North Carolina A&T Aggies clinch MEAC

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- N.C. A&T junior forward Jaleesa Sams made the best of Friends and Family night at Corbett Sports Center Saturday. Fifty-to-60 people from her hometown of New Castle, Pa., bused to Greensboro to watch her play. She rewarded their long trip by scoring a career-high 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting and had six rebounds and five steals to lead the A&T women's basketball team to an 84-60 win over Howard. The Aggies (21-6, 13-1 MEAC) clinched their second-straight MEAC regular-season title.

"I always play better with my family in the stands because they are my worst critics,'' Sams said. "I have no other choice but to play well. It was very important that I got out there and played. They told me if I didn't play tonight they weren't going to speak to me."

Aggies put together back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time and Coach Cage-Bibbs building strong case as the best coach in HBCU women's basketball ever!

Sams' outing was satisfying because she had missed the previous two games with a leg injury. She has missed seven games this season, and A&T head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs was happy to see her back. "We were just happy to have Jaleesa back,'' Bibbs said. "The way Jaleesa played tonight, I wish all of our players would have a busload of people come in every time we play." The Aggies also got a lift from Ta'Wuana Cook. Cook came off the bench to score 12 points, dish out three assists and record three steals. Brittanie Taylor-James added 17 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the free throw line.

Box Score

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Johnson C. Smith sweeps CIAA titles

For Johnson C. Smith, this was time for reinvention. Virginia Union had beaten the Golden Bulls twice during the regular season, so a “tweak,” to use coach Steve Joyner's term, was essential. So he threw in a matchup zone Saturday that scrambled things just enough to pull off a 70-63 victory in the CIAA men's championship game. “Us changing up a bit, they did act a bit confused,” Joyner said after J.C. Smith held Virginia Union below 65. “Just enough confused.”

And just enough scoring, too. Jerry Hollis kept driving for 19 points, and Ryan Scott hit two 3-pointers – the first to build an 11--point lead and the second a game-saver – after Virginia Union had closed to four with 11/2 minutes left. Scott's dad, former NBA star Dennis Scott, was at Time Warner Cable Arena, but the Golden Bulls senior hadn't done much. He picked up two quick first-half fouls but knew he'd get his chance.

JSSU star Wendy Stywalt splits the defense to score a basket over Bowie State's Juliette Turner on way to a 49-36 win and the 2009 CIAA Championship. (YALONDA M. JAMES)

That's because Hollis was so effective (6-of-11 from the field and 7-of-10 from the foul line), Virginia Union had no choice but to contract its defense around him. “I knew I'd get my time,” said Scott, who had 13 points. “The way Jerry was working down-low, I just told him, ‘Let me know – I'm ready.'” Those times came with just under 10 minutes left – for a 51-40 edge – and with 1minute, 23 seconds left, after Virginia Union's Brandon Byerson made a 3 to cut J.C. Smith's lead to four.

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Transfers ready for Rattlers

Division I transfers Branden Curry and Jamil Paris have taken two very different paths to FAMU that brought them to a point where they'll have to prove themselves all over again. Curry said he made his move from Marshall to be a part of a winning program at a position where he'd be comfortable at right tackle. Paris turned to FAMU after he was dropped from Kentucky's football team following heart surgery. In less than a month, Curry and Paris, a defensive end, will begin competing for spots on the Rattlers football depth chart. For the two transfers, the start of spring workouts on March 23 can't come fast enough.
















FAMU head football coach Joe Taylor stands with the statue of legendary Rattlers coach Jake Gaither.

Thursday was the first day that Paris participated in off-season workouts with the team. Since his enrollment at FAMU, he's undergone a battery of medical exams and wasn't cleared to play until Wednesday. Anxiety got the best of him Wednesday night and he was the first player out for the 5:45 morning run, he said. "I have such a burning desire to get started," Paris said. "I have it in my head that FAMU is not going to lose a game this season and that's what I'm approaching this season with. I'm really excited."

Paris knows that his former Division-I status doesn't guarantee a starting position. Coach Joe Taylor's policy is that every player competes and their performance ratings determine their position on the depth chart.

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Mississippi Valley rallies past instate rival JSU

For Jackson State, wins are hard to come by in Itta Bena. That fact was evident Saturday night before a standing-room-only crowd (Attendance: 4,719) at the Harrison HPER Complex as Mississippi Valley State erased a 16-point second half deficit to rally past JSU for a 73-67 victory. "We've been able to fight back all year, but we haven't been smart enough to finish games," Valley head coach Sean Woods said. "We finished tonight. This shows we're getting better."

Valley first year head coach Sean Woods gets big win over Tigers.

Eric Petty helped lead the comeback for Valley (6-23, 6-10 in the SWAC) with 14 of his team-high 18 points coming in the second half. Shannon Behling also played a key role in the Delta Devils' rally, going for 10 of his 15 points after the break. JSU (13-14, 12-3), which hasn't won at Valley since 2006, saw its SWAC-high eight-game win streak snapped by its instate rival. Julius Cheeks came off the bench to score 13 for Valley, and point guard Dewayne Harmason had 12 points, five rebounds and five assists.

JSU center Jeremy Caldwell fouled out in the second half but not before scoring a team-high 25 points.Petty's strong play inside helped draw four second-half fouls on Caldwell.

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Southwestern Athletic Conference Update 3/1/09
TEAM CONF. W-L OVERALL W-L
Alabama State 14-1 17-8
Jackson State 12-3 13-14
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 10-6 11-16
Prairie View A&M 9-6 13-15
Southern University 8-8 8-20
Mississippi Valley State 6-10 6-23
Alabama A&M 5-10 7-16
Texas Southern 5-10 5-23
Grambling State 4-11 6-20
Alcorn State 4-12 6-23

Prairie View easy prey for ASU Hornets

Hornets senior Andrew Hayles

Alabama State seniors Andrew Hayles and Brandon Brooks celebrated Senior Night in style Saturday in a 64-49 rout of Southwest Athletic Conference rival Prairie View A&M at the ASU Acadome. Hayles led all scorers with 19 points, and Brooks contributed 17 points and eight assists. Sophomore Roland Fitch added 15 points, and junior Wesley Jones posted 12 rebounds.

Senior center Chief Kickingstallionsims turned in a solid defensive effort, making it difficult for any Prairie View player to get off an easy shot or drive the lane. Not a single Panther scored in double digits -- Alex Richman and Darnell Hugee each finished with nine points. With the win, the Hornets (17-8, 14-1 SWAC) remain at the top of the conference standings. The Panthers fall to 13-15 overall and 9-6 in the conference. The Hornets host SWAC rival Texas Southern at 7:30 p.m. Monday.

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UAPB Golden Lions jockey for SWAC position

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas - Those dreams of a No. 1 seed in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament pretty much ended a month ago for Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Not too recently, a No. 2 spot became an impossibility as well. But the Golden Lions are looking at a possible third-place conference finish after polishing off Grambling State 69-61 Saturday at Clemmons Arena.

With two games left in the regular season, including an ESPNU televised home game with Jackson State tomorrow, Arkansas-Pine Bluff still can overtake Prairie View A&M for third place in the SWAC. Thanks to Prairie View A&M losing Saturday, the two teams are tied for third.

UAPB Golden Lions head basketball coach George Ivory

Better yet, the Golden Lions' offensive play Saturday hinted at a team peaking just in time for the postseason. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11-16, 10-6 SWAC) put the Tigers on their heels early, taking a 17-2 lead in the first seven minutes and shooting 59 percent from the floor in the first half. On the way, the Golden Lions revealed a new offensive wrinkle: three-point shooting.

One of the league's shakiest teams from behind the arc, Arkansas-Pine Bluff made five of nine three-point attempts in the first half, starting with an early one by Tyree Glass that put the Golden Lions up 8-0. "They've been working pretty hard at the threes," Arkansas-Pine Bluff Coach George Ivory said. "They're better focused on offense."

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North Carolina A&T Aggies adds 3 recruits

North Carolina A&T has signed three more football players to grants in aid. Two recruits are from Tallahassee, Fla., which brings the total count of Tallahassee players in the 2009 recruiting class to four. The total number of players in head coach Alonzo Lee’s first recruiting class as the Aggies head coach stands at 25.

North Carolina A&T head coach Alonzo Lee

The Tallahassee signees are D’Vonte Graham (5-foot-10, 175 pounds) and Brandon Hoover (6-foot, 205 pounds). Graham, a defensive back, recorded 12 pass breakups and picked off three passes last season. On offense, he caught 30 passes for 379 yards and five touchdowns. “We’re looking for him to be outstanding cover corner for us,’’ Lee said. “He can definitely run. He has been clocked at 4.3 (seconds) in the 40. Plus, he comes from a high-caliber program that is routinely in the state playoffs.”

Hoover, a linebacker, made the 2008 All-State team. He also made the 2008 All Big Bend team. Over his career, Hoover recorded 225 tackles with nine of those stops coming behind the line of scrimmage. “He is another young man who’s going to bring tremendous speed to our team,’’ said Lee. “Hoover was just a steal, so we felt good about the opportunity to be able to land him. They played him at outside linebacker in high school even though he can play the strong safety position. He runs a 4.4 (seconds) in the 40, and we’ll likely look at him to play linebacker here.”

Ivan Coulton (6-foot-6, 235), a linebacker from Ahoskie’s Hertford County High, racked up 17 ½ sacks, 22 tackles for loss and broke up seven passes.

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