XU's Erves is perfect in opener to lead Gold Rush past Carver

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Denzell Erves scored a career-high 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and was 10-of-10 from the floor Wednesday in Xavier University of Louisiana's 88-69 men's basketball victory against Carver.

The Gold Rush, ranked 21st in NAIA Division I, won a season opener for the 16th consecutive season and defeated the Cougars (0-2) for the fourth straight season.

Erves' double-double was his second at Xavier. The junior forward made all six of his first-half shots and scored 12 points to lead the Gold Rush to a 38-32 halftime advantage.

Wanto Joseph scored 15 points, Nick Haywood 13 and Anthony Simmons 12 for Xavier. It was Haywood's debut with the Gold Rush after playing for the University of Houston the past two seasons.

Bernard Parks scored 14 points and Nicholas Hood 13 for Carver, and Derek Douglas and Demetrius Mack had 12 apiece.

Carver, an Atlanta college, spent about 2½ minutes with the lead in the first half, the last time at 20-18 on Hood's basket at 9:27. Kevin Miller's 3-pointer at 8:14 put the Gold Rush ahead to stay at 21-20.

Haywood's back-to-back 3-pointers in the third minute of the second half gave Xavier its first double-digit lead, 46-35. Simmons' basket with 2:14 remaining gave Xavier its biggest lead, 83-61.

Xavier outshot the Cougars 47.2 to 38.3 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 53-29.

Xavier won for the 21st time in its past 22 games at The Barn.

Xavier's next two games will be road exhibitions against NCAA Division I opponents — 7:30 p.m. Saturday against Western Kentucky and 7 p.m. Monday against seventh-ranked Vanderbilt.

Box score

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

LSU dominates Gold Nuggets in exhibition game

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — LaSondra Barrett's 22 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds Wednesday led 21st-ranked LSU to a 102-42 women's basketball exhibition victory against Xavier University of Louisiana.

Theresa Plaisance added 20 points, Krystal Forthan 14 and Adrienne Webb 12 for the Lady Tigers.

Jasmine Grant scored 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and freshman Jessica Savannah had 10 for the Gold Nuggets, who are ranked 16th in NAIA Division I.

LSU outshot the Gold Nuggets 58.8 to 24.6 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 52-29.

LSU led 45-29 at halftime. The final margin was the Lady Tigers' largest of the game. It was the first meeting between the schools.

The teams traded three pointers in the first minute — Barrett made hers at 19:47, and Grant answered 19 seconds later — then LSU scored the next 11 points and never lost the lead.

Grant, Savannah and Brandi Young each made 3-pointers during a 9-0 run which closed the margin to 23-17 at 10:12. The Gold Nuggets pulled even closer at 29-24 at 5:38, but LSU answered with a 14-0 run.

Then the Lady Tigers pulled away some more, outscoring Xavier 23-5 in the first eight minutes of the second half.

LSU's winning margin exceeded the combined margin of Xavier's seven losses in 2010-11 (55 points), and it exceeded the XU record for largest loss — a 122-64 decision against Southeastern Louisiana in 1977-78, Xavier's first season in the Title IX era. Xavier led NAIA Division I in scoring defense the past two seasons.

Xavier will open its regular season at 7 p.m. Friday against Florida Memorial at The Barn. PSBlive.com will provide live internet coverage of the game.

Box score

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

Rivers' defense holds back Shaw Bears

DURHAM, North Carolina -- One of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's biggest tasks this season is to get talented freshman guard Austin Rivers to play as well on defense as he does on offense. The Blue Devils looked shaky at times Wednesday night in an 80-66 exhibition defeat of Shaw University at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Talented Shaw guards Tony Smith and Malik Alvin drove the lane and created plays almost at will at times in the first half, when the Bears shot 50 percent from the field. But over the first nine minutes of the second half, Shaw was held to nine points. Smith managed three of his 13 points in the half, and the defense of Rivers - the preseason ACC Rookie of the Year according to the media who cover the conference - was a big reason for that.

"I thought Austin really played Smith well in that second half," Krzyzewski said. "I think Smith's good, really good. "And Austin for a freshman, in wanting to play defense - he's known as this great scorer - I thought it was a really big half for Austin."



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GAME NOTES: Gardner-Webb Hosts Virginia State Thursday Night

Boiling Springs, North Carolina -- Gardner-Webb will host Virginia State at 6:00 pm Thursday night on Harris Field at Spangler Stadium. The game will air live on WGWG-FM (88.3), with Fabian Fuentes and David Allen providing the call. The game will also be broadcast on the Big South Network (bigsouthsports.com), as part of the league’s video streaming package. Log onto to wgwg.org for a live audio stream via the internet as well.

   GAME NOTES (PDF)

SERIES NOTES: First meeting in the sport of football ... GWU is 11-4-0 all-time against members of the CIAA, with most of that win total coming against nearby Johnson C. Smith (Charlotte) and Livingstone (Salisbury) ... GWU hasn’t played a home game against a CIAA school since beating Virginia Union, 22-20, on Homecoming in 2000.

THE COACHES: Gardner-Webb head coach Ron Dickerson, Jr., is in his first season in charge of the Runnin’ Bulldogs. GWU is his first head coaching job overall. Andrew Faison is in his 10th season as heac coach at Virginia State, his alma mater (‘81). Faison is 54-46 during that time, including a 5-4 mark this season. The Trojans went 8-3 in 2010.

LAST WEEK: Treymaine Schley caught two touchdown passes, one from Lucas Beatty and one from Ricky Rhodes, and Gardner-Webb’s defense recorded seven sacks and two interceptions to spark a 14-7 win over Charleston Southern. Lyndon Leslie provided a lift off the bench with four catches for 85 yards, including a 21-yard reception on a flea flicker that set up Gardner-Webb’s first score – a 14-yard strike from Beatty to Schley.

PUSH ‘EM BACK: Gardner-Webb ranks No. 3 nationally in tackles for loss, helped indeed by last weekend’s 11-tackles for loss effort vs. Charleston Southern. GWU also had a season-high seven sacks and 11 quarterback pressures in that game – just two sacks shy of the league’s single-game mark for a team. The rotation up front of Preston Pemasa (6-2, 250, So.), Matt Goods (6-2, 275, RSo.) Dylan Taylor (6-0, 265, Jr.), Jordan Woods (6-3, 245, Sr.), Maurice Dickson (6-4, 260, So.), Maurice Bryan (6-2, 265, RJr.) and Tyler Hough-Jenkins (6-4, 270, RFr.) forms one of the deepest defensive lines in the nation.

BIG FRONT LINE: Gardner-Webb’s offensive line has drawn solid reviews during preseason camp, coming together nicely as a unit under new position coach Dwayne Ledford. The starting five: left tackle Harrison Martin (6-6, 285, RJr.); left guard Jamie Dunaway (6-4, 290, Jr.); center Austin Sargent (6-3, 290, Jr.); right guard Jeff Harris (6-2, 291, RSo.) and right tackle Steve Demilio (6-5, 290, RJr.) average a solid 6-foot-4, 289-pounds per man and have at least three years each in a college weight program under their belts.

A GOOD STREAK: Gardner-Webb has won two games in a row in the same season for the first time since starting the 2010 season 2-0 with wins vs. Brevard and at Akron. GWU won two in a row to span the end of the 2010 season and the start of the 2011 campaign, beating VMI to close out ‘10 and topping Brevard to begin ‘11. GWU has not won three games in a row since October 18-November 1 of the 2008 season – topping Presbyterian (Oct. 18), VMI (Oct. 25) and Stony Brook (Nov. 1) behind strong quarterback play from then-senior Devin Campbell.

DICKSON DELIVERS: With All-Big South tackle Matt Goods sitting out last week with an injury, classmate Maurice Dickson (6-4, 260, So.) came through with a tremendous effort. Playing both end and tackle in the game, Dickson registered a career-high 10 total tackles (four solo), 4.5 tackles for loss and broke a school record with 3.5 sacks. The previous mark was set by Rondell White at Tusculum in 1998 (3.0 sacks). Dickson added four pressures and was named Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. The Hillside, N.J., native leads the Big South with 4.5 sacks in 2011.

PATTERSON PILING UP STATS: Linebacker Marty Patterson (6-3, 235, RSr.) has accomplished many things already during his career in Boiling Springs, but topped his best efforts in the win over Charleston Southern. The preseason All-America selection came through with a career-high 20 total tackles (nine solo) and a tackle for loss in the win, including several big hits. Patterson has 72 tackles in six games played this season, leading the Big South with 12.0 tackles per game. In league play, Patterson has totaled 55 tackles in four league games, averaging 13.8 per contest – which also leads the league. The Mt. Airy, Ga., native has registered 293 total tackles during his career in Boiling Springs, which ranks No. 16 in school history – only 13 hits behind former All-America and NFL linebacker Jim Maxwell.

SCHLEY IS SLY: Sophomore tight end Treymaine Schley (6-3, 220) enjoyed one of his finest games Saturday – one week after posting a career-high total in yardage – hauling in five passes for 50 yards and the first two touchdowns of his career. Schley’s 14-yard scoring grab from Lucas Beatty tied the game with 2:00 left before halftime and his nine-yard touchdown catch from running back Ricky Rhodes gave GWU the lead for good with 14:10 left in the game. Schley was named National Tight End of the Week in the Football Championship Subdivision by College Football Performance Awards (CFPA), and now leads the Big South’s tight ends with 17 catches for 200 yards and two scores – all career-high numbers to date for Schley. The Ft. Myers, Fla., native has nine catches for 119 yards in the past two games combined.

CAREER DAY: Punter Graham Purvis (5-11, 165, RSr.) was one of several stars in Gardner-Webb’s 14-7 win over Charleston Southern last week, punting 11 times for a conference-record 497 yards (45.2 yards per punt). Purvis uncorked two of the longest punts in league history in the same game – booming a 67-yarder (sixth best) late in the first half to pin CSU inside its own 20 with the game tied, 7-7, and launching a school and Big South-record 85 yard punt late in the fourth quarter that forced CSU to try and cover 80 yards for a potential game-tying score. The GWU defense took advantage of the field position and kept the lead safe. Purvis’ effort earned the Shallotte, N.C., native Big South Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors Monday morning, and National Special Teams Player of the Week honors Monday afternoon. He is averaging 36.3 yards per kick this season, and has five kicks of 50 yards or better under his belt through eight games.

BIG SOUTH NETWORK: The Big South Network, presented by State Farm, will carry all of Gardner-Webb’s home football games and all Big South Conference games live as part of the league’s subscription-based video streaming package. Interested parties may register for an account at bigsouthsports.com.

Courtesy: Gardner-Webb

Stopping veteran QB key for GSU

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — Grambling coach Doug Williams talked less about his two young quarterbacks this Monday than any other week this season. The player taking the snaps against his defense this week, however, prompted more questions than any opposing athlete thus far.

"The one thing they have going for them that we don't have, but eventually will have, is the veteran quarterback," Williams said. "He's played well. He's an All-American ... They've got some mature players, and they're making plays."

"Playing well" might be an understatement for Casey Therriault's performance this season for Jackson State (7-1, 5-1). The 22-year-old senior has completed 183 of his 313 pass attempts (58.5 percent) for 2,441 yards (305.1 per game) and 17 touchdowns — all conference-leading statistics.  No other SWAC quarterback has more than 235 pass attempts, 122 completions, 1,446 yards or 12 touchdowns.

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Alabama State Hornets backup Dominguez ready if needed

Montgomery, Alabama -- Is it Greg Jenkins or Devin Dominguez? If Alabama State football coach Reggie Barlow knows the answer, he isn't saying. His choice of quarterback for Saturday's game at Arkansas-Pine Bluff remains a question mark, adding some mystery to the matchup.

"The plan is for Dominguez to get all of (the game plan)," Barlow said. "Greg is going to have to be 80 percent or better, and I don't know if he can get there. He was probably 50 percent this past weekend, so I don't foresee him being able to go."

The Hornets suffered their first Southwestern Athletic Conference loss last week in the Magic City Classic after Jenkins' recurring hip injury forced him to the bench in the first quarter. Barlow might have left Jenkins in the game had the Hornets lacked a capable backup, but with last season's starter Dominguez on the sideline, the head coach had an easy decision.

What's not easy is determining the future starter.



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Texas Southern's Tony Harvey Gets a New Contract

HOUSTON, Texas - Texas Southern has rewarded men's basketball coach, Tony Harvey, with a new three-year contract that includes an option for an additional two years. Harvey, who led the Tigers to their first SWAC regular season title last season since 1998, has an overall record of 43-54 at TSU.

"It's a three-year contract with a two-year option," said Charles McClelland, TSU athletics director, in an interview with FOX 26 Sports. "It could be a total of five years. We did it based on the recent on-court success as well as the improved success in acacemics that has equated to approximately a 70% graduation rate for the men's basketball team."



McClleland said when Harvey signs the contract, it will be his first with the school. "He never had a contract," McClelland said. He has been working, up until this point, for a contract. "We never agreed on the terms. It was never about money."

Last season Harvey led TSU to a 16-2 record in conference play and his non-conference victories included a road win over Oregon State. Two years ago Harvey led the Tigers to the championship game in the SWAC postseason tournament.

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