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HAMPTON, Virginia -- Nearly 23-years-old, Hampton University middle linebacker Raheim Huskey is a veteran. But in so many ways, he really isn’t.
Huskey spent three seasons at Marshall, including a redshirt year, but only played in 20 games. After transferring to Hampton in the summer of 2016, he was academically ineligible to play last fall.
So here he is, in his final season of eligibility, with a fresh start. And, he figures, somewhat anonymous.
“Nobody really knows me,” he said. “They can’t game plan me. I feel like I’m starting over as a freshman but with a senior’s mindset.”
Going into Saturday’s game at Savannah State, Huskey is leading the Pirates in tackles with 36. He also has one of Hampton’s three interceptions along with two pass break-ups.
DALLAS, Texas -- Grambling State marched into Solider Field, beat Clark Atlanta, and marched out in the same poll position. Now, staying still is better than falling, but the tigers maintained their No. 19 ranking in the FCS Coaches Top 25 poll.
The G-men could make some moves if they take care of business this weekend. However, it'll be tough as they participate in the 94th Annual Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic Saturday in Dallas' Cotton Bowl stadium, of course against Prairie View A&M.
The rivalry has been very competitive since 2008. Grambling has the slight edge with five victories over the last nine meetings. Even more, the winner of this contest always becomes an early SWAC West champion favorite. Grambling State head coach Broderick Fobbs says this rivalry is a close one to his heart.
"I was that kid in the stands when Grambling and Prairie View played this game in Dallas. I've been the player on the sideline and playing in this particular rivalry and now I'm the coach on the sideline participating in it. It's a family affair, and as you all know families go at it every once in awhile. Looking forward to being here this weekend because it's one of our favorites," explained Fobbs. CONTINUE READING
GRAMBLING, Louisiana | The Grambling State University football team held its positions when the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) rankings were released on Monday.
The Tigers (4-1 overall, 1-0 SWAC) won their fourth consecutive game on Saturday with a 31-20 victory over Clark Atlanta in the 20th Annual Chicago Football Classic.
Grambling State remained No. 19 in the FCS Coaches Top 25 poll, as well as, No. 21 in the STATS FCS Top 25 Poll. The Tigers also held on to the No. 1 spot in the SBN Sports Network Black College Football Poll and No. 2 in the BOXTOROW Coaches and Media Poll.
Grambling State (4-1 overall, 1-0 SWAC) steps back into conference play on Saturday as the Tigers will meet Prairie View A&M in the 94th Annual Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. Follow Grambling State Athletics
For complete coverage of Grambling State athletics, please follow the Tigers on social media at @GSU_Tigers (Twitter), /gramblingstateathletics (Facebook) or visit the official home of Grambling State Athletics at gsutigers.com. GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
THE GAME WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Thursday WHERE: ASU Stadium
RECORDS: Alabama State (0-4, 0-1 SWAC), Alcorn State (3-2, 1-0) ON THE AIR:TV – ESPNU. RADIO — WVAS-FM 90.7, WQKS-FM 100.5. TWITTER: @kamarrid @MGMsports FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY 1. Brave frontier: Alabama State has scored 27 points all season, but now has to try to outscore three-time defending SWAC East champion Alcorn State on Thursday. The Braves are coming off a 24-17 win over Texas Southern last week. Hornets head coach Brian Jenkins said in spite of the way this season has started, the mood in the locker room hasn't changed. "They're anxious," Jenkins said. "They're really looking forward to this opportunity. I'm very pleased with the preparation process that took place and looking for us to come out and play a real good ball game." Alcorn won 21-18 last year in Lorman, Mississippi. CONTINUE READING
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Entertainer Rickey Smiley will serve as the celebrity ambassador of the 76th Magic City Classic between Alabama State and Alabama A&M on Oct. 28 at Legion Field.
A Birmingham native, Smiley will be the grand marshal of the parade and honored at halftime. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
“We are beyond excited to have Birmingham-native Rickey Smiley as our ambassador this year for the 76th Annual McDonald’s Magic City Classic,” said William Bell, 68, who will end a seven-year run as mayor next month. “Rickey has been a wonderful supporter of the Magic City Classic throughout the years, and we are honored to welcome him back to Birmingham for the weekend festivities.”
Smiley is an Alabama State graduate and has consistently supported the university. The entertainer and comedian has a national syndicated radio show, “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show” and a reality TV show, “Rickey Smiley For Real” on TV One.
Tickets can be purchased for the Magic City Classic online at www.magiccityclassic.com. Reserved seating is $35 while general admission is $25. CONTINUE READING
BALTIMORE, Maryland --Coppin State men's basketball program has released its 2017-18 schedule which features non-conference home contests against local rivals the Naval Academy and Mount St. Mary's. The Eagles will also face three programs that finished in the top 25 of the Associated Press poll last season in Oregon, Cincinnati, and West Virginia. As of publication, seven games will be featured on the PAC 12 Network, Big 10 Plus Network, ESPN U, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, and FS1. Season tickets are available on coppinstatesports.com for $75 and provide access to both the men's and the women's basketball games.
The Eagles will start the 2017-18 campaign on the road November 10 on the west coast with a matchup against the University of Oregon from the PAC 12. The Oregon Ducks finished at #9 in the AP Poll last season and will broadcast the game on the PAC 12 Network.
Coppin will then travel back to the east coast to participate in the first of four games which are a part of the Showcase on the Banks tournament. The showcase features matchups between East Carolina (Nov. 12), Cleveland State (Nov. 17), Rutgers (Nov. 19), and Central Connecticut State (Nov. 21).
In between the East Carolina and Cleveland State matchups, on November 16, Coppin State will travel to #18 University of Cincinnati and face the Bearcats on ESPN 3.
After an eight day break, Coppin will begin the month of December back on the road against Ohio University (Dec. 1) and Georgetown University (Dec. 3).
After Navy, Coppin will get back on the road for three contests against University of Connecticut (Dec. 9), UMBC (Dec. 12), and #13 West Virginia (Dec. 20). The Eagles will return back to the PEC Arena to face their last home nonconference opponent in Mount St. Mary's on December 22.
Coppin will conclude their nonconference schedule after Christmas with games against Georgia Tech on (Dec. 27), and Penn State (Dec. 30).
MEAC competition will start at Norfolk State University on January 3. The Eagles will follow that with a two game home stand against Savannah State (Jan. 6) and Florida A&M (Jan. 8). The well-traveled Eagles will then head south to face North Carolina Central (Jan. 13) and North Carolina A&T on January 15.
Coppin will then begin a three game home stand which will include local rival Morgan State on Saturday, January 20. The bulldogs of South Carolina State will play the following weekend on January 27, followed by Maryland Eastern Shore on January 29.
Next, the team will head to Hampton University on January 31 to face the 2017 MEAC Tournament Champions. Shortly afterwards, the ladies will face Bethune Cookman, the 2017 MEAC regular season champion on February 3, before heading to Orangeburg, SC to challenge South Carolina State on Feb. 5.
Coppin men's basketball will return for homecoming week to battle Hampton (Feb. 12) and Bethune Cookman (Feb. 17). After a brief trip to Delaware State on February 19, the Eagles will travel to Morgan State on February 26 to continue the rivalry series. Coppin will wrap up the regular season on March 1 against Howard University.
The MEAC Tournament will be held in the Norfolk Scope Arena March 5- 10 in Norfolk, VA.
Coppin returns four players from last year including MEAC All-Rookie Team Dejuan Clayton, and senior Tre' Thomas. Coach Dixon bolstered the roster with the addition of freshman Joel Boyce from Jamaica, NY and transfer Lamar Morgan from Mineral Area College who earned 1st Team All-Conference honors. Providing additional depth to the roster are transfers Karonn Davis, Adam Traore, and Cedric Council, Jr. who are expected to make an immediate impact.
The Coppin State Eagles play in the Physical Education Complex Arena on the campus of Coppin State University and is led by first year head coach Juan Dixon. CSU EAGLES MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE 2017-18 COPPIN STATE UNIVERSITY EAGLES SPORTS INFORMATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The University of the District of Columbia men's soccer team remained ranked No. 10 for the 2nd consecutive week in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II East Region Week 5 Poll released Tuesday, October 3rd.
The Firebirds (8-2, 3-0 ECC) are coming off back-to-back impressive wins last week – first a 1-0 victory at home Wednesday afternoon over a West Chester University team ranked No. 4 in the Atlantic Region and receiving votes for the USC National Top-25 poll, and then a 2-1 East Coast Conference road victory at Molloy College on Saturday.
UDC is currently on a seven-game win streak and sits tied with LIU Post atop the ECC standings at 3-0 heading into tomorrow's conference clash at home with perennial powerhouse NYIT at 3 p.m. With a victory vs. NYIT, the Firebirds will tie the program's all-time 2nd longest win streak (8) and move to 5-0 this season at home.
The Firebirds as a team rank No. 22 in the nation in scoring offense (2.5 goals per-game) and boast Division II's 3rd leading individual scorer in sophomore midfielder Gabriel Torres (2.8 points per-game). Torres is tied for 5th in the nation in goals per-game (1.10), and tied for 21st in assists per-game (.60).
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- There will not be a game-time decision regarding Southern quarterback Austin Howard this week — and this is positive news.
Despite the fact that Howard left the Fort Valley State game with an injury in the second quarter, coach Dawson Odums said Monday that Howard is healthy and will be ready for the Jaguars’ homecoming game against Alabama A&M.
“He’s going to be able to go this week,” Odums said.
Howard missed two games and most of the past month of practice with a left knee injury, but the injury that caused him to leave the Fort Valley State game was to his ankle.
Howard needed to limp off the field after sustaining the injury and watched the second half in street clothes on the sidelines.
After the game, Odums said he could have returned to the field, but the team decided not to risk worsening the injury.
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern senior cornerback Danny Johnson has touched the ball nine times with an opportunity to run this season, and twice he finished the play celebrating a touchdown.
In four punt returns, four kick returns and one interception return, Johnson has accumulated 294 yards.
Could that play-making ability work on the offensive side of the ball? Southern offensive coordinator Chennis Berry broke into a knowing smile.
“We’ll see,” Berry said. “We’ll see.”
When informed that coach Dawson Odums already said that Southern has been thinking about more ways to put the ball in Johnson’s hands, the smile stayed on Berry’s face and he didn’t let up.
“We’ll see,” Berry said. “We’ll see.”
The only question, it appears, is how soon we’ll see Johnson lining up on the offensive side of the ball.
“Hopefully soon,” Johnson said when asked when he may play on offense. “I just want to make plays for the team at the end of the day. Whatever we can do to get in a winning position, I’ll do it.”
Offense - Prairie View A&M. The Panthers are 37th in total offense (415.2). They're averaging 36 points in two conference games, and 5.2 rushing yards on the season. The team's top three rushers all average at least 5.4 yards per carry, led by Dawonya Tucker (44-240, 4 TDs) and Sta'Fon McCray (40-220, 3 TDs).
Defense - Grambling. The advantage is slight going in, but the Tigers held Prairie View to 289 yards and 14 first downs last season, and they're stout against the run again, holding opponents to 70.4 rushing yards per game. That ranks seventh in the country. They're also a little better on takeaways, with 13 on the season, including eight INTs.
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- The Prairie View A&M University football win enjoyed its biggest win in new Panther Stadium Saturday with a 38-9 win over Jackson State.
PVAMU (2-2 overall, 2-0 SWAC) led 17-3 after the opening quarter in leading at halftime for the first time in six games in the new facility, posting its highest scoring output of the season heading into next week's SWAC Western Division showdown against Grambling in the State Fair Classic.
"I though the guys did a really good job of responding," said Prairie View A&M head coach Willie Simmons, who's Panthers improved to 17-3 in SWAC play since 2015. "This week, we challenged them to focus on the task at hand. Everyone knows how important the Grambling game is. They've been our Achilles heel for the last two years. It was a tall task to get our guys to focus on the game this week against Jackson State. I applaud their effort for coming out focused and locked in from the very get go."
The Panther defense forced five takeaways (four fumbles, one interception) and recorded four sacks in keeping Jackson St. (0-5, 0-2) out of the end zone until just over a minute remaining in the game. LB Jalyn Williams led the Panthers with seven tackles, including a sack, two tackles for loss, and one fumble recovery. He has eight tackles for loss in the past three games.
"The defense continues to play at an extremely high level," Simmons said. "Opportunistic football. What can you say with five takeaways. Again, they did a great job of stopping the run, and making the other team one dimensional."
Offensively, PVAMU converted two of the turnovers into points and had a balanced attack (208 rushing yards, 231 passing yards) in gaining 439 yards total offense.
QB Lavell McCullers had 258 yards total offense (190 passing, 68 rushing) and two touchdown passes. Dawonya Tucker rushed 12 times for 64 yards and a touchdown.
After an opening possession field goal by Jackson State, Prairie View A&M scored the game's next 38 points. KhaDarel Hodge caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Lavell McCullers to end a five-play, 60-yard drive for a 7-3 lead with just over seven minutes to play in the quarter.
Manuel Mukes recovered a JSU fumble on the ensuing kickoff, leading to another scoring drive. Zach Elder's 26-yard field goal increased the lead to 10-3 just over two minutes later.
Following a three-and-out by Jackson State, it took just three plays for the Panthers' second touchdown. McCullers completed a pass to Markcus Hardy, who eluded defenders on a 76-yard scoring pass for a 17-3 lead with 2:32 to play in the first quarter.
The score would remain the same until the third quarter. A fumble recovery by Williams set up to a seven-play, 34-yard scoring drive. Sta'Fon McCray's one-yard touchdown run gave the Panthers a 24-3 lead with 11:22 to play in the period.
Late in the third quarter, Prairie View A&M drove 67 yards in eight plays. Dawonya Tucker's six-yard scoring run extended the lead to 31-3.
Kalen Riles' four-yard scoring pass from Neiko Hollins with just under three minutes to play ended the scoring for the Panthers.
"Overall, it was a really good win," Simmons said. "We're going to enjoy it for the next day and a half. We understand what's at stake next week." BOX SCORE PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS
INSTITUTE, West Virginia -- The offense was steady and the defense came up with an outstanding performance when it was needed most as the Yellow Jackets captured a much-needed 34-28 win over Glenville State in front of a large Homecoming crowd Saturday.
"It was a team effort," WVSU Head Coach John Penningtn said. "That includes the alumni and all the fans, they made a difference at the end."
It looked early on like it was going to be an easy day at the office as WVSU dominated play in the first half controlling the ball for 18:30 and jumping out to a 21-7 lead.. But the Jackets could not pull away from the Pioneers and held just a 21-14 lead at halftime after the Pioneers scored in the closing seconds.
Quarterback Matt Kinnick hit senior receiver Quinton Gray on scoring strikes of 27 and 8 yards and freshman Calil Wilkins punched one in from 2-yards out to account for the Jackets' points.
Gray came into the game needing 30 yards receiving to break the career record set by Mario Lewis in 1993. He had 49 by halftime.
"That guy just works so hard," Pennington said. "He has a great attitude and you like to see guys like that get rewarded."
Glenville took the opening kickoff of the second half and it looked like the WVSU defense had forced a three-and-out but a hitting the punter penalty allowed Glenville State to retain possession and drive 83 yards on 14 plays to tie the score at 21-21.
Things took an even worse turn for WVSU on the ensuing possession. On the second play from scrimmage Wilkins broke through the left side of the line and took the ball about 18 yards to the Yellow Jacket 43 but was stripped of the ball on the way down and a Glenville State player picked it up and returned it to the WVSU 1-yard line. The Pioneers ran it in on the next play to take their first lead of the contest at 28-21 with 8:22 remaining in the third quarter.
The Yellow Jackets showed the fighting attitude they have displayed all season though and went right to work.
"That was what was the most impressive, the mindset," Pennington said. "They didn't let it effect them, they just went out there and played ball."
After the teams traded punts Kinnick and Gray took over.
First a 17-yard hookup moved the ball into Glenville State territory. The Pioneers sent the rush on the next play but Kinnick rolled left and found Gray cutting from the middle of teh field to the far sideline and hit him in full stride for a 46-yard score to tie things up at 28-28.
But the day ended up belonging to the WVSU defense as it shut down the Pioneer ground game and did not allow them into the red zone over the final 23:22 of the game even though the Pioneers flipped the time off possession to their advantage holding the ball for almost 19 minutes of the final 30.
"They did a good job of taking the air out of the ball after they got the lead," Pennington said, using a basketball metaphor.
Not only did the Yellow Jacket defense keep the visitors out of the enzone a fumble recovery by senior linebacker Trent Williamson at the Glenville State 35-yard line set up what would prove to be the game-winning drive.
Gray took an end around handoff off the left side and advanced the ball 29 yards. Then Wilkins again proved to be unstoppable when he gets the ball close to the goal line going in to give WVSU the lead at 34-28 with 11:07 to play. The extra point was wide after a penalty moved the attempt back.
A last gasp throw by the Pioneers into the endzone with 58 seconds left fell harmlessly to the ground on 4th down and 11 from the WVSU 25. A pair of Kinnick kneel downs later the game was over.
"The offense didn't play great," Pennington said. "But when the defense turned it over they took advantage."
Glenville State came into the day averaging 413.5 yards a game of offense but were held to 358 by the WVSU defense. The Yellow Jackets came up especially big in pass defense where they held the visitors to only 163 yards compared to the Pioneers average of 288.8 per game.
"That was awesome, they have some great wide receivers," Pennington said. "It just shows the job Coach (George) Shehl has done with the defense."
Kinnick threw for 227 yards hitting 20-of-32 attempts. Gray hauled in nine of those for 112 yards while Tyrell Henderson caught five for 65 yards. Wilkins continued his streak of scoring in every college game he has played but was held to just 96 yards from scrimmage, 92 on the ground and four receiving, to see his streak of games with over 100 yards broken.
Williamson finished with eight tackles including two for a loss and a sack while Darius Goode paced the Jackets with 11 total tackles.
Next up WVSU travels to Frankfort to play Kentucky State Saturday at 1:30 p.m. BOX SCORE WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS
MEAC
Bethune-Cookman 24, Savannah State 12
North Carolina A&T 21, South Carolina State 7
North Carolina Central 21, Florida A&M 14
SWAC
Alcorn State 24, Texas Southern 17
Alabama A&M 27, Arkansas Pine Bluff 14
Grambling State 31, Clark-Atlanta 20
Prairie View A&M 38, Jackson State 9
Southern 31, Fort Valley State 14
Charleston Southern 58, Mississippi Valley State 7
OVC
Eastern Illinois 19, Tennessee State 16 2O.T.
CIAA
Bowie State 64, Fayetteville State 31
Chowan 10, Johnson C. Smith 7
Shaw 23, Elizabeth City State 17
Virginia Union 28, Saint Augustine's 7
Virginia State 56, Livingstone 18
Winston-Salem State 48, Lincoln (PA) 0 SIAC
Albany State 34, Miles 9
Benedict 21, Central State (OH) 11
Morehouse 31, Kentucky State 21
OTHER CONF.
Langston 34, Texas Wesleyan 0
Ave Marie 48, Edward Waters 35
Bacone 31, Texas College 26
West Virginia State 34, Glenville State 28
East Stroudsburg 33, Cheyney 13
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- It was a joyous Homecoming for Alabama A&M.
The Bulldogs put together a yardage and time-gobbling offense with a smothering defense in a 27-14 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
With the win, A&M improves to 2-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and 2-3 overall. UAPB falls to 1-1, 2-3.
The Bulldogs are now 2-0 in the SWAC for the first time since 2012. Winners of five of their last six SWAC games, A&M travels to Baton Rouge to face Southern next Saturday.
Quarterback Aqeel Glass was 26 of 43 passing for 291 yards and receiver Octayvious Miles had his second consecutive game with 100 yards receiving.
Running back Trevon Walters rushed for 89 yards on 16 carries with a pair of touchdowns.
Defensively, the Bulldogs were devastating. They held the Golden Lions to just 133 total yards, including six sacks and seven tackles for loss.
Vernon Moland had 6 tackles, including a half-sack and half tackle for loss. Yurik Bethune had five tackles, 2.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Defensive back Devonte King electrified the crowd of 15,685 with his 23-yard "pick 6" that put the Bulldogs up 7-0 with just 2:09 gone in the game.
Nick Carden had a 18-yard field goal to widen the Bulldogs' lead to 10-0 with 4:45 to play in the quarter.
When Walters scored on his 19-yard run with 2:55 left in the second quarter, he put the Bulldogs up 17-0.
The Golden Lions scored with 1:08 left in the half to cut the margin to 17-7 at intermission.
A 22-yard field goal by Carden lifted A&M to a 20-7 lead with 8:05 to play in the third quarter.
UAPB countered with a Christian Jordan touchdown with 7:45 left in the game.
Walters provided the final margin on a 12-yard touchdown run with 2:11 left in the game.
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Jamaruz Thompkins rushed for 126 yards and Akevious Williams 102 to help Bethune-Cookman fend off Savannah State, 24-12 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game Saturday afternoon before a Municipal Stadium crowd of 6,945.
Both Thompkins, a redshirt senior from Tampa, and Williams, a redshirt sophomore from Madison, Florida, accounted for a touchdown for the Wildcats (2-3 overall, 1-1 MEAC) after Savannah State (0-4, 0-2) closed to within five points in the second half.
Thompkins' 69-yard burst with 2:32 remaining in the third quarter gave Bethune-Cookman a 17-5 lead.
After Savannah State closed to 17-12 on Rashad Saxton's 43-yard run with 7:28 remaining, Williams guided the Wildcats on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that produced his six-yard pass to Que'shaun Byrd with 2:21 to play. Williams rushed for 37 yards and passed for 26 on the march.
Byrd set up the touchdown with a 29-yard reverse on the previous play.
Saxton finished with 103 yards rushing for the Tigers.
Playing its first home game after opening the season with four road games, Bethune-Cookman scored on the game's opening drive when redshirt senior quarterback Larry Brihm, Jr. kept it on a 10-yard run six minutes into the contest.
Savannah State's first points came on a second quarter safety by Tyqueze Johnson.
The Wildcats defense, which held the Tigers to 163 total yards on the day, snuffed a golden opportunity when JaMicha Baldwin's 35-yard punt return put the visitors on the Wildcats' 13. However, the Tigers managed only a field goal by Giovanni Lugo that made it 10-5 with 4:05 left in the third quarter.
Uriel Hernandez accounted for the other BCU points on a 32-yard second quarter field goal.
Paced by Thompkins' and Williams' rushing, the Wildcats posted 397 total yards for the game. Williams was 8-of-11 passing for 58 yards, with Keavon Mitchell catching four passes for 14 yards.
Diquan Richardson and Marquis Hendrix each had seven tackles to lead a Wildcats defense that registered six sacks, including two from Deonte Mayo.
Bethune-Cookman gets back to action Saturday, Oct. 14, playing host to South Carolina State at Municipal Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.
Follow Bethune-Cookman Football on Twitter (@BCUGridIron) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (@BCUathletics), Snapchat (@BCUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BCUathletics). BOX SCORE BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS
HOUSTON, Texas – The Alcorn State University football program jumped out to a two-touchdown advantage in the first quarter and never surrendered the lead in a wire-to-wire 24-17 win over Texas Southern in a non-conference game Friday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium.
Alcorn (3-2, 1-0 SWAC) scored on its first drive of the game on a 45-yard pass to senior Norlando Veals. The Braves increased the edge to 14-0 after an eight-yard run by junior P.J. Simmons. The Tigers (0-4, 0-1 SWAC) could not get the deficit below seven points the rest of the way.
The Braves rushed for 244 yards as a team. Senior De'Lance Turner, the reigning SWAC Offensive Player of the Week winner, totaled 115 rushing yards. Simmons ended with 88 yards and a touchdown, while senior quarterback Lenorris Footman rushed for 41 yards and a score.
In the air, Footman threw for 241 yards and a touchdown. More than half of his yards went to Veals who hauled in six catches for 140 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Alcorn was led by junior Isiah Thomas who turned in a career game. He tripled his career-high with 13 tackles including three for a loss and also recorded an interception. Junior Leishaun Ealey notched eight tackles with a pair of pass break-ups.
Dominic DeLira threw for 183 yards for TSU.
After the Tigers went three-and-out on their first series of the game, Alcorn's offense wasted little time and scored on a 45-yard pass to Veals. It came on a slant route through the middle as Veals made the catch and then outran the Tigers defense to put Alcorn ahead 7-0 at the 12:17 mark. It was the third play of the drive, and came after a first down rush by Turner.
The Braves added-on another score late in the first quarter to make it 14-0. The drive was setup by a 38-yard completion to Veals as he was off to the races, but got tripped up at the last moment. Simmons did the rest from there, as he ran for the final 16 yards including an eight-yard touchdown rush along the right sideline.
The Tigers got on the board with a 93-yard kick return for a touchdown by Daequan Jones. It trimmed the deficit to 14-7 with 22 seconds left in the first quarter. Jones broke free after making one sharp cut along the left side and sped past the coverage for the score.
TSU was threatening again early in the second quarter after a 28-yard rush by Tylor Cook moved the ball to the Alcorn 31. Though, the Braves defense made a stand, and a 4th-and-7 attempt by the Tigers was broken up by junior OJ O'Neal on a pass over the middle.
Alcorn was looking to put points on the board late in the half. A screen pass to Turner went for 24 yards and placed the ball near midfield with 40 seconds left. On the next play, Footman completed a pass to junior Charles Hughes for a first down at the TSU 38, as Alcorn called its second timeout with 30 seconds remaining. A scramble for 20 yards and out-of-bounds by Footman stopped the clock with 21 seconds at the TSU 18.
After a pair of incomplete passes, the Braves settled for a 34-yard field goal attempt but it sailed wide-right. Alcorn held a 14-7 lead at the half.
The Braves came out hot in the second half, and completed a pair of quick passes to Veals and junior Tavares Johnson. A big run around the right corner by Turner nearly went for the score but he was tackled short at the one-yard line for a gain of 32. Footman kept it himself on the very next play for a one-yard touchdown run to the right to go up 21-7 with 13:29 remaining.
Midway through the third, the Tigers put together a long, 12-play drive capped by a two-yard touchdown run through the middle by Brad Woodard on a third-and-goal. It chopped the Alcorn lead back down to 21-14.
The Braves offense got going again early in the fourth quarter with a 42-yard run through the middle by Simmons. It helped increase the lead to 24-14 after sophomore Corey McCullough registered a 28-yard field goal with 11:21 to go.
TSU was able to make it a one-score game again with 4:58 in the fourth after Aaron Cuevas was successful on a 49-yard field goal attempt.
The Tigers had one last chance to tie the game as they took over at their own eight-yard line with 1:02 remaining and no timeouts. TSU converted one first down, but didn't get past its own 27-yard line.
The Braves have a short week coming up as they travel to Alabama State for a Thursday game at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU. Alcorn is 22-18 all-time against the Hornets and seeking its fourth straight win in the series. The Braves have gone undefeated against SWAC East Division opponents in back-to-back years. Alcorn will look to go 2-0 in league play for the fourth time in the last five years.
NOTES
- The Braves improved to 34-18-4 all-time against TSU. Alcorn defeated the Tigers for the sixth consecutive year.
- Alcorn held a large edge in total offense 485-295. The Braves entered the contest leading the league in total offense with 444.8 yards per outing.
- Footman moved up to No. 8 all-time in school history in career rushing yards with 1,774. He surpassed Perry Qualls who rushed for 1,754 yards from 1982-85. Footman is also No. 8 in touchdown passes with 29, and 10th in passing yards with 3,545.
- Turner entered the game leading the SWAC in rushing with 111.0 yards per game and will improve upon his tally with 115. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry on 19 rushes.
- Veals entered the contest averaging 4.5 receptions per game which ranked third in the conference. He pulled in six with a long of 45 yards.
- McCullough booted five punts for 213 yards. He averaged 42.6 yards per punt which was on-par with his league-leading 43.1 yards entering the game.
- Thomas' interception was the first of his career. His previous career-high in tackles was four against Southern last week.
- Alcorn's captains were juniors Brandon Campbell and Marquis Warford, and sophomore Solomon Muhammad and Warford. The Braves won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Quoting Alcorn head coach Fred McNair
Opening Statement
"We didn't play our kind of football tonight. We have to look at this game and figure out how we can get better. It includes all phases of the game. I have to give Coach Haywood a lot of credit because he's done a great job at Texas Southern. But we looked like a bad football team tonight."
On being able to win on the road even when you don't play your best
"Well it's always tough to win on the road. Though tonight, we just didn't execute or stay focused. The penalties continue to just kill us. It's tough to run the offense when we're always playing from behind the chains. We may have to move around some pieces on the offensive line, but overall we just didn't play well tonight."
On Isiah Thomas
"It was a great effort by him. He came out tonight and really played hard. He's a guy who continues to improve every week and we're getting a lot of production out of him."
On a short week coming up against Alabama State
"We'll have a practice Sunday, and then go again Monday and Tuesday. We'll be back on the road Wednesday and it's obviously a big game. Hopefully, we'll bounce back from this and play better. When we execute, we're a great football team. I'm glad we won tonight, but the way we played is not our brand of football."
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Gabriel Niculescu defeated teammate Pierre Andrieu 6-3, 7-5 Thursday to win the men's singles consolation title of the ITA NAIA South Regional Championships.
Niculescu went 4-0 in the consolation rounds after losing in the main draw Friday at Lawrenceville, Ga. Niculescu and Andrieu could've played Sunday in Lawrenceville after winning semifinal matches that morning, but XULA coach Alan Green opted to play the match on his campus because of a seven-hour drive home and classes resuming Monday.
Niculescu and Andrieu finally met after a Tuesday rainout. Both are juniors. Niculescu is in his first year at XULA after transferring from NCAA Division I member Troy, and Andrieu is a returning letterman who helped the Gold Rush finish second in the NAIA National Championships for the second straight year.
The next XULA tournament — its third of the fall semester — will be the Battle of the Bayou (men only) Oct. 6-7 at Lafayette, La.
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Danny Johnson came close to breaking a couple punt returns for touchdowns last week against Alcorn State, so close that he figured a score was right around the corner.
“I had been talking to the guys all week, saying, ‘We got close last week, we’re going to get one,’” Johnson said.
He didn’t have to wait long. Johnson shrugged off a would-be tackler on his first punt return opportunity Saturday and weaved his way through the remainder of the Fort Valley coverage unit for a 68-yard punt return touchdown.
It was the second score of Johnson’s career as a punt returner, something he didn’t get much of an opportunity to do with Willie Quinn serving as Southern’s top return man the past few seasons.
Johnson had ceded some return chances to freshman Jamar Washington in recent weeks, but Saturday he was the top option on the punt and kick return teams.
“In the return game, he’s got a chance to create some opportunities for us to get some points,” said Southern coach Dawson Odums. “That’s the second week in a row he’s had big returns.
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- A physically spent Southern coach Dawson Odums slumped into his chair after his team snapped a three-game losing streak with a 31-14 win against Fort Valley State.
He let out a breath that, to the listener, could’ve been heavy with either relief or exasperation depending on what he was about to say regarding his senior quarterback, Austin Howard, who watched the second half in a sweat suit from the sidelines with an apparent injury.
Howard had already missed two games with injury. He lost his top receiver, Randall Menard, for the season last week against Alcorn State. The team’s leading rusher, Devon Benn, left the game with an injury in the first quarter Saturday and did not return.
“I might go get some treatment,” Odums said as he slid into his chair. “I might as well go get in line with the rest of them.”
The night had its scares, but it seemed as if Odums and Southern (2-3) dodged any more significant injuries against Fort Valley State (1-3).
LANGSTON, Oklahoma -- Langston University shut out visiting Texas Wesleyan 34-0 to hand the Rams their fifth straight loss in their first season of college football since 1941.
The victory improved 11th-ranked Langston to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the Central States Football League. Texas Wesleyan (0-5, 0-2) has been outscored 190-41 this season.
Despite the lopsided score, the Rams defense showed marked improvement by forcing four fumbles and netting two sacks.
Looking for a spark, the Rams gave backup quarterback Colby Reed the starting nod, but Wesleyan managed just 144 yards on 66 plays from scrimmage for the game.
Reed finished the first half 2-of-8 for 14 yards with an interception, paving the way for first-teamer Kane Hardin to take over in the second half. Hardin didn’t fare much better, completing 3 of 10 passes for 39 yards and an interception.
Wide receiver Anthony Caston led the Rams with three catches for 50 yards. Defensive end Dylan Briscoe finished with six tackles and a sack.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- There is plenty of offense among the SWAC and MEAC teams, but not a lot of defense. Howard is making a statement as a legitimate forerunner and the team that other MEAC teams do not want to play. Against Bethune Cookman the Bisons rushed for 343 yards and passed for 157. Add that up and you have 500 total yards in regulation time. They beat Division 1 FCS team UNLV at the Rebel’s home stadium during week 1. They lost last week to Richmond 68-21 as the Spiders found a way to slow them down and continue scoring. Their only other loss was to FCS Kent State. If they continue to improve they’ll be a headache for the rest of the teams in the MEAC. As much as teams are scoring, the championship will likely come down to who plays the better defense.
Alabama State for whatever reason appears to be going in the wrong direction. They couldn’t score against Prairie View and are winless so far, this season. There is still plenty of time though for them to turn things around. While Grambling and Alcorn are doing what they normally do in the SWAC, Prairie View is showing signs that they may be able to challenge for the top. Meanwhile, the two North Carolina schools, A&T State and Central, have already beaten tough teams to claim their place at the top of the MEAC. So, who is the best of the best after week 4?
CHICAGO, Illinois -- | Devante Kincade came off the bench to provide an offensive spark as the Grambling State University football team started slow in defeating Clark Atlanta, 31-20, on Saturday afternoon during the 20th Anniversary of the Chicago Football Classic at Solider Field.
Kincade, who replaced Tigers starter Geremy Hickbottom after an injury in the first quarter, tossed three touchdown passes and threw for 230 yards on 19-of-31 passing.
Clark Atlanta (3-2) struck first with a 13-play, 88-yard drive, capped by a Carlos Saldana 29-yard field goal to give the Panthers an early 3-0 lead.
After the two teams traded possessions, Grambling State (3-2) responded with a six-play drive. Kincade tossed a 23-yard touchdown pass to the back corner of the end zone to Darrell Clark with 3:20 remaining in the opening quarter and gave Grambling State a 7-3 lead.
The Tigers forced a turnover on the Panthers' next offensive possession and Grambling State took advantage.
Kincade connected with Jordan Jones, who sprinted 59 yards to paydirt, to give the Tigers a 14-3 advantage with 1:10 remaining in the first quarter.
After the two teams traded punts, Grambling State got an interception by Chris Grant, to set up shop at the Panther 35-yard line. The Tigers got a 26-yard field goal by Marc Orozco to push the advantage to 17-3 with 12:17 left in the first half.
Clark Atlanta responded with an eight-play, 82-yard drive and used 3:26 off the clock as Deandre Jackson caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Johnathon McCrary to cut the Grambling State lead to 17-10 with 8:45 remaining in the second quarter.
The Panthers continued to trim the margin as Saldana kicked a 42-yard field goal with 1:19 left in the first half as Clark Atlanta closed the gap to 17-13.
Grambling State got the ball to begin the second half and the Tigers marched 45 yards in just three plays to extend the lead to 24-13. Kincade, with his third touchdown pass of the day, found a wide-open Jones down the left sideline for the 36-yard score with 13:55 remaining in the third quarter.
The Tigers started to pull away late in the third as Grambling State used a 65-yard drive and took 2:15 off the clock as Lyndemian Brooks scored on a two-yard run, with 2:43 left, to push the advantage to 31-13.
Clark Atlanta closed the margin to 31-20 with 3:53 remaining as McCrary connected with Jackson for a 25-yard touchdown, but that would be as close as the Panthers would get.
Turning Point
Grambling State started out of the gate slowly, but found its rhythm late in the opening quarter.
With starting quarterback sidelined with an injury, Devante Kincade came off the bench to provide the spark. The senior from Dallas, Texas connected with Darrell Clark for the first touchdown pass, a 23-yarder, and hit Jordan Jones for a 59-yard strike to give the Tigers a 14-3 lead with a little over a minute left in the first quarter.
Despite a sluggish second quarter, Kincade continued his big day, and found a wide open Jones down the left sideline for the 36-yard score.
Inside the Numbers
· Devante Kincade threw three touchdowns and was 19-of-31 passing for 230 yards.
· Grambling State amassed 313 total yards of offense, including 239 yards in the air.
· Clark Atlanta finished with 428 total yards, including 371 through the air.
· Grambling State registered 10 first-half penalties for 104 yards and finished with 17 for 181 yards.
· Darrell Clark caught four passes for 48 yards and one score.
· De'Arius Christmas recorded 13 tackles, including six solo stops and one quarterback hurry.
· Ja'Terrious Pouncy added five tackles, three solo, and one interception.
· Johnathon McCrary threw for 371 yards on 23-of-55 passing and had four interceptions.
· Deandre Jackson finished with eight catches for 129 yards and a pair of scores.
· J. Victrum finished with 14 tackles, including 11 solo and one sack.
· Grambling State went 1-for-1 in fourth-down conversions. News & Notes
· Devante Kincade was named the Chicago Football Classic Offensive Most Valuable Player.
· Ja'Terious Pouncy was selected the Chicago Football Classic Defensive Most Valuable Player.
· Saturday's game was the first meeting between Grambling State and Clark Atlanta.
· Grambling State came into the game ranked No. 19 in the FCS Coaches Preseason Poll, #21 in the STATS FCS Top 25 Poll, No. 1 in the SBN Sports Network Black College Football Poll and No. 2 in the BOXTOROW Coaches and Media Poll.
· Saturday's game was just the second time in the 20-year history of the Chicago Football Classic where Grambling State has played in the event.
· Grambling State improved to 2-0 in the Chicago Football Classic (defeated Alcorn State and Clark Atlanta).
· Clark Atlanta fell to 1-1 in the Chicago Football Classic (defeated Central State; lost to Grambling State).
· Saturday's game was the final non-conference game for Grambling State. The Tigers will play the final six games against the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opponents (Prairie View A&M, Alcorn State, Texas Southern, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Alabama State and Southern).
Up Next
Grambling State steps back into SWAC play next Saturday as the Tigers will meet Prairie View A&M in the 92nd Annual Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas.
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For complete coverage of Grambling State athletics, please follow the Tigers on social media at @GSU_Tigers (Twitter), /gramblingstateathletics (Facebook) or visit the official home of Grambling State Athletics at gsutigers.com.
GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina – Winning at South Carolina State is only supposed to be pretty when it shows up on the left side of the standings column. The North Carolina A&T football team played another hard-hitting, ugly, defensive slugfest at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium against the Bulldogs that resulted in the Aggies (ranked 13th in the NCAA Coaches Poll and 17th in the FCS STATS Media Poll) improving to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with a 21-7 win.
The Aggies have now won three straight at S.C. State for the first time since the 1998, 1999 and 2000 seasons. It is also the second time in as many trips to Dawson Stadium the Aggies have held the Bulldogs to under 10 points. That has not happened since 1969 and ‘71. The Aggies were 9-6 winners in 2015.
“We’ll take it,” said N.C. A&T coach Rod Broadway. “This is a tough place to play. We are going to go back and get some things fix because we turned the ball over more than we normally do today. But we are never going to complain about winning, especially against a team like this.”
The Aggies defense held the Bulldogs (1-3, 0-2 MEAC) to only 279 yards of offense and 82 yards rushing as the Bulldogs are off to their first 0-2 start since 2001. Fifth-year free safety Jeremy Taylor was integral in all three of S.C. State’s turnovers. Taylor finished with three tackles, two forced fumbles, an interception and a pass break up.
Taylor’s first big play came in the second quarter with N.C. A&T leading 9-0. Dewann Ford broke free of Aggie defenders and was racing toward the end zone. Taylor caught the speedy Ford and conducted a tomahawk chop to Ford’s outside shoulder, forcing the ball out of Ford’s hand and onto the ground where redshirt sophomore Darryl Johnson recovered the ball at the Aggies 22-yard line.
N.C. A&T then did an excellent job of turning what could have been a score for the Bulldogs into a positive for themselves as the Aggies put together a 9-play, 54-yard drive that resulted in a 41-yard field goal by freshman Noel Ruiz to give the Aggies a 12-0 with 59 seconds remaining in the first half. It was the second of three field goals for Ruiz on Saturday.
A rarity would happen to the Aggies to open the second half as redshirt junior Lamar Raynard threw an interception to Jason Baxter at the SCSU 27. It was Raynard’s first pick in 158 straight throws. But again, the Aggies responded by forcing the Bulldogs to punt. Five plays later, the Bulldogs again threatened to score as SCSU blocked the Aggies punt and got the ball at the Aggies 30. It was Taylor turned the Aggies fortunes around again by forcing a Tyrece Nick fumble.
Three plays later Raynard found Xavier Griffin for a 71-yard touchdown pass to give the Aggies an 18-0 lead with 3:45 remaining in the third quarter. It was the longest completion of Raynard’s career.
“Those were big,” Broadway said about the Aggies forced turnovers. “Usually we try to get out of the game without making any turnovers. Even though we made some tonight, it balanced out pretty well for us. We were able to keep them out of the end zone with those turnovers, so they were huge.”
The Bulldogs did put up some points in the fourth quarter Ford connected with Trey Samuel for a 33-yard touchdown pass that cut the Aggies lead to 18-7. N.C. A&T then went to work on the clock. The Aggies constructed a 15-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Ruiz kicking a 27-yard field goal. The drive was extended when the Bulldogs committed a personal foul on an Aggies field goal attempt. The drive and the penalty that extended took eight minutes off the fourth-quarter clock as the Aggies increased their lead to 21-7 with only four minutes remaining in the game.
“Sometimes when you start doing that it takes you out of rhythm,” said Broadway. “We didn’t want to take all the air out of it. But once we got in the fourth quarter, we wanted to get (the play clock) inside five seconds before we got a play off.”
Raynard had another good day going 18-for-31 for 298 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Redshirt junior Marquell Cartwright, the MEAC’s leading rusher, had 96 yards on 24 carries.
The Aggies will go after their best start in 24 years when they host the Greatest Homecoming On Earth on Saturday at Aggie Stadium. Kickoff is at 1 p.m., against Delaware State. Follow Aggie Athletics on Facebook (@ncatathletics), Instagram (@ncatathletics) and Twitter (@ncataggies). NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina – The #21 ranked Bulldogs of Bowie State University continued its unbeaten streak after defeating Fayetteville State University 64-31 on Saturday afternoon at the Luther "Nick" Jeralds Stadium. With the win, Bowie State improves its record to 5-0 on the season (2-0 CIAA) while Fayetteville State dips to 1-4 overall (0-2 CIAA).
Junior Amir Hall (Bowie, Md.) threw for 329 yards, completing 22-of-32 passes (two interceptions) and four passing touchdowns and redshirt senior Robert Chesson (Annapolis, Md.) rushed for a personal season-best 172 yards on 15 carries and scored two touchdowns to pace the Bowie State offense. Redshirt junior Brandon Britton (Columbia, Md.) recorded game-highs of nine receptions and 129 yards to lead all receivers. The Bulldogs defense was led by senior Johnny Littlejohn (Silver Spring, Md.) with nine total tackles.
As a team, Bowie State rolled up 626 yards of total offense (297 rushing and 329 passing) compared to 344 total yards (206 rushing and 138 passing) for Fayetteville State.
Hall walked into the FSU end zone at the 11:52 mark of the first quarter on Bowie State's opening drive of the game and sophomore Gene Carson (Accokeek, Md.) added the extra point for the early 7-0 lead. Bowie State scored on its very next possession, when Hall connect with redshirt senior Kerrick Pollock (Miami, Fla.) for a 12-yard, pass, catch and score to give the Bulldogs 13-0 advantage at the 8:10 mark.
Fayetteville State's Jacobe Clement (Charlotte, N.C.) gets a pick six and returned it 32 yards to trim the Bowie State lead to 13-7 with 5:04 left in the opening quarter.
The Bulldogs got those points back in a hurry on a Hall to junior Lansana Sesay (Bowie, Md.) 82-yard touchdown pass. Carson's extra point gave Bowie State a 20-7 lead. Redshirt sophomore Brandon Abrams (Baltimore, Md.) punched it in from 1-yard out to give the Bulldogs a 27-7 cushion at the 12:41 mark of the second quarter.
Marquise Watts (La Plata, Md.) recorded his second touchdown of the season, catching an 8-yard pass from Hall at the 10:25 mark to push the Bowie State lead to 34-7 in the second quarter.
David Lamb (Pineville, N.C.) kicked a 28-yard field goal with 5:34 remaining before halftime to cut the Fayetteville State deficit to 34-10. Nigel Peele (Greensboro, N.C.) intercepted a deflected pass from BSU's Hall and returned it 25 yards for a Fayetteville State touchdown with 5:21 remaining before halftime, but the Broncos trailed 34-17.
Another Bowie State turnover was costly as Fayetteville State capitalized to trim the Bulldogs lead to 34-24 with 1:51 left in the second quarter. Stevie Green (Washington, N.C.) rushed seven yards for the score.
Bowie State capped off a 7-play, 75-yard drive with a Hall to Britton 25-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left in the first half to give the Bulldogs a 41-24 advantage.
Bowie State capitalized on an interception by redshirt freshman Tevin Singleton (District Heights, Md.) and converted the Fayetteville State turnover into six points on a 3-yard score by Chesson. Chesson scored again following another Broncos turnover. This time Chesson rushed for another 3-yard score to pad the Bulldogs lead at 55-24 at the 10:57 mark of the third quarter.
Junior Maurice Williams (Baltimore, Md.) scored on a 2-yard run with 1:48 remaining in the third quarter to increase Bowie State's lead to 61-31.
Bowie State's Carson put the final nail in the coffin with 3:20 remaining in the game, following a 44-yard field goal to account for the final margin of 64-31.
The Broncos were led by quarterback Devin Knudsen (Fresno, Calif.) with 131 passing yards (14-30-2) and Donshel Jetton rushed for 94 yards on 20 carries.
The Bulldogs return home for just the second time this season on Saturday, October 7th to host the Hawks of Chowan University. Kickoff time in Bulldogs Stadium is set for 4 p.m.
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana shut down Dillard's hitters Thursday en route to a 25-15, 25-17, 25-8 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball victory at XULA's Convocation Center.
The Gold Nuggets (11-2, 5-0) have beaten the Lady Bleu Devils (11-9, 3-2) 16 consecutive times, and this is the first time during the streak that Dillard — which hit minus-.009 with 21 kills and 22 errors in 109 attacks — finished with a negative hitting percentage.
XULA, meanwhile, hit .237 with 36 kills and 14 errors in 93 attacks.
"I thought we finished well," first-year XULA head coach Pat Kendrick said. "We started the match a little flat emotionally, but we finished with a good energy."
Kayla Black hit .318 with 10 kills, eight digs and three aces for the Gold Nuggets, who are 6-0 at home this season. Adili Rikondja produced a season-high-tying eight kills, a season-high .500 hitting percentage and — for the third straight match — a career-high tying four blocks.
Lauryn Taylor had seven kills and hit .250; both were her second-best figures of the season. Anna Dalla Vecchia had 19 digs, 10 in the first set, and reached double figures for the ninth consecutive match. Juliana Tomasoni served five aces — she's the only Gold Nugget to serve an ace in every match this season — Amanda Perry served two aces, and Jaida Dowd had a career-best four blocks.
XULA split the setting role again, with freshman Eva Le Guillou collecting 21 in her first collegiate start and Tiffany Phillips getting 12.
Taylor, Le Guillou, Black, Dowd and Dalla Vecchia are freshmen.
XULA won 36-of-38 sets in its last 12 meetings with Dillard.
Corneisja Harrison had six kills for Dillard but hit minus-094 in a match-high 32 attacks. Shelby Stewart and Tristan Cojoe had five kills apiece, Cojoe had four blocks, and Alexis Barnett had 13 digs.
XULA had advantages of 11-0 in aces, 54-41 in digs and 7-5 in blocks. The teams will meet again Nov. 2 in the Gold Nuggets' regular-season finale at Dillard's Dent Hall.
XULA's victory dropped Dillard from second to third place in the GCAC, and Tougaloo (5-2) climbed to second. XULA, which seeks a seventh consecutive GCAC regular-season and tournament championship, is the only team with fewer than two conference losses.
The Gold Nuggets will play William Carey in a non-conference match at 6 p.m. next Thursday at the Convocation Center.
