Turner’s Time? Vikings may be without QB Jones

COLUMBUS, Georgia  --  While today’s Pioneer Bowl in Columbus, Ga. will bring down the curtain on the Elizabeth City State football season, it may also be raising one earlier than expected on the career of Casey Turner as the team’s starting quarterback.

Turner, a junior who lost an intense competition for the starting position to senior Namon Jones back in August and is the likely starter next year, may have to be the No. 1 guy today against Tuskegee (10-1).

“Namon has a bruised shoulder from the CIAA championship game and has not practiced much,” ECSU coach Waverly Tillar said. “We have Casey Turner and (third-strnger) Tyrell Houghton ready to go if he can’t play.”

While losing a quarterback before a postseason game might be a disaster for some teams, Tillar believes the Vikings (7-4), who are coming off a 34-19 loss to Winston-Salem State in the CIAA title game, will be just fine.

At the end of the duel between Jones, who backed up Creven Powell the previous two seasons, and Turner, a transfer who began his career at UConn, Tillar said that there was little difference between the two.

 

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IUP football faces big challenge on road

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  Winston Salem State is 12-0, finished the regular season ranked No. 3 in the D2football.com poll and will be at home today for the NCAA Division II playoff regional final.

Mixed together, it makes perfect sense that the Rams are big favorites against IUP (12-1). But that doesn't mean much to IUP coach Curt Cignetti whose Crimson Hawks have been the underdogs several times this postseason but managed to advance.

"This is the third time in four games we are playing against an undefeated team," Cignetti said. "Winston-Salem is a great team; they have no weaknesses. But we've been able to overcome that and last weekend we did it on the road against New Haven.

"People may count us out or overlook us, but we are a good football team. We play hard, we're going to fight until the end, so we don't mind being sort of the underdog."

Cignetti said he isn't naive, however, and he knows what a challenge this game will be. After all, the Rams are playing at a bit of a higher level than most of the Division II teams because they dropped from Division I-AA to Division II in 2010.

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Morgan State University shooting: Keith Robertson arrested for campus shooting

BALTIMORE, Maryland  --  A 20-year-old D.C.man is in custody for the shooting of a football player on the campus of Morgan State University in Baltimore.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says the shooting happened around 1 p.m. Friday near a residence hall. A spokesman for the university identified the victim of the shooting as a football player, and police say his injuries are not life-threatening.

Police also recovered a weapon.

Keith Robertson of the 4900 block of G Street is charged with "attempted first degree murder, assault and various handgun related charges", police say.

Robertson confessed to the crime, investigators add. They believe the shooting stemmed from a previous dispute.

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Lady Tigers battle from behind to knock off Idaho, 69-64

Missoula, Montana --- The Tennessee State University women's basketball team shook off a sluggish start and battled from behind to defeat the University of Idaho, 69-64, in Dahlberg Arena at the 32 annual Lady Griz Classic Friday night.

TSU (3-3) trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half before outscoring Idaho, 43-34, in the second stanza. The Lady Tigers forced the WAC opponent into 14 turnovers and held them to 26.9 percent from three-point range, a team that usually shoots over 40 percent from beyond the arc.

Simone Hopes led the Lady Tigers and recorded her second career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Kesi Hess also registered a double-double, the first of her career, with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Jasmin Shuler added 14 points and six rebounds.
 

The start for Tennessee State was sluggish, as Idaho scored nine unanswered points to capture an early, 9-0, lead. TSU had only made 3-of-17 from the field through the first eight minutes while the opponent was shooting 50 percent from the floor.  

The Vandals increased their advantage to, 19-5, before back-to-back buckets from Simone Hopes pulled TSU to within 10.

Idaho maintained at least a nine-point lead for most of the first half but the TSU defense picked up and the Lady Tigers used a 7-0 run, during the last three minutes, to cut the deficit down to four.

TSU trailed, 30-26, at halftime.

With about five minutes ticked off the clock in the second frame, TSU closed within two behind a three-pointer by Chelsea Hudson. The Vandals, however, answered with consecutive triples and a break-away lay-up to go back up by double-digits.

The Lady Tigers continued to fight from behind and once again rallied to within two, 53-51, after Tanesha Stenson forced a turnover that allowed Simone Hopes to score on a break-away.

Another Hopes' bucket pulled the Lady Tigers even, 53-53 with 6:39 remaining. On the next play, Jasmin Shuler capped a 19-7 run that put TSU on top, 55-53.

With 2:52 remaining, the Lady Tigers managed to build their advantage up to, 66-60, but the Vandals responded with four straight to pull within two.

Idaho had possession with 31.4 seconds left in the game when TSU forced a turnover and got the ball back. Idaho was forced to foul and put Destiney Gaston on the line.

Gaston made the front-end of a 1-and-1 but missed the second to make the score, 67-64, in favor of TSU with 20.7 seconds remaining.

On the Vandals' next possession they attempted two three-pointers but came up empty on them both.

After being fouled, Kesi Hess stepped up to the line and knocked down two free-throws to ice the game.

The Lady Tigers return to action tomorrow against host Montana at 7 p.m. MT to conclude the Lady Griz Classic. The contest can be watched live on the Big Sky Network. 

 

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

TBR Approves Glenda Baskin Glover as TSU President

Glenda Baskin Glover, MBA, J.D., Ph.D.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  (Nov. 27, 2012) — The Tennessee Board of Regents unanimously approved Glenda Baskin Glover as the next president for Tennessee State University today.
Glover will assume her leadership role January 2 after the contract for Interim President Portia Shields expires.

The Board met via telephone at 1:30 p.m. to consider TBR Chancellor John Morgan’s recommendation for Glover, who currently serves as dean of the College of Business at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi.

Glover, a 1974 TSU graduate, was selected after an extensive nationwide search that began earlier this year. A licensed attorney and certified public accountant, Glover earned her bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from TSU, an MBA from Clark Atlanta University, the J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her Ph.D. in business economics and policy from George Washington University. Her complete resume is available at http://tinyurl.com/tsuglover.

“I am truly honored and excited about returning to my alma mater, Tennessee State University, in this monumental leadership role,” Glover said after the vote. “It is indeed a privilege to be selected as president of such a historic institution that has enriched the lives of so many students, and empowered thousands of families and communities, and still continues to do so today.”

TSU, Tennessee’s only public HBCU (historically black colleges and universities), is a doctoral/research intensive institution located in Nashville. It recently earned a Top 20 ranking for HBCUs by U.S.News & World Report and has been listed as one of the Top HBCUs in the United States by Black Enterprise magazine. Washington Monthly named TSU as one of the nation’s top universities in its 2011 College Rankings because of its success in educating and graduating academically talented, low-income students who become service-oriented leaders in their professions and communities.

The TBR is the nation’s sixth largest higher education system, governing 46 post-secondary educational institutions, including TTU. The TBR system includes six universities, 13 two-year colleges and 27 technology centers, providing programs across Tennessee to more than 200,000 students.

 
About Tennessee State University

With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university and is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top Universities in the county by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912 Tennessee State University celebrates 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS
 
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Tennessee State Men's Basketball Aims to Extend Win Streak

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  After a brief one game homestand, the Tennessee State men's basketball team hits the road once again for a contest against Alabama A&M on Dec. 1 in Huntsville, Ala.

The Tigers made the most of their first time in Nashville this season, defeating Fisk by the largest margin since the 1998-99 season, 93-52.

"It was really important, especially when you have been on the road for six games, for our players to re-gain some confidence, stay focused and play well in front of the home crowd," Head Coach Travis Williams said about the big home win.

It was a big night for TSU's post players, especially seniors Robert Covington and Kellen Thornton, as Covington had a season-high 29 points and 14 rebounds while Thornton chipped in with 22 points of his own. The duo combined to shoot 21-27 from the field and helped the Tigers edge the Bulldogs 45-28 on the glass.

"It is very important to establish an inside presence if your team is going to be successful," Williams said. "[Covington and Thornton] give us that dynamic."

TSU is deep in the front-court, but the squad also features one of the premier point guards in the Ohio Valley Conference in Patrick Miller.

Miller has done it all for the Tigers this season, tallying 10.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest. He also ranks first in the OVC in both assists and steals per game with 6.9 and 2.7, respectively.

TSU's opponent, Alabama A&M comes into the game with a 2-3 record, having just lost to Evansville on Monday night by 26 points.

The Bulldogs feature two players who average ten points or more in Demarquelle Tabb (10.8) and Brandon Ellis (10.0). Tabb also leads the squad with 8.8 rebounds per contest.

Alabama A&M holds a 37 shooting percentage this season, while allowing opponents to drain 47 percent of their shots. The Bulldogs do, however, play a physical and fast-paced style that has allowed them to force 86 turnovers on the year.

"Alabama A&M plays hard and pushes the ball in transition," Williams said. "We expect their guards and forwards to use their athleticism and play aggressive.

"The main thing for us is focusing on what we need to do while making good decisions and taking good shots."

The Tigers square off against the Bulldogs on Saturday night at 7 p.m. and fans can follow the action here.

 

TSU v. Alabama A&M Game Notes

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SWAC title would be fine end to Jackson State CB Cox's year

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  -- Qua Cox already has more interceptions (4) and more tackles (43) than he did a year ago.

But Jackson State’s redshirt junior corner is far from ready to label this season a success as the Tigers approach the Dec. 8 SWAC Championship against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Next Saturday’s game against UAPB presents Cox, who is currently tied for the league lead in interceptions, with a rare opportunity — a championship.

UAPB (9-2) beat JSU (7-4) earlier this season 34-24.

“I’ve never been close to one,” Cox said. “My high school never won over five games. You have a lot of guys that haven’t been to a championship game, including me, that haven’t ever won anything. So you got a lot of guys rising up and getting ready.”



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