Edwards joins other coaches leaving FAMU

WINSTON SALEM, N.C. — Just as quickly as Tim Edwards made his decision to leave Florida A&M as defensive line coach, head coach Joe Taylor began to think of ways to restructure his staff.

Edwards spent Friday at a frantic pace, doing his departure paperwork while arranging for his move to Louisiana Lafayette where he begins work today as defensive line coach for the Ragin' Cajuns. His departure from FAMU comes about two weeks after tight end coach Edwin Pata took a similar job at Florida International.

Taylor confirmed the staff changes while attending a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference coaches' meeting in Winston Salem, where the conference's basketball tournament took place.

New DL coach Edwards on field for drills

UL's football players donned full pads for the first time during spring drills Sunday afternoon, and their new defensive line coach, Timothy Edwards, was there to watch all of the action.

Edwards, 42, spent the past three years as Florida A&M's co-defensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach and was a teammate of first-year UL head coach Mark Hudspeth at Delta State.

The Philadelphia, Miss., native replaces Mike Pelton, who recently left the Ragin' Cajuns to become the defensive line coach for his alma mater, Auburn. His hiring is pending approval by the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors.

Rattlers inducted to MEAC Hall of Fame

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Accepting a shiny ring, hugs and kisses as an inductee into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame wasn't something that Natalie White envisioned.

At the time that she got notice that she would be in the HOF, White was busy trying to create ways for other young people to walk the same path she took to become a record-setting guard at Florida A&M more than a decade ago.

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Joyner returns home to realize dream, coaches Hampton Pirates to NCAA tournament

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — They'll have a few more stories and another piece of hardware to talk about at the next Joyner family reunion, courtesy of what just occurred at the last one.

The Joyner basketball coaching tree — Edward "Buck" Joyner Sr., Stephen Joyner and his son, Little Steve — as well as assorted grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins ventured across town Saturday afternoon to Joel Coliseum to watch Ed Joyner Jr. realize a lifelong dream.

The man known to family members as "Little Buck" coaxed and encouraged and orchestrated Hampton University's men to their first MEAC tournament title since 2006.

Hampton Holds Back Morgan, Captures MEAC Title, 60-55

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The great shooting that Morgan State displayed in the past two MEAC tournament games came to a screeching halt in the second half. Hampton got some timely baskets from Darrion Pellum to help the Pirates beat the Bears 60-55 in the MEAC Tournament Championship game at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The fact that MSU center Kevin Thompson got into foul trouble was a huge factor in how the game went. Morgan State head coach Todd Bozeman said about the situation, “We need him on the floor, that's obvious. He fought hard in there, it's hard when you're at the disadvantage.”

“It was a war,” Hampton head coach Ed Joyner said. “It was what we expected, it's the one we wanted to win.”

PIRATES DEFEAT MORGAN STATE TO CLAIM 2011 MEAC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT TITLE

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Brandon Tunnell scored 12 of his career-high 20 points in the second half and Darrion Pellum added all 12 of his after intermission to help Hampton defeat Morgan State, 60-55 in the MEAC Tournament Championship at the Joel Coliseum.

“It was a war,” Hampton head coach Ed Joyner said. “It was what we expected; it’s the one we wanted to win.”

The Pirates (24-8) denied the Bears their fourth consecutive tournament title and Joyner obtained his first ever as a head coach. The win also secured Hampton an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Hampton will learn when and where they will compete in the NCAA tournament once the pairings are announced on Sunday.

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Hampton Uses Defensive Formula to Shut Down Howard and Win Tourney Title

Winston-Salem, NC—(March 12, 2011)-- Hampton University employed the same formula that it has used throughout the tournament: Keeping the game close through the first half and then parlaying the scoring of its three veterans, Melanie Warner, Quanneisha Perry and Jericka Jenkins along with some stifling second half defense to pull away from its opponents.

The Lady Pirates continued that same formula to defeat Howard University, 61-42 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women's tournament championship at the Joel Coliseum.

"It is interesting that these two teams are 1-2 in the conference in scoring defense," said Hampton head Coach David Six, in his second year at the helm. "In the first half, we were feeling each other out. But in the second half, we got things going. We knew that if we did not turn the ball over and rebound well, we would win the game. We have been consistent in those areas all season."

Hampton (25-6) receives an automatic bid and will await the pairings that will be announced on Monday.

The first half was a grind it out affair with neither team being able to generate much offense. Both teams shot under 30 percent, but the seasoned Lady Pirates, who won their second straight tournament title, did just enough to maintain a 21-16 advantage at the half.

Perry, the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and a first team All-MEAC selection, struggled early but came on down the stretch to give her team a push. She scored six points and grabbed six rebounds while Warner added four and reserve Keiara Avant tallied five.

Hampton came out and imposed its will on the young Howard team, which is dominated by sophomores and who were playing in their first tournament championship.

"I think Hampton's experience was definitely a factor, especially when you have players like Warner, Jenkins and Perry," said Howard Coach Niki Geckeler, in her first tournament championship as a head coach. "But that was not the overriding factor. We just lost our legs. We played four games to get here. We are very young and I am excited about the future."

The Lady Pirates forced the Lady Bison into bad shots and turnovers and made them pay at the other end with trips with timely baskets and trips to the foul line, where they converted on 16 of 20. Warner, Jenkins and Perry took turns as they finished with 13 each.

"We knew that we had to play defense in order to win the championship," said Perry, named the tournament MVP. "We knew that if we continued to play hard and play great defense we would be successful."

Howard (16-18) began to press on offense and in the process, missed a number of point blank shots. The team-leading scorer and MEAC Player of the Year, Saadia Doyle, had problems getting touches and it proved to be a problem for the Lady Bison. And their point guard, Cheyenne Curley Payne, who was had an outstanding tournament before this game, was held scoreless.

"Their defense was really sagging and helping out a lot," said Doyle, who finished with a game-high 16 points and seven rebounds. "It made it hard to penetrate and we did not knock down the shots that we hot earlier in the tournament."

Tamoria Holmes finished with 12 for Howard in a losing while Curley Payne pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds.

In addition to the contribution of the Big Three for Hampton, Avant aided the cause with 9 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

This is the second straight trip to the NCAAs for Coach Six and his Lady Pirates. He says that he is looking forward to the experience.

"Our performance in the NCAAs last year left a bad taste in our mouths," said Six. "We wanted an opportunity to get back there and atone ourselves. We do not just want to be there; we want to win. I think we are good enough to win."

Six was named the Tournament Outstanding Coach while Perry, Jenkins, Shawntae Payne (Coppin State), Doyle and Curley Payne were named to the all-tournament team. Perry was named tournament MVP.

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

Xavier Gold Rush win, Gold Nuggets lose at AUM Invitational

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (March 11, 2011) — Hassan Abbas, Steffen Giles-Osborn and Sean Richardson won in doubles and singles Friday, leading NAIA No. 8 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 6-0 men's tennis victory over Georgetown (Ky.) in the AUM Invitational.

Xavier's women, ranked 24th, suffered their fifth consecutive loss in a 5-1 decision against No. 13 Lindsey Wilson.

The Gold Rush (9-4), winless in this event a year ago, bounced back from two straight losses over the past three days. Abbas and Zach Taylor scored the first point when they defeated Benjamin Aspillaga and Jose Baeza 8-4 at No. 1 doubles. Amir Rahbar and Jonathan Aubrey made it 2-0 when they beat Carlos Del Valle and Alec Lewis 8-0 at No. 3 — it was Rahbar and Aubrey's first shutout of the season — and Giles-Osborn and Richardson completed the doubles sweep with an 8-5 decision against Gustavo Echeverria and Zach Thomas.

In singles Richardson gave Xavier a 4-0 lead when he defeated Thomas 6-0, 6-1 at No. 5. Giles-Osborn snapped his three-match singles losing streak and clinched the dual with his 6-1, 6-1 victory against Echeverria at No. 3. Soon afterward Abbas wrapped up a 6-0, 6-3 victory against Baeza at No. 2, and the other three matches were stopped with Xavier leading by a set in each.

Abbas, the Gold Rush leader in singles winning percentage and combined winning percentage last season, is 10-3 in singles and 10-3 in doubles this year.

The highlight of the Nuggets' loss to Lindsey Wilson was senior Melissa DeLoach's 6-3, 6-0 victory against Edelmira Ferri at No. 4 singles. Also playing well was freshman Amber Brown at No. 2, who won a second-set tiebreaker against Slavica Milanovic but lost 10-7 in a third-set super-tiebreaker. Milanovic was ranked 12th nationally in the preseason by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

Trina Slapeka, ranked sixth in singles, beat XU's Carmen Nelson 6-2, 6-3 at the top flight. Slapeka and Milanovic, ranked eighth in doubles, beat Nelson and Brown 8-1 to score the first point of the dual.

The XU women will play Campbellsville at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, and the men will play unbeaten and fifth-ranked Oklahoma Christian at 12:30 p.m.

Results:  Men    Women

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
Xavier University of Louisiana
Visit: XULAAthletics and  GCACConf.com

NCCU Eagles Fall To Savannah State In MEAC Bonus Game

Savannah State University Head Coach Horace Broadnax

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.- (NCCUEaglePride.com) - The North Carolina Central University men’s basketball team committed 20 turnovers, shot just 3-for-12 from the three-point range, and played without its leading scorer, C.J. Wilkerson, who sat out Saturday’s MEAC Bonus Game at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum due to a fractured foot suffered two days ago as the Savannah State University Tigers outlasted the Eagles 64-50.

The resilient Eagles never once used Wilkerson’s injury as an excuse and in the first despite falling behind 15-7 with 14:57 to go, the resilient Eagles went on a 14-2 run to take a 21-17 lead forcing SSU head coach Horace Broadnax to call a timeout with 6:45 to go in the first frame.

During that span, five different Eagles scored baskets that began with freshman Jeremy Ingram’s layup. Following the timeout the Tigers quickly scored the next four points to tie it up and the game went back-and-forth the final five minutes until SSU’s Cedric Smith’s three-pointer with 31 seconds left gave the Tigers the 30-27 halftime lead.

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Prairie View A&M Unveils 2011 Football Schedule

The Prairie View A&M University Department of Athletics announced its 2011 football schedule today which features a nationally televised opener one of the ESPN family of networks, four football classics in three different states and six games inside the state of Texas.

First-year head coach Heish Northern will make his head coaching debut live on national television (ESPN Family of Networks) as the Panthers open up the season on Sunday, Sept. 4 versus defending Co-MEAC Champion Bethune-Cookman in the seventh annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Orlando, Fla. at the Citrus Bowl.

In addition to Northern's debut, the contest promises to be an exciting one as new Prairie View A&M Offensive Coordinator Mark Orlando served in the same capacity on Bethune Cookman's staff in 2010.

To accommodate the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, the 27th edition of the State Farm Labor Day Classic versus SWAC rival Texas Southern will take place on Saturday, Sept. 10 in Houston. On Sept. 17, the Panthers will begin a string of consecutive home games at Blackshear Field as they take on Arkansas-Pine Bluff followed by Mississippi Valley State on Saturday, Sept. 24.



After a series of home games in September, the Panthers will live out of their suitcases in the month of October with four games on the road. The annual Southwest State Fair Classic will open the month as the Panthers will take on Grambling State at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas on Oct. 1. This year's classic should live up to the billing as Northern served as an assistant under new Grambling State head coach Doug Williams for a total of seven years, including six at Grambling State.

On Oct. 8, Northern once again walks onto familiar territory as the Panthers travel to his hometown of Baton Rouge, La. and alma mater for a huge matchup versus Southern University. While the matchup will be extra special for Northern, several of his staff members will be fired up for the contest as they also have ties to both Southern and the city of Baton Rouge.

Following the Southern contest, Prairie View A&M travels to Montgomery, Ala. to square off against Alabama State on Oct. 15 and will have its first open weekend on Oct. 22. The second annual Shreveport Classic will close out the month as the Panthers will meet Jackson State in this year's edition on Oct. 29 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La.

For the first time since 1976, Prairie View A&M will face off against Texas State at Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos, Texas on Nov. 5. The following weekend on Nov. 12, Prairie View A&M travels to Alcorn State, Miss. for a matchup at Alcorn State which recently hired Melvin Spears as its new coach. Northern and Spears both worked together at Grambling State from 1998 to 2004.

The 2011 regular season campaign concludes on Saturday, Nov. 19 as the university will hold its annual homecoming game versus Alabama A&M at Blackshear Field.



PVAMU 2011 Football Schedule

DAY DATE OPPONENT LOCATION / STADIUM

Sun. 9/4/2011 Bethune-Cookman Orlando, Fla. - Citrus Bowl,   MEAC/SWAC Challenge
Sat. 9/10/2011 *Texas Southern Houston, Texas (Labor Day Classic)
Sat. 9/17/2011 *Arkansas-Pine Bluff Prairie View - Blackshear Field
Sat. 9/24/2011 *Mississippi Valley Prairie View - Blackshear Field
Sat. 10/1/2011 *Grambling State Dallas, Texas - Cotton Bowl 6:00 p.m. (State Fair Classic)
Sat. 10/8/2011 *Southern Baton Rouge, La.
Sat. 10/15/2011 *Alabama State Montgomery, Ala.
Sat. 10/29/2011 *Jackson State Shreveport, La. (Port City Classic)
Sat. 11/5/2011 Texas State San Marcos
Sat. 11/12/2011 *Alcorn State Alcorn State, Miss.
Sat. 11/19/2011 *Alabama A&M HOMECOMING Prairie View
Home Games are in bold

Neutral Site Games are in italics

* denotes a Southwestern Athletic Conference cont

By PV Sports Information
VISIT: PVPANTHERS.COM

Soliz shines late as Prairie View advances

GARLAND — With its season hanging in the balance, Prairie View A&M turned to freshman guard Siarra Soliz. The Southwestern Athletic Conference’s freshman of the year didn’t disappoint.

Soliz made a clutch basket and drew a key charge in the closing seconds of Friday’s SWAC semifinal against Grambling State at the Special Events Center, helping the second-seeded Panthers hang on for a 47-41 victory that sent them to the league championship game for the first time since 2009.
Prairie View (20-11) will face top seed Southern, a 78-53 winner over fifth-seeded Mississippi Valley State, at 5 p.m. today.



Lady Panthers in Championship Finale

GARLAND, Texas - Prairie View A&M advanced to the championship round of the SWAC Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons as the Lady Panthers knocked off Grambling State 47-41 in the semifinal round on Friday at the Special Events Center in Garland, Texas.

After senior guard Dominique Smith hit the game's opening basket, the Lady Panthers found themselves down quickly as GSU opened with a 7-0 surge for a 7-2 margin nearly five minutes in. The Lady Panthers regained the lead three minutes later as senior Whitney Williams, sophomore Sharde Henry and freshman Siarra Soliz hit baskets en route to a 9-7 advantage.

With the lead back in their possession, the Lady Panthers turned up the intensity on both ends of the court as they held Grambling State to only seven points over a span of 11 minutes. Offensively, Prairie View A&M continued to roll as Dominique Smith and Robin Jones hit a pair of baskets which extended their lead to double digits at 24-14 with 4:14 remaining.

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