Free throw shooting dooms A&M in loss to Texas Southern

TSU Lady Tigers Coach Yolanda Wells-Broughton

HOUSTON, Texas - Texas Southern hit four free throws down the stretch Saturday afternoon and went on to hold off Alabama A&M 65-61 in an important Southwestern Athletic Conference game.

The Bulldogs trailed 34-30 at intermission, but tied it a couple of times in the second half, the last time at 54 apiece on a 3-pointer by Desmond Jackson with 4:01 remaining. The Tigers scored seven unanswered points to go up 61-54, but A&M battled back and pulled within 61-59 on a layup by DeMarquelle Tabb with 46 seconds left, but couldn't get any closer.

Tigers get Back on Winning Track

Tonight’s victory was not the most attractive but it was a win nonetheless. Texas Southern beat Alabama A&M 65-61 in a very close match-up with lots of turnovers and missed free-throws by the Tigers.

“It was an ugly game for us tonight. I don’t mean to sound down but a victory is a victory I guess,” said head coach Tony Harvey.

This game was played close for the entire 40 minutes. The Tiger’s biggest lead in the first half was 19-14 at the 10:19 mark. TSU finished the period up 34-30.

Alabama A&M Lady Bulldogs 52, Texas Southern Lady Tigers 50

Whiquitta Tobar's jumper with no time left lifted the Bulldogs to a thrilling win over the Tigers. A&M, which snapped a two-game losing streak, improved to 10-8 overall and 6-2 in league play with the victory. TSU fell to 3-16 and 1-7.

Tobar, who was 7-of-22 from the field, scored A&M's last six points, including the game-winning basket, to help the Bulldogs beat the Tigers. She finished with a game-high 17 points, including 13 in the second half.

TSU drops close one to Alabama A&M

Texas Southern held victory in its grip. But a last-second shot allowed Alabama A&M to sneak out of H&PE Arena with a win. TSU women's basketball team fell, 52-50, in a game that came down to the final second.

Texas Southern senior forward Gabrielle Rosiji sank a free throw with 1:14 left to tie the game at 50-50. After Alabama A&M (10-8, 6-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) missed two scoring opportunities, TSU (3-16, 1-7) had a chance to take the lead. But the Tigers couldn't convert on the offensive end, and the Bulldogs had one last crack at it.

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Hampton University beats Delaware State 70-66 in OT

HAMPTON, VA - It was Darrion Pellum's party, but Wesley Dunning had a fine time, too.

Pellum, Hampton University's junior guard and leading scorer, had a game-high 28 points while Dunning, a reserve sophomore swingman, scored all six of his points in overtime as the Pirates held off Delaware State 70-66 on Saturday to move into second place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Dunning, who had a total of 36 points and averaged 8.7 minutes in the Pirates' first 20 games, was called upon when starting forward Charles Funches, who had eight points and 10 rebounds, rolled his right ankle with seven minutes left in regulation. Dunning opened overtime by ...

Pirates win, move to 2nd in MEAC



HAMPTON, VA – The Hampton University men’s basketball team needed an extra five minutes to beat Delaware State on Saturday evening, taking a 70-66 overtime victory at the HU Convocation Center.

The Pirates (16-5, 6-2 MEAC) outscored the Hornets 13-9 in the overtime period. Sophomore forward Wesley Dunning scored the team’s first six overtime points, and junior guard Christopher Tolson hit all four of his free throws down the stretch.

Getting defensive

It was a game only a coach could truly love. Hampton's women's basketball team, allowing Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opponents just 48 points per game this season, gave up a season-low 29 to Delaware State on Saturday in a 52-29 win. The Hornets made just six of 39 field-goal attempts, which translates into a shooting percentage of 15.4.

In the first half, the numbers were 3-of-24 (12.5 percent). Seventeen of Delaware State's points came from the free-throw line. An ugly game?  "It depends on how you look at it," Hampton coach David Six said. "They made six field goals. Were they playing that badly, or we were playing good defense?"

PICTURES: Delaware State vs Hampton -- Men and women's games (Photos by Diane Mathews)

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Tigers (JSU) slow down Devils (MVSU)

Jackson State Head Coach Tevester Anderson

With its largest crowd of the season (6,809) on hand and about 20 football recruits watching from courtside seats, Jackson State turned this Southwestern Athletic Conference showdown into nothing but a snoozer. Said JSU's Tyrone Hanson: "We were really souped up for this game."

Hanson and the Tigers beat Mississippi Valley State 83-73 Saturday night, remaining atop the conference standings and sending the league's most surprisingly successful squad home with its first loss since Jan. 10.

In this battle between the SWAC's top two teams, Jackson State (11-9, 7-1 SWAC) quieted a high-scoring Valley team that...

Mississippi Valley State 67, Jackson State 54

JACKSON, Miss. – The Jackson State women’s basketball team fell 67-54 to in-state rival Mississippi Valley State in Southwestern Athletic Conference action Saturday at the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center.

With the loss JSU falls to a 4-13 overall record and a 3-5 SWAC mark. MVSU improves to 7-12, 5-3. Rachel Jones led JSU with a 15 point, six rebound effort. Tiffany Kellum came off the bench to add 10 points.

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NCCU Eagles notch win No. 10 at expense of FAMU

DURHAM -- N.C. Central has figured out how to win close games, but the Eagles have had to build huge leads in two of their three most recent victories to do it. On Saturday, NCCU built a 15-point halftime lead before holding on for a 61-59 win over Florida A&M at McDougald-McLendon Gym that wasn't secured until the Rattlers missed a shot at the buzzer.

The victory gives the Eagles their first 10-win season since moving up to the Division I level. C.J. Wilkerson finished with 18 points, including a pair of free throws that gave the Eagles a five-point lead with under a minute to play.


Videographer: NCCUEagles; Hear Postgame comments from junior forward Nick Chasten (Raleigh, N.C.) and Head Coach LeVelle Moton following NCCU's 61-59 victory over conference foe Florida A&M. NCCU has won three-in-a-row and will take on league leading Bethune-Cookman on Monday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. from McDougald-McLendon Gym.

LAST-SECOND SHOT LIFTS FLORIDA A&M PAST NCCU LADY EAGLES, 63-62

DURHAM, N.C. - After fighting back from a nine-point second-half deficit, the Lady Eagles of North Carolina Central University led by one point at the 49 second mark until Florida A&M scoring leader Antonia Bennett hit a last-second layup to seal a Lady Rattlers 63-62 victory on Saturday, Jan. 29 in McDougald-McLendon Gym.

NCCU began the second half with a score of 26-32, Bennett, who finished with 31 points, quickly paced FAMU to a nine-point deficit. Senior Jori Nwachukwu, who netted 16 points in the last 20 minutes of play, quickly led NCCU on an 8-1 run for the first tie of the half.

From the 14:30 mark until to the 8:17 point, FAMU would regain the lead, pulling away by as many as six points. With sophomore J’Mia Pollock on the line sinking one of her two free throws, the contest became a point-for-point battle.


Videographer: NCCUEagles; Hear Comments from NCCU Head Coach Joli Robinson as the Lady Eagles fell 63-62 to Florida A&M in heartbreaking fashion.

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Bethune-Cookman 61, South Carolina State 60

Another day, another close loss for the South Carolina State men's basketball team. All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference guard C.J. Reed hit two free throws with 22.6 seconds left and Khalif Toombs missed a jumper with four seconds left to give Bethune-Cookman a 61-60 victory over the Bulldogs.

Reed finished with 17 points and Stanley Elliott added 11 to lead the Wildcats (12-9, 7-1), who own a two-game lead in the conference standings. It was the fifth loss this season by four or less points for the Bulldogs (5-15, 1-6), who have lost six straight games and dropped to 5-4 at home this season.

With Howard's win over Maryland-Eastern Shore, both teams and S.C. State are tied for last place in the win column.

Bethune-Cookman 64, South Carolina State 55

Home cooking was not enough to stem the South Carolina State women's basketball team's slump Saturday at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.

Despite a season-high 20 points from Whitney Wiley and 14 points and five assists from Tiara Knotts, another lax second-half effort on defense resulted in the Lady Bulldogs' fifth consecutive loss.

Trailing 27-22 at halftime, the Lady Bulldogs were outscored 37-33 in the second half. In the last three games, S.C. State (6-11, 2-5) has allowed an average of 45.3 points in the second half.

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Grambling State Releases 2011 Football Schedule

Grambling State Signs Two-Year Football Agreement to Play ULM

MONROE, LA ---In a press conference held January 28, 2011 in Monroe, Louisiana officials announced the two year agreement in which Grambling State and ULM would once again meet on the gridiron.

"Both games will be played at ULM’s Malone Stadium in 2011 and 2013. Our fans are excited to keep the rivalry going. We anticipate record numbers that will eclipse the 30,000 plus crowd that attended in 2007,” stated J Lin Dawson, Director of Athletics at Grambling State University.

“Playing sister institutions within the University of Louisiana System make sense. As athletic administrators, we must look for creative ways in which we can grow our revenue and contain cost. This is a good deal for both universities. As the visiting team, Grambling will make just over $300,000 for each game with very few expenses."

2011 GSU Tigers Football Schedule

9/03 Port City Classic, Shreveport, La. (TBD)
9/10 at University of Lousiana-Monroe, Monroe, La.
9/17 at Alabama State University, Montgomery, Al.
9/24 Alabama A&M University (HOME)
10/1 at Prairie View A&M University (State Fair Classic - Dallas, Tx)
10/8 Open
10/15 at Alcorn State University, Lorman, Ms.
10/22 Mississippi Valley State University (HOME)
10/29 at University of Arkansas - Pine Bluff (Memorial Stadium, Little Rock)
11/05 at Jackson State University, Jackson, Ms.
11/12 Texas Southern (HOME)
11/19 Open
11/26 Southern (Bayou Classic - New Orleans, La.)

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RELATED LINKS: GSUTigers.com

SU catcher Ourso doesn’t plan to waste opportunity

Halfway through his college baseball career, Southern University catcher Clint Ourso realized he hadn’t gotten anywhere. A season at LSU-Eunice in 2009 finished with respectable numbers, but his sophomore campaign at New Orleans left a lot to be desired.

So when the UNO administration shifted the ground underneath its athletic department, announcing all programs would begin transitioning to NCAA Division III, Ourso saw an opportunity. “With two years left, I felt like I had to make a change,” said Ourso, whose junior season officially began Friday when he and his SU teammates began practice for the 2011 season.

Fourth Urban Invitational to begin Feb. 25

The Urban Invitational is back for the 2011 season, and for the first time, three Historically Black Colleges and Universities will be showcased.

In its fourth year, the Invitational -- set up by Major League Baseball's first Urban Youth Academy, in Compton, Calif. -- will run from Feb. 25-27, with HBCUs Southern University (in Louisiana) and Bethune-Cookman (Daytona Beach, Fla.) returning, and Grambling State University (Louisiana) joining the fold. Also playing in the collegiate round-robin tournament is the University of California Irvine, a first-time participant.

The Invitational, presented by the U.S. Army, gives HBCUs a chance to play on a national stage, something that rarely happens. This year they'll get that exposure once again, as MLB Network will air both games on Day 2, which is a Saturday.

SU Video: Urban Invitational: Sat. Gm 1

2011 MLB URBAN INVITATIONAL
Date Time (PT) Matchup Venue
2/25 6:30 p.m. Southern v. UC Irvine UC Irvine
2/25 6 p.m. B-CU v. Grambling UYA
2/26 1 p.m. UC Irvine v. B-CU* UYA
2/26 5 p.m. Grambling v. Southern* UYA
2/27 1 p.m. Grambling v. UC Irvine UC Irvine
2/27 1 p.m. Southern v. B-CU UYA
* broadcast on MLB Network @ Pacific Time

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