Norfolk, Virginia -- Norfolk State football fans waited in line for seven hours to buy tickets for the school's playoff game this weekend. Katrina Kemp waited in line four hours and left empty-handed.
On the first day that tickets became available to the public, a line of more than 500 fans zig-zagged across the sidewalk outside Norfolk State's ticket center. Annette Johnson, an NSU grad who began taking classes in 1963, arrived at 5:30 a.m. to buy her tickets, plopping her portable chair behind a handful of people already in line.
"I wake up at 4, but usually go back to bed," Johnson said. "We used to play at Foreman Field, and we know what it's about, how many people are getting in. We wanted tickets."
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College football offers The Battle of Norfolk
The Battle of Norfolk will happen sooner than expected. Norfolk State and Old Dominion will meet at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at ODU's Foreman Field in the first round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
Earlier this year, the schools agreed to begin a six-year series of games in 2013, but now they won't have to wait.
With the NCAA selection committee emphasizing regionalism in its bracketing, there was no easier pairing than pitting NSU and ODU. The travel distance between the two schools is 4.2 miles. Anticipation was high Sunday as students, alumni and local fans gathered on each campus and held their breath to learn who their first opponents would be.
"If that place seats 20,000, there's going to be 20,000 more outside," Moses Atkins, a 1960 Norfolk State alumnus, said of ODU's Foreman Field after the cheers subsided. "It's going to be one of the best things that's happened to this city."
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ODU to host NSU in first round of FCS playoffs
NORFOLK, Virginia -- Old Dominion got a home game. Norfolk State got a close game.
When the dust cleared at 10 o'clock Sunday morning, the two programs learned the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs selection committee had taken the path of least resistance. The teams will meet for the first time at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in a first-round playoff game at Foreman Field.
Since ODU began playing football three years ago, the Monarchs and Spartans camps have been talking about starting a series. This fall, the two agreed to a six-year deal beginning in 2013.
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011
No. 16 Marquette Golden Eagles Edge Norfolk State 59-57 To Claim Paradise Jam Title
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands -- Darius Johnson-Odom scored 20 points and Jae Crowder had a tiebreaking dunk with 1:09 left, leading No. 16 Marquette to a 59-57 victory over Norfolk State in the Paradise Jam championship game Monday night.The Golden Eagles (5-0) never trailed and Johnson-Odom was selected tournament MVP after he scored at least 20 points in each game.
Crowder sparked a 10-2 run for Marquette with consecutive 3-pointers. The surge lifted the Golden Eagles to a 47-33 lead with 11:40 left, but Norfolk State (3-2) would not go quietly. The Spartans countered with two separate 7-0 spurts and tied it at 57 on a 3 by Pendarvis Williams with 2:03 remaining.
Box Score (PDF)
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Marquette Men’s Basketball: Tracking individual player progress at Paradise Jam
The Marquette men’s basketball team may have been in the warm sunshine of the Virgin Islands this past weekend, but it took care of business on the court, making mincemeat of Winthrop (95-73), Mississippi (96-66) and battling Norfolk State to a 59-57 victory. Below is an evaluation of each player’s performance this weekend using an academic scale (A,B,C,D,F).
Senior forward Jae Crowder: In the 96-66 dismantling of Ole Miss, Crowder was an astounding 9-of-11 from the field and hit his first two 3-pointers. He finished with 25 points and seven rebounds. Against Norfolk State he posted his second double-double of the year (14 points, 11 rebounds). Crowder was expected to be the second fiddle to DJO, and he hasn’t disappointed thus far. A
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Norfolk State shocks Paradise Jam field
When the Norfolk State Spartans upset Colonial preseason favorite Drexel 61-56 Friday, the immediate reaction was not "hey, check out Norfolk State." It was "hey, check out how bad the CAA is looking right now."
The latter sentiment wasn't wrong. (The CAA has looked bad.) But Norfolk State assistant coach Robert Jones wasn't totally thrilled with the angle. When the link to my reaction was posted on Twitter, he responded:
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Lady Pilots rally in second half to defeat XU Gold Nuggets
Willis, a transfer from NCAA Division I Hampton, came off the bench to make 4-of-5 3-pointers and score 13 points. Simone Brewer scored 14 points for the Lady Pilots (2-2), and Sharde Henry scored 13.
Jasmine Grant, playing in her hometown, scored a season-high 19 points for the Gold Nuggets (4-2). Dalila Robinson scored a season-high 11 points, and Brandi Young scored 10.
SiMon Franklin scored eight points and Young seven to lead Xavier to a 34-29 halftime advantage, but LSUS rallied and took the lead for good, 40-37, on a Willis 3-pointer with 13:48 remaining.
Two Jennifer Hicks free throws at 11:18 gave the Lady Pilots their biggest lead, 50-37.
Grant passed to Robinson for a 3-pointer which cut the Lady Pilots' lead to 66-65 with 31 seconds remaining, but Henry made two free throws with 13 seconds to play. Franklin then missed a 2-pointer, and Willis made 1-of-2 free throws with one second remaining for the final point. Xavier made 8-of-10 from the floor in the first 10 minutes but shot 28 percent thereafter to finish at 38.8. LSUS shot 45.3 percent from the floor, 52 percent in the second half.
Grant and Robinson made three 3-pointers apiece and were a combined 6-of-10 from long range. They combined for 25 of Xavier's 31 second-half points, including 16 by Grant.
LSUS had a 37-30 rebound advantage. Brewer and Jenna Diakos grabbed seven rebounds apiece for the Lady Pilots.
Xavier will play NAIA No. 19 Langston at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Xavier Classic at The Barn. The other games that day will match Dillard vs. Rust at 1 p.m., Holy Names vs. Texas College at 3 p.m. and Mobile vs. Tuskegee at 5 p.m.
Box scoretournament information
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
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TSU Will Conduct National Search for Next Football Coach
HOUSTON, VA - Texas Southern University will conduct a national search to find its next football coach. However, TSU athletics director Charles McClelland told FOX 26 Sports interim head coach Kevin Ramsey is a candidate to retain the position on a permanent basis.Ramsey, who had been the Tigers' defensive coordinator, replaced Johnnie Cole as head coach in April after Cole was fired because of allegations of NCAA rules violations on his watch. TSU won the SWAC Conference championship in 2010, the first outright conference title in the history of the program.
In 2011, under Ramsey, the Tigers were 4-7 overall, and finished last in the SWAC's Western division with a 2-7 record.
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Texas Southern launches search for football coach
Houston, Texas - Texas Southern announced Monday that it has opened a national search for a football coach after the team finished the season 4-7.
Athletic director Charles McClelland said he would immediately begin to identify candidates to present to a university committee and hopes to have a coach named within a month. Interim coach Kevin Ramsey will also be a candidate.
Ramsey recently completed his third season with the Tigers, having spent the first two as defensive coordinator. He was promoted April 1 to replace Johnnie Cole, who was fired in advance of an NCAA report that is expected to reveal major violations.
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Monday, November 21, 2011
Norfolk State's big man too much for TCU; Spartans win 66-53
ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands -- Standing at 6-foot-10, there's no way an opposing team can avoid Norfolk State University's Kyle O'Quinn. Texas Christian couldn't convert from outside so the Horned Frogs drove right at him, which is exactly what the senior center likes.O'Quinn tallied a team-high 17 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots to lift the Spartans to a 66-53 victory over TCU in the 2011 Paradise Jam semifinals at the University of Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center on Sunday.
Norfolk State (3-1), out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, will play in the tournament championship tonight at 9:30 p.m.
"Everywhere we go, we're always the underdog," said O'Quinn, who was named the MEAC's Defensive Player of the Year last season. "Even in our conference, they picked us fourth and we felt that was a sign of disrespect. We have a team this year. We're using this tournament to prove everyone wrong."
The Spartans held a slim 28-26 advantage at halftime before O'Quinn had two 3-point plays within one minute to fuel a 14-2 scoring run. The latter 3-point play gave Norfolk State a 48-33 lead with 9:54 left.
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NEXT GAME: 8:30 PM ET, Nov. 21, Norfolk State vs. #17 Marquette at Virgin Islands Sport & Fitness Center, St. Thomas, V.I.
Last Game: Norfolk State 61-56 victory over Drexel on Friday at Paradise Jam Tournament, St. Thomas
South Carolina Set To Host Mississippi Valley State On Tuesday
Columbia, South Carolina -- The South Carolina men's basketball team will host Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday, continuing play in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Colonial Life Arena, with the contest to be televised on SportSouth.OPENING TIP
Date: Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena
Series: First Meeting
Television: SportSouth (check local listings)
Internet: ESPN3
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Daymeon Fishback (analyst)
Radio: Derek Scott (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
GameTracker
Game Notes
Probable Starters
South Carolina Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown PPG RPG MPG
G - #30, Lakeem Jackson 6-5 238 Jr. Charlotte, N.C. 7.3 5.3 24.3
G - #32, Damien Leonard 6-4 192 Fr. Greenville, S.C. 5.7 1.3 24.3
F - #13, Anthony Gill 6-8 235 Fr. Charlotte, N.C. 8.3 5.0 24.0
F - #15, Malik Cooke 6-6 215 R-Sr. Charlotte, N.C. 9.7 6.0 28.3
F - #24, Damontre Harris 6-9 226 So. Fayetteville, N.C. 5.3 6.0 20.3
MVSU Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown PPG RPG MPG
12 - #12, Amos Studivant 6-8 230 Sr. Bessemer, Ala. 10.0 8.7 30.0
23 - #23, Falando Jones 6-4 212 Sr. Greenwood, Miss. 8.0 3.0 26.0
32 - #32, Paul Crosby 6-8 245 Sr. Lansing, Mich. 8.7 3.3 27.7
3 - #3, Terrence Joyner 6-3 180 Jr. Mendenhall, Miss. 9.3 4.3 25.3
25 - #25, Kevin Burwell 5-10 185 Sr. Philadelphia, Penn. 9.0 5.3 34.3
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Other Tuesday Games on ESPN3
7:30 PM EST Tennessee State at North Carolina
8:00 PM EST Maryland-Eastern Shore at Kansas State
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