St. Augustine's holds off Virginia State to advance to CIAA Quarterfinals

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The second-round game in the CIAA Tournament involving Saint Augustine's University at Time Warner Cable Arena featured many highs and lows than a ride at the State Fair, but in the end, the Falcons did what they mainly do under a squad coached by Lonnie Blow, Jr. – they win.

 

The Falcons, seeded fourth in the Southern Division, have lost only once in the CIAA Tournament in the three years that Blow has been at the helm. They were pushed to the limit by a game Virginia State squad after controlling the first half and leading by as much as 14 in the second half, but the Falcons prevailed 60-56 on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, with toughness, clutch plays and good decisions.

 

The toughness showed in the latter stages after the Trojans (13-15), seeded No. 5 in the Northern Division, tied the score on two free throws with 30 seconds left. The Falcons could have rolled over, but they were composed after a timeout and made plays down the stretch which ultimately determined the game.

 

"I thought we played well for most of the game," Blow said. "We got off to a really good start. We were consistent for most of the game. We guarded them. We did an outstanding job of rebounding the ball. We gang rebounded in the first half. But down the stretch, I thought we kind of relaxed and didn't do the things that got us the lead, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

 

"We probably played 36 good minutes, but we're not perfect so we're going to make some mistakes. But in the end, I thought we did a good job. I though we made some big plays here and there to pull it out."

 

The clutch plays occurred after the timeout. All-CIAA guard Percy Woods (Sr./Washington, D.C.) drove the middle of the lane and found a wide-open Jonathan Crawley (So./Richmond, Va.) underneath the basket. Crawley missed the dunk, but he gathered his composure, grabbed the rebound and scored a layup as he was fouled. Crawley swished the free throw to erase a tie game and put the Falcons ahead 58-55 with nine seconds left.

 

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Bowie State Topples Chowan to advance to CIAA quarterfinal round

CHARLOTTE, NC- Sharp shooting from Bowie State University and a 25 point performance from All-CIAA selection Byron Westmorland propelled the Bulldogs to a 78-56 victory over the Chowan University Hawks on Wednesday evening in the Time Warner Cable Arena.

 

Bowie State University entered the contest as the #4 seed out of the Northern Division, while the Hawks met up with the Bulldogs as the #6 seed in the North. With the 78-56 win, Bowie State advances to the quarterfinals against Lincoln (PA), the top seed in the North. Tip-off is slated for 9:00pm on Thursday.

 

Bowie State Head Coach Darrell Brooks stated, "We're really excited about tonight's game and about the win tonight. We just came into it like this is our first game and we just have to win. We have to earn every game from here on out. It's not guaranteed and we have to earn our next game and we have to get ready for tomorrow."
 

 

Quinton McDuffie got the Hawks on the board first in the contest with a jumper. McDuffie drew a Bulldog foul and sank two free throws allowing Chowan to take an early 4-0 lead.

 

Najee White's dunk for Bowie State put the Bulldogs on the board at the 17:49 mark. The Hawks answered back with a three pointer from Kyree Bethel and a lay-up from CIAA Rookie of the Year Kortez Smith to earn an early 9-2 advantage.

The Bulldogs battled back with a 10-3 run capped by a jumper from Bryan Wilson with 13:53 clock to tie the game 12-12. Najee White's free throw gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game.

Ashante Ross hit a three pointer to give the Hawks a 15-13 lead with 11:06 left in the first half.

 

 

Byron Westmorland sealed off a 7-0 run for the Bulldogs, drilling a three pointer to secure the 22-15 lead with 9:21 left in the first half. Bowie State extended their lead to 10 points at the 5:41 mark after a three pointer from ByronWestmorland.

 

The Hawks struggled to keep All-CIAA Byron Westmorland under control, as he scored 18 points in the first half alone, and eight out of the team's 12 points in the last five minutes before intermission. The Bulldogs took a 39-25 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
 

 

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Elizabeth City State Survives and Advances to CIAA Semifinals with Win Over Johnson C. Smith

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Blake Price buried the go-ahead bucket to help Elizabeth City State knock off Johnson C. Smith 65-63 in the quarterfinal round of the CIAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Arena.

With the game tied at 63, Price sank a layup with 29 seconds remaining to give the Vikings the lead for good. He drove the length of the floor as time was winding down on the shot clock and got a nice reverse layup off to put the Vikings ahead.

"We're fortunate to be advancing," said Elizabeth City head coach Shawn Walker. "This was a difficult game and we knew it would be difficult. Johnson C. Smith beat us in January by 30. Of course, we know they are a very good team and capable of doing it again. We're very lucky to win and very blessed to be moving on and happy to be moving on."



The Golden Bulls had several chances to make something happen in the latter stages of the game. After a failed lob attempt to Emilio Parks inside, ECSU's Angelo Sharpless tapped the ball out of bounds to give the Golden Bulls another chance.

On the ensuing inbounds pass, the Golden Bulls didn't get the shot they wanted but they were given another opportunity as the ball fell out of bounds once again with .07 left on the clock. A three-point shot by Joshua Linson was short as time expired.

"It was a bit of a miscommunication," said Johnson C. Smith head coach Stephen Joyner, Sr. "I wanted a jump ball in the lane and Emilio went for the jump ball behind the defense, which was to their advantage. I really felt he could have gotten in front of the guy and out-jump the guy to get to the basket and have an opportunity to score the bucket. We didn't get it done."



The Vikings, the No. 2 seed from the Northern Division, were led by four players with double figures. Faulcon had a team-high 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting to lead the way for ECSU. Glenn Patterson added 11 while Price and Shaquil Barber contributed 10 apiece in the win. Angelo Sharpless, the CIAA Player of the Year, was limited to just eight points.

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Winston-Salem State Uses Balanced Attack to Cruise Past Virginia Union

CHARLOTTE, NC- Winston-Salem State barreled past the Panthers of Virginia Union 84-74 to advance to the semi-finals in the CIAA Tournament.

The #10 Winston-Salem State University Rams, the #3 seed out of the South met up with the Virginia Union University Panthers on Thursday afternoon in Time Cable Warner Arena. The Panthers entered the contest as the #2 seed in the Southern Division. With the 84-74 win Winston-Salem State advances to the semi-final game. The Rams will take on the winner of Thursday's 9:00pm game between Lincoln (PA) and Bowie State.

Head Coach of the Rams, Bobby Collins stated, "This is what we've been preparing for all year. We need to be prepared whenever we play, whoever we play. I thought the first half we came out a little flat defensively. I didn't panic because I knew we could turn it up defensively. We just want to continue to play consistently defensively and share the basketball. When we do that we are very hard to beat."



Five players netted double digit for the Rams with Justin Golver and Michel-Ofik Nzege collecting 16 each, Wakefield Ellison and CIAA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Wells grabbing 15 apiece and WyKevin Bazemore scoring 14 points in the rebound. For Virginia Union, Wesley Simmons led all scorers in the game with 22 points. Cordero Holt added 15 points in the loss.

All-CIAA performer Wykevin Bazemore got the Rams on the board first in the contest with a mid-range jumper. A three pointer from All-CIAA selection Justin Glover gave Winston-Salem State a 5-0 lead at the 18:06 mark.

Juan Wilson put Virginia Union on the contest with an inside layup to make the score 10-2 with 16:31 left in the first half. Two made free throws form Cordero Holt made the score 10-4, but a three point basket from Justin Glover on the next possession pushed the Rams' lead to nine points. Justin Glover added a three point basket for the Rams

By the first media time out in the game, the Rams had built a commanding 17-6 advantage over the Panthers. Virginia Union used two made free throws from Juan Wilson and two jumpers for Wesley Simmons for a 4-0 run to pull within five (17-12) of the Rams with 13:06 left in the half.



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SIAC Basketball Tournament: Day 3 Recap

ATLANTA, Ga. – Monique Weathers hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 points as #1E  Benedict College Lady Tigers rallied to take a 64-55 victory over #5E Albany State University in the quarterfinals of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament on Wednesday.

Benedict, now 17-12 overall, advances to face the winner between #3E Paine and #2 Kentucky State, who play Thursday afternoon, on Friday at 1 p.m. in the semifinals.

The Lady Tigers scored 12 straight points late in the second half to pull away from a close game. Albany State led 53-50 with 5:15 left to play when Benedict started its run. London Richardson hit a pair of free throws, then Weathers hit a 3-pointer, one of six she made in the game, to put Benedict ahead 55-53 with 4:18 left to play and Benedict maintained a lead for the rest of the game.

Alexus Jones followed with a 3-pointer to give Benedict a 58-53 lead with 3:47 left to play. Both teams went the next three minutes without scoring, with a layup by Weathers following a steal by Jones giving Benedict a 60-53 lead with 1:30 left to play.

Benedict, which defeated Albany State by 35 points in Columbia and 12 points in Albany State, struggled against the Lady Rams in the first half. Benedict shot 32.4 percent and committed 17 turnovers in the first half, and trailed by as much as nine points, 28-19, with 3:06 to play in the first half after a layup by Danielle Colson.

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Ninth Annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge Presented by Disney To Showcase Florida A&M and Mississippi Valley State

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida. -- The 2013 MEAC/SWAC Challenge Presented by Disney will feature the Florida A&M University Rattlers of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) against the Mississippi Valley State University Delta Devils of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in a gridiron battle at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 1.

The yearly event, which features teams from two prominent Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), brings approximately 20,000 fans to Central Florida over Labor Day Weekend for the start of college football season. ESPN will televise the game; exact times will be announced at a later date.

“As a proud supporter of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Mid-Eastern and Southwestern Athletic Conferences, Disney values our longstanding relationship with the African-American community and we continue to build on this with our sponsorship of the MEAC/SWAC Presented by Disney,” said Eugene Campbell, vice president of Domestic Minority Business Development for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

“The MEAC/SWAC Challenge is more than just a football game – it’s a celebration for our whole community that underscores the importance of diversity and higher education.”
 

The ninth annual game will be only the second meeting between the two storied programs – first meeting in 1990 (FAMU won 28-13). Florida A&M played in the 2007 MEAC/SWAC Challenge and was edged by Southern 33-27.

For Florida A&M, the game will mark the team’s first game under recently named head coach Earl Holmes. The Rattlers went 4-7 overall in 2012, while the Delta Devils ended the 2012 season with a 5-4 mark.

“I consider it an honor and a privilege to open my first full season as head coach at Florida A&M in Orlando at the MEAC/SWAC Challenge,” said Holmes, a FAMU graduate who previously served as defensive coordinator. “The central location in the state will allow Rattlers from across Florida to converge on a place that they are familiar with. We focus our recruiting in the state, so we expect parents, families and friends to support the student-athletes.”

Karl Morgan, Mississippi Valley State’s head coach since January 2010, shares Holmes’ enthusiasm. “I’m very excited our team will have the chance to open the season on ESPN against Florida A&M,” Morgan said. “To play on national TV two years in a row is huge for our program. We can’t wait to get to Orlando.”

Several additional events will take place around the game, including a high school career panel and a special “Fan Day” celebration at Walt Disney World.

“We are thrilled to have Florida A&M and Mississippi Valley State in this year’s MEAC/SWAC Challenge Presented by Disney,” said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Regional Television. “Being in our ninth year, we are still focused on our mission, which is to build on HBCU traditions, while providing a stellar experience for the student-athletes and fans alike. This matchup gives us great momentum as we look down the road to our tenth anniversary in 2014.”

Tickets for the 2013 event will go on sale early summer. Travel options to attend the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Orlando are being finalized by Anthony Travel, the event’s official travel provider. Expected offerings will include discounted hotel accommodations, game tickets and specially-priced Theme Park Tickets. For more information, visit www.AnthonyTravel.com/MEACSWAC or call (888) 632-6951 for additional information.

The MEAC/SWAC Challenge is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN. For more information about the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, or to join the event’s following on Facebook and Twitter, visit the event’s official Web site at www.meacswacchallenge.com.

Gold Rush will play Dillard for second time in six days

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's men's basketball team will get a quick rematch with Dillard in the opening round of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.
      
The Gold Rush — a 70-46 winner against the Bleu Devils on Saturday in both teams' regular-season finale — will play Dillard at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock, Ark. It will be the first postseason meeting between the longtime city rivals since 2000.
    
Xavier (24-6) shared the GCAC regular-season championship with Philander Smith, but the Gold Rush won a tiebreaker to earn the tournament's No. 1 seed for the first time since 1987, when the event was known as the NAIA District 30 playoffs. Dillard (3-20) is seeded eighth.
    
The Gold Rush have won eight straight against Dillard during the past four seasons and won by an average of 23.8 points during the last two seasons. Xavier defeated the Bleu Devils 54-34 at Dillard's Dent Hall on Jan. 26 and set a series record for fewest points allowed in a game. Xavier leads the series 78-47 and won 15 of the past 16 meetings.
    
The last time Xavier and Dillard met in the postseason, Dillard won 57-46 in the GCAC Tournament opening round in 2000 at Mobile, Ala. The last time Xavier defeated the Bleu Devils in the postseason was in 1993.
    
The Xavier-Dillard winner will play fourth-seeded Talladega or fifth-seeded SUNO in the semifinals at 2:30 p.m. Friday. The championship game will start at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Xavier was 2-0 each against Talladega and SUNO during the regular season, but those four meetings were decided by an average of four points.
    
Xavier seeks its second appearance in three years in the championship game and its first GCAC Tournament title since 1996. SUNO defeated Tougaloo 79-58 in the championship game a year ago at Jacksonville, Fla.
    
The tournament winner will receive the GCAC's automatic bid to the Buffalo Funds-NCAA Division I National Championship, which will begin March 13 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Xavier qualified for the national tournament six times in the past eight seasons, including 2011 and 2012 as an at-large selection. Xavier is ranked 16th nationally with a new top 25 to be announced by late Tuesday afternoon.
    
The tournament schedule:
First Round — Thursday, Feb. 28
#4 Talladega vs. #5 SUNO, 2:30 p.m. at Mims Gym
#1 Xavier vs. #8 Dillard, 2:30 p.m. at Barton Coliseum
#3 Edward Waters vs. #6 Tougaloo, 7:30 p.m. at Mims Gym
#2 Philander Smith vs. #7 Fisk, 7:30 p.m. at Barton Coliseum
Semifinals — Friday, March 1
At Barton Coliseum
Talladega-SUNO winner vs. Xavier-Dillard winner, 2:30 p.m.
Edward Waters-Tougaloo winner vs. Philander Smith-Fisk winner, 7:30 p.m.
Championship — Saturday, March 2
At Barton Coliseum
Semifinal winners, 4:30 p.m.


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