Xavier's Haywood makes seven 3s, but Wiley wins by 11

MARSHALL, Texas — Christopher Tolbert scored nine of his 14 points in the final 10½ minutes Saturday to help Wiley pull away for a 78-67 men's basketball victory against NAIA No. 21 Xavier University of Louisiana.

The Wildcats (3-2) avenged a 64-60 loss at Xavier from one week ago and spoiled an outstanding performance by Gold Rush guard Nick Haywood, who made seven 3-pointers and scored 26 points

Xavier (4-1) never led after the second minute and trailed by 13 in the first half. The Gold Rush tied the score for the third and final time on Haywood's 3-pointer with 11:19 remaining — that made it 53-all — but Tolbert answered with three consecutive 3-pointers to give Wiley a 73-61 lead at 3:54. The Wildcats shut out Xavier in the final three minutes and defeated the Gold Rush for the fifth straight time at Alumni Gymnasium in six seasons.

Haywood, a junior in his first XU season after transferring from NCAA Division I Houston, was the only Gold Rush player to reach double figures. He scored eight points in the previous three games but had 14 by halftime. Haywood is the first to reach 25 points for Xavier since February 2010 and the first to make seven 3-pointers since Mark Stewart made a school-record-tying eight at Mobile in March 2008.

Cordell Hadnot had nine points and eight rebounds for Xavier, and Kevin Miller grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds. Xavier made a season-best 10 3-pointers in 22 attempts — Miller, Chris Iles and Wanto Joseph made the other treys — but Xavier made 23.5 percent of its 2-pointers and finished at a season-low 32.1 percent overall.

Graylin Smith had 13 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots for Wiley. Richard Simon scored 12 points, and Freddie Haynes had 10.

Smith's basket at 6:43 of the first half gave Wiley a 34-21 lead, but Xavier made 10-of-12 free throws to cut the Wildcats' advantage to 43-36 by halftime.

Wiley shot 51.8 percent from the floor against a Xavier team which ranked fourth in NAIA Division I in field-goal percentage defense. The Gold Rush limited the Wildcats to 37.5 percent one week ago.

It was the first time in 33 games that Xavier lost despite making more free throws than its opponent. The Gold Rush were 21-of-31, and Wiley was 14-of-27.

Xavier's next game will start at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at The Barn against city rival Loyola in a PSBlive.com webcast.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, SID

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

What I learned on the field with the FAMU marching band

Editor’s note: Dereyck Moore is currently employed by NBA digital and previously worked for CNN Digital. Moore is a graduate of Florida A&M University. He was a member of the FAMU Marching 100 band from 1990 to 1994

By Dereyck Moore, Special to CNN

(CNN) - The tragic death of Robert Champion, drum major for the famed Florida A&M University marching band, weighs on me. I never knew Robert personally. I never shook his hand or carried on a conversation with this young man. But his death has touched me as if I had lost a member of my immediate family - because I have.

I was a member of the FAMU band 20 years ago, and the news of his death traveled among my band mates, through those who marched before me and long after I was gone. It’s sad and shocking to hear his death might be related to hazing by members of the band.

I have always looked upon my beloved FAMU Marching 100 band and many other historically black college and university - HBCU - marching bands with pride. That pride has been shaken to its core by the investigation into the death of a member of our family, my family - a young man just like me.


(Videographer: TheOProductions1907)

READ MORE

XU Gold Nuggets lead from start to finish against Holy Names

NEW ORLEANS -- Jasmine Grant scored 15 points Friday to lead four starters in double figures in Xavier University of Louisiana's 73-49 women's basketball victory against Holy Names in the Xavier Classic.

Grant, a senior guard who suffered a season-ending knee injury during the final day of this event a year ago, also had five rebounds, three assists and four steals.

SiMon Franklin and Brandi Young scored 12 points apiece for the Gold Nuggets (5-3), ranked 16th in NAIA Division I, and Jazmoné Kelly had 11 points, a season best, eight rebounds and five steals. Young had a season-high seven assists.

Xavier never lost the lead after scoring the first six points. The Gold Nuggets led 34-25 at halftime, and the final margin was their largest of the game.

Sarah Kilewer scored 16 points and Souljah Evans 15 for Holy Names (4-8). Both scored 11 first-half points.

Kelly and Franklin scored four points apiece in a 12-0 run which gave Xavier a 49-33 lead with 13:13 remaining. Holy Names never got closer than 11 points thereafter.

The Gold Nuggets, who entered the game shooting 37.1 percent from the floor, shot a season-best 49.2 percent -- 57.1 in the second half -- and limited the Hawks to 31.7 percent. Xavier gained 37 turnovers.

Both Xavier and Holy Cross finished 1-1 in the eight-team, two-day event. Rust defeated Mobile 62-61, Tuskegee defeated Texas College 66-52, and Langston beat Dillard 55-42 in Friday's other games. Tuskegee and Langston were the only teams to win both their games. Rust and Dillard were 1-1, and Mobile and Texas College were 0-2.

Xavier's next game will start at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday against William Carey at The Barn in a PSBlive.com webcast.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, SID

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

Much is at stake for Grambling and Southern in Bayou Classic

New Orleans, Louisiana -- When Grambling plays Southern today in the 38th annual State Farm Bayou Classic, there will be more at stake than bragging rights. With a victory today at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Grambling can clinch a berth to the Dec. 10 SWAC championship game in Birmingham, Ala..

If Southern (4-6, 4-4) wins, it would force a four-way tie for first place in the Western Division with Grambling, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Prairie View.

Under that scenario, Arkansas-Pine Bluff would gain the berth in the conference championship because it went 2-1 against Grambling, Southern and Prairie View.

READ MORE

GAME TIME: 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC

GSU goes for SWAC title shot

The 38th Bayou Classic is, in a sense, both a championship game and a championship game qualifier.

A Grambling win puts the Tigers in the Dec. 10 Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game, something that seemed like a pipe dream after a 1-4 start.

"We were shaky coming out of the gate, but we kept the faith and overcame adversity," said GSU center Julian Wyndon, a Captain Shreve product. "We subconsciously knew we'd be here. We kept winning and kept working hard."

Subsconsciously or otherwise, GSU (6-4, 5-3) needs only a win today over Southern in the 1:30 p.m. kickoff to play in the title game.

READ MORE

ASU athletic director talks about program's future

Montgomery, Alabama -- The steel beams are visible to motorists who commute on Inter­state 85 every morning, a reminder that things are changing at Alaba­ma State University.

The $50 million football stadi­um that is entering its second phase of construction between Hall Street and Forest Avenue on the east side of the campus is the most noteworthy change to the Hornets' athletic program, but there are plenty of other changes, both in personnel and facilities.

Early last week, ASU athletic director Stacy Danley sat down with the Montgomery Advertiser to discuss his vision for the Hornets' athletic program ...


READ MORE

Turkey Day Classic -- Alabama State 30, Tuskegee 21: Hornets withstand Golden Tigers' rally

Montgomery, Alabama -- The Turkey Day Classic wouldn't be a classic without some drama.

Alabama State put together its best first half of the season, then withstood a furious second-half rally before scoring late to hold off Tuskegee 30-21 in front of 18,587 fans at Cramton Bowl on Thursday.

For the Golden Tigers (4-6), it was a missed opportunity to avoid their first losing season since 2003. For Alabama State (8-3), it was a chance to snap a two-game losing streak in the series and end the season on a positive note after two late-season losses ruined its hopes of playing in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game.

"This was our Super Bowl," ASU senior tailback Tim Clark said. "We don't get to go to the SWAC Championship (Game), so we wanted to come out with a good effort and finish strong."

READ MORE


Turkey Day Classic highlights: Alabama State vs. Tuskegee (Video courtesy ASU)

Langston rolls past XU in matchup of ranked NAIA teams

NEW ORLEANS — Ayanna Jackson scored 12 of her 16 points in the second half Thursday to lead NAIA No. 19 Langston to a 59-44 women's basketball victory against No. 16 Xavier University of Louisiana in the Xavier Classic.

The Lady Lions (6-0) snapped the 14-game home win streak of the Gold Nuggets (4-3).

Kimberly Jones and Shontice Simmons scored 12 points apiece for Langston, and Tayla Vaughn scored 10. Jones grabbed 11 rebounds.

SiMon Franklin scored eight points for Xavier, which never led. Langston took the lead for good in the second minute and limited Xavier's two leading scorers this season, Jasmine Grant and Keldra Hall,.to a combined two points.

Baskets by Danielle Kennebrew, Brandi Young, Paige Rochelle and Dalila Robinson in a 9-2 run helped Xavier cut Langston's lead to 28-25 by halftime. But Langston started the second half with a 12-4 run, including 3-pointers by Jackson and Simmons, to take a 40-29 lead with 14:21 remaining. The Gold Nuggets never got closer than seven points thereafter.

Kennebew's second of two consecutive baskets trimmed Langston's lead to 52-44 with 3:13 remaining, but that was Xavier's final score. The Lady Lions made 7-of-8 free throws in a closing burst.

Xavier shot a season-low 30 percent from the floor. Langston shot 35.2 percent and had advantages of 46-38 in rebounds, 15-6 in made free throws and 6-2 in made 3-pointers. Jackson made three 3-pointers, and Langston limited Grant, Xavier's leading perimeter shooter, to 0-for-1 from behind the arc in a scorless 23 minutes.

Langston, a 62-47 loser to Xavier on the opening night of the Xavier Classic a year ago, gave the Gold Nuggets their biggest loss at The Barn since a 70-55 decision against SUNO on Feb. 12, 2007. It's the second time in 11 seasons that Xavier suffered a double-digit home defeat. Langston also snapped Xavier's seven-game Thanksgiving Day win streak and has won 31 of 34 since losing to the Nuggets in 2010.

Xavier has a two-game losing streak for the first time since the first week of January 2010.

In the other Xavier Classic games, Dillard defeated Rust 77-76 in overtime, Holy Names defeated Texas College 63-59, and Tuskegee beat Mobile 61-58.

Friday's games will match Rust vs. Mobile at noon, Tuskegee vs. Texas College at 2 p.m., Langston vs. Dillard at 4 p.m. and Xavier vs. Holy Names at 6 p.m in a PSBlive.com webcast. Helen Cox will play Terrebonne in a high school girls game at 10:30 a.m.

Box Score

Ed Cassiere, SID

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA