North Carolina A&T Aggies Second-Half Rally Puts Them In First Place

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- Was it Aggie Pride that brought the North Carolina A&T men’s basketball team back from a 17-point deficit to knock off archrival North Carolina Central 70-64 at Corbett Sports Center Saturday evening? N.C. A&T coach Jay Joyner didn’t officially label it that. He used the word “pride”, but since this was Aggie-Eagle let’s take some liberties.

“You’re down 17 with over 6,000 fans in your building, at that point you’re just trying to get guys back on track,” said Joyner. “You can’t lose to your rival by 20-plus points in your own gym. That’s embarrassing. It was really about pride the rest of the way.”

When the Eagles went inside for a Raasean Davis for a turnaround jumper, the Eagles led 50-33 with 12:45 remaining in the game. Joyner, like he is known to do, went to his bench to find someone on his bench who was willing to work hard. And as is usually the case with the 2017-18 Aggies, there is no telling who might emerge from that bench to make major contributions.

On Saturday the names were Milik Gantz and Denzel Keyes. Keyes opened the Aggies come back with a short jumper in the lane. Gantz then scored off a Kameron Langley still to cut the Eagles lead to 50-37. The Aggies eventually cut the Eagles lead to 11, 52-41, on two Keyes free throws. A 3-pointer from NCCU’s Reggie Gardner Jr., slowed down the Aggies momentum. But the Aggies would run off the next 11 points highlighted by a Gantz layup, a Devonte Boykins 3-pointer and a baseline jumper from Keyes to cut the Eagles lead to 55-51 with 6:46 to play.

“I am about working hard. I have had success working hard. I’m not going to deviate from it,” said Joyner as he began to explain why he has no problem going to his bench for help. “If you’re not playing hard, it’s unfair to the other individuals who show up to practice every single day and bust their tails to not at least have a chance to go out there and prove they belong on the court as well.”

N.C. A&T’s hard work and missed free throws by the Eagles kept the Aggies momentum going. Larry McKnight Jr., made one of two free throws to put NCCU ahead 56-51. But Keyes took a Gantz pass and scored again to put the Aggies down three, 56-53. The Eagles made one out of two free throws again, leading to a huge Langley 3-pointer to cut the Eagles lead to 57-56 with 5 ½ minutes to play. It was only Langley’s fourth made three all season.

“I had ice in my veins,” Langley joked. “It was a confidence thing for me. My teammates are always telling to shoot it when I’m open, so I just their advice and took the open shot and made it.”

Two-and-half minutes later, Boykins gave the Aggies the lead at 59-58 on a 3-pointer with 4:09 to play. The Eagles (11-10, 5-2 MEAC) never saw the lead again. Langley hit two free throws and Keyes followed with a steal and a runner in the lane on the break to put the Aggies up five, 63-58 with 2:45 to play. The Eagles cut it to three on a Pablo Rivas jumper, but Boykins helped the Aggies answer by finding a wide-open Langley underneath the basket for an easy layup.

With 23 seconds remaining, the Eagles cut the lead to 67-64 on a Jordan Perkins 3-pointer. But Langley hit two free throws to seal the win. The Aggies shot 58.6 percent in the second half and 49 percent for the game.

“This game was crazy,” said Langley. “This is my first A&T-Central game and being a part of this rivalry. Before the game my teammates tried to tell me, but I thought the game wasn’t going to live up to the hype. But it was hype.”

Keyes led the Aggies with 20 points off the bench. Gantz had eight. Langley finished in double figures with 13 points, while Boykins went 3-for-6 from 3-point range to score 11 points. Davis led the Eagles with 15 points.

After the teams went into the locker room tied at 28, the Eagles opened the second half on a 20-3 run to take their 17-point lead. The Aggies improved to 13-9 overall and 6-1 in the MEAC and are tied for first place with Savannah State for first place in the MEAC. The Aggies will try to stay on top of the league with a 4 p.m., Saturday home game against Hampton. N.C. A&T is 8-0 at home this season.

“We have depth and that's one of the fortunate things we have going for us,” said Joyner. “it could be anyone on any given night. The only thing I ask is are you going to play hard? It is about sending the right message to the body. We're building something special here, and it's going to be built through hard work. I'm not going away from that. Tonight, I was trying to motivate the guys and a light a fire underneath the team.”

And show a little Aggie Pride in the process.

BOX SCORE

Dasent Leads SSU Tigers in Win Over Delaware State

DOVER, Delaware -- Five Savannah State players scored in double figures as the Tigers won their fifth game in a row with a 106-86 victory over Delaware State.

Austin Dasent matched a career-high with 21 points. The senior guard from Charlotte, North Carolina made a career-high seven 3-pointers. He also had five rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Dexter McClanahan added 18 points, Zach Sellers scored 16, Isaiah Felder had 13, Ty'lik Evans scored 11 and Javaris Jenkins contributed 10.


The Memorial Hall crowd of 537 saw SSU score at least 100 points for the third consecutive game.

In a game that had 12 ties and 15 lead changes, SSU (9-13, 6-1 MEAC) began to pull away with just under 14 minutes remaining.

Delaware State led 58-57 with 13:57 showing on the clock on the second half but a pair of free throws by SSU;s Jahir Cabeza started a 14-5 run that gave the Tigers a 71-63 edge at the 11:22 mark.

With ten minutes left in the contest, the Tigers held a six point lead but a 8-2 spurt increased it to 81-69.

A pair of free throws by Felder put SSU up by a dozen with 7:49 remaining but a layup and free throw by DSU's Simon Okolue drew the Hornets within nine.

That sparked a 20-6 run by Savannah State with resulted in a 103-80 cushion with 2:20 left, for their largest lead of the afternoon.

Delaware State (2-21, 0-8 MEAC) had some success in the first period.

With the game tied at 14, the Hornets strung together nine straight points to go ahead 23-14 at the 11:18 mark.

Savannah State responded with a 13-3 run to go ahead 27-26 after a Sellers layup with 4:57 left.

Dasent broke a 3-37 tie with a 3-pointer only to have DSU's Pinky Wiley answer with a 3-pointer of his own with 40 seconds left.

Another 3-pointer by Dasent put SSU ahead 43-40 with 35 seconds showing but the Hornets Jonathan Walker made a layup with one second left to send the Tigers into intermission ahead 43-42.

The Tigers shot 53.3 percent from the field in the second period and 48.8 percent for the game. SSU made 38.5 percent of their 3-point shots and went 6 of 10 from the free throw line.

Savannah State, who has won six of their past seven games, finished the contest with just six turnovers.

Marquis Collins had a game-high 30 points to lead Delaware State while Artem Tavakalyan added 16 points and 11 rebounds.

DSU out-rebounded the Tigers 39 to 34.

The Hornets shot 55.4 percent from the field, 47.1 percent from beyond the arc and 80 percent from the free throw line.

BOX SCORE

SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Whitley’s Buzzer Beater Gives NSU 71-70 Win over B-CU

NORFOLK, Virginia – Sophomore Steven Whitley hit a shot off the glass at the buzzer to give the Norfolk State men's basketball team a 71-70 win over Bethune-Cookman on Saturday evening at Joseph Echols Hall.

The Spartans handed the Wildcats, the last unbeaten team in the MEAC, their first conference loss of the season in dramatic fashion. The game featured 19 lead changes, including 15 in the second half alone and six in the last 1:21 of the contest.

After getting the ball with 5.3 seconds left, Whitley drove from the top of the key down the left side of the floor. He put up a left-handed attempt from approximately six feet out near the left baseline. The ball left his hand just before the buzzer sounded to give the Spartans their first last-second win in six years.

The shot capped a game in which the teams combined for less than 35 percent shooting. Despite the lack of efficient offense, the second half turned into a wild, back-and-forth affair. It started with the Wildcats (11-10, 5-1 MEAC) holding a seven-point lead at the break.

The Spartans (5-16, 3-3 MEAC) scored seven of the first eight points of the second half, and 3-pointers by senior Kyle Williams and junior Derrik Jamerson Jr. kept the game close until sophomore Nic Thomas made a pair of free throws for a 43-42 advantage at the 12:14 mark, NSU's first lead since the 7:33 mark of the first half.

Thomas' second shot from the charity stripe was the first of five straight scores that changed the lead each time. Neither team led by more than three until B-CU used a 7-0 run to pull ahead by six, 60-54, with 5:48 left. Whitley's 3-point play, however, capped an 8-0 run during a minute and a half span that gave the Spartans a 62-60 advantage.

Norfolk State still led by three, 65-62, with 2:31 left before B-CU's Soufiyane Diakite had a pair of buckets to put the Wildcats ahead. The second of those two, a tip-in at the 1:21 mark, made it a 66-65 ballgame.

Whitley nailed a long two-pointer with 47 seconds left before Isaiah Bailey made a pair of free throws at the other end after NSU was called for a flagrant foul with 45.8 seconds left. The Wildcats maintained possession but could not convert, and senior Preston Bungei was eventually fouled with 17.5 seconds left.

His two free throws gave the Spartans a 69-68 lead, but Brandon Tabb got fouled with 8.4 seconds on the other end. After he made both, and NSU called timeout with 5.3 seconds left, Whitley provided his last-second heroics.

He finished with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Alex Long led the Spartans with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting with a career-high 17 rebounds.

Both Williams (13 points, eight rebounds) and Jamerson (13 points, 5-of-10 shooting, six rebounds) also reached double figures in scoring.

Tabb and Shawntrez Davis each led the Wildcats with 18 points. Davis added eight rebounds, and Diakite totaled 11 points with 17 boards. B-CU had a slight advantage in points in the paint, 34-22.

Early in the game, it was the Wildcats who seized momentum first. They scored eight straight early in the game for the first significant lead for either team, 15-9, six minutes in. The Spartans countered with a 9-2 run, as layups by Whitley and Long put them ahead, 18-17, with seven and a half minutes to go in the opening stanza.

Tabb's third 3-pointer of the half gave B-CU the lead back, but freshman Mastadi Pitt's 3-point play closed the gap to one a little more than two minutes later. The Wildcats ended up scoring 9 of the last 12 points of the half, however, to take a 35-28 lead into the break.

B-CU made just 12-of-23 from the free throw line in the first half. For the game, the Wildcats shot 22-of-63 from the floor (34.9 percent), including less than 19 percent from deep.

The Spartans made just 26 percent in the first half and 24-of-73 (32.9 percent) for the game, including 7-of-22 from beyond the arc.

The teams combined for 37 turnovers.

The Spartans last won on a game-winning shot with time running down on Dec. 3, 2011, when Brandon Wheeless hit a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left in a 60-58 win.

NSU will host the other MEAC Sunshine State school, Florida A&M, on Monday at 8 p.m.

BOX SCORE

NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Hampton University Coach Maurice Pierce Named to USA Staff for NACAC Championship

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Hampton University Director of Track and Field Maurice Pierce will be making a trip to Canada this summer, representing USA Track and Field.

He will step again into the international scene as he was recently named as the as Men's Sprints/Hurdles Head Coach as part of the USA Track & Field National Team Staff for the 2018 North American Central American Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC) Senior Championships scheduled for August 10 - 12 in Toronto, Canada.

This event will have the top non-high school aged track athletes from North America, Central America and the Caribbean Islands together in Toronto. Pierce has participated in this event before in the 2014 NACAC Under-23 Championships in British Columbia.



With several years of Olympic coaching in his background, Pierce is considered one of the top hurdles coaches in the world. He has had six participants over the last four Summer Olympics with two gold medal winners and a silver.

Pierce was also an assistant hurdles coach for the USA National Team at the 2011 Pan Am Junior Championships, which was held July 22-24 in Miramar, Fla.

He is a 1996 graduate of Norfolk State University. He was a member of the Spartans track team in 1992-93, and 1995. Pierce is a native of Newport News, Va. and is married to Cantrese Pace-Pierce, a 1998 graduate of Hampton University. They live in Newport News with their two daughters, Alyssa and Aniyah.

For more information on Hampton University track and field, please contact the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5757 or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirate.com

HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

WATCH LIVE FREE at STADIUM.COM: 2018 Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase Today at Mercedes Benz Stadium

Atlanta, Georgia -- The 2018 Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase  is available by Streaming Video or Television live at WatchStadium.com or on the local television stations shown on the link below.  See the superb shows that 60,000 paid ticket holders in Atlanta's Mercedes Benz Stadium are watching and supporting.

With a mix of six HBOB veteran bands and two newcomers, the bands slated to perform at the 2018 HBOB Invitational Showcase include:

• Alabama A&M University, Marching Maroon & White Band (Southwestern Athletic Conference) – fifth appearance
• Alabama State University, Mighty Marching Hornets (Southwestern Athletic Conference) – sixth appearance
• Bethune-Cookman University, Marching Wildcats (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) – 13th appearance
• Hampton University, The Marching Force (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) – first appearance
• Miles College, Purple Marching Machine (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) – first appearance
• North Carolina A&T State University, Blue & Gold Marching Machine (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) – sixth appearance
• Prairie View A&M University, Marching Storm (Southwestern Athletic Conference) – eighth appearance
• Tennessee State University, Aristocrat of Bands (Ohio Valley Athletic Conference) – eighth appearance

WHERE can I watch Stadium?  HONDA BATTLE OF THE BANDS

• Stadium’s over-the-air TV channel: find your local station here. More details on OTA viewing below
• WatchStadium.com (Go To Live Events Tab at Top, Click) Starts 1/27/18 at 3:00 pm EST.
• WatchStadium.Twitter.com
• PlutoTV- Channel 207
• Social channels including Facebook, and Instagram.
• Select distribution partners including MSN.com, Yahoo, SlingTV and Verizon go90
• Stadium app in the App Store, Android mobile app in the Google Store, as well as on Apple TV
• Coming soon: Roku, Amazon Fire TV

WHERE TO WATCH STADIUM ON LOCAL TELEVISION

Morgan State Lady Bears Leave Mark At Terrapin Invitational; Place Third

LANDOVER, Maryland -- The Morgan State women's indoor track and field team had an outstanding weekend, while competing in the Terrapin Invitational at the Prince George's Sports & Learning Complex.
 
The Lady Bears would place third with a total of 79 points, had 12 members place in the top-10 and produced four individual or relay team winners.
 
Host Maryland captured the overall team title with 111 points, while Towson finished second with 103 points. Navy came in fourth with 69 points and fifth-place Johns Hopkins rounded out the top-five with 42.5 points.
 
Annastacia Barham won the 200 meter dash in a time of 25.23, while Kevena Jones placed second, crossing the line in a time of 25.54. Jones also placed third in the 60 meter dash in a time of 7.86 seconds.
 
Infinnatie Rowe earned gold with her first-place finish in the 800 meter run, finishing with a winning time of 2:12.94. Valencia McDowell placed fourth in a time of 2:14.73.
 
Rowe, Barham and McDowell teamed up with Brittany Meads to lead the Lady Bears's 4X400 meter relay team to victory after running a time of 3:49.35.
 
Meads would also place second in the 400 meter dash, crossing the line in a time of 59.05, while Naomi Brownfinished third with a time of 59.52.
 
Jailah Mason captured Morgan State's lone gold in the field events, with her jump of 5-feet-8.50 to win the high jump.
 
Jasmyn Hall would place fifth in the shot put with a toss of 42-6.00.
 
Morgan State will be in action on Saturday, Jan. 27, when they travel to the Naval Academy to compete in the Navy Joint Meet Invitational in Annapolis, Md.
 
Terrapin Invitational
Landover, Md. (PG Sports & Learning Complex)
Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018
 
Standings
1. Maryland, 111 points
2. Towson, 103 points
3. Morgan State, 79 points
4. Navy, 69 points
5. Johns Hopkins, 42.5 points
6. Howard, 36 points
7. Richmond, 33 points
8. Maryland Eastern Shore, 30 points
9. Loyola-Md., 29 points
10. Coppin State, 25 points
11. UNC Wilmington, 24 points
12. Delaware State, 23 points
13. Mount St. Mary's, 20.5 points
14. George Washington, 20 points
15. American, 15 points
16. Virginia State, 11 points
17. Bowie State, 8 points
17. Mary Washington, 8 points
19. Wesley, 4 points
20. District of Columbia, 1 point
 
Morgan State Finishes
 
60 Meter Dash
3. Kevena Jones         7.86
Preliminaries
11. Zhane Washington            8.03
40. Daijah Davis-Hines           8.51
 
200 Meter Dash
1. Annastacia Barham            25.23
2. Kevena Jones                     25.54
 
400 Meter Dash
2. Brittany Meads        59.05
3. Naomi Brown          59.52
8. Kimani Davis           1:00.73
17. Ashley Souffrant   2:25.32
 
Mile Run
13. Aureilya Harris      5:29.16
33. Saloni Hebron       5:55.56
 
800 Meter Run
1. Infinnatie Rowe       2:12.94
4. Valencia McDowell 2:14.73
13. Chantai Smith       2:20.33
 
60 Meter Hurdles
8. Lenaami Morton      9.14
 
4X400 Meter Relay
1. Morgan State A       3:49.35
(Valencia McDowell, Annastacia Barham, Brittany Meads, Infinnatie Rowe)
 
Shot Put
5. Jasmyn Hall            42-6.00
23. Jaida West            34-11.00
 
High Jump
1. Jailah Mason           5-8.50
 
Long Jump
16. Zhane Washington15-10.50
 
Triple Jump
Bria Hill                        No Height
 
Kevin C. Paige, MSU Athletic Communications

Rush top Bulldogs in OT for ninth road win of season

HAWKINS, Texas — Jeff Dixon's basket with five seconds remaining in overtime Friday gave NAIA No. 22 Xavier University of Louisiana an 85-83 men's basketball victory against Jarvis Christian.
     
The Gold Rush (16-5) outscored the Bulldogs 9-2 in the final three minutes after Jarvis Christian had the ball and an 81-76 lead. The victory was XULA's ninth on the road this season and fourth this month.
     
XULA freshman Rayshawn Mart scored a career-high 20 points, and he followed his offensive rebound with two free throws to tie the score at 74 with seven seconds remaining and send the game into overtime.

BOX SCORE
     
Dixon, the NAIA Division I leader in total assists, had 14 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Sophomore guards Innocent Kukulu and Donovan Armstrong scored 10 points apiece. Kukulu reached double figures for the first time since November, and Armstrong — playing in his home state — did it for the first time this season.
     
Chasten King scored 24 points, Eric Stewart 17 and Sam Auguste 16 for the Bulldogs (3-15), who dropped their ninth in a row. Stewart made five of Jarvis Christian's 10 3-pointers.
     
XULA led 38-22 in the 15th minute and 42-31 at halftime, but the Bulldogs rallied to lead three times in the final five minutes of regulation, including 74-72 after Auguste made 1-of-2 free throws with 24 seconds remaining.
     
In Alfred Williams's two seasons as XULA head coach, the Gold Rush are 5-0 in overtime games — 2-0 this season.
     
The Gold Rush will play Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and city rival SUNO at 7:30 p.m. Monday at XULA's Convocation Center. One fan will have an opportunity to win free Raising Cane's food for one year.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold  

Gold Rush drop road doubleheader to Ragin' Cajuns

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana — Xavier University of Louisiana won a pair of singles sets in the nightcap but lost a pair of dual matches Friday to Louisiana-Lafayette, both times by 4-0 scores.

The XULA men (0-3), ranked second in the NAIA, will play their home opener at noon Sunday against city rival Loyola at XULA Tennis Center. The XULA and Loyola women's teams also will compete at that time; the Gold Nuggets are ranked 10th.

The brightest highlights for the Gold Rush were in the second dual, where Samir Chikhaoui led Eli Lago 7-6 (7-3), 2-2 at No. 2 singles and Chris Anders was tied with Pierce Gilheany 1-6, 6-4, 2-2 at No. 4 when the Ragin' Cajuns (4-4) clinched the team victory.

In the opener, XULA's Catalin Fifea and Pierre Andrieu dropped first sets in singles but led in the second set — Fifea by 5-3 against Arthur Libaud at the top flight — when the Cajuns clinched. Also leading were Chikhaoui and Andrieu at No. 2 doubles — 4-3 against Libaud and Jamie Fraser — but that match was not completed after the Cajuns clinched the doubles point.

Vlad Kramarov and Pearse Dolan won a pair of singles matches for the Ragin' Cajuns. Dolan clinched the opener with his 6-0, 6-1 victory against Gabriel Niculescu at No. 4, and Nico Sojka beat Niculescu 6-0, 7-6 (7-5) at No. 5 to clinch the second dual.

The teams endured a 93-minute rain delay. The duals had been moved up one day because of a forecast for rain Saturday.

All three XULA dual losses this season have been to NCAA Division I opponents.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Trip to MTSU On Tap for TSU Men's Tennis

TENNESSEE STATE (4-0)
at MTSU (4-1)
Sunday, Jan. 28 | 4 p.m.
Adams Tennis Complex | Murfreesboro, Tenn.

SOCIAL MEDIA:  Twitter - @TSU_Tigers & @TSUTennis | Instagram - @TSUTigers | #BigBlueRising

LIVE STATS: Statbroadcast.com

STARTING SERVE: After four shutouts against Mississippi Valley State during opening weekend of the spring schedule, the Tennessee State men’s tennis team are set to take the short drive to Murfreesboro, Tenn. to play the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Sunday, Jan. 28 at 4 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: Freshman Stefan Koruga proved a valuable asset to the Tigers as he joined the sole senior on the team, Shashank Nautiyal at the No. 1 doubles spot to defeat MVSU’s Jordan Freeman and Kenneth Milton, 6-0 three times over the course of the weekend.

Larry Sloan and Kato Richardson helped secure the doubles point in each match, paving the way for the Tigers to clutch the singles points.

Sophomore Larry Sloan played at No. 1, Shashank Nautiyal at No. 2, Stefan Koruga at No. 3, Pavle Popovic at No. 4 and Kato Richardson at No. 5 – each going undefeated each day and across all courts.

ROSTER: 

NAME	YR.	HT.	WT.	HOMETOWN (PREV. SCHOOL)
Stefan Koruga	Fr.	6-1	148	Novi Sad, Serbia (Gymnasium Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj)
Jackson Gwinn	So.	6-4	205	Nashville, Tenn. (Wheaton College Massachusetts)
Shashank Nautiyal	Sr.	5-8	134	Delhi, India (Ball State)
Pavle Popovic	Fr.	6-2	167	Uljma, Serbia (O.S. Branko Radicevic)
Kato Richardson	So.	5-10	135	Hendersonville, Tenn. (Hendersonville HS)
Larry Sloan	So.	5-7	137	Newnan, Ga. (Northgate HS)

2017-18 MEN'S TENNIS COACHES
Monroe Walker III	Head Coach
Kyle Burton	Graduate Assistant

UP NEXT: The men will join the women as they host the Rhodes Lynx at Vanderbilt Saturday, Feb. 3 at 5 p.m.

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Langston Volleyball Adds Two for 2018

LANGSTON, Oklahoma -- Langston University head volleyball coach Jacob Rodriguez announced the addition of two incoming student-athletes for the 2018 season. The Lions would like to welcome Serena Torres and Antonese Tatum to Langston University.

Serena Torres joins the Langston Lady Lions as an incoming freshman after playing at Dove Science Academy in Oklahoma, City, Okla. The 5'2 freshman is projected to play outside for the Lady Lions in fall 2018.

"I am very excited to add Serena (Torres) to the Langston volleyball family, I met her two years ago when she was playing 16's club volleyball and back then she was very explosive and still is," Rodriguez noted. "She has a great swing, always finds a way to get the kill and knows how to play the game at a high level. When you combine her worth ethic and spirit with her versatility and athleticism she's definitely going to be an impact player for us."

Antonese Tatum joins the Langston Lady Lions as another incoming freshman after playing at Dunbar High School in Fort Worth, Texas. The 5'7 freshman is projected to play outside as well for the Lady Lions in fall 2018.

"Antonese (Tatum) is another exciting addition to our roster; she brings great athleticism, awareness and versatility to the front row," Rodriguez added. "Her height and speed definitely help us defend the net, she possesses a strong swing and she's very competitive. Going into this year we have very high expectations for Antonese and we're looking forward to her reaching and eclipsing those goals."

LANGSTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Morehouse Maroon Tigers Climb Higher in Three Polls

ROSTER

ATLANTA, Georgia -- Climbing higher and higher, Morehouse has moved up the National Association of Basketball Coaches national poll to #10 and up to #11 in the D2SIDA national poll of Top 25 teams.

This was the first time Morehouse has cracked the NABC Top 10 since 1990.

The uptick in the polls includes games through January 21 and does not include last night's thrilling overtime win over Benedict (15-5).

In the D2SIDA regional polls released yesterday, Morehouse moved up from #2 to #1 in the NCAA South Region, as voted on by the sports information directors association.

At 17-0; 12-0, Morehouse sits atop the SIAC East Division, ahead of Clark Atlanta, Claflin and Benedict.

D2SIDA's regional poll has Clark Atlanta tied at #3, Claflin at #7 and Benedict at #10. Clark Atlanta is #22 in the national poll.

NABC's national poll has Claflin at #24. CAU is not ranked.

SCHEDULE NOTE:
The Morehouse at Claflin game, in Orangeburg, SC, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, February 3, has been moved to Wednesday, January 31.

MOREHOUSE COLLEGE MAROON TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION

Clark Atlanta University Panthers Ranked 22nd Nationally by D2SIDA

ATLANTA, Georgia -- The Clark Atlanta University men's basketball team, with their 18-1 record and 13 consecutive wins, have gotten noticed nationally.

Head Coach Darrell Walker's Panthers have been ranked as the 22nd best Division II men's basketball team in America, according to D2SIDA which released their rankings Tuesday, Jan. 23.

The Panthers, the defending Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions, are 12-0 in the SIAC and have the conference's only team ranked in the top 3 in both scoring offense and scoring defense.  The Panthers are tied for first place in the SIAC East with Morehouse.

Four Panthers average in double digits in scoring – Akil Douglas (13.2 ppg), Jamal Pollydore (11.6 ppg), Austin Donaldson(10.9 ppg), and Shelvick Henry (10.4 ppg) – while three others (Jalen Mitchell, Anthony Williams and Damien Davis) each average nine points a game.

CAU's most recent win was a 97-82 victory over Claflin University, a team that was ranked 20th in the nation by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, on Jan. 22.

The Panthers are on the road for their next three games – Jan. 29 at Paine College, Feb. 3 at Benedict College, and Feb. 5 at Claflin.  The next home game is at L.S. Epps Gymnasium on Feb. 8 against Morehouse.

CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Firebirds’ 4x400M Relay Team Shatters Season-Best to Highlight UDC’s Performance at Terrapin Invitational

LANDOVER, Maryland -- The University of the District of Columbia women's indoor track & field team competed in the Terrapin Invitational hosted by the University of Maryland on Saturday, January 20th at the Prince George's County Sports Complex.

The highlight of the meet for the Firebirds came in the 4x400M Relay event where the four-some of Niasia Harding, Shannell Hibbert, Dajour Jones and Aisha Dozier blazed a new season-best time of 4:11.16 to place 10th of 17 teams. This time beat UDC's previous season best by nearly six seconds.

Individually, junior transfer Shaneika Bowra impressed in both the 60M and 300M events. She finished the 60M in 8.07s to place 16th of 49 competitors, and she ran the 300M in 44.54s to place 21st of 40. Senior Stacy-Ann Rowe ran a season-best time of 8.18s in the 60M to place 23rd, and sophomore Niasia Harding finished a remarkable, 8th out of 40 competitors in the 300M with a time of 42.71s in her first ever collegiate running of the event.

Results

Meanwhile, freshman Dajour Jones was 2nd in Section 5 and 16th of 28 competitors overall as she ran the 600M in 1:47.18, and sophomore Shannell Hibbert ran the 60M Hurdles in 9.64s to finish 8th of 38 competitors.

The Firebirds have next weekend off before they compete Saturday, February 3rd at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Invitational in Princess Anne, MD.

UNIVERSITY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS