NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional: Shaw men roll over WSSU 75-47

WEST LIBERTY, W. Va. -- Shaw didn’t have any hangover from its CIAA Tournament championship on its way to 75-47 thumping of conference-rival Winston-Salem State on Saturday in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional.

The Bears (23-8) controlled the game throughout thanks to an effective fast break and the all-around play of point guard Tony Smith. The Bears, who won their sixth straight, will play top-seed and host West Liberty on Sunday in the semifinal of the region. West Liberty improved to 30-0 with a 117-73 win over Slippery Rock.

Greg Thomas led the Bears with 15 points and David Jones added 12 with Dwight Bell, Devon McLendon and Darryl Johnson added nine points each.

Bears Defense Smothers WSSU in NCAA Tourney Opener

West Liberty, WV - After a closely played first half, No. 4 seed Shaw found its transition game in the second - even with three starters on the bench with foul trouble - and easily defeated No. 5 seed Winston-Salem State in an NCAA opening round game played at the Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex on the campus of West Liberty University.

With the win, Shaw (23-8) now advances to take on No. 1 seed and 30-0 West Liberty at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. WSSU finishes their season at 19-8.

"Both teams came out slowly," said Shaw Head Coach Cleo Hill, Jr. "Both teams were sluggish. Both teams had been off a while since the CIAA and you can practice all you want, but you can't simulate actual game situations."

Both teams were slow to find offense - and WSSU struggled offensively the entire game. Midway through the first half, Shaw held a six-point 15-9 lead. By the end of the first half, the two teams had combined for only 52 points -- only five more than Shaw would score alone in the second.

Rams Take Tough 75-47 Loss to Shaw at NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Atlantic Regional Quarterfinal

WEST LIBERTY, WV - The Winston-Salem State Rams (19-8) just couldn't find the answers in a tough 75-47 loss to the Shaw Bears (23-8), Saturday in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Atlantic Regional tournament. The Rams gave a solid overall effort, but the team struggled mightily in the second half to take the tough loss. Though the Rams shot a solid 41.7% from the field in the game, but the Rams shot 25% from the field in the second half with just six field goals made in the half and were outscored 47-23 to take the season-ending loss.

NEXT GAME: SHAW BEARS (23-8) vs. WEST LIBERTY (30-0) --SUNDAY, MARCH 13@ 7:35 p.m.  VIEW GAME LIVE ON INTERNET AT:  www.wltvonline.com OR CLICK HERE

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Arkansas Tech snatch NCAA victory from Benedict Tigers' Jaws

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- #4 seed Arkansas Tech led the ball game just twice in the second half, but when the final buzzer sounded, they'd come away with a 61-58 victory over Benedict College in the final quarterfinal of the 2011 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball South Regional Championship.

The Wonder Boys snatched victory from the Tigers when James Giles stole the ball and fed Johnie Davis. Davis made his shot and was fouled. Down 58-57, Davis drained the free throw to bring the game even with :43 left. He then addressed the media after the game, saying, "I had to draw contact and make sure I made the bucket."

Benedict took their time in their next offensive set, trying to burn precious time off of the clock. Pressure from Arkansas Tech forced a turnover by Anton Green with 13 left on the shot clock. "We had a good game plan going in," Benedict coach Fred Watson said. "We didn’t close the game well."

Davis then found an open Laithe Massey, who squared up and drilled a three-pointer with three seconds left in regulation. "Johnie made a great pass right in my chest," Massey said. "I knew time was winding down and I just let it go, luckily it went in."

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NCAA South Regional: UAHuntsville rolls past Clark-Atlanta

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The top-seeded UAHuntsville Chargers defeated Clark-Atlanta Saturday evening 77-63 in the first round of the NCAA Division II South Regional at Spragins Hall. The victory improves the Chargers to 27-4 on the season and advances them to a second round game Sunday at 7 against the winner of the Arkansas Tech-Benedict game, played late Saturday night.

UAH had been 1-4 in previous NCAA tournaments. This was its first NCAA victory since topping Lemoyne-Owen in 2000. The lopsided win was an anomaly in this tournament, with Florida Southern downing Rollins by two in the opener and Stillman eliminating Harding in overtime.

UAH charges past Clark Atlanta to South Region semis

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Behind a 19-point, nine-assist night from junior guard Josh Magette (Birmingham), the top seeded Alabama-Huntsville men's basketball team fought off a pesky eighth seeded Clark Atlanta team 77-63 in the first-ever South Region game hosted at Spragins Hall in Huntsville.

Whether it was a key pass or key steal, Magette controlled the game for the Blue and White despite the Panthers best attempts to corral the All-Region player. No stranger to highlight reel plays, Magette made a huge layup early in the first half on his way to the ground that brought the Charger faithful to their feet. The bucket put the junior over the 1,000-point mark becoming just the 20th player in UAH history to reach the mark.

“I had a great pass from Conner Blasi and the play really got everyone into the game," noted Magette."“It felt like the game was never going to get here. We were ready to play tonight at home.”

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Stillman Tigers advance after Rhone’s late basket in overtime

Stillman College Athletics Director Curtis Campbell

HUNTSVILLE, AL | Following his coach’s instructions, Ladarius Rhone crashed the boards to help the Stillman Tigers advance in the NCAA Division II South Regional. Rhone grabbed an offensive rebound and made a putback shot, and the No. 7-seeded Tigers edged No. 2 Harding University 87-86 in overtime on Saturday.

Stillman plays Florida Southern in the semifinals today at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. The championship game will be at 7:30 on Tuesday. Florida Southern defeated Rollins 76-74 on a 3-pointer by Dominic Lane with 2 seconds left.

Harding (25-5) took an 86-85 lead when Kevin Brown converted a 3-point play with 12.4 seconds remaining. Rhone, a 6-foot-5 sophomore forward, scored after senior point guard Rakee Anderson missed on a drive to the basket.

Harding Bison Fall in Overtime at NCAA Tournament

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Stillman forward Ladarius Rhone recovered a loose ball in the paint and laid it in with 3.8 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Tigers an 87-86 victory over Harding in the quarterfinals of the NCAA II South Region Tournament on Saturday at Spragins Hall.

Harding (25-5) had taken the lead with 14 seconds left when senior forward Kevin Brown converted a 3-point play to give Harding an 86-85 lead. It was the 18th lead change in the game.

Stillman guard Rakee Anderson took the ball to the basket on the last possession but had his shot blocked by Stephen Blake. Rhone grabbed the rebound and scored only his third shot in seven attempts to win it.

“We made them take an incredibly tough shot,” said Harding head coach Jeff Morgan. “We just did not do a good job of grabbing the backside rebound. That hurt us a couple of times in the game.”

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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