Texas Southern Shocks Rice Owls 71-68 Behind Lofton's 26 Points

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HOUSTON, Texas -- Texas Southern won its second straight game as Zach Lofton scored a game high 26 points and blocked a 3-point shot attempt as time expired helping hand TSU a 71-68 victory over the Rice Owls on Wednesday night at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Texas Southern secured the lead for good with roughly 17 minutes left in regulation, as they led by as many as seven points during the contest.

The Owls would subsequently make the game interesting as Marcus Evans converted a 3-pointer to pull Rice to 69-68 with 45 seconds left.

After both teams missed shots on their next possessions TSU's Kevin Scott made a pair of free throws before Lofton blocked Marcus Jackson's final heave at a game tying 3-point attempt.

Lofton was 10-of-27 from the field and made three 3-pointers. Derrick Griffin had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Texas Southern (2-1).

"I was really happy we got the win for TSU as a university because we're both from Houston," said Lofton. "They don't expect us to come in and beat another mid-major school. That was big for me that we got the win for them."

With the win TSU head coach Mike Davis adds yet another impressive win to his TSU coaching resume. The Tigers program has also beaten the likes of Temple and Michigan State during Davis tenure as head coach.

Davis had his team primed for an upset on Wednesday night as the Tigers came out aggressive to start the second half of play. Davis was intent on keeping his team focused on their intensity level after watching film of the Owls win over James Madison.

"They were up four or five at the half and they ended up winning by 24," Davis said of the Owls win over James Madison. "We were really conscious of not coming out going too slow. Push the basketball in transition. Try to get some earlier baskets if we could."

The Tigers will now get set to travel and face LaSalle on November 19th in Philadelphia.

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NC A&T Stays Atop FCS; Saturday Shakeup Propels WSSU in HSRN Football Polls

HARTLY, Delaware  --  North Carolina A&T maintained its first place position but a scheduling adjustment helped push Winston-Salem State to the top in week 11 of the HSRN Football Polls.

 

A&T, Grambling, N.C. Central, Southern and Tennessee State stayed firm in the top five positions in the FCS Poll.  Florida A&M made its first appearance after edging Morgan State, 22-21.  The Rattlers have won three of their last four games and head into a Florida Classic showdown against Bethune-Cookman this weekend.

 

After missing the SIAC Championship game, Tuskegee needed a tenth regular season contest in order to qualify for the NCAA Division II playoffs.  The Golden Tigers scheduled Virginia State to an afternoon affair and promptly lost to the Trojans, 45-35.  Meanwhile, Winston Salem State knocked off Bowie State to capture its second straight CIAA Title and move into first place in the Division II/NAIA Poll.

 

VSU’s win pushed the Trojans into second position while Tuskegee dropped to third. Bowie State and Chowan round out the top five.  

 

Despite the loss, Tuskegee received a berth in the Division II Playoffs, joining WSSU as the only HBCU representatives in the Division II postseason.

 

Division I FCS
	School (First Place Votes)	Record	Pts	Last Week
1	North Carolina A&T (11)	9-1	109	1
2	Grambling State (1)	7-1	100	2
3	North Carolina Central	8-2	86	3
4	Southern U.	7-2	77	5
5	Tennessee State	6-4	57	4
6	Prairie View A&M	6-4	51	6
7	Hampton	5-4	41	7
8	Alcorn State	4-5	36	9
9	Florida A&M	4-6	15	NR
10	South Carolina State	3-6	8	8
	Others receiving votes
	Texas Southern, Alabama A&M, Jackson State, Bethune-Cookman

 

 

Division II/NAIA
	School (First Place Votes)	Record	Pts	Last Week
1	Winston-Salem State (8)	9-2	105	2
2	Virginia State (2)	9-2	91	4
3	Tuskegee (1)	8-2	88	1
4	Bowie State	7-4	82	3
5	Chowan	6-4	47	5
6	Miles College	5-4	35	6
7T	Fort Valley State	5-6	34	NR
7T	Virginia Union	5-5	34	8
9	Langston (1)	7-2	28	9
10	Albany State	5-4	26	7
	Others receiving votes
	Kentucky State, Johnson C. Smith, Lincoln (MO)
	Clark Atlanta, Elizabeth City State, Lane College

Five FAMU Volleyballers Honored As MEAC All-Stars

NORFOLK, Virginia – Florida A&M’s Nicole Abreu and Bethune-Cookman’s Alana Handy were named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Volleyball Co-Rookies of the Year it was announced on Wednesday.

The announcement came as part of the overall release of the 2016 MEAC Volleyball All-Conference team, voted on by the league’s head volleyball coaches and sports information directors, ahead of this weekend’s MEAC Volleyball Championships.

Abreu, a freshman outside hitter from Lima, Peru ranks sixth in kills per set (3.22), sixth in points per set (3.61) and seventh in hitting percentage (.260). She registered nine double-doubles in kills and digs.

She posted a season-high 22 kills against North Florida and 22 digs versus Bethune-Cookman. She was named the MEAC Player of the Week on Sept. 26 and MEAC Rookie of the Week on Oct. 10.

FAMU placed two players on the 2016 All-MEAC First Team, freshman outside hitter Maria Yvette Garcia, from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and senior middle blocker Ginna Lopez-Chavez, from Lima, Peru.

Abreu was one of two FAMU players to earn Second Team honors, along with sophomore libero Valentina Carrasco from Lima, Peru.

Three Rattler Women were named to the MEAC All-Rookie Team: Abreu, Garcia and freshman hitter Elena Dimitrova, of Sofia, Bulgaria.

MEAC TOURNAMENT STARTS FRIDAY

Florida A&M (15-11, 10-0 MEAC) won the Southern Division, and will open play in this weekend’s MEAC Tournament as one of two #1 seeds, facing off against Northern Division #4 seed Norfolk State at 4:00 p.m. at the Hytche Center on the campus of Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Should FAMU advance, they would face the winner of Maryland-Eastern Shore/North Carolina A&T in Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. semifinal bout, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s nationally-televised (ESPNU/ESPN3) championship match, set to start at 12 Noon.

The Rattler Women are aiming for their first MEAC title since 2009.

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XULA Nuggets' match vs. Saints moving to Convocation Center

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Xavier University of Louisiana announced Wednesday a venue change for its home match this weekend in the 2016 NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round.
     
The Gold Nuggets (16-16) and Saints (30-11) will play at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Convocation Center (7900 Stroelitz St., New Orleans, La. 70125). The Convocation Center, which opened in 2012 and seats nearly 4,000 with all-chairback seating, is the primary home of XULA volleyball.
     
XULA previously announced that the match would be played on campus at its Fitness Center.
     
"Even with a full day of homecoming events on our campus this weekend, we felt that the volleyball match in the NAIA national tournament is a signature event," said Jason Horn, XULA director of athletics & recreation.
     
Tickets to the match will cost $5. Students of both universities and XULA faculty and staff will be admitted free. This is the first time that XULA will host an NAIA National Championship event on its campus.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions: Southern University lacked institutional control

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- Southern University lacked institutional control when it failed to monitor its eligibility certification process, did not properly apply financial aid rules and did not comply with Committee on Academic Performance penalties, according to a Division I Committee on Infractions panel. In total, the university improperly certified more than 200 student-athletes during a six-year period in all 15 sports sponsored by the university.

Download the Southern University Public Infractions Decision

Listen to the media teleconference.

The panel prescribed five years of probation and a vacation of records in which student-athletes participated while ineligible. The panel also accepted the university’s self-imposed penalties of a $5,000 fine and scholarship reductions in several sport programs.

The university’s improper certification issues occurred for three primary reasons: errors that occurred when academic records were transferred from an outdated system to a new system; poor record keeping within the athletics department; and a lack of training and involvement by campus departments outside athletics in the certification process. These issues resulted in 439 instances of improper certifications for 218 student-athletes.

Over a four-year period, the university exceeded scholarship and counter limits in five sports when it did not properly apply financial aid rules to state tuition waivers. Louisiana state law allows all student-athletes who receive athletics scholarships to qualify for in-state tuition. NCAA rules require that tuition waivers like the Louisiana law be considered countable aid. In some instances, the university did not properly account for the waiver when determining scholarship packages for student-athletes, resulting in the university exceeding scholarship limits in baseball, women’s and men’s track, football and softball.

The Committee on Academic Performance previously required the university to reduce the amount of in-season playing and practice time for all sports because it did not meet certain NCAA academic performance benchmarks. The Committee on Academic Performance also reduced out-of-season practice time and the number of contests for men’s and women’s track, men’s basketball and football. Because of turnover at the university, especially in the compliance office, the university did not communicate the restrictions to the coaches, and the penalties were not completed.

There was also an allegation that involved a former athletics director, but the panel concluded that he did not violate NCAA rules.

Penalties prescribed by the panel include the following:

• Public reprimand and censure for the university.
• Five years of probation from Nov. 16, 2016, through Nov. 15, 2021.
• A vacation of records in which student-athletes competed while ineligible. After the release of the public report, the university will identify the competitions affected.

The panel accepted the following penalties self-imposed by the university:

• A $5,000 fine.
• A reduction of women’s soccer scholarships by one during the 2016-17 academic year and by one during the 2017-18 academic year.
• A reduction of softball scholarships by 1.5 during the 2016-17 academic year, by 1.5 during the 2017-18 academic year and by 0.78 during the 2018-19 academic year.
• A reduction of baseball scholarships by 2.3 during the 2016-17 academic year, by 2.3 during the 2017-18 academic year and by 2.3 during the 2018-19 academic year.
• A reduction of football scholarships by five during the 2016-17 academic year, by five during the 2017-18 academic year and by five during the 2018-19 academic year.
• A reduction of women’s volleyball scholarships by one during the 2016-17 academic year and by one during the 2017-18 academic year.
• A reduction of men’s track scholarships by 2.11 during the 2016-17 academic year, by 2.11 during the 2017-18 academic year and by 2.1 during the 2018-19 academic year.
• A reduction of women’s track scholarships by 3.6 during the 2016-17 academic year, by 3.6 during the 2017-18 academic year and by 3.6 during the 2018-19 academic year.
• A reduction of men’s basketball scholarships by one during the 2016-17 academic year, by one during the 2017-18 academic year and by one during the 2018-19 academic year.
• A reduction of women’s basketball scholarships by one during the 2016-17 academic year, by one during the 2017-18 academic year and by one during the 2018-19 academic year.

Members of the Committee on Infractions are drawn from NCAA membership and members of the public. The members of the panel who reviewed this case are Gregory Christopher, athletics director at Xavier University; Thomas Hill, chief hearing officer for the panel and senior policy advisor to the president of Iowa State University; Larry Parkinson, director of enforcement for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; Gregory Sankey, chair of the Division I Committee on Infractions and commissioner for the Southeastern Conference; and Sankar Suryanarayan, university counsel, Princeton University.

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FIU adds Alcorn State to 2017 football schedule

MIAMI, Florida -- The FIU Golden Panthers have added the Alcorn State Braves to their 2017 football schedule, according to their official website.

Florida International will host Alcorn State at Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium on a date to be announced in 2017. The game will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Alcorn State is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). With one game left in the 2016 regular-season, the Braves are 4-5 overall and 4-4 in SWAC play.

FIU now has four non-conference games scheduled for the 2017 season. The Golden Panthers are scheduled to open the season at UCF on Sept. 2, travel to Indiana on Sept. 16, and host Tulane and Alcorn State on dates to be announced.

In Conference USA play, FIU will host Western Kentucky, Charlotte, Old Dominion, and, UTSA, according to their official website.

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A&T's Parker on Central game: 'It's just football'

GREENSBORO, North Carolina — A&T football coach Rod Broadway didn't care to spend much time discussing the past.

“If you look back, you can’t move forward, so let’s move forward; let’s focus on this game,” Broadway said this week. “We got our (butts) kicked the last two years. Now we’re trying to move forward and trying to play this game as well as we can this year.”

The same as the past two seasons, A&T will meet N.C. Central on Saturday in Durham with an MEAC championship at stake. The No. 9 Aggies are 7-0 in the league and 9-1 overall, and No. 25 Central is 7-0 and 8-2 going into 88th Aggie-Eagle Classic.

For the past two seasons, the Eagles have played spoiler, upsetting the Aggies 21-14 in Greensboro in 2014 before a 21-16 victory last season. Both times, the Aggies have been denied their first outright MEAC title since 2003.

While Broadway has talked about not dwelling in the past, that’s easier said than done for the Aggies.

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Rmidi Kinini is going to nationals for Maryland - Eastern Shore

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland -- Khalil Rmidi Kinini is going to finish his collegiate career as the best cross country runner to ever compete for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

And that's not hyperbole. The native of Spain is a three-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion and the first runner in MEAC history to win three individual titles.

This past weekend, Rmidi Kinini cemented his legacy by becoming the first Hawk to qualify for NCAA national competition.

The senior finished fifth at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals at University Park, Pennsylvania on Saturday, Nov. 12. His time of 30:54 is the best ever 10k time for a Maryland Eastern Shore runner regardless of season.

Indiana State University will host the championships on Saturday, Nov.19, at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course at Wabash Valley Family Sport Center located in Terre Haute, Indiana. The men's race will begin at noon.

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NCA&T Aggies, NCCU Eagles meet in Durham with MEAC championship on the line

DURHAM, North Çarolina — The Aggie-Eagle rivalry is officially back.

When North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central meet on Saturday at 2 p.m. at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium in Durham, it will mark the third year in a row that the Aggie-Eagle matchup will decide the MEAC championship.

This year however, winner takes all.

The previous two years, an Aggie win meant they would win the MEAC championship outright. An Eagle win meant they would at least share the MEAC championship with A&T and others.

The Eagles, underdogs both years, were more emotionally prepared and what they may have lacked in talent, they made up for with shear determination and the will to win, behind their dynamic third-year head coach Jerry Mack, who is just 36 years old.

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Hendrix Leads SSU with 17 Points as Tigers Defeats Alabama State 54-39

SAVANNAH, Georgia – Senior guard Kenyata Hendrix led the Savannah State University women's basketball team with 17 points as the Lady Tigers (2-1) defeated Alabama State University (0-3) 54-39 in Tiger Arena Tuesday night.

Hendrix shot 5-for-9 from the floor and added three rebounds, two blocks, a steal and a assists, while senior center Tiyonda Davis added 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting with nine rebounds, six blocks, four steals and two assists.

Senior forward Jeremica Edwards added 11 rebounds, eight points and two steals, while Lauren "Gaby" Moss added eight points and three rebounds.

After a Hendrix made jumper to start the game to give SSU a 2-0 lead with 8:53 remaining in the first quarter, Alabama State scored the next four points to take a two-point lead, 4-2, with 7:44 left. Savannah State scored 10 of the next 15 points to capture a three-point lead, 12-9, but after a Hornet layup to cut the lead to a point, 12-11, with 2:13 remaining, a made free throw by Davis with 1:46 to go gave SSU a two-point lead, 13-11, after one quarter.

The Hornets, who won the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship last season, scored the first four points in the second quarter to take a two-point lead, 15-13, with 7:48 remaining in the quarter, but Savannah State scored five of the next eight points to take a three-point lead, 18-15, with 6:26 left in the first half. Alabama State scored the next three points to tie the game at 18 with 4:50 remaining, but the Lady Tigers scored eight of the final 10 points to take a six-point, 26-20, halftime lead.

Savannah State scored six of the first eight points of the third quarter to take a 12-point lead, 34-22, with 5:51 remaining in the quarter, but Alabama State scored the final five points of the quarter to cut the lead to seven points, 34-27, after three quarters.

After a Hornet made free throw to begin the fourth quarter to cut the SSU's lead to six points, 34-28, the Lady Tigers scored the next 11 points to increase their lead to 17 points, 45-28, with 6:02 left. Alabama State scored 11 of the next 15 points to cut the lead to 10 points, 49-39, with 2:47 remaining in the game, but Savannah State scored the final five points of the game to win by 15 points.

The Hornets were led by Daniele Ewert with 11 points, Tatyana Calhoun with eight points and seven rebounds and Britney Wright with seven points and six rebounds.

The Lady Tigers return to action in a week with a trip to Ames, Iowa
to face Iowa State University Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. ET.

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