in their Mountain West home opener against New Mexico.
• This was the first ever meeting between Fresno State and Prairie View A&M.
• The 'Dogs fell to 19-4 in non-conference home games over the last three seasons.
• Fresno State outrebounded Prairie View A&M 43-29.

Quoteable:

Rodney Terry, Fresno State head coach
On the loss…
"I have known their coach (Prairie View A&M) for a very long time, and I know that he is trying to establish something for his program right now and set the table for his coaches, something that we had tried to do six years ago, and that is playing hard and having great effort every night. We knew we were going to have to come in tonight and have a lot of energy because they were going to come in and give a lot of effort. They weren't going to come in here and be intimidated. They were going to come in and play hard. We didn't match that tonight. Right now, we are not a tough team, and we are going to have to build some toughness and some grit. We still need to find some identity in terms of leadership. Some guys have to step up right now. We have some talented guys, but they are going to have to sit down and not try to live on last year. We are going to build some toughness."

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UDC Firebirds’ Red-Hot Shooting Leads to 94-71 Win vs. Chestnut Hill

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania – The University of the District of Columbia men's basketball team earned a decisive, 94-71 victory over Chestnut Hill College in non-conference East Regional play Saturday afternoon at Philadelphia University's Gallagher Center.

The Firebirds shot a blistering 57-percent (34-of-60) from the field, including a scintillating 50-percent (14-of-28) from behind-the-arc, en-route to a 23-point margin of victory that saw UDC even its record at 1-1. The Griffins, meanwhile, shot 42-percent from the field and were held to a paltry, 3-of-15 (20-percent) from long range, as they fell to 0-2 on the season. While the two teams combined for a whopping 45 turnovers on the day, UDC capitalized with 37 points off Griffin turnovers while CHC managed just 20 off of Firebird miscues. UDC also had 25 assists to CHC's 14.

Senior guard Joseph Nickerson led all scorers and four Firebirds in double-figures with 27 points on 11-of-15 FG shooting and 5-of-9 from behind-the-arc. He also registered game-highs of nine rebounds and five steals while handing out a career-high eight assists.

Senior point guard Kasim Chandler did a splendid job running the UDC offense as he scored 18 points and dished out a game-high nine assists while committing only three turnovers. Chandler also collected six rebounds and three steals. Junior guard Traevon Butler recorded 16 points and six rebounds, and senior forward Jayone Troutman added 12 points on 6-of-9 FG shooting to go with two steals.

UDC never trailed in this game as the Firebirds connected on four of their first five three-point attempts, jumping out to early leads of 15-4 and 20-10 thanks mostly to a three-pointer apiece by Butler, Chandler, Nickerson, and senior guard Reggie Sidbury. As a team, UDC went on to shoot 11-of-18 (61-percent) from long range in the first half, burying one long-range bomb after another every time the Griffins threatened to cut the lead to single digits. The Firebirds would take a 56-40 advantage into halftime.

UDC put the game out of reach early in the second half with Butler scoring seven points during a 17-6 opening run to give the Firebirds their largest lead of the afternoon, 73-46 just shy of seven minutes into the closing half. Chestnut Hill would not get any closer than 17 the rest of the way.

The Griffins were led by reserve forward Jalil Myers' team-highs of 16 points and seven rebounds. Guards J.J. Butler and Demetrius Isaac also contributed 15 and 14 points, respectively.

Next up for UDC is another regional road contest at Bloomfield College on Saturday, November 19th at 2 p.m.

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Tuskegee selected for NCAA Division II playoffs

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- After falling to Virginia State Saturday afternoon, the last 24 hours may have been the longest of the year for the 14th-ranked Tuskegee University Golden Tigers football team as they awaited the release of the 2016 NCAA Division II field of 28. However, the news couldn't have been as for the fourth consecutive year, the Golden Tigers heard their named called during the NCAA Division II Selection Show.

Tuskegee (8-2) will hit the road as the seventh seed to face second seeded Newberry College (10-1) on Saturday, with game slated to kick at 1:00 pm (est).

The Golden Tigers have been the lower seed in the opening round for two of their first three times in the playoffs, falling to North Alabama in their first appearance and defeating Catawba last season in the opening round as the sixth seed. Last season, Tuskegee also defeated North Alabama on the road to get to the Super Region 2 championship game (NCAA Division II quarterfinals) before falling to West Georgia.



This season, the Golden Tigers were ranked each week in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25, reaching as high as number five during week six of the season - a school record for ranking in the poll which was established in 2000. They also have been ranked each week in the D2football.com, reaching as high as 10th in that poll. The region rankings were released four weeks ago, and the Golden Tigers have been ranked each week - third, fourth and sixth last week.

For more information on Tuskegee University athletics, follow us on Twitter/Instagram/Snapchat @MyTUAthletics and like us on Facebook.

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WSSU Rams Punch Their Playoff Ticket! Face LIU-Post In First Round

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – For the first time since the 2013 season, the Winston-Salem State University Rams are playoff bound.

The WSSU Rams gathered as a team this evening in the Bowman Gray Field house to watch the announcement from the NCAA, and the Rams (9-2) will travel to Long Island University-Post (11-0) on Saturday, November 19th.

The Rams will enter the contest coming off of a thrilling 43-33 win over Bowie State in the CIAA Championship Game. LIU-Post is coming off of a 43-23 win over #15 Assumption in the Northeast 10 Championship game.

WSSU will enter the game as the #7 seed, and LIU-Post will enter as the #2 seed in Super Region 1. This will be the Rams first playoff berth since 2013 when they defeated Slippery Rock in the first round, before falling 7-0 to Shepherd University in the second round.

The winner of Saturday's contest will face the winner of the Shepherd (10-0) versus Assumption (9-2) game.

Game time and ticket information will be released on Monday evening.

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TSU Completes Cable Car Classic Sweep with Win over Santa Clara

SANTA CLARA, California -- The Tennessee State men’s basketball team completed a sweep of the 50th annual Cable Car Classic with a 69-61 victory over Santa Clara on Sunday at the Leavey Center. TSU, which was the only undefeated team in the four-team field, is 3-0 for the first time since the 1994-95 season.

Delano Spencer (Atlanta, Ga.) nailed five three-pointers to lead TSU (3-0) with 15 points on the afternoon. Wayne Martin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored 12 points and Jordan Reed (Philadelphia, Pa.) added 11, while Tahjere McCall (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Darreon Reddick (Belleville, Ill.) tallied 10 points apiece for the Tigers.

TSU sprinted out to a 35-22 halftime edge over Santa Clara (1-2) and continued to play well in the second half, finishing 10-for-16 (62.5 percent) from three-point range.

The Tigers found themselves down 11-8 five minutes into the game as the Broncos shot 50 percent from the field in the early going. A 15-0 run by TSU highlighted by a pair of Spencer transition three-pointers gave TSU a 23-11 advantage. The TSU defense held the Broncos off the scoreboard for nearly seven minutes on the run.



TSU maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the half, taking its largest first-half lead at 35-19 on back-to-back threes from Spencer. Heading into halftime, the Tigers held a 35-22 edge behind 12 points from Spencer.

Santa Clara battled back, trimming the TSU lead down to 41-35 with 15:59 left in the second half. TSU responded with a run of its own to stretch the advantage back up to 16 at 62-46 on two threes from Reddick and another from Martin.

TSU made four free throws in the final 30 seconds of the game to pull away.

Next up for TSU is a road game at Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 6:30 p.m.

GAME NOTES: TSU moves to 2-0 in the all-time series versus Santa Clara with the Tigers defeating the Broncos by a 99-94 final score in the first meeting during the 1963-64 season… TSU’s last 3-0 start came in 1994-95. TSU has gone 3-0 to start the season three other times at the Division I level... Delano Spencer finished with five made three-pointers. The most a TSU player hit in a game last season was five, which was accomplished by Marcus Roper once and Keron DeShields on three occasions. The school record for made three-pointers in a game is nine set by Daryl Brooks versus Chattanooga on Dec. 8, 1989.

TSU Guard Jordan Reed
“In the very beginning, we got a lot of turkeys (three stops in a row). We just really listened to personnel well and our coaches did a good job as far as telling us their strengths and weaknesses of the other team. We made sure we stayed up on the shooters and gave the drivers a little bit of space.”
- On the team’s defense

“It means a lot. Coming out here to California, going all out for the team. It’s more so a confidence builder. I feel like we can build on top of that, knowing we went 3-0 and are going back victorious, that’s big for us.”
- On winning all three games

TSU Guard Delano Spencer
“It was intense. My teammates got me involved. I feel like it started on the defensive end. We brought out the energy on defense first and that carried over to the offensive end. It was a good experience out there.”
- On hitting five three-pointers

“Definitely coming out here in California, them having the home court advantage, that helped our toughness on the defensive end. We really came together and played as a team, so I think we were tough on both sides of the ball and that’s how we won.
- On beating Santa Clara on the road.

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Fast Facts: 3 things you need to know about Alabama A&M

All-time series: Auburn leads 1-0
Last meeting: Auburn won 51-7 at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Nov. 17, 2012.
Line: N/A

No. 9 Auburn (7-3) saw its six-game win streak snapped this past weekend at the hands of its bitter rival, Georgia. Auburn looks to get back on the right track this weekend, and it will do so against a non-conference foe in Alabama A&M on senior day.

Here are three things you need to know about the Bulldogs heading into Saturday:

1. The Bulldogs enter with a losing record but rallied for a win last week.

After trailing Jackson State 17-0 in the first half last week, Alabama A&M never gave up. And that attitude paid off, as the Bulldogs pulled off a come-from-behind win 27-20 win on the road. But it wasn't easy. With just a minute left in the game, Jackson State had first-and-goal at the 4-yard line. Jackson State receiver Jairus Moll caught a pass at the 3-yard line and turned upfield. But as Moll tried to reach the ball across the goal line for a score, he lost control of it. Alabama A&M's Dylan Hamilton was in the right place at the right time, falling on the ball in the end zone for the game-sealing touchback. The victory improved the Bulldogs' record to 4-6 overall and 4-5 in SWAC play this season.

2. Alabama A&M has played just one FBS team this season.

That came in the opener at Middle Tennessee State. Alabama A&M never had a chance, trailing 28-0 after the first quarter. The Blue Raiders finished with 681 yards of total offense compared to the Bulldogs' 146. Alabama A&M punted 13 times and went just 1-for-15 on third-down conversions.



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Grambling is a 'compact car' looking to upgrade

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — Broderick Fobbs consistently finds himself finding new, innovative ways to get the same message across to his Grambling football team.

Some days that means he relates the 2016 season as a hurdles race as to not allow the Tigers to take a big-picture approach. His logic: focus on the task at hand, or the hurdle in front.

Other times, Fobbs refers to the season as driving a car. It's his job to control the car throughout the year. Both are aimed to keep Grambling on alert for this weekend's game at Texas Southern and not the Bayou Classic in two weeks.

So which type of car is Grambling, which is amid a 16-game Southwestern Athletic Conference win streak?

"Well, I mean just a traditional car right now. At the end of the day, you have to win the crown. Until you win the crown, you can't drive that BMW or that Audi or whatever that is that you want to drive," Fobbs said Monday. "Right now, we're driving a regular car. We're not there yet. Ask me that question in a little bit."

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Luke Johnson: Southern fans should take advantage of their last chance to see a stellar senior class at home

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — Southern coach Dawson Odums was in a rare mood Saturday following his team’s big win at Prairie View.

Maybe it was the timing. Odums usually allows himself a long time after the game before speaking to the media. The players usually go first while Odums showers, giving himself some time to wash himself clean of the postgame emotion.

Usually, Odums is composed during these sessions. He’s never too high or too low — always somewhere in the middle.

Saturday was different. He went first, and he was not in the middle. This was not a bad thing.

Odums spoke passionately. He raised his voice to be heard over the blare of the Human Jukebox playing its feel-good music nearby. He answered every question about a specific player by referring to the group and its special nature. He had a message to convey, and it’s worth listening to.

“It’s fun,” he said. “It’s fun to watch these guys. It’s fun to watch them go; it’s fun to be around them. I love them, now. We’ve been through a lot. We’ve had our tough days, but every day they’ve put in the work. I’m grateful to be the head coach.”



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Marquette Faces Howard Monday Night in National Broadcast

TV: FS1 | Radio: 540 ESPN
Marquette Game Notes 

The Marquette University men’s basketball team (1-0 BIG EAST) hosts Howard (0-1, 0-0 MEAC) Monday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. CT in the home lidlifter at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. FS1 will feature Marquette’s first national television broadcast, with Jeff Levering (play-by-play) and Nick Bahe (analyst) calling the action. Following Monday’s game, the Golden Eagles will travel to New York City Tuesday afternoon in advance of the 2K Classic at Madison Square Garden (Nov. 17-18).

Marquette Opens Play In 2K Classic

Marquette is hoping to continue a trend of recent success in regular-season tournaments when the team opens play in the 2016 2K Classic.

MU has claimed five titles since 2004-05 and advanced to the final game in four other events. Two of the wins have come in overtime and at one point the Golden Eagles had claimed 12-straight victories in the annual tournaments.

The Golden Eagles are 31-9 overall since 2004-05 in multi-team events, including championships at the BCA Classic (2005), Great Alaska Shootout (2006), CBE Classic (2007), U.S. Virgin Island Paradise Jam (2011) and Legends Classic (2015).

MU appeared in the championship contest of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational (2007), Chicago Invitational (2009), Old Spice Classic (2010) and DIRECTV Wooden Legacy (2013).

Marquette To Face Howard For First Time

While Marquette is celebrating its 100th year of basketball in 2016-17, it has taken until Monday night for the Golden Eagles to face Howard on the court.

The Golden Eagles have posted an overall record of 28-0 against the 13 current members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), having not faced Howard or South Carolina State on at least one occasion.

The most recent matchup against a MEAC school came on Dec. 28, 2014 versus Morgan State (six all-time meetings, most with any MEAC program) at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. MU posted an 81-53 victory in that game.

Other first-time opponents this season for Marquette include SIU-Edwardsville and a potential matchup with SMU in the 2K Classic.

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Pilots rally in 4th to give Nuggets 1st loss of season

SHREVEPORT, Louisiana — Courtney Randle scored 10 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter Saturday to rally LSU-Shreveport to a 73-61 women's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the final game of the LSUS Classic.
     
The Pilots (1-2) outscored the Gold Nuggets (3-1) 24-7 in the final period after trailing 54-49 through three quarters.
     
Randle scored six points during a decisive 10-0 run, and her 3-pointer with 6:23 remaining put LSUS ahead to stay, 60-57. LSUS outscored Xavier 8-0 in the final 2:38.
     
Kourtney Pennywell scored 12 points, Bria Freeland and Chaterra Cage had 11 apiece, and Quiana Tucker scored 10 for LSUS.
    
Ireyon Keith scored 13 points for XULA, and freshman Gina Smith had career highs of 10 points and seven rebounds. Jalyn Hodge and Mikayla Bates made 2-of-2 3-pointers apiece for the Gold Nuggets, but those were their only points.
     
LSUS outshot XULA 41.5 to 39.7 from the floor and made 24-of-33 free throws to the Gold Nuggets' 7-of-13. XULA outrebounded LSUS 43-32 but was minus-13 in turnovers after committing 27 and gaining 14.
     
XULA and LSUS both finished 1-1 in the four-team, two-day event. NAIA No. 9 Lyon defeated No. 3 Our Lady of the Lake 73-58 in the first game Saturday. On Friday, XULA beat OLLU 71-67, and Lyon defeated LSUS 49-46.
     
The Gold Nuggets will play NAIA No. 24 Loyola at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at XULA's Convocation Center in the opener of a doubleheader between the city rivals.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Phillips, Tomasoni honored; XULA gets NAIA news Monday

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Tiffany Phillips and Juliana Tomasoni are recipients of Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball awards for Oct. 31-Nov. 6. Phillips was named Setter of the Week for the sixth time this season, and Tomasoni was chosen Attacker of the Week for the second time.
     
Phillips — from Gardena, Calif., and a graduate of Bishop Montgomery High School — set a XULA record for the most GCAC volleyball weekly awards in a season and tied Nour Abbes (women's tennis, 2014) for most weekly awards by a XULA freshman. Phillips averaged 9.13 assists per set during the GCAC Tournament, which the Gold Nuggets won for the sixth consecutive season. In a five-set championship victory Nov. 5 against Talladega, Phillips had 39 assists and six kills.
     
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 — hit .414 during the GCAC Tournament and had 23 kills, five in the fifth set, against Talladega. Tomasoni ended the third and fifth sets of the GCAC final with kills.
     
The GCAC Tournament championship automatically qualified XULA (16-16) for the NAIA National Championship for the sixth consecutive year. The NAIA will announce its 44-team bracket at 10 a.m. Monday. The Gold Nuggets will play Saturday in one of 12 opening-round matches on campus sites.

XULA Freshmen With the Most GCAC Weekly Awards
Awards	Name	Sport	Season
6	Tiffany Phillips	Women's Volleyball	2016
6	Nour Abbes	Women's Tennis	2014
5	Taylor Price	Women's Cross Country	2016
5	Zahri Jackson	Women's Cross Country	2011
5	Mark Dotson	Men's Cross Country	2009

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

Texas Southern Lady Tigers pummel UTEP 89-68, claim first win over Miners since 1981

EL PASO, Texas – The Texas Southern Lady Tigers stunned UTEP by defeating the host Miners by a score of 89-68 Sunday.

At UTEP's Don Haskins Center, Kaitlyn Palmer drained eight 3-pointers and scored a game-high 24 points in her first game in a TSU uniform to lead the Lady Tigers to their first victory in a season-opening contest since 2013.

In all, the Lady Tigers (1-0) saw four players score in double figures, three of whom are newcomers at Texas Southern.

The Lady Tigers got 14 points apiece from UT–Arlington transfer Artavia Ford, and true freshman Chynna Ewing. Sophomore Joyce Kennerson scored 13 points for TSU, and was 9-of-10 from the 3-point line.

UTEP, the defending Conference USA champion, was led by Sparkle Taylor, who posted double-double totals of 14 points and 13 rebounds. Axelle Bernard scored 11 points for the Miners.

The win was Texas Southern's first over UTEP since defeating the Miners 77-65 in Houston on January 23, 1981. The triumph was also the Lady Tigers' first-ever win over the Miners on their home court.



HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Lady Tigers gave the Miners and their announced crowd of 1,289 an early indication of things to come when they scored 10 unanswered points late in the first period to take a 17-9 lead. Ford knocked down two jumpers during that span between the 5:40 and 1:38 marks of the opening quarter.

UTEP trimmed a deficit of seven points early in the second quarter to three points, but TSU answered with a 7-0 run to stretch its lead to 34-24 with 6:22 left to play before halftime.

The Lady Tigers outshot their opponents in each of the four quarters as they slowly added to their lead. After seeing UTEP cut their lead to single digits only once in the second half, the Lady Tigers delivered the knockout punch with an 8-0 run midway through the fourth quarter that stretched the advantage to 80-59. Palmer drained two of her 3-pointers during the run.

KEY POINTS:
Texas Southern shot better than 42 percent in three out of the four quarters, and shot better than 50 percent in the second quarter (10 of 18, 55.6 percent) and fourth quarter (7 of 11, 63.6 percent).
On the other end of the floor, the Lady Tigers held UTEP to under 40 percent shooting in each of the game's first three quarters.
Palmer's eight 3-pointers were the most by a TSU player in a single game this decade.
While TSU shot 37.5 percent from 3-point range (9 of 24, 1 of 8 from players other Palmer), the Lady Tigers held UTEP to 25 percent shooting from behind the arc (5 of 20).
TSU held Taylor, last season's C-USA's Sixth Player of the Year, to 4-of-19 shooting from the floor. She scored 28 points in the UTEP opener against Northern Arizona.
UTEP lost to a SWAC opponent for the first time since Dec. 18, 1998, when the Miners lost 68-47 to Alcorn State in Mobile, Ala. That game was the second of two contests against SWAC opponents at the Coca-Cola Classic, as UTEP defeated Southern 89-70 the day before.
TSU starts the season 1-0 for the first time since 2013, when they opened with an 88-80 win at Tulsa in Coach Johnetta Hayes-Perry's first game leading the Lady Tigers.

NEXT UP:
The Lady Tigers visit Texas A&M–Corpus Christi on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

BOX SCORE

TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Alcorn Dominates MVSU 61-7, Clinches Third Straight SWAC East Division Title

ITTA BENA, Mississippi – The Alcorn State University football team got off to a quick start and then poured it on Mississippi Valley State, 61-7 Saturday at Rice-Totten Stadium.

With the win and Jackson State's 27-20 loss to Alabama A&M, the Braves (4-5, 4-4 SWAC) clinched the SWAC East Division crown for the third year in a row. Alcorn will play either Grambling State or Southern in the SWAC Championship at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Dec. 3.

Freshman quarterback Noah Johnson had a historic outing, accounting for eight touchdowns which is an all-time Alcorn record and one shy of matching the all-time FCS record. He threw for seven touchdowns and 285 yards, and rushed for a touchdown and 65 yards.

Junior Norlando Veals turned in a monster performance with 183 receiving yards and three touchdown catches. Two of his touchdown receptions were of 52 and 51 yards, respectively.

Noah Johnson also threw touchdown passes to freshman Tavares Johnson, senior Collins Moore, senior LaDarrien Davis and freshman Demetrius Lewis.

On the ground, the Braves racked up 253 rushing yards. Junior De'Lance Turner led the way with 96 yards, while juniors Silas Spearman and Quadre Butler pitched in with 60 and 52 yards, respectively.

Alcorn accumulated 538 yards of total offense and held MVSU (1-9, 1-7 SWAC) to 162.

Defensively, Alcorn registered three interceptions including a 64-yard pick-six by freshman Javen Morrison. Also grabbing interceptions were sophomores LaShaun Ealey and Deago Sama.

PLAY-BY-PLAY SUMMARY
Ealey got the Braves started early in the game with an interception on the one-yard line after the Delta Devils were threatening. A big gain of 20 by Turner followed by a rush of 15 got Alcorn out of its own end zone and all the way out to its own 43-yard line. After a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty, the Braves faced a 3rd-and-17 when they connected on a deep ball to Veals for 41 yards to move to the MVSU nine-yard line. Alcorn scored on a nine-yard pass to Tavares in the corner at the 7:20 mark as he was able to leap up, make the catch and keep a foot in-bounds.

After a three-and-out defensively, the Braves got the ball back and moved to the MVSU 23-yard line after a 20-yard rush by Turner. On the very next play, Noah kept it himself on a quarterback-read option and scored on a 23-yard spurt to make it 14-0 with 3:40 left in the first quarter.

The Braves stuck again right before the end of the first quarter. After a first down rush by Noah moved Alcorn into MVSU territory, Noah connected with Veals on a deep 38-yard pass to make it 21-0.

Early in the second quarter, Sama pulled down an interception at the Delta Devils 48 after MVSU tried to test him one-on-one deep along the sideline. On the next play, Alcorn ran a reverse to Tavares for a gain of 20 at the MVSU 28-yard line. The Braves scored on a 23-yard jump ball pass to Moore as he outleaped the covering cornerback.

The Braves added on late in the second quarter on a 16-yard pass to Davis. The drive was set up by a 19-yard run by Spearman after the Braves began the possession on MVSU's half of the field.

Right before the half, Alcorn increased its advantage to 41-0 after Morrison scored on a pick-six. Morrison intercepted the pass and ran about 65 yards down the right sideline nearly untouched.

On Alcorn's first possession of the second half, it quickly found the end zone on a 51-yard pass to Veals. On the Braves ensuing possession, it was like dejavu as Noah found Veals again for a 52-yard touchdown pass to make it a 54-0 game with 10:00 left in the third quarter.

Alcorn's final score came at the end of the third quarter on a five-yard pass to Lewis. It capped off a nine-play, 73-yard drive that featured eight running plays from Spearman and Butler combined.

NOTES
- The 54-point win was Alcorn's most lopsided victory since Oct. 5, 2013 when it beat Warner 57-0. It was Alcorn's largest win over a Division I opponent since Oct. 11, 2003 when it topped Prairie View A&M 66-0.

- The Braves remained unbeaten against the SWAC East Division this season after already defeating Alabama State 21-18 and Alabama A&M 42-19.

- Alcorn has now won seven consecutive games against SWAC East Division opponents dating back to last season.

- The Braves posted their fourth consecutive win over MVSU. Alcorn won 55-14 last year, 52-9 in 2014 and 35-28 in 2013.

- The Braves have rushed for at least 155 yards in eight of their nine games this season, including at No. 20 Arkansas. Alcorn has rushed for at least 250 yards in back-to-back games after running for 256 at Prairie View A&M. The Braves entered the game averaging 199.5 rushing yards per contest.

- Alcorn entered the game ranked 18th in FCS in sacks allowed, and will improve upon its standing as it did not allow a sack in the contest.

- Veals' 182 receiving yards marked a career-high, breaking his previous best of 106 set earlier this season against Texas Southern.

- Turner's 96 rushing yards marked a career-high, breaking his previous best of 90 set earlier this season against Southern.

- Alcorn's captains were seniors Deonte Brooks, Stacey Garner and Moore. MVSU won the coin toss and chose to receive.

Quoting Alcorn head coach Fred McNair
On getting off to a hot start
"That's one of the things we talked about all week. We wanted to start fast and then stay on them, and that's what we did. We prepared ourselves at practice every day to play this way. The guys had a great week of practice."

On the team clicking on both sides of the ball
"This is what we've been trying to put together the whole season. We've had a lot of injuries and all that stuff, but this is how we want to play on both sides of the ball. In the past, we had spurts of playing good offense and playing good defense, but it seems like it's all coming together as a team now. That's what I told the team, everything is coming together and we didn't get injured today. We just have to get back to the practice field now and start preparing for Jackson State next week."

On getting momentum heading into next week
"It's big. To win a game in this fashion makes practice a whole lot easier next week. Our team knows the magnitude of the game next week and we have to make sure we're doing all the right things at practice as both players and coaches."

UP NEXT
The Braves will wrap-up the 2016 regular season against Jackson State at Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium next Saturday. The 2 p.m. contest will also be Senior Day as Alcorn recognizes 14 student-athletes.

The Braves will be looking for their eighth consecutive victory over a SWAC East Division opponent dating back to last season.

BOX SCORE



ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Ohio State basketball vs. North Carolina Central preview: TV info, key players, stats, prediction

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- -- Ohio State basketball plays its home opener on Monday night against North Carolina Central. Here's everything you need to know before tip-off.

GAME INFORMATION

Who: North Carolina Central (0-1) at Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0)
When: Monday, 9 p.m.
Where: Value City Arena (19,049)
TV: ESPNU
Twitter: Follow cleveland.com's Bill Landis for updates from the game.
Latest line: Ohio State -23.5
Series record: This will be the first meeting ever between Ohio State and North Carolina Central.

PROJECTED STARTERS

North Carolina Central: G Dajuan Graf (6-0, Sr., 19 ppg); G Rashaun Madison (6-0, Sr., 6 ppg); G Patrick Cole (6-5, Sr., 18 ppg); F Will Ransom (6-8, Sr., 0 ppg); F Kyle Benton (6-7, Jr., 0 ppg).

Ohio State: G JaQuan Lyle (6-5, Soph., 3 ppg); F Keita Bates-Diop (6-7, Jr., 14 ppg); F Marc Loving (6-7, Jr., 13 ppg); F Jae'Sean Tate (6-4, Jr., 10 ppg); C Micah Potter (6-9, Fr., 0 ppg).

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