Virginia Union Lady Panthers Move Up to 12th in Nation

RICHMOND, Virginia -- Virginia Union University's women's basketball team, which is off to a 3-0 start, is now ranked 12th in the nation by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association in their newest poll released on Tuesday, November 20.

The Lady Panthers were previously 18th, but moved up by virtue of wins over Cheyney University, previously 11th-ranked Edinboro University and Belmont Abbey College.

"I'm extremely proud of our student-athletes who work hard, study hard and compete hard consistently each year," said VUU Head Coach AnnMarie Gilbert. "As ambassadors of both the CIAA and Virginia Union University, we are honored to be ranked as one the top teams in the country and to be competing on a national level. Our status is a result of our 'Standard of Excellence' and our pursuit of a national title for VUU."

The Lady Panthers will meet Palm Beach Atlantic University at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 21, and will then compete in the Nova Southeastern Thanksgiving Classic on November 23-24.

All the games can be viewed at vuusports.com.

Rk	School (Record)	Points	First-place votes	Previous Rank
1	Central Missouri (3-0)	595	21	1
2	Ashland (3-0)	577	3	2
3	Carson-Newman (4-0)	524	0	3
4	Union (TN) (4-0)	519	0	4
5	Indiana (PA) (3-0)	482	0	5
6	Alaska Anchorage (4-0)	476	0	6
7	West Texas A&M (4-0)	464	0	7
8	Bentley (4-0)	431	0	8
9	Drury (3-0)	407	0	9
10	Lubbock Christian (5-0)	383	0	10
11	Fort Hays State (2-0)	373	0	12
12	Virginia Union (3-0)	319	0	18
13	University of the Sciences (3-0)	287	0	15
14	Florida Southern (2-0)	277	0	17
15	Black Hills State (4-0)	200	0	22
16	North Georgia (3-1)	196	0	14
17	UC San Diego (4-0)	163	0	NR
18	Grand Valley State (3-1)	160	0	13
19	Edinboro (2-1)	152	0	11
20	Northwest Nazarene (4-0)	135	0	24
21	Azusa Pacific (3-1)	94	0	16
22	Stonehill (3-1)	70	0	19
22	Valdosta State (2-0)	70	0	23
24	Emporia State (3-0)	61	0	NR
25	California (PA) (3-0)	59	0	NR

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MEAC Announces Weekly Women's Basketball Honors

NORFOLK, Virginia — Morgan State senior Adre’onia Coleman was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, the conference office announced today. Savannah State’s Myasia Jones earned Rookie of the Week honors, while Coppin State junior Chance Graham was named Defensive Player of the Week.

 
Coleman (G/F, 5-10, Sr., Baltimore, Md.) averaged a double-double and shot over 60 percent from the floor in two contests in the Preseason WNIT this past week. She opened the week with 21 points and 10 rebounds at Stephen F. Austin, going 10-for-15 from the floor, before turning in a 10-for-18 effort against Niagara – a game in which she poured in 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. She also had two steals in each contest.
 
Jones (G, 5-10, Fr., Lavonia, Ga.) continued her torrid start to the 2018-19 season, averaging 27 points, seven rebounds and 3.5 steals per contest. She hit eight 3-pointers in two games, and she opened the week with 28 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals against Georgia Southern, and she followed that on Monday with 26 points, six rebounds and four steals against Jacksonville.
 
Graham (F, 6-0, Jr., Upper Marlboro, Md.) averaged 12.0 rebounds per game this past week, and of her 24 total boards, 21 of them came on the defensive end. Graham, who had 13 rebounds against UMBC, also averaged three steals and three blocks per game. In a contest at No. 6 Mississippi State, Graham not only grabbed 10 rebounds – eight defensive – she also had four blocks and four steals.
 
Other Top Performers
Kiana Williams (B-CU) had 16 points and five rebounds on 6-for-14 shooting against South Florida.
 
Tsahai Corbie (CSU) scored seven points each in contests against UMBC and Mississippi State.
 
Mya Moye (FAMU) dropped 24 points and went 6-for-12 from 3-point range against North Florida.
 
Sarah Edmond (HOW) had 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists against Siena.
 
Kristyn Marsh (HOW) had 12 points and 12 rebounds against Siena.
 
Ashia McCalla (MSU) had 13 points and five rebounds against Niagara.
 
La’Deja James (NSU) averaged 18 points in two games, including 20 points and seven boards in a win over Cheyney.

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MEAC Announces Weekly Men's Basketball Honors

NORFOLK, Virginia -- North Carolina Central’s Randy Miller and Howard’s Charles Williams have been selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Co-Men’s Basketball Players of the Week, the conference announced today. Howard’s Ogheneyole Akuwovo was named Rookie of the Week while Raasean Davis of North Carolina Central is the Defensive Player of the Week.

Miller averaged 20.7 points in three games played over the past week while also shooting 61 percent from the field and 61 percent (14-of-23) from the three-point stripe. He also went 8-of-9 from the free throw line in games versus Cincinnati, Bowling Green and Warren Wilson. He scored 21 points at Cincinnati and Bowling Green while dropping 20 versus Warren Wilson.


Williams averaged 21 points in three games as he shot 53 percent from the field while shooting 52 percent beyond the arc. He had a strong output at Southern Illinois with a season-high 30 points while also shooting 50 percent from the three-point line and 46 percent from three-point range in 34 minutes of play. He also scored 19 points in Howard’s win over UMass.

Akuwovo averaged 7.3 points, 9.3 rebounds in three games played. He had a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds in the win at UMass and also averaged 3.7 offensive rebounds per game.

Davis was a force on the boards over the past week as he averaged 12 rebounds and a blocked shot in three games. The senior pulled down 12 rebounds at Cincinnati while blocking a shot with nine rebounds versus Bowling Green. He closed the week out with a 15-rebound, two-block outing versus Warren Wilson.

NOTABLE PERFORMERS
Justin Ravenel (Florida A&M) made the Jamaica Classic All-Tournament Team after two games when he scored 39 points, and pulled down nine (9) rebound in two games.

Andre Toure (Howard) averaged 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in three games played. He blocked three shots versus Regent and two at Southern Illinois.

MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS

MEAC Announces Weekly Bowling Honors

NORFOLK, Virginia — University of Alabama at Birmingham sophomore Samantha Johnson and Maryland Eastern Shore sophomore Paulina Torres were named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Bowler of the Week, the conference office announced today.

Johnson (So., Apopka, Fla.) was key in UAB repeating as Hornet Classic champions this past weekend, posting the second-best individual average of the tournament at 211.4 in traditional play. She topped the 200-pin mark three times, including a weekend high of 237, and she was named to the All-Tournament Team – the first such honor for her career.

Torres (So., Ponce, Puerto Rico) was the second-best individual at the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawk Classic this past weekend, averaging 221.2 pins in traditional play. She bowled a weekend best of 269, which is the second-best mark in the MEAC this season, and she had three games of at least 200.

Other Top Performers
Aushia McLean (CSU) averaged 162.0 pins in traditional play at the UMES Hawk Classic.

Alexis Neuer (DSU) averaged just over 206 pins at the UMES Hawk Classic and bowled a 248 against Saint Francis (Pa.).

Haley Solberg (MON) had a weekend high of 243 in the UMES Hawk Classic and was sixth overall with a 211.8 average.

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JSU's Ellis Earns SWAC Player of the Week Honor, Nov. 20

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Jackson State’s Christina Ellis has been named the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s women’s basketball player of the week following strong efforts in the Lady Tigers’ past week of competition from Nov. 13-19.

Ellis, a 5-7 guard from San Diego, Calif., led Jackson State to a 1-1 week. In the Lady Tigers’ 65-56 win over Central Arkansas on Nov. 13, Ellis came up clutch as she scored 12 of her team-high 19 points during the fourth quarter of the victory. She added four rebounds, three assists, and three steals during the winning effort.

In a close 68-61 setback at Louisiana-Lafayette, Ellis scored a game-high 25 points on an efficient 8-of-11 night from the floor, corralling six boards, two assists, and two steals.

For the week, Ellis averaged 22.0 points per game, shooting 61.9 percent from the floor. Additionally, she averaged 5.0 boards, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals a night. At the charity stripe, she connected on 17-of-22 attempts, good for a 77.2 percent clip.

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Crusaders nip Gold Rush in another frenetic finish

HATTIESBURG, Mississippi — Leito Holloway's basket with 1.4 seconds remaining lifted William Carey to a 50-49 victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in a matchup of ranked NAIA men's basketball teams.
     
The 10th-ranked Crusaders (2-2) and 23rd-ranked Gold Rush (4-4) split their season series. Both games were decided late — XULA won 74-73 two weeks earlier on Rayshawn Mart's dunk with 2.7 seconds remaining.
     
Holloway answered Monday after Mart's basket with eight seconds remaining gave XULA a 49-48 advantage.
     
XULA led 17-6 through nine minutes, then trailed 43-30 after Brandon Cranford's basket with 9:32 remaining. Mart tied the score at 45 with a 3-pointer at 2:04, then William Loyd made it 47-45 — XULA's first lead in nearly 22 minutes — with a basket with 57 seconds remaining.
     
Holloway's only 3-pointer of tha game made it 48-47 Carey with 36 seconds remaining.
     
Holloway scored a game-high 15 points. Teammate Branden Sheppard blocked five shots and had three steals.
     
Loyd and Ed Carter scored 11 points apiece for the Gold Rush, and Johnell Lane scored 10. Loyd grabbed seven rebounds, and Donovan Armstrong had a season-high-tying five assists.
     
XULA outrebounded William Carey 34-28 but committed 25 turnovers for the second consecutive game and shot a season-low four free throws, making two. XULA has lost four straight after starting the season 4-0.

BOX SCORE
     
The Gold Rush will break for Thanksgiving, then play NAIA No. 2 LSU-Alexandria at 7 p.m. next Mondey in XULA's Convocation Center. It will be the fourth consecutive Moncay that the Gold Rush play a top-10 team.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications
Department of Athletics & Recreation
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
XULAgold.com
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Nuggets, down 11 after 1 quarter, win 53-52 at Carey

 HATTIESBURG, Mississippi — Maya Trench made back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Xavier University of Louisiana held on Monday for a 53-52 women's basketball victory against William Carey.
     
The Gold Nuggets (5-2) snapped a two-game losing streak and earned their first road victory of the season.
     
Trench made 3's with 5:43 and 5:21 remaining to put XULA ahead to stay, 49-45. But the game was not decided until the Lady Crusaders' Danyelle Lewis missed a shot at the buzzer.
     
Jalyn Hodge scored nine points, and Jas Hill produced eight points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals for XULA, which trailed 14-3 after one quarter. Hodge opened the second period with back-to-back 3's.
     
Trench and Nahrie Pierce scored seven points apiece. Trench and Mikayla Bates grabbed six rebounds apiece, and Nina German had four steals.
     
Rachel Thompson had 14 points and seven rebounds for William Carey (0-2), and Lewis grabbed eight rebounds.

BOX SCORE
     
XULA won despite shooting 27.1 percent from the floor.
     
It was the first of four road games in six days for the Gold Nuggets. They'll visit Florida Memorial at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday, then play Friday and Saturday in the Virgin Islands.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications
Department of Athletics & Recreation
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
XULAgold.com
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Week 12: HBCU Band Pageantry

William & Mary Names Mike London as 30th Head Football Coach

London is William & Mary’s first male African American head coach in any sport.

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia (Nov. 19, 2018) -- William & Mary Director of Athletics Samantha K. Huge has announced Mike London, most recently the Head Coach at Howard University, a national championship winning coach, and a former William & Mary assistant, as the Tribe's 30th head football coach.

London will be formally introduced to the William & Mary community and to media at 1 p.m. on Tuesday in the President's Suite at Zable Stadium.

The introductory press conference will be streamed online at Facebook Live and TribeAthletics.com.

"This is an exciting day for William & Mary, and we are thrilled to welcome Mike and his family back to Williamsburg," Huge said. "Mike embodies the values and character that we need to lead our football program forward and he has demonstrated an ability to develop players and win championships over his nearly 30 years in coaching. His unique journey and commitment to the development of young men make him the perfect successor to carry on Coach Jimmye Laycock's 39-year legacy while forging a new path for Tribe Football.

"Our dedicated and passionate advisory group consisting of Joe Montgomery, Kevin Rogers, Todd Stottlemyer, Shawn Knight, Kendrick Ashton, Mike Leach and Lang Campbell all unanimously supported the decision to hire Mike. I want to thank the scores of former players, in particular, Mike Tomlin and Sean McDermott during what has been a busy time, for their invaluable input during this process."

"I come to William & Mary with a deep appreciation for the university, football program and community," London said. "I am honored and excited to build on the incredible tradition of excellence Jimmye Laycock established. He is a part of the foundation of my career and someone I have always respected. I sincerely appreciate President Katherine Rowe and Samantha Huge for making this opportunity possible. I look forward to working with them to pursue championships while developing student-athletes who will pursue excellence in the classroom and on the playing field."

Having won a national title as head coach at the University of Richmond (2008) and having earned Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Coach of the Year honors at the University of Virginia (2011), London returns to Williamsburg after serving as Howard University's head coach the last two seasons. London's tenure leading the Bison was highlighted with his selection as a finalist for the 2017 STATS Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Eddie Robinson Award, which is bestowed upon the nation's top head coach.

"We're delighted to welcome Coach London home to William & Mary," W&M President Katherine Rowe said. "He leads with integrity in every aspect of a football program. He embraces the distinctive rigor of William & Mary as well as our championship aspirations within those high standards."

In addition to his selection as a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, London earned the 2017 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Regional Coach of the Year award after guiding Howard to a 6-2 conference record – the program's first winning season since 2012. His inaugural campaign at HU was highlighted with a season-opening win at UNLV, which was lauded by ESPN as one of college football's greatest upsets.

Prior to his two-year stint at HU, London served as an associate head coach/defensive line coach at the University of Maryland in 2016 where he helped lead the Terps to an appearance in the Quick Lane Bowl.

In addition to garnering ACC Coach of the Year honors at UVA in 2011, London led the Cavaliers to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. En route to earning the postseason bowl bid, he guided UVA to road wins at Miami and Florida State – becoming the first program in the nation to accomplish the feat in the same season.

London gained his first head coaching experience at Richmond, his alma mater, where he amassed a 24-5 record and guided the Spiders to the 2008 FCS national title during his initial campaign. His efforts were recognized by the AFCA, which selected him as the FCS National Coach of the Year. After leading the Spiders to an 8-0 start the following season, UR became just the third FCS school to receive a vote in the Associated Press (AP) Poll.

London landed the head coaching job at UR after an exceptional two-year stint as UVA's defensive coordinator (2006-07). During his first season, the Cavaliers allowed just 289.5 yards per game – the program's best figure in 27 years. The following season, London's defense ranked sixth nationally in sacks and among the nation's top 20 in scoring defense and rushing defense. London oversaw the development of an outstanding group of All-ACC honorees, highlighted by 2007 unanimous All-America standout Chris Long, who was the second overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Before returning to UVA, where he was an assistant from 2001-04, London spent the 2005 season in the NFL as the Houston Texans' defensive line coach. London's first stint with the Cavaliers also included serving as the program's recruiting coordinator from 2002-04.

London, a native of Hampton, Va., began his coaching career as the outside linebackers coach at Richmond in 1988 before coaching the defensive line at William & Mary under Jimmye Laycock (1990-93). He then returned to UR for three more years (1994-96) as the outside linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator before taking on the defensive line coaching duties at Boston College from 1997-00.

A standout defensive back at Richmond (1979-82), London served as a team captain his senior season and was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent in 1983.

London graduated from UR in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in sociology and a year later earned a degree in law enforcement from the Richmond Police Academy. He served as a detective from 1985-87.

London and his wife, Regina, have four children: daughters Ticynn, Jaicyn and Madicyn and son Korben. He has three children from a previous marriage: sons Michael Jr. and Brandon, and daughter Kristen.

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#17 Morehouse Routes Shaw University 93-75 To Sweep SIAC/CIAA Challenge

ATLANTA, Georgia  --  #17 Morehouse College beat Shaw University in convincing fashion 93-75 to sweep the SIAC/CIAA Challenge on Saturday afternoon in Forbes Arena.

The Maroon Tigers start the season 2-0 while the Bears lose their first contest of the year and now sit at 3-1.

MHC was led by sophomore transfer, Chibueze Ebinum (Lanham, MD) who five Maroon Tigers in double figures and finished with a team-high 22 points and seven rebounds, while senior forward Omar Alston (Waldorf, MD) finished with his second double-double in as many games as he had 13 points and hauled down 15 rebounds, including four assist. Junior Michael Olmert (Atlanta, GA) had an efficient 14 points and seven assist in the victory. Senior James Walker (Stone Mountain, GA) chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds while junior transfer Robert Andrews (Detroit, MI) came off the bench to score 12 points while dishing our four assist.

Morehouse took a 51-37 lead into the locker rooms led by Olmert who had nine points and four assist including a perfect 4-of-4 from the field before the intermission. The Maroon Tigers continued the pace in the second half and pulled away for the 18 point victory.

BOX SCORE

The Bears were led by Amir Hinton who finished with a game-high 32 points including hitting 15-of-15 from the charity stripe.

MHC shot an impressive 57 percent from the field while out-rebounding SU 38-24 on the glass. Morehouse also got 29 points from the bench.

The Maroon Tigers return to action this Tuesday evening Nov. 20 against Fisk University in Forbes Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

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Morehouse Simons Secures Spot In NCAA DII National Championships After Finishing Third At South Regional

RESULTS

LAKELAND, Florida – Morehouse College's senior Trey Simons (Sandy, Bermuda) secured his third consecutive trip to the NCAA DII Cross Country National Championships after finishing third at Saturday's South Region race in Lakeland, Florida.

Simons completed the 10K course with a time of 31:49.53 just five seconds behind fellow SIAC runner Raymond Korir of Central State who finished with a time of 31:44.18. Lee University's Christian Noble was the individual champion finishing with a time of 31:19.17.

The Maroon Tigers finished in 13th place with a tally of 321 points. Junior Collins Kiplimo (Kenya) was the next Morehouse runner to cross the finish line with a time of 34:28.38 in 75th, followed by Randy Carter, Jr. (Baton Rouge, LA) in 82nd (34:35.28), and freshman's Qaseem Wajd (Tampa, FL) in 126th (37:53.94), and Nicholas Kipsang (Kenya) in 128th (38:08.33).

The NCAA will release the full qualifying list on Monday. This year's national championship race will be held on Dec. 1 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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