Southern’s Odums seeks clarity as spring practice nears

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  Another important step in the start of the Dawson Odums era at Southern arrives Tuesday when the football team begins spring practice.

The Jaguars will be on the field for 15 practices in the next four weeks. The spring game is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, March 23.

“Coming out of spring ball, I think we’ll have a better gauge of what kind of football team we’re going to have,” Odums said. “I think this football team is only going to be as good as it believes it can be.”

Odums was awarded the full-time job in December after spending the final nine games of 2012 running the team in an interim capacity. The Jaguars went 4-7 last year and finished 3-6 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, losing three times by a combined five points.

But Odums welcomes back 15 starters — eight on offense, seven on defense — from the team that beat Grambling in last year’s Bayou Classic. Kicker Matthew Hill and punter Chase Tuten are also due back.

Senior quarterback Dray Joseph returns after throwing for 2,511 yards to lead the SWAC in passing.



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Seeding Announced for the 2013 SIAC Basketball Tournament

ATLANTA, GA — The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) released seeding for the 80^th Annual SIAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament, which will tip off on Monday, February 25th and will be played through Saturday, March 2nd at Franklin L. Forbes Arena on the campus of Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA.

SIAC East Co-Division Champions Benedict and Morehouse, along with SIAC West Division Champion Tuskegee received first round byes in the men’s bracket.
 

For the women, Benedict claimed the East Division title and received the top-seed from the division and first round bye. Tuskegee swept through the West Division to garner the top-seed from its division and first round bye, as well. East and West Division runners-up, Clark Atlanta and Benedict, in addition, will also receive first round byes.
 

By virtue of a tie-breaker Benedict men’s team received the top-seed from the East Division after posting a 16-2 record in SIAC action, and a conference best 20-6 overall record. The defending SIAC Tournament Champions, coached by veteran Fred Watson, are led by senior point guard Xavier Collier and reigning SIAC Player of the Year Marcus Goode. Last week, Benedict was ranked No. 6 in the first edition of the Division II South Regional rankings. The Tigers will face the winner of Game 4 between #4W Miles and #5 Albany State, Wednesday evening at 7:45 p.m.
 

Tuskegee, (14-12, 13-4 SIAC) earned the top-seed out of the West Division by finishing its regular season one game ahead of second place Stillman. Coached by veteran Leon Douglass, the Golden Tigers are led by senior guard Calvin Thomas and freshman sensation Shaquille Cook. Tuskegee will face the winner of Game 2 between #4E Claflin and #5W Lane, Wednesday afternoon at 3:15 p.m.
 

In the women’s bracket, Benedict, (16-12, 13-3 SIAC), won nine of its last ten regular season games in the conference to claim the East Division title. The Lady Tigers, coached by first year head coach James Rice, are led by London Richardson, Alexus Jones, and Monique Weathers. Benedict will face the winner of Game 3 between #5W Miles and #4E Albany State, Wednesday at 1 p.m.
 

Coached by Belinda Ruby, Tuskegee finished the SIAC regular season undefeated at 16-0 to claim the SIAC West Division. Tuskegee is led Amelia Dorton, Kajuanna Rivers, Mary McAbee, and Nnenna Eze. In the Division II South Region poll, the Lady Tigers were ranked No. 3. Tuskegee will face the winner of Game 1 between #4E Fort Valley State and #5W Lane.
 

The opening day of the 80^th SIAC Basketball Tournament (Monday, February 25) will feature two women’s game #4E Fort Valley State v. #5W Lane at 1 p.m. and #4W Miles v. #5E Albany State at 5:30 p.m., as well as two men’s games #4E Claflin v. #5W Lane at 3:15 p.m. and #4W Miles v. #5E Albany at 7:45 p.m.

 

2013 SIAC Women’s Basketball Championship Schedule

Monday, February 25 - Opening Round

1:00 PM Game 1 - #4E Fort Valley State vs. #5W Lane

5:30 PM Game 3 - #4W Miles vs. #5E Albany State

Tuesday, February 26 - Opening Round

2:15 PM Game 6 - #3E Paine vs. #6W LeMoyne-Owen

6:45 PM Game 8 - #3W Stillman vs. #6E Claflin

Wednesday, February 27 - Quarterfinals

1:00 PM Game 10 - #1E Benedict vs. Winner of Game 3

5:30 PM Game 12 - #1W Tuskegee vs. Winner of Game 1

Thursday, February 28 - Quarterfinals

1:00 PM Game 14 - #2W Kentucky State vs. Winner of Game 6

5:30 PM Game 16 - #2E Clark Atlanta vs. Winner of Game 8

Friday, March 1 - Semifinals

1:00 PM Game 18 - Winner of Game 10 vs. Winner of Game 14

5:30 PM Game 20 - Winner of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 16

Saturday, March 2 - Championship

5:30 PM Game 22 - Winner of Game 18 vs. Winner of Game 20

2013 SIAC Men’s Basketball Championship Schedule

Monday, February 25 - Opening Round

3:15 PM Game 2 - #4E Claflin vs. #5W Lane

7:45 PM Game 4 - #4W Miles vs. #5E Albany State

Tuesday, February 26 - Opening Round

12:00 PM Game 5 - #3E Paine vs. #6W LeMoyne-Owen

4:30 PM Game 7 - #3W Kentucky State vs. #6E Fort Valley State

9:00 PM Game 9 - #2W Stillman vs. #7E Clark Atlanta

Wednesday, February 27 - Quarterfinals

3:15 PM Game 11 - #1W Tuskegee vs. Winner of Game 2

7:45 PM Game 13 - #1E Benedict vs. Winner of Game 4

Thursday, February 28 - Quarterfinals

3:15 PM Game 15 - #2E Morehouse vs. Winner of Game 7

7:45 PM Game 17 - Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 9

Friday, March 1 - Semifinals

3:15 PM Game 19 - Winner of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 17

7:45 PM Game 21 - Winner of Game 13 vs. Winner of Game 15

Saturday, March 2 - Championship

8:30 PM Game 23 - Winner of Game 19 vs. Winner of Game 21

COURTESY CIAA.COM

Texas Southern Tigers Rally for Win on National Television

HOUSTON, Texas  --  Andrew Garza had the big stick for the Tigers when they faced Prairie View A&M in national TV in the MLB Urban Invitation at Minute Maid Park.

TSU beat Prairie View 9-0 in a game that was carried on the MLB network.

Sebastian Stargell, Jr. got the Tigers’ offense started in the 2^nd inning when he led off with a triple to left center field. Garza finished it up with a double down the third base line to drive in TSU’s first score of the night.

De’Mario Thibodeaux gave Texas Southern their second run when he singled to left field and Ellis Stephney crossed the plate.

The Tigers’ big inning came in the 5^th. Garza picked up two RBIs when his double up the middle sent Thibodeaux and Corbin Smith home. Stargell scored on the same plate on the throw. TSU held a 6-0 lead at this point.

Stephney tripled in the 7^th inning and scored on the throw to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead.

TSU scored two runs in the 9^th inning and wrapped up their second win of the tournament.

Garza ended the game with 2 hits and 3 RBIs. Marquis Curry and Smith also had two hits each.

Robert Pearson was outstanding on the mound. He pitched 7.1 innings with 6 strikeouts, two walks and no earned runs.

The Tigers are 2-0 in the MLB Urban Invitational with one game left to play. TSU will face Alabama State on Sunday at noon for their final game of the tournament.

Box Score




By Rodney Bush TSU Sports Information Director
TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

TSU Lady Tigers Claim first SWAC Regular Season Title in school history

NORMAL, Alabama  --   History was made on Saturday as the Texas Southern Lady Tigers basketball team captured the programs' first Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season Championship in school history defeating Alabama A&M 72-56.

Texas Southern head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke captured her fourth conference championship in her impressive collegiate career. With the win the Lady Tigers also subsequently clinched the number one seed at the 2013 SWAC Basketball Tournament.

“We are the regular season Champions and we’re very excited about that,” said Cooper-Dyke. “We continued to work hard throughout the season and overall we’ve improved as the season has gone on. I’m very proud of the way our team has fought through adversity and stayed focused.”

TSU was led in scoring by freshman sensation Te’era Williams. Throughout the duration of the game Williams was a constant offensive scoring punch for the Lady Tigers as she scored 25 points marking her new career high for points as well as a new season high for the team.

Kayla West added 16 points along with fellow teammate Brianna Sidney as the Lady Tigers were hot from the field shooting 67 percent in the first half (14-22) and 57 percent for the game (26-45). Texas Southern pushed their season win total to 17 and have won 14 consecutive games in conference play.

Inside the Numbers
Texas Southern grabbed their largest lead of the contest at the 1:07 mark of the first half leading AAMU 42-20. Texas Southern outrebounded Alabama A&M 40-29 while also outscoring them inside the paint 30-22. Williams went 8-of-13 from the field while also connecting on 9-of-12 free throw attempts she also led all player in minutes played with 34.

Up Next
Texas Southern will get set to face Alabama State on the road on Monday at 5:30 pm. The Lady Tigers will return home on Thursday as they are slated to host Southern on Thursday, February 28 at 5:30 pm at H&PE Arena.

Lady Tiger Notables
Texas Southern clinched the number one seed at the 2013 SWAC Women's Basketball Tournament in Dallas.

Head coach Cynthia Cooper Dyke is now only 3 victories shy of reaching 150 wins as a head coach.

The Lady Tigers have now won 14 straight games dating back to Jan. 4.

Te'era Williams scored a season high 25 points against Alabama A&M.

*Texas Southern has set new school records for consecutive wins (14) and overall wins during the regular season (17).

Box Score

*As a member of the NCAA

By Andrew Roberts TSU Sports Information Director
TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

The CIAA Releases Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament Pairings and Times

Charlotte, NC…The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association has released its pairings for the 2013 CIAA Basketball Tournament as determined by the Basketball Tournament Committee. Both men’s and women’s games begin on opening day, Tuesday, February 25 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Men’s semifinals and finals games will be televised on Bounce TV and ESPNU. All games and post game press conferences will be streamed live online. To follow visit: www.livestream.com/ciaa.

Tournament tickets are still available for purchase by visiting the CIAA Tournament website: www.ciaatournament.org or www.ticketmaster.com. Single day tickets for Tuesday and Wednesday only, are available for purchase at the TWC Arena box office. $25 general admission; $10 students with ID. For an official schedule of events visit www.ciaatournament.org.


Game Times and Seedings:

Tuesday, February 26,
Women

#4S St. Augustine’s vs #5N Chowan	11:00am
#3N Virginia St. vs #6S Livingstone	1:00pm
#3S Winston-Salem St. vs #6N Bowie St.	3:00pm
#4N Lincoln (PA) vs #5S Johnson C. Smith	5:00pm

Men

#5N Virginia St. vs #6S Fayetteville St.	7:00pm
#5S Shaw vs #6N Chowan	9:00pm

Wednesday, February 27
Women

#2N Virginia Union vs 3N/6S winner	11:00am
#1N Elizabeth City St. vs 4S/5N winner	1:00pm
#1S Fayetteville St. vs 4N/5S winner	3:00pm
#2S Shaw vs 3S/6N winner	5:00pm

Men

#4 S St. Augustine’s vs 5N/6S winner	7:00pm
#4N Bowie St. vs 5S/6N winner	9:00pm

Thursday, February 28
Men

#2N Elizabeth City St. vs #3S Johnson C. Smith	1:00pm
#2S Winston-Salem St. vs #3N Virginia Union	3:00pm
#1S Livingstone vs 4S/6S/5N winner	7:00pm
#1N Lincoln (PA) vs 4N/6N/5S winner	9:00pm

Friday, March 1
Women
1:00, 3:00pm

Men
7:00pm, 9:00pm

Saturday, March 2
Women’s Final- 5:00pm
Men’s Final- 8:30pm

CIAA NORTHERN DIVISION CHAMPS: Lincoln Lions rally from 17-point deficit to beat Virginia State

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. –  It was an epic comeback and one for the ages as the Lincoln University men's basketball team rallied from a 17-point deficit and stormed back with a furious second-half rally as the Lions captured the CIAA Northern Division championship with a thrilling, 61-54, victory over Virginia State on Saturday afternoon in a CIAA Northern Division game at Manuel Rivero Gymnasium.

Lincoln (17-9) won the CIAA Northern Division outright as Elizabeth City State was defeated at home against Bowie State, 87-77.

“It's phenominal for the program to win the CIAA Northern Division title,” Lincoln head coach John Hill said. It's history. This title gives us respect.”

Derrick Washington (Washington, D.C./Coolidge SHS) came off the bench and scored all of his game-high 16 points in the second half to power the Lincoln offense. George Jackson (Baltimore, Md./Digital Harbor HS) finished with 15 points and four steals, while Will Cole (Newark, N.J./Cesar Chavez HS) provided a spark in the post with 10 points and four rebounds as the Lions shot 36 percent (21-of-58).

The Lions fell behind, 20-6, after a Kenny Mitchell bucket with 8:48 left in the opening half and the Trojans extended the advantage to 27-19 after an Allen Harris 3-pointer with 3:20 remaining.

Lincoln rallied and closed the deficit to 27-17 right before half with baskets down the stretch by Beloved Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Princeton Day Academy), Chris Kinney (Washington, D.C./Theodore Roosevelt SHS) and Wayne Newsome (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway HS).

Virginia State continued to lead by double digits early in the second half and extended the margin to 43-29 after a pair of free throws by Harris with 11:08 remaining. But Lincoln refused to quit and used a 19-5 run during the next seven minutes to tie the contest at 48 after a Washington 3-pointer with 4:25 left.

The Lions grabbed their first lead of the game, 51-48, on a George Jackson (Baltimore, Md./Digital Harbor HS) 3-pointer with 3:21 remaining and Lincoln never looked back during the final three minutes in rolling to its 17^th victory of the season.

“Virginia State let us hang around,” Hill said. “We got the momentum late in the second half and took it over.”

Harris went 7-for-7 from the free-throw line to lead the Trojans with 15 points and five boards. Christopher Grier had 11 points, including a pair of 3-pointers as Virginia State was 17-of-45 from the floor for 38 percent.

Lincoln turns its attention to the CIAA Basketball Tournament Feb. 26-March 2. Pairings for the tournament will be released on Sunday. By winning the CIAA Northern Division, Lincoln receives an automatic bye and will open CIAA play in the quarterfinals on Thursday, Feb. 28. To follow live stats throughout the tournament, click here.

Lions Notebook: Prior to the game, Lincoln honored seniors – Richard Glover (Baltimore, Md./Havre De Grace HS), Rodney Goodson (Bronx, N.Y./John F. Kennedy HS), Quinton Hector (Schertz, Texas/Samuel Clemens HS), Beloved Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Princeton Day Academy) and Kenny Sharpe (Chester, Pa./Elite Academy)…Chris Kinney (Washington, D.C./Theodore Roosevelt SHS) had seven points off the bench and grabbed four key rebounds in the win…Lincoln was 6-of-15 from behind the 3-point line (George Jackson (Baltimore, Md./Digital Harbor HS) (3), Derrick Washington (Washington, D.C./Coolidge SHS) (2) and Beloved Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Princeton Day Academy) (1))…The Lions finished with 31 rebounds, 10 steals, eight assists and one blocked shot…Lincoln held the advantage in points in the paint, 30-20l points off turnovers, 18-10; fastbreak points, 8-2, and bench points, 38-30…There was just one tie and one lead change.

Box Score

By Brian Howard, Sports Information and Media Specialist
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY --  PENNSYLVANIA

SAU Falcons Preparing For CIAA Tourney After FSU Loss

RALEIGH, North Carolina --  Moments after a 59-57 overtime loss to Fayetteville State University on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, Saint Augustine's University Head Coach Lonnie Blow, Jr. was already thinking about the upcoming CIAA Tournament, which starts next week.

The tournament represents a new season for the Falcons, who finished tied for third in the Southern Division after being picked last in the preseason. The last time the Falcons (15-11 overall, 5-5 Southern Division) were in the tournament under Blow, they won the championship in 2010.

Despite going 5-5 in their last 10 games including five consecutive losses to end the season, Blow is optimistic heading into next week. The Falcons will play an undetermined opponent on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. The pairings will be released on Sunday, Feb. 24.

“Tournament play is different,” Blow said. “Sometimes it brings out the best in teams.”

That is what Blow is counting on from his team. At one point, the Falcons were atop the Southern Division standings and riding a five-game win streak. They have split with every team in the division, including nationally-ranked Winston-Salem State, and are 3-3 against Northern Division teams.

The Falcons have the players to make a deep run. Forward Chris Johnson (R-Jr./Hampton, Va.) scored 11 points and pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds against the Broncos. All-CIAA forward Percy Woods, led all scorers with 14 points and guard Joel Kindred (Jr./Raleigh, N.C.) added 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Jonathan Crawley (So./Richmond, Va.) continued his strong play off the bench with nine rebounds. Guard Tyquan Stroman (Sr./Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) only had four points against FSU but he is among the better scorers in the league.

The Falcons get the job done on defense as well. They lead the CIAA in points allowed, field-goal percentage defense and rebounding margin. The Falcons are among the top 20 teams nationally in Division II in the latter two categories.

The Falcons overwhelmed the Broncos on the glass by a 61-40 margin including 31-9 in offensive rebounds. It kept the Falcons in the game despite frigid shooting (a season-low 24 percent). The Falcons scored 19 points on follow shots. During the regular season, the Falcons outrebounded their opponents in all but three games.

Blow says the key to a successful tournament hinges on paying attention to detail. The team who does that the best will walk away with the title.

"You have to do the little things,” Blow said. “Everything becomes important [in the tournament].”

That includes free throws. The Falcons held an opponent to under 60 points for the 10 time this season on Saturday, but free throws were their undoing against the Broncos. The Falcons made 18 of 35 free-throw attempts for 51.4 percent. Meanwhile, the Broncos hit 15 of 20 free throws for 75 percent.

It was a role reversal from the first meeting on Feb. 2 between the two teams in Fayetteville, N.C. The Falcons were 16 of 20 from the charity stripe for 80 percent while the Broncos were 11 of 23 for 48 percent.

The good news is the Falcons will likely shoot better than they did against FSU on Saturday. Their field-goal percentage for the season is close to 45 percent. Their free-throw shooting percentage for the season is 67 percent, but as Blow says, teams tend to rise to the occasion come tournament time. The Falcons are looking to be that team.

The contest against the Broncos was Senior Day. Six Falcons were honored on Senior Day at Emery Gymnasium along with the women's basketball and cheerleading seniors between the women's and men's games. They were Akeem Anderson (Memphis, Tenn.), Nick Chamblee (Hampton, Va.), Jon Kindred (Raleigh, N.C.), Stroman, Woods and Johnson.


COURTESY SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS