TSU's Dates Claims Long Jump Title at High Tide Qualifier

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - TSU sophomore Royce Dates won the long jump at the University of Alabama High Tide Indoor Qualifier on Saturday at the Crossplex Indoor Arena.

Dates leapt a distance of 7.34-meters to win the long jump event over competitors from Alabama, Mississippi State and Southern Miss. Dates was looking to improve his personal best set last week in order to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Last week, the sophomore won the OVC Indoor title with his distance of 7.58-meters. Dates' mark ranked 29th in the nation as of Saturday evening.

The Tigers open the 2012 Outdoor Track & Field season with the Florida A&M Relays next Saturday, March 10 in Tallahassee, Fla.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SWAC Championship: Southern Jaguars Bowling rebounds from slow start, move to fourth

ARLINGTON, Texas -- After dropping their first three matches during day one of 2012 SWAC Bowling Championship, Southern women's bowling responded to tally 4404 pins and claim fourth place.

The Alabama A&M Lady Bulldogs cruised on the opening day of the SWAC Championship tournament, holding the top seed heading into the double-elimination Baker competition on Saturday at the International Training and Research Center.

A&M won all five of their matches, and led in the field in pinfall with a total of 4690. The Lady Bulldogs also were the only team to roll a 1000-plus game on the day, beating Southern 1001-870. A&M finished the day with 4670 pins.

West division champion Prairie View A&M earned the No. 2 seed, totalling 4537 pins. Texas Southern rebounded from a slow start to get the No. 3 seed (4427), while Southern rallied from the back of the pack to slide into No. 4 at 4404. Jackson State will be the 5th seed at 4277 and after a hot start, Alabama State slipped to sixth with 4276 pins.

Alabama A&M and Prairie View will begin Saturday with byes, while No. 4 Southern and No. 5 Jackson State faceoff in one opening round match at 9:30 a.m. No. 3 Texas Southern will take on Alabama State in the other first round match.

The winner of the Southern/Jackson State match gets Prairie View at 11:15, while the Texas Southern/Alabama State winner faces Alabama A&M. The losers will still be a alive, but will fall into the elimination bracket.

Day two of the competition will be streamed live on BowlTV.

Here are the team results from Friday.

Alabama A&M def. Texas Southern 902-827

Alabama State def. Southern 916-811

Prairie View def. Jackson State 888-805

Jackson State def. Southern 954-840

Texas Southern def. Alabama State 963-821

Alabama A&M def. Prairie View 976-953

Texas Southern def. Prairie View 911-902

Alabama A&M def. Southern 1001-870

Alabama State def. Jackson State 847-811

Prairie View def. Alabama State 911-820

Alabama A&M def. Jackson State 907-859

Southern def. Texas Southern 930-888

Jackson State def. Texas Southern 848-838

Alabama A&M def. Alabama State 904-872

Southern def. Prairie View 953-883

COURTESY: SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

CIAA Tournament LIVE Video Stream

SATURDAY - MARCH 3, 2012 Schedule of Games

Women's Bracket  |  Men's Bracket

CIAA Tournament Championship Finals (ESPNU- Tape delayed Broadcast)

Women's Championship
Shaw 72. Johnson C. Smith 66  5:00pm

Men's Championship
Elizabeth City State 51. Winston-Salem State 62  8:30pm

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 Scoreboard

Women

3N Virginia State 72 vs 6S Livingstone 54	11:00am
4N Elizabeth City State 46 vs 5S St. Augustine’s 49	1:00pm
4S Fayetteville State 50 vs 5N Chowan 51	3:00pm
3S Winston-Salem State 79 vs 6N Lincoln (PA) 57	5:00pm

Men

5S Livingstone 67 vs 6N Chowan 52	7:00pm
5N Lincoln (PA) 49 vs 6S St. Augustine’s 50	9:00pm

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 Scoreboard

Women

2N Bowie State 72 vs Virginia State 3N/6S 67 (2OT)	11:00am
1N Virginia Union 38 vs Chowan University 52 4S/5N	1:00pm
1S Shaw University  80 vs St. Augustine's  73 4N/5S	3:00pm
2S Johnson C. Smith 75 vs. 3S/6N  Winston Salem State 70	5:00pm

Men

N Virginia State 58 vs Livingstone College 5S/6N 60	7:00pm
4S Fayetteville State 65 vs St. Augustine's College 5N/6S  53	9:00pm

Thursday, March 1 (Bounce TV) Scoreboard

Men Only
2S Johnson C. Smith 56 vs 3N Elizabeth City State 64 1:00pm
1N Bowie State 72, 6N Livingstone 68  3:00pm
2N Virginia Union 55 vs 3S Winston-Salem State 56 7:00pm
1S Shaw 90, 6S Fayetteville State 77  9:00pm

Friday, March 2 (Bounce TV) Scoreboard

Women’s Semifinals
Shaw 59, Bowie State 44     1:00 pm
Johnson C. Smith 68, Chowan  55  3:00 pm 

Men’s Semifinals
Elizabeth City State 66, Bowie State 63 (OT) 7:00 pm
Shaw 48, Winston Salem State  51 9:00pm
 


READ MORE AT THECIAA.COM

Scores That Matters!!

March 2, 2012

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

GCAC Tournament Semifinals
Xavier 78, Tougaloo 67
Talladega 63, Edward Waters 43

SIAC Tournament Semifinals
Tuskegee 72, Stillman 65
Fort Valley State 79, Benedict 65

CIAA Tournament Semifinals
Shaw 59, Bowie State 44
Johnson C. Smith 68, Chowan 55


CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY, 1:00pm ESPN2 - Tennessee State vs, Murray State for OVC Title.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

GCAC Tournament Semifinals
Tougaloo 94, Philander Smith 88
Southern-New Orleans 66, Xavier 65

SIAC Tournament Semifinals
LeMoyne-Owen 64, Paine 61
Benedict 74, Fort Valley State 53

CIAA Tournament Semifinals
Elizabeth City State 66, Bowie State 63 (OT)
Winston-Salem State 51, Shaw 48

OVC Tournament Semifinals
Tennessee State University 59, Morehead State 52

Gold Nuggets outlast Tougaloo to reach another GCAC title game

Jasmine Grant
5'-8" Guard, Junior
Hometown: Shreveport, Louisiana
Southwood High School

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- Jasmine Grant, one of five double-figure scorers for NAIA No. 20 Xavier University of Louisiana, had 18 points Friday in a 78-67 women's basketball victory against Tougaloo in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Tournament.

The Gold Nuggets (24-8) won their sixth in a row and advanced to Saturday's noon EST championship game against second-seeded Talladega or sixth-seeded Edward Waters, who met later Friday. It's the sixth time in seven seasons the XU women are in the final.

Keldra Hall scored 14 points, Carmen Holcombe 13, SiMon Franklin 11 and Brandi Young 10 for Xavier, the tournament's top seed.

Portia Craft scored 18 points, Victoria Jones 16 and Kierra Addison 14 for fifth-seeded Tougaloo (15-14), which was eliminated by Xavier for the fourth consecutive year. The Nuggets beat the Lady Bulldogs 71-44 in the 2011 final.

Tougaloo's Kierra Addison scored a 3-point play on the game's opening possession, but her team never led again after Xavier responded with a 13-1 run. Tougaloo rallied for three ties in the final six minutes of the first half, but Young scored the final five points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer, to give Xavier a 36-31 advantage.

Xavier twice led by 18 in the second half -- the last time at 62-44 on Franklin's basket with 9:20 remaining -- but didn't clinch the victory until it outscored the Tougaloo 8-2 in the final 3:45.

"Tougaloo played strong," said Bo Browder, who reached the championship game for the ninth time in 13 seasons as Xavier's coach. "So we had to be strong too. We did a great job contesting every rebound and had a great six- or- seven-minute stretch in the second half to give us some cushion."

Grant, who missed the final 26 games of 2010-11 because of a knee injury, was 4-of-8 from 3-point range and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds. She and Holcombe were one point from season highs. Hall didn't start but was 6-of-7 from the floor, and Young and Franklin each had five assists, with Franklin matching her career best.

Jones, the GCAC Player of the Year, grabbed 16 rebounds, eight offensive. But Xavier had a 48-36 rebound advantage, 27-16 in the second half.

"I told our team before the game and I told them throughout the game that it was all about rebounding," Browder said. "That's a big reason why we'll be playing tomorrow."

Xavier outshot Tougaloo 42.6 to 34.5 percent from the floor, and both teams made six 3-pointers. The Nuggets excelled at the line, making 20-of-23 free throws to Tougaloo's 21-of-33. The Lady Bulldogs missed nine second-half free throws.

NOTES: XU sophomore Angelica Alexander scored a season-high six points . . . The Jones double-double was her seventh against Xavier and her third in as many meetings this season, but she finished her career with a 1-11 record against the Nuggets . . . Xavier scored its most points in a GCAC semifinal since 2002.

Box Score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

TSU Snatches 59-52 Win to Advance to OVC Title Game

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Tennessee State grinded out a 59-52 victory over Morehead State on Friday evening to advance to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Tigers will face Murray State in a nationally televised contest on ESPN2.

The Tigers (20-11) overcame 20 turnovers and shot 53 percent (20-of-28) to pick up their 20th win of the season - the first time a TSU squad reached that plateau since the 1978-79 campaign. For the evening, Morehead State (18-15) was held to 36 percent (20-of-56) shooting.

TSU inked 12 steals and staved off a second half rally by the Eagles to ensure the rubber match with nationally ranked Murray State on Saturday afternoon.

A trifecta of Tigers reached double-figures as Robert Covington led TSU with 14 points. The junior was 5-of-8 from the field, while grabbing four rebounds.

Jordan Cyphers came off the bench to knock down three triples and score 13 points. Guard Patrick Miller reached double-digits notching 13 points with six assists. Redshirt freshman M.J. Rhett inked eight points with four rebounds. Meanwhile, senior Wil Peters led all players with seven assists.

Tennessee State opened up the first half with a strong shooting performance, notching 56 percent (10-of-18) from the floor. The Tigers hit four makes beyond the arch, including three from Cyphers. Cyphers led TSU with 11 points at the break.

With 17:03 on the clock, Covington went down after making a hard fall. He would later return about five minutes later.

The Tigers' 8-2 run opened the game to 20-9, but Morehead State fought back with a triple late in the game to pull within 26-21 at the break.

Morehead State went on a brief run to take a one point lead at the 18:44 mark. The Tigers proceeded on a 6-0 run to lead 34-29. From there, the Tigers never surrendered the advantage.

The Eagles cut the deficit to within two on several occasions, but couldn't get the go-ahead points. TSU stretched its' largest lead to seven at the end of the game to pick up their second win over Morehead State this season.

Saturday's matchup with Murray State will be the third for the two teams in just three weeks. TSU won 72-68 at Murray State on Feb. 9 before the Racers clinched an 80-62 victory at the Gentry Center on Feb. 23.

Fans can watch the contest on ESPN2 with Bob Wischusen and Fran Franschilla calling the action. Tickets are still available for purchase at the Municipal Auditorium Box Office or Ticketmaster.com.

TSU vs. Morehead State Box

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Savannah State Clinches Top Seed in 2012 MEAC Tournament

NORFOLK, Virginia - The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced its men's pairings for the 2012 MEAC Basketball Tournament, March 5-10, at the Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Savannah State, who entered the conference just one year ago, earned the top seed after closing out the regular season with a 14-2 mark in MEAC play and an overall record of 21-10.

The Tigers earned the first-round bye and will open up play on Wednesday, March 7 beginning at 6 p.m. They will face the winner of the No. 8 Hampton/No. 9 Morgan State matchup set for Tuesday, March 6 at 11 a.m.

A four-team tie which resulted in the 2011 Tournament Champion Hampton Pirates securing the No. 8 seed also revealed Morgan State at No. 9, Howard finishing at No. 10 and Florida A&M with the No. 11 spot.

Men's action continues on Tuesday with No. 7 North Carolina A&T facing off against No. 10 Howard beginning at 1:30 p.m. North Carolina Central earned a No. 5 seed following the tiebreaker against Coppin State and will take on No. 12 Maryland Eastern Shore at 4 p.m.

Last year's regular season champion Bethune-Cookman (No. 4) will matchup against S.C. State (No. 13) beginning at 6:30 p.m. No. 6 Coppin State and No. 11 Florida A&M wraps up the first day's competition with a matchup slated at 9 p.m.

Norfolk State earned the runners-up trophy with a 13-3 record and will face the winners of the No. 7 N.C. A&T/No. 10 Howard matchup on Wednesday, March 7 beginning at 8 p.m. Delaware State secured the No. 3 seed to receive a two-day bye and will take on the winners of the No. 6 Coppin State/No. 11 Florida A&M game on Thursday, March 8 slated for 6 p.m.

The 2012 regular season champion, regular season runners-up, first-team members and top honorees including Player, Rookie, Defensive and Coach of the Year selections, will be recognized in pre-game presentations prior to the honorees first games in tournament play.

The 2012 MEAC Basketball Tournament tips-off Monday, March 5, and will conclude on Saturday, March 10 with the men's and women's championship games. The men's finale will begin at 1 p.m. and will broadcast live on ESPN2, followed by the women's game at 4 p.m. live on ESPNU. The preliminary games will also be streamed live on www.MEACsports.com. Live statistics of all games will be available on the conferences' official website and the tournament's official website, http://www.meachoops.com./

Click here to download the 2012 Men's Tournament Bracket.

COURTESY: MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS