Howard University Lady Bison: Preview '09

Coaches
Head Coach: Niki Reid Geckeler, 2nd season (Georgetown '93)
Assistant Coach: Jimmy Howard, 2nd season (Greensboro '91)
Assistant Coach: Julie Flanders, 2nd season (George Mason '05)
Assistant Coach: Brian Johnson, 2nd season (Drexel '98)

Players to watch
Zykia Brown, Jr., G, 5-8: Brown, a graduate of Parkdale High School, was the third-leading scorer in the MEAC last season, averaging 17.3 points per game, and was an all-conference second-team selection.

New Recruits
Kara Smith (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young), Cabria Johnson (Washington, D.C./Elizabeth Seton), Jerelle Gorham (Durham, N.C./Hillside), Tomaria Holmes (Durham, N.C./Hillside), Julee O’Neal (Durham, N.C./Hillside), Portia Deterville (Toronto, Canada/Weston) Cheyenne Curley-Payne (Chula Vista, Calif./Eastlake) and Nicole Deterville (Toronto, Canada/Weston).

Kara Smith, a 6-0 forward, averaged 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds as a senior at Whitney M. Young High School in Chicago, IL. The Dolphins posted a 31-2 record in 2008-09, finished No. 10 in the USA TODAY Super 25 poll and finished in second place in the state 4A championship game, falling to national champion Bolingbrook. Smith was named best team defender for two consecutive year.

Cabria Johnson, 5-11 forward starred at Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg, MD and has been rated a top-25 prospect in the Real Basketball Report (MD/DC/VA/WV Region). Johnson suffering a season-ending injury prior to the start of her senior season.

Jerelle Gorham, 5-8 guard is an All-American in the class room as well as an outstanding athlete. Gorham was ranked sixth in a class of 182 with a grade-point average of 4.4 and lettered in basketball, track and volleyball. Her team finished with a 26-6 mark in 2009.

Tomaria Holmes, 5-6 guard was a 2009 McDonald’s All-American nominee for the Hornets.

Julee O'Neal, 6-2 center/forward was named to the 4A East Regional All-Tournament team. O'Neal, Gorham and Holmes Hillside squad won the 4A state championship in 2008 and a sectional championship in 2009.

Portia Deterville, 6-1 center/forward had career averages of 18 points and 12 rebounds per game at Weston Collegiate Institute. Her team went to the provincial championship semifinals in 2009.

Cheyenne Curley-Payne, 5-5 point guard led the nation with 328 steals as senior at Eastlake High School, breaking the record set by Candice Wiggins. WNBA star. Curley had 1,065 career steals and set new California record during her high school career.

Nicole Deterville, 6-1 center/forward is the second half of the twin-towers with sister Portia. Nicole was co-captain in her final campaign at Weston and helped her team to the City of Toronto ‘Final 4' qualifier. She was invited to the All-Canada Classic for her efforts. A talented athlete, Nicole was a silver medalist in the track program at Weston.

Shooter Zykia Brown will anchor the '09/'10 Howard Lady Bison team.

RETURNING BISON PLAYERS
24 Baulkman, Charae' 6-1 Sr. forward, Newark, N.J. / University H.S.
2 Bradford, India 5-4 So. guard, Washington, D.C. / Archbishop Carroll H.S.
12 Brown, Zykia 5-8 Jr. guard, Riverdale, Md. / Parkdale H.S.
13 Doyle, Saadia 5-11 R-Fr. forward, Atlanta, Ga. / Columbia H.S.
30 Edwards, Amanda 6-0 Jr. forward, Ontario, Canada / Notre Dame Catholic
22 Pullins, Jalisa 5-5 Jr. guard, Decatur, Ga. / Southwest DeKalb H.S.
3 Scharschmidt, DonnaLee 5-6 Jr. guard, Palm Beach, Fla. / Summit Christian

Schedule
NOVEMBER
13, American, 7; 16, at Fairleigh Dickinson, 7; 21, LIU, 2; 25, Jacksonville, 7; 27, at Maryland, 7; 29, at Radford, 3.
DECEMBER
5, Hampton, 2; 12, at George Mason, 2; 19, at Central Michigan, 2; 29, Monmouth, 2*; 30, La Salle/Holy Cross, 2/4*.
JANUARY
5, at Colgate, 7; 9, Morgan State, 2; 11, Coppin State, 6; 16, at North Carolina A&T, 2; 18, at Norfolk State, 6; 23, Florida A&M, 2; 25, Bethune-Cookman, 6; 30, at UMES, 2.
FEBRUARY
1, Delaware State, 5:30; 6, at Winston-Salem State, 2; 8, at South Carolina State, 5:30; 13, North Carolina A&T, 2; 15, Norfolk State, 6; 20, at Florida A&M, 2; 22, at Bethune-Cookman, 5:30; 27, UMES, 2.
MARCH
4, at Hampton, 6; 8-13, MEAC tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C.

* — Hawk Holiday Classic in West Long Branch, N.J.

Arkansas - Pine Bluff 49, Grambling State 42

Pine Bluff prevails over Grambling in shootout

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.- The Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lion football (5-3, 3-2 SWAC) team prevailed over the Grambling State Tigers (5-4, 3-2 SWAC) 49-42 on Saturday. Offensively UAPB erupted for its largest point total output of the season as they clicked on all cylinders rushing and throwing the ball with a high success rate. Josh Boudreaux went 11-of-18 for 167 yards and 2 touchdowns. Mickey Dean led all Golden Lions rushers with 20 carries for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dean also threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Raymond Webber to put Arkansas-Pine Bluff ahead 14-10 in the second quarter.

SWAC Big-play bonanza lifts Lions

It took a little more than two minutes for Arkansas Pine-Bluff to flip the momentum in Saturday’s Delta Classic 4 Literacy. UAPB scored 28 points in a span of 2:14 and held on for a 49-42 victory over Grambling State before 26,211 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The Golden Lions scored three times in the final 1:56 of the first half, using a roughing-the-kicker penalty, a mistake by the Grambling State punter and an interception to turn a 10-7 deficit into a 28-10 halftime lead. UAPB then ran back the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown and a 35-10 lead early in the third quarter.

UAPB SCORES SEASON HIGH IN GRAMBLING WIN

LITTLE ROCK — For the last couple of weeks, Arkansas-Pine Bluff has felt as if it were on the verge of breaking loose. During a period of just over two minutes at the end of the second and beginning of the third quarters on Saturday, the Golden Lions took risks, hit on big plays and took advantage of Grambling State mistakes to help them score more points than they have in a single afternoon in more than four years. The 28-point barrage that ended with a 95-yard kickoff return by Mareo Howard to start the second-half turned a four-point UAPB deficit into a 25-point lead that the best defense in the league almost let slip through its fingers.

But, it didn’t. UAPB made enough plays after Grambling State twice cut the lead to a single touchdown and eventually held on for a 49-42 win over the defending Southwestern Athletic Conference Champions at War Memorial Stadium.

TRICK PLAY HELPS GOLDEN LIONS JUMPSTART RALLY

LITTLE ROCK — Five years ago Mickey Dean stood on the turf at War Memorial Stadium and, from his running back position, threw a touchdown pass that helped Little Rock Central beat West Memphis for a state championship. Dean was a high school senior then. On Saturday, as a senior for Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Dean lofted a similar pass in the same stadium that helped kickstart a rally that has kept UAPB in another title hunt. Dean’s pass, gloved-hands and all, found Raymond Webber in the back of the south end zone and gave the Golden Lions a 14-10 lead and jumpstarted a string of big plays that pushed that lead to 35-10 just 15 seconds into the third quarter.

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Florida A&M 31, North Carolina A&T 27

Rattlers win isn't pretty, but it counts

The one quarter Alonzo Lee’s team has dominated all season turned out to be the difference in an unpredictable game between North Carolina A&T and Florida A&M. A four-point halftime lead disappeared in the third quarter as the Rattlers (7-2, 5-1) overcame fumbles, and the loss of quarterback Curtis Pulley to take a lead they would not relinquish in a 31-27 victory over North Carolina A&T. Heading into the game the Aggies (5-5, 3-4) had allowed only six points in the third quarter all season; however touchdowns by Philip Sylvester and LeRoy Vann led the Rattler revival and overshadowed fumbles from both men. “We’re a long ways from playing our best ball game,” FAMU coach Joe Taylor said. “At some point that is going to have to happen, but we will have to make plays.”

Record-setting performance lifts Rattlers over Aggies

The Florida A&M University Rattlers defeated the North Carolina A&T Aggies in their regular season home finale at Bragg Stadium 31-27 in front of 8,034 fans. The game, which was the last home game for 28 Rattler seniors, was one of ups and downs. Senior LeRoy Vann returned a punt 51 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to help seal the game for Rattlers, who improved to 7-2 overall, 5-1 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Vann has now returned five punts for a touchdown this season tying an NCAA FCS single-season record set ironically by North Carolina A&T’s Curtis Deloach in 2001. Vann also broke single-season school records for punts returned for a touchdown (five) and for punt return yards (540), both previously set by Howard Huckaby in 1988.

Vann ties a pair of NCAA records, sparks Florida A&M in 31-27 win over N.C. A&T

LeRoy Vann's punt return for a score tied two NCAA records to lead Florida A&M to a 31-27 win over North Carolina A&T on Saturday. Vann's 51-yard touchdown on a punt return in the third quarter was the senior's fifth of the season and his eighth career punt return for a score. He tied both the NCAA single-season and career records, along with setting the Football Championship Subdivision record for career returns. Vann now shares the Football Bowl Subdivision and FCS records for single-season punt return touchdowns with Hawaii's Chad Owens (2004) and North Carolina A&T's Curtis DeLoatch (2001).

Aggies come up short in upset bid

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Turnovers gave N.C. A&T a chance to defeat Florida A&M. The Aggies returned the favor. Two fumbles, an interception and a missed extra point hurt N.C. A&T as the Rattlers held on for a 31-27 victory on Saturday in MEAC football at Bragg Memorial Stadium. N.C. A&T (5-5, 3-4 MEAC) still had a final shot to pull off the upset, using a fake punt to extend the drive and push farther into FAMU territory. But the Aggies' Dontavious Payne, who graduated from Tallahassee's FAMU High School and played his home games at Bragg Stadium, was stopped on fourth-and-2 at the Rattlers' 22. Aggies coach Alonzo Lee said he thought Payne was close to a first down. "We didn't get a measurement," Lee said. "It was a situation where I was crying and hollering for a measurement -- but they couldn't because they had already moved the sticks."


Houston's mom allowed to cherish this special day at FAMU

She couldn't hold back the tears. Carron Brown's son had made her that proud. So there she was near the FAMU sideline on the football field at Bragg Stadium in front of thousands Saturday afternoon. Photographers snapped pictures of her and her boy, Cameron Houston. She only knew a few in the crowd who came with her, but this was her moment and not even being in front of a crowd of 8,034 fans for the first time in her life intimidated her. Saturday was one of two days she's been waiting for since her son enrolled at FAMU. "I'm happy," she said, wiping way tears. "I'm sure any mother would be happy to see this day." The next big occasion will be graduation. This day was special. The day that her son got his recognition for working his way to one last semester of college. Nobody kept count of the hits Cameron Houston took at nose guard. They only counted the ones he gave. He had six tackles, giving him 26 for the season.

Photo Galleries
FAMU Pre game photos
FAMU vs. NC A&T Fan Cam
FAMU 31 Aggies 27

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Vann breaks five-game streak without a touchdown
Rattlers 'D' makes game-saving stand in final minutes
AGGIES LOSE BY INCHES
Vann Ties 2 Records in FAMU Win
FAMU sweeps past Tuskegee »
FAMU's volleyball team sweeps S.C. State »
FAMU women's basketball ready to tip it off »

Prairie View A&M 33, Alabama A&M 27

Prairie View survives Alabama A&M's second-half rally

PRAIRIE VIEW — The Prairie View A&M Panthers are guaranteed at least a share of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Western Division title with Saturday’s 33-27 win over Alabama A&M, but they took little happiness with the result. Neither did coach Henry Frazier III. The Panthers (6-1, 5-0 SWAC) relinquished a 26-point, second-half lead before holding on for a heart-stopping win before a crowd of 4,876 at Blackshear Stadium. The Bulldogs scored 20 unanswered points within the final 17 minutes to reduce the deficit to six with 56 seconds remaining, but Prairie View recovered an onside kick to preserve the win.

Prairie View A&M's "The Marching Storm & Black Foxes" perform at 2009 Labor Day Classic Reliant Stadium.


Panthers Hold On To Defeat Alabama A&M 33-27

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas - Prairie View A&M jumped out to an early lead but had to hold on for dear life as they held off a late rally by Alabama A&M in a 33-27 victory at Blackshear Field before 4,876 fans on Saturday afternoon. Prairie View scored on its opening possession as Gabe Osaze-Ediae caught a short pass from quarterback K.J. Black and raced 21 yards to the endzone for a 6-0 lead. Brady Faggard's PAT was good as the Panthers led 7-0 with 13:30 left in the first quarter.

Alabama A&M answered Prairie View's score several drives later as tailback Ulysses Banks took a handoff 42 yards for a touchdown. Jeremy Licea's PAT was good as the Bulldogs tied the game at 7-all. The tie didn't last long though as Osaze-Ediae once again came up big and scored his second touchdown of the game as the senior from Austin, Texas caught a 72-yard pass from Black en route to a 13-7 advantage.

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Jackson State Tigers 19, Alabama State Hornets 7

JSU wins 19-7, leads SWAC East

Jackson State used the first-half running of Bloi-Dei Dorzon and a strong game-long showing by its defense to beat Alabama State 19-7 tonight in a Southwestern Athletic Conference game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. JSU (3-5 overall) took sole possession of first place in the SWAC East with a 3-2 record. With victories in its final two games against Alabama A&M and Alcorn State, JSU will advance to the SWAC title game for the third straight season. ASU fell to 4-5 overall and 1-5 in the SWAC. A homecoming crowd announced at 18,510 watched the game. Dorzon ran for 108 yards, including 102 in the first half, when he helped JSU jump to a 19-7 lead.

Final: Jackson State 19, Alabama State 7

JACKSON, Miss. --- All the points were scored in the first half as both teams had offensive troubles against two of the SWAC’s top defensive units. ASU (4-5, 1-5 Southwestern Athletic Conference) finished with 159 total yards for the game while JSU (3-5, 3-3 SWAC) amassed 212. Hornets quarterback Chris Mitchell connected with Nick Andrews for a 6-yard TD pass for ASU's only score.

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Texas Southern hiring Nick Van Exel as assistant

Former NBA guard Nick Van Exel is being hired as an assistant coach for Texas Southern University, a Houston television station reported. Van Exel retired in 2006 after 14 years in the NBA. He spent his first five years with the Los Angeles Lakers and also played for Denver, Dallas, Golden State, Portland and San Antonio.

"I said I was going to retire in '06, take two years off and try to get into coaching," Van Exel told KRIV-TV. "It didn't work out as planned. "So here I am my fourth year retired, couldn't sit around in the winter this time. Coach (Tony) Harvey brought me on the staff. It's going to be something exciting."

Nickey (Nick) Maxwell Van Exel --Beyond the Glory...

Grambling State 50, Mississippi Valley State 7

Grambling plays complete game in homecoming victory over Valley

GRAMBLING, LA -- Quarterback Greg Dillon was a threat through the air and on the ground, and the Grambling defense turned in a dominating performance as the Tigers beat Mississippi Valley State 50-7 on Saturday. Dillon was the driving force behind a GSU offense that piled up 446 yards of total offense. The Grambling defense matched Dillon's effort, holding the Delta Devils to 145 yards of total offense and just six first downs. Ari Johnson gave Grambling an early 6-0 lead with field goals from 22 and 33 yards out. Then Dillon went to work, finding Van Phillips for a nine-yard score and Larry Donnell for a 3-yard score that gave the Tigers a 19-0 lead with a minute to go before halftime.

Photo Galleries
Grambling you cam
Grambling halftime show
Miss Valley vs Grambling

Healed up, Grambling quarterback Greg Dillon is looking like old self again

GRAMBLING, LA -- Now that's the Greg Dillon we've come to expect. Grambling's star quarterback -- plagued with turnover problems and injuries in the first half of the season -- returned to form on Saturday, accounting for four touchdowns in the Tigers 50-7 demolition of Mississippi Valley State. Dillon injured his ankle in a Week 4 loss to Oklahoma State, but after a bye week that allowed him to get back to full strength, he looked like the Greg Dillon of old -- the one who earned MVP honors in the 2008 Bayou Classic and the 2008 SWAC Championship game, and led the conference in passing efficiency.

GSU struggling in the red zone

Grambling is still learning how to finish drives. Even in its most recent win, at Alabama State, the Tigers had notable troubles scoring despite making it to the opponent's side of the field. "We've got to start putting points on the board," said Grambling coach Rod Broadway. "We're getting down there and kicking field goals. You can't win a lot of times kicking field goals from inside the 20-yard line. We've got to get that corrected." GSU has scored touchdowns on 13 of 24 trips inside the 20-yard line this season, settling for field goals 9 times, and turning the ball over twice. Back 10- or 15-yards further out, and the numbers nosedive.

Attendance: 10,425@Robinson Stadium, Grambling, LA

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