Howard Women's Basketball Advances to Title Game

Sophomore Guard Cheyenne Curley-Payne #5
(Photo courtesy of Howard Bison Athletics)

Winston-Salem, NC (March 11, 2011) - Cheyenne Curley Payne scored a game-high 18 points and Saadia Doyle and Tamoria Holmes added 11 and 10, respectively to help Howard University hold off Morgan State University in the semifinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women's tournament at the Joel Coliseum. The Lady Bison (16-17), the Number 6 seed, will take on Hampton University, the Number 1 seed and regular season champion, on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Howard took control early as Doyle, the MEAC Player of the Year, tallied 9 of her points en route to a 28-21 halftime advantage. Curley Payne chipped in with seven points while the Lady Bears (17-14), the Number 3 seed, got 8 points from Erin Hawkins.

Howard continued to control the game though most of the second half despite getting little production from Doyle, who came into the game averaging over 18 points per game.

"They were sending multiple people from all different kind of angles at me," said Doyle. "Before the ball went out, I was already being boxed out. I didn't handle it very well today. I got a bit panicky and it showed."

With the Lady Bears putting much of their emphasis on containing Doyle, Curley Payne was able to make them pay. The 5-2 sophomore guard from Chula Vista, CA, hit four five shots in the second stanza and grabbed seven rebounds in the final stanza.

"She's 5-2, but she is second on the team in rebounding behind Saadia," said Howard Coach Niki Reid Geckeler. "She may be small but her heart is huge. She leads us in that way as you saw tonight."

Curley Payne's two free throws at the 2:32 mark gave Howard its biggest lead of the game at 49-39. But the Lady Bears staged a furious rally with a 12-3 run over a 2:10 stretch that cut the deficit to 52-51 with 22 seconds left on the clock.

The young Lady Bison regrouped, hit some free throws and kept the Lady Bears scoreless the rest of the way, sending them into the championship game for the first since 2001.

"What a way to end a game" said Coach Geckeler. "To have so many sophomores and to get to this point is very gratifying."

In addition to her 18 points, Curley Payne added seven rebounds and four assists. Holmes, who also had some key plays in the second half, tallied seven of her 10 after intermission and Doyle finished with a double double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Morgan State was led by Erin Hawkins and Brittany Dodson, who each scored 14 and Monesha Davis, who contributed 10 in a losing cause.

"Howard has improved all year," said Morgan State Coach Donald Beasley. "They played well. They are a good team and they deserve the win.

Hampton swept Howard this season and has won three of the last four between the two rivals. The experienced Lady Pirates are the regular season and defending tournament champions.

"That's always a good game," said Coach Geckeler. "They're tough and they play well, but at this time of year, everyone is 0-0."

By Jamilah Corbitt
Assistant Director of Sports Information
Howard University
Visit: howard-bison.com

Doyle, Holmes Lead Howard University Lady Bison Comeback Win Over North Carolina A&T Lady Aggies

Winston-Salem, NC - Saadia Doyle scored 17 of her game-high 28 points in the second half and Tamoria Holmes added 15 of her career-high 26 after intermission to help Howard come from a 22-point first half deficit and get by North Carolina A&T, 82-72 in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women's tournament at the Joel Coliseum.

The Lady Bison (15-17), the Number 6 seed, advance to the semifinal round where they will take on Morgan State, the Number 2 seed at 2:30 pm on Friday.

The Lady Aggies (15-14), the Number 3 seed, came out on fire, shooting a blistering 70 percent from the field overall, and 75 percent from three-point range (6 of 8). North Carolina A&T was in high gear, getting up and down the floor and seemingly hitting every shot that they threw up.

It resulted in what appeared to be an insurmountable 36-14 lead at the 5:49 mark. All the Lady Aggie players got into the scoring act, led by Jaquayla Berry (9 points), Mikala Scott (9 points), Tracy King (8) and Reisha Bullock (7 ).



But the young Bison, which start four sophomores settled down and began to mount their comeback. Led by Doyle and Holmes, who combined for 22 first half points, Howard reeled off a 19-7 run over the last five minutes of the first half to reduce the deficit to 43-33 at the break.

"I told the team not to quit," said a composed Howard Coach Niki Reid Geckeler. "To keep fighting. And I think that is what they did, just believing that they could still win."

The Lady Bison continued their comeback at the start of the second half on the scoring of Doyle, who singlehandedly got her team back into the game, at one point scoring 9 straight points. The comeback became complete when a 16-6 run knotted the game at 49-all at the 14:13 mark.

"They did a good job driving to the basket and getting to the line,' said NC A&T Coach Patricia Cage Bibbs. "They went man to man and you have to be able to execute. They did a great job."

Added NC A&T' s Berry, a first team All-MEAC selection, "They were all in our face in the man to man and the adjustments they made seemed to work."

From there, it became a seesaw battle that featured several ties and lead changes. The Lady Aggies relied on the scoring of Mikala Scott, Reisha Bullock and Nikia Gorham to keep it close.

Howard countered on the play of Holmes, who took over where Doyle left off, once scoring 13 of her team's 16 points during a key stretch. The Lady Bison were also able to get key contributions from sophomore point guard Cheyenne Curley Payne, who scored 10 of her 16 in the second half, including a big three pointer and some clutch free throws.

"Of course, the performance of Saadia Doyle and Tamoria Holmes was huge for the day," said Geckeler. "The run by Tamoria was huge. It gave us a lot of energy and confidence."

Other significant contributions came from reserves Jerelle Gorham (5 points) and Portia Deterville ( 7 points).

After Bullock knocked down two free throws to cut the deficit to 76-72 with 1:26 remaining, the Lady Bison held the Lady Aggies scoreless as Curley Payne converted free throws to seal the victory and send Howard to the semifinals for the second straight year.

Doyle, the MEAC Player of the Year and a first team All-conference selection, just missed a double double with 28 points and 9 rebounds while playing the entire 40 minutes. Holmes shot 10 of 14 from the field and added three assists and three steals to her stats.

"Adrenalin and staying calm was a key," said Doyle. "We did not want to get overzealous. We just kept fighting and never gave up."

Scott led North Carolina A&T with 17 while Bullock and Berry each tallied 13 in a losing effort.

By Jamilah Corbitt, Assistant Director of Sports Information
Howard University
Visit: howard-bison.com



Videographer: billy7163; (#1)Pharoah Sanders "Naima" with the Howard University Jazz Ensemble. (#2)"The Creator Has a Master Plan" - Pharoah Sanders and Howard University Jazz Ensemble

NSU tops Coppin State to face Hampton in MEAC semis

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Norfolk State coach Anthony Evans admitted drawing up a play for a game-winning shot "hardly ever works."

"It didn't work this time either," Evans said. The plan was for freshman sharpshooter Pendarvis Williams to inbound the ball from the baseline, then race to the corner, where he would launch a 3-pointer. If it missed, Plan B was that the league's leading rebounder, Kyle O'Quinn, would have a chance at scoring off an offensive rebound.

But Coppin State overplayed Williams, denying him the ball, and it was up to senior guard Rob Hampton to make something happen. That was Plan C. And it worked.



Seeing a flash of daylight in the lane from just beyond the top of the key, the 6-foot-4 Hampton sliced his body through three defenders and banked home a layup with two seconds remaining as sixth-seeded Norfolk State upset third-seeded Coppin State 55-53 in a Thursday night quarterfinal game in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament.

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Alabama State, Texas Southern primed for SWAC semifinal showdown

GARLAND, TX – Alabama State primed itself for a showdown with No. 1 seed Texas Southern by handling Alabama A&M, 81-61, in Thursday’s quarterfinals of the Farmers Insurance SWAC Tournament.

Alabama State opened up a 20-point lead midway through the second half and had four players score in double figures, led by Tramaine Butler with 21. Alabama State shot 60.9 percent in the second half and finished with a 40-24 rebounding edge.

Fourth-seeded Alabama State (15-17) will meet Texas Southern in the semifinals at 8 p.m. Friday at the Special Events Center. Alabama State handed Texas Southern (19-11) one of its two losses in SWAC play, 60-48, on Feb. 28 in Montgomery.

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Texas Southern/Houston Oiler legend Kenny Burrough recovering from heart attack

HOUSTON, TX -- Former Houston Oilers standout Kenny Burrough is hospitalized in Houston after suffering a heart attack. Burrough underwent triple bypass surgery at Saint Luke’s hospital after the Friday attack, according to his spokesperson. He is resting comfortably and has been moved to a private room.

Burrough, 62, was a first-round draft pick by the New Orleans Saints in 1970. He then spent 11 NFL seasons with the Oilers in Saints from 1971 to 1981. Burrough was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1975 and 1977.

The TSU graduate led all NFL wide receivers with 1,063 yards in 1975. The Jacksonville, Florida native is a member of the SWAC and TSU Halls of Fame.

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Video: Kenny Burrough talks about 00Wear.com, his clothing line.

Morgan State tops N.C. A&T

Two-time defending champion Morgan State isn't ready to give up its title just yet.

The Bears, behind junior center Kevin Thompson, were never threatened by cold-shooting N.C. A&T as they rolled 77-59 in a quarterfinal game of the MEAC tournament Thursday night at Joel Coliseum.
Thompson, a big part of the Bears' first two tournament titles in Winston-Salem, scored 24 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked three shots in 26 minutes.

Not that they needed more motivation, but the Bears, the fourth seed, have been under the radar after losing their final three regular-season games, including one to the Aggies (15-17) in Greensboro. Thompson, the projected player of the year in the conference, was selected to the all-conference second team.

Thompson Dominant In Win Over North Carolina A&T, 77-59

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Kevin Thompson put in a dominating performance, coming off the bench to pour in a gamer-high 24 points, grab 12 rebounds and block three shots to help Morgan State defeat North Carolina A&T, 77-59 in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament at the Joel Coliseum.

The Bears (16-13), the Number 4 seed, advance to the semifinal round where they will play Bethune Cookman, the Number 1 seed at 6 pm.

Thompson set the tone early in the first half when he entered the game and proceeded to score 18 points, connecting on all six of his shots from the floor. Morgan State led, 43-33 at intermission.

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NCAA Division II South Regional set to begin in Huntsville

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Are you ready for some basketball?

Eight of the best NCAA Division II college basketball teams are in town for the South Regional, which begins Saturday at Spragins Hall on the University of Alabama-Huntsville campus. The winner will have a chance to play for the national championship in Springfield, Mass., March 23-26.

"Being in the tournament is one thing and being able to host it is like a dream," UAH guard Tyler Hanback said. "It's going to be a lot of fun. I can't wait."

Saturday: Harding (25-4) vs. Stillman (21-7) at 2:30 p.m.
UAH (26-4) vs. Clark Atlanta (22-8), SIAC Champions at 5:30 p.m.
Arkansas Tech (24-5) and Benedict (21-7) at 7:30 p.m.

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Videographer: UrbanSportsITG; Inside The Game: Clark-Atlanta vs. Stillman (SIAC Championship)