S.C. State snaps NSU’s 5-game winning streak 97-86

ORANGEBURG, S.C. - The moment captured the essence of a game Norfolk State would rather forget. In a fit of anger, Norfolk State forward Larry Vickers slammed the ball underneath his team's basket. There were 40 seconds left in regulation and the Spartans had allowed South Carolina State to secure another offensive rebound and one more opportunity to score.

The Bulldogs, just like they had done all afternoon, took advantage - scoring two more points and increasing their lead in their surprising 97-86 victory Saturday at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Center.

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Sweat's Career-High Eight Strikeouts Lead UCF Past Florida A&M, 16-2

Brown drives in four runs, Duffy scores four times in the win over the Rattlers.

ORLANDO, Fla.- After suffering through a lengthy rain delay before first pitch, the UCF baseball team moved to 2-0 on the season with a 16-2 win over Florida A&M Saturday at Jay Bergman Field. Junior starter Kyle Sweat delivered with a career-high eight strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work for the victory.

The Knights racked up 15 hits in the win over the Rattlers (0-2), led by senior Dwayne Bailey and sophomore Shane Brown, who each posted three hits. Brown also posted a career-high four RBI, and sophomore Chris Duffy set a personal mark with four runs scored.

UCF climbed on top of FAMU and starter Anthony Espin (0-1) in the second as Duffy reached on an error and senior Ryan Richardson blasted a double high off the center-field fence. Following an intentional walk to Brown, freshman Evan Stobbs was issued a free pass with the bases juiced for the first run.

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NCCU's Futrell an inspiration

Photo: Charles Futrell, 6-6/205 forward, senior, Fayetteville, NC, major: Mathematics/Computer Science.

DURHAM -- Even after another defeat, even when N.C. Central’s basketball season seemingly couldn’t get worse, Charles Futrell smiles. It’s the kind of smile that comes with perspective.

To have it, you have to look past the Eagles’ 3-25 record, the 17-game losing streak, the 65-point loss at Duke and the ugly 28-point offensive output at Nebraska. You have to look more at a day in December, when freshman guard Michael Glasker returned from the holiday break and told teammates that his best friend had been shot and killed back home, on Christmas Eve of all days.

The first player to offer condolences was Futrell, who said simply, “I understand.”

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UAPB Golden Lions knock off SEMO in 2008 opener

Now this is the way you start a season.

Traditionally slow starters, Arkansas-Pine Bluff bucked that trend Friday as the Golden Lions outlasted Southeast Missouri State 4-2 in nine innings in their season opener at Taylor Field.

Daniel Gathright (1-0) earned the victory on the mound by pitching three scoreless innings of relief and UAPB (1-0) managed to overcome six errors in the contest to get the win. Justin Moring started the game for UAPB. The junior pitched six innings and gave up two runs — neither of which was earned — to go along with three hits and four strikeouts.

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Atkins is off to good start for Alabama A&M Bulldogs

AAMU QB does well on first dayof spring practice

Kevin Atkins jogged off the field smiling.

A rising sophomore on the Alabama A&M football team, Atkins is the heir apparent to quarterback Kelcy Luke. After Friday's first day of spring practice, all seemed right in Atkins' world. "It went pretty good," said the 6-0, 213-pounder out of Durham, N.C. "I've got to prove to my teammates and my coaches I can lead this team and be the starter. I don't want to get too comfortable or too relaxed.

"I'm going to stay hungry every day and try to get better."

Atkins and Jared Loftin will battle for the starting job this spring. While Atkins played in five games, Loftin, a redshirt sophomore from Troy, has yet to play in a college football game.

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Cobb appeal denied by SCSU

The news came quicker than David Cobb expected Thursday morning.

Upon reading the letter from the Student-Athlete Appeals Committee, it did not take long for Cobb to realize that his South Carolina State basketball career was truly over.

Less than 24 hours after holding a hearing requested by Cobb in regards to his dismissal from the men's basketball team, the five-member committee denied his appeal for reinstatement. Speaking on behalf of the committee, NCAA Faculty Representative Clemmie Hill said they 'supported' the decision by SCSU men's basketball coach Tim Carter to dismiss him following an incident after the loss to Coppin State game on Feb. 9.

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Elliott leaves SCSU football staff for Furman

Photo: New Furman University Wide Receiver coach Antonio (Tony) Elliott.

South Carolina State football head coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough confirmed Friday afternoon that Bulldogs wide receivers coach Tony Elliott had left to take the same position at Furman.

"It's a big loss for us," Pough said. "He has done a tremendous job, built great relationships with the kids and is an all-around quality guy. When you lose a guy of that quality it's tough, but we are going to try to replace him with somebody just as good or better."

Elliott spent the past two years at SCSU, and was a graduate of Clemson University where joined the Tiger football program as a walk-on. He lettered all four years at Clemson and was voted team captain in 2003. As a senior, Elliott caught 23 passes for 286 yards and a touchdown in helping Clemson to a 9-4 record that included a 27-14 Peach Bowl victory over sixth-ranked Tennessee.

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NSU’s success yields renewed enthusiasm

Photo: Junior Michael Deloach #2, makes move against NCA&T. The 6-0/175 guard is from Bonner Academy, Rocky Mount, N.C.

NORFOLK - There is already tangible evidence that the basketball team is moving the needle. The hotel rooms the school bought in blocks for the MEAC tournament next month are already filled up.

Donations have increased, too, according to Kim Walton, director of the school’s alumni relations department. Normally, 8.2 percent of the university’s graduates contribute money. This year, Phillip Adams, vice president of university advancement, said Norfolk State should be able to realize its goal of securing financial contributions from 10 percent of alumni.

The school’s fundraising campaign, coincidentally, is titled “Winning Season.”

The student community and alumni are gradually embracing the Spartans, who are tied for first in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference as they prepare to face South Carolina State this afternoon in Orangeburg, S.C.

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This 4 p.m. game will be televised live on ESPN Classic, Norfolk State University Spartans vs. South Carolina State University Bulldogs.

UCF Baseball Pounds Out 17 Runs in Opening-Day Win over FAMU

Photo: FAMU starting pitcher Cirilo Manego had a difficult day on the mound pitching 2.1 innings, giving up 12 hits, 10 runs and 3 strikeouts to UCF Knights.

Knights defeat Rattlers, 17-1, to tie school record for most runs in a season-opener.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A festive crowd of 1,282 ventured to Opening Day at Jay Bergman Field Friday and had a lot to cheer about as UCF routed Florida A&M, 17-1. The Knights' 17 runs tied a school record for most in a season-opener, as they also accomplished the feat vs. Rollins in 1998.

Senior Jaager Good (1-0) got the start for the Black and Gold and gave up just two hits and struck out eight in 5.2 innings of work, including striking out the side in the first. At the dish, senior Dwayne Bailey came one hit shy of matching the school mark for hits in a game, as he went 5-for-5 with four runs scored. Meanwhile, senior Tyson Auer tied his career high by scoring four runs as well.

"As long as you win by one run, it's a W," said head coach Jay Bergman, who enters his 26th season with UCF. "I thought we played very well tonight, particularly defensively, and Jaager was in control of his game. The team played with a lot of enthusiasm and what we call synergy."

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Promise still has Williams at Coppin State

Photo: Coppin State University Coach Harvey Lee had some painful days last season going 0-44 with only 11 players. Better days are ahead for the Eagles in 2008 with a full roster of talented players.

No games have been played yet, but life as a Coppin State baseball player is better for Harry Williams (Potomac '06) this season than it ever was last season. It's easy to see why. All the sophomore first baseman has to do is scan the field.

There are players catching fly balls in the outfield, third basemen taking grounders and pitchers working out on the mound. Last season, Williams did all those things, filling in at all but two positions for a Coppin State team that fielded 11 total players and finished the season 0-44.

Williams could have bolted the program after 2007, but second-year coach Harvey Lee made a promise to Williams. If Williams stayed, Lee said he would not only find more players to field a competitive team. That team would be built around Williams. "Coach Lee guaranteed that we would have a team and it would be a lot better," said Williams, who hit a team-high .339 last season. "When he said that, I believed every word he said about it. He kept his word."

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The Coppin State baseball home opening weekend has been postponed due to snow and rain in the Baltimore area and instead the Eagles will travel to Hofstra for their season opener. The Eagles were originally scheduled to host the Pride for single games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Hofstra and Coppin State, pending weather in the Hempstead area, will play a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at noon.

FAMU quarterback jailed; reported attack a hoax

Photo: Division I transfer freshman quarterback and student Mike Johnson confessed to filing a false report on being attacked at Florida A&M University. The entire story was a fabrication.

Florida A&M freshman quarterback Michael Johnson was arrested Friday after he admitted to campus police that he lied about being attacked at gunpoint by three masked men in his dorm room earlier this week. Johnson, 19, was taken to the Leon County Jail. He faces charges of filing a false report to law enforcement and making false official statements. Both charges are misdemeanors.

"During the course of the investigation, he decided to confess to committing the act," FAMU Police Chief Calvin Ross said Friday evening.

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A Renaissance is on in the SWAC and MEAC

Photo: North Carolina A&T State University Aggies head baseball coach Keith Shumate (9th year). #23 is RH Pitcher Marquis Frink, 5-10/180 junior, Garner, N.C., Louisburg Junior College/Pine Forest H.S.

As Mississippi Valley State coach Doug Shanks looks around the Southwestern Athletic Conference, he likes the scenery.

He sees a traditional power like Southern University, the first historically black school to win an NCAA tournament game. He sees the new bully on the block at Prairie View A&M, the two-time defending SWAC champion. He sees vastly improved programs at Grambling and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He sees schools like Jackson State and Texas Southern with a stable of fine athletes. He sees improving facilities. He sees better attendance. He sees higher-caliber players.

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Rattlers trying to make the right pitch for '08 season

Photo: FAMU head baseball coach Robert Lucus.

The Florida A&M Rattlers were picked to finish fifth in the MEAC's preseason baseball poll. Whether FAMU finishes above, below or right at its preseason ranking could depend a lot on its effectiveness of their pitching.

Injuries decimated the unit last season, but the pitching staff appears relatively healthy heading into this weekend's season-opening series at Central Florida.

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Florida A&M University 2008 Baseball Schedule

Date Opponent / Event Location Time / Result

02/16/08 Alumni Game Tallahassee, FL 10:00 a.m. ET
02/22/08 at UCF Orlando, FL 6:00 p.m. ET
02/23/08 at UCF Orlando, FL 1:00 p.m. ET
02/24/08 at UCF Orlando, FL 1:00 p.m. ET
02/28/08 at Concordia Al Selma, AL 3:00 p.m. ET
03/01/08 vs. Savannah State Tallahassee, FL 1:00 p.m. ET
03/02/08 vs. Savannah State Tallahassee, FL 1:00 p.m. ET
03/04/08 at Mercer Macon, GA 4:00 p.m. ET
03/05/08 at Mercer Macon, GA 1:00 p.m. ET
03/06/08 vs. Presbyterian Tallahassee, FL 2:00 p.m. ET
03/07/08 vs. Presbyterian Tallahassee, FL 1:00 p.m. ET
03/12/08 at Edward Waters Jacksonville, FL 6:00 p.m. ET
03/22/08 vs. Bethune Cookman @ Tallahassee, FL 1:00 p.m. ET
vs. Bethune Cookman @ Tallahassee, FL TBA
03/23/08 vs. Bethune Cookman @ Tallahassee, FL 1:00 p.m. ET
03/25/08 vs. Alabama State Tallahassee, FL 2:00 p.m. ET
03/26/08 vs. Albany State Tallahassee, FL 3:00 p.m. ET
03/27/08 at Albany State Albany, GA 3:00 p.m. ET
03/29/08 at North Carolina A&T @ Greensboro, N.C. 1:00 p.m. ET
at North Carolina A&T @ Greensboro, N.C. TBA
03/30/08 at North Carolina A&T @ Greensboro, N.C. 1:00 p.m. ET
04/01/08 at Jacksonville Jacksonville, FL 3:00 p.m. ET
04/03/08 vs. Concordia Al Tallahassee, FL 3:00 p.m. ET
04/05/08 at Savannah State Savannah, GA 1:00 p.m. ET
04/06/08 at Savannah State Savannah, GA 1:00 p.m. ET
04/08/08 vs. Mercer Tallahassee, FL 1:00 p.m. ET
04/09/08 vs. Mercer Tallahassee, FL 1:00 p.m. ET
04/10/08 at Morehouse Atlanta, GA 3:00 p.m. ET
04/12/08 at Delaware State @ Dover, DE 1:00 p.m. ET
at Delaware State @ Dover, DE TBA
04/13/08 at Delaware State @ Dover, DE 1:00 p.m. ET
04/15/08 vs. Edward Waters Tallahassee, FL 3:00 p.m. ET
04/16/08 vs. Jacksonville Tallahassee, FL 3:00 p.m. ET
04/19/08 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore @ Tallahassee, FL 1:00 p.m. ET
vs. Maryland Eastern Shore @ Tallahassee, FL TBA
04/20/08 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore @ Tallahassee, FL 1:00 p.m. ET
04/22/08 at Alabama State Montgomery, AL 3:00 p.m. ET
04/23/08 at North Florida Jacksonville, FL 3:00 p.m. ET
04/26/08 vs. Coppin State @ Tallahassee, FL 1:00 p.m. ET
vs. Coppin State @ Tallahassee, FL TBA
04/27/08 vs. Coppin State @ Tallahassee, FL 1:00 p.m. ET
05/03/08 at Norfolk State @ Norfolk, VA 1:00 p.m. ET
at Norfolk State @ Norfolk, VA TBA
05/04/08 at Norfolk State @ Norfolk, VA 1:00 p.m. ET
05/15/08 MEAC Baseball Tournament Norfolk, VA TBA
05/16/08 MEAC Baseball Tournament Norfolk, VA TBA
05/17/08 MEAC Baseball Tournament Norfolk, VA TBA
05/18/08 MEAC Baseball Tournament Norfolk, VA TBA

Fisk eliminates varsity sports as part of cost-cutting measures

The players on Fisk's men's basketball team knew they had only one game left to play this season. On Thursday they learned Sunday's game at Spalding University would be the last for the Bulldogs. The school announced Thursday it will transition from NCAA sanctioned athletic teams to an intramural and club sports system as part of an effort to cut costs.

Fisk's athletics program costs the school approximately $300,000 per year to operate and brought in only about $10,000 each year in revenue, according to Ken West, vice president of communications and public relations. Fisk competes on the NCAA Division III level, which means it does not provide athletic scholarships.

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This article is posted for my sister who is a Fisk University alumna...send more money!!

Texas Southern releases tenative 2008 schedule

Texas Southern University announced its tentative schedule Thursday, with the Tigers playing four of their five home dates at Alexander Durley Field, including a Nov. 15 game against Grambling. The school's Nov. 8 homecoming contest against Mississippi Valley State is at Delmar Stadium.

TSU will play Shaw (N.C.) University on Sept. 13 in Sacramento, Califorinia, and the Tigers will close out the season in Dallas against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 29. This will Coach Johnnie Cole first season as head of the football program.

TSU 2008 football schedule

Aug. 30: vs. Prairie View (Reliant)
Sept. 13 vs. Shaw (Sacramento, Ca.)
Sept. 20 vs. Texas College (Waco)
Sept. 27 vs. Concordia
Oct. 4 vs. Langston
Oct. 11 at Southern
Oct. 18 vs. Jackson State
Oct. 25 at Alcorn State
Nov. 8 vs. Miss. Valley St. (Delmar Stadium)
Nov. 15 vs. Grambling
Nov. 29 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Dallas)

Bethune Cookman Wildcats carry weight of expectations

Photo: BCU head baseball coach Mervy Melendez

Baseball is the flagship program at Bethune-Cookman as far as competitiveness goes. While a winning season in many other sports at the schools is reason to celebrate, that's not the case with the baseball teams. "If we don't make the NCAAs, there's a feeling that we haven't been successful," B-CU coach Mervyl Melendez said. B-CU has dominated the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and has advanced to the NCAAs in seven of the last eight seasons.

The journey toward the 2008 NCAA tourney begins tonight for both teams, as Bethune-Cookman plays host to Temple at 6 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

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2008 Bethune-Cookman Baseball Schedule

Date Opponent / Event Location Time / Result

Fri., Feb. 22 vs. Temple Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 23 vs. Temple Daytona Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 24 vs. Temple Daytona Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 26 vs. Florida Atlantic Daytona Beach, Fla. 4:00 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 29 at USC Los Angeles, Calif. 10:00 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 1 at UCLA Los Angeles, Calif. 8:00 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 2 vs. Southern Los Angeles, Calif. 4:00 p.m.
Tue., Mar. 4 vs. Georgia Southern Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m.
Wed., Mar. 5 vs. USF Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 7 vs. Illinois State Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 8 vs. Illinois State Daytona Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 9 vs. Illinois State Daytona Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m.
Mon., Mar. 10 vs. North Florida Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m.
Tue., Mar. 11 at Mercer Macon, Ga. 6:00 p.m.
Wed., Mar. 12 at Mercer Macon, Ga. 4:00 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 15 vs. Penn State West Palm Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m.
vs. Pittsburgh West Palm Beach, Fla. 5:00 p.m.
Tue., Mar. 18 vs. Florida Gulf Coast Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m.
Wed., Mar. 19 vs. Florida Gulf Coast Daytona Beach, Fla. 3:00 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 22 at Florida A&M * Tallahassee, Fla. 1:00 p.m.
at Florida A&M * Tallahassee, Fla. 4:30 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 23 at Florida A&M * Tallahassee, Fla. 1:00 p.m.
Tue., Mar. 25 at Miami Coral Gables, Fla. 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Mar. 26 at Miami Coral Gables, Fla. 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 28 vs. Savannah State Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 29 vs. Savannah State Daytona Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 30 vs. Savannah State Daytona Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m.
Tue., Apr. 1 at Stetson DeLand, Fla. 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Apr. 2 at USF Tampa, Fla. 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 5 vs. North Carolina A&T * Daytona Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m.
vs. North Carolina A&T * Daytona Beach, Fla. 4:30 p.m.
Sun., Apr. 6 vs. North Carolina A&T * Daytona Beach, Fla. 2:00 p.m.
Tue., Apr. 8 at Stetson DeLand, Fla. 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Apr. 9 vs. Jacksonville Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 12 vs. Norfolk State * Ormond Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m.
vs. Norfolk State * Ormond Beach, Fla. 4:30 p.m.
Sun., Apr. 13 vs. Norfolk State * Daytona Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m.
Tue., Apr. 15 vs. Jacksonville Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m.
Wed., Apr. 16 vs. USF Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 19 at Coppin State * Baltimore, Md. 1:00 p.m.
at Coppin State * Baltimore, Md. 4:30 p.m.
Sun., Apr. 20 at Coppin State * Baltimore, Md. 1:00 p.m.
Tue., Apr. 22 vs. Stetson Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m.
Thu., Apr. 24 at North Florida Jacksonville, Fla. 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 26 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore * Daytona Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m.
vs. Maryland Eastern Shore * Daytona Beach, Fla. 4:30 p.m.
Sun., Apr. 27 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore * Daytona Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m.
Tue., Apr. 29 at Jacksonville Jacksonville, Fla. 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Apr. 30 at USF Tampa, Fla. 7:00 p.m.
Sat., May 3 at Delaware State * Dover, Del. 1:00 p.m.
at Delaware State * Dover, Del. 4:30 p.m.
Sun., May 4 at Delaware State * Dover, Del. 1:00 p.m.
Tue., May 6 at Florida Atlantic Boca Raton, Fla. 4:00 p.m.
Wed., May 7 at Florida Gainesville, Fla. 6:30 p.m.

MEAC Tournament
Thu., May 15 MEAC Tournament Norfolk, Va. TBA

FAMU QB robbed, threatened at gunpoint in campus dormitory

Photo: Mike Johnson, 6-1/208 quarterback, freshman transfer from Division I, University of Tulsa/Durham (NC) Hillside H.S.

Masked men wrote 'Mike + football = death' on son's mirror, says mother of football player.

The mother of a Florida A&M University football player says three masked men put a gun to her son's head and threatened that he would die if he stays on the team.

Mina Forte-Ferguson, of Durham, N.C., said it happened to her son, Mike Johnson, 19, in his campus dorm room. Johnson heard a knock at the door about 4 a.m. Tuesday. The three men rushed in and pushed him onto his bed. They wrote "Mike + football = death" on his mirror, television and refrigerator, his mother said. They also stole items from his room. She and her husband, Neil Ferguson, drove from Durham, N.C., to meet with FAMU officials Thursday.

Johnson is a freshman and enrolled at FAMU for the spring semester. He transferred from the University of Tulsa and was recruited as a quarterback.

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Johnson was a three-year letter winner and two-year starter at Hillside High School completing 65 percent of his passes for 3,142 yards and 27 touchdowns his senior season. He also rushed for 500 yards and five TDs and was a first-team all-conference, all-area and honorable mention all-state selection as a senior. Johnson had a two-star rating by Scout.com and Rivals.com coming out of high school. He threw for 1,524 yards and 12 touchdowns his junior campaign and was a second-team all-conference performer as a junior.

Florida A&M football is coached by Joe Taylor, who was hired in late December 2007.

Three Baltimore teams could be tournament-bound

Photo: Coach Todd Bozeman has built the Bears into a NCAA Tournament contender in two seasons as head of the Morgan State program.

UMBC, Morgan State and Loyola in the hunt as season winds down

In a perfect storm of opportunity, chemistry and ambitious coaching, three NCAA, Division I college basketball teams from Baltimore have raised the roof on expectations this season. As the college basketball season careens down the stretch, it's worth noting that Baltimore rarely has one team in contention for an NCAA berth. This season, it could hit the trifecta. Who would've imagined that?

On the east side of town, coach Todd Bozeman's cultural revolution has lifted Morgan State from the dregs of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference to a first-place tie with Norfolk State. The chances of a historic first NCAA Division I berth are not lost on the Bears. What were the odds that Bozeman could elevate the program at Morgan State in just two years? The MEAC is among the lower ranked conferences in Division I, but the Bears are not the product of a weak conference. With Marquise Kately, Boubacar Coly and Jerrell Green, they have the look of a legitimate tournament team.

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Alabama A&M quarterback job up in air

Sophomores lead race to replace Luke at A&M

Life after Kelcy Luke begins Friday for Alabama A&M's football team as redshirt sophomores Kevin Atkins and Jared Loftin compete for the starting job during spring drills. Luke, a first-team All-SWAC selection last season, was a four-year starter for the Bulldogs and led them to the 2006 league title.

Stanley Allen, who took over for an injured Luke in the '06 title game as A&M came from behind to beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff, left the team last season after falling behind Atkins on the depth chart. "He felt he had some other obligations he had to take care of," said A&M coach Anthony Jones, who is starting over in terms of finding someone to execute the Bulldogs' offense.

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Here's to you, (Savannah State) Ms. Robinson

Photo: SSU's Patrice Robinson stays busy with school, basketball and visiting her 18-month-old daughter. The 6-1 junior forward is majoring in mass communications.

Patrice Nicole "Nikki" Robinson was only 22 when she learned she was pregnant.

A former basketball star at Swainsboro High School, Robinson thought her dream of playing for four years at the collegiate level had vanished.

During her senior season at Swainsboro, Robinson led the Tigers to the Class AAA state championship game, where they lost to Northeast Macon. She was named the Savannah Morning News Player of the Year in 2002.

Although recruited by Savannah State, Robinson signed a letter of intent to play for Mercer. But she ended up at Georgia Perimeter, a junior college in Decatur, where she played for two seasons.

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CHASING THE DREAM: North Carolina A&T grad rolling with the punches

Photo: Actress Zonya Love (Johnson) stars in the Broadway production of The Color Purple. The Durham, N.C. native earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from North Carolina A&T State University and a Masters of Fine Arts in Theatre from UNLV.

NCA&T and UNLV grad looking toward future as big break in 'Color Purple' comes to end.

It's one of those moments that can break a career -- or a heart.

There Zonya Love was, an aspiring actress fresh from completing her graduate studies in the UNLV theater department, vying for the role of a woman on a long journey of self-discovery, a path marked by bruises and scars, tough luck and tougher skin.

It was last November, and after months of auditioning for the role of "Celie" in the Broadway production of "The Color Purple," Love got one of those calls that can change a life.

"They called me into the room, and the producer said, 'So, can we officially call you Ms. Celie?'" Love says, her voice still scorched with incredulity. "My eyes got big, my mouth opened wide, and I was taken aback for a second. I remember twirling around and shaking hands, keeping my composure, and then going into the restroom and I just lost it. I was crying. I was praising God. I was dancing. It was the best feeling. Ever."

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Zonya Love made her Broadway debut as Celie in the hit musical The Color Purple, on January 9, 2008, alongside Chaka Khan as Sofia and BeBe Winans as Harpo. It also stars Elisabeth Withers-Mendes as Shug Avery, Alton Fitzgerald White as Mister, Darlesia Cearcy as Nettie and Krisha Marcano as Squeak.

A native of Durham, North Carolina, Love received a BFA in theatre from North Carolina A&T State University,(AGGIE PRIDE!!!) and a MFA in theatre from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. She moved to New York in September 2007 and was teaching theater and Head Start classes when she got a callback for The Color Purple. Love's previous stage credits include Intimate Apparel, Wit, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, and Smokey Joe's Cafe.

Her parents are Zander Johnson Sr. and Earline Shackleford and she has five siblings.

The Color Purple was produced by Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, and others...

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Prairie View A&M Releases 2008 Football Schedule

Prairie View A&M University Sports Information

Prairie View A&M's schedule highlighted by three classics

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas - Prairie View A&M Athletics Department has released its 2008football schedule which features a total of eleven games.

The Panthers will open the season with the Annual State Farm Labor Day Classic against cross town rival Texas Southern on August 30th. Prairie View A&M will then hosts Texas College on September 6th before heading to Huntsville to take on Sam Houston State on September 13th.

“We’re extremely excited about the 2008 Prairie View A&M Panthers football schedule,” said Athletics Director Charles McClelland. The schedule features eleven games with the addition of the Sam Houston State Bearkats from the Southland conference,”

Photo: PVAMU Panthers football coach Henry Frazier III.

After facing the Bearkats, the Prairie View A&M Panthers will make their first out of state appearances as they travel to Itta Bena, Miss. on September 20th and Los Angeles, Calif. on September 27th to square off against Mississippi Valley State University and Morehouse College, respectively.

“It’s definitely an honor for our football program to have the opportunity to travel back to Los Angeles to participate in the Angel City Classic,” said McClelland. “We’re looking forward to an exciting game between the Panthers and the Morehouse Tigers”.

Prairie View A&M will take on Grambling State in the Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic on October 4th, followed by a Southwestern Athletic Conference East vs. West showdown against Alabama State for Homecoming 2008 on October 11th.

“Traditionally our Homecoming game has been scheduled for the last weekend in October or first weekend in November,” said McClelland. “Due to a change in SWAC scheduling policy several of our conference games were moved down. Our annual game against Southern which is typically played during the third week of the season, has been moved to October 25th at Reliant Stadium which left October 11th as the most viable option for Homecoming.”

The week following Homecoming, PVAMU will travel to Pine Bluff, Ark. for a game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on October 18th, before hosting the Southern Jaguars on October 25th at Reliant Stadium.

The Panthers will close out their 2008 season with a road outing versus Alabama A&M on November 8th and a home contests against Alcorn State at Blackshear Field on November 15th.

“Overall we’re highly anticipating the 2008 football season,” said McClelland. “We look forward to bringing exciting Panther football to Prairie View A&M fans and athletics supporters.”

Prairie View A&M head football coach Henry Frazier III is also pleased with the Panthers 2008 schedule.

“We were able to put together a highly competitive schedule and we’re looking forward to the upcoming season,” said Frazier. “We will face two ex Big 12 starting quarterbacks the first three weeks of the season. Our first couple of games should be a great gage for measuring what type of football team we have.”

On August 30th the Panthers defensive unit will look to contain former Oklahoma State starting quarterback Bobby Reid who recently signed to play at TSU. Two weeks later the Prairie View A&M Panthers will once again find themselves tangling with another former Big 12 starting quarterback as they travel to Huntsville to take on OU transfer Rhett Bomar and the Sam Houston State Bearkats.


DATE OPPONENT STADIUM LOCATION TIME

Aug. 30 * Texas Southern (Labor Day Classic)Reliant Houston, Texas 7:00 pm
Sept. 6 Texas College Blackshear Field Prairie View 4:00 pm
Sept. 13 Sam Houston State Bowers Stadium Huntsville, Texas 6:00 pm
Sept. 20 Miss. Valley State Rice-Totten Stadium Itta Bena, Miss. 2:00 pm
Sept. 27 Morehouse (Angel City Classic)Coliseum Los Angeles, Calif. TBA
Oct. 4 * Grambling State (State Fair Classic)Cotton Bowl Dallas, Texas 6:00 pm
Oct. 11 * Alabama State (Homecoming) Blackshear Field Prairie View 2:00 pm
Oct. 18 * Arkansas- Pine Bluff Golden Lion Pine Bluff, Ark. TBA
Oct. 25 * Southern Reliant Houston, Texas 6:00 pm
Nov. 8 * Alabama A&M Lewis Crews Huntsville, Ala. TBA
Nov. 15 * Alcorn State Blackshear Field Prairie View 2:00 pm

*Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) games.

For season pass and ticket information please call 936-261-9100 or 9111 or visit the Pathers online at http://sports.pvamu.edu/.

Click on Blog Title for printable schedule.

He once shunned basketball; now embraces it at Norfolk State

Photo: NSU #11, Joseph Dorsett-Jeffreys, Center, 6-11/285 sophomore, Brox, NY/North Dakota State College of Science.

NORFOLK, VA- In the crowded streets of New York City, Joseph Dorsett-Jeffreys was admittedly self-conscious. Each day, he would attract stares of strangers, some of whom would pepper the unusually big teen with the usual questions:

How tall are you? Do you play basketball? What team do you play for?

Dorsett-Jeffreys, Norfolk State's 6-foot-11 sophomore center, would sigh and roll his eyes. He didn't appreciate that he was typecast at 15. Even though he had a decided advantage because of his height, he was determined that he wouldn't spend his free time running up and down 94 feet of finished hardwood. Besides, his high school coach at Park West in Manhattan told him he had no future in the sport.

"At first, I couldn't even stand basketball," Dorsett-Jeffreys said. "I can't even lie."

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Halfcourt heave a big sigh of relief for Hampton University

Photo: Hampton University guard Vincent (Vinny)Simpson, 6-1 sophomore from Cardinal Dougherty H.S., Philadelphia, PA.

Vinny Simpson walked. He claims otherwise, but even his coaches sheepishly concede the extra step. Nearly a week has passed since Simpson's 50-foot heave at the buzzer banked in to lift the Pirates over visiting South Carolina State 77-74. But replaying the shot still prompts smiles in coach Kevin Nickelberry's office and the team's locker room.

"Whenever I saw a shot like that on TV, I thought, 'I wish I could do that one day,' " Simpson said prior to Wednesday's practice. "Especially from halfcourt. And I didn't want to hit one at halftime. I wanted to hit the game-winner." So he did. From a step beyond midcourt. Despite the presence of two defenders.

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Click here to see winning shot: http://www.dailypress.com/video/?slug=dp-video-lastsec

UMES Hawks, perched in third place, eye second

Photo: University of Maryland Eastern Shore head women basketball coach Fred Batchelor (4th Year).

4 regular-season games left

PRINCESS ANNE, MD -- University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's basketball coach Fred Batchelor, not long ago, had been reluctant to talk about where his team was in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings. The Hawks only recently crossed the halfway point of the MEAC schedule, and there was a lot of basketball left, Batchelor would point out, and a lot of room to move up or down in the standings.

Well, after a weekend road trip that included a loss to the MEAC's top team, North Carolina A&T, and a big victory against Norfolk State, the Hawks are sitting in a tie for third place. They have just four games remaining, three of which are at home, beginning with Saturday's homecoming contest against Florida A&M.

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Florida Justice to speak at Bethune Cookman University AKA Celebration

Photo: Honorable Peggy A. Quince, Florida Supreme Court Justice

DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy A. Quince is the scheduled speaker Sunday at Bethune-Cookman University for a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Appointed in 1999, Quince is the first black woman to serve on the state's highest court and the third female justice in the court's history. She is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. Howard University is also where the sorority was established June 15, 1908.

The Centennial Founders' Day celebration begins at 3 p.m. at the Center for Civic Engagement. Sunday's program is free and open to the public. Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-letter organization established by black college-trained women. The sorority has more than 49,000 active members.

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Justice Peggy A. Quince was born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1948. She is married to Fred L. Buckine, attorney at law, and they have two daughters, Peggy LaVerne, a graduate of Florida A & M University, and Laura LaVerne, a graduate of the University of Central Florida. Justice Quince graduated in 1970 from Howard University with a B.S. Degree in Zoology; she received her J.D. Degree from the Catholic University of America in 1975.

Continue reading bio: http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/justices/quince.shtml

Former Tennessee State Tigerbelle used endurance well

Photo: Madeline Manning Mims, Ordained Minister, Motivational Speaker and Gospel Singer. Served as a volunteer Chaplain for the U.S. Olympic team in five Olympics since the 1988 Games in Seoul, Korea.

After quiet start, Manning Mims made big impact.

Madeline Manning Mims escaped the ghetto by taking one step at a time. If that sounds kind of slow and methodical, it wasn't. In fact, it was Manning Mims' incredibly fast feet that carried her from an impoverished childhood to Tennessee State University where she became a national record-setter, and then on to the Olympics where she was a gold and silver medal-winner.

On Feb. 29, 2008, Manning Mims will join 10 other inductees being enshrined in the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame during an annual banquet at the Renaissance Hotel. "When I was 16 years old they put me on the U.S. National Team and over to Russia, Poland and West Germany I go,'' Manning Mims said.

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Madeline Manning Mims has been a member of four Olympic track teams (1968, 1972, 1976and 1980) and served as captain in '72, '76 and '80. She is the first and only American female to win an Olympic gold medal in the 800-meter event, accomplishing this feat in Mexico City in 1968. In addition, she won a silver medal as part of the 4 x 400-meter relay team, with teammates Mable Fergerson, Kathy Hammond, and Cheryl Toussaint, at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

Manning Mims, a student at Tennessee State from 1968 to 1972, was a consistent winner during her 16-year athletic career.

Manning Mims was inducted in the USATF Hall of Fame in 1984. Here is a link to her Hall of Fame bio and the Olympic and American records held.

Please click here: http://www.usatf.org/halloffame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=100

Manning Mims has an accomplished daughter, Lana Mims, currently an All-Big 12 star in the long jump, 60m, 100m, 200m, and 4x100 meters sprints at the University of Missouri. The sophomore is majoring in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in Aerospace ... active as a missionary, visiting Guyana, Suriname, and Belize ... also is a drummer and percussionist.

Lana was a three-time Oklahoma High School champion, winning long jump titles in 2005 and 2006, adding a high jump title in 2006 ... holds the state's second-longest long jump mark all-time and broke the state's 4A record in the event.

Other recent Manning Mims Articles: http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2008/01/turning_gold_into_inspiration.html

Norfolk State Spartans hope transfers will fill gaps

Photo: Norfolk State University head baseball coach Claudell Clark

NORFOLK, VA - Moriba George doesn't hide the fact that his early days with the Norfolk State baseball program were a struggle. "My first year was the worst year of baseball I've ever had," said George, a senior shortstop. "We were like 0-and-February."

But, later that season, things began to change as the Spartans made a surprise run to the MEAC title game. The next year, they went 11-7 in MEAC play, setting their record for regular-season MEAC wins.

Now the Spartans, who open their season Friday against Chicago State in a tournament in Savannah, Ga., are hoping to take another big step.

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http://www.nsuspartans.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball&schedule=9&

Norfolk State University 2008 Baseball Schedule

HBCU Baseball Classic
2/22/2008 Chicago State Savannah, Ga. 1:30 p.m. Details
2/23/2008 North Carolina Central Savannah, Ga. 10:30 a.m. Details
2/24/2008 Savannah State Savannah, Ga. 1:30 p.m. Details
2/26/2008 Liberty Norfolk, Va. 2 p.m. Details
3/1/2008 Lafayette (DH) Norfolk, Va. 1 p.m. Details
3/2/2008 Lafayette Norfolk, Va. Noon Details
3/5/2008 Longwood Norfolk, Va. 3 p.m. Details
3/8/2008 North Carolina Central (DH) Norfolk, Va. 1 p.m. Details
3/9/2008 North Carolina Central (DH) Norfolk, Va. 1 p.m. Details
3/12/2008 Old Dominion Norfolk, Va. 3 p.m. Details
3/16/2008 Longwood (DH) Norfolk, Va. 1 p.m. Details
3/19/2008 Virginia Military Institute Norfolk, Va. 3 p.m. Details
3/22/2008 * North Carolina A&T (DH) Greensboro, N.C. 1 p.m. Details
3/23/2008 * North Carolina A&T Greensboro, N.C. Noon Details
3/26/2008 Old Dominion Norfolk, Va. 6 p.m. Details
3/29/2008 * Coppin State (DH) Norfolk, Va. 1 p.m. Details
3/30/2008 * Coppin State Norfolk, Va. Noon Details
4/2/2008 Liberty Lynchburg, Va. 3 p.m. Details
4/3/2008 Virginia State Norfolk, Va. 3 p.m. Details
4/5/2008 * Maryland Eastern Shore (DH) Norfolk, Va. 1 p.m. Details
4/6/2008 * Maryland Eastern Shore Norfolk, Va. Noon Details
4/8/2008 William & Mary Norfolk, Va. 6 p.m. Details
4/12/2008 * Bethune-Cookman (DH) Daytona Beach, Fla. 1 p.m.
4/13/2008 Bethune-Cookman Daytona Beach, Fla. Noon Details
4/16/2008 Virginia Military Institute Lexington, Va. 5 p.m. Details
4/19/2008 * Delaware State (DH) Dover, Del. 1 p.m. Details
4/20/2008 * Delaware State Dover, Del. Noon Details
4/23/2008 Longwood Farmville, Va. 3 p.m. Details
4/26/2008 Savannah State (DH) Norfolk, Va. 1 p.m. Details
4/27/2008 Savannah State (DH) Norfolk, Va. Noon Details
4/30/2008 Virginia Commonwealth Richmond, Va. 6 p.m. Details
5/3/2008 * Florida A&M (DH) Norfolk, Va. 1 p.m. Details
5/4/2008 * Florida A&M Norfolk, Va. Noon Details
5/6/2008 Richmond Norfolk, Va. 6 p.m. Details
5/10/2008 Gardner-Webb Boiling Springs, N.C. 1 p.m. Details
5/11/2008 Gardner-Webb (DH) Boiling Springs, N.C. Noon Details
2008 MEAC Baseball Championship
5/15/2008 MEAC Championship Norfolk, Va. TBA Details
5/16/2008 MEAC Championship Norfolk, Va. TBA Details
5/17/2008 MEAC Championship Norfolk, Va. TBA Details
5/18/2008 MEAC Championship Norfolk, Va. TBA Details

SCSU Bulldogs move FAMU game to Oct. 4

Photo: South Carolina State University athletic director Charlene M. Johnson.

The 2008 South Carolina State versus Florida A&M football contest at Tallahassee, Florida has been moved to Oct. 4 instead of its original date of Oct. 18 in order to assist the Rattlers with a scheduling conflict, Bulldog athletics director Charlene Johnson announced Monday.

The date change, which came after consultation between the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and SC State and Florida A&M officials, will allow the Rattlers to play their longtime rival Southern on Oct. 18, the originally scheduled date of the SCSU-FAMU contest, and give Florida A&M a twelfth game in 2008.

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2008 SCSU Bulldog Football Schedule

Date Opponent Location Time

8/30 Central Florida Orlando, FL TBA
9/6 BENEDICT ORANGEBURG, SC TBA
9/13 BETHUNE-COOKMAN ORANGEBURG, SC TBA
9/20 Clemson Clemson, SC TBA
9/27 Winston-Salem State Winston-Salem, NC TBA
10/4* Florida A&M Tallahassee, FL TBA
10/11 NORFOLK STATE ORANGEBURG, SC TBA
(Homecoming)
10/18* Open
10/25 HAMPTON ORANGEBURG, SC TBA
11/1 Delaware State Dover, DE TBA
11/8 HOWARD ORANGEBURG, SC TBA
11/15 Morgan State Baltimore, MD TBA.
11/22 North Carolina A&T Greensboro, NC TBA

@ All Starting times to be announced later
* Date Change

Pending football slate at Grambling to include Northwestern State

GRAMBLING — Grambling will announce a 2008 football schedule, perhaps as early as today, that includes a new home-and-home deal with Northwestern State. That leaves at least one more non-conference date still to fill. GSU will open next season at Nevada.

“I’m hopeful I can release a schedule in the coming days,” said Grambling athletics director Troy Mathieu. “I’m just waiting on the actual contracts to get in.”

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GSU Tenantive Football Schedule 2008
Date Location

Aug. 30: at Nevada
Sept. 6: Alcorn State
Sept. 13: at Northwestern State
Sept. 20: Jackson State
Oct. 4: Prairie View A&M*
Oct. 11: at Alabama A&M
Oct. 18: Alabama State
Nov. 1: at Mississippi Valley
Nov. 8: Arkansas-Pine Bluff**
Nov. 15: at Texas Southern
Nov. 29: Southern***
Dec. 13: SWAC Championship Game

*-Cotton Bowl, Dallas
**-War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock, Ark.
***-Superdome, New Orleans
Bold - Home game

Bethune Cookman Lady Wildcats blow lead, lose to Morgan State in OT

Photo: Sophomore, Corin Adams made 10 of 13 free throws and scored 19 points to lead Morgan State to victory. The 5-7 point guard is from Madison H.S., Brooklyn, NY.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Bethune-Cookman hit just one field goal in the final 10 minutes of regulation and blew a 15-point lead as Morgan State defeated the struggling Wildcats 55-50 in overtime Monday at the Ocean Center.

Corin Adams' drive with 3:40 left gave the Bears their first lead of the game at 42-40. But freshman Jalisa Isaac of New Smyrna Beach swished a 3-pointer from the corner with 21 seconds to play to put B-CU up 44-42. That was the 'Cats' first field goal since 10:29 when Euneshia Proctor's layup gave B-CU a 39-24 advantage.

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UMES Lady Hawks crush Norfolk State 84-65

NORFOLK, Va. - It started nine games ago. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) went on a seven game winning streak in conference play before they dropped their last two contests. That streak began with a win over Norfolk State University (NSU) and the Lady Hawks hope the streak begins anew as they toppled that same Spartan team 84-65 Monday night on the campus of NSU.

April McBride, Tiffany Reid and Queenique Tyler all posted 16 points in the game. For Tyler it is a new career high while fellow freshmen Casey Morton added 15 points. Both McBride and Reid had a double double as they grabbed 13 and 10 rebounds respectively.

With the win, UMES improves to 8-4 in league play and stands third in the MEAC tied with Morgan State and Delaware State, both of whom UMES has defeated this season.

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Oakley Scores 25 in CSU Eagle Win at Florida A&M

Photo: Shalamar Oakley, 5-6 point guard, Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson H.S.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Senior Shalamar Oakley paced five players in double figures in points with 25 and Coppin State extended its winning streak to four straight with an 85-64 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory over Florida A&M on Monday in Gaither Gymnasium.

Oakley was 11-of-19 from the floor and also added nine points, three assists and one steal. Danielle Anders had 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Rashida Suber scored 13 points and dished out a career-high 10 assists. Jennifer Martin and Whitney Cunningham each scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Eagles.

Coppin State (15-11, 9-3 MEAC), which won for the ninth time in the last 10 games, shot 60.0 percent from the floor in the second half and outscored the Rattlers 52-32.

Florida A&M (11-13, 2-9 MEAC) shot only 32.9 percent from the floor for the game and was 1-of-17 from beyond the three-point arc.

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Oakley was a transfer from Hofstra University to Coppin State University and has completed her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice (3.2 GPA) and is in graduate school. She has aspirations of playing basketball professionally in the WNBA or overseas. Oakley was an All-MEAC rookie and All-MEAC first team scholar-athlete .

Mississippi Valley edges Southern Jaguars

Chris Watson’s one-handed tip-in with 23 seconds to play lifted Mississippi Valley State to a 52-51 Southwestern Athletic Conference victory in front of 759 Monday night at the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Southern (8-16, 6-7 SWAC) lost its fourth straight game and for the sixth time in its last eight games after a 4-1 conference start. Valley (9-15, 7-6) snapped a two-game losing streak. The Delta Devils had lost four of its previous six games. SU can look back at a host of missed opportunities. The Jaguars led by 15 points with 7:31 left in the first half, but squandered that momentum before halftime.

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JSU's coach must retool after 2007 success

The reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference East Division baseball champions have been picked to retain the title in 2008.

The honor carries very little weight with Jackson State coach Omar Johnson. "That doesn't mean anything," Johnson said. "They didn't pick us to win last year, and we basically walked through the second half. "It's who's going to play well down the stretch." What it does mean is the Tigers are being held in high respect around the league after just one season with Johnson leading the program.

With a rookie head coach, Jackson State (33-23) posted its first 30-win season since athletic director Bob Braddy ran the team. The feat was even more meaningful considering the 2006 season was virtually wiped clean because JSU used two players that were ineligible.

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Jackson State Season Opener: at Georgia State, Friday: 4 p.m.

Southern University, FAMU to play this season

Photo: Southern University Dancing Dolls -2007

Southern and Florida A&M will play football in 2008 after all.

The schools, with the help of South Carolina State, came to an agreement to play, and FAMU sent out a release announcing the game Monday. The sides have yet to sign a contract. “We agreed to it,” Southern Athletic Director Greg LaFleur said Monday.

A new contract establishing dates for the final three games (barring any interruption: at Florida A&M in 2009 and 2011 and at Southern in 2010) will need to be authored. “It worked out great,” LaFleur said. “Thanks to South Carolina State. This would not have been possible without the cooperation of South Carolina State.”

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Proposed 2008 Football Schedule

Date Opponent

Aug. 30 at Houston
Sept. 6 at Tenn. State
Sept. 13 MISS. VALLEY
Sept. 20 Open
Sept. 27 at Alcorn State*
Oct. 4 at Jackson State*
Oct. 11 TEXAS SOUTHERN*
Oct. 18 FLORIDA A&M
Oct. 25 at Prairie View*
Nov. 1 UAPB*
Nov. 8 Open
Nov. 15 ALABAMA STATE*
Nov. 22 Open
Nov. 29 Grambling* (Bayou Classic)

* Southwestern Athletic Conference games
Home games in CAPS

'Fang' Mitchell, among 13 to enter Gloucester County (N.J.) Sports Hall of Fame

Photo: Ron "Fang" Mitchell, head basketball coach Coppin State University - 21 years; (29 years experience), native of Philadelphia, PA; graduate of Coppin State University.

Coppin State University men's basketball coach Ron "Fang' Mitchell, along with former Washington Township High football star Mike Koerner will be among the 13 inductees to the Gloucester County Sports Hall of Fame during the 28th annual Induction Banquet on March 18, 2008 at Auletto's Caterers in Almonesson, New Jersey, the executive committee has announced.

Tickets for the 28th Annual Banquet are available by calling (856) 435-3367.

Ron "Fang" Mitchell (Gloucester CC): The longtime Coppin State men's basketball coach, Mitchell has earned a reputation as one of the nation's top collegiate coaches. Entering this season, he was Coppin's all-time winningest coach with 318 career victories, three NCAA tournament appearances, two NIT bids, six 20-win seasons, and a share of nine Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles in the 1990s.

Mitchell was a former star player at Gloucester County College, averaging 23 points per game his sophomore season. He later coached the GCC men's basketball teams to a career record of 227-45 from 1978 to 1986, winning four regional junior college titles and 10 Garden State Conference crowns.

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Bright night for DSU Hornets

Photo: DSU 6-6/225 guard/forward Roy Bright hit for 19 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal to lead the Hornets attack against the Aggies.

North Carolina native leads DSU to crucial MEAC win over NCA&T.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Roy Bright took the abuse from the Dawg Pound and responded Monday night with a smile and a game-winning basket.

Playing in his home state and before a large contingent of family and friends, Bright delivered. He led Delaware State to a crucial Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's basketball victory, 70-66, over North Carolina A&T before a rowdy Corbett Sports Center crowd of 3,752.

A native of Durham, N.C., Bright finished with 19 points.

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NSU beats UMES 68-61 with lots of help from Murphy

Photo: NSU senior Tony Murphy stepped up with 25 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 2 steals to keep the Spartans tied with Morgan State for first place in the MEAC.

NORFOLK, VA - When his team needed him most Monday night, Norfolk State senior guard Tony Murphy was there – as he always has been. The Spartans were reeling and on the verge of losing to Maryland-Eastern Shore. But Murphy willed his team to victory, helping Norfolk State prevail 68-61.

First, he helped wrest the lead away from Eastern Shore for the final time, burying a 3-pointer with 4:52 left . Then he knocked out the Hawks with a three-point play two minutes later in what is likely his final home game of his career. It was the defining moment on a night when Murphy scored 25 points.

“It’s good to see him step up,” Norfolk State coach Anthony Evans said. “He’s a senior and it’s great to see him knocking down some shots.”

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JSU Lady Tigers escape Texas Southern with 51-48 win

Photo: Erica Traham, 5-10 junior forward, Baton Rough, LA scored 17 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist in the JSU win.

JSU Office of Athletic Media Relations

HOUSTON, Tex. - After taking a nine point lead into halftime the Jackson State women's basketball team had to fight tooth and nail to hang on and beat Texas Southern 51-48 in Southwestern Athletic Conference action Monday night.

With the win JSU improves to a 13-10 overall record and an 11-2 SWAC mark. Texas Southern falls to 7-15, 5-7.

Two Lady Tigers scored in double figures, with Erica Trahan leading the way with 17 points on 6-9 shooting. Carena Easley followed with a double-double. She finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Camile Parks led Texas Southern with 11 points and eight rebounds.

JSU held a 23-14 halftime lead. In the first half, neither team lit up the scoreboard. Jackson State shot 25 percent from the field and Texas Southern shot 17 percent.

In the second half Texas Southern outscored JSU 34-28. The Lady Tigers out rebounded TSU 49-46.

Jackson State will return to action Feb. 23 when the Lady Tigers travel to Grambling, LA to face Grambling State in SWAC action. Tip-off is set for 5:30 pm.

THE GOOD FIGHT

Photo: Tywain Mckee, 6-2 senior point guard/shooting guard, Philadelphia, PA/Bartram H.S., major: Criminal Justice.

Forgotten and ignored, Tywain McKee was an unlikely college hoops prospect. Then a basketball legend tapped him on the shoulder.

There are some kids you just want to protect. It would be great to say that about all of them, but the truth is some wear trouble like a too-big pair of jeans, uncomfortable unless they're pretty much engulfed by it. Tywain McKee, back when he was a hunch-shouldered, woolly haired teenager, could have been one of those kids.

"He was swallowed up by strife, living in a hotbed of violence," says former Temple coach John Chaney, who recruited McKee as a Philly high school senior four years ago. Chaney discovered McKee when the Bartram High guard dropped 13 fourth-quarter points in a city-league semis loss to Philly power Simon Gratz. But McKee, who battled a stutter and had always felt uncomfortable in school, fell well short of Temple's academic requirements.

Still, the Hall of Fame coach liked the fight he saw in McKee. He liked that the kid had learned the game from his mom. He liked that McKee kept playing, even after his mother's drug abuse meant she was around less and less. And he liked that McKee didn't lose focus, even while his younger brother, Robert, was skipping school. Chaney wanted to see McKee play at the next level, for him or someone else. "If no one puts a kid like that in a position to succeed, his self-esteem keeps dropping," Chaney says. "I called Fang Mitchell because I knew he would be good for Tywain."

Ron "Fang" Mitchell has spent 21 seasons at Baltimore's Coppin State University, one of 103 historically black colleges and universities in the U.S.

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Price, Tennessee State earn huge win over Austin Peay

Tigers guard will forgo final year

Bruce Price made sure he went out as a winner with Tennessee State's men's basketball team Monday night.

Price decided before the game to forgo his final year of eligibility with the Tigers. He joined the team's four seniors who were honored before the tip-off against Austin Peay at Gentry Center.

Then in the final 46 seconds, Price sank two free throws, stripped the ball from Austin Peay's Ernest Fields under the Governors' basket and pinned a shot by Derek Wright on the backboard to help Tigers hang on for a 73-69 victory before a crowd of 4,857.

"This is where it all started for me and this was a very important game for me,'' Price said. "Even though we weren't hitting our free throws at the end I made sure that I made some good defensive plays with the charges and the block and the strip."

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Hampton Lady Pirates win big against Winston Salem State

Photo: Hampton forward Chivyere Ukoh scored 14 points and had 8 rebounds in the victory. The 6-3 junior is from Woodbridge H.S., Woodbridge, VA.

HAMPTON, Va. - The Hampton University Lady Pirates bounced back after a close loss to South Carolina State University last Saturday to defeat the Lady Rams of Winston Salem State University by a score of 65-41 here at the HU Convocation Center on Monday night.

The Lady Pirates came out red hot after the opening tip, jumping out to a 6-0 run.

The Lady Rams did manage to take the lead at the 10:55 mark when Jalesa Byrd gave WSSU a short-lived lead at13-12 at the 10:55 mark after connecting on one of two free throw tries. But the Lady Pirates gradually built up a comfortable cushion, increasing their lead to 12 points in the waning seconds of the half.

HU’s lead at halftime was 30-18.

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North Carolina A&T stay perfect in conference in win over DSU Lady Hornets

Photo: NCA&T Lady Aggies Ta' Wuana "Tweet" Cook had her usual outstanding game scoring 20 points and 8 assists.

GREENSBORO -- There is actually a way the N.C. A&T women's basketball team can fall short of postseason play. But figuring that out is probably harder than beating the Aggies.

In beating Delaware State 78-53 on Monday, A&T improved to 12-0 in the league and retained a three-game lead over Coppin State (9-3) with four to play. One more Aggie victory or one more loss by the Eagles or Hampton (8-4) clinches the regular-season title and at least a WNIT bid for A&T. The winner of the conference tournament gets the automatic NCAA tournament spot, but a safeguard ensures that any regular-season champion failing to win its league tournament will be invited to the WNIT. A&T hasn't been to postseason since it claimed the MEAC title in 1994.

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Tip-In Extends Coppin State Win Streak at FAMU

Photo: CSU 6-3 small forward Antwan Harrison made the game winner on a tip-in. The senior is from Beltsville, MD/Gonzaga College H.S. and is majoring in Sports Management.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Senior Antwan Harrison scored on a tip-in with four seconds remaining lifting Coppin State to a 69-68 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory over Florida A&M on Monday in Gaither Gymnasium and extending the Eagles winning streak to five straight.

Harrison, who scored 12 points, followed up a miss by Julian Conyers with the game-winning basket giving Coppin State its longest winning streak since the 2004-05 season.

Tywain McKee sealed the victory for the Eagles with a steal on Florida A&M's final possession.

Coppin State (9-19, 4-8 MEAC) shot 63.6 percent from the floor in the second half and a season-high 51.7 percent for the game. Florida A&M (9-16, 5-7 MEAC) was led by Leslie Robinson who scored a game-high 24 points.

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Hampton sweeps Winston Salem State

Photo: HU Pirates Rashad West was the game high scorer with 18 points, 3 assists and 2 steals. The 6-1/170 senior guard is from Raleigh, N.C./Maine Central Institute.

HAMPTON - Hampton completed a two-game season sweep of nonconference Winston-Salem State on Monday night, using almost its entire roster in the process. It was a rude welcome back for Hampton's former coach Bobby Collins, who now directs the Rams.

Fourteen HU players got in on the Pirates' 67-62 victory at HU Convocation Center. Hampton senior Rashad West's 18 points were the high, with Vinny Simpson tossing in 16 off the bench.

"One of our guys said in the locker room: (WSS) played like it was personal, a backyard ... chip on our shoulder," said HU coach Kevin Nickelberry. "Just all the emotion of the last game; it was a spillover.

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Prairie View A&M routs Grambling State Tigers

Photo: PVAMU guard Gaati Werema led four Lady Panthers in double figure scoring with 28 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 steal in 26 minutes of action. The 6-0 sophomore is from Orlando, Florida, Orlando Christian Prep.

Prairie View A&M University Sports Information

Gaati Werema's 28 points and 16 rebounds paces the Lady Panther's offensive attack

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas- The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers (16-8 11-1 SWAC) got back on track with a convincing victory over the Grambling State Lady Tigers (1-22, 0-13 SWAC) on Monday, February 18th in the William Nicks Building.

Lady Panther forward Gaati Werema had a monster night racking up 28 points and 16 rebounds on 9-of-18 shooting from the floor. Werema’s point total also included an impressive 10-of-12 showing from the charity stripe.

Chari Smith had a double-double performance tallying 14 points and 10 rebounds. Overall Prairie View A&M shot 37 percent from the floor, while holding the Lady Tigers to just 20 percent shooting for the game.

PVAMU took their largest lead of the game at 32 points at the 2:20 mark of the second half. From that point Grambling State would get no closer than 30 points.

For the game Prairie View A&M scored 25 points off GSU miscues. The Lady Panthers out scored Grambling State in the paint 34-8 and in second chance points 12-1.

Prairie View A&M will return to the hardwood on Saturday, February 23rd, when they travel to Pine Bluff, Arkansas to take on the UAPB Lady Golden Lions. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.

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Morgan State rolls over Bethune Cookman

Photo: Point guard Jerrell Green led four Bears in double figure scoring with a career high of 17 points, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 rebound. The 5-10/170 senior is from Baltimore, MD, Seward County C.C./Southern HS, and is majoring in Sociology.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Florida A&M stopped Morgan State's eight-game winning streak Saturday. The Bears were not likely to go winless in Florida.

Morgan State proved to be too big, too quick and too deep in defeating Bethune-Cookman 63-52 Monday at the Ocean Center. "I think they're the best team in the league. They're very talented," said B-CU coach Clifford Reed. "They're definitely one of the best teams for us to match up against. They're big and athletic."

B-CU tried to keep the game as close as possible by consistently holding the ball to the end of the 35-second clock, but the Bears out-rebounded the Wildcats 31-21, shot 46.5 percent from the field and hit 20 of 26 free throws.

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