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

McNeese beats Nuggets, but XU wins 3 singles matches

NEW ORLEANS -- Klaudia Gawlik, Diana Pirciu and Annabelle Peacock won in doubles and singles Saturday to lead McNeese State to a 6-3 women's tennis victory against NAIA No. 11 Xavier University of Louisiana.

The Cowgirls (6-3) won for the fourth time in five duals and gave the Gold Nuggets (3-3) their second consecutive loss. All three XU losses this year are to NCAA Division I opponents.

For the first time in four meetings with McNeese, the Gold Nuggets won three singles matches. But all three were decided after McNeese clinched the dual.

2012-13 GOLD NUGGETS WOMEN'S TENNIS TEAM
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
(CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE)
ROSTER

XU freshman Brion Flowers, playing at No. 2, ended her four-match singles losing streak with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 victory against Lara Pujol. Amanda Materre won 1-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-5) against Anastasia Surkova at No. 3, and another XU freshman, Simone-Alyce Ewell, defeated Andreea Nenu 6-4, 6-2 at No. 4.

Gawlik, a freshman, improved to 9-0 in singles this semester after her 6-3, 6-3 victory against NAIA All-American Kourtney Howell at No. 1. Gawlik and Nenu beat Ewell and Materre 8-5 at No. 2 doubles.

All three doubles matches were close, including Pirciu and Peacock's 9-8 (7-4) decision against Amber Brown and Vashni Balleste at No. 3. Pirciu and Peacock combined to lose just two games at the bottom two singles flights, and Peacock clinched the dual with her 6-2, 6-0 victory against Brown at No. 6.

"We lost this one in the doubles," XU coach Alan Green said. "We fought hard to split the singles. I have to do a better job with our doubles teams."

A year ago, the Nuggets won only one set and just five combined doubles games in a 7-0 loss at McNeese.

Xavier's women and men will play Belhaven at 3 p.m. Thursday at the XU Tennis Center. Xavier's men are ranked 10th in the NAIA. Belhaven's men are 12th, and its women are 22nd.


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

CIAA Commissioner goes 1-on-1

CIAA COMMISSIONER JACQIE CARPENTER

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  As the first African-American woman to be named CIAA commissioner, Jacqie Carpenter is a trailblazer. Prior to settling into her current position last September, she spent nearly 10 years with the NCAA working in top-level administrative roles with national championships for Division I men’s and women’s basketball.

During her college days at Hampton University, Carpenter, a three-time pick as the CIAA MVP in women’s basketball, played a key role for the Pirates who won the Division II national championship in 1988.

Carpenter takes over as the chief executive of a well-established conference entering its 101st year of operation. The new commissioner recently granted an interview to Chronicle Sports to discuss a range of topics concerning the conference.

Q: You’re a product of the CIAA and now you’re the league boss. Has it all sunk in yet?

A: Being commissioner is something I’ve always dreamed about. There aren’t too many people who get to realize their dream job. These last five months have been an absolute treat for me.

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WSSU teams ready for CIAA basketball tournament

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  Defending champion Winston-Salem State, the seventh-ranked team in Division II, will play in a quarterfinal game on Thursday against Virginia Union at 3 p.m. in the CIAA Tournament.

The CIAA Tournament will begin Tuesday at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte.

The WSSU women, the third seed out of the Southern Division, will play a first-round game on Tuesday at 3 p.m. against Bowie State.

The WSSU men are coming off a 60-55 loss to Livingstone on Saturday night and despite not being a top seed are still considered a favorite to repeat.

Guard Justin Glover says the Rams, who have been ranked all season, are still the team to beat despite the loss on Saturday that gave the Blue Bears the Southern Division title.

“We’re still confident,” Glover said. “This loss set us back a little but we’ll regroup and come out ready to play in the tournament.”

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Xavier Nuggets rout Dillard, win third consecutive GCAC title

2012-2013 GCAC REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA GOLD NUGGETS
(click photo to enlarge)
ROSTER

NEW ORLEANS -- Chelsea Broussard enjoyed a rare moment in the spotlight Saturday, scoring 11 points to lead NAIA No. 10 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 67-43 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against Dillard in the Crosstown Classic.

The Gold Nuggets (24-4, 12-2) won their 12th in a row to claim their third consecutive GCAC regular-season championship, this time by a game over SUNO and Talladega. Xavier will play Fisk at noon Thursday in the opening round of the GCAC Tournament at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock, Ark.

Broussard, a reserve junior forward, scored in double figures for the fifth time this season and the ninth time in her career. It was the first time she led Xavier in scoring since the 2011-12 season opener. In 15 minutes she was 2-of-3 from the floor and a career-best 7-of-8 from the line. She and Carmen Holcombe led Xavier with five rebounds each.

No one else scored more than eight points for Xavier, but 14 Gold Nuggets scored. Holcombe scored eight points, and Paige Gauthier had seven.

Jazzmin Smith scored 19 points -- including a career-best 13-of-18 free throws -- for Dillard (6-21, 4-10), and J'Ashala Haynes scored 12. The Lady Bleu Devils had just seven available players.

Xavier took the lead for good in the fourth minute and had a 32-25 halftime advantage, but the Gold Nuggets did not pull away until the middle of the second half, scoring 10 consecutive points in less than 2½ minutes to take a 52-35 lead with 9:12 remaining. SiMon Franklin, honored during a senior day ceremony at halftime, assisted on all five baskets during the run and finished with a career-best six. But leading the Gold Nuggets in assists was freshman reserve Whitney Gathright with a career-best seven in 19 minutes.

Xavier outshot Dillard 48.1 to 24.4 percent from the floor -- just the third time this season the Gold Nuggets reached 45 percent -- and had a 39-27 rebound advantage.

Dillard has a six-game losing streak.

Xavier defeated Dillard for the ninth consecutive time and the 18th time in the last 19 meetings. This was the first time the longtime rivals met in XU's new Convocation Center, which opened in November. It was the Gold Nuggets' sixth consecutive home victory and their 15th in 17 home games this season.

Xavier, the three-time defending GCAC Tournament champion, will play Fisk in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. That winner will play Tougaloo or Philander Smith in the semifinals at noon Friday. The championship game will start at 2 p.m. Saturday.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

XU Rush grab share of 2nd straight GCAC championship

2012-13 GCAC REGULAR SEASON CO-CHAMPIONS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA GOLD RUSH
(CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE)
ROSTER

NEW ORLEANS -- It was the largest crowd of the season at Xavier University of Louisiana's new Convocation Center -- an estimated 2,500 -- and the Gold Rush did not disappoint.

Denzell Erves and Wanto Joseph both surpassed 1,000 career points on senior day, and Xavier defeated Dillard 70-46 in the Crosstown Classic to earn a share of its second consecutive Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season men's basketball championship.

Xavier (24-6 overall, 11-3 GCAC), ranked 16th in NAIA Division I, shared the title with second-year member Philander Smith, but the Gold Rush won a tiebreaker to earn the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament at Little Rock, Ark. Xavier will get a rematch with Dillard in the opening round at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at Barton Coliseum. It will be the first postseason meeting between the Gold Rush and Bleu Devils since 2000.

It's the first time since 1985-86 and 1986-87 that the Gold Rush won back-to-back GCAC regular-season championships.

Erves scored 11 of his game-high 17 points in the first six minutes to give the XU men a 16-3 lead and jump-start their sixth consecutive double-digit victory -- fourth straight by 20 or more points -- against their longtime city rival.

Erves' basket at 15:19 of the first half, coming after a pass from Renard Smith, made Erves the 26th Gold Rush player to reach 1,000 career points. Joseph became the 27th player less than four minutes later, scoring after a pass from Gary Smith to give Xavier a 24-8 lead at 11:24.

Joseph finished with 10 points -- all in the first half -- and 10 assists for his fourth double-double of the season. He did not get the 10th assist until he passed to Anthony Simmons for a basket with 1:52 remaining in the game.

Simmons scored 13 points -- he has 965 in three XU seasons -- and Nick Haywood scored 11 to reach double figures for the second time in the last 16 games. Renard Smith scored nine points, and he and Erves had eight rebounds each.

Jarrain Jenkins scored 13 points and Jeremy Rixner 12 for Dillard (3-20, 2-12), and Jordan Kilson had 10 points, six assists and four steals.

Xavier shot 54 percent from the floor -- the fourth time in the last six games and the 11th time this season that the Gold Rush made at least half of the shots -- and limited the Bleu Devils to 41.5 percent. Xavier outrebounded Dillard 35-18.

Xavier's 40-19 halftime lead was its largest of the season, and a Haywood 3-pointer with 16:48 remaining gave the Gold Rush the first of two 29-point leads. The Gold Rush led by at least 20 points for all but 72 seconds of the second half.

Xavier defeated Dillard for the eighth consecutive time and the 15th time in the last 16 meetings. The Gold Rush lead 78-47 in a series which began during the 1947-48 season.

The previous attendance high in the Convocation Center was 2,000 when the Gold Rush defeated Morehouse in the inaugural game Nov. 3. Among the attendees on Saturday were Bruce Seals and Donald "Slick" Watts, catalysts of the 1971-72 and 1972-73 XU teams which won NAIA District 30 championships and qualified for the NAIA National Championship both seasons. Seals and Watts, both of whom played in the NBA, addressed the crowd during a halftime ceremony.

Honored before the game were six XU seniors in their final home appearance: Erves, Joseph, Simmons, Haywood, Renard Smith and Keenan Gay.

The Xavier-Dillard winner will play Talladega or SUNO in the semifinals at 2:30 p.m. Friday. The championship game will start ay 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Xavier hasn't won the GCAC Tournament since 1996 and has reached the championship game only twice since then -- in 2008 and 2011.

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

Estrada's Grand Slam Lifts ASU Hornets Over Southern

HOUSTON. Texas – Waldyvan Estrada's grand slam highlighted a five-run fifth inning as Alabama State beat Southern 6-4 Saturday in the Major League Baseball Urban Invitational at Minute Maid Park.

Trailing 3-0 in the fifth with one out, a Manny Rodriguez single was sandwiched around walks to Dillon Cooper and Einar Muniz to load the bases. Richard Amion grounded out to third, scoring Cooper with the first run. Following a walk to Richard Gonzalez to load the bases, Estrada hit a 1-1 pitch out to left field off of reliever John Thigpen to put the Hornets ahead as Alabama State improves to 6-1 for the first time since 2009.

“I thought it was a fastball down the middle,” head coach Mervyl Melendez said. “He put a good swing together. We have shown the ability to hit the long ball a little more than the past (five this year through seven games after hitting 14 all of 2012). A lot of credit goes to our head strength and conditioning coach Karl Jordan for working tirelessly with our guys, and you see the difference with our guys and the way they are swing the bats and the power they are creating.”

Joseph Camacho (2-0) pitched into the seventh, allowing six hits, four runs with one walk and three strikeouts.

“He got out of trouble consistently,” Melendez said. “I didn't think he had great stuff tonight, but he bore down in big situations. I wanted to get five innings out of him. I got six, so I got one bonus inning from him. He did a good job.”

In the sixth, Cooper hit his first home run of the season to complete the Alabama State scoring, once again in the late innings. The Hornets are finishing games strong, outscoring opponents 43-15 from the fifth inning on this season.

“Our guys have to be resilient, and sometimes it doesn't happen at the beginning of the game,” Melendez said. “In the first inning, we left a runner on second base with no one out, and he didn't score. In the second inning, we had a runner on third base and we punch out (strike out) twice. So, we did a better job as the game went on. I was proud of the guys for sticking with it and doing a good job later in the ball game when it counts.”

Alabama State will go for the weekend sweep of the MLB Invitational Sunday at noon against Texas Southern before coming home to face Troy Tuesday at 6 p.m. and Kennesaw State Wednesday at 4 p.m.

“We have to take it one inning at a time,” Melendez said. “We have to take everything in stride. Although we want to win, and we came here to win and have every intention of that, we're learning how to play the game. We've got to take it one pitch at a time, one inning at a time, and if we play well, I like our chances.”

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NSU Hangs On to Top Delaware State, 60-56

DOVER, Delaware – As has been the case for most of conference play, the Norfolk State men's basketball team saw a double-digit second-half lead dwindle down to low single digits, or as was the case of Saturday afternoon down to zero.

Against Delaware State at Memorial Hall in the last road game of the year, the Spartans did just enough in the end to exorcise some state of Delaware demons and escape with a 60-56 win.

The victory broke a seven-game, nine-year losing streak at Memorial Hall, the smallest gym in the conference but one of the toughest to play in because of its cozy setting. NSU secured a first-round bye in the MEAC tournament with the win and tied last year's team for the most conference victories in a season.

At 13-0 in the MEAC, NSU is one of just five schools left in the nation undefeated in conference play after Miami fell on Saturday. NSU won its 12th in a row, now the fifth-longest win streak in the nation. NSU also improved to 18-10 overall on the year.

Those win streaks almost came to an end despite NSU leading by 15 at the half and by as much as 17 early in the second half. It marked the 12th time in 13 conference games NSU had a double-digit second-half lead. The Spartans, though, could not handle the full-court pressure the Hornets came out of the locker room with after the intermission.

Delaware State (12-14, 7-5 MEAC) tied it up twice with less than eight minutes left and got to within two with 32.1 seconds to go when Amere May hit a deep 3-pointer from the right wing. Pendarvis Williams missed the front end of a 1-and-1 on NSU's next possession, and May launched a 3-pointer with six seconds to go from several feet beyond the top of the arc.

May, though, could not find the bottom of the net this time, and Williams made DSU pay with a pair of free throws on the other end with 5.4 seconds left for the final four-point margin.

Williams led all scorers with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while junior Brandon Goode tallied 16 points on 7-of-11 field goal attempts with eight rebounds and three blocks.

Tyshawn Bell (13 points) and Marques Oliver (12 points, 11 rebounds) paced the way for the Hornets.

Delaware State outscored NSU 23-6 after intermission to tie it up at 41-41 with a little less than nine minutes to go in the game. The Spartans had 10 of their 14 turnovers in the second stanza, including several that wasted prime scoring opportunities.

Senior Kris Brown hit a 3-pointer from the left key to put NSU back on top, but Bell answered with a trey of his own. Knotted at 44-44 – Delaware State never led in the game and only tied it up those two times – NSU went on a 9-2 run, capped by a layup from junior Jamel Fuentes at 3:24, to go up by seven, 53-46.

Casey Walker responded with a trey for Delaware State 30 seconds later. After Williams hit what looked like a back-breaking 3-pointer with more than a minute remaining to put NSU back up by seven, though, May hit a running jumper in the lane and then got the Hornets to within two with his 3-pointer before failing to hit the potential go-ahead trey.

NSU shot 47.2 percent for the game on 25-of-53 shooting and held Delaware State to nearly its season average at 22-of-53 (41.5 percent).

Fuentes finished with nine points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals. Brown was the only other player for NSU in double figures with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including nine points in the second half when Delaware State outscored NSU by 11.

The Spartans scored the first six points of the game and held the Hornets scoreless for nearly five minutes. Williams and Walker exchanged 3-pointers before NSU forced two separate Delaware State timeouts, the latter at 9:58 when Brown's fastbreak dunk made it 19-9.

Bell's 3-pointer at 8:27 marked the only field goal for Delaware State in a more than six-minute span. Goode, who had 12 in the first half, scored six straight at one point to put the Spartans up by a 27-15 lead with four minutes left.

Goode's off-balance layup and a short baseline jumper from Williams marked the final scoring of the first stanza, giving NSU a 33-18 lead at the intermission.

NSU held the rebounding edge by a 36-28 margin and outscored the Hornets 19-6 in second chance points and 40-24 in the paint.

Walker and Tahj Tate each added eight points for the Hornets.

Aside from North Carolina Central, whom NSU has not played, the Spartans have now defeated every MEAC opponent on the road the last two years.

The Spartans finish out the regular season with three straight games at home, beginning with Bethune-Cookman next Saturday at 6 p.m. at Joseph Echols Hall.

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By Mike Bello, Assistant Sports Information Director
NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY
NSUSPARTANS.COM

Savannah State holds off Campbell 69-63 in Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters

BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Rashad Hassan scored 19 points and Savannah State closed the game on an 8-3 run to hold off Campbell 69-63 Saturday at Gore Arena in the Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters.

The defending MEAC regular season champion Tigers (17-10) extended their winning streak to five games and have now won 12 of their last 13 outings. Campbell (12-17) trailed by as many as 9 in the second half before cutting the gap to one (61-60), but was unable to get any closer.

Hassan came off the bench to hit 7-of-9 shots from the floor and 5-of-7 from the line for Savannah State. Deven Williams added 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting in a reserve role. Preston Blackman chipped in 13, including a turnaround jumper from 12 feet with 45 seconds left that extended the lead to 65-61. Arnold Lewis contributed 9 points and a team-leading 8 rebounds.

Reco McCarter came off the bench to hit career highs with 21 points (7-of-10 from the floor, 7-of-9 from the line), 12 rebounds and 4 steals. Trey Freeman and Leek Leek each added 13 points for the Camels, who trailed 57-49 after Williams hit a 3-pointer with 8:43 to go.
Leek scored the first five points in an 11-4 rally and Freeman's leaner with 1:59 to play trimmed the gap to 61-60, but the nation's fifth-best scoring defense (allowing only 54.4 points per game) held Campbell without a field goal until Andrew Ryan's put-back with 13 seconds to play provided the final margin.

Ryan entered the game averaging 23.5 points over the previous two outings, but scored only two points in 27 minutes Saturday.

Savannah State shot 52 percent (25-48) from the floor on the day and made 15-of-26 (.577) free throws, while holding a 34-20 edge on points in the paint.

Campbell made 42 percent of its shots (22-52) and 16-of-21 (.762) from the line. SSU finished with a slim 33-31 edge on the glass.

Savannah State jumped to a 15-5 lead before the Camels rallied with a 14-4 spurt. The Tigers led 38-33 at the break thanks to 56 percent shooting (15-27) from the field.

Winners of their last two league games, the Camels (7-7 Big South) enter Wednesday night's home finale against Longwood (7:00 p.m.) in second place in the North Division standings with two games remaining to be played. The top two seeds in each division earn a first-round bye in the VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Championship, Mar. 5-10 at Conway, S.C.

Savannah State (10-2 MEAC) returns to league action Monday at Bethune-Cookman (7:30).

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Morgan State comes back to top High Point

HIGH POINT, North Carolina  --  The High Point University men's basketball team was unable to maintain a double-digit lead against Morgan State on Saturday night, falling to the Bears by a score 75-68 at the Millis Center. Redshirt-freshman John Brown led HPU with 24 points in the loss.

"We played well for 30 minutes but we didn't play with the same intensity in the last 10 minutes," said HPU head coach Scott Cherry. "Morgan State has a big, physical team and a lot of those guys have played in NCAA Tournaments. They aren't going to give up. This is something we can learn from, we haven't accomplished our goals yet. We want to be playing well at the end of the season going into the conference tournament."

Graduate student Allan Chaney scored 16 points including 12 in the second half and tied for the team lead with nine rebounds along with senior Branimir Mikulic. Sophomore Devante Wallace and freshman Lorenzo Cugini both came off the bench to score eight points a piece.

Junior wing Justin Black led Morgan State with 20 points. Point guard Blake Bozeman chipped in with 13 points and 12 rebounds, including three three-pointers during Morgan State's comeback run.

The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Panthers. High Point fell to 16-11 overall and Morgan State improved to 10-14. The Panthers are 11-3 in Big South play with two conference games remaining.



Brown scored High Point's first six points, including an uncontested 360-dunk to put HPU up 6-1 with 17:42 left in the first half. After Morgan State tied the game at 8-8, Wallace connected on back-to-back three pointers to put the Panthers up by six.

Morgan State continued to challenge, tying the game four times in a four-minute stretch, before Chaney and Brown connected on back-to-back layups. That allowed High Point build a seven-point lead before Morgan State's Ian Chiles hit a jumper to make it 34-29 at halftime.

After Morgan State's Black dunked to start the second half, High Point's Chaney hit a layup that started a 10-3 run, giving HPU its first double-digit lead, 44-34, with 16:40 left in the game. Dejuan McGaughy scored the last four points on the run. High Point built its lead to 14 (57-43), the Panthers' largest lead of the game, over the next seven minutes.

With under nine minutes to play, MSU's Black scored seven points in a row on two layups and a three pointer. That cut the Panthers' lead in half, making it 57-50 with 7:26 remaining. The outburst started a 20-6 run by Morgan State, which tied the game at 63-63 with just over four minutes to go.

A free throw by McGaughy put HPU up by one before Morgan State's Chiles hit a jumper with 2:41 left, giving the Bears their first lead of the game (65-64). The Bears went 8-for-9 from the line in the last two minutes and outscored HPU 10-4 down the stretch to pick up the win. They had gone just 9-for-17 from the line in the first 38 minutes of the game.

Morgan State finished with a 41-37 advantage on the boards including 16 offensive rebounds which led to a 24-6 edge in second-chance points.

The Panthers close out their Big South slate next week hosting Radford on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and Campbell on Saturday at 4 p.m. High Point has locked up the No. 1 North seed for the Big South Tournament and will play in the quarterfinals on March 7.

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NCCU Eagles gut out victory over NCA&T Aggies

DURHAM, North Carolina  –  North Carolina Central University’s stingy second-half defense along with clutch free-throw shooting was just enough for the maroon and gray to earn the 51-47 victory over the Aggies of  North Carolina A&T inside a sold out McDougald-McLendon Gym on Saturday afternoon.

The Eagle defense held the Aggies to 5-for-24 (20.8 percent) shooting from the field in the second half as the Aggies were also 1-for-8 (12.5 percent) from the outside in the final stanza.

NCCU on the other hand ended the night an astonishing 19-for-21 (90.5 percent) from the foul line en route to earning the second consecutive season sweep over the A&T.

The Aggies came out fired up in the first half, storming out to an 11-3 lead after Jeremy Underwood’s layup. A&T started the game 5-for-6 from the field.

NC A&T’s led 18-9 following another Underwood basket, and junior Stanton Kidd (Baltimore, Md.) responded with a put-back dunk that got the Eagle momentum rolling.

NCCU cut the deficit to five following two made free-throws by junior Drimir Ferguson (Bronx, N.Y.) at 18-13, but the Aggies’ Adrian Powell drilled a three to stretch the lead back to eight at 21-13.

A&T pushed the lead to its largest of the day at 25-13, and that’s when the maroon and gray responded with a 9-2 run to cut the margin back to five at 27-22 after junior Jeremy Ingram’s (Charlotte, N.C.) three-pointer with 4:55 to go.



The Aggies countered back with a Jean Louisme shot from the outside to spread the lead back to eight, but Antonin Galaya (St. Martin, French West Indies) scored the last five points for the Eagles as they cut the deficit to three heading into the locker room at 30-27.

In the second frame, NCCU kept throwing haymakers at NC A&T, but the Aggies were not budging in the early portion. It took the Eagles until the 13:11 mark in the second half when Ingram drilled a three-pointer that the maroon and gray took their first lead of the game at 38-37 sending the capacity crowd into a frenzy.

On the next possession senior Ray Willis (Atlanta, Ga.) got his own three-point play to put the Eagles ahead for good at 41-38 with 11:47 to go.

The largest lead for NCCU in the second half came on a Kidd layup to give the Eagles a 45-38 lead with 10:11 remaining.

Over the next nine minutes the Eagles were held without a field goal, but shut the Aggies down to six points during that span.

With the score 45-44 in favor of NCCU, Emanuel Chapman (Raleigh, N.C.) practically sealed the deal for the maroon and gray with his runner on the right side to give the Eagles a three-point advantage down the stretch.

Clutch free-throw shooting by Willis and Ingram, along with a couple a lucky bounces helped the Eagles pull out the 51-47 win over the Aggies.

Kidd and Ingram both scored 14 points apiece to lead the way for the maroon and gray as Kidd notched six boards, while Ingram pulled down five.

NC A&T (13-14, 6-7) was led by Underwood finished with 11 points, but the Eagles turned the ball over 19 times in the win. Chapman and Ingram accounted for 13 of those miscues.

NCCU (19-8, 12-1 MEAC) will have a week off to rest and get ready for the return match against the Tigers of Savannah State University. SSU beat NCCU on Feb. 16, 44-36 down in Savannah, Ga. for the only conference loss of the year for the maroon and gray.

Stay up-to-date with North Carolina Central University Athletics by flying over to www.NCCUEaglePride.com, the official website of NCCU Athletics.


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Renda, Rojas Lead Hornets Over Prairie View

HOUSTON – T.J. Renda pitched seven shutout innings and Leo Rojas had a career high five hits as Alabama State beat Prairie View 9-2 Friday night in day one of the Major League Baseball Urban Invitational at Minute Maid Park.

Coming off last week's no-hitter, Renda allowed four singles, walked one and struck out five. Rojas went five-for-five with three runs scored and one RBI as Alabama State improved to 5-1 on the season.

“T.J. was very, very good tonight,” head coach Mervyl Melendez said. “Again, he located his pitches, and every pitch he threw was down in the zone. Usually when a pitcher is down in the zone and hitting his spots, he's going to have a good night and you could see that from the beginning of the game. The first inning was amazing; he hit every spot that was called, and he piggybacked on that the rest of the game.”

Leading 2-0, Alabama State used a four-run fifth inning to take control of the game. With one out, the Hornets put together four straight singles, the last a Dillon Cooper RBI single to score Dexter Price to extend to a 3-0 lead. Manny Rodriguez' sacrifice fly scored Branden Castro, ahead of Einar Muniz' two-run single to right field which scored Cooper and Rojas to extend to a 6-0 lead.

Waldyvan Estrada homered in the eighth, his first of the season, one of just three extra-base hits by the Hornets as 16 of their season-high 19 hits were singles.

“It was just a matter of time,” Melendez said of his team who at one point had nine hits but just two runs. “When you're swinging the bat well, and keep making good contact, the ball will find the hole. Give credit to our guys for not getting frustrated when we weren't scoring early. It got to the point where those hits meant something.”

Rojas had one of the Hornets' three extra-base hits on a double in the second inning, and hit singles in the fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth innings as he raised his batting average 129 points to .462.

“He was amazing,” Melendez said. “Everything he hit tonight, he squared up, and even the placement of the bunt single was amazing. When a hitter is hot, all he has to do is continue to do is swing the bat. That's what he did tonight.”

The Hornets will face Southern Saturday at 4 p.m. live on MLB Network, with video streaming on MLB.com. It's another matchup between Melendez and Southern's legendary coach Roger Cador.

“Cador is one of my favorite people,” Melendez said. “As a coach, he's been a pioneer at this level and I have a lot of respect for him. We know what Southern brings. They're very talented. We just have to play our game, go out there and do the things we've been doing, and improve on things I think we need to work on.”

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