Grambling football: Wild 'must see' touchdown in SWAC title game

HOUSTON, Texas -- It was quite a day for the Tigers of Grambling State. Winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) title game is one thing, but coming back in dramatic fashion to take the title certainly added a little oomph to the victory.

Grambling rebounded from a deficit of 17 points at halftime to capture a 27-20 victory over Alcorn State on Saturday. After trailing for most of the ballgame, the Tigers took the lead on a 31-yard touchdown run from wideout Martez Carter. It was Grambling's first SWAC championship since 2011, and the school's 24th conference title overall — most in SWAC history.

The game-winning score happened to be Carter's only touchdown on the day, but it probably should have been his second. That said, the touchdown that tied the game for the Tigers halfway through the fourth quarter is worth watching a couple times.

After making a catch in the open field, Carter's rumble toward the endzone is a sight to behold. However, a hit inside the 5-yard line forced the ball loose, but Grambling WR Dominique Leake proved to be Johnny-on-the-spot. Leake snatched the fumble out of the air and stepped across the goal line for the game-tying score. The PAT attempt would be blocked, keeping the score knotted at 20-20 and setting the scene for Carter's game-winning score a few minutes later.

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Tennessee State University Marching Band @ the 2016 Nashville X-Mas Parade |

Tennessee State McCall's Game Winner Sinks Lipscomb, 72-71

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tahjere McCall (Philadelphia, Pa.) knocked down the game-winning jumper with 8.4 seconds left to lift the Tennessee State men’s basketball team to a 72-71 road win at Lipscomb at Allen Arena on Saturday. McCall was one of three Tigers with double-doubles on the evening as TSU improved to 7-1.

Trailing by one, McCall hit a contested pull-up jumper from the top of the key for a one-point lead. The Tigers came up with a stop on the other end on the last possession for Lipscomb (3-7). McCall scored 10 points and tied his career high with 11 rebounds. Wayne Martin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tallied 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Jordan Reed (Philadelphia, Pa.) recorded 11 points and 14 boards.

On the offensive end, Ken’Darrius Hamilton (Montgomery, Ala.), Christian Mekowulu (Lagos, Nigeria) and Darreon Reddick (Belleville, Ill.) scored 10 points apiece for TSU.

In the first half, the Tigers dug themselves an early eight-point hole as Lipscomb made its first three shots from three-point range for a 10-2 advantage. Mekowulu sparked TSU’s comeback with seven points on the Tigers’ 12-3 run later in the half to give the visitors a 14-13 edge with 13:18 left before halftime.

After falling behind, a 14-0 run that included eight points from Martin gave TSU a 35-28 lead with 3:19 showing on the clock. The Tigers maintained the lead, taking a 41-36 advantage into the locker room. Martin led TSU with 10 first-half points with Reed and McCall adding eight apiece in the first half.



Out of the intermission, TSU was able to stretch its lead to double digits on a Hamilton three pointer for a 54-43 lead just over six minutes into the second half.

Lipscomb rallied from a 13-point deficit to level the score at 64-64 with 4:02 to play.

TSU held a 70-69 lead with two minutes left before two Lipscomb free throws gave the Bisons a 71-70 advantage with 1:06 left setting up McCall’s late-game heroics.

The Tigers pulled down a season-high 50 rebounds and finished with 14 more boards than Lipscomb (34) in the game. The Bisons were led on offense by 19 points for Garrison Mathews.

TSU will take on NC State in Raleigh, N.C. on Dec. 10.

GAME NOTES: TSU is now 3-3 in the all-time series versus Lipscomb… TSU earned its first road win in the series after falling to Lipscomb at Allen Arena in 2002 and 2014… Jordan Reed (Philadelphia, Pa.) picked up his second double-double of the season and 25th of his collegiate career… Wayne Martin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had his fourth double-double of the year and 14th of his career… Tahjere McCall (Philadelphia, Pa.) added his second double-double of the season and third of his career… It is the second time Reed and Martin have had double-doubles in the same game this season… Six players scored in double figures for TSU for the second time his season… It is the first time three TSU players have had double-doubles in the same game since Nov. 20, 2014 versus Fisk.

TSU Head Coach Dana Ford

“I’m really proud of our guys. Lipscomb, all the credit in the world to them. They played really hard. They play as a team. It’s a tough guard for us because they can score inside and out. I’m just so proud of our players for being able to persevere, being resilient enough to walk out of here with literally one more point.”
- On the win

“They make so many threes they can get out on you pretty quick, in a matter of minutes. I felt like once our guys got settled in, and we started developing a low-post game, that allowed us to score the ball in the first half. You have to give them credit. They made an adjustment and took away the low-post game, and we had to find a way on the perimeter to will ourselves to a win.”
- On the ups and downs of the game

“I wanted to call a timeout and I was calling timeout, but the coach can’t call a timeout now when the ball is in play. (Tahjere McCall) did what seniors are supposed to do. I’m very proud of him, and I’m sure glad that we have him.”
- On the final play of the game

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Southern Illinois Men's Basketball fends off Texas Southern comeback and wins, 74-70

CARBONDALE, Illinois — What looked like a blowout early turned into another white-knuckler at SIU Arena on Saturday. Once again, Southern Illinois made big plays at crunch time and fended off a furious Texas Southern comeback to win, 74-70.

The Salukis (5-3) were cruising along with a 28-13 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half, but the Tigers (4-4) cut the deficit to nine at halftime and really poured it on in the second half.

Playing in their eighth-straight road game to start the season, Texas Southern shot 64 percent in the second half and took their first lead, 51-50, on a driving layup by Zach Lofton with 9:59 to go. From there, the lead changed hands 13 more times, back and forth, with neither club able to gain more than a one-possession advantage.

The Tigers took their biggest lead of the night, 67-64, on a 3-pointer by Lofton with 3:07 to go, but Armon Fletcher answered for Southern with a trey to tie it, 67-67. That's when things got really interesting. Tigers' forward Derrick Griffin was assessed a technical foul for arguing with an official, and Fletcher made one of two free throws to put SIU up, 68-67.



TSU countered with a 3-pointer by Dulani Robinson to put his team back on top, 70-68, with 1:30 to go. Saluki point guard Mike Rodriguez then drew a fifth foul on Robinson, and after Texas Southern coach Mike Davis voiced his displeasure with the call, he too, was assessed a technical. It turned into another three-point possession at the free throw line for the Salukis, who grabbed a 71-70 advantage.

Lofton tried to put his team back on top, but his driving layup was off the mark with 40 seconds left. Sean O'Brien missed a shot for SIU with eight seconds to go, but Fletcher grabbed a huge offensive rebound and was immediately fouled. He made both free throws to put SIU ahead, 73-70.

After a timeout, the Tigers perfectly executed a play that got a Kevin Scott an open look at a 3-pointer that caught iron. Fletcher pulled down the rebound, was fouled with 0.3 seconds left and made the game's final point at the charity stripe.

There were several clutch performances in the victory for the Salukis. Sean Lloyd came off the bench and scored eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers when the lead was going back and forth in the second half. The sophomore guard entered the game just 2-of-12 from outside the arc, but made both tries tonight and both were huge. Fletcher's trey to tie the game, 67-67, was also memorable, as he drained the jumper going to his left and with the shot clock winding down.

"When we went down twice, two players made three big plays," said SIU head coach Barry Hinson. "Sean Lloyd made two incredible plays today — both threes had to go — and Armon hit a huge three."

Fletcher was Southern's leading scorer with 18 points. He started out hot by making his first two 3-point tries, missed his next four, then made the money shot at the end.

"The challenging thing for me with Armon is I want him to be better than what he is," Hinson said. "If he will just wake up every day with that passion and desire, I think this kid is going to be paid to play basketball."

Rodriguez also had a solid night as the team's floor general. He was 3-of-12 from the field, but made 9-of-12 the line and had a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. The last Saluki player with a double-double in points and assists was Kevin Dillard in 2010.

Texas Southern will look back and regret the blown opportunity. The Tigers came out cold, missing seven-straight 3-point tries. The first-half funk included a dozen turnovers. They shot just 43 percent from the free throw line. Still, they had a late lead and perhaps could have held on if not for the bonus points they handed SIU on the technicals.

"I've been coaching for a long time and I've never seen that before," said Davis, who has coached in 529 games since making his head-coaching debut at Indiana in 2000. "I was talking to one official, and he walked away, and the other official came all the way across the court and made that (technical) call. He never told me what happened on either technical foul."

Lofton had 26 points to lead all scorers, while Derrick Griffin aded 12 points and 13 rebounds.

"I think they're an NCAA Tournament team," Hinson said. "I think they're going to win the SWAC, I think they're going to upset people (in March Madness), and if you're not ready to play these guys, you're going to get beat."

Hinson said his team used three-different defenses today and four-different ball-screen coverages, but he still called it the "worst defense we've played this year."

Add it all up, though, and the Salukis have won four of their last five games, including back-to-back comebacks against Murray State and TSU.

Next up for the Salukis is a trip to No. 14-ranked Louisville. It will be Southern's third and final chance this season to pull off an upset versus a Power Five conference opponent.

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Prairie View A&M Tops Sam Houston State, 75-65

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- Three Prairie View A&M players posted double-digit outputs to lead a 75-65 victory over Sam Houston State Saturday at the William J. Nicks Building.

Jeronia Allen led a trio of seniors with a season high of 23 points to lead all scorers, along with seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. Alexus Parker captured her second double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Tori Carter added 15 points and a season high of eight assists to the Lady Panthers win.

"I thought my kids played hard tonight," said head coach Ravon Justice. "We had a run tonight, which is a sign of growth and we definitely fought them (Sam Houston) with the tough situations on the floor. Coming off a road loss, it's really good to come home and get the win."

The Lady Panthers (4-4) came out on fire, taking an early lead and went into the second quarter with a seven-point lead (20-13).

With two minutes knocked off the clock Prairie View A&M a jumper by Parker and a three-pointer by Talisha Presley pushed the score to a 12 25-13) the largest lead of the quarter. The Bearkats (0-8) tried to gain some momentum as they chipped the point spread to five (35-30) going into halftime.

After Sam Houston made a run to cut the PVAMU to one at 40-39 with 4:55 left to go, the Lady Panthers made a run of their own. Four back-to-back baskets by Allen and Carter and some forced turnovers by the Lady Panthers helped push the lead to 54-41 with under three minutes to play in third quarter.


PVAMU shot 43.8 percent from the field and out-rebounded Sam Houston 44-39, and forced 24 turnovers to PV's 12.

"We thought we were turning the ball over too much during the early part of the season," Justice said. "Now that we are progressing as a team and taking care of the basketball, it should be important to our basketball team. I thought my kids did a great job with that, thanks to our upperclassman."

As a team Prairie View A&M had a season high of 20 assists to go along with a season high of 11 steals and three blocks.

"Any time that you can have 20 assists, that says a lot for your basketball team," said Justice. "I am pleased with that. Sharing the basketball and making sure we get the ball in the right people's hand is extremely important to me."

Prairie View A&M returns to action at 15th-ranked DePaul on Monday at noon.

"Going into DePaul on Monday is definitely going to be a challenge for us, and we are up for the challenge," Justice said. "They are a ranked team, so looking ahead we have got to make free throws, and that's something we are going to talk about, just having energy and just trying to carry over the win we just had."

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FAMU Rattlers Let Southern Jaguars Slip Away Late, 83-71

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Visiting Southern University rode a torrid 31-13 scoring surge in the second half to pull away to an 83-71 non-conference men’s basketball victory over Florida A&M at The Al Lawson Center Saturday evening.

Southern’s sharpshooting guard Shawn Prudhomme provided much of the spark for his Jaguars (3-3), scoring a game-high 25 points, cashing in some NBA distance three-pointers in the second half that fueled run. He finished four of seven from beyond the arc, and 9-of-14 from the floor overall.

Prudhomme’s three-pointer with 5:42 left snapped a 67-67 tie, capping an 18-9 Southern run which erased a hard-earned Rattler advantage, while vaulting Southern ahead, 70-67.

FAMU (2-7) trailed 46-41 at the break, but put on a scoring run of their own to take a 53-52 lead on a pair of free throws by Elijah Mays with 14:26 left. Marcus Barnham knocked down a three-pointer for FAMU with 14:12 left, before Derrick Dandridge’s put back with 13:59 left extended the Rattler edge to 58-52.

But the visiting Jaguars rallied while FAMU went cold down the stretch, as Southern knocked down four triples and shot 40 percent overall from the floor, while the Rattlers hit just one of 11 from beyond the arc, and 31.4 percent from the field in the second half.

In fact, Southern outscored FAMU, 13-4 over the final 5:42 to clinch the victory.

Guard Tre’lun Banks was wingman to Prudhomme Saturday, adding 10 points and nine assists for Southern, while Jared Sam had a game-high nine rebounds, with Chris Thomas adding eight boards for the Jags, who finished the night with a 52-30 rebounding edge.

FAMU had four players score in double figures, led by Derrick Dandridge with 13 points and six rebounds before he fouled out, followed by Elijah Mays with 12 points and four assists, Trey-Cary Warren with 11 points and Nasir Core with 10 points.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Rattlers will take next week off for Fall finals, then return to action on Monday, Dec. 12 at Southeastern Louisiana (7:00 p.m. Central Time), before returning home for a final December home game on Saturday, Dec. 17 against Jacksonville (Fla.) at The Lawson Center (4:00 p.m.).

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2016 SWAC Football Championship BOTB: Alcorn State Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite vs. Grambling State World Famed Marching Band

Grambling State rallies past Alcorn State to claim SWAC title

HOUSTON, Texas -- Grambling State was the dominant team in the SWAC all season, and continued its mastery on Saturday. At least in the second half. And the Tigers also needed a little good luck to pull off an improbable comeback.

The Tigers spotted Alcorn State 17 first-half points and came roaring back for a 27-20 win over the Braves on Saturday in the Toyota SWAC football championship game before a crowd of 24,917 at NRG Stadium.

The first half belonged to Alcorn, whose two-year reign as conference champions ended. The second half was all Grambling, which avenged last year's title game loss to the Braves.

Grambling tied the game 20-20 on a bizarre play.

Martez Carter caught a short pass from Devante Kincade at the Alcorn 18-yard line and just before Carter was to cross the end zone, Stacey Garner knocked the ball out of Carter's grasp, but Grambling's Dominique Leake was at the right place at the right time. Leake alertly caught the ball and ran in the remaining two yards for the score. But the PAT was blocked and the game remained tied with 7:25 remaining in the fourth quarter.



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Southern's Dawson Odums expects his entire staff to return — and he stumped for a raise for all of them

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- After mass staff turnover following the 2015 season, Southern football coach Dawson Odums said he anticipates his entire staff to return for next year.

Considering the success the team had in spite of the obstacles it faced — whether it was the lack of spring practice, an NCAA investigation or scholarship reductions — Odums also made it clear he thinks his staff is due a bump in pay.

“You win under all the penalties,” he said. “That staff and those coaches, they’ve earned the opportunity for extensions and raises. We’ve earned that here, now. Whether we get it or not, based on the budgets and cuts, we don’t know. But we’ve earned it here.”

Southern went 8-3 in 2016, including an eight-game winning streak that ended on the final day of the season against Grambling in the Bayou Classic. It was a two-win improvement from the 2015 season, after which Odums virtually cleaned house with his coaching staff.

Odums fired three defensive assistants after last season. Co-offensive and recruiting coordinator Chad Germany added to the upheaval when he resigned.

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Hampton Pirates End Skid With Win Over William & Mary Tribe

HAMPTON, Virginia – The Hampton University men's basketball team ended its five-game skid on Saturday afternoon at the HU Convocation Center, upending William & Mary 79-69.

The Pirates improved to 2-6 on the season.

Freshman Jermaine Marrow led the Pirates with a season-high 27 points, going 10-for-20 from the floor and hitting three of his seven 3-pointers. Graduate student Lawrence Cooks poured in a career-high 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting.

Sophomore Trevond Barnes added 12 points, while AJ Astroth chipped in 10 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

Hampton shot 48.3 percent (28-for-58) from the floor – including a 53.6 percent clip in the second half – and made seven of its 18 3-pointers (38.9 percent). The Pirates also went 16-for-21 (76.2 percent) from the free throw line.

The Tribe shot 55.6 percent in the first half and opened the game on a 7-3 spurt. A Marrow trey at the 13:10 mark cut the lead to 11-10, but William & Mary went on a 10-4 run to take a 21-14 lead after a Nathan Knight dunk at the 11:07 mark.

Hampton scored the next seven points, tying the game at 21-21 on a Marrow jumper with 9:14 left in the half, but the Tribe then scored 16 of the next 21 points to take a 37-25 lead with 5:14 left in the half after a trey from Greg Malinowski.

William & Mary took a 44-34 lead at the half.

Marrow had 13 points at the break.

Hampton opened the second half on a 17-6 run to take a 51-50 lead with 14:56 left in the game after a jumper from Marrow. The run later grew to 26-8 as the Pirates took a 60-52 lead after Cooks sank a layup with 11:12 remaining.

The Tribe cut the lead to 62-61 with 5:03 remaining, and Daniel Dixon converted a 3-point play with 3:50 left to cut the lead to 65-64.

But Hampton closed the game on a 14-5 run, clinching the 79-69 win on a Devon Oakley free throw.

William & Mary shot 42.6 percent (23-for-54) from the floor, despite shooting just 29.6 percent in the second half, and went 5-for-23 from 3-point range. The Tribe did hold an advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Pirates 37-26.

Omar Prewitt led the Tribe (3-4) with 21 points.

The Pirates will hit the road again on Wednesday, heading to Boiling Springs, N.C. to face Gardner-Webb at 7 p.m. For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5757, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

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Howard Bison Ground American U. Eagles, 71-54

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sa'eed Nelson finished with 18 points but 23 turnovers cost the American University men's basketball team in the 71-54 loss to Howard at Burr Gym on Saturday afternoon.

American (1-6) trailed by six at the half (32-26) after Howard went cold in the final four minutes. The Eagles down 32-16 rattled off 10 straight points before the break. Nelson had eight for AU. Mark Gasperini and Lonnie Rivera added six each for the Eagles.

In the second, Howard increased its lead to 22 (57-32) on a layup by Damon Collins.

JT Miller led all scorers with 30 points on 11-of-16 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the line. Collins had 19 and Solo Mangham had 16 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double.

Howard shot 44 percent from the field and got to the line 23 times with 17 made free throws.

American outrebounded the Bison, 33-29, and had more points in the paint (34-30).

American will host New Hampshire on Tuesday night at Bender Arena. The Tip is set for 7:30 p.m.

Great seats still remain for all AU men's basketball home games and are available online at www.aueagles.com/tickets.


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Norfolk State Spartans Pull Away from Longwood Lancers for 85-56 road win

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FARMVILLE, Virginia – Four players finished in double figures as Norfolk State (4-4) scored 20-plus points in each of the final three periods to pull away for an 85-56 win over Longwood Saturday afternoon inside Willett Hall.

The Spartan offense was led by a career-high 23 points from Jordan Strode, her second consecutive double-figure game against a Big South opponent, as Saturday's performance comes after a 16-point effort in Norfolk State's Wednesday night win over High Point.

With the win, Norfolk State surpasses its three wins from last season under first-year head coach Larry Vickers and their 4-4 record is the latest in the season they've had a record of .500 or better since jumping out to a 5-3 mark in 2010-11.

The Spartans' leading scorer on the season, Kayla Roberts, added 15 points – 11 coming in the second half – to go along with 10-point apiece from Gabrielle Swinson and Shayla Tanner. Coming into Saturday's game with three straight double-doubles, Roberts was two rebounds shy of collecting her fourth straight, finishing the afternoon with 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block in 32 minutes of playing time.

Rouse led the Lancer offense with a season-high 14 points off the bench, her second game in double figures this season. She was joined by Kemari Jones' 10 points as the two finished as the lone double figure scorers for the blue and white.

The 10 points from Jones extends her streak to three straight games in double figures. In addition, the 6-0 sophomore from Melbourne, Fla., pulled down three rebounds and had four assists in 33 minutes of playing time.

Norfolk State out-rebounded the Lancers by a 47-29 and shot at a .492 (30-of-61) from the floor, the highest shooting percentage by a Longwood opponent this season. The Spartans also forced 17 Longwood turnovers and assisted on 18 of their 30 baskets.

With the 0-2 home mark in the non-conference portion of the home schedule, Longwood (1-5) suffers more than one defeat on its home floor outside of Big South paly for the first time since the 2014-15 season after going unbeaten inside Willett Hall last year.

The game marked the final contest on an unnamed court inside Willett Hall, as the floor will be dedicated and renamed "Jerome Kersey Court" before Saturday's men's game versus James Madison.

With the exam break looming, Longwood will have eight days to prepare for its contest at Charlotte Dec. 11. That game is set for a 4 p.m., tip and precedes Longwood's a pair of games in West Virginia against the Mountaineers (Dec. 17) and Marshall (Dec. 19).

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TV: PAC 12 Network: #23 Oregon Ducks Close Out Week With Savannah State Tigers -- 6 p.m. EST

EUGENE, Oregon -- Oregon welcomes Savannah State to Matthew Knight Arena for a Saturday matinee at 3 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks) before taking a week off for finals.

THE STARTING FIVE
1 - Oregon has held seven straight opponents under 70 points, and has held opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field in six-of-eight games in 2016-17. Army (77) in the season opener is the only team to reach 70 points against the Ducks so far this season.
2 - The Ducks rank second nationally at 8.5 blocks per game, and lead the nation in total blocks with 68. Individually, Chris Boucher is 11th nationally in blocks per game (3.3), with Jordan Bell 22nd (2.8 bpg).
3 - The top two career blocked shots leaders in Oregon history are on the Ducks' 2016-17 roster. Junior Jordan Bell became UO's all-time leader in just his 50th career game and now shows 169. Last Monday against Georgetown, Chris Boucher passed Blair Rasmussen (116/1981-85) for second on the UO career list and now shows 136. Boucher has blocked at least three shots in six straight games.
4 - Dillon Brooks returned to the Oregon lineup in Maui after missing the first three games of the season, and has entered the UO top 30 in career scoring. He passed Nick Jones (1,087/1964-67) and Charlie Franklin (1,090/1955-58) for 28th during Wednesday's Western Oregon game. Brooks now shows 1,108 carer points. No. 27 Terek Brown (1,152/1995-99) is next.
5 - Oregon's recently announced 2017 signing class of Victor Bailey Jr., Troy Brown Jr., and Agu Kigab was rated No. 8 nationally by ESPN.

AST YEAR VS. SAVANNAH STATE
Oregon held off a sturdy challenge from Savannah State, turning back the Tigers 77-59 on Nov. 20, 2015. The Ducks shot 60.7 percent in the first half, 17-of-28, to lead 42-24 at the break. The Tigers showed some moxie coming out of the break, opening the second half with a 9-2 run. They closed within 10 points four different times, but never could get within single digits despite shooting 51.7 percent in the half (15-of-29). With the Ducks needing some energy, Elgin Cook provided it with his effort on the offensive glass. His putback for a 53-41 lead kicked off a stretch in which Oregon scored on six of seven trips, three of those second-chance buckets by Cook. The last made it 62-47, and the Ducks held on from there. Chris Boucher had 11 of his game-high 17 points in the second half, including nine after Cook's basket that made it 62-47. Boucher added seven rebounds, and Cook finished with 12 points and eight boards.

WIN STREAK AT MKA REACHES 28 GAMES
Oregon's winning streak at Matthew Knight Arena is currently at 29 games, which is the longest string of home wins in UO history. Oregon last dropped a home game Jan. 8, 2015 (Arizona, 80-62). Two of Oregon's four longest home winning streaks have come under Dana Altman.

Streak First Win Last Win Ended By
29 games 1/10/2015 - Arizona State 11/30/2016 - Western Oregon
23 games 11/15/2001 - Alabama State 12/28/2002 - UC Riverside Arizona (1/2/2003)
23 games 2/13/1937 - Idaho 1/6/1939 - Washington State Washington State (1/7/1939)
20 games 2/9/2012 - Washington 1/26/2013 - Washington Colorado (2/2/2013)

DUCKS' HOME WINNING STREAK FIFTH NATIONALLY
A number of long home winning streaks fell by the wayside last season, including Arizona's 49-game streak at the hands of Oregon on Jan. 28. Others to fall included Wichita State (43 games) and Maryland (27 games). The Ducks' home win streak - now at 28 games - is up to the fifth-longest active streak in the nation (through Friday).

Streak Team
1. 43 games Kansas
2. 42 games Kentucky
3. 31 games South Dakota State
4. 30 games Stephen F. Austin
5. 29 games Oregon

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The Ducks are 97-13 (.882) all-time at Matthew Knight Arena since the building opened in 2011.

NON-CONFERENCE RECORD AT MKA
The Ducks are now 47-2 all-time in non-conference games at Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon's 79-73 loss to Mississippi in 2014-15 was just the second non-conference home defeat while playing at Matthew Knight Arena. The other time Oregon lost a non-conference game at MKA was on Dec. 18, 2011, when Virginia defeated the Ducks 67-54. UO won 28 non-conference games in a row at MKA between the two losses.

STAT NOTES
Oregon has held six-of-eight opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field. The exceptions to that are Baylor (.455) and UConn (.483). The Ducks have also held seven straight opponents below 70 points.

DOUBLE DIGIT BOARDS
Oregon grabbed its highest rebound total in nearly two years when the Ducks pulled in 52 against Western Oregon on Wednesday. That was the most by the Ducks since collecting 60 against Concordia on Dec. 3, 2014. Jordan Bell led the way with a season-high 12 rebounds, while Kavell Bigby-Williams added 10.

BOUCHER WORKS BLOCKS AND BOARDS
Senior Chris Boucher recorded season-highs in rebounds (13) and blocks (5) in the Nov. 21 Georgetown game. The 13 rebounds was one off his career high. He matched that block total (5) Nov. 22 against Tennessee as well as Monday night against Boise State.

DUCKS TIE BLOCKS RECORD
Oregon tied the school and Matthew Knight Arena record with 13 blocked shots in the Nov. 11 season opener versus Army. Jordan Bell led the way with six.

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Alcorn vs. Grambling State 2016: Time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know for SWAC Championship

HOUSTON, Texas -- Alcorn and Grambling State play Saturday for the SWAC championship. Fred McNair's Braves are seeking their third SWAC title in a row, and Grambling's trying to win it for the first time since 2011. It should be a lot of fun.

The teams have already played once this season. On Sept. 16, the Tigers put a 43-18 beating on Alcorn State. Grambling is 9-1 on the year, while ASU's 5-5. The Tigers have looked strong all year, and they should be pretty convincing favorites. They're coming off a 52-30 win against Southern in last weekend's Bayou Classic.

Grambling represents the SWAC's Western Division, which had a drastically better year than Alcorn State's Eastern. The Braves won their division by going 5-4 in the league (5-5 overall), and they might have a tough time dealing with a Grambling team that has the SWAC's scariest offense by just about any measure. It's a tough draw.

How to watch on TV or stream the SWAC title game

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Online streaming: WatchESPN

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Alabama State Historic Season Ends at Florida in NCAA Tournament

GAINESVILLE, Florida – In a similar script to two seasons ago, the Alabama State women's volleyball team met a highly nationally-ranked Florida Gators volleyball team on their home court and lost in three sets (25-15, 25-13, 25-9) in the first round of the NCAA Division I volleyball tournament on Friday at the Lemerand Athletic Center.

For Alabama State (24-9), it was a bittersweet ending to such a historic season for the program in which it ran the table with an undefeated conference season (18-0 in regular season, won all three matches in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament).

"I do know one thing—that this loss will fuel our training in the spring for next season," said Alabama State head women's volleyball coach Penny Lucas-White.

"I hate that it ended this way—without leaving it all on the court— but when you look at our whole season, it was a wonderful journey. We enjoyed each other.

The girls grew. We have to a lot to give with six freshmen. There is a lot of promise. Jamie [Coleman] did a phenomenal job in nurturing this group this season. She challenged them and they responded extremely well. It was supposed to be a rebuilding year and we swept [our conference] so it's a great year. But, at the end of the day, we are competitors and we have some more work to do."

The Lady Hornets had some bright moments as it took short leads in the early goings of the first and third sets, but was unable to muster much of a rally past the midway part of the sets.

ASU took a 4-3 lead in the first set, but then allowed six straight points by way of three kills by the Gators, a pair of attacking errors and a service ace to fall behind 9-4.

The Lady Hornets played even to a 4-4 tie in the second set before dropping eight of the next 10 points with a series of miscues.

In the third set, Alabama State took a 3-1 advantage after a Briana Dorsey kill and some solid serving from Kori Kutsch.

But a taller Florida team (seven players who were 6-foot-2 or taller including 6-foot-8 Rachael Kramer) roared back with kills from their towering front line as Carli Snyder and Alex Holston each came up with big plays during the stretch to take a commanding 15-6 lead before going on to take the set.

Florida (27-3) will advance to play Florida State on Saturday, who defeated Cincinnati earlier in the day in four sets.

"Well, that wasn't the outcome that I expected," Lucas-White said.

"I felt like Florida came out well prepared and ready on all cylinders. I believe the youth of my team showed. I don't think they responded well at all. This is something that we've had to prepare for. We talked to them in practice about hitting high off hands, roll shooting and hitting shots. It's obvious that they didn't respond so I was very disappointed. This wasn't the first time that we saw a team that had a big block. We played Arizona, Pepperdine and SMU so I was disappointed because of their apprehension of adjusting."

Dorsey led the Lady Hornets with six kills and a block while Bayle Bennett added six kills.

Kutsch had seven assists and three digs and senior Jamie Coleman had a team-high five digs.

"As a team, we didn't play as well as we could have," said Coleman, the senior who played her final match as a player at Alabama State.

"We didn't adjust quickly enough on defense. A lot of their players were jumping over our block. That's something that we didn't adjust on. I feel that I could have played better. We didn't play how we should have played and that's the most disappointing thing about tonight."

The season marked the Lady Hornets' third overall NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four seasons and fourth consecutive season in which ASU won at least 20 matches.

BOX SCORE

ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

W. Basketball - ESPN3: Arkansas Pine Bluff at South Dakota State, 7 p.m. EST

GAME 7: RV/RV South Dakota State [5-1] vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff [0-5]

When	Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016 l 6 p.m.
Where	Frost Arena I Brookings, S.D.
TV	Midco Sports Network/ESPN3 I Tom Nieman and Brad Newitt
Radio	Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 104.1 FM I Jackrabbit All-Access I Brad Peterson
Live Stats	GoJacks.com
SDSU Links	Game Notes
UAPB Links	Game Notes
Summit League Links	Weekly Notes I Website
Social Media	Twitter I #EarsUp

BROOKINGS, South Dakota  --  After playing its last four games on the road, the South Dakota State women's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of Frost Arena Saturday at 6 p.m. when the Jackrabbits host Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

SDSU improved to 5-1 with a 61-50 win Thursday at Northern Iowa. Junior Ellie Thompson had a game-high 17 points and 11 rebounds while senior Clarissa Ober registered 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Jackrabbits. The last time two Jackrabbits posted double-doubles in the same game was March 4, 1995. Gina Mouw had 10 points and 11 rebounds and Leah Klaassen had 13 points and 10 rebounds against Augustana.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff is looking for its first win of the season after losing for the fifth time Tuesday at Cincinnati.

Saturday's game is the first meeting between the Jackrabbits and Golden Lions. It is also State's first game vs. a member of the SWAC.

Noteworthy
The Jackrabbits are protecting a nine-game home winning streak, 19th-longest in the NCAA. The last time the Jacks lost in Frost Arena was Jan. 17, 2016, to South Dakota, 63-58.
SDSU is 69-8 (.896) overall in home games, including 26-6 (.812) in home nonleague games, in the last five years.
State has won 403 of its last 500 home encounters, good for a remarkable .806 winning percentage.
SDSU picked up 10 votes in the Associated Press poll Monday and 20 votes in the USA Today Sports Coaches poll Tuesday.
South Dakota State was ranked first in Graham Hays' espnW mid-major poll Nov. 22.
For the third consecutive week, the Jackrabbits are atop the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Poll.

Poll Positions
South Dakota State received seven votes in the Associated Press poll Monday and 20 votes in the USA Today Sports Coaches poll Tuesday.
The Jackrabbits received 5 votes in the AP preseason poll and 28 in the preseason Coaches poll.
The last time the Jacks were ranked in either preseason poll was Nov. 9, 2009.
The Jackrabbits' votes are the first since the Jackrabbits received votes in the Jan. 11, 2016, AP poll and April 6, 2016, Coaches polls.
The highest SDSU has ever been ranked is 16th in the AP poll March 9, 2009, and 14th in the Coaches poll March 2, 2009.

Jackrabbits in Mid-Major Poll
South Dakota State is ranked first in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major poll this week after earning the top spot in the preseason poll.
SDSU has been ranked in the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll 85 of the last 86 weeks.
With its 26 first-place votes in the preseason poll, SDSU is the first team in The Summit League history to earn a top national preseason ranking.
The Jackrabbits were ranked first in the final 2015-16 poll, their highest-ever ranking.

A Quick Glance at South Dakota State
Seventeenth-year head coach Aaron Johnston's probable starters for the second consecutive year are:
- Macy Miller, point guard
- Madison Guebert, guard
- Kerri Young, guard
- Ellie Thompson, forward
- Clarissa Ober, forward

The starting lineup is 5-1 this season and 32-8 overall. Of the eight losses, half were against ranked opponents.
The starting lineup is shooting 48.7 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from 3-point range and 72.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Miller is SDSU's leading scorer and ranks fourth in The Summit League, averaging 15.2 points per game.
Thompson (12.5), Guebert (10.8) and Ober (10.3) are the other Jacks averaging double digits in scoring.
SDSU averages 69.3 points per game. Three different Jackrabbits have led the team in scoring in the first six games of the season.
State has held five of its six opponents to less than 65 points, including three to less than 50.
There have been at least three Jackrabbits scoring in double digits in four of the six games.
On the boards, Ober grabs a team-leading 8.5 caroms an outing and ranks second in the league. SDSU is outrebounding opponents by 4.3. The Jackrabbits' top 3-point threat is Guebert, who is sinking 2.6 treys per game and shooting 47.1 percent.
Young is the Jacks' top playmaker, dishing 2.8 assists per game.
Three Jackrabbits are dishing two-or-more assists a game and the team has a plus-0.8 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The Jackrabbits are shooting 44.0 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from 3-point range and 70.1 percent from the free-throw line.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff
UAPB is 0-5 on the season after losing 72-42 at Cincinnati Tuesday.
The Golden Lions' leading scorer is senior Niya Head. The forward is averaging 11.0 points per game off the bench while junior guard Destiny Brewton is scoring 10 points per game.
Junior forward Faith Ohanta and Head each average a team-leading 4.6 rebounds an outing.
Junior guard Malaik Muhammad is Arkansas-Pine Bluff's top 3-point threat, sinking 8 of 29 threes (27.6).
UAPB averages 3.8 treys per game. Brewton dishes 2.4 assists per game.
The Golden Lions have nine players averaging 2.0-or-more points and 10 averaging 10-or-more minutes per game.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff is shooting 30.2 percent from the field, 22.1 percent from 3-point range and 61.0 percent from the free-throw line.
UAPB is being outscoring by 21 points per game and averaging just 51.2 points an outing while giving up 72.2 points per game.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Series
Saturday's game vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff is the first meeting between the Jackrabbits and the Golden Lions. The Jacks are 5-2 vs. teams from Arkansas.

For more information on the South Dakota State women's basketball team, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksWBB) or like South Dakota State women's basketball on Facebook.

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

ESPN3: Tennessee State vs. Lipscomb at 5:00 p.m. EST

RV/NR – TENNESSEE STATE (6-1)
at LIPSCOMB (3-6)
Saturday, Dec. 3  |  4 p.m. 
Allen Arena  |  Nashville, Tenn.

VIDEO: ESPN3 – Jonathan Seamon and Justin Seamon on the call
TSU RADIO: 102.1 FM The Light – Greg Pogue (pxp) and Albert Dawson (Analysis) on the call
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast.com
GAME NOTES: TENNESSEE STATE  | LIPSCOMB
SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter - @TSU_Tigers |  Instagram - @TSUTigers  |  #BigBlueRising

OPENING TIP: For the second game in a row, the TSU men’s basketball team plays a Nashville-based opponent on the road, squaring off with Lipscomb on Saturday at Allen Arena. The Tigers, which received votes in the Nov. 28 Associated Press Top 25 poll, are off to their best start since moving to Division I prior to the 1977-78 season.

LAST TIME OUT: TSU was handed an 83-59 road loss at Vanderbilt on Tuesday night for the Tigers’ first loss of the 2016-17 season. Ken’Darrius Hamilton (Montgomery, Ala.) posted a career-high 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting with Darreon Reddick (Belleville, Ill.) adding 12 points for TSU.  

ABOUT LIPSCOMB: The Bisons put on a dominating performance in a 104-85 victory over OVC opponent Tennessee Tech on Dec. 1 to snap a five-game losing streak. Lipscomb is 3-0 at Allen Arena on the season with wins over Sewanee, Piedmont and Tennessee Tech. Sophomore Garrison Mathews leads the Lipscomb offense with 16.0 points per game.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Tennessee State’s all-time record versus Lipscomb stands at 2-3 in the series which began on Jan. 14, 2002. The Tigers earned an 87-72 win in the first meeting before three-consecutive Lipscomb victories. TSU snapped the Bisons’ winning streak with last year’s 89-86 win.

LAST YEAR’S MATCHUP:  Tahjere McCall (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored 25 of his 31 points in the second half to help TSU erase a 14-point deficit in an 89-86 victory over Lipscomb in last season’s meeting at the Gentry Center. McCall scored 16 points in a row for TSU at one point to lead the offense. Then-seniors Keron DeShields and Marcus Roper added 16 points apiece for the Tigers. J.C. Hampton scored 25 points to pace the Bisons, which shot 54.2 percent from the field but committed 17 turnovers.

TSU VS. THE ATLANTIC SUN: TSU has gone 9-4 versus teams currently in the Atlantic Sun. The Tigers are 3-0 versus Kennesaw State, 2-3 versus Lipscomb, 3-0 versus Stetson and 1-1 versus USC Upstate.

UP NEXT: TSU breaks for finals before heading to Raleigh, N.C. to face NC State on Saturday, Dec. 10.

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

ESPN3: Prairie View A&M Panthers at Houston Cougars, 5 p.m. EST

PRAIRIE VIEW A&M PANTHERS (2-5 • 0-0 SWAC) at HOUSTON COUGARS (5-1 • 0-0 American) presented by Maintenance Supply Headquarters
Time	4 p.m. • Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016
Location	Hofheinz Pavilion (8,479) • Houston
Tickets	BUY Tickets
Questions?	Fan Guide
Promotions	Gameday Promotions
Television	ESPN3 Brett Dolan, play-by-play Reid Gettys, analyst
Radio	KPRC 950 AM Jeremy Branham, play-by-play Elvin Hayes, analyst
Live Stats	GameTracker
Game Notes	• Houston Notes • Prairie View A&M Notes • The American Notes
Social Media

HOUSTON, Texas -- The University of Houston Men's Basketball program returns to action at 4 p.m., Saturday, when it plays host to Prairie View A&M inside Hofheinz Pavilion.

The Cougars (5-1) will be looking for their third straight home win to open the 2016-17 season. Houston has won handily in its first two games in front of the hometown fans, taking a 93-52 win over Morgan State in the season opener on Nov. 11 and following that with an 83-53 win over Cornell on Nov. 26.

Houston enters this weekend's contest on the heels of a tough 84-65 loss at LSU on Tuesday night in Baton Rouge, La. That loss snapped the Cougars' five-game winning streak to open the season.

Junior guard Rob Gray led the Cougars with 19 points, including 15 in the first half, while guard Damyean Dotson added 13 points with six rebounds. Junior forward Devin Davis finished with 12 points and four rebounds, while senior center Bertrand Nkali added four points with a career-best eight rebounds and a team-high three blocked shots.

This season, Gray leads the Cougars and ranks fifth in the American Athletic Conference with 18.8 points per game. Sophomore point guard Galen Robinson Jr. stands second in the league with 5.8 assists per game, while Dotson is tied for second with 3.0 3-pointers per contest.

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

ESPN3: North Carolina Central Eagles at East Carolina Pirates, 5 PM EST

Game 9: East Carolina vs. N.C. Central
Date	Saturday, December 3
Time	5 p.m. (ET)
Location	Greenville, N.C. (Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum)
Coverage	Live Stats \\\ Listen Live \\\ ESPN3
Game Notes	East Carolina \\\ N.C. Central
Social Media	Twitter: @ECUScoreboard \\\ @ECUPirateHoops

East Carolina goes for its fifth straight home win Saturday as it welcomes N.C. Central to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum for a 5 p.m. tip-off.

The Pirates, who have won all five previous meetings in the series, have won four of their last five games and bring a record of 6-2 into the game.

After losing its their first two games of the year, the Eagles have won five straight, including a 10-point victory on the road over SEC member Missouri Monday night.

NCCU is coming off a 92-5
5 win over Southern Wesleyan Thursday night, while ECU has been off since its 68-48 victory over Hampton Tuesday. Patrick Cole, NCCU's leading scorer, led his team with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists in its latest win. ECU's leading scorer, B.J. Tyson, also led his team to victory last time out scoring 17 points.

Tyson (14.8 ppg) is one of four Pirates' averaging double figures followed by Caleb White (14.3 ppg), Kentrell Barkley (13.0) and Andre Washington (10.0). Washington leads ECU with 12.1 rebounds per game and ranks 15th in NCAA Division I with 21 total blocks.

Tickets for Saturday's game start are $15 for adults, $12 for youth and can be purchased on line at ecupirates.com or by calling the ECU Athletic Ticket Office at (800) 342-5328. The first 500 fans will receive an ECU Ugly Holiday Sweater T-shirt. Fans can also enter for a chance to compete for, and win, a pair of tickets to see WWE Live Holiday Tour on Dec. 11 in Minges Coliseum.

The Salvation Army will have bins set up to accept donations of unwrapped toys for its Toys For Tots program.

NEWS & NOTES
East Carolina will be shooting for its 18th consecutive non-conference home victory Saturday. The Pirates are 5-0 at home this season against non-conference opponents after going 7-0 inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum prior to American Athletic Conference play a year ago.
N.C. Central represents ECU's fourth MEAC opponent of the season and fifth HBCU foe. East Carolina has won 15 consecutive games against current members of the MEAC with their last lost coming at Morgan State on Dec. 18, 2006.

UPCOMING MILESTONES: B.J. Tyson is one point shy of becoming the 28th player in school history with 1,000 career points. He posted 17 points Tuesday night against Hampton.

Tyson has picked up his scoring prowess recently. After scoring 12, 13, 12 and 14 in the first four games of the season, he netted 17, 15, 17 and 18 in the last four and now leads the Pirates in scoring.
Graduate transfer Andre Washington has led East Carolina in rebounding in five of the last six games with eight rebounds in four of those games and 16 in the other. He's also in a pattern of scoring double figures every other game and will be looking to put together back-to-back double figure scoring games for the first time this season Saturday.

Senior Caleb White continues to climb the ECU career record book. White is four minutes away from becoming just the third player in program history to play 3,300 minutes. He needs to average 17 minutes a game over the final 24 contests to become the Pirates' all-time leader in that category.
Sophomore Kentrell Barkley continues to be a model of consistency. He's scored double figures in six games this season and has secured six or more rebounds six times. Barkley hasn't had fewer than six boards in any contest since the second game of the season. He currently ranks third on the team in scoring, second in rebounding and first in assists.

Freshman Jeremy Sheppard scored nine points against Hampton Tuesday after chipping in seven versus Air Force. After starting the season 2-of-9 shooting, he's made 8-of-12 field goal attempts the last three games.

EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

ESPN3: Central Michigan Chippewa Men Close Twinbill With Arkansas - Pine Bluff at 4:30 p.m. EST

CENTRAL MICHIGAN (6-2) vs. ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF (1-6) 
Saturday, Dec. 3 • 4:30 p.m. • McGuirk Arena • Mount Pleasant, Mich. 

Game Notes: Central Michigan | Arkansas-Pine Bluff 
Watch: ESPN3 
Listen: Central Michigan IMG Sports Network 
Live Stats: GameTracker 
Twitter: @CMUMensBball

Andy Sneddon, CMUChipppewas.com

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Pleased, but not satisfied.

The Central Michigan men’s basketball team plays the second of three-consecutive home games Saturday (4:30 p.m.) against nonconference Arkansas-Pine Bluff at McGuirk Arena. It’s the nightcap of a doubleheader that begins at 1 p.m. with the CMU women taking on Illinois-Chicago.

CMU (6-2) has won two straight games, and have looked good doing it against a pair of solid opponents, Green Bay and William & Mary.

The Chippewas, who, at 91.0 points per game, are the seventh-highest scoring team in the nation, play host to Green Bay on Tuesday to close their home stand.

“I’m pleased with where we are as a team at this point in the season,” said CMU coach Keno Davis, whose team won going away at Green Bay and built a big second-half lead then cruised into the barn against William & Mary. “And yet we understand that we have to continue to improve to be able to be a consistent team as we prepare for MAC play in the not too distant future.”

Marcus Keene leads the Chippewas – and the entire country – in scoring at 30.4 points per game. His backcourt mate, Braylon Rayson, is averaging 17.3 points per game, which ranks sixth in the Mid-American Conference.

“We’re a very explosive team, and yet we go through lulls that you would expect with so many newcomers and working on improving the chemistry,” Davis said. “If we can stay healthy I expect us to be more balanced as well as consistent throughout the 40 minutes of a game.”

Pine Bluff (1-6) has lost five straight games, the last of which was a 73-68 decision to UT-Martin on Thursday. Ghiavonni Robinson, a 6-foot-3 guard, leads the Lions in scoring at 12.3 points per game.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVESITY ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS