Xavier Gold Nuggets 5-0 in GCAC after four-set win at Dillard

NEW ORLEANS — Taylor Reuther had 19 kills and a season-high 21 digs Saturday in Xavier University of Louisiana's 24-26, 25-16, 25-12, 25-18 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's volleyball victory at Dillard.

The Gold Nuggets (10-3, 5-0) won for the ninth time in 10 matches.

Chinedu Echebelem had 10 kills and 16 digs for Xavier, Moira Kirk had 10 kills and three blocks, and Patrice Hightower had a season-high-tying 10 digs and a career-high 42 assists. Celeste Poe had 19 digs, one less than her career best.

It was the second time in the Nuggets' four-year history that they won on the road after losing the first set. It was the first time they did it on an opponent's floor, and it was the first time in four tries that they beat Dillard at Dent Hall.

"I always wanted to come to Xavier and break records," said Echebelem, who recorded her second kill-dig double-double of the season. "I'm glad to do it as a team."

Dillard (5-7, 0-2), the defending GCAC Tournament champion, opened the match with a 10-1 run. Xavier rallied for ties at 20, 21, 23 and 24, but the Lady Bleu Devils closed the set with a Monica De Alcantara kill and a Jessica Goods-Morris block.

"We just had to calm down, relax and get in a groove after that start," Hightower said. "We were shaking and nervous. Ne (Echebelem) got a kill, got us pumped up and got us going."

Xavier trailed only twice more after the first set — at 3-2 and 4-3 in the fourth. Reuther's kill put the Nuggets ahead to stay at 5-4, and she ended the match with a kill.

Reuther recorded her team-leading seventh kill-dig double. She hit minus-.333 in 15 attacks the first set but .419 in the final three sets.

Dillard's 6-1 run in the fourth set cut Xavier's lead to 13-12 and prompted first-year Xavier coach Christabell Hamilton to call timeout. Then the Lady Bleu Devils committed attack errors on each of the next four rallies, and Dillard never challenged seriously again.

"Our team had to come together quickly after that start," Hamilton said. "Dillard is the defending champion, and you don't want to give them that kind of lead at their place. We stayed in there and started to fight."

Paula Ogbevoen led Dillard with 10 kills.

The teams will meet again Nov. 5 at The Barn. Next for the Gold Nuggets will be a two-match home stand — 7 p.m. Wednesday against the University of New Orleans, then 5 p.m. Thursday against Prairie View A&M — before returning to Dillard for GCAC matches against Philander Smith and Tougaloo on Friday and Edward Waters on Saturday.

NOTES: Xavier is 36-14 all-time (16-4 home, 8-4 away, 12-6 neutral) when winning the first set and 4-62 (2-16 home, 1-29 away, 1-17 neutral) when losing the first set . . . Attendance was 800 . . . Poe had eight digs in the first set . . . Xavier was 5-17 in GCAC regular-season matches its first three seasons.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

Winston Salem State Rams holds off Johnson C. Smith Bulls

WINSTON SALEM, NC - Winston-Salem State, riding high after three straight lopsided victories, was brought back to earth Saturday by pesky Johnson C. Smith. Nonetheless, the Rams stayed unbeaten, winning 28-10 in front of more than 20,000 at Bowman Gray Stadium and surviving what coach Connell Maynor called a week of distractions.

"All the distractions with homecoming, the CP3 All-Star Game and the dances and everything else," Maynor said. "Everything is going on, and it's hard to stay focused."

The Rams, ranked No. 21 in Division II, averaged 50 points in their first four games, but the Bulls' defense was effective in harassing quarterback Kameron Smith.

Running back Nic Cooper was the workhorse again for the Rams (5-0, 4-0 CIAA) with 203 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 28 carries. The Rams finished with 401 yards of offense, but they also made three turnovers that kept giving the Bulls (2-3, 1-1) new life.



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Florida A&M Rattlers dominates Delaware State Hornets

Tallahassee, Florida - Florida A&M scored in every quarter, including 14 points in the third quarter, to seal a 34-7 win over Delaware State on Saturday in Tallahassee. The Rattlers got a pair of Trevor Scott field goals to take a 6-0 halftime advantage. The first was from 25 yards out and the second from 34.

Florida A&M (3-2 overall, 1-1 MEAC) saw its offense come alive in the third quarter. Damien Fleming hit Brian Tyms on a 23-yard strike for the first score. Al Terek McBurse burst through the line for a 25-yard run on the second.

Delaware State (2-3, 0-2) got on the board for the first time early in the gourth quarter when Nick Elko hit Milton Williams on a 9-yard touchdown pass. But it was too little too late, as Fleming responded with a 1-yarder touchdown and, just for good measure, Eddie Rocker added a 20-yarder to bring the game to its final score.

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The FAMU Rattlers' offense is clicking at exactly the right time despite an early-season change at quarterback.

Freshman quarterback Damien Fleming started his first collegiate game Saturday and provided a strong performance and leadership for a team looking for its first conference win. Fleming threw for 245 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another touchdown against the Delaware State Hornets.

Head coach Joe Taylor said he was impressed with his quarterback's poise after mistakes and his willingness to fight after a slow first half against the Hornets.

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DSU ends scoreless streak, but drops third in a row

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Delaware State put points on the board for the first time in more than 11 quarters, but had little else to celebrate in a 34-7 loss to Florida A&M in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game Saturday. The Hornets (2-3 overall, 0-2 MEAC) dropped their third straight game.

Delaware State scored its lone touchdown on a 9-yard pass from Nick Elko to Milton Williams with 11:37 left in the fourth quarter. The score was the first for the Hornets since the game-winning touchdown with 35 seconds left in a 31-27 win over Shaw on Sep. 10.

"We played well for a while, but made too many mistakes," said Delaware State coach Kermit Blount. "Hopefully, we'll get some of our injured players back soon to help out the offense."

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Benedict drops OT game to Miles

AUGUSTA, Georgia - A new coach brought some new enthusiasm for the Benedict College Tigers football team, but some old demons were too much to overcome as Mile College defeated Benedict 20-14 in overtime Saturday at Lucy Laney Memorial Stadium in the annual Augusta City Classic.

Miles drove 75 yards on 11 plays to score on a 1-yard run by Jordan Lewis with one minute left on the clock to cut Benedict's lead to 14-12. Lewis got the call again on the two-point conversion to tie the game. The key play on that drive was a 33-yard pass from David Thomas to Jerromy Mardis on fourth down and eight on their final drive in regulation.




The Tigers got the ball first in overtime, but quarterback Simeon Kelley fumbled the exchange on the second play in overtime, turning the ball back over to the Golden Bears.

On Miles' possession, Lewis carried the ball on all five plays, and ran in from one-yard out to seal the victory for the Golden Bears. Miles improves to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the SIAC.

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Late fumble leads to OT loss for Bowie State at Virginia State

ETTRICK, Virginia - The Bowie State University football team gave up the tying touchdown after fumbling the ball with 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter and went on to lose to Virginia State in overtime, 28-21, on Saturday in Ettrick, Va.

The game was punctuated by a wild fourth quarter that had an even wilder final minute. Each team scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and it appeared Bowie State had the game won when it took possession at the Virginia State 48-yard line with a 21-14 lead and 30 seconds left.

After Virginia State used a time out to stop the clock with 22 seconds to go, Bowie State's Michael Gagne lost 20 yards on a second-down play and fumbled at the Bowie State 21, where Virginia State's Malcolm Solomon recovered. With 16 seconds left on the clock, Jarred Battle tossed a 21-yard touchdown pass to Timothy Paulk, and William Rudd's extra point tied the game at 21-21, forcing overtime.

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Alabama State beats Alcorn State 31-23

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Greg Jenkins passed for a career-high 297 yards and three touchdowns and Nick Andrews became the all-time school leader in receiving touchdowns as Alabama State held off Alcorn State 31-23 in a Southwestern Athletic Conference game Saturday night at Cramton Bowl.

Alabama State (4-1 overall, 4-0 SWAC) is the lone undefeated team in the conference, improving to 4-0 for the first time since 2005. Alcorn State (1-4, 1-4) lost its fourth game by a margin of eight points or less this season.


Highlights, interviews as Alabama State beats Alcorn State 31-23. Courtesy Alabama State University Athletics

Tied 10-10 at halftime, the Hornets scored touchdowns on consecutive possessions to take the lead for good. Jenkins' nine-yard touchdown run gave Alabama State the lead for good at 17-10 with 11:40 remaining in the third quarter. Andrews' 16-yard touchdown catch gave the Hornets a 23-10 lead with 6:13 to play in the quarter.




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North Carolina A&T Aggies put up strong defense

BALTIMORE, MD - North Carolina A&T used a stingy defense, three blocked field goals and big running plays from Mike Mayhew to earn a 24-3 conference win over Morgan State at Hughes Stadium on Saturday.

The Aggies defense held Morgan State to 33 yards rushing, while Mayhew finished with a career-high 233 yards rushing and one touchdown. It was their first win over Morgan State in six years and their first win at Hughes Stadium since 2003. The win also marked the Aggies (2-2, 1-0 MEAC) first road win since beating Howard in Washington, D.C., two years ago.

"All wins our big wins at this stage in our program," said N.C. A&T head coach Rod Broadway. "This is the first time in a long time we've defeated Morgan, so it's going to be a nice bus ride home. But we've got to continue to get better. We missed out on a lot of opportunities today."

In a twist of irony, Morgan State's inability to take advantage of opportunities to score touchdowns early allowed N.C. A&T to gain some confidence defensively. On the game's first play, a Lewis Kindle interception gave the Bears (2-3, 1-1) the ball at the Aggies 16-yard line.

The Bears minus-10-yard drive was highlighted by a Travis Crosby sack. Ervin Gonzalez booted a 43-yard field goal to give the Bears a 3-0 lead. Morgan State's good field position would be a trend that would continue throughout the first quarter. Three of the Bears first four drives started in Aggies territory. The one drive that did not start in Aggies territory, started at the Bears 48 after a Kindle fumble.

Each MSU good fortune was met with an Aggies rebuff. Mayhew finally turned the field position in N.C. A&T's favor late in the first quarter. A 12-yard run helped the N.C. A&T move the ball from in front of its own goal line. Mayhew then sprinted down the sideline for a 78-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career.


Morgan State Band @ Collegiate Marching Band Festival 9/25/2011, Allentown, Pennsylvania

"Once I got off the bus today, I was feeling it," said Mayhew. "I was in that zone. My offensive line stepped up today. (Offensive line coach Keith Wagner) told us all week it was time for a 100-yard game. We've been slacking the first three games, so I'm glad we got it going today."

Saturday marked Mayhew's second career 200-yard performance. His showing also put him 17 yards shy of the 2,000-yard mark for his career. But it was the Aggies defense that allowed the Aggies to keep a comfortable lead.

After stopping the Bears on 4th-and-1 from the Aggies 47 to open the second quarter, Jose Garcia-Camacho hit a 35-yard field goal to give the Aggies a 10-3 lead. Morgan State answered by putting together its best drive of the game, a 9-play, 50-yard march that led to a 41-yard field goal attempt.

But a bobbled snap led to Terence Webb blocking the kick. With the Aggies defense playing so well, the game was put away on a 47-yard touchdown pass from Kindle to Larry Raper to close out the first half.

"We started the game in the hole with an interception and the defense held them to three," said Broadway. "I thought that set the tone. I think we gave up one 3rd down-and-14 today, but overall we were great on third down."

Senior Justin Ferrell had two blocked kicks and an interception. Brandon Hover finished with 10 tackles and a 31-yard interception return. N.C. A&T's last two wins over Morgan State has included a 200-yard rusher. Brandon Sweeney ran for 205 yards in 2005.

The Aggies return home next week to host Bethune-Cookman at 1:30 p.m.

Courtesy: NC A&T Sports Information