TSU Slow Start Hurts Lady Tigers in OVC Opener

Martin, Tennessee --- After getting off to slow start in the first quarter, the Tennessee State University women’s basketball team fell to UT Martin, 80-68, Thursday night in Elam Center.

Tennessee State (2-8, 0-1 OVC) trailed UT Martin (5-8, 1-0 OVC) by as many as 14 points before closing to within four points with 4:02 left to play. TSU nearly matched UTM (5-8, 1-0 OVC) point-for-point in the last three quarters but could not overcome the deficit.

Tia Wooten just missed a double-double with 22 points and nine rebounds to lead TSU. Taylor Roberts finished with 12 points off the bench.

The Skyhawks had four players four players in double-digits led by Emanye Robertson's 18 points.

FINAL BOX  |  RADIO CALLS

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• TSU Leaders
• Points: Tia Wooten– 22
• Rebounds: Tia Wooten - 9
• Assists: Maxine Beard - 5
• Steals: Tia Wooten – 5
• Tia Wooten scored 19 of her 22 points in the second half
• TSU shot 82.6 percent (19-of-23) from the free-throw line.
• Rebounds were even 32-32.
• Taylor Roberts went without a score in the first half and posted 12 in the second frame.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• TSU shot 33.3 percent (4-of-12) from the field and committed 11 turnovers in the first quarter.
• The Lady Tigers trailed, 19-11, heading into the second period and fell behind by double-digits, 26-15, midway through the quarter.
• TSU held UTM without a field goal for the final 2:38 of the quarter and managed to cut the deficit to, 34-26, heading into the break.
• Heading into the final frame, the score was 58-48, in favor of UTM.
• Although TSU played UTM even through the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, the Lady Tigers continued to trail.
• TSU trailed, 66-56, with 4:26 remaining
• On the next possession, an old fashioned three-point play from Tia Wooten sparked a 6-0 run that pulled TSU to within four.
• The home team, however, managed to build its lead back up to double-digits with 2:21 remaining.
• Down the stretch, TSU was forced to foul.

GAME NOTES

• UTM now leads the all-time series 32-30
• Tia Wooten scored in double-digits for the 10th consecutive game.

QUOTE

Head Coach Jessica Kern

"I keep saying our kids fight, fight, fight. We keep fighting all the way to the end. A twelve-point loss isn’t indicative of how the game went. We need to go ahead and foul down the stretch and try to get the ball back, but your girl Tia Wooten… Boy she just keeps showing up. She had a sub-par first half and showed up in the second. Taylor Roberts got it going, but Asia Sims started us off when we needed to score. So, we’re putting the pieces together. This was a tough, literally physically tough, game tonight, and we’ve got a quick turnaround. We’ve got to go to Southeast Missouri. This was our first OVC game and now I know what my youngbodies know what it’s going to be like, and we live to play another day."
-Overview of the game

“We’ve got the fight. We’ve consistently shown that we’re a good third-and-fourth quarter team. We are now evening it out in the second. We have to start games better. We can’t continue to dig ourselves into a hole. So, as a staff, we’re going to meet here immediately. There’s no off-time. We have to figure out how to fix that, get our kids in active recovery, and then get them out of here to get some rest.”

-On takeaways 

UP NEXT

• TSU continues OVC action on Saturday, Dec. 30 with a contest at Southeast Missouri. Game time is set for noon in the Show Me Center.

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

TSU Tigers Fall in OVC Opener in Overtime at UT Martin, 63-60

MARTIN, Tennessee --- The Tennessee State men’s basketball team suffered a 63-60 overtime defeat to UT Martin at the Elam Center on Thursday night. The game, which aired on national television on CBS Sports Network, was the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both teams.

Ken’Darrius Hamilton scored a team-high 12 points for TSU (5-7, 0-1 OVC), which featured four players in double figures. Kamar McKnight and Darreon Reddick finished with 11 points apiece with Christian Mekowulu adding 10 points and nine boards.

TSU led by 12 points in the first half before UT Martin (6-8, 1-0 OVC) battled back to cut the Tigers’ halftime edge down to 28-26.

In a game that had nine ties and 12 lead changes, TSU held a 56-54 edge with 1:06 remaining. The Skyhawks tied the scoring at 56-56 on a Jailen Gill layup and had two stops down the stretch to force overtime.

In the five-minute overtime period, UT Martin outscored TSU by a 7-4 margin to pick up the win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• TSU LEADERS
  • Points – Ken’Darrius Hamilton - 12
  • Rebounds – Christian Mekowulu and Stokley Chaffee Jr. - 9
  • Assists – Darreon Reddick - 7
• The Tigers’ defense limited UT Martin to 28.6 percent (8-of-28) shooting in the first half, including 8.3 percent (1-of-12) from three-point range.
• TSU held the Skyhawks to 34.9 percent (22-of-63) from the field on the night.
• The seven assists were the most for Darreon Reddick since posting eight on Dec. 19, 2015 against Alcorn State.
• Thursday marked the first time TSU finished with four players scoring in double figures since the overtime win at Kennesaw State on Nov. 25, 2017.
• TSU’s bench outscored UT Martin’s bench by a 25-10 margin.

Tennessee State Men's Basketball at UT Martin Radio Calls from the game on 102.1 The Ville

• Delano Spencer Steal & And 1 for a 13-11 TSU Lead - 1st Half
• Kamar McKnight three pointer for a 49-47 TSU Lead - 2nd Half
• Head Coach Dana Ford Post-Game Interview

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Strong defense by the Skyhawks in the early going put TSU in a 10-2 hole five minutes into the game.
• The Tigers turned defense into offense, scoring five points off four UT Martin turnovers as part of a 15-1 run over the next 3:47 of the contest.
• TSU extended its lead to as many as 12 points 11 minutes into game at 23-11 on a Ken’Darrius Hamilton three.
• UT Martin cut into the TSU advantage the rest of the half as the Tigers took a 28-26 lead into the locker room. Darreon Reddick posted seven points and three assists to lead the way for the Tigers in the opening 20 minutes.
• The score went back-and-forth early in the second half with neither team leading by more than four points in the first eight minutes out of the break.
• UT Martin took a three-point lead on a three by Matthew Butler with four minutes left for a 54-51 edge.
• The Tigers scored the next five points and had a 56-54 lead on a Christian Mekowulu layup before UTM’s Jailen Gill’s layup with 1:05 remaining knotted the score at 56-56. 
• In the extra session, the Skyhawks scored the first four points and never looked back en route to outscoring the Tigers, 7-4, in the five minute overtime.

GAME NOTES

• Thursday’s game aired live on national TV on CBS Sports Network.
• TSU is 33-26 in the all-time series versus UT Martin.
• Hampus Ahlin made his first career start on the night.
• TSU is 1-2 in overtime this season.

BOX SCORE  |  PHOTO ALBUM  |  RADIO CALLS

 
QUOTES

HEAD COACH DANA FORD

"We did some things that were good enough for us to win, but when you’re on the road, you can’t turn the ball over, and you can’t get whipped on the glass like we did tonight. A lot of that credit goes to UT Martin. Those are two things we have got to get better at. We can’t turn the ball over 17 times, give up 16 second-chance opportunities, but we’ll just have to take this one and build off of it.”
-Overview of the game

“I thought we moved the ball a lot better tonight. We had 10 three’s. We tried to get the ball inside to (Christian) Mekowulu as much as possible. I mean, they were always double-and-triple teaming him every time he got the ball, but we got 17 team assists, which is probably a team-high for us. I thought we were very aggressive, and I thought we did some things to win, but when you’re on the road you have to defend, rebound and take care of the ball. We held them to 33 percent from the floor, but we definitely didn’t rebound. We have to take care of the ball."
-On positives of the game

UP NEXT

• The Tigers play at Southeast Missouri State on Sunday, Dec. 31, at 1 p.m. at the Show Me Center.
• The game will air live on the OVC Digital Network.

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Hill, Virginia Tech Hokies defeat North Carolina A&T

ESPN3 VIDEO REPLAY

BLACKSBURG, Virginia -- Redshirt junior Ahmed Hill and freshman P.J. Horne scored in double figures against North Carolina A&T, guiding the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team to a 76-59 victory on Thursday afternoon at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum.

The Hokies (11-2) shot well from the floor, hitting 29 shots on 59 attempts (49.2 percent), while capitalizing on its defensive presence by scoring 19 points off of turnovers versus the Aggies (7-8).

Trailing by a point at 10-9 in the early moments of the first half, Tech went on a 10-0 run behind redshirt sophomore Kerry Blackshear Jr.’s two successful post moves going into the media timeout at 10:59.

The Hokies would not look back, going up by as much as 18 points after a steal and quick layup by redshirt senior Devin Wilson as time expired, concluding the opening frame with a 38-20 lead.

Tech’s lead grew to as many as 23 points, its largest advantage of the day, following back-to-back three-pointers from Hill mid-way through the second half. The Aggies trimmed the deficit, but could not get it any closer than double digits.

NC A&T was led by forward Femi Olujobi, who recorded a game-high 21 points, four rebounds and two blocks.

NOTES

• Hill put in four shots from downtown, marking his fith game this season of nailing 4-plus three-pointers. The Georgia native scored a team-high 14 points and collected three rebounds.

• For the ninth time this season, the Hokies outscored their opponent in the paint, as they did versus the Aggies 40-32.

• The bench for Tech put in 33 points, marking the fifth time this year the reserves scored 30 or more points.

• Horne scored 10 points, tying the second-most of his young career, and recorded four rebounds and a block.

• Freshman Nickeil Alexander-Walker tied a career-high eight rebounds, while chipping in five points.

STAT OF THE GAME

• The Hokies controlled the pace of play, owning the advantage for more than 36 minutes in the clash with the Aggies. They also got a couple baskets out in transition, scoring five points compared to NC A&T’s two.

QUOTING BUZZ WILLIAMS

“I think the next step is, here is our tools and do we have the maturity in practice, in scouting, in film, to we are going to take advantage of this tool in this game and can we execute that.”

• Box Score
•  Photo Gallery

WHAT IS NEXT

• ACC play begins on Dec. 31, as the Hokies travel to Syracuse to face the Orange in the Carrier Dome. Tip is at 6 p.m. and the game will be shown live on ESPNU and the ESPN app.

VIRGINIA TECH HOKIE SPORTS

A Marching Band at Allen University -- A Band of Gold

Mr. EDDIE ELLIS
ALLEN UNIVERSITY BAND OF GOLD

COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- Allen University has unveiled another vital element in the institution’s steady resurgence. A show-stopping marching band directed by an eminent band master is the latest initiative. The Allen “Band of Gold” will take the field fall semester 2018 with Eddie Ellis directing.

The band will be historic, both in degree and size. It will be the first marching band program at Allen in over a half century. The 2018 edition is also expected to march 100 members. Reacting to his appointment, Ellis said, “I am delighted to become a part of the Allen University family and work with President Ernest McNealey in creating an exceptional marching band program that will help to grow Allen and instill spirit throughout Allen and beyond.”

As band director at Morris Brown College (Atlanta) for more than a decade, Ellis conducted the symphonic band and the Marching Wolverines, leading the band to a featured role in the (2002) film Drumline, which “brought show-style marching bands to the big screen for the first time.” They also performed in numerous music videos, and in 2001, Ellis’ symphonic unit was the first African-American band to be featured at the Georgia Music Educators Association.

Ellis most recently served an 11-year-stint as director of bands at South Carolina State University, where he conducted the Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and the Marching 101 Band. Honors included three appearances in the Honda Battle of the Bands competition. Ellis holds a Bachelor of Arts in music from Morris Brown College and a Master of Music in Education from Georgia State University, Atlanta, Ga. He has also studied at Florida State University, the Cincinnati Conservatory and The University of Texas at Austin.

Mr. Ellis will join a host of talented musicians/professors engaged in public performances and leading student groups. The “Band of Gold” will add to the existing roster of student performers comprised of a chamber ensemble, a concert choir, a jazz band, and a gospel choir.

Allen University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate degrees. Contact the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Allen University.

THE SOUNDS OF EDDIE ELLIS...




ALLEN UNIVERSITY MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

North Carolina A&T Women's Basketball Returns to Action At Ohio

North Carolina A&T Women’s Basketball (4-6) at Ohio (5-5)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017
Time: 8 p.m.
Facility: Convocation Center (Athens, Ohio)
Series: N.C. A&T leads the all-time series, 1-0

PROBABLE STARTERS: F Le’on Hill (6-2, So., 2.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg); G Cinia McCray (5-7, So., 8.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg); G Shantell Bostick (5-7, So., 6.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg); G C’Coriea Foy (6-0, R-So., 13.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg); F Quenswayla Story (6-3, So., 5.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg).

AGGIES OVERVIEW: The Aggies have just two non-conference games remaining before they open MEAC play against Norfolk State on Saturday, Jan. 6. North Carolina A&T plays at Ohio before hosting St. Andrews in the Corbett Sports Center on Tuesday, Jan. 2. The Aggies improved to 4-2 at home with a 68-59 victory over Western Carolina in their last game on Dec. 19. C’Coriea Foy scored 18 points to go along with five rebounds and six assists in the win while Le’on Hill grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds. Two Aggies are averaging double figures in scoring led by Foy’s 13.7 followed by Kala Green’s 12.4. Alexus Lessears leads the team in rebounding at 9.6 while Foy is tops in both assists (3.4) and stelas (2.8). The Aggies defeated Ohio last season in Cobett, 63-57.

OHIO OVERVIEW: Ohio has dropped four of its last five games including two defeats at the West Palm Invitational by Furman (70-68) and Virginia (77-59) before the holiday break. Under the direction of fifth-year head coach Bob Boldon, Ohio went 22-10 last season with a 12-6 finish in the MAC. The Bobcats are first in the MAC in steals (14.6), 3-point field goal attempts (320), turnover margin (13.00), turnovers forced (25.40) and turnovers per game (12.4). Cierra Hooks ranks second in the MAC in steals (3.2) and 25th in the nation while Dominique Doseck is sixth in steals (2.8), third in 3-point field goals attempts (77) and ninth in 3-point field goals per game (2.20). Taylor Agler leads the Bobcats in assists (4.5) ranking ninth in their conference and fourth in assists turnover ratio (2.14).

LAST TIME OUT
C’Coriea Foy finished with a team-high 18 points, six assists and five rebounds, Kala Green had 17 points and four assists and Jada Scaife posted 11 points and nine rebounds in the Aggies 68-59 win over West Carolina on Education Day. The Aggies led from tip to finish and saw their lead increase to as many as 20 during the game.

NEWS & NOTES

• N.C. A&T is 4-0 when leading with five minutes remaining this season.
• Nationally, the Aggies are ranked fifth in offensive rebounds (18.0), ninth in turnovers forced (23.38), 24th in turnover margin (6.00) and 35th in rebounds (43.4). They are first in the MEAC in all four categories and are ranked second in assist turnover ratio (0.80), assist per game (14.2), rebound margin (2.0) and scoring offense (66.1).
• Alexus Lessears leads the conference in both rebounds per game (9.6) and offensive rebounds (5.0).
• C’Coriea Foy is second in steals per game (2.80), third in field goal attempts (160) and fourth in 3-point field goal attempts (72), sixth in assists (3.4). Green leads the Aggies in minutes played (29.8). Le’on Hill leads the Aggies in blocked shots (0.9). Shantell Bostick ranks third in the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.2) and eighth in both free throw percentage (.730) and assists (3.2). Kala Green is fifth in the conference in 3-point field goals made (1.9).

NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Hawaii Men’s Basketball Wraps Up Non-Conference Play vs. Howard Bison

HONOLULU, Hawaii – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team hosts Howard on Friday, Dec. 29 in the team's final non-conference game before opening Big West play. Tipoff is 7:00 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.   
 
UH is coming off a sixth-place finish in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. The Rainbow Warriors went 1-2, as they fell to then-No. 6 Miami, beat Davidson and concluded the tournament with a Christmas Day loss to Princeton. UH has been a good bounce-back team this year, going 3-0 after a loss with an average margin of victory of 10.0 points.   
 
This will be the second meeting in the last three seasons between UH and Howard, out of the MEAC. The 'Bows defeated the Bison 94-59 in January 2016 and are undefeated in 15 all-time meetings with MEAC schools.
 
Following its game against Howard, UH will open Big West play with a pair of road games at Long Beach State (Jan. 4) and CSUN (Jan. 6).
 
Game 13
Who: Hawai'i (8-4, 0-0 Big West) vs. Howard (3-12, 0-0 MEAC)
When: Friday, Dec. 29, 2017
Time: 7:00 p.m. HT
Where: Stan Sheriff Center (10,300) - Honolulu, HI
Television: Live on Spectrum Sports – Channels 16 (SD) and 1016 (HD). Kanoa Leahey (play-by-play) and Artie Wilson (color) on the call.
Streaming Video: BigWest.TV (Must be a Spectrum cable subscriber to stream in Hawai'i).
Radio: Live on ESPN 1420 AM with Bobby Curran and Jeff Portnoy. Neighbor islands can listen live on KNUI on Maui, KPUA on the Big Island, KTOH on Kaua'i, and KNWJ in Pago Pago, American Samoa.
Audio Webcast: ESPN1420am.com/Sideline Hawai'i App.
Live Stats: HawaiiAthletics.com
Ticket Information: $5-$30. UH Manoa students free with validated ID. Available for purchase online.
Game Notes

Promotions: First Insurance Company of Hawaii is the game sponsor and will distribute 500 basketball shaped tote bags at Gate A.  Great prizes will be awarded throughout the night and sign up for your chance to win at the sports marketing table at Gate A. 
Coaches: Eran Ganot is in his third season at UH (50-26).  Kevin Nickelberry is in his ninth season at Howard (72-166)
Series Information: UH leads, 2-0.
 
About Howard: The Bison are just 3-12 but have won two of their last four games, including their last outing on Dec. 22, an 80-75 win vs. UNC Wilmington in the Sun Bowl Invitational in El Paso...Howard has played all but three of their games away from home and is winless on the road (0-11)...RJ Cole (21.6 ppg) and Charles Williams (18.4 ppg) account for nearly 60 percent of the team's scoring.
 
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

GAME PREVIEW: Seattle Redhawks vs Grambling State Tigers

SEATTLE, Washington –  Seattle University men’s basketball continues its nine-game homestand on Thursday, Dec. 28, hosting Grambling State at the Connolly Complex. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game will stream live on the WAC Digital Network. Fans can also tune in to KTTH 770 AM in Seattle or online at mynorthwest.com as Dave Grosby returns for his ninth season on air for the Redhawks.

FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS

• Thursday, Dec. 28 at 7:00 p.m. PT
• Connolly Complex, Seattle, WA
• Tickets
• Game Notes
• Live Stats
• Listen on KTTH 770 AM
• Watch on the WAC Digital Network

ABOUT THE GAME

• Seattle U (9-6) vs. Grambling State (4-8)
• All-time series - First meeting
• Last meeting - First meeting

NEWS AND NOTES

• The Redhawks are 8-1 at home this season with the lone blemish being an 81-59 setback to Cal on Dec. 19. They had opened the season with a seven-game streak that marked the longest home win streak since the 2014-15 season when they won six straight from Feb. 17, 2015 (vs. Utah Valley) to March 23, 2015 (vs. Colorado).
• Jordan Hill had 23 points, while Aaron Menzies and Matej Kavas added 20 apiece in the Redhawks’ 95-89 win over Nicholls State on Dec. 23. That marked the first time this season that three players had scored 20 or more points. It was also the fourth time that at least two players had achieved the feat. Hill had 21 points and Josh Hearlihy added 20 against Saint Martin’s on Dec. 13. On Nov. 12 vs. Puget Sound when Richaud Gittens poured in 26 points and Hearlihy added 23. The Redhawks also had a pair of 20-point efforts on Dec. 3 vs. Eastern Washington when Kavas had 26 points and Hearlihy added 20.
• Junior center Aaron Menzies finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds on Dec. 23 vs. Nicholls State, marking his team-leading fifth double-double of the season.
• Seattle U is averaging 81.0 ppg, which ranks first in the WAC. That mark includes two games where they have surpassed the century mark, as well as a 99-point effort and 95-point outing.
• Matej Kavas has led the Redhawks in scoring seven times through 15 games and has scored in double figures in all but one game played. The sophomore guard/forward has hit the 20-point mark six times, while his career-high sits at 27, a feat achieved vs Detroit Mercy on Nov. 18.
• In games played through Dec. 25, Seattle U is ranked in the top 50 nationally in seven team statistical categories. The Redhawks are seventh in the nation in 3-pters (149), eighth in free-throw percentage (78.7) and total assists (241), 10th in 3-pt FG attempts (394), 16th in rebounds (557), 35th in 3-pt FGs per game (9.9) and 37th in FTs made (218).
• Matej Kavas is seventh in the nation with 46 made 3-pters while Aaron Menziesranks eighth in FG% (68.8).
• The Redhawks lead the Western Athletic Conference in  scoring (81.0 ppg), free-throw percentage (78.7), 3-pt FG% (37.8) and 3-pt FGs made (149, 9.9 per game). They also rank second in FG% (47.7) and third assists per game (16.1).
• Matej Kavas ranks third in the WAC in scoring (18.5 ppg) and first in 3-pt FG% (47.9) and 3-pt FGs made (46, 3.3 per game). Aaron Menzies ranks second in blocks (30, 2.0 per game) and FG% (68.8), and fourth in rebounds per game (6.9). Jordan Hill is tied for second in 3-pt FGs (35, 2.5 per game) and fourth in assists (59, 4.2 per game), Richaud Gittens is second in steals (22, 1.6 per game) and four Redhawks rank in the top 10 in 3-pt FG percentage.

UPCOMING TICKET DEALSCatch all five of the Redhawks' KeyArena Western Athletic Conference games this season for a great low price! Save 50% on single-game ticket prices by purchasing a "WAC PACK." Mini plan prices start as low as $25. Click here to purchase.

SEATTLE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS