XU's Howell and Flowers reach NAIA regional doubles final

GAINESVILLE, Ga. -- Xavier University of Louisiana's Kourtney Howell and Brion Flowers won two matches Saturday to reach the women's doubles final of the USTA/ITA NAIA South Regional. It will be the first time that the Gold Nuggets play for a regional championship.

Howell and Flowers built a 6-1 lead and held on for an 8-6 quarterfinal victory against Auburn Montgomery's third-seeded Chanel Cunningham and Tiffany William. Then the XU tandem defeated Brenau's Stephanie Moniz and Eline Nagels 8-5 in the semifinals.

Howell and Flowers will play AUM's top-seeded Jade Curtis and Morgane Zowczak for the championship on Sunday and a berth in the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships next month.

It's the second consecutive year that Xavier produced a regional finalist. The XU men won singles and doubles championships in 2011.

Howell, seeded third in singles, defeated Belhaven's Natalia Krier 6-0, 6-0 before losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 to AUM's sixth-seeded William in the quarterfinals. Flowers, seeded 10th, lost 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 to AUM's top-seeded Curtis in the round of 16.

More on this tournament will be posted online at
http://www.xula.edu/athletics/news/2012/0929b.html

XU advances 7 to singles round of 16 in ITA regional tourney

GAINESVILLE, Ga. -- Seven singles players from Xavier University of Louisiana advanced to the round of 16 Friday in the USTA/ITA NAIA South Regional.

Viktor Svoboda, Nikita Soifer and Amir Rahbar of the Gold Rush all won their matches 6-2, 6-1. Svoboda defeated Reinhardt's Nick Draghiceanu, Soifer beat Belhaven's Andres Cepede, and Rahbar defeated William Carey's Julian Arnowski.

In the women's division, XU's Brion Flowers defeated Reinhardt's Lindsay McCutcheon 6-1, 6-0, Kourtney Howell beat Loyola's Kanda Borgononi 6-0, 6-1, Jordyn Goody defeated Belhaven's Ashley McLendon 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, and Amber Brown beat Loyola's Frances Bonnin 6-0, 6-0.

Howell and Flowers advanced to the quarterfinals of women's doubles after their 8-1 victory against Loyola's Bonnin and Meghan DeBaroncelli.
More on this tournament will be posted online at
http://www.xula.edu/athletics/news/2012/0928.html

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Week 5, HBCU Football

Thursday FINALS
Morgan State 21, North Carolina A&T 18
Sam Houston State 50, Texas Southern 6

OVC
Arkansas Pine Bluff @ Tennessee State (Homecoming), 6pm

SWAC
Alabama State @ Alcorn State, 3pm
Florida A&M vs. Southern (Atlanta Football Classic) 3:30 pm, NBC     Sports Network
Prairie View A&M @ Jackson State, 5pm
Grambling State@ Alabama A&M, 7pm ESPN3

MEAC
Savannah State @ Howard, 1pm
Norfolk State @ South Carolina State, 2pm
FAMU vs. SU, Atlanta Football Classic, 3:30pm, NBC Sports Network
Bethune-Cookman @ Hampton, 6pm

OTHER
West Virginia State @ Seton Hill, 12Noon
Mercyhurst @ Cheyney, 1pm
Lincoln (Mo.) @ Emporia State, 2pm
Central State (Ohio) @ William Jewell, 2pm
Edward Waters @ Valdosta State, 7pm
Southern Nazarene @ Langston (Ok.), 8pm

SIAC
Fort Valley State @ Tuskegee, 2pm
Stillman @ Lane, 3 pm
Albany State @ Kentucky State, 5pm
Morehouse @ Clark-Atlanta, 6pm
Benedict @ Miles, 7pm

CIAA
Winston-Salem State @ Bowie State, 1pm
Livingstone @ Virginia Union, 1pm
Saint Augustine's U @ Elizabeth City State, (Down East Classic), 4pm
Shaw @ Virginia State, 6pm
Fayetteville State @ Chowan, 6pm


NOTE:  We are taking a short road trip to Bowie State University today, to witness the battle with Winston-Salem State University.  We will catch up on the Blog postings later this evening.  Have a Great Day at an HBCU Football Game!!

Akil Blount, son of Mel Blount, makes his own way at FAMU

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -  In the 1960s, Mel Blount made his mark as a top athlete in Southern history. Then, during 13 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he won four Super Bowls, became one of the best cornerbacks to ever play in the NFL and stands as the lone Jaguar in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
When his alma mater takes the field on Saturday in the Atlanta Classic, there will be a Blount wearing the familiar No. 47, but he’ll be on the opposite sideline.

His son, Akil Blount, will suit up for Florida A&M, where’s he’s a 6-foot-3, 225-pound freshman linebacker.

“I tried to talk to him about going to Southern, and we even talked with (former SU coach) Stump Mitchell at the time. But he just never wanted to get under that umbrella,” Blount said. “He wanted to go out and chart his own course and blaze his own trail.”

A bonus was playing for Earl Holmes, a former FAMU star who went on to play 10 seasons in the NFL (including six with the Steelers) before taking over his current role as the Rattlers’ defensive coordinator.

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ECSU's McNeill continues to shine for Vikings

ROCKY MOUNT, North Carolina  -  Defenses put hard hit after hard hit on Elizabeth City State running back Daronte McNeill, hoping that just one of those hits will force the Vikings to put someone else in the game.

And more than the yards or touchdowns – of which there are plenty – that McNeill puts on opposing teams, the most deflating aspect of his game comes after the whistles: He keeps hopping back to his feet.

Defenders hit him hard. They hit him often. They try his legs and his torso. And each time he jumps up, unfazed and heads back to his huddle, ready to take another carry.

By the end of the game, it’s an exercise to determine who was punishing whom.

“No matter how hard they hit ...

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TSU Tigers Battled Top Ranked Sam Houston

HOUSTON, Texas  -  Texas Southern played against the 9^th ranked FCS team in the country, and Sam Houston played like they were one of the best teams in the nation.

TSU fans sensed it was going to be a long night when the Bearkats scored after two plays into their first drive.  SHSU scored again two possessions later on a 32 yard run by Trey Diller which gave Sam Houston a 14-0 advantage.

TSU freshman quarterback Justin Jones got into the game at the end of the first quarter.  In his second series under the center, he led the Tigers to their only touchdown of the game.  Jones hit James Davis on a 16 yard pass play for six points.  The extra point was blocked and returned for a defensive PAT.  TSU trailed 16-6.

Sam Houston scored three more times in the second quarter and ended the first half up 33-6.

They scored 17 points in the second half for a 50-6 win.

Quarterback Rudy Johnson started the game for TSU and completed 6 of 11 passes for 39 yards.  Jones had 4 of 6 passes caught for 67 yards and a touchdown.  James Davis had three catches for 37 yards and a score.  Fred Plummer had 1 catch for 38 yards.  Running back Edward Perkins-Loving had 23 yards on 15 carries.

Jarius Moore and LeTevin Wilcox were the defensive leaders for TSU.  Both had 9 tackles.  Moore also had a TFL.  Steven White recorded two tackles and an interception which he returned 37 yards.

The Tigers will regroup from this game and prepare for conference play.  Texas Southern heads to Montgomery, AL to face the Alabama State Hornets on Saturday, October 6^th.  Kickoff is at 1:00pm

COURTESY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Texas Southern University's 'Ocean of Soul' suspended over hazing report

HOUSTON, Texas  -  Texas Southern University suspended its renowned Ocean of Soul marching band as officials investigate alleged hazing.

The incident was reported on Wednesday to school authorities, prompting a campus police investigation, a news release issued late Thursday said.

"While it is not known at this time how many students were involved in this incident, it is believed to involve one section of the band," the statement said, adding that school officials will "take appropriate action."

The suspension canceled Thursday's scheduled band performance at TSU's football game against Sam Houston State University at BBVA Compass Stadium. One band member who preferred not to be identified said members did not learn about the suspension until Thursday's pregame rehearsal on campus. At least a handful of Ocean of Soul members attended the game out of uniform.




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Morgan State wins on TD pass with 10 seconds left

GREENSBORO, North Carolina. -  Morgan State's Andrew King caught a game-winning, 32-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone with 10 seconds remaining after quarterback Josh Council scrambled from trouble to give the Bears a 21-18 victory against North Carolina A&T on Thursday night.

The Bears drove 77 yards with no timeouts remaining, beginning the march with 1:43 to play in a dramatic Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener for both teams at Aggie Stadium.

The winning drive appeared doomed after the Bears reached the Aggies' 14-yard line with more than 35 seconds to play. An intentional grounding penalty and a 10-second run-off appeared to thwart momentum before the winning play.

But on the next play, Council hit King, who got behind the N.C. A&T defenders in the end zone.

"I saw the defense coming and I tried to make something happen with my feet," Council said. "I just threw it up and he caught it. Our work pays off."

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Morgan State shocks N.C. A&T, 21-18

Greensboro, N.C. -  Just when it seemed like N.C. A&T had the win wrapped up in the first nationally televised game at Aggie Stadium in five years, Morgan State snatched the victory away.

Bears quarterback Robert Council broke out of the pocket and heaved a ball toward Andrew King, who hauled it in with 10 seconds left to cap off a frenzied last-minute drive with a 32-yard touchdown pass to give Morgan State a 21-18 win over the Aggies on Thursday night.

Morgan State (2-2, 1-0 MEAC) got the ball back at its own 23 with 1:43 to go, and drove down to the Aggies' 14 on a 35-yard catch and run from Council to Travis Davidson with 38 seconds left.

Council took a bad snap and threw it away, but was flagged for intentional grounding because he was still inside the tackle box, moving the ball back to the 32 with 18 seconds to go, thanks to a 10-second runoff with the penalty.

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