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LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Natahnee Spencer scored 20 points and made five 3-pointers to lead NAIA No. 7 Lewis-Clark State to a 68-49 women's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the last of three Friday games at the Las Vegas Shootout.
The Warriors (7-0) outscored the Gold Nuggets (3-3) in every quarter but dominated most in the second period. LCSC won that quarter 24-11 and outscored XULA 13-0 in the final four minutes to take a 39-24 halftime lead.
Brittany Tackett had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors, Megan Risinger grabbed 11 rebounds, and Caelyn Orlandi — an NAIA second-team All-American last season — had eight assists and three steals.
Freshman Maya Trench scored a career-high 11 points for XULA. The 5-foot-2 point guard also grabbed a team-best six rebounds — twice as many as the Gold Nuggets' post players combined — and had six assists and three steals. Mikayla Bates scored a career-high-tying 10 points, and Terriel Ross scored nine.
XULA dropped its third in a row. The Gold Nuggets' points and .268 field-goal percentage were season lows, and their minus-22 rebound margin was their worst of the last 11 seasons. LCSC won the boards 59-37. There was a positive statistic for the Nuggets — their 14 turnovers were a season low.
LCSC shot 36.8 percent from the floor and made 18-of-33 free throws to XULA's 6-of-9.
All three Frontier Conference teams won Friday. Rocky Mountain defeated Northwest Christian 70-52, and 25th-ranked Carroll (Mont.) beat Arizona Christian 70-63. XULA will play Carroll at 5 p.m. PST Saturday. BOX SCORE
ELSAH, Illinois -- Maliya Vaughan and Christopher August were Xavier University of Louisiana's fastest finishers Saturday in the NAIA Cross Country National Championships.
Vaughan, a sophomore in her first collegiate season in this sport, ran 5,000 meters in 20 minutes, 6.05 seconds to place 268th out of 334 runners. It's the second-fastest time ever by a Gold Nugget at nationals. Vaughan finished about 37 seconds against of teammate Taylor Price, the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference champion who was XULA's top runner in the first five meets this season. Price had beaten Vaughan by about 37 seconds in the GCAC meet.
August, a senior in his last cross country competition for XULA, placed 301st out of 331 men, and his 8K time of 28:32.5 was the fastest by a Gold Rush runner at nationals since 2012.
Price was 292nd in 20:43.28. Also finishing for the Gold Nuggets were Dionysia Love (300th, 21:00.97), Brianna Pace (318th, 21:53.8), Imani Walker (333rd, 25:44.54) and Bi'Shan Caston (334th, 28:32.04).
The other Gold Rush finishers were Clydarius Everett (325th, 31:07.3), Darrick Williams (329th, 32:16.1), Oji Wells (330th, 34:07.1) and Ammiel Wiliams (331st, 35:37.5).
XULA's men and women both finished last in team scoring. The Gold Rush scored 1,228 points to finish 37th, and the Gold Nuggets were 36th with 1,112 points. The team champions were the women of British Columbia (90 points) and the men of Southern Oregon (122 points). Individual champions were Oklahoma City's Aminat Olowora with a women's meet record of 16:24.28 and Bacone's Jackson Thomas in 23:50.2. Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
Washington, D.C. -- Anthony Philyaw rushed for a school-record 281 yards and two TDs and William Parker added 107 and two more to lead Howard to a 26-21 win over Delaware State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference finale at Greene Stadium. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Bison (2-9, 2-6 in the MEAC) while the Hornets (0-11, 0-8 in the MEAC) finished the season winless.
Philyaw, a junior from Redondo Beach, CA, who came into the game needing 51 yards to reach the 1,000-yard plateau for the first time in his career, set the tone early when he capped off a 97-yard drive with a 45-yard burst off the right side that gave his team the early 7-0 lead.
The Hornets had perhaps a future Philyaw in freshman running back Mike Waters, who accounted for all of the yards in 49-yard drive six minutes to tie the score at 7.
On a day when passing was not an option with the wind gusts, both teams stuck to the ground game. On Howard's next possession, William Parker began to get into the act when he finished off a 64-yard drive with 54-yard jaunt. The PAT failed but the Bison led, 13-7.
Philyaw was at it again when he finished off a six-play, 80-yard drive with 23-yard dash at the 9:52 mark of the second quarter.
Delaware would come right back with a drive of its own and it was Waters again, this time from 43 yards to make it 20-14 Howard at the half.
The Hornets made some adjustments to start the second half and it paid off as they held Howard and Philyaw in check enough to take the lead for the first time in the game at 21-20 at the 8:04 mark of the third quarter.
From there, the Bison put together plays to help decide the outcome. First there was a career-best 72-yard punt by Damon Gillespie that changed the field position and pinned the visitors at their own one-yard line and forcing a three-and-out.
Howard took advantage of the field position with eight plays, the last a seven-yard run by Parker that closed out the scoring.
Waters, who finished with a school-record for a freshman with 224 yards on 30 carries and two TDs, was unable to find the holes in the Bison defense in the fourth quarter.
With the defenses and the wind gusts dictating the game plans, the Howard defense dug in and made the plays.
And when they needed to play keep away, it was Philyaw and Parker who supplied the big runs that moved the chains. Philyaw finished the season with 1,132 yards and 9 TDs.
The 281 yards breaks the old record of 260 held by former All American Harvey Reed in 1987. The 107 was a season best for Parker, who was honored along with 17 of his teammates in the Senior Day presentation.
Ghafona Iduwe, playing in his last game in a Howard uniform, came up big 12 tackles, 10 of them solos and a tackle for a loss and a forced fumble.
Seniors Marques Blanchard (4 tackles, a tackle for a loss and a sack) and Jalen Day (4 tackles, one for a loss) and junior linebacker Elijah Anglin (7 tackles, a tackle for a loss) all took turns securing the win by holding Delaware State scoreless in the fourth quarter.
PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland – In stellar fashion, the Howard volleyball team claimed its second straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship by defeating Florida A&M in four sets (25-20, 25-14, 23-25, 25-20) on Sunday afternoon in Hytche Athletic Center.
Howard will make its second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament by earning the conference's automatic berth.
The Bison (26-5) did not lose to a MEAC opponent during the 2016 season and only dropped four sets to conference foes. Howard is also on a 16-match winning streak heading into the NCAA Tournament.
It is the third year in a row that Howard has beaten FAMU in the MEAC Tournament.
Junior Khaila Donaldson finished the match with her 13th double-double of the season (13 kills, 13 digs). Senior Katherine Broussard posted 11 kills and team-high 18 digs, while junior Jessica Young had 13 kills and a match-best seven blocks.
Sophomore Tamia Dockery had her eighth double-double (41 assists, 10 digs) and senior Morgan Marlbrough scooped up 15 digs. Classmates Dominique Cleggett and Whitney Fields tallied six and five blocks, respectively.
The Bison opened up the championship match on an 8-1 run on a pair of blocks and kills by Fields, Donaldson and Broussard. Howard extended its lead to 17-11 with the help of multiple errors by FAMU. Hard hits by Donaldson and Broussard moved the score to 20-15. Two kills by the Lady Rattlers and an HU error brought FAMU within three, 20-17, and Howard needed to call a timeout. Right back out, Fields came up with a one-handed block to force a FAMU timeout. Young delivered the final strike to take the set, 25-20.
The Lady Rattlers were quick to use a timeout to start the second set after Howard went on a 6-2 run behind two kills from Young, a service ace by Fields and tough spike by Broussard. FAMU had to use its final timeout of the set when the Bison went on another 6-2 run to bring the score to 12-4. Howard refused to slow down after great rallies to push the lead to 21-9. The Lady Rattlers gained momentum on quick points to send Howard to its bench but Cleggett rectified that issue with a kill to close the set, 25-14.
Both teams came out swinging in the third set, which featured eight ties early on. However, the Bison began to pull away, 14-11, which made the Lady Rattlers head to their sideline. FAMU regained the lead on an ace but Cleggett laid the ball down hard to knot the set at 16. The two team exchanged the next eight points. The Lady Rattlers decided to call for time when an attack error put the Bison up by one, 21-20. Three errors by Howard ended the set in favor of FAMU, 25-23.
Howard had to regroup to start the fourth set when FAMU got ahead 9-6. The Bison wouldn't be deterred as they went on an 8-2 run for a 16-14 upper hand. The Lady Rattlers tried to fight back but a scorcher by Donaldson sent them back to their bench and gave Howard a 21-18 lead. Fields helped the Bison to a match-point opportunity with a kill and Dockery served a beautiful ace to win the championship.
Donaldson, Young and Broussard were named to the All-Tournament Team for their performances. Donaldson was also named Outstanding Performer by averaging 3.55 kills and 4.27 digs through three matches in the tournament. Head coach Shaun Kupferberg was selected as Outstanding Coach.
It has been a long road to the championship and the Bison are looking forward to some down time before heading to the Big Dance.
"We get some rest," said Kupferberg. "Most of us have been going at it pretty hard the last couple of weeks to make sure we were ready for this. After we get some rest and relax a little bit, we're going to prepare the same way we always do. Our goal in practices is to make sure we are incrementally better every single day. That's all we're going to keep doing."
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Before each Southern home game, before the team steps out of the tunnel at A.W. Mumford Stadium, coach Dawson Odums starts his cry, and the Jaguars respond in cadence.
“Way down in the valley
I heard a mighty noise
It’s the mighty, mighty Jaguars
Put a whoopin' on them boys
We ain’t gonna stop
Until we reach the top
Move over (opponent)
We gonna kick that a**!”
This is a tradition Odums brought to Baton Rouge from his time at Georgia Southern. It is Southern’s spin on an old Army marching cadence.
Senior offensive lineman Anthony Mosley says it’s a story about being deep in a dark valley filled with nothing but misery — but all you need is one ray of light to find the path to the top.
PINE BLUFF, Arkansas – The Prairie View A&M University football team made its final push for the FCS Playoffs with a dominant 57-7 win at Arkansas-Pine Bluff Saturday afternoon at Golden Lion Stadium.
The Panthers (7-4 overall, 7-2 SWAC) posted their highest point total, highest passing yards total (400) and highest total yardage output (552) of the season in completing the regular season and will now await their playoff fate as the FCS Playoff Selection show airs Sunday at 10 a.m. on ESPNU.
Defensively, the Panthers pitched a shutout, as the Golden Lions' only score came on a kickoff return for touchdown. The defense forced three turnovers while yielding a season low in passing yards (81) and total 239 yards. CB Arthur Lockett returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown.
"For the first time all year, I thought we played well in all three phases," Prairie View A&M head coach Willie Simmons said. "Offensively, we didn't turn the ball over, threw for 400 yards, were able to run the ball in the second half and able to make some explosive plays on that side of the ball. Defensively, aside from a few quarterback runs, we really shut them down. They played really well, flew around all day, forced turnovers, and made a couple of sacks. On special teams, other than allowing the kick return for score, I thought they did a really good job. For the first time all year, I thought we played a complete game and got a win against a formidable opponent playing on Senior Day. Hopefully, we'll have some good fortune tomorrow."
QB Trey Green had season highs in completions (23) and passing yards (400) and threw a career-high five touchdown passes. A trio of scoring passes went to WR Khadarel Hodge, who set a career in TD receptions in catching five passes for 128 yards.
"Trey made a ton of good decisions today," Simmons said. "He really did a good job of sitting in the pocket and delivering the football. You have to tip your hat to the offensive line for making him comfortable so he could deliver those throws. The running backs did a good job picking up pressures, and the receivers did a great job of getting open and making plays. Trey showed why he's capable of being one of the better quarterbacks in this league."
The Panthers scored touchdowns on their first two drives, four of five full first-half possessions, and seven of the first eight possessions in a turnover-free game by the offense.
A nine-play, 92-yard drive set the tone for the day. Green completed all six pass attempts on the drive, the last a nine-yard scoring pass to Darius Floyd for a 6-0 lead with 8:23 to play in the first quarter.
On the ensuing UAPB possession, Lockett made his pick six for a 13-0 lead with just over five minutes to play in the period.
Following a three-and-out forced by the Panther defense, Hodge caught the first of his three scoring passes on the next drive, a 34-yard scoring play that gave Prairie View A&M a 19-0 lead after one period.
In the second quarter, the Panthers covered 80 yards in only three plays. Hodge's 64-yard catch and run for score increased the lead to 26-0 with just over nine minutes to play until halftime.
A UAPB fumble on the ensuing kickoff was recovered by the Panthers' Reggie Stubblefileld. Just three plays later, Demarquo Lastrappe caught 27-yard scoring pass which gave PVAMU a 33-0 lead it would take to halftime.
The Panthers put long scoring drives together on their first three second-half possessions. An eight-play, 70-yard drive ended with the third Green-to-Hodge scoring pass, a four-yard TD pass for a 40-0 lead. A 10-play, 83-yard drive ended with Sta'fon McCray's 13-yard run TD run for a 47-0 lead.
Following the Golden Lions' lone score, the Panthers drove 67 yards in seven plays, capped off by McCray's one-yard scoring run. Armaury Martinez' 37-yard field goal completed the scoring.
DURHAM, North Carolina – North Carolina Central University was tired of sharing. After earning conference co-championships in each of the last two seasons, NCCU captured the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title outright and a bid to the second annual Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl with a 42-21 victory over rival North Carolina A&T State University inside an overflowing O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium on Saturday.
For NCCU (9-2, 8-0 MEAC), the 20th-ranked team in the FCS Coaches Poll, it is the first time in the gridiron program's history the Eagles have won three straight conference championships. And like the previous two, this regular season ends with a triumph over its nationally-ranked rival.
North Carolina A&T (9-2, 7-1 MEAC) entered the contest at No. 9 in the coaches poll and with the nation's fifth-ranked run defense, but NCCU senior quarterback Malcolm Bell and sophomore running back Dorrel McClain combined for 240 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. The Aggies had not allowed a 100-yard rusher all season… until Saturday. Bell rushed for a game-high 131 yards and two touchdowns, while McClain tallied 109 rushing yards with three trips to the end zone.
Bell added 184 yards and a touchdown on 10-for-18 passing to finish with 315 yards of total offense. His scoring toss traveled 24 yards to the left hand – and only the left hand – of junior receiver Khalil Stinson for a spectacular catch. Senior wide receiver LaVontis Smith had a team-best for receptions for 83 yards.
And while the NCCU offense posted the most points against the Aggies since 1984 and the second-most in the 88 match-ups of the series, the Eagles also soared defensively. Tarik Cohen, the nation's third-leading rusher with 1,436 yards prior to Saturday, was held to just 82 yards and an average of on 3.6 yards per carry.
Senior linebacker LeGrande Harley amassed a game-high 10 tackles, including 1.5 of NCCU's eight stops behind the line of scrimmage. Sophomore safety Alden McClellon collected eight takedowns, including a hit for a loss with a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass break-up. Fellow sophomore safety Davanta Reynolds also had eight tackles with 2.5 hits for a loss. Yet another sophomore safety Jaquell Taylor and junior cornerback Mike Jones recorded interceptions for the Eagles.
NCCU has now won 15 in-a-row against MEAC teams and boasts a 21-3 record versus league foes in three seasons under head coach Jerry Mack, including a 3-0 mark against the Aggies.
With the outright MEAC title in hand, the Eagles will prepare to take on the SWAC champion in the second annual Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl inside the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Dec. 17 at 12 noon, televised on ABC.
BOX SCORE NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
HOWARD vs. FAMU -- Championship Game - SUNDAY NOON, (EST) TV: ESPNU
PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — Maryland Eastern Shore’s hopes for a third MEAC Championship were dashed in the MEAC Semifinals in straight sets (17-25, 18-25, 22-25). For the second straight year it was Florida A&M who delivered the knockout punch, as the Rattlers advance to their first title game since 2012.
The Hawks conclude the season with a record of 18-13 while the Rattlers improve to 17-11.
MEAC Co-Rookie of the Year Nicole Abreu narrowly missed a double-double with ten kills and nine digs while registering a .333 hitting percentage. Libero Valentina Carrasco delivered a match high 15 digs while setter Elena Dimitrova assisted on 22 of the Rattlers’ 33 kills, while supplying six kills on nine attempts with only one error. Dei’Ja Martin blocked six Hawk attempts, one of them solo.
For the Hawks, sophomore Rachel Kayongo put forth a match high 12 kills, adding two digs and a block assist. Freshman setter Ivana Blazevic earned 24 assists and sophomore libero Koya Sowells tallied eight digs.
In what is likely to be her final match as a Hawk, senior Mere Serea added four kills on 11 attempts and finished with a team high three block participations.
Florida A&M will challenge Howard in the 2016 MEAC Volleyball Championship match. The Rattlers are chasing their MEAC best 14th title while Howard is hoping to repeat as conference champions. Match time is set for noon inside the William P. Hytche Athletic Center on Maryland Eastern Shore’s campus.
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- It was the true freshman Dominique Newman who took control of the game in the second half, but it was senior Jeronia Allen who knocked down the buzzer-beater to lift the Prairie View A&M women's basketball team to a thrilling 66-64 victory over Bethune-Cookman Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Panthers (2-1) rallied from a 22-point third-quarter deficit to defeat the Lady Wildcats (1-3).
"My team really fought today," PVAMU head women's basketball coach Ravon Justice said. "We knew coming into this game it was going to be a challenge. I know that we aren't the type of team that's going to lay down and quit and we fought through every possession and tonight we had a lot of fight in us."
Coming off the bench, Newman took center stage when the game was on the line. She finished with 18 points, three rebounds, two assists, and one steal before fouling out of the game. During a critical stretch Newman stayed consisted scoring all 18 of her points in the second half, going 6-for-6 from three-point range.
"That is what Dom (Dominique) does," Justice said. "She knocks down shots when we need her to. She does that a lot in practice. We do drills to stop the shot, but she's always the person that makes it. I know for everybody else it's exciting to see her, but we expect moments like that from our freshman."
Allen scored 14 points, had seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal, including 6-of-8 at the free throw line.
The Lady Panthers could never establish a rhythm over the first two quarters, as they trailed 33-15 at halftime.
"At halftime, they kind of got away from us (Bethune-Cookman)," said Justice. "We got away from doing what we do and during the halftime we talked about the fact that we need to get back to doing things that we do well. We need to create shots for teammates and made adjustments."
After falling behind by 22 early in the second half, PVAMU put together an 18-8 run to get back in them game, outscoring the Wildcats 20-16 in that quarter.
The Lady Panthers pulled to within three at the 1:11 mark (64-61) a steal by La'Sha Haynes caused Bethune-Cookman to foul placing Allen on the charity stripe line. She hit both free throws knotting the score at 64 with 36 seconds remaining.
A Cookman player missed layup allowed Alexus Parker of the Lady Panthers to pull down her seventh rebound, taking PV to the other end of the court. Coach Justice called a timeout with four seconds remaining.
On a Haynes in bound pass to Tori Cater, Carter handed the ball off to Allen who was able to get the ball out of her hands right before the buzzer went off.
"When the shot was coming off my hands I knew I wanted to win and so I took the shot," said Allen. "I felt like the shot was going in."
In addition to Newman and Allen, PV got several other winning performances. Mariah Campbell finished with a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) and one block shot. Parker scored 10 points, had two assists and one steal. Carter had eight points, four rebounds, five assists, one block shot and one steal to add to the success of the win for Prairie View A&M.
PVAMU will head to Dallas to take on SMU for a 5:30 tip on Tuesday.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The Tennessee State University women’s basketball team used a strong fourth quarter to defeat Arkansas State, 76-66, in the home opener Saturday afternoon in the Gentry Center.
Diamond Beatty led TSU offensively with a career-high 23 points. She made five triples and shot 50 percent from long range. Jayda Johnson finished the game with 19 points, six steals and four rebounds while I’mani Davis posted a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Arkansas State fell to 0-3 on the season and had three players score in double-digits.
The game was tied 16-16 in when six straight points from Arkansas State made the score, 22-18, in favor of the visitors at the end of the first quarter.
In the second frame, empty possessions and turnovers led to TSU falling behind by double-digits, 38-26. The Lady Tigers began showing signs of life when a three-pointer by Diamond Beatty sparked a 14-0 run that put the Lady Tigers on top, 40-38. TSU knocked down three triples and held ASU scoreless over a span of five minutes to go into the break with the lead.
The Red Wolves knotted the game at 40-all early in the third quarter and from there the teams traded buckets. The lead changed for the ninth time when Beatty drove the lane and dropped in a lay-up.
On the next play, Maxine Beard found Jayda Johnson in the paint to give TSU a slight, 50-47, advantage just before the media timeout.
Following the break, both teams went cold on the offensive end as neither team made a field goal for the next four minutes. TSU led 52-49 heading into the final quarter.
The back and forth battled continued in the fourth frame and the teams played to a 54-54 tie with just over seven minutes on the clock.
At the 5:13 mark, Diamond Beatty sank a jumper to give TSU a 61-57 cushion before I’mani Davis scored to put TSU on top, 68-61, with 1:51 remaining.
A steal and break-away lay-up by Jayda Johnson with 49.3 seconds gave TSU an eight point advantage and essentially put the game out of reach.
TSU shot 42.9 percent from the field, including 43.8 percent from beyond the arc. The Lady Tigers made 11-of-16 from the free-throw line and scored 28 points off of turnovers.
The Lady Tigers return to action after Thanksgiving at the Lady Rebel Classic hosted by UNLV, Nov. 26-27. BOX SCORE PHOTO GALLERY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
BALTIMORE, Maryland – Coach Fred Batchelor and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Women’s Basketball team shot 58-percent (11-of-19) from beyond the arc as they took down in-state foe UMBC, 70-57, inside the RAC Arena.
With the victory, Eastern Shore improved to 2-1 while the Retrievers suffered their first loss of the season (2-1).
The Shore led from start to finish as UMBC never took the lead.
Overall, the Hawks shot a respectable 43-percent (24-of-56) from the floor and took care of the ball with only seven giveaways.
All 10 Hawks who played scored, led by sophomore guard Ciani Byrom (Winston-Salem, N.C.) registering a game-high 19 points and nine dimes. Additionally, the North Carolina product recorded four long balls in the win.
More than a minute into the second half, junior guard Alexus Hicks (Raleigh, N.C.) delivered a trey ball and gave Eastern Shore a six-point advantage, 36-30. UMBC battled back and trimmed the margin down to one, 39-38, after a layup from Amanda Hagaman.
In the third, Byrom’s hot hand kept The Shore ahead as she scored 14 of her 19 points in the period. After three, the Hawks held a six-point lead, 55-49.
After a made layup from the Retrievers’ Lakiah Sims to open the fourth, 55-51, Maryland Eastern Shore scored 11 unanswered, capped off by a layup from senior Mariah McCoy (Rock Hill, S.C.), 66-51. At that point, the Hawks were in control and never looked back as they won, 70-57.
Other notable Hawk performances included center Tori Morris (Herndon, Va.) scoring a season-high 10 points while McCoy and Keyera Eaton (Winston-Salem, N.C.) each tallied nine points in the victory.
For UMBC, they were held to under 33-percent (20-of-61) from the field. Pandora Wilson led the way with 17 points and seven boards. Sims came off the bench and added 10 points. Taylor McCarley, America East All-Conference selection, was held to only five points on 2-of-7 shooting in the loss.
Next up (Nov. 21), The Shore concludes its brief three-game road swing in Raleigh, N.C. where the North Carolina State Wolfpack awaits. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Season tickets for the 2016-2017 season are on sale now starting at just $125, for all men’s and women’s home games. Did you know that a purchasing a season ticket helps all sports at Maryland Eastern Shore, not just basketball? To purchase season tickets, click here. For more information about the 1ticKet Drive, log on to the web at www.easternshorehawks.com or call 410-651-6499. It’s time to show your #HawkPride! BOX SCORE
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE SPORTS INFORMATION
BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Junior guard Tiwian Kendley recorded a career high double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds to help lead the Morgan State Bears to an 82-66 win over the Campbell Fighting Camels this afternoon at Hill Field House.
Campbell scored six of the first eight points of the game before the Bears responded with a 19-4 spurt. It was led by junior forward Phillip Carr, who had a perfect night on the court, making all seven of his field goal attempts. One from three-point range and he also converted his six chances from the free throw line. Carr's three-point play gave the Bears a 21-10 advantage with 11 minutes remaining in the first half. Carr scored 21 points on the afternoon for Morgan State.
Morgan State (2-2) led 37-26 at halftime.
The Bears would be ahead by as much as 18 in the second half on a Carr lay-up, giving the Bears a 61-43 lead with 8:49 remaining in the game.
But Campbell (1-2) would respond by going on an 11-2 run in a close to two minute stretch. This was due to the play of Campbell guard Chris Clemons. Clemons, who led Campbell with 21 points, sunk a couple of deep three-point shots from just beyond the NBA three-point line. Shane Whitfield's three-point play cut the Morgan State advantage to 63-54 with 7:07 left in the game.
"He is an outstanding player," MSU coach Todd Bozeman said about Clemons. "To me, he is phenomenal and a super athlete. We were trying to make sure he didn't just beat us by himself."
But the Bears buckled down after that and put the Fighting Camels away by scoring nine of the next 11 points. It started on a three-pointer by freshman David Syfax and ended on a Kendley short jumper with 4:27 left, extending the Morgan State lead to 72-56.
"Tiwain has got a skill set," said Bozeman. "I was trying to get him to develop more of his game and think the game more. Mentally he could grow so much more. But he is a very talented young man. The thing I already knew about him was that he could get to the free throw line. That's a skill in itself. So that's something coaches look at."
Campbell didn't threaten the Bears again in the game. Morgan State out-rebounded the Fighting Camels 47-36 and the defense produced 10 steals and three blocked shots.
The Bears hit the road for a couple of games, first heading to Providence, Rhode Island for a showdown with Brown on Wednesday evening at 4 pm. BOX SCORE COURTESY MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
HOUSTON, Texas — DeVante Kincade threw three touchdown passes, Jestin Kelly and Martez Carter each rushed for over 100 yards, and Grambling State ended the game on a 40-point run to beat Texas Southern 47-28 on Saturday night.
Grambling State (9-1, 8-0 SWAC), which has won 17 straight in conference, trailed 28-7 after Texas Southern scored three second-quarter touchdowns in less than three minutes.
But Kincade threw touchdown passes of 34 and 72 yards to Verlan Hunter in a 21-second span, pulling the Tigers to 28-21 and capping a run of four combined touchdowns in 53 seconds for both teams. Jonathan Wallace hit a pair of field goals, and Kincade threw his third TD pass to Dominique Leake with 11 seconds left in the half to give Grambling a 33-28 halftime lead.
Carter and Kelly each scored on TD runs in the second half to salt the game away.
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania -- A buzzer-beating three-pointer from Texas Southern guard Dulani Robinson lifted the Tigers a 77-76 victory over the La Salle men's basketball team on Saturday afternoon at Gola Arena. Junior B.J. Johnson led the Explorers with 24 points while senior Cleon Roberts came off the bench to score 16 points on a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor.
The first half saw Texas Southern jump out to a 13-point lead nearly midway through the period, before Johnson started the comeback for La Salle. Five straight points by the Philadelphia native cut the margin to single digits at 23-15, and his pass on the next possession found junior Pookie Powell for three to put the score at 23-18.
With the deficit still at five, Roberts drained a three-pointer from the right corner before another three from Johnson brought the Explorers to within one at 29-28 with 4:44 to go in the half. Another trifecta from the left-handed Johnson, off a pass from senior Jordan Price, gave La Salle its first lead of the game at 33-31. The home team entered the locker room with a slim 35-34 advantage at halftime.
A layup from TSU's Derrick Griffin gave the visitors a 46-41 cushion less than four minutes into the second period, but the Explorers came back again thanks in large part to Johnson and Roberts. Three free throws from Johnson and a layup from Roberts comprised a 5-0 spurt to knot the contest at the 15:25 mark.
The score remained tied a minute later before Roberts drilled another three-ball to push La Salle on top, 51-48. The contest remained close the rest of the way, as neither team could gain much breathing room. A three-pointer from Kevin Scott gave Texas Southern a 62-59 lead, but Roberts responded himself with a tough jumper in the paint and a three-pointer that tied the game at 68-68.
After junior Amar Stukes drove the lane to give the Explorers a two-point lead, four straight points from Johnson bumped La Salle's advantage to 74-69 with 1:23 on the clock. Zach Lofton responded with a layup then, after a missed dunk by the Explorers, hit a contested jumper in the paint on the fast break to bring the Tigers to within 74-73.
La Salle drained the shot clock all the way down and Powell was fouled with 7.7 seconds left and the Explorers clinging to a one-point lead. The junior drained both to up the lead back to 76-73, and a foul put Scott at the line with 5.1 on the clock for Texas Southern. Scott made just one, but La Salle missed on another free throw at the other end leading to the last-second heroics by Robinson.
Five different players scored in double figures for Texas Southern, led by Robinson's 17 points. The Explorers had an impressive 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio but were outrebounded by a 35-25 margin.
La Salle returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 27 at Drexel in a matinee that is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. BOX SCORE LASALLE UNIVERSITY EXPLORERS ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
LORMAN, Mississippi -- It looked to all the world like Jackson State was primed for the upset in the annual rivalry game against Alcorn State on Saturday.
The Tigers, already saddled with a losing record and with nothing to lose, led the Braves at the half and were coming up with answers for everything Braves coach Fred McNair was throwing at them.
Then came the play of the game.
Alcorn's LaDarrien Davis busted through the line and got a hand on Christian Jacquemin’s punt, and Solomon Muhammad scooped the loose ball and went 59 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
The play gave the Braves all the momentum as they cruised the rest of the way to a 35-16 win over JSU.
“It was huge,” McNair said. “It changed the momentum of the game. We got another big stop after that, got a quick score and never looked back.”
The Braves (5-5, 5-4 SWAC) overcame their mistakes and took advantage of a couple by Jackson State.
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Missouri -- Ronald Butler found Patrick Smith for a 14-yard touchdown pass with 16 seconds remaining in regulation to give Tennessee State a 32-31 come from behind victory at Southeast Missouri State on Saturday afternoon. With the win the Tigers close out the regular season at 7-4 overall, 4-3 in Ohio Valley Conference play, while Southeast Missouri falls to 3-8, 3-5 in the OVC.
SEMO used a 26 yard field goal from Ryan McCrum to extend its lead to 31-25 with 2:48 left on the clock. The Redhawks then received a big tackle on the ensuing kickoff, pinning the Tigers at the 12 yard line.
Butler opened the drive with a 23 yard strike to Smith for some breathing room as the junior receiver stepped out of bounds at the 35. Two plays later the duo teamed up again, this time for 28 yards moving TSU to the SEMO 32. After a pair of running plays, Butler found Steven Newbold for 13 yards on a third-and-five, which put TSU at the 14 yard line. Two plays later Butler connected with Smith to even the score at 31-31. Lane Clark added the extra point giving TSU the one point advantage.
The Redhawks tried a long pass play on the final play of the game, but senior Ezra Robinson pulled down his fifth interception of the season to secure the win. The Tigers had gone four games without a pick, after collecting 12 in the first six games of the season.
Smith finished the game with a career high 11 catches as he went for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
Butler closed out his career completing 18-of-34 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns. Butler cemented himself in the TSU record books finishing seventh in passing attempts (678), eighth in completions (385) and seventh in touchdown passes (43).
SEMO jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead with a score on the opening drive of the game. The Tigers needed to wait a couple series before pulling even when Butler found Mahlon Medley from a yard out.
The Tigers earned their first lead of the game as Clark converted on a 46 yard field goal for a 10-7 lead just before the end of the first quarter.
SEMO used the first of three field goals from McCrum to knot things up at 10-10, 3:11 before half time.
The Tigers moved quickly down the field, keyed by a 20 yard pass from Butler to Newbold, giving the offense a chance to put more points on the board. The drive would stall setting up a Clark 49 yard attempt into the wind. The Hays, Kan. native drilled a low kick over the cross bar with room to spare as TSU jumped in front 13-10.
The kick capped off a terrific junior campaign, as it entered the record books as the eighth longest in school history. The mark goes along with four others on the season including the top three (57, 55, 54) to go along with the fifth longest at TSU (52).
Clark’s eight points on the day gives him 89 on the season, trailing only Jamin Godfrey (97) from 2013 for most points for a kicker in a single season. The kicker’s 17 made field goals in 2016 fell one short of Godfrey’s 18 in 2013.
After a McCrum field goal, the Tigers regained its lead in the third quarter as Butler once again found Medley in the middle of the field for a 38 yard scoring play. The touchdown was the second on the day for Medley and third of the season. The sophomore tight end caught three balls for 58 yards. The point after was blocked, leaving the score at 19-13.
The Redhawks stormed back to take a 20-19 advantage heading into the final stanza. TSU needed just over a minute in the final quarter to move back on top as Butler and Smith got together for a one yard touchdown pass in the back corner of the end zone. The two-point attempt failed leaving the Tigers ahead, 25-20.
The score tipped off an electric fourth quarter for the 3,117 in attendance which sat in temperatures in the 40’s. The Redhawks took advantage of a bad snap by the TSU special teams to move down and score, as well as converting on the two-point play to take a 28-25 lead.
SEMO would then use another miscue as a punt went off a TSU defender giving them the ball deep in Tigers territory, setting up the final field goal by McCrum.
Defensively, the Tigers were led by Chris Collins who finished with 10 tackles and assisted on a pair of tackles for loss. David Kamara added nine tackles, three for loss.
TSU received a big rushing performance from freshman Earl Harrison. The running back recorded career highs with 23 attempts and 168 yards. The Memphis, Tenn. native busted through the middle for an apparent 68 yard scoring run, but was negated by a penalty which was assessed at the two yard line. The 66 yard run is the longest for any TSU running back this season.
Freshman Chris Rowland amassed 93 yards in kickoff returns giving him 965 for the season, setting a new TSU single season record. Rowland surpassed Avion Black’s 958 yards in 1999.
Rowland came up just short of the combined return yard mark of 1,090 for 2016. Rowland will finish the regular season second in the nation with 1,076 yards in kickoff and punt returns.
NOTES: Sunny and 47 degrees with winds at six mph at kickoff… Captains: Thomas Burton, Ronald Butler, Lane Clark and Chris Collins… Tennessee State won the toss and deferred to the second half; Southeast Missouri chose to receive… official kickoff time is 1:01 p.m…. Butler passed Gilbert Renfroe (1982-85) in completions (370) and James Wade (1989-92) in scoring passes (41) at TSU… the win was the first for the Tigers after trailing after three quarters (1-4); the Big Blue finished a perfect 6-0 on the season when bring a lead into the final quarter…
MURFREESBORO, Tennessee -- For the first time since Jan. 19, 1994, the Tennessee State men’s basketball team earned a road win at Middle Tennessee, defeating the reigning Conference USA Champions by a 74-63 final score at the Murphy Center on Saturday night.
Wayne Martin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) secured a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Jordan Reed (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Tahjere McCall (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored 23 and 16 points, respectively.
The win moves TSU to 4-0 for the third time since moving to Division I prior to the 1976-77 season. With the loss, MTSU falls to 2-1. TSU’s last win over the Blue Raiders came on Nov. 20, 2000 at the Gentry Center.
After trailing by as many as seven points on a three from MTSU’s Edward Simpson with 7:02 left in the first half, TSU was able to cut the deficit down to two on a number of occasions before halftime.
On the final play of the first half, Reed cleaned up a Martin miss with a tip-in at the buzzer to trim the Blue Raiders’ lead down to 30-28 heading to the locker room. Martin picked up a first-half double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Reed led the way with 13 points.
TSU cut the MTSU advantage down to one point at 35-34 on a jumper by McCall 2:30 into the second half. A free throw from Darreon Reddick (Belleville, Ill.) with 15:14 on the clock tied the game at 37-37, but the Blue Raiders quickly responded, retaking the lead on the next possession.
Reddick’s three-pointer with 9:30 left gave TSU its first lead of the night at 47-46. Later in the half, trailing 50-49, the Tigers went on a 10-0 run capped by a Martin layup for a 59-50 lead with 6:12 left. In the second half, TSU finished 18-for-22 from the free throw line with Reed going 6-for-6 at key moments of the game.
MTSU was led by 18 points by JaCorey Williams.
For the game, the Tigers shot 51.1 percent (24-for-47) and held a 36-25 rebounding edge.
TSU continues its road swing at Canisius in Buffalo, N.Y. on Nov. 23.
GAME NOTES: TSU improves to 17-38 in the all-time series… TSU’s last win in Murfreesboro came on Jan. 19, 1994… MTSU had won 10 in a row in the series. The last time TSU beat MTSU was Nov. 20, 2000… TSU earned its third 4-0 start at the Division I level and first when all four opponents are D-1… Wayne Martin picked up his 12 career double-double and second of the season.
TSU Head Coach Dana Ford
“Very proud of our guys today. I thought they really competed on the glass. Obviously on the defensive end, where we kind of make a name for ourselves, I thought they tried the best that they could by trying to execute the game plan. I can’t say enough about how proud I am of them today. Also, we have so much respect for (MTSU). A lot of times when we’re out recruiting, we’re measuring ourselves to the standard of this program. I want to make sure I let that be known too.”
- Opening statement
“Tahjere McCall, he was the defensive player of the year in our conference. He can guard anybody, in my opinion, on the perimeter. Any guard in the country, he can guard him. We just wanted to really limit his touches. I know McCall spent a lot of time on him in the first half when he made a couple baskets, we weren’t helping McCall. In the second half, we started helping him a little more. We just wanted to limit his touches and put our best defender on him.”
- On guarding MTSU’s Giddy Potts
“For our alums, that means a lot to them. Coach Davis has been here for 15 years, which is too long to not beat someone in my personal opinion. For our team, it’s a good win for us today, for sure. It’s a really good win for us, but it’s one of those things where we can now relax because we did it. But again, for our university, some of our former players, our alums, I’m happy for them today that they could experience a win.”
- On TSU beating MTSU for the first time since 2000
NEWBERRY, South Carolina — In the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs, Tuskegee jumped out to an 11-point second-quarter lead on the road and held on to defeat No. 14 Newberry 35-33 on Saturday.
The Golden Tigers (9-2) scored 21 second-quarter points to take control. Jamarcus Ezell threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Javarrius Cheatham, Kevin Lacey threw an 18-yard TD pass to Cheatham and Jerome Lewis scored on a 1-yard run to give Tuskegee a 21-10 halftime lead.
After Newberry (10-2) cut the lead to 21-20 in the third quarter, Kenny Gant scored on a 49-yard touchdown run.
In the fourth quarter, after Newberry cut the lead to 35-33, Lacey threw a 7-yard pass to Cheatham, and the lead was extended to 35-26.
Braxton Ivery threw a 25-yard pass to Markell Castle to cut Tuskegee’s lead to 35-33 with 3:57 left.
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern extended its win streak to eight games in dominating fashion, beating Mississippi Valley State 55-0 in its 2016 home finale.
Dominating might not be strong enough of a word. Southern (8-2, 8-0) held MVSU (1-10, 1-8) to just 68 yards of total offense as it rolled up 555 yards of its own.
“Tonight, it was like something clicked with our guys, and what a perfect time for it to happen,” Odums said. “You want to be playing inspired football, motivated football, in November.”
The defense turned in its first shutout against a SWAC team since 2008 against Alabama State, and it the Delta Devils didn’t really get close enough to sniff a point. The Jaguars allowed just six first downs in the game, and MVSU ran a grand total of four plays in Southern territory.
The Delta Devils’ longest drive of the game was an eight-play, 18-yard slog that ended in a fumbled snap by the punter.
When getting his first look at his team’s defensive performance in the box score after the game, Odums asked, “You sure that ain’t a misprint?”
ORLANDO – Florida A&M’s season came to an end – for the sixth year in a row – with a loss to Bethune-Cookman in the Florida Classic.
Bethune-Cookman’s defense stymied redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Stanley, who turned the ball over twice, and the Wildcats topped the Rattlers 39-19 in front of 45,372 fans on Saturday here in Camping World Stadium.
It was by far Stanley’s worst start as the quarterback of the Rattlers – not counting the game against NCCU that was played in the remnants of Hurricane Hermine. He finished the game 11-of-25 passing for 84 yards, no touchdowns, an interception and a lost fumble.
“Things were executed the way we wanted,” Stanley said. “I didn’t execute. We didn’t execute. We had little spurts, here and there. But overall, we just didn’t get it done.”
He was also crushed by B-CU cornerback Elliot Miller and came out of the game midway through the fourth quarter. He threw an interception on that play, which led to a B-CU touchdown drive that put the game out of reach.
BROOKVILLE, New York — There was no quit in Winston-Salem State, but that was about the only consolation it could take after 10th-ranked Long Island Post held on for a 48-41 win on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the Division II playoffs.
The Rams had their eight-game win streak snapped thanks to a Pioneers offense that sliced and diced through their defense most of the game. Not until the fourth quarter did the Rams nearly come back from a 24-point deficit.
With 1:08 left in the third quarter, the Pioneers (12-0) scored on their third straight possession of the second half to take a 48-24 lead.
“We didn’t quit or didn’t give up and I told those guys if you play your butts off for 60 minutes I’ll coach my butt off for 60 minutes,” coach Keinus Boulware of the Rams said. “That’s what I kept telling them on the sidelines toward the end of the third quarter.”
The Rams, behind quarterback Rod Tinsley and running back Kerrion Moore, found some room in the fourth quarter to mount a comeback. Moore rushed for a short touchdown, before Will Johnson made a 28-yard field goal to cut it to 48-34 with 6:32 left in the game.
ORLANDO, Florida -- As a senior, Trevin Huff knows just how big a moment it is to win the Florida Classic.
“It’s a real big deal,” the Bethune-Cookman right tackle said Saturday following his team’s 39-19 win over Florida A&M at Camping World Stadium. It was the programs sixth consecutive win over the Rattlers — the longest streak in school history.
“You come to Bethune-Cookman and you see all the alumni and they make a big deal of it and that’s the only game they really talk about,” Huff said of the intense rivalry between the two historically black universities. “This is a great feeling.”
After opening the season with five consecutive losses, B-CU (4-5, 4-3 MEAC) now has won four in a row and could improve to .500 with a win over South Carolina State next week. Much of the credit for the team’s turnaround can attributed to seniors like Huff.
“That was a group that helped keep our team together,” Bethune-Cookman coach Terry Sims said. “Going through all this and having 16 guys out at one time, down to our fourth-string quarterback at one point in time. They never hung their heads. Our days of practices were the same when we were 0-5 as they were at the start of the season.
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- The story of Joe Thomas Sr. is one of resilience and overcoming the odds. Thomas, who is more than 30 years older than any of his teammates, is getting a second chance to play a young man’s game — a chance the sharecropper’s son missed out on in his youth. Thomas was raised in Blackville, South Carolina, a small town about 40 minutes from Orangeburg, where South Carolina State’s campus is located. Throughout his childhood, Thomas was partially deaf, but a doctor helped him clear his ears when he was 17. During his junior and senior seasons at Blackville High School, he was a star defensive lineman and a promising running back. But he did not get the opportunity to play college football. Officially, there’s no telling if he’s the oldest Division I football player ever, but we’re pretty confident in saying he is. He has practiced with the team for four years, and on senior day he got his shot. CONTINUE READING
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2016 NCAA Division II Championship Playoffs - 1st. Round
LIU Post (12-0) 48, Winston-Salem State (9-3) 41 Tuskegee (9-2) 35, Newberry (10-2) 33
MEAC
Army 60, Morgan State 3
Norfolk State 17, Hampton 10, Battle of the Bay
Howard 26, Delaware State 21
South Carolina State 32, Savannah State 0
Bethune-Cookman 39, Florida A&M 19 Florida Classic
North Carolina Central 42, North Carolina A&T 21
OVC
Tennessee State 32, Southeast Missouri State 31 SWAC
Grambling State 47, Texas Southern 28
Alcorn State 35, Jackson State 16 Soul Bowl
Prairie View 57, Arkansas Pine Bluff 7
Southern 55, Mississippi Valley 0
#15 Auburn 55, Alabama A&M 0
DURHAM, North Carolina — In the end, as a harsh wind blew N.C. A&T’s season away, the players looked into the skies and saw swirling trash.
A season was all but over, and no one could make any sense of it.
N.C. Central laid waste to A&T’s best-made plans, drilling a wounded football team 42-21 in the final game of the regular season to win the MEAC championship and leave the Aggies to wait another day to see if they’ll play another game.
It was a game that made no sense at all to Tarik Cohen and the Aggies. Rod Broadway slumped into a chair after it ended. The sixth-year A&T coach tried to be philosophical.
“That’s football,” Broadway said. “Sometimes you lose.”
“I don’t know,” said Cohen, his voice trailing off.
Broadway had built his team for days like this. CONTINUE READING
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Natahnee Spencer scored 20 points and made five 3-pointers to lead NAIA No. 7 Lewis-Clark State to a 68-49 women's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the last of three Friday games at the Las Vegas Shootout.
