TSU puts it all together at Samford

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  -  The Tennessee State women's basketball team played its most complete game of the season as they took down Samford 57-40 at the Samford Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday. It's the largest road win since at least 2001.

Kesi Hess led all scorers with 15 points, while Simone Hopes tied a career-high with 12 rebounds. The senior from Houston had a dozen boards vs. Eastern Kentucky in December 2010.

The 40 points allowed are the fewest by TSU since giving up 35 to Southeast Missouri State on Feb. 24, 2011, a span of 36 games.
 

Even though neither team had more than a five point lead in the first half, TSU (2-3) controlled most of the first 20 minutes by forcing 10 Samford turnovers, including seven steals.

TSU held a 25-23 advantage at the half and limited the Bulldogs (2-2) to only eight made field goals.

A 14-2 TSU run over the last 6:17 turned a five point Lady Tigers lead into the final 17 point margin. Samford's last field goal came with five minutes remaining. The Tiger defense was even better in the second half holding the Bulldogs to 17 points, 26 percent shooting, as well as outrebounding Samford by 14.

Tanesha Stenson joined Hess in double-digits as the Nashville native added 11 points, one off her career-high that she set on Tuesday vs. Kansas State, along with seven rebounds.

Destiney Gaston had back-to-back solid games off the bench with nine points after having eight points and five rebounds vs. UAB on Friday.

The Lady Tigers held the Bulldogs to a season low in points and it was only the second win for TSU in 11 all-time meetings.

Samford won the Southern Conference Tournament and had a 10-2 record at home last season.

TSU heads out west next week to play Idaho on Friday and Montana on Saturday in Missoula, Mont.Follow TSU Athletics on Facebook.com/TSUTigers, Twitter @TSU_Tigers and YouTube


COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Southern coach Odums waits to see what future holds

NEW ORLEANS — With one final chance to make his case for a more permanent job, Southern interim football coach Dawson Odums got what he absolutely had to have Saturday: A win in the Bayou Classic.

Now, his fate rests in the hands of Athletic Director William Broussard.

Odums and the Jaguars took a commanding lead in the second half against Grambling, then held on for a 38-33 win over archrival Grambling in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

If that was enough for Odums to take over full-time, Broussard wasn’t saying.

He did offer this much: Odums won’t be the only candidate to replace Stump Mitchell, who was reassigned after two-plus seasons and a 6-18 record at SU.

“We’ll proceed to a national search next week,” Broussard said Saturday. “That will give me an opportunity to sit and talk with coach Odums and kind of do a formal review of the season and his performance as the head coach.”

Odums went 4-5 during his nine-game tenure. He took control of the team after its 6-0 home loss to Mississippi Valley State on Sept. 13, then led the Jaguars to three wins over their next four games.



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THE SHOW: 2012 Bayou Classic Battle of the Bands

Southern University takes Bayou Classic 38-33 over Grambling

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana  --  Southern University’s football team took interim head coach Dawson Odums on a thrilling roller-coaster ride of a game in Saturday’s 39th Bayou Classic. He’d like to do it all again next year.

Led by junior quarterback Dray Joseph, from West St. John High, and two St. Augustine graduates, receivers Charles Hawkins and Lee Doss, Southern salvaged a bit of their disappointing season with a 38-33 season-finale victory against Grambling in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome before an announced crowd of 45,980.

The Jaguars got down 14-0, rallied with a 38-6 run engineered by Joseph then had to hold their breath at the end when Grambling had a chance to drive for the winning score.

“I just feel that I want to be the head coach at Southern University and these young men showed why they like my leadership (on Saturday),’’ said Odums, who was named interim coach in September when head coach Stump Mitchell was reassigned after an 0-2 start. “They play hard and for 60 minutes. But I know it’s not my call. Whatever happens we’ll be estatic about it either way because we know put our best foot forward to make these young men better.’’

 

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WSSU coasts in playoff opener

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  Second-ranked Winston-Salem State had little trouble in its second-round game of the Division II football playoffs, defeating No. 15 Shippensburg 37-14 in front of just more than 3,000 at Bowman Gray Stadium.

The Rams (12-0) will play Indiana (Pa.) at noon next Saturday in the quarterfinals.

Backup quarterback Anthony Carrothers, playing for injured Kam Smith, completed 19 of 37 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.

The Rams racked up 525 yards, the second most allowed this season by the Red Raiders (11-2).

Running back Maurice Lewis (158 yards, two touchdowns) and wide receivers Jameze Massey (167 yards, two touchdown catches) and Jahuann Butler (123 yards receiving) had big games for the Rams.

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NCAA Div. II playoffs: Winston-Salem State beats Shippensburg 37-14

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  -- It was a disappointing end to a record-breaking season for the Shippensburg Red Raiders.

The Winston-Salem State Rams beat Shippensburg 37-14 Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Ship junior quarterback Zach Zulli tied the D-II single season record with his 54th touchdown pass of the season, to Trevor Harman (Cumberland Valley) for the Raiders' only offensive score of the game, but he did not have good day. Zulli was picked off three times, part of five turnovers by Ship.

Ship finishes the season with an 11-2 mark. Unbeaten and Super Region 1 top-seed WSSU (12-0) will meet IUP -- the Crimson Hawks (12-1) were 17-14 winners over New Haven (Conn.) -- in the national quarterfinals.

 

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Bethune-Cookman starts slow, falls to Coastal Carolina 24-14

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  --  Coastal Carolina scored on three conescutive possessions in the second quarter and then added a 68-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to defeat Bethune-Cookman 24-14 in the first round of the FCS playoffs Saturday at Municipal Stadium.

The loss ends the Wildcats' season at 9-3. It was their fourth playoff loss since 2002 and their second in three seasons. Coastal Carolina (8-4) advances to the second round next week against No. 4 overall seed Old Dominion.

Down 24-0, B-CU scored on Quentin Williams' 74-yard pass to David Blackwell with 6:44 left in the game. Williams, who added a 2-point conversion pass, had just returned after leaving the game in the third quarter following a blindside sack. The Wildcats scored again with 1:22 left on Isidore Jackson's 10-yard run. Williams' 2-point conversion pass fell incomplete.

Backup quarterback Brodrick Waters led the Wildcats on a long drive following Nick Addison's interception with 3:19 left in the third quarter. Waters' 46-yard option run brought the ball to the Coastal 11. With fourth down at the 5, B-CU lined up for a field goal, but the Wildcats were flagged for a false start before the kick.

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Erves, Simmons lead Gold Rush to victory in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tennessee -- NAIA No. 19 Xavier University of Louisiana got double-doubles from Denzell Erves and Anthony Simmons in a 75-61 men's basketball victory Friday against Concordia (Ala.) in the Memphis HBCU Classic at Southwest Tennessee Community College.

Erves had 17 points and 10 rebounds -- his sixth double-double of the season and his third in a row -- and Simmons produced his second double-double, 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Wanto Joseph had 14 points and five assists for the Gold Rush (7-1), and Xavier Rogers scored 13.

Zannie Pickens had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Concordia, and Travis Rasco scored 10.

Erves had 11 points and seven rebounds and assisted on Joseph's 3-pointer which gave Xavier a 33-22 halftime lead. Xavier led by double digits for the final 15:09 and four times held a 19-point lead in the final 10 minutes.

Xavier outshot the Hornets 55.4 to 39.7 percent from the floor -- 51.9 to 27.3 percent in the first half -- and outrebounded them 39-27. It was the third time this season the XU men shot 50 percent or higher and the sixth time they had a double-figure rebound advantage. It was the fewest points Xavier allowed this season.

It's the seventh time in Dannton Jackson's 10 seasons that the Gold Rush started the season 7-1 or better. Friday was Jackson's 300th game as XU head coach; his record is 209-91.

Xavier will play Wiley in this same event at 2 p.m. Saturday. A week ago the Gold Rush defeated Wiley 82-77 in overtime during XU's homecoming doubleheader. The next XU home game will be Tuesday.

Box score


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