Morgan State Men's Basketball Faces Navy on Sunday, 1 PM ET

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Game 8
Opponent: Naval Academy (6-3)
Date: Sunday, December 3, 2017
Site:  Alumni Hall, Annapolis, Md.
Game Time: 1 p.m. 
Series Record: Navy leads 2-0
Live Stats & Video Stream: navysports.com
Radio: Heritage Sports Radio Network - HSRN.org 
MSU Coaches: MSU - Todd Bozeman (177-181, 12th yr) • Navy - Ed DeChellis (74-122 7th yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.navysports.com

SETTING THE STAGE
Morgan State (4-3) heads to Annapolis to take on the Naval Academy on Sunday afternoon at Navy Alumni Hall. It's the third of eight straight true road games for the Bears. Navy (6-3) held off Delaware 82-76 Friday night at Alumni Hall.  Bryce Dulin led the Midshipmen with a career-high 30 points and Shawn Anderson added 20 points. Martez Cameron led the way for the Bears by scoring a career-high 19 points and Phillip Carr had 17 points and 11 boards, but Morgan State fell to George Washington 73-66 on Wednesday night in Washington, D.C.

SCOUTING THE MIDSHIPMEN
• Navy, a member of the Patriot League, begins the seventh season under head coach Ed DeChellis ... Under DeChellis, Navy increased its conference win total for the fifth straight season and the 10 conference wins were the most for Navy since 2000.
• Navy finished the 2016-17 season with a 16-16 overall mark and a fourth-place finish in the Patriot League at 10-8 ... Navy fell to eventual tournament champion and No. 1 seed Bucknell in the semifinals of the conference tournament, 70-65.
•  Senior 6-4 guard Bryce Dulin (13.4 ppg) has led Navy in scoring through its first nine games. Senior 6-4 guard Shawn Anderson (13.1 ppg), along with 6-7 forward Tom Lacey (10.4 ppg, 6-0 rpg) are also averaging double figures in scoring.
• Senior guard Bryce Dulin scored a team-high 20 points in the win over Denver on Sunday and was Navy's lone representative on the Homewood Suites FGCU Shootout All-Tournament Team.
•  Junior guard Hasan Abdullah leads the Patriot League in total steals (20) and is averaging 8.4 points per game.
•  Navy is averaging 73.3 points per game, while holding its opponents to 69.6 points (ranked No. 1 in the Patriot League). 
•  The Midshipmen lead the Patriot League in free throw shooting percentage (.751).

THE SERIES
• Though the two schools are separated by a half hour drive, Sunday's contest will only be the third matchup between the schools with Navy leading the series 2-0. 
•  The Midshipmen used a 20-2 scoring barrage to help them cruise to a 73-47 victory in their first visit to Hill Field House before a crowd of 1,019 on Dec. 8, 2005. T.J. Mathis was the only Bear to finish in double-figures for the Bears by posting 11 points to go along with three rebounds and three steals.
•  The Bears fell 77-66 in the first meeting against Navy on Dec. 1, 2004 at Navy Alumni Hall. Four players scored in double-digits for the Midshipmen and despite finishing the game with 26 turnovers, and not scoring a field goal in the final 6:30 of the contest, Navy came away with the victory.

AT THE HELM
Todd Bozeman enters his 12th year at the helm as Morgan State men's head coach. The Bears have participated in six of the last 11 MEAC Tournament championships, captured back-to-back-MEAC Titles, and made appearances in the NIT and two NCAA Tournaments. Bozeman is also the school's all-time winningest coach with 177 victories...and counting!

BEWARE THE BEAR
Under the direction of Todd Bozeman, Morgan State has collected a couple of memorable wins against big-time opponents. The Bears have recorded historic wins against: Long Island (2009); Manhattan (2009); Arkansas (2009); DePaul (2008); and Maryland (2009).

HOME GROWN
Morgan State has three players from the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Metropolitan-D.C.) area. Returning sophomore forward Azariah Sykes is from Richmond, Va. and graduated from Milwood HS. Returning sophomore center Tyjhai Byers is from Bethesda and was a prep standout at Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS, while Harlem native Tiwian Kendley is not from the DMV... he did play at Eleanor Roosevelt HS.

CARR NAMED MEAC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR, KENDLEY SELECTED TO FIRST TEAM
The MEAC announced that Morgan State forward Phillip Carr is the 2017-18 MEAC Preseason Player of the Year.
• Carr, a Brooklyn, New York, native, led the Bears in rebounding, and was second on the team in scoring last season.
• He was selected to the All-MEAC's first team while being the third Bear to earn the Defensive Player of the Year honor (Boubacar Coly – 2008, Kevin Thompson - 2010).
• Carr becomes the first Bear to be named the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year since Kevin Thompson before his senior season in 2010. Reggie Holmes is the last Bear to win the regular-season award, when he received the award in 2009.
• Todd Bozeman's Bears received 13 of 26 first-place votes, outdistancing Norfolk State, and reigning champion North Carolina Central atop the standings.
• Carr led the five-man preseason All-MEAC First-Team and was joined by teammate Tiwian Kendley, who was the MEAC's leading scorer after averaging 21.0 points per game last season. The rest of that group was Norfolk State's Zaynah Robinson, Bethune-Cookman's Brandon Tabb and Howard's Charles Williams.

BOZEMAN'S BRAIN TRUST
Morgan State head basketball coach Todd Bozeman coaching staff returns for their third season. The0 Bears coaching staff consists of assistant coaches Brian Ellerbe, Larry Stewart, and Hans Desir.
• Ellerbe spent four years at Virginia, starting in 1990. He worked under Jeff Jones, now coach at Old Dominion. He was also the first African-American Head Coach at Loyola University, Maryland and The University of Michigan.
• Stewart was the Associate Head Coach for the Bowie State men's basketball team where he spent six seasons. He played with the NBA's Bullets, Vancouver Grizzlies and Seattle Super Sonics until 1997. His brother, Stephen, is an assistant coach at Coppin State.
• Desir, a Miami native, joins the Bears staff with over 10 years of coaching experience. he was previously lead assistant coach for J.T. Burton at Motlow College.

CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
The year will open the 2017-18 season with a pair of road matchups, first  at Binghamton Nov. 10, followed by South Florida Nov. 13. The Bears' season-opener will be Nov. 16 versus Lincoln (Pa.), followed by a Nov. 18 date at West Virginia. The Bears will host Goldey Beacom Nov. 21 for its final home contest of the year. The Bears remaining seven non-conference  games will occur on the road. MSU will wrap the month of November at Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 27) and George Washington (Nov. 29). The Bears travel schedule will continue with matchups at Navy (Dec.3 ), Towson (Dec. 6), Manhattan (Dec. 9) and George Mason (Dec 22). MSU's west coast swing will begin with a trip to face Grand Canyon Dec. 27 in Las Vegas, followed by a game at CA-Northridge Dec. 30.

THE CHARITY STRIPE
The Bears completed the 2016-17 season ranked No. 2 in the conference in free throw percentage by shooting 71.1 percent (484-681) from the line. Phillip Carr ranked No. 3 (.829) in the league, while Tiwian Kendley shot .786 from the stripe (No. 7 in MEAC).
• The Bears have started the 2017-18 season by shooting 68.3 percent (97-142) from the stripe. Martez Cameron  is shooting 76.9 percent (20-26), followed by Phillp Carr at 76.7 percent (23-30) and LaPri McCray-Pace at 75.9 percent.

BEAR D 
The Bears defense was ranked among the conference leaders a season ago and should once again be solid defensively for 2017-18 season.
• MSU's defense has limited opponents to an average of 71.9 points (No. 2 in MEAC) thru the first seven games.
• The Bears rank No. 4 in the MEAC in field goal percentage defense at 39.8 percent.
• The Bears rank No. 7 in the MEAC in three-point field goal percentage defense at 36.3 percent.

FIELD GOAL SHOOTING
• Morgan State is shooting 40.7 percent from the floor.
• The Bears have shot under 50 percent from the floor in its first four of seven games.
• Morgan State has shot 50 percent or better in two of its last three contests ... they shot 50 percent against Goldey-Beacom (Nov. 21) and a season-high 52 percent at Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 27).
• Three starters are shooting better than 40 percent from the floor – Stanley Davis (.585), Tyjhai Byers (.444) and Martez Cameron (.406), and Tyler Streeter is shooting a team best 68.4 percent off the bench.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Bears close out the 2017 calendar with eight straight road games starting with Mount St. Mary's on Monday night and at George Washington on Wednesday (Nov. 29).
• Morgan State will open the month of December with a date at Navy on Dec. 3, followed by matchups at Towson Dec. 6, at Manhattan Dec. 9, and at George Mason Dec. 22.
• The Bears will wrap the non-conference schedule with a west coast swing to face Grand Canyon on Dec. 27 in Las Vegas, followed by a contest at California State, Northridge Dec. 30.

COMFORTABLE AT HILL FIELD HOUSE
Todd Bozeman has won at least 10 home games in three of his 11 seasons in Baltimore.
• The 2007-08 (12-1) and 2009-10 (11-1) squads finished with just a single loss, while the 2010-11 squad went 10-2.
• Bozeman has led the Bears to a 88-41 (.682) overall home record at  Hill Field House.

RETURNING PTS, REBS, ASTS
Morgan State returns 80.8 percent of its scoring from a season in which the team averaged 67.5 ppg during the 2016-17 season of 67.5 points ... MSU returns 74.9 boards a game from a year ago and that's about 74.3 percent of last year's team average of 39.0 a game ... When it comes to assists, MSU returns 263 assists from the total of 322 assists from last season or 81.7 percent returning.

BOARD CHAIR
Phillip Carr, the reigning MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, led the Bears in a 72-60 win over Lincoln-Pa. in which he grabbed a career record 19 rebounds, completely controlling the glass against the Lions.
•  Carr's 19 boards bested his previous record of 17, which he set Nov. 23, 2015 against Goldey-Beacom. 
•  Carr posted his 16th career double-double with 17 points and a game-high 11 boards at George Washington (Nov. 29).
•  Carr currently ranks No. 3 in the MEAC by averaging 9.1 rebounds per game in the first seven games of the season.

CARR REACHES 500 REBOUNDS
•  Senior forward Phillip Carr recorded his 500th rebound at Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 27 in his 61st career game.
•  Carr recorded a game-high 11 rebounds at George Washington and currently ranks among the school's leaders in rebounds ranked T-No. 13 (with William Lawson) with 518 boards. 
•  Carr is 44 rebounds away passing Ian Chiles for No. 12 on the school's all-time rebounds list.

HE'S BACK… DISHING OUT DIMES
MSU junior point guard Martez Cameron led the Bears in assists during the 2016-17 by averaging just over four per game (4.3) in 30 starts.
•  Cameron notched 9 points (5-6 FT) and dished out a game-high five assists in the season opener against the Binghamton.
•  He scored 11 points (4-4 FT) with five dimes and three steals in 35 minutes during the Bears win versus Lincoln-Pa.
•  He poured in a career-high 19 points (8-16 FG) and had four assists and two steals in 36 minutes at George Washington.
•  The Chicago product is currently averaging 11.3 points, 4.0 assists and is shooting 76.9 percent (20-26) from the charity stripe.

DID YOU KNOW? 
Neither of the team's two best players, MEAC Preseason Player of the Year Phillip Carr and preseason first-team All-MEAC selection Tiwian Kendley, started their career at Morgan State. Carr, a senior forward, played for a year apiece at junior colleges Mohawk Valley (N.Y.) and Williston State (N.D.). Kendley, a senior guard, spent two years at Lamar Community College (Colo.) after a standout high school career at Eleanor Roosevelt in Prince George's County.

ABOUT MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is celebrating its 150th year of excellence in higher education. A Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution, Morgan offers more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu. 

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SUNDAY TV: FS1 -- Georgetown hosts Coppin State Eagles with undefeated season on the line

COACH JUAN DIXON
COPPIN STATE UNIVERSITY EAGLES

WHERE: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

TIME: 6:30 p.m. ET

TV: FS1 (MASN2 in D.C.)

ONLINE: Fox Sports Go

RADIO: 106.7 WJFK-FM

SERIES HISTORY: Georgetown leads, 1-0.

ODDS: Georgetown -25.5 (-110)

O/U: 138.5

WASHINGTON, D.C.  -- The undefeated Georgetown Hoyas (5-0, Big East) will host the Coppin State Eagles (0-7, MEAC) on Sunday evening in the second game of the BB&T Classic. The Classic, a D.C.-based series of game that raises money for Children’s Charities Funds, will also feature a game between the George Washington Colonials and Temple Owls earlier in the day.

Georgetown enters the game fresh off a string of strong offensive performances, with five Hoyas scoring in double figures in each of the team’s last four games. In their most recent game against the Maine Black Bears, the Blue & Gray were led by juniors Kaleb Johnson, Jessie Govan, and Marcus Derrickson, who combined for 36 points in the win.

CONTINUE READING

EWC Alvin Wyatt Resigns as Head Football Coach

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- EWC Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Stanley B. Cromartie has announced that Alvin B. Wyatt, Sr. has resigned his position as head football coach at Edward Waters College, effective immediately.

Wyatt joined Edward Waters in 2012 as defensive coordinator after a storied and Hall of Fame 13- year career at Bethune-Cookman University as its head coach. He was then selected as the 13th head football coach in EWC football history on December 10, 2013.

"Coach Wyatt has been a legendary figure in the world of coaching and molding young men." Said Cromartie. "We thank him for his hard work and dedication to our football program at EWC and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors."

Cromartie will meet with the remaining assistant coaches on Monday and will launch a national search for the next head football coach for EWC soon thereafter.

Cromartie further added, "I firmly believe that we have the tools necessary to be successful in football here at EWC." "I will do everything in my power to ensure that we select the right person to help lead our program to championships on the field and greater successes off of it."

Pough still right coach for S.C. State Bulldogs

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- The end of the regular season in college football annually produces as much news about coaching changes as the pending postseason. Things are no different in 2017 with coaching exits, searches and entrances at high-profile schools such as Florida, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Arizona State and UCLA.

This year, the focus on the future for coaches extends into Orangeburg, where S.C. State’s Buddy Pough is at the end of a contract and coming off his worst season in 16 years leading the Bulldog program.

After the homecoming loss to Howard on Oct. 28, first-year Athletic Director Stacey Danley went public with a statement of support for Pough amid the standard fare of fan complaints that comes with losing football games. Danley said then that he supported Pough but qualified his remarks by stating that season’s end would bring an evaluation of the coach and the program. He said S.C. State expected to win its closing two games.

But the Bulldogs did not win, even falling 34-10 on the final Saturday to Savannah State, a team that has not defeated S.C. State since 2001. The loss left the team at 3-7 and gave Pough his worst mark as the head coach of a program that boasts 16 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football titles.

CONTINUE READING

Grambling Tigers capture second consecutive SWAC Championship

HOUSTON, Texas -- The Grambling State University football team scored 28 unanswered second-quarter points as the Tigers held on and survived a late Alcorn State rally to capture their second consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championship, 40-32, on Saturday night at NRG Stadium.

"We played exceptionally well in the first half, except of the muff punt we had," Grambling State head coach Broderick Fobbs said. "We didn't play as well as I would have liked in the second half. Alcorn State has a tremendous program and I knew they would keep fighting. That is what champions do. Now we get two weeks to rest our players and get prepared for the Celebration Bowl."

Grambling State (11-1) began with the football and started its opening drive at 10, but a delay of game penalty backed the Tigers up five yards to the 5-yard line.

GSU went to work as Kincade connected with Martez Carter for eight yards and on third down to Calif Samon for 21 yards. After Carter was stopped for no gain, Quintin Guice caught a 46-yard pass from Kincade to set up shop at the Alcorn State 20. Two plays later, Kincade scored on a 15-yard run to give the Tigers a 7-0 advantage with 12:06 left in the opening quarter.

Alcorn State, which went 80 yards in eight plays, answered the opening Grambling State drive by using the ground game as the Braves punched the ball in from the 2-yard line on a rushing touchdown by De'Lance Turner to tie the game at 7 with 7:50 remaining in the first.

After going three-and-out on the next series, the Tigers punted the ball, but got it right back after Alcorn State's Jalen Richardson muffed the kick as Bryce Williams recovered the loose ball at the Braves' 34.

Grambling State was unable to move the ball as Marc Orozco booted a career-long 48-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 10-7 lead with 5:28 remaining.

After stopping the Braves on their next series, the Tigers turned the ball over as Malik Route fumbled trying to scoop up a punt and Alcorn State's Damien Anderson recovered at the Tigers' 40. The Braves cashed in off the turnover as Corey McCullough kicked a 21-yard field goal to tie the game at 10 with 1:30 remaining in the first quarter.

The Tigers appeared to go three-and-out on their next offensive series, but Miguel Mendez faked the punt and rushed eight yards for a first down at the Grambling State 41. The Tigers capitalized on the fake punt and went 59 yards in 10 plays as Carter scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to give Grambling State a 17-10 advantage with 11:27 remaining in the first half 31-10 with

After forcing an Alcorn State punt, Grambling State went to work at its own 39 and the Tigers marched 61 yards in eight plays as Kincade connected with Jordan Jones for a 15-yard touchdown pass to extend the advantage to 24-10.

Grambling State was just getting starting as the De'Andre Hogues forced a Braves fumble and the Tigers went right back to work. Kincade hit the spin button and dove for the end zone to complete a four-play, 46-yard drive. Kincade was initially ruled down on the play, but after review of the replay, the play was overturned as the Tigers led 31-10 with 4:42 remaining.
After forcing a punt by Alcorn State, Grambling State took over at its own 25 with 3:08 remaining in the first half. The Tigers proceeded to march 75 yards in six plays as Guice caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Kincade to give the Tigers a commanding 38-10 lead right before the break.

Alcorn State twice had an opportunity in the third quarter to cut the deficit, but the Braves turned the ball over on downs and McCullough's 21-yard field goal banked off the left upright and away to keep the Tigers advantage at 28 points.

Grambling State put the final touches on the night just five seconds into the fourth when Turner was tackled in the end zone by Brandon Varner for a safety as the Tigers pushed the advantage to 40-10 with 14:55 remaining.

The Braves (7-5) added a 34-yard touchdown as Lenorris Footman connected with Norlando Neals for the score with 12:53 remaining to cut the deficit to 40-17.

Alcorn State scored two more touchdowns and converted a two-point conversion to cut the margin to 40-32. The Braves had one more final opportunity to attempt to tie the game, but Footman's hail may fell short as the Tigers escaped with the win.

Turning Point
The second quarter provided to be the biggest difference in the game.

Grambling State and Alcorn State were tied at 10 at the beginning of the quarter, but the Tigers dominated the second with 28 unanswered points.

It can be said that the biggest turning point in the game came on a special teams play. With the two teams tied at 10 late in the first quarter, punter Miguel Mendez rushed eight yards for a first down. That play spun the momentum into the direction of Grambling State as the Tigers went on to get a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Martez Carter to give GSU a 17-10 lead with 11:27 left in the second quarter.

Alcorn State could never recover from the momentum swing as Grambling State finished with 363 total yards in the first half and Kincade was 14-of-23 passing for 223 yards.

Jordan Jones and Quintin Guice caught touchdown passes and Kincade scored on a 27-yard touchdown run as Grambling State took a controlling 38-10 lead into the half.

Inside the Numbers
· Grambling State finished with 19 first downs.
· The Tigers registered 439 total yards, including 268 through the air.
· Alcorn State tallied 21 first downs and 502 total yards, most of them coming in the second half.
· Devante Kincade was 14-of-24 passing for 223 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
· Devante Kincade led the Tigers in rushing with 11 carries for 75 yards and two scores.
· Kobe Ross had four receptions for a team-high 87 yards.
· Darrell Clark added four catches for 30 yards.
· Marc Orozco was 1-for-1 on field goals.
· Grambling State recorded a safety for the fourth time this season.
· De'Andre Hogues finished with seven tackles, including four solo stops, one sack and one forced fumble.
· Lenorris Footman was 20-of-34 passing for 307 yards and one score.
· De'Lance Turner added 134 yards on 20 carries to pace the ground attack for the Braves.
· Marquis Warford finished with131 yards on seven receptions.
· Terry Whittington led Alcorn State defensively with 10 tackles.
· The Tigers were 8-of-16 on third-down conversions.
· The Braves were 5-of-13 on third downs.
· Devante Kincade and De'Andre Hogues earned the SWAC Offensive and Defensive MVPs.
· Devante Kincade has thrown a touchdown pass in 10 of the 12 games played this season.
· Since the season-opening loss to Tulane, the Tigers have trailed for just 18 minutes and 40 seconds (Jackson State, Clark Atlanta, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Southern).
· The Tigers scored on their opening drive for the seventh time this season.

News & Notes
· Grambling State came into the game ranked No. 12 in the FCS Coaches Preseason Poll and No. 13 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.
· Grambling State wore its black jersey's with black pants and improved to 6-2 during the Broderick Fobbs era.
· Grambling State has led at the half in 11-of-12 games this season.
· Saturday's SWAC title game marked the third consecutive year the two teams met for the championship.
· Broderick Fobbs improved to 6-1 all-time against Alcorn State.
· Grambling State improved to 46-21-3 all-time against Alcorn State.
· GSU came into the game ranked No. 1 in the FCS and SWAC in team sacks.
· The Tigers placed 12 student-athletes on the All-SWAC Football Teams.
· Broderick Fobbs was named the SWAC Coach of the Year for the fourth straight season.
· Devante Kincade was selected the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year, the "Big Ben" Award winner (first two-time winner) and is a finalist for the Black College Football Player of the Year.
· De'Arius Christmas earned the SWAC's Defensive Player of the Year honor.
· The Tigers have won 11 straight after losing to Tulane to begin the season.
· Grambling State is the defending HBCU National Champions.
· Grambling State is seeking back-to-back SWAC Championships.
· Saturday's game was broadcasted live on the ESPNU.
· Grambling State is 8-2 all-time in SWAC Championship games.
· Saturday's championship marked the 19th and final SWAC title game.
· In the summer of 2017, the SWAC announced the end of the Conference Championship Football game, with the final game to be played on Dec. 2.
· The SWAC Championship has been played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. (1999-2012) and at NRG Stadium/Reliant Stadium (2013-2017).

Up Next
With the SWAC Championship victory, Grambling State received a berth to the 2017 Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 16 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. The Tigers will meet the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champions, North Carolina A&T State. The Aggies, ranked No. 7 in the FCS Top 25 Poll, won the inaugural Air Force Reserve Celebration are just one of two undefeated teams in the FCS with an 11-0 mark. The game will begin the bowl season live on ABC with an 11 a.m. (central) kickoff.

Follow Grambling State Athletics
For complete coverage of Grambling State athletics, please follow the Tigers on social media at @GSU_Tigers (Twitter), /gramblingstateathletics (Facebook), @gramblingathetics01 (Instagram) or visit the official home of Grambling State Athletics at gsutigers.com.

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Morgan Lady Bears Extend Home Winning Streak To Five Straight; Defeat NJIT, 55-43

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- The Morgan State women's basketball team improved to 4-0 at home this season, following its 55-43 victory over New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) on Saturday afternoon at Hill Field House. The win is Morgan State's fifth straight at home dating back to last season.

The Lady Bears (5-3) were again led by senior Lexus Spears, who scored a game-high 20 points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, as Morgan State improved to 3-1 all-time against NJIT. It was the third consecutive game that Spears has scored 20-plus points. The Jacksonville, Fla. native shot 9-of-14 from the floor and recorded two steals and a block.

Fellow senior and St. Louis, Mo. native Braennan Farrar finished with 14 points, five rebounds, a team-high three assists and two steals. Tayler Miller, another senior out of St. Louis, Mo., came off the bench to add seven points, a team-high three assists and two steals.

The Lady Bears would shot 43 percent (23-of-53) for the game, including a period-best 53 percent (8-of-15) in the third quarter. Morgan State outscored the guests, 36-10 in the paint and had a 14-1 advantage in second chance points. The Lady Bears' bench had a 13-4 advantage and Morgan State finished with a 39-25 rebounding cushion over the Highlanders.

NJIT (0-8) shot 16-of-41 (39 percent) for the game and connected on 8-of-20 (40 percent) from the free throw line. Tatianna Torres led the Highlanders with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Ellyn Stoll scored 10 points and had two assists and Amarri Trueheard added seven points. Dez Allen led the team with six rebounds.

The Highlanders matched their largest lead of the game (7 points) at 20-13 with 6:58 to play in the second quarter, but the hosts responded with a 9-0 run, capped off by a basket by Farrar to give the Lady Bears their first lead of the game at 22-20. Morgan State would take a 24-23 lead into the lockerroom.

Trailing 27-26 early in the third quarter, the Lady Bears used a 13-2 spurt to take control of the game and take a 39-29 lead on a layup by Miller at the 3:15 mark in the third quarter. NJIT would pull within four points two different times, the last coming at 43-39 after a jumper by Trueheart with 5:57 left in the game. Morgan State however, would push the lead back to 12 points on an 8-0 run and never looked back.

The Lady Bears will host Florida International on Monday, Dec. 4 at 5:30 p.m. at Hill Field House. FIU won the lone meeting, 77-60 on Jan. 3, 2012 in Miami, Fla. The Panthers (2-6) were dealt a 69-62 loss at Howard on Saturday. FIU is 0-2 this season against members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with its other loss coming against Bethune-Cookman (77-59) earlier in the season.

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Howard Bison Knock Off Florida International

WASHINGTON, D. C.  – Coach Ty Grace and the Howard University Women's Basketball team earned its second win in a row after knocking off Florida International (FIU), 69-62, inside Burr Gymnasium.

Despite only shooting 35-percent (23-of-66) from the field, HU (2-5) reached the charity stripe 23 times and shot 74-percent (17-of-23). Additionally, Howard outrebounded the Panthers, 48-38.

Sophomore Sarah Edmond had a game-high 24 points, including 10-of-12 from the foul line. Senior Tajzhane Dopson recorded her first double-double of the season, posting 11 points and 11 boards in the victory.

FIU's Callie Cavanaugh scored a layup and give the Panthers a nine-point advantage with 5:32 remaining in the third, 43-34. From that point on, HU chipped away at the deficit.

With less than a minute left in the third, sophomore Danielle Griffin connected on both free throws and put the Bison ahead, 47-46. Florida International regained the lead after three, 49-48, thanks to a freebie from Shante Walker.

In the fourth, Howard went on a 13-2 spurt and held its largest lead of the game, 61-51. FIU fought back and sliced the margin down as low as four, but HU made several free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Newcomer Tariah Johnson filled the stat sheet once again, finishing with 14 points, six steals, five rebounds, and an assist. Sophomore Jayla Myles added eight points, seven boards, and two rejections in the win.

Howard opened the game on a 6-1 run until FIU scored 10 unanswered to take the lead, 11-6. Florida International kept the momentum going as they extended their advantage to double-digits after a trey ball from Lauryn Snipes, 23-13. HU rallied and closed the opening quarter on an 8-2 spurt.

Moments into the second, Edmond drilled a long ball and tied the contest, 25-25. Howard took its first lead of the game after a fast-break layup from Johnson and three-pointer by Dopson, 30-25. FIU battled back and reclaimed the lead after going on a 6-0 run to end the half, 31-30.

For FIU (2-6), Kiandre'a Pound registered a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards. Cavanaugh netted a team-best 12 points in a losing effort.

Next Saturday (Dec. 9), the Bison conclude its three-game home stand against St. Francis-Brooklyn. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.

For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.

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HOWARD UNIVERSITY BISON SPORTS INFORMATION

UMES Ride Second Half Wave for Comeback Over American

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland -- Maryland Eastern Shore men’s basketball came back from 12 down in the second half, taking the lead in the final minutes to beat American University 74-70 on Saturday afternoon at the Hytche Athletic Center.

“I’m exhausted, but I’m happy. It’s a good kind of exhausted,” said Hawks head coach Bobby Collins after the win. “We dug down and did some good things. We still have a lot of work to do, but that’s a good thing. I’d rather teach a lesson after a win than a loss.”

Facing a 45-37 hole at halftime, the Hawks (3-5) let the Eagles (2-5) stretch it all the way to 12 in the early stages of the second half. Back-to-back layups by Larry Motuzis put AU up 55-43 with 14:40 to play.

Eastern Shore hung tough over the next six minutes, whittling the deficit down to four with Tyler Jones’ (Atlantic City, New Jersey) jumper at the 9:38 mark. The Eagles pushed the lead back to eight moments later on breakaway layups by Motuzis and Sa’eed Nelson, making it 62-54 with 8:54 to play.

Eight was as big of a lead AU would have the rest of the game, though, as The Shore took over from there. Colen Gaynor (Berlin, Maryland) put himself on the left post for a putback layup and put in another one minute later to get the Hawks within 62-58. Logan McIntosh (Atlanta, Georgia) stripped CB Diallo on the other end, setting the fast break in motion and finding Ahmad Frost (Cincinnati, Ohio) on the left wing for an open three. Frost’s trey capped a 7-0 run to make it a 62-61 game at the 6:25 mark.

The teams went back-and-forth for the next three minutes, then Miryne Thomas (Cleveland, Ohio) sank one of two free throws with 3:37 to play to tie it at 67-67. Back on defense, Frost shadowed Motuzis on the perimeter and forced a push off for an offensive foul. The Hawks missed the ensuing shot, but Jones blocked Nelson down low and drew a foul on the attacking end, hitting his first of two foul shots to give Eastern Shore a 68-67 lead – its first since the 10:19 mark of the first half – with 2:16 to go.

Thomas and Frost each hit a pair of free throws to give the Hawks a 72-67 cushion with 42 seconds left. AU gave it one last gasp at the other end as Diallo hit one of two foul shots and Nelson converted a miss into a layup, making it 72-70. Jones then missed two to give the Eagles a chance to tie, but Frost frustrated Nelson and forced a bad shot. Jones got the board and redeemed himself by sinking two with 10 seconds left to ice it.

Jones paced the Hawk offense with 18 points and pulled down seven rebounds, including four on offense. Eastern Shore owned the offensive glass 18-11 on the way to outrebounding the Eagles 40-35.

Thomas notched his first career double-double, scoring 17 points with 10 boards. McIntosh added 13 points with five boards and a game-high six assists. Frost scored 13, including a trio of clutch three-pointers, and largely shut down Eagle star Nelson on defense in the second half.

“He did a great job containing him,” said Collins of Frost. “He was giving us an inside presence too. I was unhappy that he had to get his own offensive rebounds, but we needed that down the stretch and I’m very pleased.”

Motuzis led the way for American with 24 points, including 15 in the first half. Nelson notched 20 again for AU but was limited to just six in the second half by Frost.

Eastern Shore had one of its best free-throw shooting days of the season, hitting 22-of-29 from the charity stripe, including 8-of-12 from Jones alone.

“We expect Tyler to be a leader,” said Collins. “He’s a veteran player and he’s just a sophomore. How about that?”

The Hawks came out swinging in the first half, taking a 12-2 lead in the first four minutes on a flurry of inside pressure. AU tightened up the screws, though, and turned the game on its head over the rest of the half. A Drew LaMont three cut the lead to one, and a Motuzis fastbreak layup put the Eagles up 22-21 with 10:19 before the break. American kept the foot on the gas, leading by as many as 12 and ultimately taking an eight-point lead into the locker room.

The win gives the Hawks three nonconference triumphs in their first eight games, matching their total from all of last year.

Eastern Shore now hits the road for its next six games, starting on Monday night at Duquesne. Tip from the A.J. Paulmbo Center is set for 7 p.m. Monday’s game will be broadcast locally on flagship radio station Fox Sports 960 AM WTGM and online at EasternShoreHawks.com. Pregame coverage starts at 6:45 p.m. with Will DeBoer on the call for The Shore Sports Network.

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UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE SPORTS INFORMATION

FAMU Women Roll Past Western Carolina, 80-63

CULLOWHEE, North Carolina  --  The FAMU Women's Basketball team rode a torrid first half shooting performance to capture their first win of the season, 80-63 over Western Carolina on the road Saturday afternoon.

FAMU (1-7) shot 53.3 percent from the floor (16 of 30) in the opening half, while splashing six of 10 shots from distance to storm to a 43-19 halftime lead.

The Rattler Women finished the game with their best shooting performance of the season, at 48.3 percent (28 of 58), while their 44.4 percent performance from distance (8 of 18) was the season's best as well.



However, Western Carolina (1-6) did not fold, shooting 51.7 percent (15 of 29) in the second half, outscoring FAMU, 44-37 in the final two quarters.

The Catamounts outpaced FAMU in the third period, 27-14, cutting the Rattler advantage to 57-46 headed into the fourth, where the visitors pulled away with a 23-17 closing surge.

Leading the way for FAMU was guard Florence Ouattara with 17 points, including a trio of three-pointers, followed by Ecenur "E" Yurdakul with 13 points and four steals, center Shalunda Burney Robinson with a double double, 12 points and 14 rebounds, and guard Dawn King with 10 points, featuring a 3-for-4 shooting effort from distance.

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WHAT'S NEXT: FAMU (1-7) will play their next two games at home, Thursday against Lynn University at 6:00 p.m., and next Sunday against North Florida at 2:00 p.m. in the Lawson Center.

FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Season wrap Q&A Part 2: Dawson Odums looks ahead to the 2018 season

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Currently on Southern coach Dawson Odums' mind: the holes he needs to fill on his roster and his excitement for his team to go through spring practice for the first time in a long time.

The departure of a large and productive senior class will be the latest hurdle for Odums and his coaching staff to fill, and it will have to do so with limited scholarship numbers, making it even more challenging. Odums hinted at the type of players he may try to find to fill those gaps.



One thing that will ease that burden is the return of spring practice, which Odums believes will allow him to develop some players that he believes were undernourished from a training perspective because of the lack of spring drills.

Odums spoke with the Advocate about what he expects to happen over the course of the offseason.

Odums: We’ve got to get longer receivers. In 2017, we spent time trying to get slot receivers. This class will be about long, outside receivers. We’re going to go from there.

CONTINUE READING

SWAC Football All-Conference Teams Released

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – The Southwestern Athletic Conference released its 2017 All-Conference Teams Thursday with 12 players from the SWAC West Division champions Grambling State being tabbed for the most individual honors.

The teams were announced two days prior to the 2017 Toyota SWAC Football Championship at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, after ballots were cast by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.

50 players were named to this year’s All-Conference teams. Players were ranked in their position based upon the number of votes received. Ballots required voters to rank their selections in order. After helping lead the Tigers to a conference-best 10-win season, Grambling State quarterback Devante Kincade was the voters’ choice for the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year award.

Following up on his SWAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year nod, Kincade completed 59.7 percent of his passes and threw for 2,409 yards with 19 touchdowns against just three interceptions. The senior held the top passing efficiency with a rating of 143.8. Additionally, Kincade accounted for the most total yards of offense as well with 2,649 yards.

De’Arius Christmas was tabbed as the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year after he was ranked fourth in the conference in tackles with 76, third in the SWAC with 14.5 tackles for a loss, to go along with 3.5 sacks (18th in SWAC), and two forced fumbles (tied for fourth in SWAC).

Mississippi Valley State junior transfer wide receiver Quinn McElfresh was named the SWAC Newcomer of the Year after leading the conference in receptions per game (5.2), was ranked second in receiving yards per game (80.8), led in receiving yards (889) and added five touchdowns.

Prairie View A&M kicker Zach Elder was honored with the SWAC Freshman of the Year award after ranking tied for third in the conference in scoring (72 points) as he made 42-of-43 PATs and converted on 10-of-12 field goals. He led the SWAC in PAT percentage (97.7).

Broderick Fobbs was dubbed the SWAC Coach of the Year after leading the Tigers to another double-digit win season and a third consecutive trip to the SWAC Championship. Grambling State lead the conference in points per game (32.0), was second in points allowed per game (19.4) and boosted the conference’s best run stopping defense (allowed 94.0 yards per game), most interceptions (16), most sacks (41) and one of the nation’s top turnover ratios (plus 21) as well as the SWAC’s top red zone offense (converted on 90 percent of chances).

SWAC East Division winner Alcorn State had the second most amount of selections with nine, SWAC West Division runner up Southern and Prairie View A&M followed closely behind with eight selections apiece on the teams.

Mississippi Valley State had four selections while Alabama A&M and Alabama State each garnered three selections apiece, Arkansas-Pine Bluff had two selections and Jackson State had one representative.

Joining Kincade on the preseason first-team offense are: running backs De’Lance Turner (Alcorn State), Martez Carter (Grambling State) and offensive linemen Trent Scott (Grambling State), Timothy Gardner (Alcorn State), William Waddell (Grambling State), Kenyon Brantley (Alcorn State), and Sam Baptiste (Alabama State), wide receivers Norlando Veals (Alcorn State) and Khadarel Hodge (Prairie View A&M) and tight end Dillon Beard (Southern).

Joining Christmas on the first-team defense are: defensive linemen Aaron Tiller (Southern), La’Allan Clark (Grambling State), Brandon Varner (Grambling State), and Vernon Moland (Alabama A&M), linebackers Kenneth Davis (Alabama A&M), and Jalyn Williams (Prairie View A&M) and defensive backs Danny Johnson (Southern), De’Aumante Johnson (Grambling State), Ju’Anthony Parker (Prairie View A&M), and Ronnie Scott (Alabama State).

Kicker Marc Orozco (Grambling State), punter Jamie Gillan (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) and Darius Floyd (Prairie View A&M) were each tabbed as first team selections for special teams.

Offensive Player of the Year: Devante Kincade (QB) – Grambling State

Defensive Player of the Year: De’Arius Christmas (LB) – Grambling State

Newcomer of the Year: Quinn McElfresh (WR) – Mississippi Valley State

Freshman of the Year: Zach Elder (K) – Prairie View A&M

Coach of the Year: Broderick Fobbs – Grambling State

2017 All-SWAC Football Team

FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
QB Devante Kincade Grambling State
RB De’Lance Turner Alcorn State
RB Martez Carter Grambling State
OL Trent Scott Grambling State
OL Timothy Gardner Alcorn State
OL William Waddell Grambling State
OL Kenyon Brantley Alcorn State
OL Sam Baptiste Alabama State
WR Norlando Veals Alcorn State
WR Khadarel Hodge Prairie View A&M
TE Dillon Beard Southern

DEFENSE
DL Aaron Tiller Southern
DL La’Allan Clark Grambling State
DL Brandon Varner Grambling State
DL Vernon Moland Alabama A&M
LB De’Arius Christmas Grambling State
LB Kenneth Davis Alabama A&M
LB Jalyn Williams Prairie View A&M
DB Danny Johnson Southern
DB De’Aumante Johnson Grambling State
DB Ju’Anthony Parker Prairie View A&M
DB Ronnie Scott Alabama State

SPECIAL TEAMS
K Marc Orozco Grambling State
P Jamie Gillan Arkansas-Pine Bluff
RS Darius Floyd Prairie View A&M

SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
QB Austin Howard Southern
RB Herb Edwards Southern
RB Sta’Fon McCray Prairie View A&M
OL Mustaffa Ibrahim Alcorn State
OL Corbin Finlayson Prairie View A&M
OL Shawn Pierce Prairie View A&M
OL Alvin Solomon Mississippi Valley State
OL Christian Rodriguez Southern
WR Quinn McElfresh Mississippi Valley State
WR Darrell Clark Grambling State
TE Jordan Jones Grambling State

DEFENSE
DL Michael Brooks Alcorn State
DL Tashad Charity Arkansas-Pine Bluff
DL Linwood Banks Grambling State
DL DeVohn Reed Prairie View A&M
LB Patrick Harbin Mississippi Valley State
LB Trae Ferrell Alcorn State
LB Shawn Bishop Jackson State
DB Dylan Hamilt
on Alabama A&M
DB Everett Nicholas Mississippi Valley State
DB Andre Augustine Southern
DB Deago Sama Alcorn State

SPECIAL TEAMS
K Corey McCullough Alcorn State
P Trevor Vincent Alabama State
RS Danny Johnson Southern

SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Friday night lit: Jones, Nuggets blast Georgetown Tigers 62-45

NEW ORLEANS — Freshman guard Taylor Jones scored all 11 of her points in the first three minutes — including 3-of-3 3-pointers — to spark Xavier University of Louisiana in a 62-45 women's basketball victory against Georgetown (Ky.) Friday at the Convocation Center.

It was the fourth straight victory and the second in three days for the Gold Nuggets (4-2), who will play host to NAIA No. 13 Our Lady of the Lake at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Jones, scoring in double figures for the third time in four games, produced all her points in XULA's first five possessions. Teammates Essence Wells and Jayla Nichols scored 11 points apiece; Nichols reached double figures for the first time this season.



Justus Martin had 15 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and three steals for the Tigers (2-7), who lost their fifth in a row, and Shelby Beam scored 12.

XULA led 15-2 through four minutes and 26-4 when Wells swished XULA's sixth trey of the quarter at 2:58. Nichols made the other two treys in the period.

The Gold Nuggets led 34-18 at halftime. Georgetown closed its deficit to seven in the third quarter, but XULA ended the period on a 7-0 run. The Gold Nuggets maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the fourth quarter.



XULA was plus-9 in turnovers — gaining 21 and committing a season-low 12 — and a season-best plus-11 in rebounds (43-32). Reserve center DeDe Martinez had season highs of 10 rebounds and three blocks. XULA produced 15 steals, with Wells getting a career-high-tying four and Mikayla Bates getting three for the second straight game.

The teams' field-goal accuracy was nearly identical. Georgetown shot 36.7 percent, and XULA shot 35.8. But XULA led 24-18 in made field goals and 8-4 in made 3-pointers. The Nuggets and Tigers combined for 17 fouls in a game that lasted one hour and 28 minutes — 17 minutes shorter than the Nuggets' 51-48 Wednesday home victory against LSU-Alexandria.

XULA has trailed for just 35 seconds during its win streak, all in the last four minutes against LSUA. It was the third straight game that the Nuggets allowed fewer than 50 points.

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Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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AAMU Lady Bulldogs race past Murray State, 71-54

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Aubriana Bonner was perfect from the field as she led a trio of Lady Bulldogs in double-figure scoring Friday for a 71-54 win over Murray State.

The win is the fourth of the season for Alabama A&M, the first time since 2011 the Lady Bulldogs have won four non-conference games to open a season.

Bonner hit 8-of-8 shots from the field and had a pair of free throws for a game-high 18 points. She also pulled down seven rebounds.

Ashlyn Dotson scored 14 points and also had seven rebounds as A&M worked its inside game to take advantage of mismatches under the boards.

Natalie Collins had 11 points, which is a season-high for her.

LADY BULLDOGS PHOTO GALLERY

Kanisha Tharpe grabbed seven rebounds as the Lady Bulldogs outrebounded Murray State 46-26.

Lauren McKee had a game-high seven assists.

The Lady Bulldogs started slowly as Murray State (2-6) jumped out to a 6-0 lead and led 11-5 with less than four minutes gone in the first quarter.

Then, the Lady Bulldogs got hot.

And we mean hot!

Bonner scored on a layup to cut the lead to 11-7 and ignite a 19-0 run in the final 5:48 of the first quarter for a 24-11 lead.

Natalie Collins hit back-to-back three-pointers in a span of 34 seconds to give A&M its first lead of the game, with 4:47 to play in the opening quarter.

A&M continued to dominate in the second quarter, opening up a 19-point lead at one point, before taking a 38-21 lead into halftime.

The Lady Bulldogs controlled the third and fourth quarters as well, building their largest lead of the night at 60-34 with 1:48 left in the third quarter.

A&M is off until Dec. 12 when the Lady Bulldogs visit Jacksonville State.

They return to Elmore Gym on Jan. 6 to start the SWAC season with Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
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Boyd paces Grambling State to victory over SE Louisiana

GRAMBLING, Louisiana | Jazmin Boyd led three Grambling State University women's basketball players in double figures as the Lady Tigers overcame a slow start to pick up their second consecutive victory, 61-52, on Thursday night against Southeastern Louisiana at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.

Grambling State (3-3) started slow as the Lady Tigers shot 21.4 percent (3-of-14) and trailed, 11-10. A jumper from Boyd with 5:58 left in the second quarter gave the Lady Tigers the lead in the second quarter as Grambling State took a slim 24-23 advantage into the break. The Lady Tigers came out of the break and shot 50 percent (9-of-18) in the third quarter to extend the lead to 46-34.

Boyd led Grambling State with 18 points, including the only two Lady Tiger 3-pointers, five rebounds, two steals and one assist. Deja McKinney added 13 points and was 5-of-8 at the free-throw line. She also recorded four boards, three asists, one steal and one block. Monisha Neal registered 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.

Taylin Underwood paced Southeastern Louisiana (1-6) with 18 points and nine rebounds. Caitlyn Williams tallied 11 rebounds along with five points, two steals, one block and an assist.

Turning Point
Grambling State led 10-8 after a bucket by Boyd with 43 seconds left in the opening quarter, but Underwood sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lady Lions an 11-10 advantage.

The Lady Tigers were able to grab the lead in the second quarter as Alexus Williams scored on a layup to give Grambling State a 24-20 lead, but Southeastern Louisiana closed the gap right before the half to 24-23 after a pair of free throws by Jaclyn Scholvin.

Grambling State came out in the third quarter and shot 50 percent (9-of-18) as the Lady Tigers used a 22-4 run, capped by a McKinney layup to push the advantage to 46-27, with 2:31 remaining.

Southeastern Louisiana closed out the third on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 46-34 and continued to trim the margin, cutting the Lady Tigers lead to 46-38 on a Charliee Dugas layup with 7:14 left. However, that would be as close as the Lady Lions would get.

Inside The Numbers
* Grambling State shot 34.9 percent (22-of-63) from the field and 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from the free-throw line.
* Southeastern Louisiana was 16-of-62 (25.8 percent) from the floor and 78.9 percent (15-of-19) from the charity stripe.
* The Lady Tigers tallied 36 rebounds, with 28 off the defensive glass.
* The Lady Lions registered 58 rebounds, including 37 of those from the defensive end.
* Grambling State finished with 12 bench points, 28 points in the paint, 27 points off turnovers, and three second-chance points.
* Southeastern Louisiana registered 23 points in the paint, 17 points off turnovers, 20 second-chance points and 22 bench points.
* The score was tied three times and there were seven lead changes.

News & Notes
* Grambling State picked up its second consecutive victory.
* The Lady Tigers' next five games will be on the road, including stops in Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina and Memphis.
* Thursday night's contest was Test Prep Night, hosted by the Student Government Association. With final examinations next week for the student-athletes, SGA staff members handed out complimentary scantrons and offered productive study habits.

Up Next
Grambling State returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 10 as the Lady Tigers visit Tuscaloosa, Ala. to take on SEC member Alabama. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and the game can be seen live on the SEC Network+.

Follow Grambling State Athletics
For complete coverage of Grambling State athletics, please follow the Tigers on social media at @GSU_Tigers (Twitter), /gramblingstateathletics (Facebook), @gramblingathetics01 (Instagram) or visit the official home of Grambling State Athletics at gsutigers.com.

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GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Davis’ 28 Powers Bethune-Cookman To Historical Triumph at Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- Prior to this season, Bethune-Cookman University men's basketball had never won four games in the month of November, or owned a winning record having played three-or-more contests. That all changed Thursday evening at Swisher Gymnasium as Shawntrez Davis exceeded expectations to lead all scorers with a season-best 28 points to power BCU (4-3) to a 77-66 victory at Jacksonville University.

Davis was key in engineering the Wildcats' largest lead of the game of 14 points with his lay-in at 18:01 in the second half. The junior forward from Atlanta, Ga., scored the half's first six points to give BCU a 40-26 cushion.



The Wildcats, who picked up their first road win of the season, maintained the lead the entire second half despite a furious JU (3-5) rally. Davis sank a pair of free throws to put the visitors ahead, 54-44, with 10:30 remaining before Jayln Hinton scored five points to ignite a 9-0 Dolphin run. Radwan Bakkali's jumper with 6:31 to go was the closest JU came before falling to its second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe at home this season.

Isaiah Bailey nailed a three on the ensuing possession and BCU returned its lead to 10 on his goal-shaking, one-handed slam-dunk with 4:40 remaining. The Wildcats never led the lead squeeze to below six, thanks in large part to guard Malik Maitland's ability to drive each possession past mid-court and his icy 8-8 performance at the free-throw line. BCU had its best performance yet at the penalty stripe, draining 23 of its 28 attempts.

Maitland netted 16 points, tying a season-best, while Bailey tallied 14 with a team-high six assists. Davis collected 10 rebounds and recorded his MEAC-best fifth doube-double. Soufiyane Diakite topped BCU with 11 rebounds. BCU converted 18 Dolphin turnovers into 19 points, and trailed for only 1:04. The Wildcats snapped a two-game losing streak in the series, while achieving their first road win against Jacksonville since 2008.

Neither team could remove a cover from the cylinder to start the game until Davis' jumper fell in at 18:24. He then reeled off seven more points over the next 1:07 to push the Maroon and Gold lead to 9-2 at 17:17.

Jacksonville cut the lead to two on a Hinton dunk at 13:00, and the Dolphins took their first lead on a Jace Hogan layup at 7:40 for a 19-18 edge. The Wildcats regained the lead, 24-22, thanks to an Armani Collins trifecta at 4:27, and led 34-26 at the break with eight points, two helpers, and a steal all by Maitland over the run.

The Wildcats continue their brief road-swing with a trip to Florida Atlantic for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Dec. 2.

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BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Bowling Green to host Morgan State in 2019

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Bowling Green State University and the University of Maryland have announced an agreement to reschedule its 2019 football game in College Park, Mary. Originally scheduled for Aug. 31, 2019, the game will now be played Sept. 21, 2024. The move allows Bowling Green to add another home game to the non-conference schedule and the Falcons will host Morgan State on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019 instead.

We were excited to work with the University of Maryland and Morgan State University in order to adjust our 2019 schedule in a way that we feel will best serve our student-athletes, fans and season ticket holders," BGSU Director of Athletics Bob Moosbrugger said. "Not only does this shift provide us with an additional home game that will balance our schedule, but it also gives us the opportunity to open the season at home on the Thursday before Labor Day weekend. This will allow our fans the opportunity to enjoy both the home opener and a holiday weekend."

BGSU has not opened a season prior to Labor Day weekend since defeating Tulsa 34-7 in 2013. This will be Morgan State's second visit to The Doyt, as well as the second meeting all-time between the two teams. The first meeting ended in Bowling Green's favor with a 58-13 victory on Sept. 10, 2011. In that contest, wide receiver Eugene Cooper hauled in a school record-tying four touchdowns, three of which came in the first quarter.

The Morgan State matchup will be the first of four non-conference games for the Falcons in 2019. BGSU will travel to Kansas State on Sept. 7, followed by a home game against Louisiana Tech a week later. The non-conference schedule will conclude with a face-off with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame on Oct. 5.

The Maryland game in 2024 will conclude a three-game series between the Falcons and Terrapins. BGSU came away victorious in the first of the three games, played on Sept. 12, 2015, with a 48-27 win at College Park. The Falcons were led by quarterback Matt Johnson, who threw for a career-best six touchdowns, which tied the program record originally set by Ryan Henry in 1994. The win would help propel a 10-4 season that concluded with a MAC Championship title and a trip to the GoDaddy Bowl. The second game of the series is set to take place Sept. 8, 2018 when Maryland visits Doyt Perry Stadium.

The BGSU/Maryland game in 2024 is currently the first scheduled non-conference game for the Falcons in that season.

FUTURE BGSU NON-CONFERENCE FOOTBALL SCHEDULES

2018
9/1 – at Oregon
9/8 – Maryland
9/15 - Eastern Kentucky
9/29 - at Georgia Tech

2019
8/29 – Morgan State
9/7 – at Kansas State
9/14 – Louisiana Tech
10/5 - at Notre Dame

2020
9/5 - at Ohio State
9/12 - Robert Morris
9/19 – at Illinois
10/3 - Liberty

2021
9/4 - at Tennessee
9/11 – South Alabama
9/25 - at Minnesota

2022
9/3 – at UCLA
9/24 - at South Alabama

2023
9/2 - at Liberty
9/30 - at Louisiana Tech

2024
9/21 - at Maryland

2025
9/6 - at Minnesota

2026
9/5 - at Arizona State

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Grambling State stuns Georgia Tech on late bucket

ATLANTA, Georgia | Ivy Smith, Jr. put up a layup with eight seconds remaining and missed, but the loose ball grabbed by Curtis Haywood was tipped back into the Tiger basket as the Grambling State University men's basketball team stunned Georgia Tech, 64-63, on Friday night at McCamish Pavilion.

Grambling State (2-5) used a 22-8 run to turn a 25-23 halftime lead into a 47-31 advantage with 10:19 remaining. Georgia Tech (4-2) rallied and used a 30-13 run to take a 61-60 lead with 1:02 left.

The Yellow Jackets got two free throws by Jose Alvarado with 43 seconds left, but that would be the last time Georgia Tech would score. Smith sank two shots at the charity stripe to cut the margin to 63-62 with 43 seconds left. Tadric Jackson missed two shots at the line and Drake Wilks came down with the big rebound as the Tigers called a timeout with 22 seconds remaining to set up the final play.

After the timeout, Smith drove the lane to put up the shot and the ball bounced around and was tipped by Haywood and went into the basket to give the Tigers a 64-63 lead.

Diontae Jones paced three Grambling State players in double figures with 18 points, nine rebounds, two steals, one block and one assist. Axel Mpoyo tallied 14 points, eight rebounds, one block and one assist, while Smith registered 14 points, six assists, two steals and two boards.

Alvarado led Georgia Tech with a game-high 22 points, including four 3-pointers. He also added four assists, three steals and one rebound. Tadric Jackson registered 19 points and seven boards.

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GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Grambling State expects tough rematch with Alcorn State for SWAC title

GRAMBLING, Louisiana – It’s the matchup predicted in the preseason to take place for the final SWAC Championship Game.

After the 27-point drumming back in October in the regular season, people around the league didn’t know what to expect. But here we are and the preseason claim of Grambling State (10-1) and Alcorn State (7-4) battling it out for the SWAC title for the third straight season has come to fruition.

While the Tigers’ blowout victory over the Braves might suggest Saturday’s contest might not be close, GSU head football coach Broderick Fobbs, his coaching staff and players as well as Alcorn State head football coach Fred McNair with his coaching staff and players know all too well that once the two teams get together in the SWAC championship game, all bets are off.

“You’re talking about the sixth time in three years,” said Fobbs of Grambling facing Alcorn. “We definitely know each other and know what each other likes to do. For us, it’s about cleaning up our mistakes up for this contest and really getting into the swing of things.”

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SWAC championshipT takes show on road one last time

HOUSTON, Texas — Southwestern Athletic Conference commissioner Duer Sharp said Friday he has not resigned.

One way or another, Saturday's game at NRG Stadium between Grambling and Alcorn State will mark the last time Sharp hands out a SWAC championship trophy to the league's best football team.

“I turned in a letter of nonrenewal, stating my contract would not be renewed as of June 30," Sharp said, "but it was not a letter of resignation.”

The Advocate reported Friday that Sharp had submitted his resignation but that it was unclear when his duties as conference commissioner would end.

“I’m the commissioner and I plan to be so moving forward,” Sharp said. “I have not resigned. I don’t know where that started from. I landed yesterday in Houston and my phone went completely crazy.”

The SWAC is holding its winter meetings in Houston and school presidents and chancellors met Thursday morning with some hot topics, including the possibility of re-implementing the SWAC championship game after it was announced last summer that Saturday’s game would be the last.

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Wells 3-pointer helps Nuggets hold off Generals 51-48

NEW ORLEANS — An Essence Wells 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining Wednesday put Xavier University of Louisiana ahead to stay in a 51-48 women's basketball victory against LSU-Alexandria at the Convocation Center.

The Gold Nuggets (3-2) have won three straight, two against the Generals (0-2). It was the second consecutive game that XULA allowed fewer than 50 points.

Wells's trey, her second of the game, gave XULA a 50-48 lead. Maya Trench made 1-of-2 free throws with eight seconds remaining for the final points. LSUA's Jenna Mabile missed a 3-pointer as time expired.

Trench and Ireyon Keith scored 10 points apiece for XULA, and Mikayla Bates grabbed 10 rebounds. Katie Lemieux and Nakendria Wilson scored 13 points apiece for LSUA, and Lemieux had a career-high 12 rebounds. Mabile had five assists and four steals.



Trench had seven rebounds and four assists. Bates had three assists and three steals. Keith's points were a season high. Wells tied her career high with four assists. Jayla Nichols scored a season-best eight points, and she and Gina Smith grabbed five rebounds apiece.

XULA won despite being outshot 37.3 to 28.4 percent from the floor. The Gold Nuggets outrebounded an opponent for the first time this season, winning the boards 47-37. XULA was plus-5 in turnovers, committing 18 and gaining 23.

The Gold Nuggets led 10-4 after one quarter, 25-19 at halftime and 39-35 through three quarters. XULA nearly won wire-to-wire for the third straight game, but the score was tied four times in the fourth quarter, and the Generals led by a point twice in the final four minutes ̬ the second time at 48-47 after Wilson's basket with 49 seconds remaining. But Wilson's 2-pointer was LSUA's only score in its final six possessions.

It was the first game in 15 days for the Gold Nuggets, who will play twice more at home this week: 6 p.m. Friday against Georgetown (Ky.) and 5 p.m. Saturday against NAIA No. 13 Our Lady of the Lake.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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2nd-ranked LSUA shoots past Gold Rush

NEW ORLEANS — Brandon Moss, one of five LSU-Alexandria players to score in double figures, had 16 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday in an 80-65 men's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana at the Convocation Center.

The Generals (4-2), ranked second in the NAIA, gave XULA (6-4) its first home loss this season.

Moss, a second-team All-American last season, made a pair of 3-pointers and had four assists and two blocks. Seven Generals had two or more assists, led by Joseph Feraci with five.

Jordin Williams scored 15 points, William Claiborne 13, Shannon James 11 and Evan Smith 10 for LSUA. Williams was 6-of-7 from the floor, and Smith was 4-of-5.



Rayshawn Mart scored a career-high 17 points for the Gold Rush. The freshman also had nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and no turnovers in nearly 33 minutes. Jeff Dixon had 15 points, six assists and a career-best eight rebounds, and Virgil Davison scored 13.

After Mart passed to Dixon for the first two points, the Generals scored 10 in a row and led the remainder of the game. LSUA led 41-34 at halftime and took its biggest lead, 61-40, on Anthony Stove's basket with 12:33 remaining. XULA never was closer than 11 points in the final 10 minutes.

LSUA shot a season-best 56.7 from the floor and topped 50 percent for the third consecutive game. The Gold Rush shot 41.5 percent. LSUA had a 39-31 rebound advantage, and both teams blocked six shots. XULA's 13 fouls and 10 turnovers were season lows.

The Gold Rush limited LSUA to its fewest points in a game this season — the Generals entered averaging 89.4 points — but XULA fell to 0-4 this season in games in which it scores fewer than 70 points.

XULA will break for fall-semester academic final exams, then play host to Carver College of Atlanta at 7 p.m. Dec. 13.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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SWAC commissioner Duer Sharp submitted his letter of resignation; league may reconsider football championship

HOUSTON, Texas -- With some member institutions concerned about the direction the Southwestern Athletic Conference was headed under his leadership, commissioner Duer Sharp submitted his letter of resignation.

The SWAC is holding its winter meetings in Houston, where school presidents and chancellors met Thursday morning. Southern director of athletics Roman Banks said the council of presidents accepted Sharp's resignation.

It is not yet clear whether Sharp's resignation is effective immediately, or if he will stay in his post throughout the remainder of his contract, which is set to expire this summer. As of Thursday night, the SWAC office had yet to issue a statement regarding Sharp's future.

Banks said there was no official record of who was or was not displeased with Sharp's performance as commissioner, adding that the point was made moot when Sharp submitted his resignation.

But, Banks said, there was "unanimous concern" about the SWAC's stability and the direction the league was taking.

"All had a concern about the last few years," Banks said. "What is our position, where we're going."

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Larry Robinson Named FAMU’s 12th President by Board of Trustee

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Today, the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Board of Trustees (BOT) unanimously voted to name Larry Robinson, Ph.D., the 12th university president, subject to confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors.

“I am humbled and overjoyed to have this opportunity to help move this University forward. I understand the awesomeness of this responsibility,” Robinson said, accepting the nomination. “I feel very, very fortunate to be a part of your team. I want to emphasize that our No. 1 priority will be student success – fully understanding that a key element of our student success is the great work of our faculty and staff.”

Board Chair Kelvin Lawson underscored the collective support from the BOT and FAMU community to name Robinson FAMU’s next permanent leader.

“We based our decision on data and followed our process thoroughly,” Lawson said. “We all, collectively, feel good about where we are, and we feel extremely well about our new leader – President Robinson.”

Robinson has served as the University’s interim president since September 2016. He also serves as a distinguished professor and principal investigator in the School of the Environment. He previously served as interim president from July 2012 to April 2014, director of FAMU’s Environmental Sciences Institute from 1997 to 2003, provost and vice president for Academic from 2003 to 2005, interim president in 2007, and vice president for Research in 2009.

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Alcorn, Grambling meet in final SWAC championship game

HOUSTON, Texas – The final SWAC championship game has received the best possible matchup – a rubber game between Alcorn State and Grambling State.

Alcorn beat Grambling State in the 2015 title game before the Tigers returned the favor last year.

They’ll face off again Saturday at NRG Stadium in Houston, with East Division champion Alcorn (7-4) seeking to win the championship game for the third time in four years and West Division winner Grambling (10-1) trying to add to its record seven titles.

There’s a bittersweet feeling surrounding the showdown. The 10-team SWAC has the only conference championship game in the FCS, but it will discontinue the 19th annual event, which began in 1999, after Saturday’s matchup. Beginning next year, the conference’s Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl bid will go to the regular-season champion.

Saturday’s Alcorn-Grambling winner will still decide who represents the SWAC against MEAC champion North Carolina A&T in the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 16 in Atlanta.

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Search committee for next FAMU head football coach named, players want Pata

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The process that’ll end with the selection of Florida A&M’s next head football coach is officially underway.

A nine-person search committee came together Tuesday night and is set to meet again next week, said interim Athletic Director John Eason.

The committee members are: Eason, former FAMU trustee Spurgeon McWilliams, FAMU National Alumni Association President Lt. Col. Gregory Clark, Rattler Boosters Treasurer Selvin Cobb, FAMU professor Ebenezer Oriaku, FAMU linebacker Elijah Richardson, 220 Quarterback Club President Eddie Jackson, SBI Dean Shawnta Friday-Stroud and FAMU’s director of track and field Darlene Moore.

Eason said there’s no timeline to hire the next head coach. Outgoing Athletic Director Milton Overton Jr. said the job will be posted Thursday.

Eason officially starts Friday.

“No timeline,” Eason said. “I want to make sure that I get the right person. I don’t want to rush through the process. Teams are still playing. A lot of Power Five schools are making changes right now. I want to let that dust settle and then go from there.

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