Albany State University head football coach resigns

COACH DAN LAND

ALBANY, Georgia -- Albany State University has announced the resignation of its head football coach.

Dan Land has resigned his duties as Albany State University's head football coach effective immediately. He will remain on faculty. Land recently served in an interim role before being named to the position in June of last year.

"We appreciate the years of service Coach Land has contributed to this institution," said Sherie Gordon, director of athletics. "I have accepted his resignation and wish him success in his future endeavors."

Art Dunning, president of Albany State University, echoed Gordon's sentiment.

"I want to thank Coach Land for serving as head coach for football. I understand and appreciate his desire for this career change and wish him well," said Dunning.

Land has compiled a record of 11-8 during his two-year tenure as head coach. Land has also served as an assistant football coach and as athletic director at Albany State University.

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Hampton Pirates Set To Face Coastal Carolina In CBI

HAMPTON, Virginia – The Hampton University men's basketball team will compete in the 2017 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) presented by FIVE FOUR, as the 16-team field was announced on Sunday. The Pirates will be at Coastal Carolina on Wednesday.

Game time has yet to be announced.

The Pirates (14-16) are coming off a MEAC Tournament quarterfinal loss to Maryland Eastern Shore this past Thursday. Third Team All-MEAC and MEAC All-Rookie selection Jermaine Marrow is the team's leading scorer, averaging 15.5 points per game.

Hampton last competed in the CBI in 2014, falling 69-65 at Penn State in the first round. This will mark the Pirates' fourth straight season reaching postseason play.

Coastal Carolina (16-17) fell 74-51 to Texas Arlington in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament after going 10-8 in league play. Junior guard Jaylen Shaw, a Third Team All-Sun Belt selection, leads the team in scoring (14.1 points per game), and he ranks in the top 10 in the conference in both 3-point field goal percentage (.394) and assists (124).

Hampton and Coastal Carolina have met twice before, with each team winning on its home floor during the 1995-96 season, the Pirates' first as a Div. I program.

The winner will face either Loyola (Md.) or George Mason in the quarterfinals on Monday, March 20.

The CBI is a single-elimination tournament, until the best-of-three championship round (March 27, 29 and 31 on ESPNU).

Past CBI champions include Tulsa, Oregon State, VCU, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Santa Clara, Siena, Loyola Chicago, and Nevada. To learn more about the CBI, visit www.gazellegroup.com.

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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A look inside of Texas Southern’s domination of the SWAC

The Tigers have a dance with the Tar Heels, but this is how they got there

HOUSTON, Texas -- The Texas Southern Tigers (23-11), led by coach Mike Davis, came into the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) tournament as the team to beat and left as the only one left standing. The Undefeated spent time with the Tigers as they climbed through the SWAC and became the No. 16 seed in the NCAA men’s tournament South regional, taking on powerhouse and top seed North Carolina.

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Texas Southern-North Carolina Preview (Mar 17, 2017)

GREENVILLE, South Carolina -- North Carolina is back as a No. 1 regional seed for the NCAA Tournament, looking for another deep run in an effort to finish one spot better than a year ago.

The 2016 runner-up will begin its quest Friday afternoon against 16th-seeded Texas Southern at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.

North Carolina (27-7) is the No. 1 seed in the South Region.

“I’m very pleased with what our team accomplished, because they don’t give those things (No. 1 seeds) away, you have to earn them,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. “I think we’re a top seed for the body of work during the course of the season, winning the ACC regular season by two full games and playing a very good schedule out of conference.”

North Carolina is a No. 1 seed for the 16th time, the most for any men’s team. This is the seventh time in 14 seasons under Williams that the Tar Heels hold a top regional seed.

Of course, there are bigger goals than holding a nice seed. Coming up a victory short last spring could serve as an inspiration for the Tar Heels.

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SWAC spring football outlook

BIRMINGHAM, Louisiana -- The SWAC has been filled with the haves and the have-nots in recent seasons, and the powers look to be in control again in 2017.

Alcorn State has represented the East Division in the last three SWAC championship games and captured two overall titles. Grambling State won the conference crown last season in its second straight appearance in the championship game, while Southern was the West representative in the prior two title games, winning one.

All three teams return their starting quarterback and other key veterans from successful teams. So while optimism reigns in the spring across the rest of the conference, will it be there in late fall?

Following is a look across the SWAC with spring practices underway in college football:

EAST DIVISION

ALABAMA STATE

Head Coach: Brian Jenkins (10-12, two seasons; 56-26 overall)

2016 Records: 4-7, 3-6 SWAC

Spring Practices: April 1-29

What to Know: The hiring of Jenkins has yet to pay off considering the Hornets won at least seven games in each of the five seasons prior to his arrival. The Hornets hope the third year in his system will pay off. Like rival Alabama A&M, the Hornets return seven starters on offense and eight on defense, but their five All-SWAC selections were seniors last season, so the losses are significant. The Hornets are starting anew where offensive plays begin, replacing their starting center, quarterback and running back. They play four of their first five games at home.

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Grambling Lady Tigers Draw Ole Miss for First Round of WNIT

GRAMBLING, Louisiana – On Monday night, the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) announced the field of teams that will participate in the yearly basketball event.

The Grambling State University Lady Tiger basketball team (18-14) was informed the team would be facing the Southeastern Conference representative, the University of Mississippi on Thursday, March 16 in Oxford, Miss.

Grambling comes into the game after a loss in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship to Texas Southern University, 70-66. Ole Miss enters with an overall record of 17-13.

Game time and ticket prices for the contest will be announced later.

The 64-team tournament is a single-elimination event with all games played at sites of host schools. The WNIT is committed to offering deserved opportunities to women's basketball programs, and the 2017 Postseason WNIT features a full 64-team bracket.

First-round games will be held March 15-17 while the second round runs March 18-21. Round 3 is slated to begin March 22 and run through the 24th. Round 4 is March 25-27 with the WNIT semifinals set for March 29-30.

The WNIT Championship Game will be played at 3 p.m. ET on April 1 and air live on CBS Sports Network. Thad Anderson (play-by-play)) and Ceal Barry (analyst) will call the game.

The field will consist of 32 automatic berths -- one from each conference -- and 32 at-large teams. The intention of the WNIT selection committee is to select the 32 best available at-large teams in the nation. At-large teams must have a .500 overall record or better to be considered.

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TSU Lady Tigers set to face Baylor in NCAA Tournament First Round

HOUSTON, Texas -- The Texas Southern Lady Tigers won't have to travel far in the first leg of their first-ever trip to the NCAA Division I Women's Tournament, as TSU garnered a 16-seed in the Oklahoma City region, where the 2017 SWAC Tournament Champion will face 1-seed Baylor.

The contest will take place in Waco, Texas on Saturday.

Texas Southern comes into the tournament with a 23-9 overall record (14-4 SWAC). The Lady Tigers are led by All-SWAC First-Team guard and SWAC Tournament Most Valuable Player Joyce Kennerson, who is tied for the league lead in scoring at 18.3 points per game and has scored 20 or more points in 11 of TSU's last 15 games -- during which the Lady Tigers have posted a 12-3 record, including tournament play.

Flanking the dynamic sophomore will be inside presence Artavia Ford (10.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg), gunner Kaitlyn Palmer (9.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and freshman Chynna Ewing (7.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg), who also earned All-Tournament recognition. The Lady Tigers also placed in the top 30 nationally in scoring defense 57.0 ppg.

In the Lady Bears, Texas Southern has an opponent that has won 30 or more games in seven straight seasons, including a 40-0, national championship-winning campaign in 2011-12. The Lady Bears have four players that average 12 points or more per game, led by first team All-Big 12 and All-Defense choice Kalani Brown (15.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg) at center.

First-Team All-Big 12 guard Alexis Jones (13.9 ppg) and Alexis Prince (12.1 ppg) offer perimeter threats for the nation's second-highest scoring offense (88.6 ppg).

This will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2011. In the teams' Nov. 30 contest of that season, Baylor prevailed 91-39.

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UC Davis Aggie men will dance with NC Central on Wednesday in Dayton

DAYTON, Ohio -- The UC Davis men’s basketball team will face North Carolina Central in one of four play-in games to start the 2017 NCAA postseason. The Aggies (22-12) will play at 3:40 PDT Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio. The game will be broadcast on TruTV.

The winner will be a No. 16 seed and will face the Midwest Region’s No. 1 seed, Kansas, on Friday in Tulsa.

“I think it’s special,” Aggie coach Jim Les said. “You always try, as ambassadors to the university, to shine a positive light on the excellence that is UC Davis. I don’t think there’s any brighter spotlight than to hear your name called on selection Sunday.”

NC Central (25-8) won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament by beating Norfolk Central, 67-58, in its tournament finale on Saturday.

Les said it doesn’t matter what seed the Aggies drew, they are ready to play some basketball.

“We are just happy to be there,” Les said. “We will go wherever we need to go. We’re excited about the challenge.”

UCD Athletic Director Kevin Blue said it’s great exposure for the entire campus.

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Introducing Cinderella: Texas Southern heading to third tournament in four years

Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference

Coach: Mike Davis (Texas Southern)

Record: 24-11 (16-2)

Ratings and Rankings:
– Kenpom: 205
– RPI: 120
– AP/USA Today: N/A

Seeding: With champions from the MEAC, Big Sky, Big West and Southland all with inferior RPIs compared to Texas Southern, it’s likely that the Tigers will avoid Dayton and the No. 16 line all together. Entering the day, NBC Sports latest bracket projected the Tigers to be a No. 15 seed, squaring off with Duke.

Names you need to know: Zach Lofton is the team’s leading scorer at 17.4 points per game. Demontrae Jefferson, the diminutive freshman floor general, is a human-highlight reel and 7-foot-1 Marvin Jones is the conference’s defensive player of the year.

Stats you need to know: The Tigers don’t shoot the ball well from deep. In fact, both of their top scorers are sub-30 percent shooters from distance. Texas Southern likes to get to the line where a quarter of its points comes from. As a team, the Tigers shoot at a 74 percent clip.

Big wins, bad losses: Best wins would technically be back-to-back road wins at Rice and La Salle in November. Assuming TCU hears its name called on Selection Sunday, the Tigers have lost to five NCAA Tournament teams (Arizona, Louisville, Cincinnati, TCU and Baylor) by an average margin of 30.8 points. Texas Southern also lost in overtime to Mississippi Valley State (7-25). It was the Tigers first of two conference loses to teams with losing records.

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Short-handed Hampton women draw No. 9 Duke as NCAA first-round foe

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Having successfully completed Mission: Improbable, the Hampton University women’s basketball team must now turn its attention to an assignment that more closely resembles Mission: Impossible.

The Pirates, unlikely winners of the MEAC tournament, on Monday received a daunting reward: a No. 15 seed in the NCAA tournament’s Bridgeport, Conn., Region and a first-round date with No. 2-seeded Duke.

That game will be played on Saturday at 9 p.m. in Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium.

“I sent the kids a text message (early Monday morning)”, said Pirates coach David Six. “I said, ‘Don’t let anything that happens tonight — not who we play, not where we play, not when we play — minimize what you’ve accomplished.’ I said, ‘Tomorrow we’ll go to work. Tomorrow we’ll begin to get ready. But not tonight. Tonight, I just want you to enjoy it.’”

There is much to enjoy. Hampton (20-12) was the only state team to get a spot in the NCAA tournament’s field of 64. The manner in which it did so was little shy of remarkable.

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CIT Bracket 2017: Liberty advances to second round over Norfolk State

LYNCHBURG, Virginia -- If you thought Monday was the lull before the start of the madness, you were wrong.

There was tournament basketball on the day after Selection Sunday. Liberty beat Norfolk State 73-64 in the first round of the CIT, formally kicking off the non-league tournament portion of the postseason.

So let us be the first second to officially welcome you to March!

The Flames, who had the fourth most efficient offense in the Big South, blistered Norfolk State by shooting 53.2 percent from the field. This was fueled by career-high point totals from Ryan Kemrite (30 points) and Lovell Cabill (25 points). Both players should return next season.

Liberty ran out to a 32-22 halftime lead, and while the Spartans were able to crack the Flames’ defense for 42 second half points, it wasn’t enough. Norfolk State senior Jonathan Wade led the way with 22 points and six rebounds, and the loss closes the book on his solid career, which included all-MEAC first team honors this season.

This was the Flames first postseason appearance since they lost to North Carolina A&T in 2012-13’s First Four of the NCAA Tournament. It was also the program’s second postseason victory - the first being a CIT opening round win against Rider in 2008-09.

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Gold Nuggets relay squad qualifies for national meet

LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana — Xavier University of Louisiana qualified for the NAIA National Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the women's 400-meter relay at the McNeese Cowboy Relays Saturday.
     
Janelle Jones, Tramaine Shannon, Clarke Allen and Ry-Anne Riley combined to post an A-qualifying time of 47.98 seconds. They finished eighth in the event. It is the fifth consecutive year that a Gold Nuggets relay squad qualified for nationals at this distance.
     
The NAIA's national meet will be May 25-27 at Gulf Shores, Ala.
     
Jones, Shannon, Allen and Riley also finished third in 800 relay in 1:42.01. The Gold Nuggets' 3,200 relay team of Maliya Vaughan, Taylor Price, Carlie Calais and Brianna Pace placed third in 9:58.68. 

XULA's highest men's finish was eighth by Khalil Gallien in the 110 hurdles (15.75).
     
XULA produced 22 points to place 13th out of 20 teams in combined team scoring.
     
Next for the Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush will be the Emory Invitational March 17-18 in Atlanta. It will be XULA's third meet of the season.
     
Here are all XULA results from the McNeese Cowboy Relays:

Women
     
100:  Alexis Milton, 21st in 12.62 seconds; Martina Wright, 28th in 12.81; Justyce Riggs, 30th in 12.87; Katelyn McMorris, 40th in 13.41
     
1,500:  Maliya Vaughan, 7th in 5:07.42; Taylor Price, 11th in 5:15.90; Brianna Pace, 13th in 5:22.54; Dionysia Love, 15th in 5:23.83
     
3,000:  Dionysia Love, 12th in 11:34.32
     
400 Relay:  Janelle Jones, Tramaine Shannon, Clarke Allen, Ry-Anne Riley, 8th in 47.98
     
800 Relay:  Janelle Jones, Tramaine Shannon, Clarke Allen, Ry-Anne Riley, Riley 3rd in 1:42:01; Alexis Milton, Justyce Riggs, Katelyn McMorris, Martina Wright, 5th in 1:46.19
     
1,600 Sprint Medley Relay:  Tramaine Shannon, Clarke Allen, Ry-Anne Riley, Brianna Pace, 8th in 4:24.74
     
3,200 Relay:  Maliya Vaughan, Taylor Price, Carlie Calais, Brianna Pace, 3rd in 9:58.68

Men
     
100:  Treshunn Miliner, 34th in 11.31
     
110 Hurdles:  Khalil Gallien, 8th in 15.75
     
400 Hurdles:  Khalil Gallien, 15th in 1:00.56

Combined Team Scoring
     
1, McNeese State 316.42 points. 2, Northwestern State 306. 3, Louisiana-Lafayette 215. 4, Southeastern Louisiana 199.14. 5, Wiley 167. 6, Grambling 133. 7, Louisiana-Monroe 130.14. 8, Alcorn State 103. 9, Southern 40. 10, Texas Southern 34. 11, XULA 22. 12, Dillard 15.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Benedict Lady Tigers Fall To West Florida In NCAA Tournament, 74-51

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – West Florida hit their first seven shots, while Benedict got off to a sluggish shooting start, and the Lady Tigers were never able to catch up as the Argonauts took a 74-51 victory in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II South Region women's basketball tournament on Saturday on the campus of Eckerd College.

The Lady Tigers end their season at 22-8, ending their 16-game winning streak. West Florida, ranked 17th in the latest DII women's basketball media poll, improves to 26-6 and will play either Rollins or Eckerd in Monday's championship.

While West Florida was hitting all their shots early, Benedict made just one of their first 10 attempts and trailed 17-3 midway through the first quarter. The Lady Tigers shot 13.6 percent (3-for-22) in the first quarter and trailed 22-9 after the first 10 minutes of play.

"Right from the start, we didn't play Benedict's defense," said Benedict head coach James Rice. "We allowed their shooters to get open, we weren't talking on defense. I don't know if it was just getting caught up in the moment or being inexperienced got to us, but we didn't do anything right at the beginning of the game."

Benedict shot 26 percent for the game, making just 19-of-73 shot attempts. The Lady Tigers attempted a season-high 39 3-pointers, making nine (23.1 perccent).

"Our thing is, when we play great defense, we tend to play better offense," Rice said. "Since our defense was so bad, we couldn't get anything started on offense. We couldn't get into our offense."

The Lady Tigers made a charge in the second quarter, cutting the lead to 31-25 after a layup by Michala Robinson. The Argos scored the final four points of the quarter for a 40-29 halftime lead. West Florida pushed the lead to as much as 24 points late in the third quarter before MiKeisha Moore hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 62-41 heading into the fourth quarter.

Simone Roberts led Benedict with 12 points and was the only Lady Tiger in double figures. Moore added eight points. Destiny Betts had a team-high 12 rebounds.

West Florida placed four players in double figures, led by Katie Bobos with 17 points.

The Lady Tigers wrap up another successful season. After advancing to the region championship game a year ago, Benedict returned just two players off that squad. So to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament is an accomplishment to be proud of, Rice said.

The Benedict College Lady Tigers advanced to the semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Division II women's basketball South Region tournament with a 71-60 victory over Valdosta State on Friday afternoon on the campus of Eckerd University.

MiKeisha Moore scored 21 points, hitting five 3-pointers, while Destiny Betts added 19 points to lead Benedict.

"No one expected us to win here. No one expected us to win a regular season championship and a tournament championship and one game in the South Region. They surprised me. They gave me everything they've got."

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Ben Jobe impacted lives of Avery Johnson, Cremins

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Ben Jobe meant everything to Avery Johnson.

“Had I not met Coach at Southern University, I would not be here,” Johnson said.

After Alabama’s 79-74 loss to Kentucky in Saturday’s SEC Tournament semifinals at Bridgestone Arena, Johnson spoke fondly about his college coach and mentor who passed away Friday at the age of 84.

“He taught me a lot about how to be a man,” Johnson said. “Father. Husband. He promised my mom that I would get my degree.”

Johnson said Jobe’s health had been failing him in recent weeks.

“Ten days ago, I talked to Coach, he was getting admitted into the hospital and he didn’t sound good,” said Johnson about Jobe, who was living in Montgomery. “And then as time progressed, his health just deteriorated.”

Johnson had been talking Jobe’s daughter every day about Jobe's health. Johnson said Jobe “was alert” for Alabama’s 20-point win over Mississippi State in the second round Thursday.

Johnson was informed that Jobe was able to catch most of the first half of the Crimson Tide’s quarterfinal win Friday against South Carolina, but passed away later that day.

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Longtime Southern coach Ben Jobe, a 'great basketball mind,' dies at 84

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Ben Jobe, an iconic basketball coach who guided Southern to multiple Southwestern Athletic Conference championships, died Friday. He was 84.

Former coach of the Denver Nuggets and ex-president of the Indiana Pacers Donnie Walsh, who was an assistant at the University of South Carolina with Jobe, once put him in perspective, saying he had all the ingredients to be a special coach.

“He had a great basketball mind,'' Walsh said. “But he combined it with the ability to teach and lead young men. I thought he was perfect because he had the right balance and toughness that you need to have, particularly with younger people.''

Lost a great man today! My college coach and Mentor Ben Jobe passed away at home! I loved him so much! #RIP 🙏🏽#SU1988

— Avery Johnson (@CoachAvery6) March 11, 2017

Jobe demonstrated those traits. A builder of downtrodden programs, Jobe coached eight teams over a span of 31 seasons, winning at a 61 percent rate and accumulating 524 victories. But his longest tenure of 12 seasons was at Southern. In two stints with the Jaguars (1986-96; 2001-03) in which he coached such notable athletes as Avery Johnson and Bobby Phills, Jobe had a 209-141 record — perhaps none bigger than the Jaguars' 93-78 shocker in 1993 over ACC champion Georgia Tech in the NCAA tournament.

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Liberty will host Norfolk State in McClendon Classic on Monday

LYNCHBURG, Virginia -- The Liberty Flames will look for their first postseason win since 2009, when the Flames host Norfolk State in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The game also the 2nd annual Coach John McClendon Classic, named after the first African American basketball head coach in any professional sport.

Norfolk State is coming off an appearance in the MEAC Championship Saturday night where they suffered a 67-59 loss to North Carolina Central. The Spartans are 17-16 on the season and finished second in the MEAC Conference with a 12-4 record.

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Hampton Lady Pirates hold off Bethune-Cookman for MEAC Title

PHOTO COURTESY: HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Behind a swarming defense and a blistering start, the Hampton Lady Pirates knocked off top-seeded Bethune-Cookman 52-49 to win the 2017 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament on Saturday afternoon at the Norfolk Scope.

Hampton head coach David Six now has a six-pack of tournament titles to his credit winning five in a row from 2010-14 and now 2017. The Lady Pirates will learn of their NCAA Tournament draw on Monday night at 7 pm. Hampton has won six games in a row.

Bethune (21-10) scored the first bucket of the game on a layup by Kailyn Williams 13 seconds into the contest. The Wildcats held the lead for all of 30 seconds as a 3-pointer from Monnazjea Finney-Smith put Hampton up 3-2 at the 9:17 mark.

Her 3-ball started a 19-2 run for the Lady Pirates as a Finney-Smith steal lead to a layup by Dejane' James to put Hampton (20-12) up 19-4 with 3:07 left in the first. Bethune was 0-for-6 with seven turnovers in that opening spurt.

Finney-Smith hit her third 3-pointer of the opening quarter to put Hampton up 22-6 with 1:58 left. A late layup by the Wildcats made the first quarter score 22-8.

The second quarter started with Hampton scoring the first five points with a Kaylah Lupoe layup and a Georgianna Gilbeaux 3-pointer giving Hampton a 27-8 lead at the 7:55 mark. The Wildcats showed their mettle by going on a 15-4 run over the next seven minutes and change as they trimmed the deficit to 31-23 on a Taylor Houston jumper with 41 seconds left.

Hampton closed the half scoring buckets by Mikayla Sayle and a buzzer-beating jumper from K'lynn Willis to put them up 35-23 at half.

The tide turned in the third quarter as Bethune made a run holding Hampton scoreless for the first 5:09 of the quarter. The Wildcats trimmed the lead to 35-34 on a Houston jumper with 5:48 left. Two buckets by Sayle over a three minute span helped keep Bethune at bay with a 40-36 lead on a layup with 1:18 left.

Sayle and Gilbeaux had layups to start the fourth and put Hampton up 44-37 with 8:53 left. The Wildcats responded scoring the next seven points as a Houston layup tied the game at 44-all with 6:45 remaining.

Brown, who was named Tournament MVP, scored two buckets to get Hampton back in front 48-44 with 5:14 left. Willis hit a free throw with 14 seconds left and Gilbeaux with 10 to ice the victory.

Sayle and Brown were the leading scorers with 10 points each. Brown had seven rebounds and five steals, while Sayle added a team-best eight boards. Finney-Smith, who joined Brown on the All-Tournament team, had nine points.

For more information on Hampton University women's basketball, please contact the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5906 or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

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Bowie State Falls To Fairmont State In NCAA To End Season

FAIRMONT, West Virginia -- Top-seeded and No. 3 ranked Fairmont State secured a spot in the NCAA Atlantic Region semifinals with a 93-67 win over Bowie State on Saturday evening inside Joe Retton Arena during the opening round of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional, hosted by Fairmont State University.

FSU will now battle Indiana (PA) in the second Atlantic Regional semifinal on Sunday evening. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m.

Bowie State opened the contest with a quick 11-6 run, before Fairmont State regrouped to orchestrate a 21-4 run over the next eight minutes of play, leaving the Bulldogs trailing 27-15. The Falcons led by as many as 17 points (33-16) in the opening half before taking a 45-35 lead into the locker room at the half.

Bowie State once again started the half quickly, cutting Fairmont's halftime lead to just six (48-42) at the 14:05 mark of the second half. However, FSU went on an 8-0 burst over the next 48 seconds to take control of the game for good. FSU led by as many as 29 on two different occasions in the second half.

Matt Bingaya led the Falcons with 20 points and eight rebounds in the win. The Falcons also got 15 points from Thomas Wimbush, 13 points apiece from Vonte Montgomery and D'Ondre Stockman and 10 from Jason Jolly. Senior Shammgod Wells also chipped in eight points and passed out six assists in the win. Troy Cantrell also grabbed eight boards.

Fairmont State shot 44.9 percent from the field (31-of-69), and drained 11 three-pointers on the evening. The Falcons also held a 45-32 rebounding advantage, scored 21 points off 20 Bowie State turnovers and dropped in 19 second-chance points.

Ahmaad Wilson paced Bowie State with 19 points. Omari George added 17 while Enouma Ebinum followed with 11.

Fairmont State men's basketball will be making its fifth appearance in the NCAA Division II regional semifinals, including the third under head coach Jerrod Calhoun.

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Virginia Union Lady Panthers Surge Into Atlantic Region Championship Game

CALIFORNIA, Pennsylvania — For the second consecutive season, the Virginia Union women's basketball team is in the Atlantic Region final.

Rachael Pecota scored 17 points, and a trio of Panthers added 12 as No. 3 seed Virginia Union beat No. 2 seed Indiana (Pa.) 62-58 on Saturday, March 11, in the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament in California, Pa.

On Monday, the Panthers will face No. 1 seed California (Pa.) on Monday, March 13, at 7:00 p.m. in California, Pa.
Bulled down 11 rebounds and blocked four shots for Virginia Union. Jayda Luckie and Lady Walker scored 12 points each.

Carolyn Appleby led Indiana with 20 points.

Pecota, a 6-foot junior transfer from Fresno State, made 6 of 12 shots from the field and 3 for 4 from 3 in 20 minutes and added five rebound
s.

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Shippensburg End VUU Panthers'Season

FAIRMONT, West Virginia -- Virginia Union University's Ray Anderson scored 10 points, but #2-seeded Shippensburg University eliminated the #7-seeded Panthers from the NCAA Tournament 79-59 in the quarter-finals of the NCAA Atlantic Regionals held on Saturday, March 11, in Fairmont, W.V.

Anderson ended his career with 1,995 points, fourth among the all-time scoring leaders at Virginia Union. Only Mike Davis (2,758), A.J. English (2,396) and Jamie Waller (2,298) have scored more points than Anderson in school history.

Shippensburg hit a school-record 18 three-pointers in the game, as the Raiders knocked down treys at a 12-for-19 clip in the second half alone, making 46 percent of their 38 tries.

"They shot lights-out," Virginia Union coach Jay Butler said of the Raiders. "We tried everything in the books defensively. They did a great job of moving the basketball."

Shippensburg's marksmanship disrupted Virginia Union's pressure, which had averaged eight steals a game all season but only forced 12 turnovers.

"It's tough. In our conference, you don't see a lot of teams that shoot like Shippensburg," Butler said. "We thrive off of turnovers and getting out in transition. Today, it was frustrating to not be able to turn them over."

VUU's John Mitchell led the team with six rebounds.

The Panthers end the season with a 22-8 record, their most wins since 2008, and making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2007.

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JCSU Falls to IUP 59-55 at NCAA Atlantic Regional

CALIFORNIA, Pennsylvania -- Second-seeded Indiana (Pa.) used a big third quarter spurt to build a 14-point lead and had to withstand a late Johnson C. Smith University rally to take a 59-55 win in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Women's Basketball Atlantic Regional at Hamer Hall on the campus of California University on Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Bulls started strong, jumping to a quick 7-3 lead and extended the lead to 10-5 after senior MaryAnna Moore (Laurens, S.C.) hit a free throw at the 6:26 mark. Indiana battled back to tie the game at 12-12 and would take a 23-16 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Crimson Hawks put together an 11-4 run over the final 2:36 to gain the advantage.

The IUP lead would swell to 27-16 at the 7:11 mark of the second quarter following two free throws from Lauren Wolosik. JCSU then scored six straight points on baskets from Anika Jones (Shelby, N.C.) Blaire Thomas (Waterloo, Iowa) and Kendall Adams (Opelika, Ala.) to cut the IUP lead to 27-22 with 5:01 remaining before halftime.

IUP then closed out the half on a 6-4 spurt to lead 33-26 at the break.

The Crimson Hawks then took control in the third quarter gaining their largest lead (40-26) with 8:25 left. The lead would stay in double digits for a majority of the quarter, but JCSU was able to cut the IUP lead to just six points (43-37) with 34 seconds left on another basket from Moore, making it 43-37 going into the fourth quarter.

In the final quarter, JCSU got baskets from senior Krista White (Dayton, Ohio) and Jones to further cut into the IUP lead, trimming the deficit to just 43-41. IUP then quickly went ahead 48-41 after two Megan Smith free throws followed by a Wolosik three-pointer at the 6:56 mark.

JCSU again cut the lead to three points on two separate occasions. The first coming after a Moore completed a three-point play by getting a layup in traffic while being fouled. Her free throw made it 48-45 with 5:43 to play. After an IUP basket, Thomas would get a layup to fall to make it 50-47 with 4:49 to play.

IUP then embarked on a 7-0 run to push the lead back to 57-47 with 1:56 to play. The Golden Bulls once again charged back, thanks to two Moore free throws followed by a layup and free throw from Thomas with 30 seconds to play, making it 57-53. JCSU then began fouling and IUP hit a free throw to go up 58-52 with 22 seconds left.

On the next JCSU trip, Thomas connected on a straight-away three pointer to make it 58-55 with just 15 seconds left. JCSU then fouled again and IUP connected on a free throw with nine seconds left, but JCSU was unable to get any closer as a three pointer was missed with less than five seconds to go to seal the 59-55 win for the Crimson Hawks, ending JCSU's championship season.

The Golden Bulls got 13 points from Blaire Thomas and 10 from Kendall Adams. Krista White concluded her JCSU career by scoring nine points and fellow seniors Anika Jones and MaryAnna Moore each had eight points.

As a team, JCSU shot 40% from the field on a 22-of-55 effort and was just 21.4% (3-of-14) from three-point range. JCSU also shot 57.1% (8-of-14) from the free throw line.

IUP got a game-high 20 points from Lauren Wolosik, as she led four players in double figures. Brittany Robinson added 12 while Carolyn Appleby and Megan Smith each had 11 in the win.

JCSU concludes their season as the CIAA Champions, finishing with a 22-8 overall record.

The win improves IUP to 24-6 overall. The Crimson Hawks will take on fellow CIAA institution Virginia Union in the semifinals on Saturday.

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JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Texas Southern Tigers win third SWAC Tournament Title in four years

HOUSTON, Texas – Texas Southern fought off a late Alcorn State charge to win its third Southwestern Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament Championship in four years. The top-seeded Tigers prevailed 53-50.

Down 37-31 at the start of the fourth, the Braves opened the period on an 11-4 run, keyed by the Alcorn frontline of Marquis Vance and Reginal Johnson. Johnson buried a three and followed with a layup to tie the contest at 41 with 7:20 remaining in the game.

Denzel Dulin then handed Alcorn State the lead with a lay-up with 5:41 to go. Texas Southern answered with five straight points – sparked by a successful trip to the line by tournament MVP Marvin Jones -- to reclaim the advantage, but Johnson converted at the line to bring the Braves within one, and Kevin Scott scored for TSU to push the Tigers ahead by three.

Johnson subsequently scored, but Demontrae Jefferson buried the go-ahead three with 1:06 left just before the shot clock expired, giving Texas Southern the lead for good. The freshman iced it for TSU at the line, securing the championship.

"This time of year everybody is giving maximum effort out there on the floor," said TSU head coach Mike Davis. "Our team matched their intensity and we were able to get some timely buckets down the stretch to help us win the game."

The defensive-minded game saw both sides shoot less than 40 percent on the day, with Alcorn State connecting on just 33 percent of their shots.

Scott led Texas Southern with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Jones was 6-of-7 from the floor, scoring 14 points, snagging seven rebounds and swatting four shots. Jefferson added 13 points highlighted by a critical three point basket late in the game.

The trio of Jefferson, Scott and Jones scored 42 of Texas Southern's 53 points. The Tigers shot 39.2 percent from the field, while Alcorn State was at just 33.3 percent.

The All-Tournament Team is listed below.

Most Valuable Player:
Marvin Jones – Texas Southern

All-Tournament Team:
Marvin Jones – Texas Southern
Kevin Scott – Texas Southern
Demontrae Jefferson – Texas Southern
Reginal Johnson – Alcorn State
Ivy Smith, Jr. – Grambling State

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Texas Southern Lady Tigers win first SWAC Tournament Title in school history

HOUSTON, Texas -- Texas Southern won its first Southwestern Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Championship with a 70-66 victory over Grambling State at the Toyota Center.

A back-and-forth contest was tight throughout, but Texas Southern tried to pull away late. Up 63-59 with 5:17 left, Grambling's Chantiara Lewis nailed a triple to bring the top-seeded Lady Tigers within one, but women's basketball tournament MVP Joyce Kennerson responded on Texas Southern's next turn with a trey of her own.

Shaklya Hill and John'ea Thompson claimed the lead for Grambling when they keyed a 7-0 run that left Texas Southern down 66-63 with 2:29 left. However, Texas Southern responded in kind, scoring the final seven points of the game, a run sparked by consecutive baskets from Chynna Ewing and punctuated by a Kennerson free throw.

TSU started the scoring with a Kennerson three that banked off the glass just before the shot clock expired, but Grambling responded with eight unanswered points, taking a slim lead into the second quarter.

After a three-point play from Hill that put Grambling ahead 30-22 with 4:40 left, Texas Southern responded with a 10-0 run that Artavia Ford capped with a short jumper to hand the No. 2 seed Lady Tigers their first lead of the game. Both sides fought to a 35-35 draw at the break.

For the game, Texas Southern limited Grambling to 37.7 percent field-goal shooting. Thompson led Grambling with 23 points – 10 coming in the first quarter – and nine rebounds. Hill scored 21 points, pulled down 10 boards and dished out three assists.

Kennerson led all players with 29 points, one shy of her career-best. She added three assists. Breasia McElrath chipped in 10 points.

The All-Tournament Team is listed below.

Most Valuable Player:
Joyce Kennerson – Texas Southern

All-Tournament Team:
Joyce Kennerson – Texas Southern
Chynna Ewing – Texas SouthernC
Miaya Crowder – Southern
Shakyla Hill – Grambling State
John'ea Thompson – Grambling State

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NCCU Eagles Punch Ticket to NCAA Tournament

NORFOLK, Virginia -- North Carolina Central University had to battle Norfolk State for every point in the first half, but a 19-0 run in the second half proved to be the difference as the Eagles won the 2017 MEAC Tournament Championship for the second time in the Division-I era, 67-59 on Saturday, March 11 at Scope Arena.

NCCU (25-8) has now won both of its championship appearances in the Division-I era, and will make its second NCAA Tournament appearance, following the Eagles' inaugural trip in 2014.

The first 20 minutes was a back-and-forth affair with both teams trading buckets, and neither leading by more than six points. NCCU had a clean look at the bucket at the end of the first half, but a three-pointer came up just a bit short and the Eagles went to the half trailing NSU (17-16) 38-35.

The second half began by following the same trend, but at the 13:49 mark the Eagles took the lead 47-46 and didn't look back. NCCU held the Spartans scoreless for 11 consecutive minutes, and forced 14 missed shots and five turnovers.

Patrick Cole (Newark, N.J.) posted a joint game-high 18 points with eight rebounds and three assists, followed by Dajuan Graf (Charlotte, N.C.) with 17 points and four assists. Rashaun Madison (Norfolk, Va.) was the third Eagle in double-digits with 12 points and three made trey. Kyle Benton (Long Beach, Calif.) was close to a double-double with eight points and eight boards, as was Del'vin Dickerson (Houston, Texas) with seven points and seven rebounds.

Zaynah Robinson (Atlanta, Ga.) led the Spartans with 18 points and six rebounds with four assists, and Kerwin Okoro (Bronx, N.Y.) was another top performer with 12 points.

Cole was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, and head coach LeVelle Moton was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Coach. Graf rounded out the individual honors by joining Cole on the All-Tournament Team.

The Eagles will learn who their next opponent is during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday, March 12 at 5:30 p.m. All fans are invited to celebrate with the Eagles and watch the Selection Show at McDougald-McLendon Arena, and doors will open at 4:30 p.m.

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FAMU’s Veronica Wiggins Get 700th Win

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – The FAMU Women’s Softball team handed head coach Veronica Wiggins her 700th career victory here this afternoon with an 8-1 win over Howard University in the Puerto Rico Collegiate Softball Classic at Rivera Ballpark.

Home runs from Alexis Day and Amber Fullwood keyed Saturday’s milestone victory for FAMU (5-19-1), which won two games in the tourney here in five starts.

Wiggins is in her 26th season at FAMU, making her the longest serving head coach in the school’s 100-plus year athletic history, and she came into the r2017 campaign ranked 44th on the NCAA’s Career Coaching wins list for active coaches.u

FAMU played quite competitively in the five games, defeating Howard twice, 10-1 on Friday and 8-1 Saturday, while dropping two games, 4-0 and 3-1 to Furman University (Thursday, Saturday) and a 7-6 extra-inning duel to Albany of New York on Friday (nine innings).

ON DECK: The Rattler Women will compete next weekend in the USF Under Armour Classic in Clearwater, Florida next Friday through Sunday, where they will face Yale, Colgate, Rutgers, Army and USF.

Puerto Rico Collegiate Softball Classic
Thursday
Furman 4, FAMU 0

Friday
FAMU 10, Howard 1
Albany (N.Y.) 7, FAMU 6, 9 inns

Saturday
Furman 3, FAMU 1
FAMU 8, Howard 1

FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION