Lincoln Men Ready for the Show Me State Classic

Complete Game Notes

Game #8: Harris Stowe (2-5*)  vs. Lincoln (5-2)
Date: Saturday, December 3, 2016
Time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Site: Hyland Arena (3,000) in St. Charles, Mo.
Tickets: General Admission - $10
Live Stats: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/lincoln/
* - Harris Stowe Plays on Dec. 1

THE TIP OFF:  The Blue Tigers will be back at a neutral site this Saturday (Dec. 3) as the Lincoln men's basketball team plays Harris Stowe at 3:00 p.m. CST. The game will be played at Hyland Arena on Lindenwood University's campus in St. Charles, Mo., and will be LU's final non-conference test before the Blue Tigers open MIAA play at home next week. The game will be part of the Show Me State Classic, with Lincoln's women's team playing the Hornets beforehand at 1:00 p.m. CST. For both games of the double-header, Lincoln will be the home team.

FAST BREAKS
- This will be the 21st meeting between Harris Stowe and Lincoln, the only two HBCUs in Missouri, in a series that dates back to 1980. The Blue Tigers have a 19-1 lead in the series, with Harris Stowe's lone win coming in the inaugural Show Me State Classic last season.

- Lincoln is 3-0 in neutral site contests this season and has a 5-1 record in such games over the past two years. The lone loss came in the quarterfinals of the MIAA tourney in Kansas City last year. 

- Lincoln is 5-2 on the season, marking its third-best start to a campaign through seven games. LU started the 1984-85 season 7-0 and went 6-1 to open the 2000-01 campaign.

- This marks the first 5-2 start to a season for Lincoln since 1981-82.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Jaylon Smith is one of the best all-around players in the MIAA, averaging 25.0 points and 8.9 rebounds with three double-doubles on the year. Anthony Virdure is averaging 19.9 points and 3.9 assists while Richie Lewisand Maurice Mason are each averaging 8.6 points.

HEAD COACH JOHN MOSELEY:  In his third year as the head coach of Lincoln, Moseley is the first coach to take LU to the postseason since 1986-87. Last season, Moseley led Lincoln to its first winning campaign since 2001-02 and its most league wins since 1980-81. Moseley has coached three All-MIAA honorees, including a second team selection in Anthony Virdure.

LAST TIME OUT:  Every player who dressed for Lincoln scored at least two points and grabbed at least two rebounds as the Blue Tigers rolled to a 105-55 win over Robert Morris-Springfield this past Tuesday (Nov. 29). Anthony Virdure led LU with 18 points and seven assists while Jaylon Smith scored 17. Maurice Mason dropped six dimes and scored 12 points. Darrius Spencerand Tacourrus Mattox each added 11 points while Chase Morfeld provided 10 points.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS:  Jalen Fletcher has a team-best 20.8 scoring average and leads the Hornets in rebounding with 7.3 per contest. Also atop the scoring chart for HSSU are Michael Gregg (10.5 ppg.) and Tyrone Alston (10.3), with Malik Wineglass next at nine points per night. Julian Clarkson leads Harris Stowe in both steals (14) and assists (29).

HSSU HEAD COACH BRION DUNLAP:  An 18-year coaching veteran, Dunlap is in his first year as the head coach of the Hornets. Before coming to Harris Stowe, Dunlap spent five seasons as an assistant at Holy Cross, helping the Crusaders win their first postseason game since 2005. He also has coached at Mount St. Mary's and at the high school level.

MR. SMITH:  Jaylon Smith has been dominant through the non-conference schedule, as he leads LU with 25.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Smith currently ranks among the top-10 in the MIAA in seven categories, including first in scoring and third in rebounding. Smith additionally ranks fourth in steals (2.0) and third in defensive rebounds (6.7).

ANT-MAN:  LU has another dominant scorer in Anthony Virdure, an all-conference second team honoree last season who is averaging 19.6 points per night. Virdure has reached double figures in six of Lincoln's seven games and has reached the 20-point plateau four times.

SCORE!:  Scoring has not been a problem for LU, which is third in the MIAA with 84.4 points per contest this year. Lincoln's +13 scoring margin is the third-best in the league, and has been aided by some hot shooting; the Blue Tigers are second in field goal percentage (.497). 

HOT ROD:  Rod Ollison got the season off to a very hot start, making all four of his shots against Mary before going 8-for-9 from the floor against Minnesota-Crookston. Ollison leads the team with a .677 field goal percentage and is fifth among the Blue Tigers with 6.3 points per game.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME:  Lincoln created a dominant home court advantage last season, as the Blue Tigers went 12-2 in Jason Gym. That total included beating Emporia State in the first round of the MIAA tournament as well as a win over No. 25 Northwest Missouri.

BALL CONTROL:  Lincoln excelled in taking care of the ball last year, as LU entered the post season ranked 17th in Division II in turnover margin (+3.5). Lincoln also was 30th nationally in fewest turnovers per game (11.2) and 74th in DII in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2). The Blue Tigers have been just as good this year, winning the turnover margin in six of their first seven games.

ON THE REBOUND:  Jaylon Smith, who averaged just 4.2 rebounds last year, leads the Blue Tigers with 8.9 rebounds per night this season. Smith grabbed at least nine boards in each of the first six games and has posted a double-double in three of LU's seven contests. Smith currently ranks 48th in NCAA Division II in total rebounds (62) and 53rd in the country in defensive rebounds (6.7).

NATIONAL LEADER:  In addition to his rebound totals, Jaylon Smith is currently seventh in Division II in points per game (25.0), second in total field goals made (67) and eighth in total three-pointers made (26). Smith additionally ranks seventh in total points (175), 21st in double-doubles (three) and 20th in treys made per game (3.7).

BAND OF THIEVES:  Lincoln once again is one of the best teams in creating turnovers in the country, as LU ranks first in the MIAA and 34th nationally with 9.3 steals per game. Lincoln's 65 total steals are the 23rd-most in NCAA Division II. Richie Lewis, who led the MIAA in steals last year, is 14th nationally with 17 total takeaways.

D-D-D-DEFENSE:  A big factor in Lincoln's 5-2 start has been its play defensively. The Blue Tigers have held all seven opponents to under .500 shooting, and have had a better field goal percentage in all but one contest. Lincoln, which is fourth in the MIAA in field goal defense (.413), has also out-rebounded its opponent five times.

BLUE DECEMBER:  Lincoln is heading into the 12th month of the year hoping for a repeat of 2015. Last year, LU went 5-1 during December, including beating Northwest Missouri, which was nationally ranked. As a result of Lincoln's stellar play, the 2015-16 Blue Tigers were named the HERO Sports Division II Team of the Month.

RESERVATIONS:  You can reserve your seats for all of Lincoln's home games today! Reserved seats cost $100 and include admission to all of LU's regular season home games. To purchase your seats, visit www.lincolnu.edu/basketball-tickets.

GEAR UP FOR THE GAME:  Lincoln fans can get everything they need for the game at www.BlueTigersStore.com, the official online store for LU athletics. Everything from jerseys to office supplies can be found on the site, with a portion of all sales going to benefit Lincoln athletics.

NEXT UP:  Lincoln opens MIAA play at home on Thursday (Dec. 8) as LU hosts Missouri Southern for a 7:30 p.m. CST contest.

Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

2016-17 Lincoln Women's Basketball Media Guide Now Online!

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri -- The 2016-17 Lincoln University Women's Basketball Media Guide is now available online. This 64-page publication features player bios, statistics and photos as well as game-by-game results and an expanded MIAA section. This guide also includes an all-time roster as well as Lincoln's career records. The publication additionally contains all-time series records, photos of Blue Tigers past and present and much, much more. All information within this guide is accurate as of Dec. 1, 2016.

2016-17 Lincoln Women's Basketball Media Guide


Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Started from the bottom: GSU seniors eye SWAC title

GRAMBLING — Sometime this weekend, Justin Miller, Chad Williams and the rest of Grambling's senior class will walk out on NRG Field in Houston, take a deep breath and visualize their career path.

They started from the bottom. Now they're at the top. Saturday night, they hope the top includes the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship trophy the Tigers have chased for years.

"We stayed grounded through it all," Grambling wide receiver Chad Williams said. "It's just like now the tables have turned. Everyone looks at you like the little brother you used to pick on, but now we're looking at everybody like we're going to pick on you guys for a change."

To say Grambling was picked on in 2013 would be a nice way of putting it.

Seniors like Williams, Miller, Jestin Kelly, Verlan Hunter, Trey Goins and Trent Scott, to name a few, were either freshmen or redshirt freshman during a season most wanted to forget.

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Southern Jaguars prepare to face Florida A&M Dec. 3

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern men’s basketball looks to secure its first road victory this weekend when they travel seven hours down Interstate 10 to square off with the Florida A&M Rattler in Tallahassee, Fla. Saturday.

Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. Central Time/4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

WATCH LIVE VIDEO

For Associate Head Coach Morris Scott, Saturday's clash between two schools known as perennial rivals in football serves as a homecoming on the hardwood.

“It’s always good to go back home to play a game against your Alma Mater” said Scott, who has been with the SU coaching staff since 2011.

Scott was a star point guard for the Rattlers from 1997-2001 and was known as a defensive pick-pocket averaging over three steals a game throughout his career, which still ranks second in the MEAC in steals with 253.

During his career with the Rattlers, Scott was known as a multi-talented floor general that possessed great hands, quickness on both ends of the floor with tremendous court awareness and knowledge of the game. Fast forward 16 years later, Scott is teaching, mentoring and coaching young men at Southern University who remind him of himself during his days on the hardwood.

For five years, he has worked hard preparing the Jaguars to face a different challenge offensively and defensively every time they hit the court. After being apart of two SWAC tournament titles and two NCAA Tournament Appearances, Scott was blessed to travel to Croatia with Global Sports Organization as Head Coach on a 10-day basketball goodwill tour.

“It was a great experience, being able to take (Trelun Banks and Jared Sam) along with a group of guys taught me a lot."

Through five games, senior forward Prudhomme is the Southwestern Athletic Conference scoring and three-point leader and is coming off a career game knocking down eight 3-point baskets and scoring 37.

“Our guards did a good job attacking the basket giving me good looks to be able to knock down some shots.” said Prudhomme. Jared Sam also recorded his first double-double of the season while Tre’Lun Banks dished out a season high 11 assists.

The Jaguars return to the state of Louisiana to take on the Green Wave of Tulane, Wednesday, December 7th at 7 p.m. before returning home to the F.G. Clark Activity Center to host Loyola-New Orleans on Saturday and Ecclesia College on Sunday.

Both games are scheduled to tipoff at 3 p.m.

Fans are urged to keep current with the Men's Basketball program by following the Jaguars on Twitter at @JaguarHoops.

For more information on Southern University Athletics log on to Gojagsports.com for the latest news, scores, and updates. Fans can also access the latest information on SU Athletics through social media by following @SoutherUsports on Twitter and Instagram or liking the Facebook page at Facebook.com/Southern Jaguars.

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Xavier's Temple earns Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete for 2016

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana volleyball continued its streak of Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes when Kaelan Temple was named to the 2016 team Friday.
     
Temple — a junior biology major and outside hitter/defensive specialist and a graduate of Houston's Lamar High School — is the sixth Gold Nugget in this sport to earn this honor. It's the fourth straight year and the fifth time in seven years that XULA volleyball has one-or-more honorees.
     
Temple is one of 481 — a 12-percent increase from 2015 — from 153 schools to receive the Daktronics-NAIA award this season.
     
Student-athletes are nominated by their institution, must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved junior academic status to qualify for Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete. All-time at XULA, 17 student-athletes in eight sports have earned this award a collective 31 times.
     
This is the fourth volleyball-related academic honor for Temple, who is a two-time member of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Honor Roll and was a second-team Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar a year ago.
     
The Gold Nuggets were 16-17 this year, and for the sixth consecutive season they won GCAC regular-season and tournament championships and qualified for the NAIA National Championship. Temple this season produced 17 kills, nine aces and 123 digs in 23 matches.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Ross nets 18 again, but XULA Nuggets lose to DI opponent

#21 TERRIEL ROSS
#10 ALIYAH BELL

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana — Xavier University of Louisiana's three-game women's basketball winning streak ended Thursday in a 74-55 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette.

Terriel Ross notched a career-high 18 points for the second consecutive game, but she was the only double-figure scorer for the Gold Nuggets (6-6), an NAIA member. The Ragin' Cajuns (3-2) of NCAA Division I had four in double figures, led by Gabby Alexander with 15 points and Jaylyn Gordon with 14.

XULA shot a season-best 43.4 percent from the floor — 51.4 percent in the final three quarters — but was minus-12 in rebounds, minus-14 in personal fouls and minus-6 in turnovers. The Cajuns shot 44.4 percent from the floor and made 21-of-30 free throws to XULA's 7-of-10. The Nuggets did not attempt a free throw in the fourth quarter.

Ross made 9-of-13 from the floor in 24 minutes. Teammates Essence Wells and Aliyah Bell scored nine points apiece, and Bell led the Nuggets with seven rebounds.

Alexander grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Simone Fields had 12 points and Troi Swain 10 for the Cajuns, and both grabbed seven rebounds.

Gordon made back-to-back 3-pointers late in the first quarter to help the Cajuns take a 21-11 lead at the end of the period. XULA and UL Lafayette scored the same amount of points during the next two quarters before the Cajuns pulled away with a 21-12 fourth quarter. Their biggest lead was 20.

A Ross layup with 6:17 remaining cut XULA's deficit to 59-51, but the Cajuns closed the game with a 15-4 run.

The Cajuns never trailed and grabbed the lead for good in the sixth minute after ties at 6 and 8.

The Gold Nuggets will take semester exams Dec. 7-14, then return to the court Dec. 15 against Concordia (Ala.) in a 1 p.m. game at XULA's Convocation Center.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Texas Southern University Mourns the Passing of Tigers Legend, Coach Audrey Ford

HOUSTON, Texas -- The Texas Southern University family mourns the loss of former Alumnus, Coach, and Student-Athlete Audrey Ford.

Ford was a legendary TSU student-athlete who was the school's first athlete to letter in three sports: football, basketball and baseball, for three consecutive years 1950, 1951 and 1952.

When Ford arrived on the Texas Southern University campus in 1950, the football fortunes of the Houston-based school changed dramatically under the tutelage of Coach Alexander Durley.

Ford was TSU's first football player to win All-American honors twice (1952 and 1955) and the only quarterback to lead the Tigers to a national championship, after an undefeated 1952 season.

He was also the first, and only TSU quarterback to pass for 21 touchdowns in a single season (1951 and 1952), and he set the bar for most career passing touchdowns (65), and is tied for single game record in touchdown passes (5).

For his football prowess Ford was inducted into the TSU Football Hall of Fame (2010) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame (1992).

In addition to his impressive football accolades Ford served as TSU's first Volleyball Head Coach (1985-1993) and led the Lady Tigers to five Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships (1986, 1987, 1989, 1990 and 1991).

The legacy of Audrey Ford remains at Texas Southern University where past, present and future student-athletes have been and will be measured. Coach Ford represented TSU with pride, dignity, and honor and for that the Texas Southern University Community will forever be grateful.

Ford's services will be held in Texas City on Saturday, December 3rd at 11:00 am. Please see below for more details.

Viewing from 9:00 am -11:00 am.   The funeral services will begin at 11:00 am following the visitation. Pastor Michael Porter, Sr. officiating. The interment will follow at Houston Memorial Gardens, Pearland, Texas.   Johnson Funeral Home - Houston, Texas

Greater Barbours Chapel Baptist Church
7420 FM 1765
Texas City, Texas 77591
Phone: (409) 935-1100. 

TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSTY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Alcorn, Grambling clash for SWAC football title

HOUSTON, Texas -- Grambling stands in the way of Alcorn State winning a third straight SWAC football championship.

The Braves (5-5) and Tigers (9-1) collide in the SWAC title game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Houston’s NRG Stadium. ESPNU will televise the matchup. A berth in the Dec. 17 Celebration Bowl awaits the winner.



“We're real excited about playing for another SWAC Championship,” Braves coach Fred McNair said. “It's a good matchup. We're getting better. We've got to put our kids in position to make plays, especially when the game's close.”

Grambling hammered Alcorn 43-18 on Sept. 24 at Eddie Robinson Stadium, en-route to an unbeaten 9-0 SWAC slate. Braves quarterback Lenorris Footman was injured against the Tigers. Grambling, which boasts a top-five FCS scoring defense, also held Alcorn to a season-low 168 yards rushing.

“We left some stuff out on the table against Grambling,” McNair said. “We made some critical mistakes. We just have to not make those mistakes. I think we’ve got a lot better since that first game.”

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Morgan State Women’s Basketball To Meet Dayton For First Time On Friday

• LIVE STATS
• LIVE AUDIO
• LIVE VIDEO
• GAME NOTES

DAYTON, Ohio.-- The Morgan State women's basketball team will conclude its road trip this Friday night when it visits the Flyers of the University of Dayton in a non-conference game at 7 p.m. at UD Arena. It will be the first meeting between the two teams.

BEAR CLAWS: Morgan State (1-5) enters the contest on a four-game losing, following a 62-43 loss on Wednesday afternoon at Marshall. Braennan Farrar scored a team-high 14 points and had a game-high three assists and Tykyrah Williams added 11 points, grabbed a team-best six rebounds and had a game-high four steals for the Lady Bears. Morgan State shot just 27.8 percent (15-of-54) for the game, including 2-of-17 (11.8 percent) from three-point range. The Thundering Herd finished the game shooting 18-of-40 45 percent) from the floor and knocked down 10-of-21 (47.6 percent) from beyond the arc. Morgan State forced 17 turnovers out of Marshall and had 10 steals. The Lady Bears held a 15-7 advantage in points off turnovers and outscored the taller Thundering Herd, 20-16 in the paint. Marshall would outrebound Morgan State, 39-29.

A LOOK AT THE FLYERS: Dayton (2-4) has dropped its last three games, including back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech (81-68) and Creighton (56-53), while competing in the Junkanoo Jam in Bimini Islands, Bahamas (Nov. 25-26). Jayla Scaife came off the bench and score a team-best 15 points, while Saicha Grant-Allen scored 12 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in the loss to Creighton. Dayton has four players scoring in double figures with Jenna Burdette leading the way with 10.5 points per game. Scaife (10.4), Kelley Austria (10.3) and Lauren Cannatelli (10.2) are all averaging 10-plus points per game. Alex Harris leads the team with 10 blocks and 7.7 rebounds per outing and JaVonna Layfield is averaging 6.5 boards.   

MSU VS. DAYTON: This will be the first meeting between the two teams.

 Morgan State Notes | Dayton Notes |

NEXT UP: The Lady Bears will return to Baltimore to take on rival the University of Maryland Baltimore County on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. at RAC Arena.

FARRAR NAMED TO PLAZA LIGHTS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Braennan Farrar was named to the Plaza Lights All-Tournament team (Nov. 25-26). Farrar scored a combined 41 points, had five rebounds, six steals and four assists in two games. She finished with a game-high 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting and added three steals and an assist against host University of Missouri-Kansas City (11/26).

GETTING DEFENSIVE: Morgan has forced 128 opponent turnovers in six games, with 75 of them coming by way of steals. In the win against Washington Adventist, the Lady Bears forced a season-high 31 turnovers, a season-high 21 of them were steals. Morgan State converted those turnovers into a season-best 33 points.

DAVIS BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN: It took interim head coach Edward Davis just two games to earn his first victory as the coach of Morgan State, when the Lady Bears defeated Washington Adventist (11/17). The win marked the first for Davis since he recorded a 55-53 victory over South Carolina State in the season finale on March 1, 2012, in his final season as the head coach at Delaware State.

SHOW ME STATE HOMECOMING: The Lady Bears' Missouri trip last week marked the homecoming of two Lady Bear junior guards and St. Louis natives, Braennan Farrar (Clyde C. Miller Career Academy) and Tayler Williams (Metro Academic & Classical Academy). It also marked the return to the Show Me State for two of Morgan State's coaching staff. Associate head coach Wanika Owsley played collegiately for Southeast Missouri State, while assistant coach, Brittany Dodson, who is a native of St. Louis and played at Metro Academic & Classical Academy.

BACK ON THE SIDELINE: Morgan State interim head coach Edward Davis, returns to the sideline for the 2016-17 campaign as the head man, after spending the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Lady Bears. Davis, who last served as a head coach in 2012 to conclude 12 season's at the helm of Delaware State, currently is in his 21st season and has a career record of 350-241.

PUTTING THE CLAMPS DOWN: The Lady Bears' defense held the visiting Shock of Washington Adventist (11/17) to just three points in the second quarter and nine for the entire first half. The three points scored by WAU were the lowest points output in a quarter by a Morgan State opponent since the NCAA went to the quarter system in the women's game. The nine total points in the first half, were the lowest since Morgan State held rival Coppin State to 13 first half points on Dec. 14, 2010.

STILL UNBEATEN: The Lady Bears entered the season with a perfect record against just one of this season's opponents in Washington Adventist. Morgan State remained unbeaten against the Shock, improving to 3-0, following a 79-28 victory in its home opener (Nov. 17). Last season the Lady Bears defeated WAU, 74-36 in the home and season opener on Nov. 15, 2015 in Baltimore.

MORGAN PICKED FIFTH IN MEAC: Morgan State was picked to finish fifth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) preseason poll, as voted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Last year, the Lady Bears were picked to finish ninth, but put together an 13-17 overall mark and finished 10-6 in the MEAC to finish fifth.

FARRAR NAMED TO PRESEASON MEAC SECOND TEAM: MSU junior guard Braennan Farrar was named to the Preseason All-MEAC second team. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Farrar was second on the team in scoring (13.7), while leading the Lady Bears in assists (98), steals (63), three-pointers made (46), while shooting a team-best .794 (104-131) from the free throw line. This is the second consecutive preseason second-team All-MEAC honor for Farrar, who last season was named to the 2015-16 All-MEAC second team at the conclusion of the season.

OWSLEY NAMED ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH: Wanika Owsley was promoted to associate head coach this October by interim head coach Ed Davis. Owsley, who is in her second stint at Morgan State, enters her sixth season overall with the Lady Bears' program. Owsley had previously spent the 2009-10 season at Morgan State, where she helped the Lady Bears to a 17-13 and then school-best third-place regular season finish in the MEAC. She returned to Morgan State. during the 2012-13 campaign after spending two seasons as an assistant coach on the Mississippi State women's staff. A native of Indianapolis, Ind., Owsley earned a degree in computer science from Southeast Missouri State, where she helped the Redhawks to a 46-16 overall record and their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance during her senior season.

MORGAN IN SEASON OPENERS: The Lady Bears fell to 11-29 all-time in season openers dating back to 1977, following its 65-50 road loss to Mount St. Mary's (11/15/16). Morgan State at one point had lost 23 straight season openers, prior to winning three straight from 2006-08. Last season the Lady Bears opened up the season at home and defeated Washington Adventist by a score of 74-36 (11/15/15).

GRAHAM RETURNS AS ASSISTANT COACH: Morgan State interim head coach Ed Davis completed his coaching staff with the hiring of Donchez Graham as an assistant coach. Graham is no stranger to Morgan State, as this will be his second stint with the Lady Bears and fifth season overall. Graham returns to Morgan after spending the past two year (2014-16) as the head basketball trainer at Project Rising and the head coach of Team Adidas Shooting Stars. He also had stints as assistant coach at both West Virginia University and the University of Charleston. During his first stint at Morgan State (2005-09), Graham helped the Lady Bears to 53 victories in four seasons, while reaching the 2007 MEAC title game in his second season and the 2008 WNIT, the program's first postseason invitation on the Division I level, in his third season.  

REMATCH: The Lady Bears have four rematch games this season against non-conference opponents from the 2015-16 schedule. Those opponents are Washington Adventist, Missouri-Kansas City, University of Maryland Baltimore County and Brown. Last season Morgan State went 1-3 against those opponents with its lone win coming over Washington Adventist. 

TOURNAMENT EXPOSURE: Six of Morgan's 2016-17 opponents reached postseason play last season. Two opponents reached the 2016 Women's NCAA Tournament (Robert Morris and defending MEAC Tournament champion, North Carolina A&T). Three competed in the 2016 Women's National Invitational Tournament (Saint Louis, Marshall and MEAC foe Bethune-Cookman), while one (UMBC) took part in the Women's Basketball Invitational.  

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Gold Rush 3-0 vs. HBCUs after shooting past Paul Quinn

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana had six double-figure scorers Thursday in a 92-73 men's basketball victory against Paul Quinn.

The Gold Rush (3-5), ranked 25th in the NAIA, improved to 3-0 this season against HBCUs.

Freshman Innocent Kukulu scored 17 of his career-high 22 points in the first half for XULA. He made 5-of-7 3-pointers, 4-of-5 in the first half. Leland Alexander had 17 points and nine rebounds, and freshman Donovan Armstrong had career bests of 14 points, nine assists, two blocks and three steals.

Also in double figures for the Gold Rush were Jalen David and Seth Jackson with 11 points apiece and Mike Williams with 10, all in the second half.

Jalen Johnson produced 20 points, including 5-of-8 3-pointers, and six assists for the Tigers (0-7), and Blake Ervin had 18 points and six assists. Paul Quinn has lost 33 straight dating to early last season.

XULA shot a season-high 66.7 percent from the floor — 72.7 percent in the second half — and scored its most points in a game this season. Paul Quinn shot 47.4 percent. Both teams committed 24 turnovers, and the Gold Rush notched a season-best 13 steals. XULA won the boards 31-25, and freshman Jerry Gibson had a career-high eight rebounds.

XULA led 47-32 at halftime and held a double-digit advantage for the final 29 minutes. The Gold Rush led by 23 three times in the final four minutes. XULA never trailed and led for good after Kukulu's three free throws in the opening minute.

This was the teams' first meeting since 2008. They'll also play Dec. 29 in Dallas.

Next for XULA will be a 7 p.m. game Dec. 16 at city rival Loyola. The Gold Rush will take semester exams Dec. 7-14.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Spring Hill Badgers' Sims selected to AlaBCA Hall of Fame

FRANK SIMS
HEAD BASEBALL COACH
SPRING HILL COLLEGE
SIAC BASEBALL

MOBILE, Alabama -- The Alabama Baseball Coaches Association (ALABCA) Awards Committee has selected Spring Hill College (SHC) baseball head coach Frank Sims as an Inductee for the ALABCA Hall of Fame Class of 2017. The induction banquet will held on Friday, January 20, 2017 in the Marriott Hotel (Highway 280) in Birmingham.

"It's really both an exciting and humbling thing to have happen to you," said Sims upon hearing of his selection. "When you get into coaching you don't set a goal of being in a Hall of Fame. You just want to work with the players and try to win as many games as you can, so while it's nice to be recognized it's really more about the young men who have played the game. They are ones who have to go out and do the things on and off the field that it takes to win.

"I'm so proud of the accomplishments we've had at Spring Hill and we've come a long way since 1985," said Sims. "I want to thank Spring Hill College and everyone who has been a part of this program."

Sims became the head coach of the Badgers with just three weeks remaining in the 1985 season and has since won 822 games. Over his 35 years as a collegiate head coach, Sims has accumulated 858 total victories. Sims holds the record for most career victories at Spring Hill and his tenure with SHC includes 23 20-win seasons, six 30-win seasons, two 40-win seasons and four conference championships. Spring Hill appeared in the NAIA Regional Tournament four times in his reign and Sims has been honored as a Conference Coach of the Year on five occasions with the latest time being the 2014 Independent Collegiate Athletic Association (ICAA) honor in NCAA Division II. During Spring Hill's 2015 NCAA Division II transition season, the Badgers rang up a perfect 16-0 mark in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and a 26-14 record overall. In 2016, the Badgers once again topped the SIAC with an 18-3 conference record.

Upon getting the phone call that he was chosen for the Class of 2017, Sims was surprised. "When [former University of Montevallo head coach] Bob Riesener told me that he had nominated me I asked, 'Hall of Fame of what?'" Sims laughed. "I thought he was just kidding at first and had pretty much put it out of my mind when I got a telephone call a few weeks later saying they had named me. My reaction was, 'Are you being serious?'"

Before joining the Badgers in 1985, Sims was the head coach at Milton College (Wis.) where he compiled a 36-10 record and reached the NAIA Regional Tournament during the 1982 season. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at his alma mater Eastern Illinois University where he received his B.S. in Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) in 1977. After a successful three-year stint as the head coach at Sparta (Ill.) High School from 1976-80, Sims became a graduate assistant coach at Morehead State University (Ky.) in 1980-81 and later completed his M.A. in HPER at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater where he served as a graduate assistant coach from 1982-85.

During his nine seasons in international competition, Sims coached the United States to the 2009 and 2010 championships of Prague Baseball Week while also coaching US teams to Runner-Up finishes in 2008 and third-place finishes in 2005 and 2006.

Born and raised in Charleston, Ill., Sims grew up on a farm with seven brothers and sisters. He graduated high school in 1970 and attended Lake Land Junior College before pitching for the University of Iowa. In 1973, he was a member of the Hawkeye's co-Big Ten championship team. He and his wife, Dana, have four children (Drew and his wife Caitlin; Sarah and her husband Charlie Anderson; Kelsey and her husband Tyler Welch; and their youngest son, Brian) along with two grandchildren.

"What makes this even more fun for me is that [St. Paul's Episcopal School head coach] Andy Robbins will be in the same class and he was my son Drew's high school coach," said Sims. "When you think about all of the great names that are in at ALABCA Hall of Fame, it's really humbling to be included in such good company."

Those who wish to attend the 2017 ALABCA Induction Banquet can purchase tickets on-line at www.alabca.org or with a check payable to ALABCA mailed to 401 South Bolton Ave, Sylacauga, AL 35150. Tickets are $40 per adult and $20 per child and must be purchased by January 13, 2017.

SPRING HILL COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

SAU Men's Basketball Outlasts Alderson Broaddus For Second Straight Win

Anthony Gaskins Scores 24 Points Including Key Layup In Final Seconds

PHILIPPI, West Virginia -- On Thursday, Anthony Gaskins (Sr./Greenville, NC) scored a game-high 24 points including the game-clinching layup as Saint Augustine's University held off Alderson Broaddus University 71-66 at Rex Pyles Arena in Philippi, W.Va. for its second straight men's basketball victory.

After the Battlers whittled a 12-point deficit to two on a three-pointer with 42 seconds remaining, Gaskins scored on a driving layup with 13 seconds left to push the Falcons lead to 70-66. He added a free throw with one second left after a steal by Quincy January (Jr./Atlanta, GA) sealed the contest.

Gaskins heroics stopped a late run by the Battlers, who trailed 67-55 with 4:44 remaining in the contest. With the victory, the Falcons (4-4 overall) posted their first two-game winning streak of the season.

The outcome was in doubt around the 8:30 mark of the second half when the score was tied 53-53, but the Falcons used a 14-2 run to push ahead 67-55. Kenneth Collins (Jr./Clayton, NC) keyed the surge by scoring seven of his 15 points during the spurt. Though the Battlers (1-6 overall) came back, the cushion was enough for the Falcons to prevail.

The Falcons outscored the Battlers 41-32 in the second half to wipe out a four-point halftime deficit. January played a huge role in the second-half resurgence, scoring 14 of his 15 points in the second stanza after playing only three minutes in the first half after picking up two fouls in the first 44 seconds of the game.

With January out the game, Gaskins carried the Falcons in the first half, scoring 18 points as the Falcons went into halftime behind 34-30. With both Gaskins and January playing the bulk of the second half, the Falcons quickly took the lead at 38-37 on January's three-point play with 17:31 on the clock and never fell behind again.

Craig McDaniel (So./Holly Springs, NC) added eight points for the Falcons, who shot 51.9 percent including 6 of 9 three-point attempts for 66.7 percent as Gaskins and Collins were both 3 of 4 behind the arc. Behind January and Gaskins, the Falcons outscored the Battlers 42-32 in the paint.

Dorrell Foster scored 14 points to lead five double-figure scorers for the Battlers, who shot 55.8 percent from the floor but made only 3 of 15 three-point attempts for 20 percent.

The Falcons will visit Davis & Elkins College on the second leg of their West Virginia trip on Saturday, Dec. 3 in Elkins, W.Va. starting at 2 p.m.

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SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Returning its top playmakers, Southern's defense looking to continue progress in 2017

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern's defense took a step forward in its first season under coordinator Trei Oliver, and considering what the Jaguars have coming back next season, it would be reasonable to expect more progress.

Head coach Dawson Odums cleared out his defensive staff after a 2015 season that saw his team yield 33.5 points per game.

Enter Oliver, who brought a 4-2-5 base look with him from North Carolina A&T and routinely emphasized the importance of turnovers in practice.

The positive results were evident almost immediately.

After a pair of uneven performances against FBS schools ULM and Tulane, the Jaguars nearly shut out their first Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent — allowing a touchdown to Alabama State with less than a minute remaining in a 64-6 win.

They forced six turnovers in that game, setting the theme for what wound up being a successful first season under Oliver’s direction.

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AAMU's Bentley named SWAC Freshman of the Year; joins Dorsey on All-SWAC second team

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Alabama A&M running back Jordan Bentley has been named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year. He and tight end Jonathan Dorsey were also named to the All-SWAC second team offense.

The conference made the announcement following voting conducted by league head coaches and sports information directors.

Bentley of Guntersville was the third-leading rusher in the conference with 851 yards. He was also the third-leading rusher in the nation among all FCS freshmen and 36th overall.

He is a candidate for the Jerry Rice Award, presented annually to the national Freshman of the Year.

Dorsey, a senior from Tuskegee, led all SWAC tight ends and was third in the nation among tight ends with an average of 17.27 yards per catch and with 449 total yards.



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Alabama State Lady Hornets eye Gators in NCAA Tournament

GAINESVILLE, Florida – At first glance, it may not have seemed likely at the start of the season that this band of Alabama State Lady Hornets would be in the position that they are in.

Not when you consider that the team had lost eight seniors to graduation off an experienced two-time championship team, who had been no strangers to the NCAA Tournament. 

Not when four of those players (Rachel Smith, Myla Marshall, Amber Bennett and Chelsey Scott) ranked among the top five in kills in program history since the 1994 season and accounted for nearly 4,000 kills during their tenure here.

Not when it would be starting again with a first-year setter (Justus Tuiolosega) with the program or considering that it's such a young team with six freshmen and only one senior to steer the leadership. 

But these Lady Hornets have no use for barriers in their minds—they're too busy winning volleyball matches—21 of their last 22 to be exact. 

Breaking conventional wisdom, Alabama State (24-8) will take on Florida (26-3) for the second time in three seasons in a NCAA Tournament match up on Friday at Florida's Lemerand Athletic Center for a 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT start in Gainesville. 

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For Florida, it marks their 26^th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament—only three programs have longer active streaks in the NCAA.

Penn St. (36), Stanford (36) and Nebraska (35) are the only schools with longer active streaks. 

It marks the Lady Hornets' third overall NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four seasons. 

So when ASU head women's volleyball coach Penny Lucas-White discusses the reasons behind the success of her Lady Hornets this season, it's interesting what she points out.

"They expect to win and I think they genuinely like each other," said coach Lucas-White.

"And, I think that a team that loves each other, can play really, really well together. I think it's important for women to bond together.  Men must battle to bond, but women must bond to battle.  I really think that they have a really, tight cohesive niche as a group." 

While the Gators have only dropped three matches all season (#1 Nebraska, Kentucky, and at Missouri), coach Lucas-White expects her team to rise to the challenge. 

"My kids are very ambitious," coach Lucas-White said. 

"They've very driven.  And I'm excited that I get to do this one more time with this group.  For our kids who were here two years ago, they remember the team and have something to prove.  For the players who are here, they are excited to prove who they are.  I think people will be surprised at how well we play." 

Florida and Alabama State met in the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago in the first round in Gainesville as the Gators won in three sets. 

It was the only meeting between the schools. 

The Gators are led by Rhamat Alhassan (.422 hitting percentage; sixth in the nation), Alex Holston (3.81 kills per set; 71^st in the nation) and Allie Monserez (12.29 assists per set; leads the nation).

The Lady Hornets counter with four players, who accounted for at least 230 kills in Briana Dorsey (281 kills, .416 hitting percentage is good for 10^th in the nation), Ni'yesha Brown (274 kills), Bayle Bennett (261 kills) and Krysta Medearis (230 kills).

The winner of the match will meet the winner of Florida State/Cincinnati on Saturday. 

ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS  

Howard Bison End Season With NCAA Tournament Loss To #3 Wisconsin

MADISON, Wisconsin – After one of the best seasons in program history, the Howard University volleyball team came up short on Thursday night in a 3-0 (11-25, 18-25, 10-25) loss to No. 3 Wisconsin in the 2016 NCAA Tournament First Round at UW Field House.

Although the Bison were unable to take down the Badgers, they had an impressive record-setting season to look back on.

Senior Katherine Broussard and junior Jessica Young totaled seven kills apiece in the match for the Bison (26-6), who advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning the 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship for the second straight year.



Junior Khaila Donaldson added six kills and five digs and sophomore Tamia Dockery posted a team-high 22 assists and seven digs. Senior Morgan Marlbrough was close behind with six digs of her own. Donaldson along with seniors Dominique Cleggett and Whitney Fields each had a pair of blocks.

After trading the first eight points of the match, the Badgers took a 7-4 lead and the Bison had to call a timeout. Howard quickly used its second timeout of the set when Wisconsin extended its run to 8-0. The home team doubled up on the Bison, 22-11, before it scored the final three points to take the set, 25-11.

Wisconsin had to burn an early timeout of its own once Howard opened the second set with a slight 4-3 edge on blocks by Donaldson and Fields and kills from Young and Cleggett. The Bison pushed their lead to 8-4 when Donaldson went opposite side for the kill but the Badgers rode a 14-8 run to get to a 20-17 advantage. Young's swing couldn't be controlled by the defense for the kill but HU dropped the set, 25-18.

The Badgers started the set with a 12-4 lead. In her first rally, sophomore Olubunmi Okunade joined Dockery at the net for the rejection but the Bison would need a timeout as the deficit grew to 15-6. Wisconsin's hard hitting proved to be too much as Howard fell, 25-10.

Molly Haggerty led the charge for Wisconsin on 16 kills. Kelli Bates added 14 digs and Lauren Carlini had 41 assists.

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FAMU ranks third in FCS average home attendance

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The NCAA Division I FCS Statistics through Nov. 27, list Florida A&M at #3 in average home attendance for the 2016 season.

FAMU drew 78,839 fans to Bragg Stadium for four dates, a total which was 11th nationally in total home attendance, but the per-game average of 19,710 was 3rd, surpassed only by Montana (25,377) and James Madison (21,646).

Among Historicially Black Colleges and Universities in FCS, FAMU was #1 in average home attendance at 19,710, followed by perennial leader Jackson (Miss.) State at 19,660, good for fourth nationally.

The Rattlers also led the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in both total and average home attendance.

North Carolina A&T (72,360 in five games) was third among HBCUs with a per-game average of 14,472, while Alcorn (Miss.) State was fourth among the HBCUs with a 14,342 per-game average.

Those four schools – FAMU, Jackson State, North Carolina A&T and Alcorn State – were the only HBCUs listed in the NCAA FCS Attendance Top 20.

NOTES:

• For classics, the Rattlers vs. Tuskegee drew 19,233 to the inaugural 5th Quarter Classic at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama.  
• The Florida Blue Florida Classic at Camping World Stadium, Orlando Florida had an attendance of 45,372, a decrease of 356 fans in year over comparison to 2015. 
• The FAMU Rattlers ended the season with an overall record of 4-7 (MEAC 4-4), an improvement over the 1-10 record of Alex Wood first season.
• In previous year 2015, Florida A&M drew 60,240 in 4 home dates, 15,060, ranking #11 in FCS and #2 in the MEAC.

FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION