MEAC Announces Weekly Volleyball Honors

NORFOLK, Virginia — Howard sophomore Jurnee Tipton and Maryland Eastern Shore senior Lucia Babic were named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Volleyball Co-Players of the Week, the conference office announced today. Savannah State’s Norian Ceballos Plaza was named Rookie of the Week, while Morgan State sophomore Mykaela Ross earned Defensive Specialist of the Week honors and Morgan State junior Roi Wallace was named Setter of the Week.
 
Tipton (5-9, So., OH, Ypsilanti, Mich.) dominated in Howard’s three-set win over Norfolk State this past Friday, hitting .600 and racking up 18 kills. Averaging six kills and 6.67 points per set, Tipton also had four digs, a block and a service ace. Her performance helped the Bison hit .386 in the victory, which assured them of the Northern Division regular-season title.
 
Babic (5-10, Sr., OH, Sisak, Croatia) had a strong match against Morgan State to close out the regular season, racking up 20 kills and hitting .359 while also recording eight digs and three service aces. She also had 13 kills, five digs and two blocks on Friday against Coppin State.
 
Ceballos Plaza (5-11, Fr., MB/OH, Loiza, Puerto Rico) ended the regular season with a double-double against Bethune-Cookman – recording 12 kills and 14 digs. But her best match of the week came on Friday at Florida A&M, when she had 17 kills and hit .654. For the weekend, Ceballos Plaza averaged 4.1 kills and 2.4 digs per set, while hitting .299.
 
Ross (5-7, So., OH/RS, Farmington Hills, Mich.) was a forceful presence at the net for Morgan State in two matches this past weekend. Averaging 1.67 blocks per set, she totaled 10 stops at the net for the weekend. After racking up five blocks and eight digs on Friday against Delaware State, she added five more blocks on Sunday against Maryland Eastern Shore.
 
Wallace (5-9, Jr., S, San Dimas, Calif.) averaged 11.17 assists per set this past weekend, including a weekend-best 35 on Friday against Delaware State – a match in which she also had a service ace and three digs. She followed that up on Sunday with 32 assists, eight digs and a block against Maryland Eastern Shore.


 Other Top Performers
Shayla Eugene (B-CU) had 14 digs against Savannah State and 11 against South Carolina State.
 
J’Nai Higgins (B-CU) had 38 assists and nine digs against Savannah State.
 
Jordan Jefferson (B-CU) had 22 kills and 10 digs against Savannah State.
 
Jade Smith (B-CU) racked up five blocks against Savannah State.
 
Jordan Celestine (CSU) recorded 14 kills against Delaware State, after notching 13 with a .500 hitting percentage against Maryland Eastern Shore.
 
Christa Johnson (CSU) had five blocks against Delaware State and four against Maryland Eastern Shore.
 
Brianna Lang (CSU) notched 44 assists against Delaware State.
 
Asia Stennis (CSU) had 13 kills against Delaware State and 11 against Maryland Eastern Shore.
 
Marcelle Butler (HOW) had six kills against Norfolk State.
 
Tamia Dockery (HOW) recorded 32 assists against Norfolk State.
 
Ivana Blazevic (MDES) had 37 assists each against Coppin State and Morgan State.
 
Kalysia Bates (MSU) had double-digit kills against Delaware State (11) and Maryland Eastern Shore (10).
 
Zoe McBride (MSU) racked up 11 kills and 11 digs, hitting .318 against Delaware State.
 
Edie Brewer (NCAT) notched 12 kills and 20 assists, to go along with six digs, against North Carolina Central.
 
Andrea Laboy-Rivera (NCAT) had 18 digs against North Carolina Central.
 
Lily Walton (NCAT) had six kills and four blocks against North Carolina Central.

MEAC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

FAMU Volleyballers Sweep To MEAC Southern Title

TALLAHASSEE, Florida – The FAMU Women’s Volleyball team won the 2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southern Division title with a pair of straight sets road wins against Savannah State on Friday, and South Carolina State on Sunday.

@ SUNDAY AT S.C. STATE (3-0): Sunday’s regular season finale was a virtual breeze for the FAMU Women, as they swept the Lady Bulldogs, 25-12, 25-17, and 25-13.

Aybuke Kocabiyik led FAMU with 14 kills, followed by Maria Yvett Garcia with 11. Ilayda Nurkan passed out 23 assists, with Elena Dimitrova dishing 15 more.

Karina Pressoir led FAMU with four total blocks, while setting the pace in digs were Valentina Carrasco (9), Gracia (8), and Radka Dimitrova and Jessa Long (7 each).

@ FRIDAY AT SAVANNAH STATE (W, 3-0): Friday’s title clincher was won in three tough sets, 25-21, 25-16 and 25-10.

Junior Maria Yvett Garcia led FAMU with 12 kills, followed by Nair Canessa with seven, Radka Dimitrova with six, and Karina Pressoir and Aybuke Kocabiyik with four kills apiece.

Elena Dimitrova had 25 assists, while Jessa Long (14) and Valentina Carrasco (10) led in digs.

FAMU (10-15, 9-1 in MEAC) will next head to Washington, D.C. this week at the No. 1 seed from the South to face the No. 4 seed from the Northern Division in the opening round of the 2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship in Burr Gymnasium at Howard University.

Pairings for the tournament will be announced officially on Tuesday.

The Championship match will be televised live by ESPNU on Sunday, Nov. 18 at 7:00 p.m.

FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

TV - FS1: Morgan State at DePaul Men's Basketball

 Morgan State Notes | DePaul Notes |  Purchase Tickets |
  GAMEDAYGuide |  
 Facebook.com/MorganStateBears   |    @MorganStBears

Game 3
Opponent: DePaul Blue Demons (1-0, 0-0 BIG EAST)
Date: Monday, November 12, 2018
Site:  Wintrust Arena (10,387), Chicago, Ill.
Game Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Series Record: MSU leads the series is tied 1-0.
Live Stats: here | Watch here 
MSU Coaches: MSU - Todd Bozeman (186-199, 13th yr) • DePaul - Dave Leitao (88-99 8th yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.DePaulBlueDemons.com
TV: FOX SPORTS (FS1)

SETTING THE STAGE
Morgan State (0-2) travels to face the DePaul Blue Demons (1-0) on Monday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill at 8:30 p.m. It will mark the Bears third straight road contest of the season. MSU will look to bounce back after suffering a 80-62 loss to Saint Francis-Pa. on Friday night. 

THE SERIES
• The game will be the second matchup between the schools.
•  The game will be the second matchup between the schools. Reggie Holmes recorded 29 points and six rebounds in the Bears win over DePaul on December 10, 2008. He connected on 9-of-21 baskets including 5-for-9 from behind the 3-point arc in Morgan State's first victory over a member of the Big East. He also added two steals and one blocked shot in the victory. Redshirt freshman center Kevin Thompson added 12 rebounds.

2017-18 BLUE DEMONS RECAP 
Junior guard Max Strus (16.8 ppg) and 6-foot-11 center Marin Maric (6.7 rpg) led the Blue Demons in scoring and on the boards, respectively. DePaul finished the season with an 11-20 overall record and a 4-14 BIG EAST mark. The Blue Demons had a 6-10 record at home and went 4-7 on the road during the 2017-18 season. Strus finished last season ranked 11th with 16.8 points per game and is ranked fourth among the top returning scorers. The senior is the only BIG EAST returning player that ranked in the top 15 last season in scoring (11th - 16.8 ppg), rebounding (14th 0 5.6 rpg) and steals (9th - 1.3 spg). Strus was also in the top 15 in eighth with 2.6 three's per game.

BLUE DEVIL'S MEAC CONNECT
Femi Olujobi, a 6-8 forward, joined DePaul as a graduate transfer from North Carolina A&T. He led Aggies with 16.3 points & 7.7 rebounds last season, and averaged 1.4 points and 1.5 rebounds in two years at Oakland.
 

BACK TO THE CHI!
Monday's game against DePaul will mark a homecoming for a couple of Morgan State student-athletes.
• MSU's senior point guard Martez Cameron, senior guard Tyler Streeter and Cleveland State C.C. transfer Victor Curry are all products of Chicago.
• Cameron's senior season at Montverde Academy included a roster that consisted of Ben Simmons, D'Angelo Russell and a couple of current college players.
• Streeter was an All-State guard at St. Francis de Sales HS where helped lead the Pioneers to a Super-Sectional Championship under Kevin Wolfe in 2015.
• Curry was a standout at Crete Monee where he  averaged a double-double during his tenure and was an ll Regional Champion.

LAST TIME OUT FOR BLUE DEMONS
Max Struss and Paul Reed threw down back-to-back dunks late in the second half as DePaul emphatically slammed the door shut in a 80-58 win over Bethune-Cookman in a season opener Wednesday night. Struss finished with 25 points, including five 3-pointers, and Reed scored 11 with eight rebounds for the Blue Demons, who shot 44 percent from the floor (25-57) and converted 22 of 30 at the foul line.

LAST TIME OUT FOR BEARS
Jamaal King scored 21 points and Keith Braxton scored 19 and collected 13 rebounds and St. Francis University beat Morgan State 80-62 on Friday night. Saint Francis converted 22 of 33 shots from the free-throw line to 13 of 17 for the Bears. Sherwyn Devonish-Prince scored 14 points and Isaiah Burke scored 11 for Morgan State.

AT THE HELM
Todd Bozeman enters his 13th year at the helm as Morgan State men's head coach. The Bears have participated in six of the last 12 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 186 victories...and counting!

WHO'S OUT
Morgan State's standouts Phillip Carr and guard Tiwian Kendley completed their careers as two of the school's all-time top players. Kendley, a 6-5 guard from Harlem, N.Y., has made his mark as one of the top players in school history. In his senior campaign, Kendley averaged 26.1 points per game and grabbed 4.0 rebounds per game while also averaging 2.1 steals per game. He is currently a member of the NBA G League's Washington Go-Gos. Carr is one of only seven players to wear the MSU uniform and score over 1,000 points with over 700 rebounds, totals that he accumulated in just three seasons as a Bear. Carr is currently playing for the New York Knicks team's G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks.

WHO'S BACK
Back from last season's squad that finished with a 13-19 record are starters Martez Cameron and Antonio Gillespie, while Stanley Davis Jr. and David Syfax return to the Bears along with a number of contributors off the bench with: Tyler Streeter, LaPri McCray-Pace and Kyson Rawls.

WHO'S IN 
The Bears have added seven newcomers to the 2018-19 roster: G Ranell Bell; G Malik Miller;  G Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr.; G Isaiah Burke; F Jordan Little;  F Victor Curry; and F Taron Oliver Jr.

RETURNING PRODUCTION NUMBERS 
Morgan State returns 49.6 percent of its scoring, 28.4 percent of its rebounding and 55.1 percent of its minutes played totals from last year's team. The team leaders in field goal percentage (Tyler Streeter - .543 ), three-point percentage (Antonio Gillespie, .369), free throw percentage (Antonio Gillespie, .800), rebounding (David Syfax - 4.4 rpg), assists (Martez Cameron, 4.3), steals (Martez Cameron, 1.5),  blocked shots (David Syfax, 0.7). and minutes played (Martez Cameron, 32.6).  Six (6) players who started in at least five (5) games a year ago also return - Cameron (26), Davis (16), Gillespie (14 ), McCray-Pace (10), Rawls (6) and  Syfax (5).

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 four players from the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Metropolitan-D.C.) area. Freshman point guard Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr. is from Bladensburg, Md. and graduated from Wise HS. Freshman guard Isaiah Burke is from Annapolis and was a prep standout at Bowie HS, while junior forward Taron Oliver, Jr. played for Montrose Christian and is from District Heights, Md. Freshman guard Malik Miller hails from Washington, D.C. and played at Friendship Tech Prep.

BOZEMAN'S RETURNING STAFF
Morgan State head basketball coach Todd Bozeman coaching staff returns for their fourth season. The 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 2018-19 season with three road matchups, first at Villanova Nov. 6, then at Saint Francis on Nov. 9, followed by DePaul on Nov. 12. The Bears' home-opener will be Nov. 15 versus Lincoln (Pa.), followed by a Nov. 20 date when they host the Naval Academy. The Bears will face Mount St. Mary's at Hill Field House on Nov. 25, and travel to George Mason on Nov. 28.  The Bears will face Virginia on Dec. 3 and will host Binghamton on Dec. 5. MSU will take on Towson on Dec. 8, followed by a matchup with Wilmington (Del.) on Dec. 17. MSU will wrap the month of December at Old Dominion (Dec. 22) and will travel to the west coast for a game at CA-Northridge Dec. 29.

PREDICTED TO FINISH SIXTH IN THE MEAC
The Morgan State men's basketball team has been tabbed to finish sixth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Preseason Men's Basketball Poll the league announced today.  
• The Bears return two starters from last year's team, bringing back senior guards Martez Cameron and Antonio Gillespie. MSU also returns a few talented upperclassmen in senior guard Tyler Streeter and junior guard Stanley Davis and junior forward David Syfax.
• MSU was selected to finish sixth in 2018-19, earning 138 points in the poll of the league's head coaches and sports information directors who could not vote for their own team or team members. Bethune-Cookman edged out North Carolina Central for first place honors.
• Seven (7) Bears are back from a team that tied for seventh in the MEAC. Morgan State finished the year 7-9 in the conference and 13-19 overall. MSU's season ended with a 79-70 loss to North Carolina Central in the MEAC Tournament semifinals.
• The 2018 MEAC Basketball Tournament tips off March 5-10 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.  For more information about the MEAC and its sponsored sports, log on to www.MEACSports.com.

ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering 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 ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

ESPNU: Maryland Hosts North Carolina A&T Monday at 7 PM

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland -- Maryland returns to XFINITY Center for the first leg of a six-game home stand Monday when the Terrapins host North Carolina A&T. The game will tip at 7:00 pm and will be broadcast on ESPNU.

STORYLINES
• Monday's game is the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

• Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 24 points, Darryl Morsell added 15 and Maryland used a second-half surge to defeat Navy 78-57 in their last time out on November 9. Cowan's 24 points were three shy of his career-high 27 set last season at Illinois, while he led the Terps in assists (6) and steals (4).

• Freshman Jalen Smith had 19 points and 13 rebounds in his college debut, Bruno Fernando and Anthony Cowan Jr. each scored 15 and Maryland opened its 100th season with a 73-67 win over Delaware in its season opener on November 6.

• Smith's double-double performance in his Maryland debut put him in elite company for a Maryland freshman. Smith became the first Terrapin freshman to record a double-double in his debut since Buck Williams posted 10 points and 13 rebounds against Bucknell on November 24, 1978 in UMD's season opener.

• Newly inducted Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame member Adrian Branch will be on the call for ESPNU during Maryland's game vs. the Aggies. Branch remains one of the greatest players to wear a Maryland uniform, leading the Terps to the 1984 ACC Tournament Championship and two Sweet 16 appearances in 1984 and 1985. Branch, alongside eight other Terrapin greats, were formally enshrined earlier this month on November 2.

• The Terrapins return three starters from a season ago in junior Anthony Cowan Jr., sophomore Bruno Fernando and sophomore Darryl Morsell. Cowan was named a Third Team All-Big Ten selection while also being named to the All-B1G Defensive Team. Fernando garnered All-Freshmen Team honors, while Morsell averaged 8.7 points and 4.4 rebounds during his freshmen season.

• Maryland was on the cusp of a top-25 preseason ranking in the Associated Press Poll, finishing with 28 votes. Four of Maryland's 2018-19 opponents (Virginia, Michigan State, Michigan and Purdue) were tabbed as preseason top-25 teams in the poll released on October 22.

Full notes can be viewed here.

TERPS GAMEDAY

• Fans are reminded that the Maryland Athletics Clear Bag Policy is in effect for all Maryland home games for the 2018-19 season. For more information, please click here.

• For further information on gameday at the XFINITY Center, please reference the XFINITY Center A-Z guide.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

SMU Hosts Mississippi Valley State Monday Night

DALLAS, Texas -- SMU hosts Mississippi Valley State Monday at 7 p.m. The game will stream live on PonyUp TV at www.SMUMustangs.com watch, and can be heard on the radio in the Dallas area on KAAM 770 AM. 

ABOUT SMU
The Mustangs enter the 2018-19 season with the youngest roster in the country, matching the University of Maryland Baltimore County with an average age of 19.0. Senior Alicia Froling has not played a competitive game with any player on SMU's current roster prior to this season, missing 2017-18 due to a knee injury. The squad includes seven freshmen, trailing only Wichita State and FAU.

SMU STATISTICALLY
SMU's four returning letterwinners from 2017-18, all sophomores this season, accounted for just 26.6 percent of points scored (14.9) and 24.5 percent of rebounds (10.4). Ariana Whitfield averaged 7.9 points, and Johnasia Cashaveraged 5.1 points and 5.9 rebounds. Senior Alicia Froling averages 12.8 points and 9.3 rebounds for her career, and was named to the All-AAC Preseason Team despite missing all of the 2017-18 season. 

LAST TIME OUT
Senior forward Alicia Froling's 37th career double-double led SMU women's basketball to a 49-38, season-opening win over Louisiana-Monroe at Moody Coliseum Friday afternoon. The Mustang defense clamped down, holding the Warhawks to 29.2 percent field goal shooting (14-for-48). SMU also forced 26 ULM turnovers, including 13 steals. Four SMU players had multiple steals, including Froling and freshmen Kayla White, Amber Bacon and BriShonne Tollie. 

SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
LaKendra Bassett led the team as a junior with 14.6 points per game and averaged a team-best 5.2 rebounds per contest. The Devilettes posted a 2-28 record, winning just one game on the road. Kristy Parker also scored 14.3 points per game, but the 2018-19 seniors were the only two players averaging double-figures on a squad that was outscored by opponents 73.3-57.5.

SERIES HISTORY
SMU defeated Mississippi Valley State 91-52 on Nov. 19, 2013. The only game between the two programs was a home contest for SMU played at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas.

POSTSEASON IN FIRST SEASON
In his first season as head coach, Travis Mays guided the Mustangs to a 19-13 record, including a pair of WNIT wins. SMU advanced to the round of 16 in the tournament with wins at home against Louisiana Tech and Abilene Christian. It was the first time since 1993 that an SMU team won twice in a postseason tournament. 

• SMU Notes (PDF)

SMU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Florida Gulf Coast Women's Basketball Battles Florida Memorial in Home Opener Monday

Matchup: FGCU (0-1) vs Florida Memorial (3-3)
When: Monday Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.
Rankings: FGCU is No. 8 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll
Where: Fort Myers, Fla. | Alico Arena
Tickets: Here
Watch: ESPN3 | David Moulton (PBP) | J. Webb Horton (Color)
Live Stats (StatBroadcast) here 
Series: FGCU leads 10-0 (FGCU won 82-43 on Dec. 30 last year)
Coaches: Karl Smesko (17th season at FGCU - 435-88; 20th season overall - 496-115 | Gregory Stanback (5th season at Florida Memorial - 50-69; same overall)

FORT MYERS, Florida -- The FGCU women's basketball team (0-1), which is ranked eighth in the first CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll of the season, will look for its first win of the season in a home-opening matchup against Florida Memorial (3-3) on Monday at 7 p.m. in Alico Arena.

Prior to the game, FGCU will drop the banner to honor last year's team that made its fifth NCAA tournament trip in seven seasons and broke the NCAA's single season record for most 3-point field goals. At halftime, the men's basketball team will receive their watches for winning last year's ASUN regular season championship.

Throughout the night, the FGCU athletic department will honor veterans, who can receive a free Priority 4 or 5 general admission ticket with a valid U.S. Military ID and receive half off tickets for all family members. Rally towels will also be presented to the first 100 fans and students.

Home Openers
Since becoming a Division-I program, FGCU has compiled a 9-2 record in home openers, including some notable wins over Power-5 schools such as an 85-61 win over Illinois last year, a 59-58 win over Michigan State on Nov. 19, 2011 and an 88-86 win over Florida on Nov. 14, 2008.

Approaching History
FGCU head coach Karl Smesko entered this season with a 496-114 (.813) career head coaching record, which ranked him as the third winningest active Division-I head coach behind UConn's Geno Auriemma (1,027-136, .883) and Baylor's Kim Mulkey (539-98, .846). Thus, Smesko is just four wins shy of a major coaching milestone, his 500th win. He earned his 400th victory in just 493 games, which was two faster than UConn's Geno Auriemma.

Last Time Out
FGCU opened the season with an 80-62 loss at South Dakota State on Friday. They were hurt by a 21-2 run that started late in the first half and included a 14-0 run to open the third quarter. Chandler Ryan (Groveland, Ill./Morton HS) matched her career-high with 12 points, while draining a new career-high four 3-point field goals. Lisa Zderadicka added 10 points, and Destiny Washington-Mabon (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North HS) blocked a game-high five shots.

Inside Look at Florida Memorial
Florida Memorial, led by fifth-year head coach Gregory Stanback, finished 16-10 overall in 2017-18. This year, his team features a trio of sisters - Brianna, Tyesha and Kanesha Battle. Brianna and Kanesha are Division-I transfers from Bethune-Cookman. The team competes as an NAIA member of The Sun Conference.
 
Series History
FGCU is 10-0 all-time against Florida Memorial, although the first nine meetings predated the Green and Blue's Division-I era. Last year's 82-43 win over the visiting Lions witnessed Jessica Cattani (23) and Erica Nelson (16) combine for 39 points. Among returning players, Tytionia Adderly (8), Nasrin Ulel (7) and Zderadicka (Vienna, Austria/HAK Korneuburg) (5) combined for 20 points, while Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS) led the way with 12 rebounds.

FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Shaw Earns NCAA Berth As No. 8 Seed for NCAA Regional Play

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – For the second time in program history, the Shaw University women's volleyball will make an appearance in the 2018 NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournament after winning the league's automatic qualifier for claiming the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Tournament Saturday (Nov.10).

Shaw received the No. 8 seed after posting a 23-8 overall record. The Lady Bears will face the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Champion – Wheeling Jesuit (34-3) on Thursday in the first round at the McDonough Center on the campus of Wheeling Jesuit.

VB: SHAW EARNS @NCAADII BERTH AS NO. 8 SEED FOR REGIONAL PLAY https://t.co/RZpAOCIMYD pic.twitter.com/htIhXukxQs

— Shaw Athletics (@ShawBears) November 12, 2018

The other opening round matches on Thursday include second-seeded Gannon (30-2) against Shepherd (20-12), third-seeded Seton Hill (24-8), the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Champion, versus California (Pa.) (20-12) and fourth-seeded Shippensburg (25-7) against Clarion (21-11).

The winner from the Atlantic Regional advances to the national quarterfinals in Pittsburgh at the A.J. Palumbo Center, as part of the 2018 NCAA Division II Fall Festival. Teams advancing to the final site will be reseeded before the quarterfinals.

Please visit www.shawbears.com for more details about the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament.

For the most up-to-date information on Shaw women's volleyball and its 13 varsity sport teams, visit www.shawbears.com.

SHAW UNIVERSITY BEARS SPORTS INFORMATION

Elizabeth City State Lady Vikings Victorious Day Two in the PSAC-CIAA Challenge Over Slippery Rock

ERIE, Pennsylvania -- Junior forward Devona Stell sank a free throw in the final 13 seconds of the game as the Elizabeth City State University women's basketball team held on to the, 80-79 victory over Slippery Rock University during day two of the PSAC-CIAA Challenge this afternoon.

With the win, the Lady Vikings improve to 1-1; while the Rock fell to 1-1 on the season. Stell finished the game with a team high 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead Elizabeth City State offensively.

Down by three with 31 seconds remaining in the final period, freshman guard Asia Deal knocked down a huge three pointer, tying the game at 79 before the final basket by Stell. A back and forth contest, Slippery Rock took a 39-35 lead into the half, outscoring ECSU in points off turnovers 12-0 and in fast break points 8-3; while the Lady Vikings outscored the Rock 3-0 in second chance points and bench points 8-2.

Elizabeth City State fell behind by as much as 12 points with 6:12 remaining in the third quarter before turning it on and clawing its way back into the game. For the game, ECSU outscored the Rock in bench points, 32-18 and in second chance points, 26-12; while SRU dominated ECSU in points off turnovers, 28-5 and in fast break points, 18-11.

There were seven ties and 13 lead changes throughout the game. The Lady Vikings dominated the boards, 46-to-27; while being led by Luster, who also recorded her first double-double on the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Junior guard DeNayia Holmes collected 16 points; while Deal added 14 to round out the ECSU players in double-figures in the victory.

BOX SCORE

Brooke Hinderliter led Slippery Rock and the game with 25 points; while teammate Ciara Patterson knocked down 17 points in the effort. Elizabeth City State closed out the game shooting 47.7 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from three point range, and 62.5 percent from the free throw line; while the Rock finished the game shooting 48.5 percent from the floor, 27.3 percent from behind the arc, and 70 percent from the line.

The Lady Vikings are scheduled to host Puerto Rico Bayamon Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. after the men's team host Winston-Salem State University at 5:30 p.m. for their home openers in the R. L. Vaughan Center.

Chick-Fil-A of Elizabeth City is a proud community partner/sponsor of Elizabeth City State University Athletics. On ALL home game days, Chick-Fil-A of EC will host "Mobile App Spirit Night", right after the game for 2 hours, from 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.  Place an order on the Chick-Fil-A Mobile App and post #VIKINGPRIDE in the Special Instructions section https://one.chick-fil-a.com/ . This is a fundraiser for ECSU Department of Athletics after EVERY home game. ALSO, Chick-Fil-A of Elizabeth City WILL BE AT EVERY HOME GAME THIS SEASON SERVING FOOD IN THE CONCESSIONS. 

Follow Elizabeth City State Athletics via its official website at: www.ecsuvikings.com to get pre and post-game stories and updates. Like us on Facebook at: ECSUVikings Athletics and follow us on twitter at: @ECSUVikings

ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY VIKINGS SPORTS INFORMATION