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.

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON DUCKS ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

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

CONTINUE READING

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

ESPN3: Western Illinois Returns Home to Face Chicago State Saturday at 3:00 p.m. EST

#WIUGAMEDAY INFORMATION

Western Illinois Leathernecks (2-5) vs. Chicago State Cougars (2-4) WHEN AND WHERE: Saturday, December 3 | 2 p.m. Macomb, Ill. | Western Hall (4,553) 2016-17 WESTERN ILLINOIS STATS:  HERE 2016-17 CHICAGO STATE STATS:  HERE OPPONENT WEBSITE:  GoCSUCougars.com

COVERAGE

VIDEO STREAM: ESPN3 RADIO: Flagship: 94.3 FM WRMS Affiliates: 102.7 FM WJEQ 106.7 FM WPWQ 107.5 FM KWBZ AUDIO STREAM:  WRMSFM.com LIVE STATS:  GoLeathernecks.com

SOCIAL MEDIA

TWITTER: @WIUMensHoops @WIUAthletics FACEBOOK: Western Illinois Men's Basketball Western Illinois Athletics INSTAGRAM: Western Illinois Athletics

PRESEASON INFORMATION

2016-17 Quick Facts (.PDF) 2016-17 Preseason Record Book (.PDF) 2016-17 Schedule Release 2016-17 Media Day (Video)

MACOMB, Illinois -- Western Illinois (2-5) continues the non-league portion of its schedule Saturday afternoon (Dec. 3) when Chicago State (2-4) comes to Macomb... The Leathernecks and Cougars are slated to tipoff at 2 p.m. inside Western Hall, and the afternoon tilt is slated to be streamed live on ESPN3.
 

OPENING TIP

- Western Illinois men's basketball dropped its nonconference road game at American 57-50 Tuesday evening (Nov. 29)... Senior Garret Covington finished with a game-high 20 points... Sophomore Jordan Hughes played a career-high 16 minutes and grabbed a career-high and team-best nine rebounds.

- Mike Miklusak continued his fast start...  After recorded the team's first double-double of the season in 36 minutes of action at Miami (14 points, 11 rebounds), the senior scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in 31 minutes at American. Miklusak came off of the bench in each game.

- Covington leads WIU in scoring, averaging 21.1 points per game... He has scored 15-plus points in all seven games this season, and 20-plus points in each of WIU's last four games (22 at EIU | 26 vs. Crown | 29 at Miami | 20 at American).

- Covington has 1,487 career points and most recently moved into eighth place all-time at WIU... H passed Ceola Clark III and is not the program's all-time leader in total points during the program's NCAA DI era... Covington is 10 points from moving into seventh, and 22 away from sixth.

- Covington, who also ranks second all-time in career 3-pointers (234 3-pointers), is only 14 triples away from being the program's all-time leader.

- Senior guard Jabari Sandifer has 357 career assists and is five away from moving into the Top 3 in WIU's program history.

SERIES HISTORY: The Leathernecks lead the all-time series with Chicago State 24-13... The most recent contest came last season at Chicago State when the Cougars downed the Leathernecks, 77-70... The first ever meeting between the two programs occurred on February 5, 1972 with Western defeating CSU 124-91 (The 124 points scored by WIU ranks fifth-most in the program's history)... That meeting marked the only 1-of-3 meetings between the two programs before Western moved up to NCAA Division I... Chicago State was a member of The Summit League when it was known as the Mid-Continent Conference, joining the league in 1994 and departing in 2006... During that time period WIU went 16-8 against the Cougars, never facing them in the league's tournament... Since CSU left the league the two teams have only played one other time prior to last season on Jan. 20, 2007 when the Cougars defeating the Leathernecks 82-72 in Macomb... WIU's program record for blocks in a game of nine by Shelby Thompson happened against Chicago State during the 1992-93 season.

WHAT'S NEXT?: Western plays the back end of its home-and-home series with Eastern Illinois inside Western Hall on Saturday, Dec. 10... The contest is Western's final nonconference home game of the season.

THE LAST TIME OUT: Western Illinois men's basketball dropped its nonconference road game at American 57-50 Tuesday evening (Nov. 29). The Leathernecks, who led by nine points at halftime, lost their lead early in the second half after the Eagles opened the period on a 10-0 run. American eventually built its lead up to seven, 49-42, with 5:42 to play in regulation. WIU wouldn't give in though as the Leathernecks answered with a 6-0 run to get back within a point at the final media timeout, 49-48. AU and Western exchanged baskets and the Leathernecks again found themselves down one with 26 seconds to play, but WIU missed its opportunities to regain the lead before eventually falling to 2-5 on the season. Senior Garret Covington finished with a game-high 20 points. It marked his fourth straight game with 20 or more points, and the Edwardsville, Ill. native also passed Ceola Clark III on WIU's career points list to gain sole possession of eighth place (1,487 points). Covington added four rebounds and two assists as well.

AT HOME: Western is 46-24 (.657) inside Western Hall since the beginning of the 2011-12 season... The Leathernecks went 10-4 (.714) during their 2011-12 campaign, 12-2 (.857) during the 2012-13 league slate, 7-5 in 2013-14 (.583), 8-6 (.571) in 2014-15, 7-6 (.500) in 2015-16, and WIU is 2-1 on LeRoy A. Ufkes Court inside Western Hall so far this season.

WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

ESPN3: Cleveland State Vikings Return Home to Host Bethune-Cookman at The Q on Saturday at 12:00 Noon EST

GAME #7
Bethune-Cookman (2-5) at Cleveland State (1-5)
Saturday, December 3 | 12:00 pm ET
Cleveland, Ohio | Quicken Loans Arena
Live Stats | ESPN3 | AM 1420 WHK

PDF GAME NOTES
Bethune-Cookman at Cleveland State

GAME PREVIEW:
    •     Cleveland State returns home for the first time in almost three weeks when the Vikings host Bethune-Cookman on Saturday (Dec. 3) at 12:00 pm at Quicken Loans Arena.
    •    The Vikings are 1-5 and concluded a four-game road swing with a 78-51 setback at Arkansas State on Wednesday (Nov. 30).
    •    Bethune-Cookman is 2-5 this year and has not played since a 93-65 setback at Samford on Nov. 26.
    •    Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app with Al Palowski and Pat Vuyancih providing the commentary.
    •    Pawlowski and Vuyancih will also have the call on AM 1420 and AM 1440.

THE BETHUNE-COOKMAN SERIES:
    •     Saturday's game will be the first-ever meeting between CSU and Bethune-Cookman in men's basketball.
    •    This will be the third of five teams that CSU will be playing for the first time in program history this year (UT-Martin, Arkansas State, Bethune-Cookman, Purdue, Lake Erie).

GAME 6 REVIEW: ARKANSAS STATE 78, CSU 51 (11/30/16)
    •     CSU concluded a four-game road swing with a 78-51 setback at Arkansas State.
    •    Demonte Flannigan led CSU with 14 points and six rebounds in his first start of the season.
    •    Kenny Carpenter scored 10 points with five rebounds, while Jibri Blount added eight points and three rebounds.
    •    Terrell Hales and Kasheem Thomas both had two steals in the contest.

CSU AT "THE Q":
    •    Saturday's game will be the first of two games that CSU will play at Quicken Loans Arena this year.
    •    CSU also hosts Western Michigan on Wednesday (Dec. 7) at Quicken Loans Arena.
    •    This marks the second year that the Vikings will play a select number of home games at the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
    •    Last year, CSU played five games at The Q, hosting Kent State and Ohio in non-conference action and Youngstown State, Valparaiso and Wright State in the League slate.

FOR THREE:
    •    CSU has hit a three-pointer in a school-record 572 consecutive games.
    •    The Vikings have hit at least three three's in 120 straight games.
    •     The last time CSU failed to make a three-pointer was Feb. 21, 1998, when the Vikings were 0-for-8 in a 60-57 win over Detroit.

FLANNIGAN BACK IN STARTING LINEUP:
    •    Demonte Flannigan made his first start of the season on Wednesday (Nov. 30) at Arkansas State.
    •    Flannigan posted 14 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes.
    •    He missed the first four games of the season and made his season debut at Duquesne (Nov. 27), playing 19 minutes off the bench.
    •    The lone senior on the 17 player roster this year, Flannigan was second on the team in scoring (11.4) and rebounding (5.4) last year.
    •    He posted five double-doubles as a junior and poured in a career-high 30 points in a win at Youngstown State (Feb. 13).

CARPENTER PROVIDES SPARK OFF BENCH:
    •    Junior Kenny Carpenter has provided the Vikings with a spark off the bench over the last two games.
    •    In games at Duquesne (Nov. 27) and Arkansas State (Nov. 30), Carpenter has averaged 11.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting 9-of-19 (.474) from the field.
    •    He scored 13 points with four rebounds at Duquesne and tallied 10 points and five rebounds at Arkansas State.

EDWARDS NETS CAREER HIGH:
    •     Sophomore Rob Edwards scored a career-high 28 points in the Nov. 23 setback at No. 1 ranked Kentucky.
    •    Edwards also set career-highs in field goals made (12) and attempted (21) against the Wildcats.
    •    His old career-high was 26 points set last season at Detroit.
    •    Edwards has six career 20-point games, including two this year.

... AND PROVES WORTHY OF PRESEASON HONOR:
    •     Sophomore Rob Edwards was named to the preseason All-Horizon League second team.
    •    He ranks seventh in the Horizon League in scoring (15.7) and is 13th in field goal percentage (.473; 35-74).
    •    Edwards is 14-of-18 at the free throw line this year, ranking 14th in the League with a .778 percentage.
    •    Last year, he averaged 12.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game last year, earning a spot on the Horizon League All-Freshman team.
    •    He started 30 games last year, the most for a freshman in CSU history, and also logged a CSU freshman record 994 minutes.

KASH DROPPING DIMES:
    •     Freshman Kasheem Thomas ranks third in the Horizon League with 4.5 assists per game.
    •    Thomas' 27 assists are the fourth most by a Horizon League player this year.
    •    He has recorded at least six assists in three games this year with nine in the season opener vs. Kent State (Nov. 12), seven against Canisius (Nov. 15) and six assists at Duquense (Nov. 27).
    •    Thomas has a 1.9 assist-to-turnover-ratio, committing just 14 turnovers to his 27 assists to rank fifth in the League.

... AND HE'S JUST A FRESHMAN:
    •     Kasheem Thomas is averaging 7.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists this year, playing 26.7 minutes per game.
    •    Thomas became the first CSU freshman to start a season opener since 2003-04 (Walt Waters) when he drew a starting assignment vs. Kent State (Nov. 12).

ALL IN THE FAMILY:
    •     Sophomore Jibri Blount is the son of NFL Hall of Famer and former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Mel Blount who played 14 seasons for the Black and Gold.
    •    As a starting forward this year, Blount is averaging 8.0 points and a team-leading 4.5 rebounds per game.
    •    Blount tied his career-high with 11 rebounds at UT-Martin (Nov. 18).
    •    Blount had a strong freshman season, averaging 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 29 games, including five starts.

WORD UP:
    •     Junior Bobby Word made his CSU debut against Kent State (Nov. 12). He sat out last season after transferring from Oral Robets.
    •    He ranks 26th in the League in scoring (10.3) and ninth in three-pointers (2.2).
    •    Word scored a team-high 17 points in the season opener against Kent State (Nov. 12), hitting four three-pointers and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
    •    As a sophomore at ORU, Word averaged 8.4 points and was tops on the team with 56 three's.
    •    He scored in double figures 14 times, including a career-high 22 points in the second round of the CBI against Loyola (Ill.).

SLOAN STEPS IN:
    •     With Demonte Flannigan out of the lineup to start the season, junior Derek Sloan stepped in to start the first five games of the season.
    •    Sloan has responded well, averaging 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds, while shooting .650 (13-20) from the field.
    •    Sloan set career highs in points (10) and rebounds (7) against Canisius (Nov. 15), hitting five of his seven shots from the floor in just 17 minutes.
    •    He made 4-of-5 field goals at UT-Martin (Nov. 18), tying his career high with 10 points.

UP NEXT:
    •    CSU will play its second and final game of the season at Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday (Dec. 7) when the Viking host Western Michigan at 7:00 pm.
    •    The Vikings travel to Purdue for a 12:00 pm game next Saturday (Dec. 10). The Boilermakers are ranked 15th in this week's AP Top-25 poll and 16th in the USA Today Coaches poll.

CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

WSSU freshman Colon making immediate

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- It’s hard to imagine just how good freshman Robert Colon of Winston-Salem State will get once he gets a little more experience.

The good news is he’s already making quite an impact.

Colon, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound shooting guard, has made the transition from high school to college look as easy as the perfect rotation on his jump shot. He’s confident without being cocky, and that’s a trait that has already endeared him to teammates.

“He hasn’t had a bad game,” coach James Wilhelmi of the Rams said. “As a freshman, you are going to have ups and downs. We believe in him and we’re going to keep going to him because he’s an outstanding player.”

The Rams (3-4) will head into today’s 7 p.m. game at home against Virginia Union with Colon as their leading scorer. He is averaging 19.7 points a game and loves taking the big shots.

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One more piece of hardware at stake Saturday from Grambling: The SWAC title in showdown with Alcorn State in Houston

HOUSTON — For the second straight year, Grambling swept its way through the Southwestern Athletic Conference, bringing its regular-season conference winning streak to 18 games.

Broderick Fobbs was named coach of the year for the third straight year, and the Tigers landed 14 players on the all-conference team, including the offensive and defensive players of the year.



Despite all of the regular-season accolades, there is still one big piece of hardware missing from Grambling’s recent list of accomplishments: the SWAC championship, which the Tigers haven’t won since 2011.

Grambling will get the opportunity to put that exclamation point on a dominant season at 3 p.m. Saturday when the Tigers take on Alcorn State in a rematch of last year’s SWAC title game at NRG Stadium.

“Eighteen straight wins sound good, but we are chasing the ring right now,” Grambling all-SWAC offensive lineman Justin Miller said Friday. "We were undefeated in the conference last year and lost in the championship game. So we have to stay humble and just go out and do what we do.”

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