Pitt Women's Basketball Dropped by Hampton, 60-37, In Season Opener

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania -– Sophomore Asia Logan had 12 points off the bench, but it was not enough to stop Hampton as the Panthers lost a 60-37 decision on Saturday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center. The contest was the season opener for both teams.

Sophomore Marquel Davis and freshman Brianna Kiesel each had eight points for the Panthers (0-1). The Lady Pirates (1-0) were paced by a game-high 22 points from Choicetta McMillian. McMillian drained six 3-pointers, tying an individual Petersen Events Center record by an opponent.

The Panthers jumped out of the gate early, moving to a 6-1 lead less than three minutes in on a fast break layup from Davis. The sophomore scored four of Pitt’s first six points. HU tallied the next eight-straight points, the last on a jumper from Sherena Abercrumbia to take a 9-6 advantage with 13:46 on the clock.

Davis and Kiesel scored on two of the next three Pitt possessions to make it 10-9, but that would be the last lead of the afternoon for the Panthers. Hampton used a 22-2 run to take a 31-12 lead just prior to the half. Pitt would go from the 11:47 mark until the halftime horn without a field goal, trailing 31-15 at the break.

Box Score 

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HAMPTON LADY PIRATES OPEN SEASON WITH ROUT OF PITTSBURGH

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Hampton University women’s basketball team opened the 2011-12 season in style on Saturday, upending the University of Pittsburgh 60-37 at the Petersen Events Center.  Dating back to last season, the Lady Pirates (1-0) have won 15 of their last 16 games.

Senior guard Choicetta McMillian (Fairfield, Texas) led the Lady Pirates with 22 points, thanks in large part to a 6-for-15 effort from behind the arc. Senior forward Melanie Warner (Tallahassee, Fla.) poured in 12 points and was two rebounds shy of a double-double. Junior forward Ariel Phelps (Virginia Beach, Va.) added 10 points to go along with a team-high nine rebounds.

Pitt jumped out to a 6-1 lead, before the Lady Pirates scored eight straight points to take a 9-6 lead after a jumper from senior center Sherena Abercrumbia (Dallas, Texas). Brianna Kiesel gave the Panthers the lead again with a jumper at the 11:47 mark, but a layup from sophomore forward Alyssa Bennett (Newport News, Va.) put the Lady Pirates on top for good.

From there, Hampton closed out the half on a 22-5 run; after Kiesel’s jumper, Pitt would not score another field goal until Asia Logan’s layup at the buzzer.


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Stillman drops homecoming game to Concordia

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama | The Stillman football team could not pull out a victory Saturday, losing a close game to the Concordia-Selma Hornets 12-7 on homecoming. It was also a homecoming of sorts for former Stillman coach and Concordia defensive coordinator L.C. Cole, whose defense held Stillman to just 115 yards and forced two turnovers.

“We don’t sit back, we bring that heat,” Cole said. “We try to get the quarterback disturbed a little bit, our goal was to contain him, and I think we did just that.”

Stillman got the scoring started on its opening possession behind a strong rushing attack. After long runs by Carlos Wilson and Deandre Holley, quarterback Dondre Purnell took the ball in for a touchdown from 6 yards out on third-and-goal.

After forcing a three-and-out on defense, the Hornets struck back, scoring on a 12-play touchdown drive. The key play was an 18-yard fourth-down pass from ...

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XU Gold Rush rally in second half to defeat Bobcats

NEW ORLEANS -- Another home victory, another free-throw feast. It was more of the same Friday for the Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball team.

Chris Iles scored 17 points, Anthony Simmons 16 and Wanto Joseph 10 to lead Xavier, ranked 21st in NAIA Division I, to a 69-59 decision over St. Thomas (Fla.) at The Barn.

The Gold Rush (2-0) rallied from a 34-30 halftime deficit, outscored the Bobcats 33-7 in free throws -- 11-0 in the second half -- and won for the 22nd time in the past 23 home games.

Xavier attempted 48 free throws and improved to 31-0 since November 2009 when making more free throws than opponents. Iles, the team's most accurate free-throw shooter this past season, was 10-of-10 from the line, all in the first half. Joseph made 8-of-12 free throws, and Kevin Miller was 4-of-4.

Simmons scored 11 second-half points, and his basket with 8:48 remaining put the Gold Rush ahead to stay at 49-47. That followed 16 ties and 12 lead changes.

Joseph's free throws with 27 seconds remaining gave the XU men their biggest lead, 67-55, and capped a 10-0 run which covered nearly 3½ minutes.

Jeffery Remmington scored 16 points and Dylan O'Sullivan 15 for the Bobcats (1-2), who lost Thursday at Loyola. Both players had nine first-half points.

St. Thomas, an NAIA Division II member, outshot Xavier 44.4 to 39.5 percent from the floor. Both teams grabbed 27 rebounds, and the Gold Rush committed 19 turnovers and gained 25.

The Bobcats were assessed with 33 fouls, two less than they committed at Loyola.

The Gold Rush and Bobcats will meet again Dec. 29 in the St. Thomas Classic. Next for Xavier will be a 7:30 p.m. Tuesday game at Mobile.

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

MVSU ends season with loss to UAPB

TTA BENA, MS — Mississippi Valley State had one of their best defensive outings of the season Saturday against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, but it still didn't end in the Delta Devils' favor.

The Golden Lions (5-5, 4-4 SWAC) used 15 first-half points to take down MVSU (1-10, 1-8 Southwestern Athletic Conference) 15-3 in the season finalé for Valley.

Pine-Bluff scored all 15 points in the final three minutes using a Benjamin Anderson 1-yard touchdown plunge and a 10-yard scamper by Stephen Jones.

Valley's three points came on a 27-yard fourth quarter field goal by Carlos Sanchez.

The Delta Devils outgained the Golden Lions 203 to 174 and held them to 63 passing yards. Garrick Jones and Marvin Pittman split duties at quarterback. Jones went 5-of-12 for 33 yards and two interceptions while Marvin Pittman finished 3-of-11 for 22 yards.

Jones also paced the Delta Devils with 73 rushing yards on 13 attempts. Pittman added 35 on the ground.

In his final game, Paul Cox hauled in two catches for 22 yards. Brandon Stansell, Kenneth Dabneyand Malcolm Sam added two catches each.



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UWG men suffocate Clark Atlanta

Atlanta, Georgia -- The University of West Georgia men’s basketball team capped off a 2-0 season-opening weekend behind a suffocating defensive performance in a 79-53 victory over Clark Atlanta at the SIAC/GSC Challenge in Atlanta on Saturday evening.

“We just played tremendous defense. I mean, championship level. We just went after them. Those guys remind you of a Delta State or a Henderson State type with their size,” UWG coach Michael Cooney said. “Our guys just never gave them a chance to breathe. A huge win.”

The Wolves (2-0) won a hard-fought, 50-49 decision over Morehouse College on Friday night in the Challenge opener and Cooney said it was a great way to start the season heading into Wednesday’s home opener against Point University.

“To come out here 2-0, it just gives us a huge lift. I really think the team grew this week. It sets us up nicely coming home with these two big home games this week,” Cooney said.

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Xavier Nuggets outlast Dillard, reach title round of GCAC tourney

Moira Kirk

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — No deficit, it seems, is too great for the Xavier University of Louisiana women's volleyball team.

Moira Kirk had 13 kills and four blocks, and Taylor Reuther had 10 kills, 23 digs and two aces Friday to help the Gold Nuggets rally for a 20-25, 18-25, 27-25, 26-24, 17-15 victory against Dillard in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

"It was such a great comeback," said Xavier coach Christabell Hamilton, whose team trailed 15-8 in the fourth set and fought off four Dillard match points — one in the third, two in the fourth and one in the fifth. "When we won I was jumping up and down like a kid, which is something I never do."

Taylor Reuther

Xavier (22-6), the tourney's top seed and only unbeaten team, will play Dillard or SUNO in the championship round of the double-elimination event at 1 p.m. Saturday. It's the first time in the Gold Nuggets' four seasons that they reached the finals.

Dillard, the defending champion and No. 2 seed, and third-seeded SUNO will play at 11 a.m. Saturday in an elimination match. SUNO stayed alive with a 23-25, 25-12, 25-11, 25-9 victory against Tougaloo and a 25-18, 25-12, 25-16 victory against Talladega.

A Xavier victory in the 1 p.m. match will end the tournament. If the Gold Nuggets lose, they and their opponent will meet again at 3 p.m. to decide the championship and the GCAC's automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship, which begins next Saturday.

Patrice Hightower

Chinedu Echebelem's fifth-set kill, her 10th of the contest, saved a Dillard match point and tied the score at 15, then Xavier advanced with its seventh straight victory after consecutive Dillard attack errors.

"We have such fight and such heart," said Reuther, whose kill-dig double-double was her 11th of the season. "I always know we have a chance to come back."

Jeanay Butler and Iva Bobkova had eight kills apiece for Xavier, and Patrice Hightower had nine digs and a career-best 45 assists

"We communicated a lot more those final two sets," Hightower said. "We made adjustments on defense and in our blocking. I wasn't surprised we came back because we've done it all year. I have faith and trust in my teammates. I love this team so much."

Chinedu Echebelem

The Gold Nuggets have won 10 consecutive matches which lasted longer than three sets. They're 3-0 this season against Dillard (18-11), the defending tournament champion.

Xavier's current victory streak includes three matches in which the Nuggets trailed by a set. It was the second time in the program's history that Xavier rallied from a 2-sets-to-none deficit — the other time was against Dillard a year ago at The Barn.

"Those first two sets we weren't playing Xavier volleyball," Hamilton said. "We were not looking like ourselves and that's what frustrated me so much."

Reuther produced 17 digs in the final three sets and finished with a career high.

Jeanay Butler

"We started fighting as a team instead of individually," Reuther said. "That's why we meshed so well and came back as strongly as we did."

There were 15 ties and five lead changes in the third set, which Xavier capped with kills by Echebelem and Bobkova, but the Nuggets never led in the fourth until Kirk closed the set with consecutive kills. Kirk, the GCAC Freshman of the Year, had five kills in that set after the Nuggets trailed by seven.

The fifth set had 10 ties and four lead changes. Xavier led 8-5 after a Dillard attack error, and the Lady Bleu Devils had match point after Paula Ogbevoen's kill made it 15-14. But the Nuggets rallied one more time in a deciding set in which Dillard aided Xavier with eight errors.

"We never, ever give up," Hightower said.

Box score

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

VISIT: GCACSPORTS

Elon Opens Charlotte Smith Era With Win Over Virginia Union

ELON, N.C. – Charlotte Smith earned her first win as Elon head women’s basketball coach in impressive fashion on Saturday, Nov. 12, as the Phoenix used a second-half surge to cruise to a 70-46 win over Virginia Union inside Alumni Gym in the regular-season opener for both squads.
 
“We came out of the gates a little bit slow today, so we’ll need to work on coming out more focused on our defense and rebounding moving forward,” Smith said. “We had a lot more intensity in the second half and our team did an incredible job on the boards.
 
Overall, it feels great to get the victory today. It took some time for us to pull away but we’re excited with the win and we know there’s still a lot of room to get better.”
 
Juniors Ali Ford and Kelsey Evans led the Phoenix offense in the win, as the preseason all-conference selections combined for 40 points in the victory. Ford led all scorers with 26 points on 7-of-19 shooting, including a 5-of-13 clip from three-point land. Evans recorded her 16th career double-double with 14 points and a game-high 15 boards and three blocks in the win.

Box Score

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