WSSU is still standing in CIAA Tournament

What Collins has done with nearly a whole new team can't be overlooked

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- It was by no means a thing of beauty but Winston-Salem State’s gritty 56-55 win over Virginia Union is a significant moment for the program and particularly coach Bobby Collins.

Collins, who has one more season left on his contract, has stressed all season about the importance of performing well “in those three days in March.” He’s referring, of course, to the CIAA Tournament, the crown jewel of the conference.

With around 10,000 fans at Thursday night’s game the Rams turned to their defense in the closing seconds to turn back the Panthers. It shouldn’t be overlooked what Collins and the Rams have accomplished, even if the road ends tonight against defending champion Shaw, who is riding a 21-game win streak. Shaw, who I think could give the woeful Charlotte Bobcats a good game, will be tough to beat in tonight’s 9:30 semifinal game.

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VUU's season ends in CIAA Quarters

CHARLOTTE, NC - Virginia Union made a furious rally, but it came one point short in the CIAA quarterfinals. Winston-Salem hung on to hold off Virginia Union, 56-55, on Thursday in the Time Warner Cable Arena, ending the Panthers season.

Winston-Salem State advances to Friday's semifinal game where it will meet the winner of Shaw/Fayetteville at 9 p.m. The Rams were swept by Shaw (76-60 on Feb. 11 and 80-59 on Feb. 20) and split the season series with Fayetteville State with a 58-54 victory on Jan. 21 and dropped a 64-54 decision nearly a week ago.

Justin Glover led the Rams (19-8) with 14 points, four rebounds and one assist. Chris Witherspoon added 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting as Winston-Salem State, which defeated Virginia Union, 67-66, on Jan. 7, shot 47 percent (22-of-47) from the floor.

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Gold Rush hold off Fisk 68-61, reach GCAC semifinals

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- Anthony Simmons scored a season-high 19 points Thursday to help NAIA No. 18 Xavier University of Louisiana defeat Fisk 68-61 in the quarterfinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

Simmons and Denzell Erves, both All-GCAC players, scored 11 points apiece in the second half to move the second-seeded Gold Rush (23-7) into an 8 p.m. Friday semifinal against third-seeded SUNO or sixth-seeded Edward Waters. SUNO and EWC were scheduled to meet at 8 p.m. Thursday.

"We've depended a lot on our inside game, mainly Anthony and Denzell, down the stretch this season," XU coach Dannton Jackson said. "They came through for us again. When they continue to be active around the basket, make shots and play defense, they'll cause problems for other teams."

Erves scored all 11 of his points and grabbed all eight of his rebounds in the second half. Jamaan Kenner, Cordell Hadnot and Wanto Joseph scored eight points apiece for Xavier, which has won five straight, 9-of-10 and 16-of-19.

Cameron Lewis scored 21 points -- 15 in the first half -- Jewaun Wynn 16 and Bradley Grayson 12 for seventh-seeded Fisk (6-23), which lost by 24 points at home to the Rush 10 days ago. But the Bulldogs had some bite Thursday, making five 3-pointers in each half and blocking seven XU shots.

"My hat's off to Fisk," Jackson said. "They played hard, they played us tough. They did a good job."

Xavier led for the final 26:50 but needed an 16-1 run to erase Fisk's largest lead, 19-12. Hadnot's basket put the Rush ahead to stay at 20-19, and Xavier led 30-25 at halftime.

Kenner's two free throws with 9:41 remaining gave Xavier its largest lead, 51-39. Fisk closed to 53-49 on Wynn's 3-pointer at 5:11 but didn't get closer.

Xavier outshot the Bulldogs 44.6 to 32.1 percent from the the floor and outrebounded them 45-34. It was the fourth game in a row and the 14th time this season that the Rush had a double-digit rebound advantage. It was the fifth straight game an XU opponent shot 33.3 percent or worse from the floor.

"That's been the way we've won lately," Jackson said. "Do a good job on the boards, keep teams to the low 30s from the field and the low 60s on the scoreboard.

"It wasn't a pretty game for us, but we survived and advanced, which everybody's trying to do this time of the year."

NOTES: Xavier is 50-13 since the start of the 2010-11 season. It's the first time since 1980-82 that the Gold Rush won that many times over two consecutive seasons.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Gold Nuggets use fast start to foil Fisk in GCAC quarters

SiMon Franklin
All-GCAC

JACKSONVILLE, Florida — SiMon Franklin scored 12 points Thursday, and NAIA No. 20 Xavier University of Louisiana used two first-half runs to roll to a 73-49 women's basketball victory against Fisk in the quarterfinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Gold Nuggets (23-8), the tournament's No. 1 seed and two-time defending champion, won their fifth in a row and for the 16th time in 19 games. They'll play fifth-seeded Tougaloo in the semifinals at 2 p.m. EST Friday.

Xavier outscored the Lady Bulldogs 13-2 in the first four minutes — Franklin opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, and Jasmine Grant made two more — then the Nuggets used a 21-0 burst which covered nearly nine minutes to take a 36-6 lead at 5:05.

"That was a great start for us," said 13th-year XU coach Browder, who won in the quarterfinals for the 10th straight time. "Hopefully we can start fast every game the rest of the season."

The Nuggets' 39-15 halftime lead was their largest at the break since a 39-11 advantage at home against Concordia (Ala.) on Jan. 6, 2011.

Franklin, an All-GCAC guard, led the Nuggets in scoring for the eighth time this season and reached double figures for the 17th time to tie Keldra Hall for the team lead. She was 5-of-7 from the floor with three rebounds, two assists, two steals and zero turnovers in 18 minutes. She was Xavier's only double-figure scorer, but 14 Nuggets scored.

Grant scored nine points — she made 3-of-9 3-pointers, giving her 69 made for the season and 189 in four years — and Carmen Holcombe and Brandi Young scored eight apiece. Xavier made five 3-pointers in the first 13 minutes and finished with seven, one less than its season best.

Reserve point guard Paige Gauthier led Xavier with six assists and five rebounds.

Lynette Waters scored 15 points, 10 in the second half, and Tiffany Wynn 10 for eighth-seeded Fisk (4-25), which finished the season with a 10-game losing streak.

Fisk outshot Xavier 41.3 to 39.1 percent from the floor, but the Nuggets were plus-11 in turnovers — Fisk committed 25, Xavier 14 — and had a 39-34 rebound advantage. Fisk dressed just seven players, and Xavier had a 36-4 advantage in bench scoring. The Nuggets committed a season-low 11 fouls and produced 17 steals.

Tougaloo, a 69-53 winner against fourth-seeded Dillard, and Xavier split their two regular-season meetings.

NOTES: Xavier is 13-1 all-time in GCAC quarterfinal games. The Nuggets had a bye in the 2011 quarterfinals, when the conference had six members . . . Grant, an All-GCAC guard, and Young led the Nuggets with three steals apiece. Grant became the 20th XU female to reach 200 steals in a career, and Young improved her career total to 197. Jazmoné Kelly had two steals and is ninth all-time with 236.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Scores That Matters!!

March 1, 2012

MEN'S BASKETBALL

SWAC
Arkansas Pine Bluff 78, Mississippi Valley State 67
Southern 64, Prairie View A&M 63
Alabama State 63, Grambling State 61
Texas Southern 54, Alcorn State 51
Alabama A&M 73, Jackson State 53

* Regular Season Conference Champions: MVSU, 17-1 SWAC, 18-12 Overall

MEAC
Savannah State 73, Maryland Eastern Shore 54
Norfolk State 72, North Carolina A&T 65
Delaware State 82, South Carolina State 71
Bethune-Cookman 88, Coppin State 80
North Carolina Central 60, Hampton 45
Morgan State 74, Florida A&M 68

*Regular Season Conference Champions: SSU, 14-2 MEAC, 21-10 Overall

GCAC Tournament
Xavier 68, Fisk 61
Philander Smith 77, Talladega 73
Tougaloo 67, Dillard 45

* GCAC Regular Season Co-Champions: Xavier University, 11-3 GCAC, 23-7 Overall and Tougaloo College, 11-3 GCAC, 21-7 Overall

CIAA Tournament Quarter-Finals
Elizabeth City State 64, Johnson C. Smith 56
Bowie State 72, Livingstone 68
Winston-Salem State 56, Virginia Union 55
Shaw University 90, Fayetteville State 77

SIAC Tournament Quarter-Finals
Benedict 86, Stillman 85 (2OT)
LeMoyne-Owen 55, Albany State 51

NAIA
AMC Tournament - Quarter-Finals
Hannibal-LaGrange MO 59, Harris-Stowe State MO 56

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

SWAC
Mississippi Valley State 65,  Arkansas Pine Bluff 47
Alabama A&M 65, Jackson State 43
Alabama State 55, Grambling State 48
Alcorn State 52, Texas Southern 31
Prairie View A&M 73, Southern 53

*SWAC Regualr Season Champion: MVSU, 14-4 SWAC, 17-12 Overall

MEAC
Hampton 86, North Carolina Central 35
Florida A&M 88, Morgan State 57
Coppin State 58, Bethune-Cookman 55
Norfolk State 54, North Carolina A&T 51
Maryland Eastern Shore 47, Savannah State 42
Delaware State 55, South Carolina State 53

* MEAC Regular Season Champion: Hampton, 15-1 MEAC, 23-4 Overall

GCAC Tournament
Xavier 73, Fisk 49
Tougaloo 69, Dillard 53
Talladega 64, Philander Smith 53

* Regular Season GCAC Champions: Xavier University,  12-2 GCAC, 24-8 Overall

SIAC Tourament Quarter-Finals
Tuskegee 59, Miles 58
Stillman 91, Albany State 73
Paine 76, Clark Atlanta 74

Savannah State University goes for MEAC clincher tonight

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland - Horace Broadnax knows what it’s like to climb ladders and cut down basketball nets. But this time, it’s different. Instead of playing, he’s coaching.

“It’s very rewarding to take 12-13 guys and point them in the direction they can be successful in,” said the seventh-year coach, who has Savannah State a win away from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season championship in its first season in the league.



That victory could come tonight at 7:30 in Princess Anne, Md., when the Tigers (20-10, 13-2 MEAC) meet Maryland Eastern Shore (7-21, 4-11 MEAC) in the regular-season finale for both teams.

SSU set up the potential clincher by defeating North Carolina A&T, 62-50, on Monday night at Tiger Arena. The Tigers have won 12 games in a row, a school-best streak that goes back at least 31 years. Win No. 13 would put them in a national postseason basketball .

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Lofland's shot a buzzer sends FVSU Wildcats to SIAC Semi-finals

ATLANTA, Georgia  -  In second round action of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Basketball Tournament, the Wildcats of Fort Valley State University utilized a three point shot at the buzzer by guard Desmond Lofland to defeat the number one seed Golden Tigers of Tuskegee University 80-77 and to advance to the semi-final round of the tournament.

Details to follow.........

COURTESY: FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

XU's Jackson earns 1st GCAC honor; Simmons a repeat choice

COACH DANNTON JACKSON
2011-12 GCAC COACH OF THE YEAR

NEW ORLEANS — The excellent resumé of Xavier University of Louisiana's Dannton Jackson got a boost late Tuesday when he was announced as 2011-12 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year — chosen by his men's basketball peers.

It's the first conference coaching honor for Jackson, who is 201-88 in nine seasons with the Gold Rush. He's the third Xavier men's coach to win the award and the first since Dale Valdery in 2000-01.

Xavier, ranked 18th in NAIA Division I and the regular-season co-champion with Tougaloo, had three of the 10 All-GCAC players. Junior Anthony Simmons made the team for the second straight year, and senior Chris Iles and junior Denzell Erves also were chosen.

Jackson's award is the latest in a stellar career which includes seven 20-victory seasons, five appearances at the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship, two GCAC regular-season titles, two GCAC Tournament runner-up finishes and the conference's only victory since 2004 against a top-five seed at nationals.

"I am grateful and humbled to receive this award," Jackson said, "but also thankful for and appreciative of my assistant coach, Alfred Williams, and the young men on our team who have worked hard every day this season to continue the excellence that Gold Rush basketball is known for. We still have a lot we can accomplish this season, and our guys are mindful of that mission."

By winning the award, Jackson denied Tougaloo's Lafayette Stribling a chance to become the second men's basketball coach to win the GCAC award four times. Stribling, whose team is ranked 24th in the NAIA and seeded first in the GCAC Tournament — which begins Thursday at Jacksonville, Fla. — won the award three of the previous five seasons, including 2010-11.

William Carey's Steve Knight won the award five times.

Jackson's award also means that all five current XU head coaches — including Bo Browder (women's basketball), Joseph Moses (men's and women's cross country), Alan Green (men's and women's tennis) and Christabell Hamilton (women's volleyball) — have been GCAC Coach of the Year at least once.

"We have an outstanding coaching staff," XU athletics director Dennis Cousin said. "That includes our assistants. All our coaches are capable of excelling at a higher level, but we're blessed to have them at Xavier."

Simmons, a 6-foot-8 forward from Rochester, N.Y., and a graduate of Allendale Columbia School, averaged 9.5 points and six rebounds and shot a team-best 63.2 percent from the floor in 29 regular-season games. He was GCAC Player of the Week twice this season.

Iles, a 5-11 guard from Houston and a graduate of Alief Hastings High School, averaged 9.8 points, four assists and made 50 3-pointers, all team bests, in 29 games. He made 44.6 percent of his 3-pointers to rank second in the GCAC and eighth in NAIA Division I.

Erves, a 6-7 forward from Vicksburg, Miss. and a graduate of Vicksburg High School, averaged 9.4 points in 29 games and leads the team with 6.6 rebounds per game and 29 blocked shots. Erves is a three-time GCAC Player of the Week this season, and his six double-doubles are the most by a Gold Rush player since the start of 2003-04.

Xavier (22-7) will play Fisk (4-24) at 4 p.m. EST Thursday in the GCAC quarterfinals.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

CAU Lady Panthers Fall to Benedict in Quarterfinals

Atlanta, Georgia -- With only four second-half field goals, the fifth-seeded Clark Atlanta University Lady Panthers were eliminated from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) women's basketball tournament with a 65-39 loss to No. 4 Benedict College in the quarterfinals Wednesday at Morehouse College's Forbes Arena.

"We could not get on track offensively in the second half," said CAU Head Coach Vanessa Moore.

Benedict pulled away from a close first half with a 10-0 run to close out the first half to take a 32-22 lead into the locker room.

After CAU senior guard Shantress Thrash opened the second half with a layup to cut the lead to eight points, the Lady Tigers scored the next seven points and never saw their lead drop below double digits the rest of the way.

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CIAA Tournament: Livingstone 60, Virginia State 58: Thomas wins it for Blue Bears

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — After losing an 11-point lead in the final three minutes Wednesday, the Livingstone men’s basketball won a thriller 60-58 over Virginia State to advance to the quarterfinals of the CIAA Tournament hosted at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Down 58-57 in the final seconds, Mark Thomas’ steal and eventual 3-point play was the difference. Junior Nasir Austin led the Blue Bears with 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Trone Jackson finished with 10 points and also had seven boards.

With the victory, the Blue Bears will now face the Bowie State Bulldogs at 3 p.m. today. The Bulldogs are the top seed out of the Northern Division and are yet to play in the tournament.

The Blue Bears held a 55-44 lead with 3:15 to play after Jackson converted two free throws. Virginia State started its comeback with an old-fashioned 3-point- play and Livingstone aided the Trojan run by converting only 2-of-6 free-throw attempts in the final two minutes.

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Fayetteville State men beat Saint Augustine's 65-53 in second round of CIAA tournament

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -  The Fayetteville State Broncos had to span two days to do it, but they managed to fight their way into the third round of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament.

The Broncos used a burst in the final five minutes to pull away from Saint Augustine's for a 65-53 second-round victory that began Wednesday evening but wasn't complete until Thursday morning.

Fayetteville State (10-16) outscored the Falcons (14-14) 14-1 over the final 4:42 to advance to today's third round where they'll meet top-seeded Shaw at 9 p.m. in Time Warner Cable Arena.

Playing in the last of six games on day two of the CIAA Tournament, the Broncos didn't take the floor for their scheduled 9 p.m. tap off Wednesday until almost 10:45. The final buzzer didn't sound until 12:38 a.m. Thursday.

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VSU falls to Bowie State in double OT in CIAA

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The double overtime women's game between Virginia State University and Bowie State University Wednesday exemplifies what the CIAA Tournament is all about. Clutch shots, big plays, thrilling action.

In the end, Bowie State prevailed 72-67 at Time Warner Cable Arena to reach the semifinals on Friday. The Lady Bulldogs (9-15 overall) will meet the Shaw University-Saint Augustine's College winner at 1 p.m.

For most of the game, the contest was intense. Neither team gave an inch as lead switched back and forth. The seven-point final margin was the largest lead of the game. The lead changed 17 times and the score was tied 14 times.

The Lady Bulldogs, seeded second in the Northern Division, finally finished off the Lady Trojans (17-13) with a 10-5 run in the final 2:14 of the second overtime.

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Bowie women need two OTs to down Virginia State  in CIAA tourney

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -  After a pair of overtime periods, the Bowie State University women’s basketball team defeated Virginia State 72-67 in the quarterfinals of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament Wednesday at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte.

Bowie will play defending conference champion Shaw on Friday, March 2, in a semifinal game at 1 p.m. Shaw defeated St. Augustine 80-73 Wednesday in another quarterfinal matchup. Chowan will play Johnson C. Smith at 3 p.m. Friday in the other semifinal.

Neither Bowie (9-15) or Virginia State (17-13) could pull away in what was a tight battle from start to finish.

The Trojans held the biggest lead during regulation when they took a five-point, 8-3 advantage early in the first half. But Bowie quickly wiped that advantage out with a jumper by Kim Jones (10 points) and a three-pointer from Baynard Cortney (four points) to tie the score 8-8.

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TSU's Covington and Thornton Pick Up OVC Honors

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Tennessee State University's Robert Covington and Kellen Thornton garnered Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball All-Conference accolades as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.

Covington, a junior forward from Bellwood, Ill., was a first team All-OVC selection, while Chicago native Kellen Thornton earned All-Newcomer status.

Covington showed his all-around game by ranking in the Top-10 in seven different OVC stat categories. The junior ranked second in the OVC in rebounding (8.1/game), third in scoring (18.1/game), third in 3-point percentage (45.0%), fourth in blocks (1.3/game), fifth in steals (1.6/game), sixth in field goal percentage (52.6%) and eighth in 3-pointers made (2.0/game). Covington also led the OVC with nine double-doubles in 30 total games and helped Tennessee State to its first winning season since 1995-96.

He was named OVC Player of the Week twice during the season, including on Feb. 13 after helping the Tigers to a victory at No. 7 Murray State in which he scored 17 points and had eight rebounds including hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer late in the contest. That game was the only blemish an opponent put on Murray State record during the regular season.

A year ago, Covington earned second team All-OVC honors. He also earned All-Newcomer status as a freshman. Prior to the regular season, Covington was a preseason All-OVC selection.

In his first year on the court for the Tigers, Thornton came off the bench to average 9.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. The Illinois State transfer garnered Newcomer of the Week honors on three occasions this season. He averaged a double-double, notching a season-high 17 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to Murray State last Thursday.

With one more victory the Tigers will reach the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 1978-79 season. TSU is the No. 2 seed in the OVC Tournament - the first since the 1995-96 season.

Tennessee State will play in the OVC Tournament semifinal on Friday, March 2. The Tigers will face either No. 3 Morehead State, No. 6 Austin Peay or No. 7 Jacksonville State. Friday's tip time is at 8 p.m. ESPN carries the semifinal round as Bob Wischusen and Fran Fraschilla call the action.

Robert Covington and Kellen Thornton
Courtesy: Sam Jordan / TSU Athletics

ALL-OVC FIRST TEAM

Isaiah Canaan, Murray State
Robert Covington, Tennessee State
Kevin Murphy, Tennessee Tech
Donte Poole, Murray State
Jud Dillard, Tennessee Tech

ALL-OVC SECOND TEAM

Jaron Jones, Eastern Kentucky

Tyler Stone, Southeast Missouri

John Fraley, Austin Peay

Jeremy Granger, Eastern Illinois

Ivan Aska, Murray State

Mark Yelovich, SIUE

ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM
Tyler Stone, Southeast Missouri
Myles Taylor, UT Martin
Mike DiNunno, Eastern Kentucky
Kellen Thornton, Tennessee State
Jerome Jones, SIUE

OVC Player of the Year: Isaiah Canaan, Murray State
OVC Defensive Player of the Year: Jewuan Long, Murray State
OVC Freshman of the Year: Myles Taylor, UT Martin
OVC Coach of the Year: Steve Prohm, Murray State

OVC Men's Basketball Release

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
VISIT: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
VISIT: TSUTIGERS.COM

Lady Tigers fall to EKU in first round of OVC tournament

Nashville, Tennessee --- The Tennessee State University women's basketball team fell to Eastern Kentucky, 70-55, in the first round of the 2012 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Wednesday afternoon in the Municipal Auditorium.

Tennessee State finishes the season with an overall record of 9-20.

Jasmin Shuler was the only Lady Tiger to score in double-digits. She finished the game with 13 points while Simone Hopes and Rachel Allen each scored nine points. Kim Haynes registered a team-best nine rebounds.

Raechele Gray and Jade Barber led EKU with 16 points while Alex Jones added 15. Marie Carpenter notched 11.

At the first media timeout, TSU was trailing EKU, 7-4. Out of the break buckets by Chelsea Hudson and Kim Haynes gave the Lady Tigers an, 8-7 lead. 

At the 10:23 mark, TSU went on top 12-7 following a lay-up by Rachel Allen but six straight points from Jade Barber gave the lead right back to EKU, 13-12. The Lady Colonels moved ahead, 16-12, after nailing a triple from the corner and later stretched their advantage to double-digits.

TSU pulled within four before going into the halftime break trailing, 26-20.

In the second stanza, TSU was outscored 8-2 in the opening four and a half minutes and fell behind, 34-22.

The Lady Tigers saw the deficit increase to 13 before forcing a turnover and scoring a lay-up to cut the deficit down to single digits. EKU, however, scored on the next possession to go back up, 39-29.

TSU continued to fight and began to chip away at EKU's lead behind its defensive pressure.

A couple of free-throws by Jasmin Shuler chopped the EKU lead down to four before another freebie by Shuler pulled TSU within three with about five minutes left to play.

The Lady Colonels, however, answered with an 8-1 run that put them back on top by double-digits, 57-47, one minute later. TSU called a timeout in an effort to slow EKU down.

On TSU's next possession, Jasmin Shuler nailed a triple from the top of the key to make the score, 57-50.

Five consecutive free-throws by EKU gave the Lady Colonels, a 62-50, lead with 1:54 left on the clock.

The Lady Tigers were unable to forge a comeback.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Scores That Matters!!

February 29, 2012

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

SIAC Tournament (2/28)
Miles College 60, Paine 53
Clark Atlanta 62, Lane 47
Albany State 57, Claflin 51
(2/29)
Benedict 60, Clark Atlanta 38
Fort Valley State 99, LeMoyne-Owen 64

OVC Tournament
Eastern Kentucky 70, Tennessee State 55

CIAA TOURNAMENT (2/28)
Virginia State 72, Livingstone 54
Saint Augustine's 49, Elizabeth City State 46
Chowan 51, Fayetteville State 50
Winston Salem State 79, Lincoln (Pa.)
(2/29)
Bowie State 72, Virginia State 67 (2OT)
Chowan 52, Virginia Union 38
Shaw 80, Saint Augustine's 73
Johnson C. Smith 75, Winston Salem State 70

MEN'S BASKETBALL

SIAC Tournament (2/28)
Claflin 73, Lane 57
Fort Valley State 86, Miles 80
(2/29)
Stillman 93, Claflin 69
Albany State 63, Kentucky State 60
Paine 63, Morehouse 60
Fort Valley State 80, Tuskegee 77

CIAA Tournament (2/28)
Livingstone 67, Chowan 52
Saint Augustine's 50, Lincoln (Pa.) 49
(2/29)
Livingstone 60, Virginia State 58
Fayetteville State 65, Saint Augustine's 53

2012 CIAA Tournament History

TSU Lady Tigers begin OVC quest with Eastern Kentucky

BRACKET | GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | TWITTER | LIVE VIDEO 2

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The Tennessee State University women's basketball team will face Eastern Kentucky in the opening round of the 2012 Ohio Valley Conference tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 29 at 2 p.m. in Municipal Auditorium.

The Lady Tigers enter the tournament as the seventh seed and will face the sixth seeded Colonels in the second game of Wednesday's daytime doubleheader.

The first rounds and quarterfinals will be available on OVCSports.TV for free. The semifinals and final will be broadcast on ESPN 3, ESPN Full Court and select stations in OVC markets. Among the select stations are WEIU, WLJT-DT and WCTE.

TSU dropped both contests against EKU this season, falling to the Colonels, 79-59, on the road before suffering a disappointing, 73-66, loss in the Gentry Center.

In the first meeting between the two teams, Tayla Foster led TSU with 21 points while Destiney Gaston finished with 13. Alana Morris grabbed a team-best eight rebounds.

TSU shot 30.6 percent (22-of-72) from the field, including 20.8 percent (5-of-24) from three-point range while knocking down 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from the free-throw line. EKU shot 50.8 percent (30-of- 59) from the field, 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from long range and 68.8 percent (11-of-16) from the charity stripe.

In the second match-up of the season, Tennessee State was led in scoring by Kim Haynes' 19 points while Simone Hopes added 16. Rachel Allen (12) and Chelsea Hudson (10) also recorded double figures as TSU's leading scorer Jasmin Shuler was held to only three points.

Although Tennessee State only committed 10 turnovers, the Lady Tigers seemed out of sync the entire game. TSU shot 32.1 percent (25-of-78) from the field and 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from three-point range.

Eastern Kentucky knocked down 43.1 percent (25-of-58) of its shots, including 30.8 percent (4-of-13) from long range.

This season, TSU averaged 62.5 points per game vs. Eastern Kentucky while shooting 31.3 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from long range. Tayla Foster led the Lady Tigers in scoring with an average of 10.5 ppg while TSU's leading scorer Jasmin Shuler was held to a combined 12 points through both games of the season series.

EKU averaged 76.0 ppg behind a .470 field goal percentage, including .429 from three-point range. The Colonels also shot 83.3 percent from the charity stripe.

FIRST ROUND - Wednesday, Feb. 29

Game 1 - #5 Morehead State vs. #8 Austin Peay - 12 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
Game 2 - #6 Eastern Kentucky vs. #7 Tennessee State - 2 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)  Watch Replay of TSU Game at OVCSports.TV

QUARTERFINALS - Thursday, March 1
Game 3 - #4 Murray State vs. Game 1 winner - 12 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
Game 4 - #3 Tennessee Tech vs. Game 2 winner - 2 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

SEMIFINALS - Friday, March 2
Game 5 - #1 UT Martin vs. Game 3 winner - 12 p.m. (ESPN3)
Game 6 - #2 Eastern Illinois vs. Game 2 winner - 2 p.m. (ESPN3)

CHAMPIONSHIP - Saturday, March 3
Game 7 - Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner - 4:30 p.m. (ESPN3) All Times Central

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

2011-12 All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Basketball Teams

2011-12 All Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Team
Name School Position Height Class Hometown PPG

Christine Conners SUNO Forward 5-10 Senior Prairieville, La. 9.2
Portia Craft Tougaloo Guard 5-4 Sophomore McComb, Miss. 12.4
Lauren Daniel Dillard Guard 5-7 Senior New Orleans, La. 10.0
Nacori Foreman Fisk Center 5-10 Sophomore Atlanta, Ga. 8.1
SiMon Franklin Xavier Guard 5-7 Junior Baton Rouge, La. 9.8
Jasmine Grant Xavier Guard 5-8 Senior Shreveport, La. 9.4
Keldra Hall Xavier Center 6-0 Senior Dallas, Texas 10.0
Megan Iloff Talladega Guard 5-7 Junior Los Angeles, Calif. 15.4
Caryan Jones Philander Smith Guard 5-4 Freshman Star City, Ark. 15.0
Victoria Jones Tougaloo Forward 5-10 Senior Saginaw, Mich. 15.2
Ariel Mitchell Dillard Guard 5-7 Senior St. James, La. 14.8
Ebony Presha Edward Waters Guard/Forward 5-9 Senior Jacksonville, Fla. 14.7
Ebony Richardson Talladega Guard 5-4 Senior Oakland, Calif. 15.2
Jazzmin Smith Dillard Forward 5-11 Junior Lake Charles, La. 14.8
Kelly Stewart SUNO Guard 5-3 Senior Baton Rouge, La. 14.9
Bianca Thomas Talladega Center 6-3 Junior Forest, Miss. 12.0


Player of the Year: Victoria Jones, Tougaloo College
Newcomer of the Year: Megan Iloff, Talladega College
Freshman of the Year: Caryan Jones, Philander Smith College 
Coach of the Year: Bo Browder, Xavier University of Louisiana

2011-12 All Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Team

Name School Class Position

Ken Brown Philander Smith Senior Guard
Carlton Darling Edward Waters Sophomore Forward
Kadon Day Tougaloo Sophomore Forward/Center
Denzell Erves Xavier Junior Forward
Kerry Harvis Talladega Senior Guard
Chris Iles Xavier Senior Guard
Marquise Mems Tougaloo Senior Guard/Forward
Anthony Simmons Xavier Senior Forward
Devin White SUNO Junior Forward/Center
Horace Whitehead Tougaloo Senior Forward

Player of the Year: Ken Brown, Philander Smith College
Freshman of the Year: Kevin Dukes, Southern University at New Orleans
Newcomer of the Year: Ken Brown, Philander Smith College
Coach of the Year: Dannton Jackson, Xavier University of Louisiana

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

XU's Hall, Franklin, Grant selected to GCAC all-conference team

Keldra Hall

Jasmine Grant

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Keldra Hall, SiMon Franklin and Jasmine Grant were named Tuesday to the 2011-12 All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball team. XU's Bo Browder was a repeat selection as Coach of the Year.

The eight GCAC head coaches chose the 16-player team.



Hall, a 6-foot senior center from Dallas and a graduate of Molina High School and Angelina College, is All-GCAC for the second straight season. She averaged 10 points and shot 51.2 percent from the floor and blocked 18 shots, all team bests, in 30 regular-season games. She averaged 6.3 rebounds.

Franklin, a 5-7 junior guard from Baton Rouge, La., and a graduate of St. Joseph's Academy, averaged 9.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals and shot 45.6 percent from the floor in 30 games.



SiMon Franklin



Coach Bo Browder



 Grant, a 5-8 senior guard from Shreveport, La., and a graduate of Southwood High School, averaged 9.4 points and 2.2 assists in 30 games and made 66 3-pointers. She overcame a knee injury which sidelined her the final 26 games this past season to rank 15th in NAIA Division I in 3-pointers made and among the top 50 in 3-pointers made per game, 3-point accuracy and assist/turnover ratio.

Browder, 320-110 in 13 seasons at Xavier, is GCAC Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season and the fifth time overall. His Gold Nuggets (22-8) won the GCAC regular-season championship by a game over Talladega and have been ranked in the top 25 all season.

Xavier, two-time defending champion of the GCAC Tournament, will play Fisk at 10 a.m. EST Thursday in the quarterfinals at Jacksonville, Fla.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 

WSSU women roll past Lincoln

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- Now they can start thinking about Johnson C. Smith.

Before the Winston-Salem State women played Lincoln (Pa.) in their CIAA tournament opener, coach Steve Joyner feared that his players would look past that game and anticipate a rematch with the Golden Bulls.

He can put his fear to rest. Courtney Medley scored 17 points, and Winston-Salem State defeated Lincoln 79-57 in the first round Tuesday at Time Warner Arena. Next is Johnson C. Smith in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m. today. The Golden Bulls swept the Rams in the regular season.

"We have to take better care of the ball, defend and rebound against them," Joyner said of Johnson C. Smith. "We also have to keep them off the glass."

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St. Aug advances in CIAA Tourney on Kindred buzzer-beater

JON KINDRED
6'-5" 195 FORWARD, JUNIOR
HOMETOWN: RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA
MOUNT ZION CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
MAJOR: SPORTS MANAGEMENT

Charlotte, North Carolina — Junior forward Jon Kindred (Raleigh, N.C.) scored the last five points for Saint Augustine's College including the game-winning shot at the horn for a 50-49 victory over Lincoln (Pa.) University Tuesday (Feb. 28) in the nightcap game on the first day of the the CIAA Tournament. The Falcons (14-13), seeded sixth in the Southern Division, advance to the second round Wednesday where they will face Fayetteville State at 9 p.m.

"We live to fight another day," Kindred said.

Kindred caught a pass and buried a jumper at the top of the key with no time remaining. Once the ball swished through the nets, Kindred ran around the court as his teammates chased him in jubilation. Earlier, Kindred drilled a three-pointer with 39 seconds left to tie the score at 48-48. George Jackson of Lincoln hit one of two free throws to give the Lions a 49-48 lead which set the stage for Kindred's heroics

Tyquan Stroman led the Falcons with 16 points. Denzel Mooney scored 12 points and Jackson added 10 for the Lions (11-18), the No. 5 seed in the Northern Division.

BOXSCORE

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PHOTO COURTESY: SAINT AUGUSTINE'S SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE
VISIT: SAINT AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGE
VISIT: SAINTAUGFALCONS.COM
VISIT: THECIAA.COM