CIAA road still rocky for Virginia State women

ETTRICK, Virginia  —  Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association play has been unkind to Virginia State’s women.

The Trojans, who completed their nonconference schedule at 7-3, lost their third straight contest Monday night when they fell 71-59 to 18 th-ranked Shaw at Daniel Gymnasium. Each of the Trojans’ loses during the skid has come against a CIAA opponent.

“Our performance wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what we wanted,” said Virginia State coach James Hill Jr. “Our defensive intensity wasn’t there and that’s something we talk about every day at practice — about how hard we want to make stops on defense.”

Said Hill, “I don’t know what it is, but it seems that after Christmas, we start off slow every year. It’s just one of those things. But as I told the team, if we continue to work hard good things will happen.”

The Trojans were led by Lamesha Deal’s 14 points, all of them in the second 20 minutes. Deal also collected nine rebounds. Da’Shae Jones came off the bench to score 13 points and Kiara Walton added 10.

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Rush win on road with another second-half comeback

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Wanto Joseph scored 18 of his 25 points in the second half Monday to rally NAIA No. 16 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 70-66 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against Talladega.

The Gold Rush (14-3 overall, 2-0 GCAC) won a conference road game for the second time in three days after trailing by four at halftime. It was Xavier's third consecutive victory and its eighth in nine road games this season.

It was the third time this season that Joseph scored 25 or more points. The 5-foot-9 senior guard has scored in double figures in every game this season.

Xavier outscored the Tornadoes (6-6, 1-1) 35-27 in the second half after trailing 39-35 at halftime. Talladega's biggest first-half lead was 12 points.

"I don't care what Talladega's record is. They're a very good team with good size," XU coach Dannton Jackson said. "Our guys are trying to get better. We grew up a little tonight. It was standing-room-only in a small gym. Talladega's band was behind our bench. It was a loud and festive atmosphere."

Anthony Simmons scored 13 points for the Gold Rush, and Renard Smith had 12 points, a career-high-tying six rebounds and a career-best five assists. Denzell Erves missed his fourth consecutive double-double but finished with nine points and nine rebounds.

Darrion Booker and Jimmie Davis each scored 18 points for Talladega, which won 84-64 at home against the Gold Rush a year ago.

Xavier outshout Talladega 67 to 30 percent from the floor in the second half. "We got some big stops down the stretch," Jackson said. "Our defense did a good job locating shooters."

For the game, Xavier shot 46 percent from the floor, 66.7 percent from the line (20-of-30) and committed 18 turnovers. The Gold Rush made four 3-pointers. Each team grabbed 32 rebounds.

The Gold Rush share first place in the GCAC with Philander Smith, an 84-81 winner in double overtime at home against Tougaloo. Xavier's next game will start at 5 p.m. Saturday against Tougaloo at XU's new Convocation Center. It will be the first Gold Rush home game in more than a month.

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

Talladega defeats ninth-ranked Gold Nuggets 68-65

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Arielle George scored 12 of her 17 points in the second half Monday to lead Talladega to a 68-65 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against NAIA No. 9 Xavier University of Louisiana.

George made a season-high-tying five 3-pointers, three in the second half, to help the Lady Tornadoes (6-6 overall, 2-0 conference) give the Gold Nuggets (11-3, 1-1) a rare GCAC defeat.

Megan Iloff scored 13 points for Talladega, and Ryann Drear had 11. SiMon Franklin scored 18 points, all in the second half, for Xavier, and Whitney Gaston-Loyd scored a career-high-tying 13 points.

Talladega led 25-22 at By, then scored the most second-half points, 43, by a Xavier opponent this season. Xavier's defense allowed its most points and most 3-pointers (8) in a game this season.

Xavier made six 3-pointers, two apiece by Franklin and Paige Gauthier. It was the third consecutive game that Gauthier made multiple 3-pointers.

The loss was the third in 40 GCAC regular-season games for Xavier in four years. Talladega is responsible for two of the defeats, including a 68-62 decision this past season.

Xavier's next game will start at 3 p.m. Saturday against Tougaloo at XU's new Convocation Center. It will be the Nuggets' first GCAC game in the 3,937-seat facility, which opened Nov. 3.

By Ed Cassiere, SID
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Penn Women's Basketball Takes on Morgan State in Doubleheader

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania  --  Just off their first home loss since Nov. 12, the Quakers (6-5) will hope to rebound against Morgan State (4-9) on Tuesday. It is the first game of a Penn doubleheader at The Palestra. The women tip off at 5 p.m., while the Penn men take on Lafayette at 7:30 p.m. Anyone with  ticket to the men’s game can attend the women’s game for free.

Catching the Game  Video and live stats will be available on the Penn Sports Network (PSN) at PennAthletics.com. A complete recap and box score can then be found at PennAthletics.com shortly after the conclusion of each game.

In the Series vs. Morgan State
This will mark the first all-time meeting for Penn against Morgan State. This is the fourth time this season the Quakers are meeting an opponent for the first time in program history. Penn fell to Norfolk State in their inaugural matchup, but defeated LIU Brooklyn and Alabama State in the first encounter with those programs. Against the MEAC, Penn is 0-3 all-time, including a loss at Norfolk State in the season opener.

Against the MEAC
In three games, Penn has never beaten a team from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). However, this is the first time a MEAC opponent has played the Quakers at The Palestra. Most recently, the Red and Blue fell to Norfolk State in the season opener, 60-51. Penn also has losses to Howard and Delaware State on neutral courts. The Quakers lost in the EAIAW postseason tournament to Howard, 77-59, on March 4, 1978. Then 25 years later, the Quakers fell in to Delaware State, 74-68, at the UMBC Retriever Classic in Baltimore, Md., on Nov. 23, 2003. 

Live Video | Live Stats | Game Notes

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Penn Trends
Penn is 5-1 when leading at the half and 1-4 when trailing (only win was 18-point comeback at St. Francis Brooklyn) ... Penn has won seven of their last 10 non-conference home games ... In 11 games, sx different Quakers have led the team in scoring this year, including five different players in the last six games ... Penn is 6-2 with its current starting lineup of Baron, Ray, Roche, Allen and Bonenberger ... Kathleen Roche has multiple threes in three straight games ... Including ties, six different Quakers have led the team in rebounding in the first 10 games, including four different player in the last four games ... Three different Quakers have scored more than 20 points in a game this season (Baron, Roche, Ray) ... Alyssa Baron has started 67 consecutive games for the Quakers ... Junior Meghan McCullough played in 59 straight games dating back to the 2010-11 season opener prior to suffering a season-ending injury at Army (Nov. 18).

Climbing the Record Books
Junior Alyssa Baron became the 19th Penn women’s player to reach 1,000 career points on Nov. 30. She is the third-fastest Quaker to accomplish that milestone (60 games) and the first since Carrie Biemer topped the landmark in 2008. Only Penn’s all-time leading scorer (man or woman), Diana Caramanico (48 games) and Mandy West (52 games) were faster to 1,000 points. A two-time Ivy scoring champion, Baron became the first freshman in Ivy history to lead the league in scoring and now has 1,077 points in her career, which ranks 12th all-time at Penn. She is now just 14 points from reaching the top 10.

A Penn Win Would...... mark seven wins in the last nine games.
... be the first ever over a MEAC opponent.
... make the Quakers 7-5 on the year.

A Penn Loss Would...... be the second straight and drop the Quakers to 2-3 at home this season.
... mark four losses in four meetings against the MEAC.
... make the Quakers 6-6 on the year.

Charge for a Cure!   For the third straight year the women’s basketball team is dedicating its entire season to the fight against several diseases and the team needs your help. In its first two years, 109 donors have joined the “Charge for a Cure” program which helped the team raise nearly $7,000. Each month of the season will be devoted to help a specific disease with personal ties to the program—The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Go4theGoal, the American Cancer Society, The Dave Bryan Ride on Fund, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of America. At the end of each month, the coaches will total the number of offensive charges the Quakers have taken as a team and fans can pledge a donation per charge. This month the Quakers will be taking charges for the American Cancer Society, but the team is turning to its fans to lend a hand in its efforts. Here is how you can help!

CHARGE FOR A CURE! Join Today!
Last Game:	0
January Total:	0
Season Total:	15

Last Time Out
For the second straight year, Penn held a second-half lead over Big 5 rival Saint Joseph’s, but could not hold on down the stretch. The Quakers fell, 66-53, in Saturday’s matinee at The Palestra. The Quakers held a 33-32 lead with under 12 mintues to play, but Saint Joseph’s went on a 17-4 run and held off the Red and Blue from there. After trading baskets early, the Hawks went on a 14-5 spurt over the next five minutes to take a 20-12 lead at the 9:11 mark. Penn then held the visitors to just two baskets over the final nine minutes and forced 13 first-half turnovers, and the Quakers trailed by just three, 24-21, at intermission. Kara Bonenberger started the second half with a three-point play to tie the game at 24-24. Moments later, sophomore Kathleen Roche drained a three to cap a 17-6 Penn run and give the Quakers a 29-26 lead with 16:34 to play. Saint Joseph’s scored back-to-back buckets, but another Roche three - here third straight game with multiple triples - gave Penn a two-point edge. Then senior captain Brianna Bradford hit one of two from the charity stripe for a 33-32 advantage with 12:09 to play, but it was the last lead of the day for the Quakers. The Hawks went on their game-changing run and led by double digits for the last five minutes.

Up Next
Its another doubleheader for the Penn men and women. And its the Ivy opener for both teams. Traditionally the Ivy League’s first game of the season, Penn and Princeton will matchup for a matinee at Jadwin Gym on Saturday. The women will tip off the Ivy season at 3:30 p.m. and the men will tip at 6 p.m.

Courtesy: Eric Dolan, associate director of athletic communications
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

A&T Baseball Releases Schedule

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  --  The North Carolina A&T baseball team has released its 2013 schedule that includes 51 total games and 29 home games, including the first nine, at the historic War Memorial Stadium.

"We don't play on the road until our first conference series actually, so hopefully we get our guys playing consistent, and use being at home to get us off to a good start," he said.

The Aggies start the season against Buffalo (Feb. 15-17) before playing Elon on Feb. 19, and then welcoming Marshall to town Feb. 22-23. A&T will wrap up the month of February with home games against Duke and Gardner-Webb.

The Aggies will also host non-conference opponents Binghamton (March 8-9), Lehigh (March 13), Appalachian State (March 19), Campbell (April 2), Radford (April 3) and Winthrop (May 8).

"All of our mid-week games are against mid-major teams that are always competing toward the top of their respective conferences," Sanchez said. "It'll be another challenging non-conference schedule. We play a majority of the DI schools in the state."

The Aggies will also face a tough slate in the MEAC Southern Division, with two series apiece against defending champions Bethune-Cookman, archrival N.C. Central, Savannah State and Florida A&M. The Aggies open up conference competition in Durham from March 2-3 against the Eagles.

2013 A&T Baseball Schedule

The Aggies, who finished 20-36 overall and 12-12 for third place in the division last season, look to make a return appearance in the MEAC tournament this spring. To earn a berth, the Aggies must finish fourth or higher of five teams in the division. The last time the Aggies won the MEAC Tournament was in 2005.

"We can't take anybody lightly, that's for sure, because the Southern Division is pretty competitive," Sanchez said. "I'd like to better our positioning for the conference tournament this year. We've got to go out and win every conference series we can."

The 2013 MEAC Championship Baseball Tournament will be held in Norfolk, Va. from May 15-19.

 
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS

Landry Dazzles as UH Women's Basketball Tops Delaware State, 71-58 in O.T.

HOUSTON, Texas  --    Senior guard Porsche Landry turned in a career performance with 30 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to lift the University of Houston women's basketball team to a 71-58 victory over Delaware State in overtime on Sunday afternoon at Hofheinz Pavilion.

 Landry hit the 30-point mark for the fourth time in her career while setting career highs in rebounds and assists to flirt with a triple-double performance.

Freshman guard Alecia Smith scored in double figures for the second time in the last three games with 16 points, while junior forward Yasmeen Thompson registered her third double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Smith gave Houston its largest lead of the contest at 35-24 with a fastbreak layup with 17:52 remaining, but the Lady Hornets stormed back with a 24-7 run to take a six-point lead with just 5:53 left to play.

Landry then took the game over, finding Thompson under the basket for layup to trim the deficit to four. After Delaware State's Tierra Hawkins knocked down a jumper, Landry answered with a layup to keep the deficit at four with just over four minutes remaining. Smith trimmed the deficit to two points with a pair of free throws, and after another Hawkins jumper, junior forward Te'onna Campbell made the first of two shots from the charity stripe, where Landry grabbed the offensive rebound and converted the putback to make it a one-point contest.

On the defensive end, Campbell grabbed a steal and Landry sunk a fadeaway jumper from the baseline to put the Cougars ahead by one with 1:02 left to play.

Junior forward Marissa Ashton snagged another steal with 36 seconds remaining and Thompson grabbed an offensive board and followed with a layup with just over seven seconds left to put Houston up by three, but Delaware State's Chelsea Dukes drained a 3-pointer with less than a second on the board to force overtime.

The Cougars (6-7) quickly put the contest out of reach in the overtime period, as Smith opened with a 3-pointer at the 4:36 mark. Landry then followed with back-to-back 3-point plays, racing for a fastbreak layup before stealing the ball on the opposite end for another layup to give Houston a nine-point lead in just over a minute.

The Houston native tallied 12 of the Cougars' 16 points in the extra five-minute period. Ashton also turned in a solid performance, posting eight points and three steals while pulling down 10 boards for her third double-digit rebound contest this season. T

he Cougars shot 45 percent (27-of-60) from the field while the Lady Hornets turned in a 39-percent (23-of-59) effort from the field. Houston outrebounded Delaware State by a 42-37 margin on the glass while forcing 19 turnovers and swiping 10 steals. The Cougars open Conference USA action against Memphis at 7 p.m., Thursday at Hofheinz Pavilion.

GAME NOTES
• Sunday's contest was the first-ever meeting between the two schools and only the second time Houston has met a current opponent from the MEAC, as it improved to 2-0 against the league.
• The Cougars improved to 6-2 this season inside the friendly confines of Hofheinz Pavilion.
• Senior guard Porsche Landry tallied a game-high 30 points, marking her fourth-career performance of 30 or more points.
• Landry notched a career-high nine rebounds while tying a previous career best of nine assists, which she's accomplished on four occasions.
• Landry scored 12 of Houston's 16 points in the five-minute period during overtime and 18 of the team's 25 points over the final 9:19 of the contest.
• Landry moved into 10th spot on Houston's all-time career scoring chart, surpassing Darla Simpson (1988-92) with 1,301 career points.
• Freshman guard Alecia Smith posted 16 points, marking her third-career double-digit scoring performance and the second in the last three games.
• Junior forward Yasmeen Thompson registered her third double-double of the season and the first since Nov. 27 with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
• Junior forward Marissa Ashton pulled down 10 rebounds, marking her third double-figure rebounding contest of the season.

Game Book| Season Stats | Quotes

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON COUGARS ATHLETICS

GW Women's Hoops Drops Non-Conference Finale at North Carolina A&T, 67-56

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  -- Seniors Shi-Heria Shipp and Megan Nipe combined for 31 points, but the George Washington women's basketball team dropped its non-conference finale, 67-56, to North Carolina A&T at the Aggies' Corbett Sports Center on Sunday evening.

A North Carolina native, Shipp scored a career-high 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting in her homecoming, while Nipe tallied a season-best 15 points and added five rebounds. Senior Danni Jackson added eight points and six assists.

The Aggies (9-5) scored the first six points of the game, but GW (6-8) responded with seven straight, including five by Nipe, to take a 7-6 lead. The next eight minutes saw four ties and six lead changes, as neither team led by more than two points until a pair of free throws by Shipp gave the Colonials a 20-16 advantage with 5:26 left in the half.

GW, however, managed just one free throw the rest of the period, as A&T ended the half on a 10-1 run to take a 26-21 lead at the break.

The Aggies stretched their lead to seven points out of the intermission, but a layup by Jackson and a three-pointer by graduate student Tara Booker brought the Colonials within four at 30-26. The teams alternated baskets for five minutes until another triple by Nipe made it a two-point game, 37-35, with 11:46 to go.

That was as close as they would get, however, as A&T began to pull away with a series of free throws, then a three-pointer by Adriana Nazario gave the Aggies a double-digit lead, 48-38, with 7:45 left. GW appeared to regain some momentum after Shipp made a pair of foul shots and Booker drained a jumper to pull within seven, but Nazario responded with another triple on the Aggies' next possession.

A&T took a game-high 14-point lead three times in the final three minutes, but did not make a field goal after Tracy King's layup at the 2:24 mark. Instead, the Aggies sank six of eight free throws to seal the victory.

Nazario led A&T with 14 points, while King and Eboni Ross each scored 11. King added a game-high nine rebounds, as the Aggies outrebounded the Colonials, 35-25. GW shot nearly 44 percent from the floor in the game, including 46 percent in the second half, but A&T connected on nearly 48 percent of its attempts in the game. The Colonials return to action on Saturday, when they open Atlantic 10 play at Massachusetts.

COURTESY THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS