Rumors swirl about offers for coaching jobs

MIAMI, Florida -- Billy Rolle, who led Southridge to its first state football championship since 1993 a year ago and was named the Dairy Farmer’s Coach of the Year for it, is weighing an offer to join the coaching staff at Florida A&M.

Citing a source, a report earlier this week said that Rolle and Booker T. Washington coach Tim “Ice” Harris would be joining coach Willie Simmons’ staff as early as January.

Harris did not return phone calls or text messages from the Miami Herald on Thursday. Rolle said via text that he received the offer letter from Florida A&M but had not yet signed it.

“I’ll keep you posted,” Rolle said.

Harris and Rolle have combined to win seven state championships and two national championships as high school coaches. Harris spent several seasons on the staff at the University of Miami.

According to the report earlier this week, Harris and Rolle have already signed offer letters with FAMU and are now negotiating relocation expense details.

GO RATTLERS!!!

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Food Lion Renews Three-Year Corporate Partner Agreement with CIAA

SALISBURY, North Carolina – Food Lion recently renewed a three-year corporate partnership agreement with the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), making the 24-year corporate partnership one of the longest for the conference. This agreement continues Food Lion's commitment as the official Supermarket Partner of the CIAA and the title sponsor for the CIAA Women's Basketball Tournament, which will take place February 27 – March 3, 2018, in Charlotte, N.C.

In addition to the grocer hosting its fan favorites such as Food Lion Day at the Spectrum Center, an all-day event featuring interactive games, premium giveaways, as well as Food Lion's scholarship check presentations during the tournament, the company will also sponsor various other dynamic events to help drive people into the arena.

"Food Lion is honored to continue our partnership with the CIAA as a way to show our support to the communities in our footprint surrounding the 12 CIAA schools," said Millette Granville, Director of Diversity for Food Lion. "We have partnered with the CIAA for 24 years, and our partnership with the CIAA is a strategic alliance that supports their commitment to education, men's and women's athletics, and diversity and inclusion. We look forward to adding events for CIAA fans and our customers."

Sponsorships help the CIAA fulfill its mission and commitment to education, community and competitive sportsmanship.

“The CIAA is excited to renew its partnership with Food Lion whose support and belief in our mission has been steadfast,” said Jacqie McWilliams, CIAA Commissioner. “Collaborating with corporate sponsors like Food Lion enables us to make an impact in the lives of our student-athletes and within the communities of our 12-member institutions and the 14 championships call home.”

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North Carolina A&T unanimous No. 1 HBCU team

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland -- North Carolina A&T, by virtue of its 21-14 win against Grambling in the Celebration Bowl, is the unanimous No. 1 and the HBCU national champion with the release of the final BOXTOROW Coaches Poll.

“I told my coaches when we met before the start of camp that this might be the best team I’ve ever coached, and look how it turned out,” N.C. A&T seventh-year head coach Rod Broadway said. “We’re 12-0. We’re Black college national champs for the second time in three years, and our seniors walk out of here with 40 wins and five rings. That’s special. But this was a special group, and it’s been a blessing to coach these guys.”

Two-time defending SWAC champ Grambling is second. The Tigers won last year’s BOXTOROW national championship.

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Maryland Eastern Shore Pulls Away From UMBC In Second Half

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland -- The University of Maryland Eastern Shore entered Thursday’s battle with University of Maryland, Baltimore County needing to take a few steps forward in its evolution with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference portion of the schedule quickly approaching.

With a near full complement of player for the first time in what feels like ages and the spark of a change to the starting five, the Hawks pushed out to an early lead and used a smothering second-half defensive effort to pull away to a 66-43 win.

“I was proud of them.” Head coach Fred Batchelor said. “I’m happy for them, because they work hard, they responded and they needed this win badly.”

Junior Ciani Byrom (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Jan. 9, 2017 and classmate Keyera Eaton joined her in the starting backcourt in her first start of the season.

And Eaton looked comfortable from the start scoring eight points in the first quarter including 2-of-3 form behind the arc and grabbed three rebounds in seven minutes to help the Hawks to a 24-17 first-quarter lead.

As the Hawks inched toward the half, they held a 34-21 lead with two minutes left in the second quarter. But the Retrievers cut the lead to seven before the break bringing to mind the inability to close out the Mountaineers on Tuesday (Dec. 19).

“We talked about continuing to be aggressive,” Batchelor said. “But we didn’t talk a whole lot. After coming out of the game on Tuesday, we did things a little different than we normally do. We focused on us and we talked about accountability. I think making the change in the starting lineup gave us a boost and I thought we got tired and started making some mistakes with fatigue which led to us not capitalizing off of what we should have been.”

The two teams had played the second quarter dead even 10-10 and The Shore needed to start the second half by taking control.

Freshman Bairesha Gill-Miles (Lexington, Kentucky) was the key to the third scoring eight points, while Martha Thompson (Bedford Heights, Ohio) added all six of her points in that period and the Hawks held the UMBC to 2-of-9 from the field for five points while outrebounding them 11-6.

“I thought they struggled against our zone,” Batchelor said. “They really get in a rhythm in their offense. They came out and they hit three 3s in a row and then we played zone. We had a matchup issue when their big girl didn’t play and it forced Tori to have to guard a shooter. We played the zone good as far as bumping, getting to different places and communicating.”

Gill-Miles was outstanding again with a game-high 19 points to go with nine rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in 28 minutes. She aggressively hit the glass and played strong defense setting the tone for the rest of the team.

“She is a special kid,” Batchelor said. “The tip in she had in transition, I haven’t seen that since April McBride, so that was flashbacks coming from a freshman. She can be a special kid. The thing is for her to continue to allow us to coach her, because she’s still a freshman. I have to say thus far she has really accepted being coached and I think it is going to make her a lot better and a lot tougher and I think she is going to grow up a lot quicker this year if she does that.”

Senior Tori Morris (Herndon, Virginia) flirted with a double-double finishing with nine rebounds, eight points, two assists and a steal.

Eaton finished the game with 16 points eight rebounds, two assists and a steal. She was 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Byrom scored seven points and Jordyn Smith (Durham, North Carolina) grabbed seven boards.

The Hawks dominated the paint outscoring the Retrievers 32-4 and won the rebounding battle 45-26. The 45 rebounds were a season high for Eastern Shore, which also capitalized for 17 points off 20 UMBC turnovers.

As the team looks ahead to a road contest at East Carolina — their last nonconference tilt — Batchelor is hoping for a quick evolution and dates at Mo
rgan State (Jan. 3) and at home against Hampton (Jan. 6) are fast approaching.

“Our chemistry on the floor still has to improve,” he said. “Conference time is right around the corner, so we don’t have a whole lot of time to get ready and we have the toughest teams right off the bat that are playing really good basketball.”

For more information on Eastern Shore Athletics visit http://www.easternshorehawks.com.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE SPORTS INFORMATION

Bethune-Cookman Makes It 2-0 At Hatter Classic With 63-50 Win Over Richmond Spiders

DELAND, Florida -- Angel Golden scored 24 points and Emily Williams a career-high 21 as Bethune-Cookman defeated Richmond 63-50 in the Hatter Classic Thursday at Stetson University.

Golden, a junior from Tampa, scored 11 first-quarter points as the Lady Wildcats (8-3) made it a sweep of their two Hatter Classic games. She had 21 points in Wednesday's win over Texas State and was named to the All-Tournament team.

Consecutive three-pointers from Golden erased an early 5-0 deficit and sparked a 10-0 first quarter run. Bethune-Cookman build its lead to 40-28 at halftime and overcame a third-quarter shooting slump to lead by as 17 in the fourth quarter.

Williams, a senior, finished the rare four-point play with 20 second remaining in the third quarter that gave Bethune-Cookman a 49-37 lead.



Williams, who made three from three-point range and was 6-6 from the line, also posted five assists.

Amaya Scott (six points) and Ashanti Hunt (five) each had six rebounds for the Lady Wildcats, who held Richmond (5-8) to 28.6 field goal shooting (16-56) and just one three-pointer in 15 attempts, the lowest for an opponent this season. Lyndsey Edwards had five third-quarter points.

Micaela Parson and Alex Parson each scored 11 points for the Spiders.

Bethune-Cookman returns to action after Christmas break December 28 at Miami.

HEAD COACH VANESSA BLAIR-LEWIS
"I don't think we're new to our offensive woes. One thing we're not new to is being a good defensive. When our offense slows downs, our defense holds us together."

"When the offense is hitting on all cylinders, it's something to look at."

"Emily's game tonight is what she has in her. This is what she's capable of."

"Angel found her groove this week."

"What I hope being 8-3 means we have a lot of confidence going into conference play."

ANGEL GOLDEN
"I was trying to stay in my groove from yesterday.

"The first quarter is what I'm trying to day every game."

"We came out with a lot of energy."

EMILY WILLIAMS
"It feels good. I've been trying to get out of my own way all season."

"We opened the floor with our offense and knocked down shots."

"I didn't see it go in on the 4-point play. I just heard my teammates getting hyped. It was a clutch shot we needed."

NOTES:  This marked the first time Golden has registered consecutive 20-point games …She was 4-6 from 3-point range.

Williams had scored just 17 points in the Lady Wildcats' first 10 games.B-CU's 8-3 start is the program's best since the 1984-85 team started 9-2 and the non-conference wins is the most since the team started playing at least 14 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference games...B-CU was 5-24 from the field in the second half, but compensated by going 11-14 from the line and the clutch three from Williams and Golden. Richmond was 7-26 in the second half, the final two field goals after the Lady Wildcats had taken a 61-44 lead. B-CU's turnover total of 12 was its lowest since 11 at FIU.

BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATION

AAMU Outlasts Southeastern Louisiana

HAMMOND, Louisiana -- Alabama A&M freshman center Ashlyn Dotson scored the go-ahead bucket with 44 seconds left, spoiling a furious fourth quarter Southeastern Louisiana rally and giving the Lady Bulldogs a 76-74 victory in non-conference women's basketball action Thursday afternoon in the University Center.

The Lady Lions (1-10) erased a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit before Dotson spoiled their comeback. The loss in its non-conference finale was the fifth straight for SLU. Alabama A&M (5-5) snapped a two-game losing streak.

After a back-and-forth first half, Southeastern held a 37-35 lead at the break. Alabama A&M took control in the third quarter, taking a 56-50 advantage into the final quarter.

The early minutes of the fourth quarter looked as if the Lady Bulldogs were going to pull away for a convincing victory. AAMU opened the quarter with a 14-5 run, as a bucket by freshman guard Nigeria Jones gave the Lady Bulldogs a commanding 70-55 lead with six minutes left.

Southeastern would not go away, quietly, however. Senior guard Taylin Underwood, junior forward Jyar Francis and sophomore guard Charliee Dugas scored five points each in a 17-2 run. Francis capped the rally with a jumper to tie the score at 72-72 with one minute remaining.

After a timeout, Dotson got free in the paint for an easy basket that gave the Lady Bulldogs the lead for good. Francis missed a jumper on the other end, but then AAMU gave SLU another chance, as freshman guard Tierra Dark missed both free throws with 15 seconds left.

Francis rebounded the miss and took it the length of the floor, but her floater from short range missed the mark. Sophomore guard Jameica Cobb grabbed the rebound and made one of two from the charity stripe to give AAMU a 75-72 lead with 4.9 seconds left.

Underwood was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play and made both free throws to cut the lead to one. Jones answered by making one of two free throws to push the lead back to two with 2.2 seconds left and SLU sophomore guard Tyler Morrison's half-court heave fell just short to allow the Lady Bulldogs to pick up the win.

Underwood led SLU with a game-high 28 points, moving into 10th place on the school's career scoring list with 1,243 points, passing former Lady Lion Sarah Williams. Underwood was joined in double figures by Francis, who finished with 16 points. Francis also had a game-high five of SLU's season-high 15 steals.

Morrison led the Lady Lions with a career-high 11 rebounds and led SLU with five assists. Francis, freshman forward Caitlyn Williams and junior forward Kyla Williams grabbed seven rebounds each for the Lady Lions, while junior guard Ashailee Brailey chipped in with eight points.

Sophomore guard Lauren McKee led Alabama A&M with 17 points and six assists, netting five-of-eight from behind the arc. McKee was joined in double figures by Jones (15 points) and Dotson (13 points). Dotson also led the Lady Bulldogs with eight rebounds.

Southeastern will take a week off for Christmas and open Southland Conference play on Dec. 28 with a 7 p.m. contest at Stephen F. Austin. The game at the Ladyjacks can be heard live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9), online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the TuneIn Radio app.

BOX SCORE

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Norfolk State Spartans Outlast William & Mary in Overtime

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia -- Norfolk State women's basketball needed five extra minutes of game time to notch its sixth win of the year, defeating William & Mary 80-74 in overtime at Kaplan Arena on Thursday.

The victory is the fourth in a row for the Spartans (6-5), who are guaranteed at least a .500 record in nonconference play for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

Kayla Roberts scored nine of NSU's 12 points in the overtime period and did not miss a shot. The senior guard/forward went 2-of-2 from the field, made one 3-pointer and shot a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.



Roberts finished the game with 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting. The Miami, Florida native grabbed seven rebounds, assisted on three makes and came up with three steals.

Khadedra Croker finished two points off the team high with 19 while shooting 8-of-15 from the field. Croker set career highs in points and assists (three) while grabbing eight rebounds and blocking three shots.

Gabrielle Swinson set a career high with 11 assists in the win and became the first Spartan to record 10 or more assists since Jazamine Gray recorded 10 helpers against North Carolina A&T on Jan. 19, 2016.

Bianca Boggs led all scorers with 22 points for William & Mary (9-2). Boggs made eight of her nine shot attempts while going 3-for-3 from both the 3-point arc and free throw line.

The Spartans led by six, 51-45, going into the fourth quarter before the Tribe landed a blow early in the period. William & Mary scored the first five points of the quarter to pull to within a point. From there, the teams traded baskets until an and-one by Boggs tied the game at 55-55 with 7:36 left in the quarter.

Less than a minute later Abby Rendle gave W&M its first lead since the 7:16 mark of the second quarter, but Yamen Hannah responded with her second trey of the game to swing the lead back to NSU's favor.

But William & Mary responded with a 6-0 run to take a 63-58 lead with 5:12 left in the period. Unfazed, Norfolk State scored the next five points, and Robert's 3-pointer tied the game at 63-63.

Norfolk State led by two points with 21 seconds left in the fourth, but Boggs tied the game with a layup, sending the contest to overtime.

The Spartans started off hot in the extra period and never trailed. Roberts found the bottom of the net from 3-point range just 14 seconds into overtime then followed with a layup to put NSU up 73-68.

William & Mary scored the next four points, but NSU went 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the final 38 seconds to ice the game away.

Norfolk State faced an early deficit in the first quarter but refused to let the game get out of hand. The Tribe led 14-6 at the 5:39 mark, but the Spartans cut the deficit in half by the end of the period on Croker's layup with five seconds remaining.

Boggs opened the second quarter with a trey, but Norfolk State scored the next 11 points to take a 29-25 lead. Raven Russell keyed the run by going 4-of-4 from the charity stripe and ended the game with 10 points and a season-high seven rebounds.

William & Mary pulled to within a point late in the second quarter, but NSU scored the last four points of the quarter to take a 36-31 lead into the break.

The Spartans' lead never dipped below three points in the third quarter as NSU played steady basketball to protect its lead.

Norfolk State shot 53.8 percent from beyond the 3-point line on Thursday and has eclipsed the 50-percent mark twice on the season. NSU limited W&M to 33.3 percent shooting from deep and is 5-2 when shooting better than the competition from beyond the arc.

The Spartans set a season high with 19 made free throws but shot 63.3 percent from the line. The Tribe shot 20 points better from the charity stripe, going 10-of-12.

Norfolk State rests nine days for the holidays before closing out its non-conference slate at Longwood on Dec. 30.

BOX SCORE

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