Rush hold No. 2 in 90th straight top-25 appearance

NEW ORLEANS — The order of the first 12 teams in the NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll is the same as it was two weeks ago. That means Xavier University of Louisiana is still near the top of the mountain.

The Gold Rush are No. 2 for the 14th consecutive poll. It's also XULA's 90th consecutive appearance in the top 25 — the longest active streak in NAIA men's tennis. The streak began April 4, 2007.

The NAIA announced the team rankings Tuesday. Next rankings will be revealed March 27.

XULA's only dual between polls was a 5-4 victory March 2 at No. 12 William Carey. It was XULA's fifth consecutive victory and second in a row against a ranked team.

The Gold Rush will return to the court Sunday at noon against SCAD Atlanta at XULA Tennis Center. SCAD Atlanta was 25th two weeks ago but dropped out this week.

Here are all the Gold Rush active poll streaks:
• 90 consecutive appearances in the top 25 . . . streak began April 4, 2007.
• 81 consecutive appearances in the top 20 . . . streak began April 30, 2008.
• 66 consecutive appearances in the top 15 . . . streak began Feb. 1, 2011.
• 60 consecutive appearances in the top 10 . . . streak began May 3, 2011.
• 22 consecutive appearances in the top 5 . . . streak began Jan. 26, 2016.
• 20 consecutive appearances in the top 3 . . . streak began March 1, 2016.
• 14 consecutive appearances in the top 2 . . . streak began May 25, 2016.

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through March 11)
Rank Previous School Record Points
1 1 Georgia Gwinnett (14) 18-0 374
2 2 Xavier (La.) 6-6 361
3 3 Keiser (Fla.) 11-2 351
4 4 Campbellsville (Ky.) 8-0 336
5 5 Northwestern Ohio 4-3 327
6 6 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 2-0 315
7 7 William Woods (Mo.) 5-4 297
8 8 Mobile (Ala.) 10-1 287
9 9 Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) 1-1 279
10 10 Arizona Christian 9-3 266
11 11 Middle Georgia State 6-2 257
12 12 William Carey (Miss.) 5-2 242
13 12 San Diego Christian (Calif.) 4-3 233
14 14 Westmont (Calif.) 2-5 208
15 16 Reinhardt (Ga.) 5-1 202
16 19 Cumberland (Tenn.) 9-1 193
17 17 Asbury (Ky.) 2-1 179
17 15 Coastal Georgia 7-6 179
19 18 Tennessee Wesleyan 4-2 160
20 20 Lawrence Tech (Mich.) 10-3 136
21 20 McPherson (Kan.) 2-2 127
22 NR Union (Ky.) 5-2 110
23 25 Indiana Wesleyan 22-3 108
24 22 St. Thomas (Fla.) 5-5 101
25 23 Point (Ga.) 10-4 82
Dropped from the Top 25: SCAD Atlanta (Ga.)

Others Receiving Votes: Aquinas (Mich.) 80; Texas A&M-Texarkana 35; Loyola (La.) 32; SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) 28; Bethany (Kan.) 25; Cumberlands (Ky.) 21; Missouri Valley 12; Hastings (Neb.) 10; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 9; Ave Maria (Fla.) 9; Marian (Ind.) 6; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 5

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

XULA Abdullah earns national rankings in singles, doubles

NEW ORLEANS — Shaikh Abdullah is the most recent addition to the Xavier University of Louisiana men's tennis roster, but he quickly has made a positive impact.
     
Less than a month after playing his first matches for the Gold Rush, the freshman from Hyderabad, India, earned a pair of spots Thursday in the Oracle/ITA NAIA National Rankings. Abdullah is tied for 50th in singles, and he and Samir Chikhaoui are 17th in doubles.
    
 Catalin Fifea climbed from 42nd to 20th nationally in singles.
     
Fifea is seventh, Abdullah 17th and Chikhaoui 19th in the South Region singles rankings. The Abdullah-Chikhaoui doubles team is sixth in the region.
     
XULA will play SCAD Atlanta at noon Sunday at XULA Tennis Center.

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

Rush's missed connections result in another quick exit

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Xavier University of Louisiana limited high-octane Oklahoma City to a season-low point total, but the Gold Rush's offensive struggles enabled the Stars to escape with a 62-50 victory Wednesday in the opening round of the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship at Municipal Auditorium.

Not only did the 25th-ranked Gold Rush (24-9) shoot a season-low 29.2 percent from the floor, but it also was a program-low in 22 games at nationals.

Still XULA was within striking distance late, trailing 45-41 when Jeff Dixon made a pair of free throws with 5:21 remaining. But the eighth-ranked Stars (24-8) scored on 10 of their final 12 possessions in a closing 17-9 run.

"We got the shots we wanted. We got to the line. We got to the paint. We just missed a lot of chip-ins," second-year XULA coach Alfred Williams said. "Small things definitely hurt us. Lack of execution, defensive breakdowns, missed layups that we normally dunk . . . wide-open shots that we normally make. Some of those small things added up to a big thing, and we were down 12."

XULA spent just 14 seconds with the lead — after Jalen David's basket at 9:32 of the first half made it 12-10 — but the Stars took the lead for good on the next possession on Lou Dunbar's 3-pointer. Oklahoma City led 29-21 at halftime, and the final score was the Stars' largest of the game.



"Oklahoma City had momentum pretty much the whole game," Williams said. "It was hard to get back in it. It hurts losing like that."

BOX SCORE

David had 16 points, a game high, and eight rebounds. Dixon scored 13 points.

Samuel Williams scored 14 points, Dunbar 13 and Ridell Camidge 11 for Oklahoma City. Ivan Saicic grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, but XULA won the boards 44-39, including 18 offensive rebounds, its second most this season.

Oklahoma City entered averaging 89 points per game.

"We played hard but came up short," David said. "We left some things on the table — close shots, missed free throws. Frustrated might not be the right word, but I'm a little disappointed that we couldn't maximize our opportunities."

XULA lost in the first round at nationals for the eighth consecutive time.

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

Earnest Wilson out as ECSU head football coach

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina -- Elizabeth City State University has ousted head football coach Earnest J. Wilson following a 4-6 record last season, according to a press release from the university.

“We thank Coach Wilson for his service to our team, and to the ECSU family and we wish him the best,” Chancellor Thomas Conway said in the release. “ECSU is heading in a new direction and we are excited about what’s ahead.”

In addition to its season record, ECSU’s football team finished with a 2-4 record in its conference, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

CONTINUE READING

Indiana (Pa.) Tops Bowie State’s Bulldogs 75-60 to Claim NCAA Atlantic Region Championship

RICHMOND, Virginia – Bowie State women's basketball saw its season end on Monday (3/12) evening, falling short to #2 Indiana (Pa.) by a final score of 75-60 in the NCAA Atlantic Region Championship game. The Bulldogs entered the regional play seeded #8 and finish the season with an overall record of 22-10. This marked the second time in school history Bowie State reached the Sweet 16.

The Bulldogs and Crimson Hawks are not strangers as the teams have met twice this season. Indiana (Pa.) defeated Bowie State 53-37 (11/22) on the Bulldogs home court and again at IUP (12/7) with the Crimson Hawks edging the Bulldogs 61-65.

BOX SCORE



Senior Kyah Proctor (Capital Heights, Md.) led the Bowie State Bulldogs in scoring in final game with a game-high 23 points. Senior Lisa Jing (Laurel, Md.) added 11 points. Graduate student Sade Chatman (Minneapolis, Minn.) and sophomores Dynaisha Christian (Pocomoke, Md.) and Kyaja Williams (Baltimore, Md.) finished the game with six points each. Christian was the teams leading rebounder with six. Proctor along with senior Kiara Colston (Burtonsville, Md.)

Bowie State got out to an early 4-0 lead and carried an 11-4 advantage into the first media timeout at the 4:08 mark.

With Bowie State leading 13-7, Indiana (Pa.) went on a 6-0 run to pull even at 13-all by the end of the first quarter.

The Crimson Hawks (29-3) kept the momentum going to start the second quarter, using a 5-0 to take the lead at 18-13. Bowie State's Proctor stopped the run with a triple from the top of the key and followed that with a step-back jumper to even things up at 18-all at the 7:33 mark.

Bowie State went a little cold over the next three minutes and trailed 27-26 with 2:14 to go in the first half.

IUP closed the first half with four unanswered points and went into halftime with a 33-26 lead.

Offensive rebounds and the sharp shooting of Carolyn Appleby made the difference in the first half for IUP's Crimson Hawks. As a team, the Crimson Hawks pulled down nine boards on the offensive end while Appleby scored 11 points over the first 20 minutes.

Bowie State opened the third quarter with a 4-0 run to narrow the gap to 33-31 but Indiana (Pa.) answered with four straight of their own for a 38-31 lead. The Bulldogs used a 7-4 run to close the deficit to 42-38 at the 4:51 mark.

Indiana (Pa.) extended its lead to double-digits (48-38) after a pair of Brittany Robinson free throws.

Bowie State trimmed the Indiana (Pa.) lead in half (50-45) by the end of the third quarter. IUP pushed the lead back ten (57-47) and to a game-high 13 points (60-47). A pair of Jing free throws pulled the Bulldogs within eight (60-52) but would get no closer.

IUP's Lauren Wolosik led four Crimson Hawks in scoring with 20 points to go along with a game-high eight assists. Brittany Robinson and Megan Smith accounted for a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds and 11 points and 10 rebounds respectively. Appleby finished the contest with 16 points.

BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Claflin University To Join Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- After notifying the SoutherSn Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) of its decision to exit, Claflin University is pleased to announce that it is joining the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), commencing July, 1, 2018. President Henry N. Tisdale said the decision to move to the conference headquartered in Charlotte, N. C. was made after careful consideration of potential benefits.

"We believe this is a win-win situation for the University and our student-athletes," Tisdale said. "The CIAA aligns with our institutional profile and the proximity of its members to Orangeburg is very attractive for our alumni and supporters."

Claflin raised its athletic program profile when it became a NCAA Division II member in 2008 and concurrently joined the SIAC. Claflin sponsors men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field, and men's and women's cross country. A tradition of excellence describes Claflin's athletic history.

A plethora of championship trophies and banners adorn the Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Physical Education Center, the University's indoor athletic facility. Since joining the SIAC, Claflin has won volleyball, baseball, softball and men's basketball championships. An impressive number of student-athletes have won top individual honors, including an Olympic qualifier.

"It is my pleasure to welcome Claflin University's administration, student-athletes, staff, alumni, and fans to the CIAA," said Jacqie McWilliams, CIAA Commissioner. "The institution is a fit for our conference based on their location within our demographic region and commitment to sponsoring sports programs that bring competitive and championship growth in the CIAA. They will expand our footprint into the South Carolina market and reinforce our commitment to the student-athlete experience and employ strategies that engage alumni and fans within the region to support our mission and vision.

"The CIAA is committed to sponsoring a range of male and female sports programs that bring competitive and championship growth within the conference and to the regions that all our participating schools represent," said CIAA Board of Directors Chair and Fayetteville State University Chancellor Dr. James A. Anderson. "The CIAA will seek to sponsor additional men's sports like baseball and tennis to maintain a healthy number of automatic qualifications. The addition of Claflin University allows the conference to facilitate this goal while expanding our geographical footprint."

"This is a new day for Claflin University," President Tisdale said. "We look forward to continuing our success in athletics with all the administrative support we can provide. Our student-athletes deserve nothing less."

Claflin University is a comprehensive institution of higher education affiliated with The United Methodist Church. A historically black University founded in 1869, Claflin is committed to providing students with access to exemplary educational opportunities in its undergraduate, graduate and continuing education programs. With a record enrollment of 2,100 students, Claflin is a diverse and inclusive community of students, faculty, staff and administrators who work to cultivate practical wisdom, judgment, knowledge, skills and character needed for globally engaged citizenship and effective leadership. For more information on Claflin, visit www.claflin.edu.

Founded in 1912, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is the first African American athletic conference and one of the most recognized conferences in Division II. The CIAA conducts 14 championships attended by more than 150,000 fans from around the country. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the CIAA is governed by the Presidents and Chancellors of its 12 member-institutions: Bowie State University, Chowan University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Livingstone College, Saint Augustine's University, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University and Winston-Salem State University. For more information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com.

CIAA MEDIA RELATIONS

Missouri’s Martin leads field of black coaches into NCAA Tournament; Butler will have some bite

Head Coach Kevin Sampson, University of Houston Cougars speaks on Mike Davis and Texas Southern University Tigers.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- Of the 68 participants in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, which includes the “First Four” participants who played Tuesday and Wednesday, 15 have African-American/minority head coaches at their helm.

That comes to about 22 percent of the coaches. This would seem like an outstanding number, except for the fact that the number of black players in the tournament (especially those who start or play major minutes) will probably be three times as high.

Also, if you take out the head coaches of mid-major or HBCU schools, the number drops significantly. Just five are from Power 5 Conferences, which includes the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 13 and SEC.

he black/minority coaches in the 2018 NCAA Tournament are:

Mike Anderson, Arkansas – The former Missouri coach was a stalwart in the SEC this season, guiding his Razorbacks to a 23-11 record and a No. 7 seed. He was on the hot seat when the season started.

LeVelle Moton, North Carolina Central – Respected ESPN pundit and former Indiana coach Dan Dakish said it is just a matter of time before Moton gets a big-time coaching opportunity. Moton, who led his team to the MEAC tournament title over Hampton, is headed to the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year.

CONTINUE READING

Former Alabama State standout Isaiah Crowell getting new NFL home

NEW YORK, New York -- Former Alabama State standout Isaiah Crowell will become a member of the New York Jets on Wednesday.

Cleveland.com reported on Tuesday that the running back had reached a three-year contract agreement with the Jets.

CROWELL VIDEO

Crowell becomes an unrestricted free agent at 3 p.m. CDT Wednesday after playing four seasons with the Cleveland Browns. After that, he'll be able to sign with the Jets.

Terms of the contract have not been reported.

Crowell has been Cleveland's leading rusher in each of the past three seasons. With the Browns, Crowell has run for 3,118 yards and 21 touchdowns on 737 carries and caught 96 passes for 770 yards and one touchdown.

In 2017, Crowell ran for 853 yards and two touchdowns on 206 carries and caught 28 passes for 182 yards. That came after he'd run for 952 yards and seven TDs on 198 carries and caught 40 passes for 319 yards in 2016.

Crowell entered the NFL as an undrafted player in 2014.

CONTINUE READING

Isaiah Crowell's Jets contract: Complete breakdown, analysis | A win for Mike Maccagnan?

Here is a complete breakdown of the contract the Jets gave to free agent running back Isaiah Crowell, formerly of the Browns, along with our takeaways from the numbers, which were provided to NJ Advance Media by a source with knowledge of the deal:

Maximum length: Three years

Maximum value: $12 million

Signing bonus: $3 million

Total guarantee: $6 million (signing bonus, all of 2018 salary, half of 2019 salary*)

Fully guaranteed money at signing: $4 million

2018: $1 million salary, $2 million salary cap figure

2019: $4 million salary, $5 million salary cap figure, $2 million dead money figure

2020: $4 million salary, $5 million salary cap figure, $1 million dead money figure

CONTINUE READING

From 0-13 to NCAA Tournament, Texas Southern advances to play Xavier basketball in Nashville

DAYTON, Ohio -- Xavier basketball will face the unlikeliest of opponents in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Texas Southern University Tigers famously started the 2017-18 season 0-13, but on Wednesday night advanced from an NCAA Tournament First Four game and will now meet the top-seeded and 28-win Musketeers Friday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The Mike Davis-coached Tigers (16-19 overall) defeated North Carolina Central, 64-46, to advance from their First Four game on the University of Dayton campus as the No. 16 seed for the NCAA Tournament's West Region.

The NCAA Tournament win was the first ever for Texas Southern.

Texas Southern sophomore guard Demontrae Jefferson, standing all of 5-foot-7, played big in the play-in game as he scored 25 points on 8 of 18 shooting.

Graduate guard Donte Clark went for 18 points on 5 of 16 shooting for the Tigers.
\
CONTINUE READING 

SWAC spring football outlook

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama --That every week is a championship week has taken on renewed meaning in the SWAC.

The conference championship game has been eliminated and the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl bid will be decided by the regular season. This comes just one year after the 10 teams dropped from playing a nine-game conference schedule to just seven games.

It might create some squawking in late November – especially if the division champs haven’t played each other – but the teams are turning up the focus already.

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

EAST DIVISION

ALABAMA A&M

HEAD COACH: Connell Maynor (first season; 65-31 overall)

2017 RECORDS: 4-7, 3-4 SWAC East (Tie/3rd)

SPRING PRACTICES: Feb. 23-March 19 (spring game is March 17)

CONTINUE READING

Nuggets defeat No. 8 Hawks to finish 4-0 in Phoenix

PHOENIX, Arizona — Farah Baklouti and Yi Chen Pao won in doubles and singles Sunday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 5-1 victory against San Diego Christian in a matchup of NAIA top-10 women's tennis teams.

The Gold Nuggets (9-7), ranked 10th, finished 4-0 in Phoenix. Earlier Sunday they defeated Westmont 5-1 in a dual that was suspended Saturday because of rain.

The XULA women have a six-dual win streak, their longest since two streaks of that length in 2014. The Gold Nuggets won 11 straight in 2013.

Results vs.  Westmont   |   San Diego Christian

Overall this season the Nuggets have won six duals against top-20 opponents, all on the road. The Hawks (4-4), ranked eighth, became XULA's third top-10 victim of 2018.

"This was a great trip out west. A great experience for us," XULA coach Alan Green said. "Our goal was to win every (dual) match out here. And we did. The Nuggets represented Xavier well."

The Gold Nuggets will play NAIA No. 15 SCAD Atlanta at noon next Sunday at XULA Tennis Center. It will be the Nuggets' first home event since Jan. 28. The XULA men, ranked second and idle since March 2, also will play SCAD Atlanta that day. The Bees' men are ranked 25th.


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

Hampton, MEAC finally reach agreement on Pirates' departure to Big South

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Officials from the MEAC and Hampton University hammered out a compromise agreement during last week’s basketball tournament at Scope that allows the Pirates to exit to the Big South Conference next season.

The league and university announced the agreement Monday morning.

Terms weren’t announced, but Hampton agreed to pay “an undisclosed fine for failing to meet the MEAC’s July 1, 2017 deadline for withdrawal from the Conference,” according to a statement released jointly by the MEAC and Hampton.

Hampton announced in November, four months after the MEAC deadline, that it was leaving for the Big South in July.

MEAC officials imposed a $250,000 fine and, oddly, told the Pirates they would be required to play full league football schedules through the 2021 season, Hampton officials said.

That was despite MEAC football refusing to play the Pirates in 2018.

Hampton officials called the fine unfair and accused the MEAC of telling league schools not to play the Pirates in nonconference games in any sport in 2018.

CONTINUE READING

Notre Dame Men’s Hoops Blows Out Hampton in First Round of NIT

SOUTH BEND, Indiana -- The Notre Dame Fighting Irish blew out the Hampton Pirates this evening, opening NIT play with a 84 to 63 win over the #8 seed from the MEAC.

Martinas “The Bird Whisperer” led the way for ND, scoring 18 points and grabbing 6 rebounds while shooting 7-of-9 from the field. TJ Gibbs scored 17 points and had 6 rebounds while shooting 7-of-13, and BONZIE COLSON added his usual double-double of 14 points and 12 boards. Matt Farrell also chipped in 9 points and 6 assists, Nik Djogo had 7 and 9, and Rex Pflueger had 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

The Irish shot 42% from the field and 26% from deep while also out-rebounding Hampton 55 to 49. The Pirates, meanwhile, shot 30% from the field and 23% from deep, led by Jermaine Marrow with 21 points, 7 assists, and 9 rebounds, and Kalin Fisher, who finished with 12 and 7.

The game began about how everyone expected, with the Irish taking an early lead and then really pushing that lead further in the 2nd quarter (this game had quarters — the NIT will feature a bunch of experimental rule changes, including quarters, extended three point lines, shot clocks resetting to 20 on offensive rebounds, etc.). Notre Dame led 46-34 at the half after Hampton mounted a small run to keep themselves within striking distance.

CONTINUE READING

'We matchup well with them': Jaguars set for WNIT meeting with Tide in Tuscaloosa

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern coach Sandy Pugh’s remembers the feeling of playing in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament to end her 1985-86 season at Northwestern State. The fact that the Demons lost to Idaho didn’t matter. It was March, and she was playing.

“We got beat, but I always remember how exciting that was,” Pugh said Tuesday. “And the excitement that I’m playing in March. I try to pass that along to my players. At this stage in the game, everybody’s great. Doesn’t matter who you play … you’ve got to bring it.”

This year as Southern's coach, Pugh’s returning to the postseason. Her regular-season championship Southern team will meet Alabama (17-13) at 7 p.m. Wednesday inside the Tide’s Coleman Coliseum in the opening round of the 2018 WNIT.

Southern (17-13) automatically qualified for the WNIT after winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s regular-season title and not being selected for the NCAA tournament.

The Jaguars’ game time, opponent and location were revealed late Monday, creating a quick and abrupt turnaround for Southern prior to Wednesday’s tipoff.

CONTINUE READING

Bethune-Cookman To Head To Georgia Tech For WNIT Opener

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Bethune-Cookman will meet Georgia Tech in the opening round of the 2018 Women's National Invitation Tournament Thursday night at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, Ga.

A tipoff time will be announced Tuesday.

2018 WNIT Bracket

This is the Lady Wildcats' third consecutive appearance in the WNIT and second against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent. B-CU faced Wake Forest last year.

Georgia Tech (18-13) is making its fourth consecutive WNIT appearance.

Bethune-Cookman enters the WNIT 24-6 after finishing atop the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for the third straight year. Junior Angel Golden was named MEAC Player Of The Year and junior Ashanti Hunt the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year as Head Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis received Coach of The Year honors for the third straight year and fourth overall.

WNIT first-round action begins Wednesday, March 14 and continues through Friday, March 16. Round 2 games take place March 17-20; Round 3 games are March 21-23, Round 4 runs March 24-26, and the semifinals are March 28-29. The championship game will be held at 3 p.m. ET on March 31, and televised on CBS Sports Network. All games are hosted by participating schools.

Follow our official twitter feed -- @BCUWBB for updates.

BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Alabama State Hornets fall in extra innings to Florida A&M

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama State battled from behind early to take a late lead, before Florida A&M came back with two big innings to come away with a 13-10 non-conference victory over the Hornets at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex Tuesday night.

Alabama State (9-7), who has dropped their last three games, fell behind early only to take a 10-8 lead into the ninth inning. However, Florida A&M was able to get to Chase Laney and Terrell McCall out of the bullpen when they opened the inning with Octavian Moyer reaching second on a two base throwing error by Cristopher DeGuzman, followed by a bunt by Brett Maxwell to put runners at the corners with no outs. The next batter, Ty Russ was able to get the squeeze down to trim the deficit to 10-9. They were able to take the lead with Jordan Curtis singling home Maxwell to tie the game.

Curtis was stranded at third to end the inning as McCall induced a ground ball out, then struck Daniel Oliver out to end the inning.

After Alabama State went down in order in the bottom of the ninth, Florida A&M was able to add three more to the board to push the lead to 13-10 with three hits and a two-base throwing error by Joshua Dunson that allowed a pair of runners to score.

The Hornets had their chance in the bottom of the frame when Santiago Garcia drew a leadoff walk. After Gustavo Rios popped out, Chris Lewis drew a walk to put runners at first and second with one out. Following a strikeout, Dunson was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs; however, Josh Barr was able to strike out Ricky Perez for the final out and his first save of the season.

Hunter Phillips and Garcia led the Hornets with three hits each, with Phillips finishing 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and a pair of walks; while Garcia finished 3-for-5 with three runs batted in. Yamil Pagan finished with a pair of singles.

BOX SCORE

Alabama State fell behind early in the game, 5-0, as Florida A&M scored four runs in the top of the fourth inning off starter Channing Walker (0-1) in his first collegiate start. Walker lasted 3.2 innings, allowing five runs off of four hits and recorded three strikeouts.

The Hornets answered in the bottom half of the fourth with six runs of their own as they sent 10 batters to the plate and collected three hits, using a pair of Florida A&M (9-12) errors. In that inning, Alabama State got RBIs from Garcia and Dunson to take the lead. They would add three more in the sixth on a pair of hits and another Florida A&M error.

McCall (0-1) suffered the loss out of the bullpen, working two innings and allowing three runs – two earned – on four hits and recorded two strikeouts; while Laney went two innings out of the bullpen and allowed two runs (none earned) on two hits.

Alabama State will send Ivanniel Vazquez (0-2, 3.14 ERA) to the mound against Samford tomorrow night at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex. First pitch is scheduled for 6 pm, and the game can be heard on the Hornet Sports Network.

Follow the Hornets
For complete coverage of Alabama State University baseball, please follow the Hornets on social media @BamaStateBB (Twitter), /BamaStateSports (Facebook) and @BamaStateSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Alabama State athletics at BamaStateSports.com.

ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

North Carolina A&T Aggies Season Ends at CIT

LYNCHBURG, Virginia -- For the Liberty Flames, it was not how many 3-pointers they made, it was when they made them. North Carolina A&T saw its season come to an end Monday night in men’s basketball with a 65-52 loss to Liberty at Vines Arena in the College Insider Tournament.

In what was a close game throughout, the Flames pulled away with some well-timed threes to end the Aggies season at 20-15.

“First and foremost, it’s been a great season,” said N.C. A&T coach Jay Joyner. “The expectations for our team were very low coming into the season. The kids did a phenomenal job. Someone’s season had to come to an end, and they were playing on their homecourt, and that’s an advantage especially this time of the year.”



But I will be forever grateful to these young because they believed in me and where I wanted to take this program when it wasn’t easy to do so. I am going to walk into that locker room, and give each and every one of them a hug and say thank you. They deserve it.”

N.C. A&T took its largest lead of the game, 34-31, on a Devonte Boykins 3-pointer. The Flames (21-14) took over from there. They put together a 12-2 run that included two Keegan McDowell 3-pointers that gave Liberty a 43-36 lead. Junior Aaren Edmead stopped the Flame run with a 3-pointer, but the Flames scored the next four points before another Edmead 3-pointer got the Aggies to within seven at 49-42 with 7:35 remaining.

A spinning move baseline by senior Davaris McGowens got the lead down to five before a 7-0 run capped by a Scottie James 3-pointer put the Aggies away as Liberty took a 56-44 lead with 4:05 to play.

“We lost their shooters tonight and that can’t happen,” said Joyner. “You can’t allow that to happen when your season is on the line.”

N.C. A&T trailed by as many as seven in the first half, 23-16. But the Aggies ended the half on a 5-0 that included a Femi Olujobi layup and a steal and a layup from freshman Kameron Langley that put the Aggies behind 23-21 at the half. Edmead was the only Aggie in double figures as he finished with 14 points. Olujobi had eight points and 12 rebounds. Liberty’s Caleb Homesley led all scorers with 16 points.

The Flames advanced in the CIT while the Aggies will prepare for the 2018-19 season without key contributors from the 2017-18 like fifth-year forward Denzel Keyes who closed his men’s basketball career with a third-team All-MEAC selection. McGowens, who led the Aggies in scoring during conference play, also played his last collegiate game on Monday.

Boykins, a graduate transfer out of Georgia Southern, led the Aggies in 3-pointers made. But he too is gone along with 3-point threat Amari Hamilton and reserve Donte Watson.

BOX SCORE

Olujobi, the Aggies leader scorer, is scheduled to return along with Edmead and freshman point guard Kameron Langley who had a superb rookie season. Milik Gantz, who had 21 points at Georgetown, is also scheduled to be back along with promising freshman center D’Andre Johnson.

“I’m proud of these guys. No one can take away from them the fact that they proved a lot of people wrong this year,” said Joyner whose team was picked to finish last in the MEAC prior to the season. “Again, I’ll remember them for the rest of my life. They have no reason to hold their heads down tonight. They played in a postseason game. Now it’s time to hit the recruiting trail, so we can get better and continue to play and coach the right way.”

NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Claflin Men’s Basketball Storied Season Ends with Loss in NCAA DII South Regional Semifinal

ATLANTA, Georgia — Claflin University men's basketball team history making season comes to a close Sunday (March 11) with an 89-64 loss to Barry University in the 2018 NCAA DII South Regional Semifinal at Forbes Arena on the campus of Morehouse College.

The Panthers finish the 2017-18 season with a 26-7 record. The 26 wins are the most in the program's history since joining the NCAA DII ranks in the 2008-09 season. The previous high was 25 wins during the 2008-09 season.

Benjamin "Tre" Williams scored 11 of his team-high 17 points in the first half to lead Claflin.

Jaleel Charles scored 16 points, 14 in the second half, with five rebounds. Tondric Johnson came off the bench to contribute five points with six rebounds in the loss.

Sawyer Glick led all scorers with 22 points, including 18 from behind the arc.

Daniel Mortensen dropped in 15 points and seven rebounds while Marko Tomic scored 12 and Evan Walshe dropped in 11 for Barry in the win.

As a team, Barry shot 46.7 percent from three-point range (64.7 percent in the first half) while holding Claflin to 10 percent from the game (2-of-20).

"Congrats to Barry and its play tonight," head coach Ricky Jackson said. "We've seen a team like this before in Clark Atlanta earlier in the season, when they just came out blistering hot, draining three's – Barry had 14 in the game. Not to take anything away from Barry or making excuses, but the injuries and the schedule over the last 10 days has made it tough on us. Around the 3, 4, 5 minute mark of yesterday's (Saturday's) game I looked at my team and I kind of felt like we were going to hit that wall."

"My hats off to my crew as well, we made history at Claflin and we had great ride, and I'm proud of my guys. No one wants to lose, but for me and my guys even with this loss I'm proud of them."

Claflin opened the second half with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 24, 56-32. The Panthers managed to cut the lead to 21, 63-42, but the hot three-point shooting continued for Barry as Elvar Fridriksson drained a three-pointer to push the lead back to 24, 66-42, with 13:36 remaining in the contest.

After Claflin scored two straight baskets, the Bucs scored 13 straight points to take its then biggest lead of the contest, 31 points (79-48).

Barry's maintained at least a 30 point lead until late in the half when Claflin scored the final four-of-six points of the game.

The opening period belonged solely to Barry.

Claflin began the game very sluggish, going down by 12, 20-8, at the 11:56 mark of the first half. Barry increased its lead to 19 (33-14) with 7:37 remaining. The Bucs pushed their lead to 27, 47-20, before owning the 30 point lead at intermission, 56-26.

CLAFLIN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

South Carolina Gamecocks Opens NCAA Tournement With North Carolina A&T

Friday's contest against the Aggies at Colonial Life Arena is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2

COLUMBIA, South Carolina — South Carolina (26-6) earned a No. 2 seed in its 15th berth in the NCAA Tournament and will face 15th-seeded North Carolina A&T (23-8) on Fri., March 16, at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the contest set to be televised on ESPN2 in the event's opening round. The Gamecocks are in the Albany Region and will host the first and second rounds of the tournament at Colonial Life Arena. The other first-round game in Columbia pairs seventh-seeded California (21-10) and 10th-seeded Virginia (18-13) on Fri., March 16, at 5 p.m. ET.

Single-session tickets for the first and second rounds will go on sale at 10 a.m. Tue., March 13. General admission seating is available for $15 (adult) for the first round (both games) and $12 (adult) for the second round. Youth, University faculty/staff and group pricing is also available. Booklets for the entire weekend are available for $23 and include a general admission ticket for each round. Purchase ticket booklets by calling 1-800-4SC-FANS, visiting the Colonial Life Arena box office during regular business hours or going online at GamecocksOnline.com. Single-sessions tickets are available at TicketMaster.com.

This is the seventh-consecutive season the Gamecocks will participate in the NCAA Tournament, the longest streak in program history. South Carolina reached the NCAA Final Four for the first time in 2015 before capturing its first NCAA Championship in 2017. The Gamecocks have played in eight Sweet 16s in their 14 previous times in the event, reaching that round in five of their last six tournament appearances. South Carolina owns a 25-13 record all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including an 11-2 record in games played in Columbia.

The No. 7/8 Gamecocks won their fourth-straight SEC Tournament championship this season after notching three wins over ranked opponents in a stretch highlighted by a 62-51 victory over No. 2 Mississippi State in the title game. This year marks the fifth-straight season Carolina enters the NCAA Tournament with 25 or more wins.



UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

#15 Seed Grambling State to meet #2 Seed Baylor in NCAA tourney

TELEVISION: 16-March at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Grambling State University women's basketball will party like its 1999 as the Lady Tigers were selected a 15-seed in the Lexington Regional and will meet second-seed Baylor on Friday in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship.

Grambling State and Baylor will meet at 6:30 p.m. at The Ferrell Center on Friday in the opening round of the Lexington Regional, hosted by Baylor.

This will be the fourth-ever meeting between the two schools and the first since 2015. The Lady Bears own a 3-0 record in the series, including a 96-42 victory in 2015.

NCAA Division I Women's Championship Bracket

The Lady Tigers (19-13) earned the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) automatic bid after defeating top-seeded Southern, 72-68, in the conference championship game on Saturday. Grambling State advanced to the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship for the first time since 1999 and sixth overall trip the "Big Dance."

The Lady Tigers has faced in the tournament Vanderbilt (1994), Stanford (1996), Tennessee (1997), Texas Tech (1998) and Alabama (1999).

Grambling State averages 67.0 points, while its opponents are at 67.2. The Lady Tigers are shooting 39.9 percent (780-of-1,957), while the opponents are shooting 40 percent (765-of-1,914).

Shakyla Hill, an All-SWAC First-Team selection and All-Tournament Most Valuable Player honoree, has played and started in all 32 games this season. She leads the team in points (17.1), rebounds (7.5), assists (5.7) and steals (4.9). The Little Rock, Ark. native, who became the seventh basketball player and fourth ever in NCAA Division I Women's basketball history to record a quadruple double on Jan. 3, is second in the nation in steals and steals per game, fifth in triple-doubles, 23rd is assists, 25th in minutes played and 27th in assists per game.

Jazmin Boyd is second on the team in scoring at 12.3 points. She averages 2.5 boards, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 27.7 minutes per game. The Hattiesburg, Miss. native has scored in double figures 17 times, including a career-high 31 points against Jackson State (Feb. 17). Also, she has scored in double figures in 11 straight games.

Monisha Neal, an All-SWAC First-Team performer and All-SWAC Tournament team selection, is third on the team in scoring at 10.3 points per game. She also averages 6.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals in the 29 games played. The Lewisville, Texas native has reached double figures in scoring 17 times.

Baylor (31-1), winners of the Big 12 Championship, is riding a 28-game winning streak, with its last loss coming on Nov. 18 against UCLA.

Kalani Brown paces four Baylor players in double figures at 20.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Lauren Cox and Kristy Wallace are pouring in 14.7 and 12.9 points, respectively, while Dekeiya Cohen is averaging 12.1 points.

The Lady Bears are no stranger to a SWAC opponent in the first round as Baylor defeated Texas Southern, 119-30, last season.

Follow Grambling State Athletics
For complete coverage of Grambling State athletics, please follow the Tigers on social media at @GSU_Tigers (Twitter), /gramblingstateathletics (Facebook), @gramblingathGRletics01 (Instagram) or visit the official home of Grambling State Athletics at gsutigers.com.

GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

NCCU Eagles Will Meet Texas Southern Tigers in First Four

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – North Carolina Central University will make its second-straight appearance in the First Four and will face Texas Southern on Wednesday, March 13 at 6:40 p.m. ET on TruTV at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio. 
 
NCCU (19-15) went to the First Four last season to face UC Davis, and were narrowly defeated, 67-63.  This year, the Eagles will face Texas Southern (15-19) for the first time in program history.

2018 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Official Bracket

This is the Eagles' third NCAA Tournament appearance in program history during the Division-I era, all within the past five years.  NCCU's first NCAA Tournament appearance was after the 2013-14 season when the Eagles were MEAC regular season and tournament champions.  NCCU also made an NIT appearance against Miami after the 2014-15 season where the Eagles also won the MEAC regular season and tournament championship.

Texas Southern are the champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, and defeated top-seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the championship game, 84-69.

The winner of this game will move on to play No. 1 seed Xavier in the West Region in Nashville, Tennessee on Friday, March 16.

Matchup Preview 

Leading scorers
Texas Southern: Demontrae Jefferson (23.4 ppg), Donte Clark (18.6 ppg), Derrick Bruce (13.9 ppg)
N.C. Central: Raasean Davis (15.0 ppg), Pablo Rivas (11.8 ppg), Reggie Gardner Jr. (11.2 ppg)

Leading rebounder
Texas Southern: Trayvon Reed (8.8 rpg)
N.C. Central: Davis (8.0 rpg)

Leader in assists
Texas Southern: Jefferson (4.5 apg)
N.C. Central: Jordan Perkins (5.4 apg)

NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATION

Hampton to play Notre Dame in the NIT

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Hampton University’s goal of making the NCAA tournament for a third time in four years was derailed Saturday by a loss in the MEAC championship game. But the National Invitation Tournament is giving the Pirates a chance to keep playing.

Having secured a berth with its regular-season championship, the Pirates were made a No. 8 seed and will play at Notre Dame Tuesday at 9 p.m. It will be HU’s first appearance in the NIT, which extends automatic bids to regular-season champions that lose in their conference tournaments.



2018 NIT BRACKET

Notre Dame (20-14) was one of the last four teams out of the NCAA tournament and is one of four No. 1 seeds in the NIT. The Fighting Irish upset Virginia Tech in the first round of the ACC tournament before losing to Duke in the quarterfinals.

“We figured it would be a Notre Dame-type of team when we saw the teams that didn’t get in (the NCAA),” HU coach Buck Joyner said. “I don’t know much about them other than that they’re a well-coached team with good ball players.

“Getting another opportunity to play probably means more than anything else. But going to Notre Dame ain’t a bad consolation prize because you get to play in one of the most storied atmospheres.”

CONTINUE READING

No. 5 Seed [19] Dillard Lady Bleu Devils Face No. 4 Seed [14] Montana Western In NAIA Tournament On March 14

Bracket | Video Announcement | Schedule

KANSAS CITY, Missouri  --  Fresh off winning the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular season title and conference tournament championship, the Dillard women's basketball team earned a No. 5 seed in the Duer bracket when the pairings for the season's NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament were announced Wednesday.

The Lady Bleu Devils (23-5) will face No. 4 seed [14] Montana Western (24-8) in the first round Wednesday, March 14 at 2:45 p.m. CT at the Rimrock Auto Arena in Billings, Montana.

Dillard, which finished the regular season ranked No. 19th in the NAIA Division Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll, is making its first appearance in the tournament since 2004.

This year's field consists of 14 automatic berths, 17 at-large selections and championship host Rocky Mountain (Mont.). Automatic qualification is given to conference regular-season champions, regular-season runners-up, tournament champions or tournament runners-up depending on the league. At-large teams were determined using the final regular-season Coaches' Top 25 poll released today, which can be found HERE.

The NAIA Network – the association's official video streaming home – will broadcast the first 30 games leading up to the championship final on ESPN3. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics, and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single-day passes can be   can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-tournament package is available at $34.95.

DILLARD UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS. 

No. 5 Seed Dillard Set To Face No. 4 Seed Westmont (Calif.) In NAIA Tournament On March 14

Bracket – PDF | Video Announcement | Schedule

KANSAS CITY, Missouri -- On the heels of winning the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular season title and conference tournament championship, the Dillard men's basketball team earned a No. 5 seed in the Liston bracket when the pairings for the season's NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament were announced Wednesday.

The Bleu Devils (20-9) will face No. 4 seed [13] Westmont (24-7) in the first round Wednesday, March 14 at 10 p.m. CT at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.

Dillard, which finished the regular season ranked No. 18th in the NAIA Division Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll, is making its third-consecutive appearance in the tournament and eighth overall.

The winner of Wednesday night's game will advance to the second round to play the winner of top-seed LSU Shreveport (La.) (27-4) and No. 8 seed Harris-Stowe State (Mo.) (23-10).

This year's field consists of 14 automatic berths, one host berth and 17 at-large spots. Automatic qualification is given to conference regular-season champions, regular-season runners-up, tournament champions or tournament runners-up depending on the league. At-large teams were determined using the final regular-season Coaches' Top 25 Poll released today. To access the poll, click HERE.

The NAIA Network (www.NAIANetwork.com) – the association's official video streaming home – will broadcast the first 30 games leading up to the championship final on ESPN3. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access video, statistics, and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single-day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-tournament package is available at $34.95. Click HERE for more information.

DILLARD UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

XULA's Terry joins the list of NAIA national qualifiers

LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana — For the second time in as many meets, a Xavier University of Louisiana freshman has qualified for the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.
     
Saturday it was Alysia Terry, who was third in the triple jump at the McNeese Cowboy Relays with an NAIA B-qualifying mark of 11.57 meters (37 feet, 11 1/2 inches). It was the first time Terry triple-jumped as a Xavierite.
     
XULA's other NAIA qualifiers from a week ago, the women's 400 relay team and men's high-jumper Edward Angel, improved their season bests.
     
The 400 relay team of Martina Wright Latting, Alexis Milton, Justyce Riggs and Ry-Anne Riley placed fourth in 47.2, nearly three-tenths of a second faster than its season-opening A-qualifying mark. Angel, XULA's other freshman qualifier, produced an A-mark of 2.05 meters (6 feet, 8 3/4 inches), slightly better than his season-opening B-mark of 2.03.
     
Barely missing an NAIA B-mark was men's triple jumper Brandon Matthews, a freshman who placed third in 14.15 meters (46-5 1/4).
     
The meet was scored, and McNeese combined the men's and women's point totals. XULA scored 43 points to tie for ninth place with the University of New Orleans. It was the second-highest total among the five non-NCAA Division I teams at the meet. McNeese won with 274 points, and Northwestern State was second with 208.
     
XULA finished ahead of DIs Nicholls and Valparaiso in team scoring.
     
Next for the Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush will be the Louisiana Classics, a two-day meet starting Friday in Lafayette, La.

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