Oregon Ducks Topple Morgan State, 97-76

EUGENE, Oregon  --  Oregon coach Dana Altman said there probably isn't a team in the country satisfied with how it's playing right now and his is no different.

The 12th-ranked Ducks just look better doing it than most.

Joseph Young scored 24 points and Oregon continued its best start in eight seasons with a 97-76 victory over Morgan State on Sunday.

Richard Amardi had a season-high 16 points in his first start of the season, and Damyean Dotson scored 15 points for the Ducks (12-0), who are off to their best start since going 13-0 in 2006-07.

Oregon opens Pac-12 Conference play on Thursday at Utah and Altman said there are many areas the Ducks need to improve.

''We've got a lot of work to do,'' Altman said, a sentiment echoed by Young and Jalil Abdul-Bassit, the two players made available to the media after the game.

''I didn't think we did too good,'' Young said. ''We didn't take a step like we needed too.''

And yet, it was plenty good enough for a 21-point win.

It had been eight days since Oregon defeated BYU in overtime and the Ducks looked more rested than rusty after the long layoff.

Oregon, the national scoring leader coming in, increased its average to 90.8 points per game and were a 3-pointer from a school-record fifth 100-point game this season.

The Ducks got there with a balanced and efficient scoring attack. Six players scored seven or more points and Oregon shot 54 percent from the field overall, 7 for 15 from 3-point range and 22 for 26 from the free throw line.

Young, who had three 3-pointers, was 9 for 13 from the field and Amardi made all but one of his nine shots.

''They're good. They're really good,'' Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman said. ''There's a reason why they're undefeated. Dana does a good job with them guys and they keep coming at you. They can sub in five guys and there's not that big a drop off.''

Justin Black scored 22 points for the Bears (3-9), and Anthony Hubbard added 15 and Ian Chiles had 13 points and tied the Matthew Knight Arena record with five blocks.

The Ducks led 54-30 at halftime behind 17 points from Young and 12 from Amardi.

Oregon used a 16-1 run to lead 16-5 4 minutes into the game.

The Ducks put the game out of reach with one last surge in the first half, outscoring the Bears 20-6 over the final 5:30 to turn a 10-point lead into the 24-point halftime advantage.

Morgan State made the first two baskets of the game but went just 6 for 22 the rest of the half. The Bears made just one field goal after a jumper by Black made it 34-24 with 6:40 to play.

The second half opened with layups by Johnathan Loyd and Dotson as the Ducks extended their lead to 58-30. They led by as many as 30 points.

But the Ducks were outscored 46-43 and committed 13 of their 18 turnovers in the second half. They sent the Bears to the free throw line 35 times and despite outrebounding them 42-26, Oregon gave up 14 second-chance points.

''Everybody can score on this team,'' said Abdul-Bassit, who had a career-high nine points. ''Anybody can go for 20 every night, but we really need to focus on our defense and stopping other teams.''



Oregon-Morgan State Box Score (PDF)

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Winthrop Eagles Drops Hard Fought Double-Overtime Contest At Hampton, 101-95

HAMPTON, Virginia  -- Turnovers proved costly as Winthrop dropped its third straight game in a 101-95 double-overtime hard fought loss at Hampton, Sunday afternoon in non-conference men's basketball action.

With the loss the Eagles fall to 6-5 on the year and will remain on the road as they will open the New Year with a 2 p.m. battle at Dayton on Wednesday, Jan. 1. Hampton improves to 6-7 on the year and 4-1 at home.

The two teams combined for 79 free throws in the game as the Eagles were 34-38 (89.5%) and the Pirates were 30-for-41 (73.2%). The game featured 18 lead changes and 14 ties. Winthrop finished the game shooting 37 percent from the floor and just 23 percent in overtime as Hampton shot 46 percent and 43 percent in overtime.

"I give all praise to Hampton for playing their rear ends off and I give a lot of credit to our kids for fighting their butts off in a really, really hard fought game," said Winthrop head coach Pat Kelsey. "There were a couple of crucial stretches when the game was hanging in the balance and we had a couple of crucial turnovers in crucial situations that we had an opportunity to kind of seal the deal, or put the nail in the coffin so to speak."

Winthrop held an early 89-88 lead in double-overtime after freshman Keon Johnson drained a three before Hampton grabbed the lead back on a Ramon Mercado three-pointer. Winthrop had a couple of chances to tie the game trailing 93-91, but couldn't get shots to fall and Hampton made just enough plays down the stretch to hold on for the win. Mercado had only played five minutes in regulation and didn't even attempt a shot, but came through for the Pirates with seven points and two assists in the two overtime periods.

Johnson led all scorers with a career-high 24 points on 7-for-13 shooting and 4-for-6 behind the arc. Keon Moore also had a career-high 22 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists. Johnson and Moore were two of five Winthrop players in double-figures.

In regulation, Winthrop led 76-72 after James Bourne made two free throws with 37 seconds to play. The Pirates were able to get to the foul line to stop the clock and make it a one possession game after Deron Powers made two free throws with 31 seconds left. Winthrop had a chance to send the game back to a two possession lead but an errant pass by Andre Smith was snatched by Hampton, who went down and tied the game on a lay-up by Powers with 17 seconds left. The Eagles had a chance to win the game at the end, but Joab Jerome drove the lane as the clock ran down and lost the ball out of bounds with two seconds left as the game went to overtime tied at 76-76.

Overtime didn't start off well for the Eagles as Du'Vaughn Maxwell scored inside and was fouled as he made the free throw to complete the three-point play and give Hampton a 79-76 lead. Moore responded with a jumper, but the Pirates came right back as Emmanuel Okoroba made two free throws for another three-point advantage.

The Eagles took their first lead in overtime when Keon Moore made two free throws, but Powers took a pass from Mercado and drained a contested three to push Hampton back into the lead, 84-82 with 1:40 to play. Johnson tied the game with two free throws, but Hampton grabbed the lead again with 19 seconds to play in overtime after Mercado made two free throws. After Winthrop called a timeout, Johnson came through in the clutch with a runner off the glass that tied the game and sent it to double-overtime.

In the second half Winthrop worked its way to a 48-47 lead behind an 11-2 run capped off by a Larry Brown layup with 13:15 to play. Joab Jerome made it a one-point game after he scored on an easy basket after a long pass from Brandon Vega to beat the Pirates down court.
From that point the two teams went back-and-forth until the end of regulation.

Winthrop fell behind by 12 points in the first half after the Pirates started a 17-0 run midway through for a 28-16 lead with 6:24 to play. Brian Darden connected on four of his five first half triples during the run that came to an end after Christian Farmer knocked down a short jumper. Johnson followed with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to seven points, but back-to-back possessions with turnovers allowed Hampton to push the lead back to double-figures at 32-21.

Over the final four minutes of the first half, Winthrop battled its way back to a 37-32 deficit at the break. Moore made 1-of-2 free throws to make it a 10-point Hampton lead before Smith hit a three with 2:46 on the clock to cut the lead to seven points. Three more free throws for Hampton made it a 10-point advantage with less than two minutes to play before Johnson hit another three as Hampton led 35-28. Winthrop made four free throws over the final minute and 13 seconds while Hampton was 2-for-2, which made it a five-point game at the half.

Winthrop shot just 31 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes, but matched Hampton behind the arc with six threes made and also finished the first half 8-for-10 at the foul line. Both teams combined for 20 first half turnovers with Hampton scoring nine points on nine Winthrop turnovers and the Eagles getting just six on 11 for the Pirates.

"I was proud of our kids' efforts," added Kelsey. "They fought and were worthy of wearing that Winthrop jersey today."

Smith finished the game with 15 points as he came off the bench to play 30 minutes as he also had two assists. Bourne finished with 11 points as he was 10-for-12 from the foul line and had 10 rebounds to record first career double-double. Farmer added 11 points as he made his first start as an Eagle and also added two rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes.

Maxwell led Hampton with 20 points and 10 rebounds as well as five blocks as he was one of five Hampton players in double-figures. Darden finished with 19 points while Dwight Meikle added 16.

The Eagles finished the game 11-for-29 behind the arc as the 11 triples are the most under a Kelsey led team in two seasons and the fifth time the team has hit 10 or more in a game. Winthrop's 95 points were the most by a Winthrop team on the road since Jan. 31, 2007 in Lexington, VA with a 109-96 win at VMI.

Box Score 

COURTESY WINTHROP UNIVERSITY EAGLES ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS            

FDU Concludes Florida Trip With 62-52 Loss to Florida A&M

MIAMI, Florida  -- The Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team concluded the FIU Sun & Fun Classic on Sunday with a 62-52 loss to Florida A&M from Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena. With the victory, the Lady Rattlers improve to 7-8 on the season, while the Knights fall to 1-10 overall.

The first half was a sloppy affair that saw the two sides combine for 18 turnovers, 34 free throws and poor shooting percentages from the field. FAMU would lead the entire game.

With FDU trailing 14-11 after a pair of free throws from freshman Valerie Oyakhilome at the 10:54 mark, the Lady Rattlers would outscore the Knights by nine the rest of the first half to go into the break leading 34-22.

FDU converted on only 17 percent (4-of-23) of its shots but converted 14-of-21 from the charity stripe. FAMU shot 11-of-31 (35.5 percent) and outscored the Knights by 12 from three-point range.

The second half appeared to be much of the same in the opening minutes, with each team only scoring two points by the first media timeout. After that, the offenses awoke, as FDU outscored the Lady Rattlers 30-28 over the course of the second half, which included a 10-0 run beginning at the 5:38 mark.

Juniors Amanda Andrades and Tiffany Grant hit back-to-back threes, followed by a senior Desiree Crawford's layup during the run. Ultimately, FAMU would hold on to and extend its lead back to double digits until the final whistle.

Desiree Crawford had a monster game for the Knights despite battling an illness, finishing with a career-high 19 points to go along with a season-high 12 rebounds and two blocks, while converting 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Andrades finished with 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and a block while playing the entire 40 minutes.

FDU shot much better from the field in the second half (40 percent) and finished the contest shooting 30.2 percent (16-of-53) overall from the field. The Knights outscored FAMU 24-10 in the paint and 13-4 on second-chance points due to their 14 offensive rebounds.

"We played a very good second half, outscoring them, did a great job on the boards, outrebounding them (44-38) against what I think is a good rebounding team," Head Coach Peter Cinella said. "Desiree Crawford had a very good all-around game. Anastasia Williams did a good job on the boards as well, and Amanda Andredes had a good all-around effort in the second half."

The Lady Rattlers' star performer, graduate student Jasmine Grice, finished the game with 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals.

After the final game, Desiree Crawford was named to the All-

Coach Cinella on Crawford: "Desiree showed a lot of toughness this weekend and great leadership. She responded with a career game and a double-double effort today against Florida A&M. Her All-Tournament selection is well deserved."

FDU will return to action Saturday, Jan. 4 when it starts Northeast Conference play at Bryant, with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m.

Box Score 
Tournament team. The senior averaged 12 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks on 8-17 shooting over the two games.

COURTESY FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS  

NSU Defeats UMBC 56-43 to Claim 1st Road Win of the Season

HARRISONBURG, Virginia – Senior Rachel Gordon and junior Quineshia Leonard each scored 11 points to give NSU a 56-43 victory over UMBC in the JMU Invitational on Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center. The win against UMBC is the Spartans' first win away from Echols Hall this season.

NSU moved to 5-6 on the season while UMBC fell to 1-10 overall.
Gordon also tallied 11 rebounds in her effort to claim her fifth double-double of the season. She now has 864 rebounds in her career. Gordon needs 11 more rebounds to tie Beverly Davis for seventh all-time career rebounding at NSU.

UMBC started the first half with a layup from Liz McNaughton at the 19:47 mark that sparked an 8-0 run. Tayler McCarley closed the run on a jumper in the paint with an assist from Emily Russo with 16:48 to go before halftime.

From there it was all NSU as freshman Logan Powell scored the first bucket of the game for the Spartans with 16:34 on the clock. Powell's basket started a 24-3 run for NSU that included field-goals from freshmen Kieera Basey and Koryn Lawrence. Leonard and junior Ebony Brown also contributed in scoring during the run. Gordon ended the run on a layup with 7:08 remaining in the half to give NSU a 24-11 lead over UMBC. Gordon's basket was the last field-goal of the half for the Spartans.

UMBC closed out the half with a 6-1 run as McNaughton drained a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:35 left to send the Retrievers into halftime trailing NSU, 25-17. This the second time this season that NSU has held an opponent to 20 points or less in a half. The last time the Spartans held an opponent under 20 points in a half was against Virginia University-Lynchburg on Dec. 20. VUL only scored 16 points in the second half.

NSU came out hot in the second half as Corbo nailed a 3-pointer with 19:14 on the clock to ignite a 17-2 run. Corbo ended the run on a jumper at the 15:19 mark to give NSU a 42-21 lead over UMBC. This was the Spartans' largest lead of the game.

UMBC finally came to life in the second half after Janelle Saling knocked down a 3-pointer with 14:58 on the clock. Bridget O'Donnell closed out UMBC's 15-4 run with a jumper, but the Retrievers still trailed NSU, 46-36, with 8:30 remaining in the game.

Ebony Brown answered on the other end with another 3-pointer to keep NSU ahead by 13 with 7:36 to go in the half. The Spartans' last field-goal of the half was from Leonard with 3:45 left that gave NSU a 55-37 lead over UMBC.

The Spartans ended the game shooting 41.2 percent (21-of-51) from the field and 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from the free throw line. NSU shot only 22.2 percent (2-of-9) from beyond the arc on the afternoon. Aside from Leonard and Gordon, Ebony Brown contributed nine points, Corbo posted eight points to go along with her three assists and Lawrence finished the game with six points.
The Spartans outrebounded the Retrievers 38-31 on the afternoon. NSU outscored UMBC in the paint, 28-14, and also outscored UMBC on second chance points, 18-3.

UMBC shot 34.0 percent (16-of-47) and was 60.0 percent (6-of-10) from the free throw line. The Retrievers also shot only 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from 3-point range. Saling and McCarley led UMBC in scoring with 12 points each. O'Donnell contributed eight points, six rebounds and three blocks, while McNaughton totaled seven points and two assists.

The Spartans will face James Madison tomorrow in the JMU Invitational. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m.

Box Score

By Chaundrea Lee, Media Relations Assistant
COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Wofford Women's Basketball Falls to Howard at Terrapin Classic, 63-55

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland  -- The Wofford College women's basketball team was defeated by Howard University, 63-55, in the consolation game of the Terrapin Classic on Sunday from Maryland's Comcast Center.

The Terriers (2-10) were hurt most by 24 turnovers while Howard (4-8) took care of the basketball with just 13. It helped the Lady Bison put up 14 more shots and use a 9-0 run to take a 46-33 lead midway through the second period. The Terriers got back within six with a minute to play, but could not close the gap any further and suffered its sixth straight defeat.

For Wofford, sophomore Ashton Fleming recorded her first collegiate double-double. Fleming posted career-highs in both points and rebounds, putting down 10 points and collecting 14 boards. She shot 4-of-5 from the field and filled up the stat sheet with two steals, one block and one assist.

Classmate Jordan Frazier tied Fleming's team-high 10 points, marking her ninth double-figure scoring game of the season. Frazier scored 19 against Maryland on Saturday and was named to the Terrapin Classic All-Tournament Team following the conclusion of the championship game between the Terps and College of Charleston. Khadijah Joyner, another sophomore, grabbed a career-high eight rebounds, seven of which came in the second half, and posted her fourth multi-block game of the year.

Howard's Te'Shya Heslip scored a game-high 16 points, also recording eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals. Cheyenne Brown scored in double figures with 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting and grabbed five boards. Shavonne Duckett had a team-high nine rebounds.

Brown came out ready for the early 11 a.m., tip and scored on each of Howard's first two possessions. A few minutes later, she downed her sixth point to get the Lady Bison off to an 11-2 start and force an early Terrier timeout. Rebounding was hurting Wofford early on, as well as not being able to get a few open jumpers to fall.

Down 13-5, Wofford scored the next five points to make it a one possession game. Redshirt senior Erin Frost got fouled on a drive to the basket and made both free throws, and sophomore Chanel Stokes went 1-of-2 from the line on Wofford's next trip down the floor. Out of a media timeout, freshman Kentra Washington hit a layup to get the score to 13-10.

Frost went on to score Wofford's next five points, hitting a jumper and a 3-pointer to cut the gap to two, 17-15. Meanwhile, Howard was having trouble from the field, unable to sink a basket for nearly seven minutes.

Howard ended the drought and with the two sides trading points, the Terriers remained behind by one to two possessions. Buckets by senior Logan Morris and junior Lauren Kirby brought the Terriers within just one point, 22-21, at the 4:06 mark.

Howard scored six of the half's last seven points to get some breathing room heading into the break. Wofford trailed 24-22 with less than a minute to play, but Brown sank a layup, followed by a jumper with 10 seconds on the clock to give the Lady Bison a 28-22 halftime lead.

At the half, Wofford was shooting 28.6 percent (8-28 FG) while Howard was at 36.4 percent (12-33 FG). The Lady Bison held a 26-20 rebounding edge and were sharing the ball well with seven assists on their 12 baskets. Brown led the game with 12 points (6-8 FG), while Frost headed Wofford with 7 points (2-5 FG, 1-2 3FG, 2-2 FT).

Wofford head coach Edgar Farmer went with a bigger lineup to begin the second half, starting 6-foot-2 Joyner in favor of 5-foot-2 Frazier. Kirby scored 14 seconds into the half and with a made free throw from Fleming the Terriers were within a basket, 29-27.

It remained a one possession game until Imani Bailey, Victoria Gonzalez and Heslip scored the next six points to put Howard up eight. Wofford cut it to four on buckets from Frazier and Morris, but Howard responded with the game's biggest run, scoring nine consecutive points and burning another Wofford timeout with 11:45 to play ahead 46-33.

Kirby, Morris and Fleming got the margin to seven with a made field goal apiece, but Heslip killed the momentum with a trey to get her team back ahead by double digits. Joyner and Fleming were doing a good job on the glass to make sure Howard didn't get second and third chances, but the Terriers hurt themselves by going 1-of-2 from the free throw line on three consecutive trips. Instead of a four-point game, the missed attempts kept Howard ahead by seven, 51-44. Two Lady Bison baskets later, Wofford trailed by 11 with less than four minutes remaining.

The Terriers gave it one final push. Down by 10, Washington got to the line for a pair of free throws and sank both. Fleming stole the ensuing in-bounds pass and hit a quick layup, making it a six-point game, 57-51, with 1:05 showing on the clock.

It was not to be. Howard hit its free throws and after Wofford got the margin back to six, Cabria Johnson found Heslip wide open down court on an in-bounds pass. Heslip sank an easy layup to leave the game out of reach.

The Wofford women's basketball team returns home for the first time in a month on Saturday, welcoming Western Carolina to Benjamin Johnson Arena. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m., and is part of a Wofford basketball doubleheader. The men's team takes on Davidson that evening at 7 p.m.

Terrier Notes

- Ashton Fleming recorded her first collegiate double-double, setting career-highs of 10 points and 14 rebounds

- Jordan Frazier scored 10 points, marking her ninth double-figure scoring game of the season

- Frazier was named to the Terrapin Classic All-Tournament Team.

- Khadijah Joyner marked her fourth multi-block game of the year and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds, seven of which came in the second half

- The matchup was the consolation game of the Terrapin Classic

- It was the first ever series meeting between Wofford and Howard

Box Score

COURTESY WOFFORD UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

HU Lady Pirates Use Strong Second Half to Beat Brown

ATLANTA, Georgia  -- For the third straight game, the Hampton University women's basketball team had a strong second half. This time, the Lady Pirates used it to upend Brown 71-50 on Sunday in the first game of the Georgia Tech Holiday Tournament at McCamish Pavilion.

The Lady Pirates (10-3) led by just two at the half, but outscored the Bears 38-19 in the second half to pull away with their fifth straight win. Hampton will face either Alabama State or Georgia Tech in Monday's title game at 2 p.m.

Junior guard Kenia Cole (Silver Spring, Md.) led the Lady Pirates with a season-high 19 points, thanks to a career-high five 3-pointers and seven field goals. Freshman guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas (Harrisburg, Pa.) added 16 points – 10 in the second half – seven assists, and six rebounds.

Senior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) scored 13 points and dished out seven assists.

After the Lady Pirates scored the first four points of the game, Brown answered with five straight to take a 5-4 lead at the 17:05 mark after a layup from Lauren Clarke. Hampton then went on a 5-0 run of its own, going up 10-5 after a layup from senior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) at the 15:33 mark.

Clarke hit a trey with 13:09 left in the half to cut Hampton's lead to 12-11, before Jordin Alexander added a layup at the 12:11 mark to give Brown a 13-12 lead. Brown led by as many as three, going up 21-18 with 9:41 left in the half after a Sophie Beutel 3-pointer.

But the Lady Pirates scored the next seven points to take a 25-21 lead at the 7:00 mark after a trey from Hamilton. Brown answered with an 8-2 run, taking a 29-27 lead with 2:41 left in the half on an Ellise Sharpe layup.

Jordin Juker hit two free throws with 1:18 left in the half to give the Bears a 31-29 lead, but the Lady Pirates closed the half with a layup from Tate-DeFreitas and a short jumper from redshirt-sophomore forward Brielle Ward (Baltimore, Md.) to take a 33-31 lead into the locker room.

Hamilton led the Lady Pirates with nine points at the half.

The Lady Pirates opened the second half with a 10-2 run, taking a 43-33 lead with 15:27 left to play after a layup from sophomore guard Ryan Jordan (Manassas, Va.). Cole added a layup, and then a 3-pointer, helping the Lady Pirates take a 48-38 lead at the 12:26 mark.

Beutel closed the gap to six, cutting Hampton's lead to 48-42 with a layup with 11:14 to play, but the Lady Pirates answered with nine straight points to break the game wide open, taking a 57-42 lead 8:11 left to play after a fastbreak layup from Cole.

Clarke hit a trey with 4:40 left to cut Hampton's lead to 62-48, but the Lady Pirates scored the next seven points to go up 69-48 with 2:26 left after a jumper from Bennett.

A layup from Tate-DeFreitas with 42 seconds left pushed the game to its final margin.

The Lady Pirates shot 40.5 percent (30-for-74) from the floor – including a 45.5 percent clip (15-for-33) in the second half – and made eight of their 26 3-pointers (30.8 percent). Hampton also held a 43-41 edge on the glass, and the Lady Pirates turned 16 Brown turnovers into 25 points.

Hampton also outscored the Bears (5-5) 38-22 in the paint.

Brown shot 32.8 percent (19-for-58) from the floor – hitting just eight of their 30 field goals (26.7 percent) in the second half – and went just 7-for-31 (22.7 percent) from behind the arc.

Clarke led Brown with 17 points.

For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

Box Score

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Rams 'excited' for start of conference season

ALBANY, Georgia  — The Albany State men’s basketball team returns to campus today after a two-week holiday break.

And Rams coach Chris Cameron is hoping his team comes back with the same focus and determination it left with 14 days ago.

 

The Rams wrapped up first-semester practices a couple of weeks ago before Cameron sent his players home for the holidays, and the eight-year coach believes his players were peaking just as they left campus for the break.

 

“We had three or four practices after final exams, and those practices were good,” said Cameron, whose Rams lost their final game before break to St. Leo, 96-62, on Dec. 7. “I saw focus and concentration in the guys during those practices, and we are hoping they come back the same way.”

 

ASU (3-5) resumes practice today and will begin the second half of the season Thursday at home in its SIAC opener against Kentucky State. The Thorobreds (1-4) are on a four-game losing streak but have won six of their last seven games against ASU dating back to 2010.

 

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FAMU Lady Rattlers Bested 79-63 By Wake Forest At FIU

MIAMI, Florida  --    The Florida A&M Lady Rattlers (6-8, 1-1 MEAC) dropped a testy battle in South Florida to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-4, 0-0 ACC), 79-63 at the U.S. Century Bank Arena on the campus of FIU, in the first round of the Fun& Sun Classic.

In the first half, the Lady Rattlers battled through a physically imposing WFU front line that bested them on the boards, but used a press defense to slow progress, allowing the Lady Rattlers to keep the Demon Deacons close.

“I thought we played a tough game in the face of a very tall team, while nursing some injuries of a few of our front court players.  We let a few opportunities get away at times, but overall we stayed aggressive throughout the game.  We did some good things in this game and we hope to build on it and get a split here to close out this tournament.  From there we plan to tighten up loose ends just in time for conference play,” head coach LeDawn Gibson said.

The Lady Rattlers were led by Jasmine Grice as scored 20 points on 7-of-20 shooting from the field.  She was also one of the team leaders with seven rebounds and added five steals to her line.  Taneka Rubin poured in 16 points on 5-of-18 shooting, while Kimberly Sparkman chipped in 14 on 6-of-10 shooting.  Rubin pulled down seven rebounds, as did Ann Marie Harris.

Wake Forest was led by Dearica Hamby, who hit for 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting.  Chelsea Douglas added 13 and Ataijah Taylor closed out the double-digit scorers with 10.  Hamby dominated the boards, using her lengthy frame to haul in 18 rebounds.  No other play grabbed double digit rebounds in the game.

The Lady Rattlers put up a fight to the end, but had no answer for the Demon Deacon size.  “I am encouraged by what I saw.  We never gave up.  Looking at our team now, as opposed to where they were just a few weeks ago, we’ve made some positive strides.  If we continue to improve, we should be where we want to be this season,” Gibson said.

FAMU shot 32.4 percent for the game, while WF shot a scorching 50 percent.  54 of the Demon Deacon points came in the paint, eclipsing FAMU’s 28 points.  WF also had 30 points contributed by their bench to 19 for FAMU.





Final Stats

The Lady Rattlers will play in the consolation game tomorrow at 1 p.m. as they will face Farleigh Dickinson at the U.S. Century Bank Arena.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Denver Pioneers Down Alcorn State 67-49

EL PASO, Texas – University of Denver junior Brett Olson (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) scored 16 points and tied a season-high with four three-pointers, leading the Pioneers to a 67-49 victory over Alcorn State at the 52^nd Annual Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational at the Don Haskins Center on Saturday evening.

Senior Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas) added 15 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocked shots, while junior Cam Griffin (San Antonio, Texas) pulled down a game-high eight rebounds and scored eight points. Sophomore Jalen Love (Wichita, Kan.) set a career high with seven rebounds for the Pioneers (6-6).

“I thought we came out ready and played well to build a 20-point lead in the first half,” head coach Joe Scott said. “The second half was what we expected, and I think our guys again did a pretty good job of rebounding and taking care of the ball, and never letting them get it back to within 10 points. That’s what you’ve got to do in a game like this.”



The Pioneers used a 17-0 run midway through the first half, punctuated by back-to-back follow dunks from Griffin and Udofia, to spark a 27-17 lead at the break.

The Braves (3-8) used hot shooting to get back in the game during the second half, hitting their first eight shots and pulling the score to 55-44 with 5:27 remaining.

However, Udofia scored five-straight and Alcorn State went without a field goal over the final 5:31, as Denver sealed the win down the stretch.

The Pioneers shot 48.1 percent (25-of-52) in the game and went 9-of-24 (37.5 percent) from the three-point line. Alcorn State hit 44.7 percent (17-of-38) from the floor, while going 0-for-4 from beyond the arc and 15-of-29 (51.7 percent) from the free throw line.
DU held a 34-24 rebounding advantage over Alcorn State, which was led in scoring by LeAntwan Luckett’s 20 points.

Denver concludes the 52^nd Annual WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational against UTEP on Sunday at 7 p.m. MT.

Individual home game tickets for men's basketball are on sale now with prices starting at $9 for adults. Single-game tickets can be purchased in person at the Ritchie Center Box Office, by phone at 303-871-2336 or online at DenverPioneers.com/tickets. DU students are admitted to all Denver men's basketball games FREE with their Pioneer Card.

DU continues its commitment to provide the community with the most affordable and exciting entertainment in the Denver metro area.

Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 17 of DU's NCAA Division I sports.

Denver vs. Alcorn State Box Score (PDF)

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF DENVER ATHLETICS 

Robinson, Graham Lead ASU Past AUM

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- DeMarcus Robinson tied his career-high with 21 points and Brandon Graham collected a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead Alabama State (5-5) to a 78-51 win over Auburn Montgomery in a friendly neighborhood basketball game.

Both of Graham's totals were career-highs while Luther Page also hit double digits with 10 points to give the Hornets three double-digit scorers.

The Hornets shot 45 percent from the field (32-71) for the game and shot 35 percent (8-23) from beyond the three point line as both Robinson and Graham led the way with three threes each.

"I thought the guys came out today and got off to a good start," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said. "We were able to get some early baskets and we were playing some pretty good defense and things were working for us. Things fell off some when we made some substitutions with our offense, but overall I thought it was a good effort."

"The guys came out and executed well on some things and we got a chance to play some guys that have not played in a while."

Maurice Strong collected a career-high 10 rebounds to help the Hornets our rebound AUM 48-35 and Jamel Waters, the Hornets leading scorer, tied his career-high with 10 assists while scoring seven points.

ASU came out in the second half and scored the first seven points of the half to add to ASU's halftime lead of 37-22 and pushed the lead out to 44-22. The run was a 14-0 run that covered the end of the first half and was stopped by a free throw from AUM's Spencer Jones.

ASU's largest lead of the game came on back-to-back dunks from Bobby Brown that gave ASU a 70-40 lead with 6:44 left in the game.

"Jamel was pushing the ball tonight and I think he had seven assists at halftime and he ended up with 10 and we want to get out and run more," Jackson said. "We have good athletes and we are trying to run more and put pressure on the other teams with our transition offense. There were some things that were good tonight so we just have to continue to work on the things that will allow us to be successful."

Brett Person and Brandon Howard scored 12 points each to lead AUM and Quay Davis came off the bench to add 11. ASU's defense held AUM to 32 percent shooting (18-57) and 28 percent (5-18) from beyond the three point line.

The first half saw the Hornets score the first six points of the game and go on to lead by as many as 18 points (21-3) before the Warhawks started to come back.

AUM's Howard and Davis hit back-to-back three's to cut the led to 30-22 with 3:08 left in the opening half, but that would be as close as the visitors would get.

ASU held AUM scoreless the final three minutes of the half and scored the half's final seven points which ended with Waters hitting a three at the horn to send ASU into the locker room with a 37-22 lead.

Strong and Robinson had nine points each to lead ASU and Strong added eight rebounds as the Hornets out rebounded AUM 26-18 in the opening half.

ASU will be back in action Monday, Dec. 30 when they host Thomas University at 7 p.m. It will be the Hornets final non-conference action of the season before starting Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play at Grambling Jan. 4.

"It's very important (to play AUM and Thomas) to play these games and we have some things we need to work on in our offense as well as our defense," Jackson said. "It's important to play some games before we go into conference play and we have this game scheduled (AUM) and another on Monday (Thomas)."

"We have to come out and play better, especially on defense and getting into the passing lane. I thought we did a good job of rebounding but the challenges are going to get stronger so we have to try and improve day in and day out."

Box Score

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

WSU Cougars Down MVSU Delta Devils, 85-48

PULLMAN, Washington --  Que Johnson scored 19 points and Royce Woolridge added 16 as Washington State routed Mississippi Valley State 85-48 on Saturday.

The Cougars did it without their leading scorer, DaVonte Lacy. Lacy had an appendix attack early Saturday morning and will miss the conference opener against Arizona next Thursday.

D.J. Shelton recorded his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds for Washington State (7-5) who shot 88 percent from the field in the second half.

Washington State got out to an early 21-3 lead and never trailed in the game. It held Mississippi Valley State (3-8) to just one basket in the early run as they started the game 1-for-16 from the field. The Delta Devils went eleven minutes without a score in the first half.

Washington State continued the rout in the second half, outscoring MVSU 48-18 in the paint.

Video: Ken Bone: MVSU Postgame

Players: MVSU Postgame

Highlights: MBB vs. MVSU

Final Stats

Postgame Notes

 

COURTESY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY COUGARS ATHLETICS

BCU Football to Hold Annual Awards Banquet

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  -- Bethune-Cookman University football will hold its annual end-of-year awards banquet Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Plaza Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach, Fla. Veteran play-by-play announcer for ESPN, Charlie Neal, will serve as master of ceremonies for the annual event.

The event will take place at the Plaza Resort & Spa, located at 600 North Atlantic Avenue on beachside in Daytona Beach. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., with the banquet beginning at 7 p.m.

Recently completing the 2013 season under head coach Brian Jenkins, who just finished his fourth year at the helm in Daytona Beach, the B-CU Wildcats ended the year as HBCU National Champions in the BoxToRow media poll. In addition, several Wildcats were named to numerous All-America teams, while Jenkins received his third Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Coach of the Year award in four years – the second consecutive for the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. native.

B-CU claimed its second MEAC title in as many years during the 2013 campaign, and the third in four years under Jenkins. The Wildcats advanced to the NCAA FCS Playoffs for third time in four years, travelling to Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C.

For more information on the Bethune-Cookman University football team, please log onto BCUathletics.com. Once there, you will find up-to-date news, stats and information regarding the Wildcats football program.

Fans can keep up-to-date with all B-CU Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/BCUathletics, in addition to the official football twitter page at Twitter.com/BCUGridIron. You can also become a fan of the Wildcats on Facebook at Facebook.com/BCUathletics.



COURTESY BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

TSU's Miller Nets 30 in 70-69 Defeat at Eastern Illinois

CHARLESTON, Illinois  -- The Tennessee State men’s basketball team led by 10 points with four minutes left, but couldn’t fend off Eastern Illinois as the Tigers lost on a buzzer-beater, 70-69, on Saturday.

Guard Patrick Miller tied a career-high with 30 points on 9-of-19 shooting and added a 10-for-11 mark from the free throw line.

 

Senior Jacquan Nobles and big man M.J. Rhett also scored in the double figures for TSU (1-13, 0-1 OVC) with 14 and 10, respectively.

 

Nobles was also 4-for-7 from behind the three-point line and Rhett led the Tigers in rebounds with eight.

 

Miller got the TSU offense going with a wide-open three two minutes into the game, but TSU’s second field goal did not come until the 6:44 mark of the first half.

 

In the meantime, the Panthers (4-8, 1-0 OVC) raced out to a 28-13 lead thanks to 10-for-20 shooting from the field, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.

 

TSU’s second basket of the contest started a 10-0 Tiger run that was capped by a contested lay-in from Rhett that pulled the visitors within five with 3:25 to go in the half.

 

Nobles closed the first period scoring with a triple with 53 seconds left and TSU went into the locker room down, 33-28.

The Tigers were 1-of-14 to start the game (7.1 percent), but finished the half 6-of-12 (50 percent). TSU’s stellar free throw shooting (84.6 percent) kept the team in the game, early.

 

Nobles started the second stanza with another three, and Miller converted a fast-break layup at the 17:26 mark to tie the game at 36. It was the first time the game had been tied since it started 0-0.

 

Miller’s hoop sparked a 9-2 Tiger run to give TSU a five-point lead, and an old-fashioned three-point play by the senior later in the period made the score 59-51 with under six minutes to play.

 

The Tigers would not relent, and a great rebound by Rhett led to a quick lay-up by Kennedy Eubanks on the other end of the floor to put Big Blue up by double-digits.

 

The Panthers clawed back following a TSU timeout and rattled off seven straight points to pull within three and force another Tiger timeout at the 2:35 mark.

 

The contest remained a one-possession game until a pair of missed free throws by TSU gave EIU a chance to win the game, down by one with 20 seconds to play.

 

A pair of missed shots from inside the paint allowed Chris Oliver a rebound with just two seconds left. Oliver nailed the shot and got fouled. He missed the ensuing free throw, but EIU hung on to win, 70-69.

 

The Tigers will look to rebound t when they host Tennessee Tech on Jan. 2. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 7 p.m.

 

Final Box

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

South Carolina Gamecocks Soar Past SSU Lady Tigers 82-40

Box Score |  Photo Gallery  | Printable Box Score Highlights  Mitchell, Dozier Coach Staley

COLUMBIA, South Carolina  -- No. 13/12 South Carolina improved to 12-1 in non-conference action Saturday afternoon with an 82-40 win over Savannah State at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks used a 14-3 run late in the first half to establish a 43-25 halftime lead and never looked back. Sophomore guard Tiffany Mitchell turned in a stellar all-purpose effort with 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a career-high five steals to pace the team. Junior Aleighsa Welch, sophomore Asia Dozier and freshman Alaina Coates joined her in double figures with 14, 10 and 17 points, respectively, with Coates wrapping up her third double-double of the season with 12 boards.

"I'm happy for Tiffany (Mitchell) because she works so hard," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said. "She is always in the gym, and she wasn't really getting a full return on being in the gym. Now she is, and she is more efficient at everything she does. She plays hard, and she always gets after it."

The Lady Tigers kept it close early, but the Gamecock defense locked in midway through the first half, launching a 7-1 run that pushed the lead to double digits at 22-12 with 6:25 left in the period. Mitchell did a bulk of the damage at the free throw line, making six trips there, hitting three, and adding a floater in the lane to Dozier's transition layup during the spurt.

Savannah State scored on consecutive possessions to get back within six, but a 14-3 Gamecock surge delivered the knockout punch. Olivia Gaines got things going with a jumper from the free throw line, and Welch added a pair of free throws. The junior forward swiped a steal and led the break down the court, feeding Gaines for a transition layup. Mitchell and Gaines combined to forced a turnover on the Lady Tigers' next possession with Mitchell hitting a pair of free throws. She swiped another steal the next time up the floor, and Welch hit a transition layup to make it a 32-16 contest with 3:37 on the clock. Kenyata Hendrix hit a three from the left wing to stem the tide, but Coates came back with a bucket on the other end, and Mitchell added two more free throws to make it 36-19 just a minute later.

The Gamecocks took a 43-25 lead into the locker room behind 20-of-27 free throw shooting, highlighted by career high makes and attempts from Mitchell, who went 10-of-14 on the way to 12 points in the opening 20 minutes.

The second half started with the Gamecocks pounding the ball inside. Welch hit in the lane to start things off. After Elem Ibiam picked up a steal on the other end, she got the ball inside and through the double team found Tiffany Davis for a 3 from the top of the arc. Dozier picked up the steal on the Lady Tigers' next trip up the floor and Mitchell led the break, finding Ibiam on the left block for her first field goal of the game. Welch continued the steal theme with a pick then got the ball back underneath, where she kicked out to Dozier for a 3 from the left corner and a 53-25 lead just two minutes into the half.

Several Gamecocks posted career-high efforts, including Welch with a team-high five assists. Davis netted a career-high eight points, and Gaines added one to her career high with seven points. South Carolina shot 51.1 percent from the field, topping the 50.0 percent mark for the eighth time this season, and made 30-of-48 from the free throw line for season highs in both makes and attempts. The Gamecocks open SEC action on Thu., Jan. 2, traveling to Arkansas. South Carolina is back at home to play Vanderbilt on Sun., Jan. 5, at 1 p.m.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS 

Toledo Rolls to 85-66 Win Over Coppin State to Move to 12-0

TOLEDO, Ohio  -- Toledo started strong and never trailed on Saturday afternoon as the Rockets remained unbeaten with an 85-66 triumph over Coppin State (4-8) in Savage Arena. With the victory, UT improved to 12-0 to match the 1940-41 squad for the second-longest unbeaten start to a season in school history.

Senior guard Rian Pearson paced a balanced Rocket attack with a game-high 22 points with junior guard Julius Brown (18 pts.), junior guard Justin Drummond (13 pts.) and senior forward Matt Smith (season-high 10 pts.) also scoring in double figures.

Toledo also dominated the glass for a third-straight outing with a commanding 47-25 rebounding advantage. Over its last three contests, UT has outrebounded its opponents by a 136-84 margin.

Freshman guard Jordan Lauf led the Rockets’ rebounding efforts with a season-high 10 caroms with junior forward J.D. Weatherspoon tying a season best with nine boards.

Brown also spearheaded the Rocket offense with a game-high seven assists to help UT tally 19 helpers as a team with just 11 turnovers. Toledo shot 49.2 percent (29-of-59) from the field and limited the Eagles to a 39.7 shooting mark (23-of-58).

Senior guard Andre Armstrong came off the bench to lead the Eagles with 15 points.

Toledo took control in the latter stages of the opening stanza, ending the half on a 16-2 run for a 44-24 halftime advantage that was the Rockets’ largest lead after 20 minutes this season.

UT increased its lead to 22 points early in the second half before the Eagles rallied to within 71-58 with five minutes to play. Brown was able to restore the Rockets’ cushion back to 20 points at 82-62 though with a trey at the 2:06 mark.

Toledo now has a quick turnaround as it returns to action on Monday, Dec. 30 with a trip to Lawrence, KS to battle No. 16 Kansas. Tip-off time from Allen Fieldhouse which can be seen on ESPN 3 is 7:00 p.m. (CT).

Final Stats (HTML)

COURTESY TOLEDO ATHLETICS

No. 17 Memphis Cruises to 75-61 Win Over Jackson State

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes |  Photo Gallery  |  Photo Gallery  Box Score (PDF)

MEMPHIS, Tennessee  -- The No. 17 University of Memphis men's basketball team (9-2) opened up a 21-6 lead and never looked back on their way to a 75-61 victory over Jackson State (4-8) on Saturday afternoon.

Michael Dixon Jr. led Memphis with 14 points while Shaq Goodwin added 13 points and seven boards. David Pellom came off the bench for the Tigers to chip in 12 points on 5-of-5 from the field while Joe Jackson totaled 11 points.

Holding a 6-4 advantage, Memphis capitalized off five JSU turnovers in the first six minutes of the game to go on a 15-2 run and build a 21-6 lead with 10:25 to play in the half.

Dixon Jr. stretched the Memphis lead even further with a basket at the 8:22 mark to make it a 27-10 game. After two free throws from Chris Crawford to extend the U of M lead to 33-14 with 5:37 to go, JSU reeled off an 11-4 run with six points coming from Treshawn Bolden over the next four minutes to cut its deficit to 37-25.

JSU would not pull any closer the rest of the half with Memphis going into the locker room up 40-28. The trio of Jackson, Dixon Jr. and Crawford accounted for 25 of the team's 40 first half points.



In the opening minutes of the second period, JSU pulled within single digits for the first time since the 15:03 mark in the first half at 41-32 following a bucket from Brandon West. However, Memphis answered with a 12-0 run over the next five minutes to push its lead to 53-32 with 12:37 to play.

JSU ended its drought 30 seconds later with a three-pointer from Julysses Nobles followed by a layup from Marcus Love to pull JSU within 16.

Memphis extended its lead back to 20 after a basket from Nick King for a 59-39 advantage midway through the half. JSU answered again with a three-point play from Nobles to bring the Memphis lead down to 14 with 8:33.

JSU would be able to get back within 11 at 65-54 with four minutes left in the game, but that deficit would not dwindle down any further in the final minutes as Memphis held on for the 75-61 win.

Memphis opens American Athletic Conference play on the road Tuesday in Tampa, Fla., when the Tigers take on USF in a televised 6 p.m. (CT) game on ESPN2.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Washington State Cougars to Battle MVSU Devils Saturday

PULLMAN, Washington  -- Washington State University men’s basketball (6-5) returns to the hardwood after a week-long hiatus, to take on Mississippi  Valley State (3-7 as of Dec. 26), Saturday, Dec. 28 at 5 p.m.

• Saturday’s game can be seen on the Pac-12 Networks as Ernie Kent and Rich Waltz have the
• Bud Nameck, in his 21st year with Cougar Basketball, will have the call on the Cougar IMG Radio Network...please see the list of affiliates on page one of today’s notes.
call.
• Live updates can be found on Twitter by following @WSUMensHoops, the official Twitter account of Washington State men’s basketball.

COUGARS TO HOLD FREE KIDS’ CLINIC AFTER DEC. 28 GAME:
•  The Cougars will hold a free kids’ clinic to children grades kindergarten through sixth, that attend their game against Mississippi Valley State, Saturday, Dec. 28.
• The game starts at 5 p.m. with the clinic beginning approximately 30 minutes after the final buzzer.
• Pre-registration is required at wsucougars.com.
• More information can be found at wsucougars.com.

COUGARS VS. DELTA DEVILS:
• The Cougars and Delta Devils have met three times in the two schools’ histories, with WSU winning all three meetings.
• The two teams first met Nov. 24, 2007 at Spokane Arena as part of the Cougar Hispanic College Fund Challenge hosted by WSU, resulting in a 71-26 victory.
•  The next season WSU extended its 45 point margin to 51 with a 76-25 victory at Beasley Coliseum, Nov. 15, 2008.
• The 51-point victory marks the second largest margin of victory for WSU since 1945, while the 45 point victory ranks tied for seventh.
• The last victory came during Ken Bone’s first season as WSU defeated MVSU, 94-66, Nov. 13, 2009.

COUGARS AGAINST THE SWAC:
• Mississippi Valley State is currently a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), along with Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Alcorn State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Grambling, Jackson State, Prairie View A&M, Southern and Texas Southern.
• The Cougars are 17-0 all-time against current members of the SWAC.
• Their first meeting with the SWAC came Dec. 9, 1989 against Texas Southern, resulting in a 1-0 victory at Moscow, Idaho.
• Last season WSU defeated two SWAC schools, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 24) and Jackson State (Dec. 13).
• WSU reached the 100-point plateau five times in those 17 games, including a school-record, 131 points against Prairie View A&M, Jan. 14, 1991.

ABOUT THE COUGARS:
•  WSU snapped its 3-game winning streak with a loss to UTEP, Saturday, Dec. 21 at Beasley Coliseum.
• The Cougars are 4-2 in home games and 3-2 at Beasley Coliseum this season. 
• Junior DaVonté Lacy leads the team with 18.9 points per game.
• He ranks sixth in the Pac-12 and 67th in the nation in scoring with 18.9 points per game, leads the league and ranks 16th in the nation with 3.4 3-pointers made per game, is tied for sixth in the conference with 1.5 steals per game, and is 14th in the Pac-12 and 63rd in the nation with a .407 3-point field goal percentage.
• Fellow-junior Royce Woolridge is contributing 10.5 points per game, as the only other Cougar scoring in double figures.
• Senior D.J. Shelton leads the team and ranks ninth in the Pac-12 and 144th in the nation with 7.7 rebounds per game.

LAST OUTING:
•  The Cougars snapped their 3-game winning streak with a 64-51 loss to UTEP at Beasley Coliseum, Saturday, Dec. 21.
• Redshirt freshman Que Johnson led the Cougars in scoring for the first time in his career, finishing with a career-high 21 points…his previous high was 14 against Pepperdine, Dec. 15.
• Johnson made a career-high 4 3-pointers, going 4-for-7 from beyond the 3-point arc.
• For the second-straight game D. J. Shelton was one point shy of a double-double, finished with 11 rebounds and 9 points.
• Junior DaVonté Lacy did not hit a 3-pointer in a game for the first time since Jan. 19, 2013 against Colorado last season.
• WSU had a season-low 51 points…it’s the fewest points since scoring 54 at California last season, Jan. 12, 2013. 
• WSU’s 17 first-half point tied their lowest in a half this season…also had 17 against Purdue at the Old Spice Classic, Nov. 29.

WSU GAME NOTES

COURTESY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

#13 S.C. Gamecocks host Savannah State Saturday at Noon

Opponent: Savannah State
Date: Saturday, December 28, 2013, Noon
Site: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Tickets: $7 adult, $4 youth (17 and under)
Note: Arena will be cleared prior to men's game starting at 4 p.m.
TV: Fox Sports South (Andy Demetra, Debbie Antonelli)
Radio: WNKT 107.5 FM/WISW 1320 AM (Brad Muller); GamecocksOnline.com
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Series History: SC leads 5-0
South Carolina Game Notes

South Carolina Notables

• One of the offseason focuses for the South Carolina coaching staff was passing, and the work is paying dividends in assist numbers as the Gamecocks rank 37th in the nation at 16.8 per game. In the previous five seasons under Staley, the highest season average was 11.2 per game. At least 60 percent of made field goals have been assisted in eight of 12 games so far this season.
• While guard Tiffany Mitchell is the Gamecocks' leading scorer, South Carolina's offense is driven by what happens in the paint. The Gamecocks have scored 38.7 points per game in the paint - more than half of their 76.8 scoring average.
• Four Gamecocks average double figure points so far this season with two others adding at least 7.8 per game, making it the most diversified offense of the Dawn Staley era. The transition occurred while sacrificing little on the defensive end, where, despite Staley feeling her team needs to prove more in that area, the Gamecocks rank third in the nation (2nd in the SEC) by allowing just 49.0 points per game.
• Junior forward Aleighsa Welch is one of two of the SEC's top 10 rebounders to also rank among the top 15 scorers.
• Alaina Coates turned in the best shooting performance ever by a Gamecock freshman, hitting 7-of-7 from the field and 9-of-9 from the free throw line against SC State (Dec. 22). It was the first time a freshman was perfect from both the field and free throw line (min. 5 attempts at each) in school history. She became the third Gamecock to post a perfect shooting night from the floor this season - Elem Ibiam 7-of-7 vs. Charleston Southern (Nov. 8), Aleighsa Welch 6-of-6 vs. NC Central (Dec. 2). Coates' field goal attempts made her outing against SC State tied for fourth for the best perfect game in Colonial Life Arena history.
• While Tiffany Mitchell posted her first single-digit scoring game of the season against SC State, the sophomore guard still showed the diversity of her game by tying for team-high rebounding honors (9) and leading the team with four assists. It is her all-around impact on the team that led ESPN's Graham Hayes to name her one of his "10 Rising to the Occasion."

Notes
A South Carolina Win Would...

• Give the Gamecocks a 12-1 record for the second time in as many seasons, matching the best non-conference mark under Staley and the 2002-03 mark as the best since the program first joined a conference in 1983-84
• Be the Gamecocks' sixth over Savannah State in as many meetings.

By the Numbers
1 Perfect shooting game by a freshman in South Carolina women's basketball history (min. five FGA and five FTA) - Alaina Coates vs. SC State (Dec. 22) with 7-of-7 from the field and 9-of-9 from the free throw line
2 Players in the SEC who rank among the league's top 10 in rebounding and top 20 in scoring, including junior forward Aleighsa Welch
2 Gamecocks ranked among the SEC's top 15 scorers, one of four SEC teams to have multiple entries
3 Gamecocks ranked among the SEC's top 20 rebounders, one of three SEC teams to have three entries - Kentucky and Tennessee being the other two
3 Games this season in which five Gamecocks have scored in double figures, which had happened just five previous times in the Dawn Staley era
5 Statistical categories in which the Gamecocks rank among the nation's top five - scoring defense, scoring margin, field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage defense and blocked shots
5 Different Gamecocks who have been the team's high scorer in a game this season - Alaina Coates (Charleston Southern, at San Diego State, SC State), Aleighsa Welch (LA Tech, at Clemson, vs. UNC), Asia Dozier (CofC), Elem Ibiam (Seton Hall, Charlotte) and Tiffany Mitchell (at USC, NC Central, Winthrop)
6 Individual 20-point games this season by the Gamecock - three by Alaina Coates (CSU, at SDSU), two by Tiffany Mitchell (at USC, Winthrop) and one by Aleighsa Welch (vs. UNC)
6 Games in which South Carolina has shot at least 50.0 percent from the field this season after reaching the mark just 12 times in the previous five seasons under Staley
7 Games this season in which South Carolina has scored at least 50.0 percent of its points in the paint, including scoring 70 of 99 points against Charleston Southern (Nov. 8) inside
8 Opponents who have been held to 55 or fewer points by the Gamecocks this season, helping the Gamecocks rank third in the nation in scoring defense (49.0 ppg)
26 Points allowed to SC State by the Gamecocks (Dec. 22), the third lowest in the Dawn Staley era
26 More rebounds by the Gamecocks than SC State (Dec. 22), the second-highest rebounding margin in the Staley era
62.0 Percent of field goals made this season that have been assisted

Savannah State Series Notes
South Carolina leads the series 5-0, including wins in each of the last three seasons. In last year's 78-47 victory (Nov. 15), forward Aleighsa Welch recorded her first career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Then-freshman Asia Dozier posted her first career double-digit point game with 11, including three 3-pointers.

Scouting the Lady Tigers
The Lady Tigers conclude a season long 10-game road stretch today with their final away match, before returning home on Sunday. SSU lost a close game to Alabama State in their last outing, falling 52-57 after leading 26-23 at the half on Dec. 22 in Montgomery, Ala.

Today's opponent is the second of two Southeastern Conference (SEC) teams that SSU will face this season. They fell to Mississippi State, 63-81, on Nov. 26. SSU played a record four SEC opponents last season. This is the sixth match-up between SSU and South Carolina, since the program's elevation to NCAA Division I in the 2001-02 season. The Lady Tigers are winless against SEC opponents.

The Lady Tigers are led by senior Ezinne Kalu. The Newark, N.J. native is averaging 15.0 points per game and has a 150 points overall. Freshman Tiyonda Davis leads the team in rebounds with 85, averaging 7.7 per game. Jasmine Norman and Kenyata Hendrix are both averaging at least 8.1 points per contest. The Lady Tigers are 2-4 on the road this year, an improvement over last season's 1-15 away record

Five-Second Count
For the first time in her tenure at South Carolina, head coach Dawn's Staley's Gamecocks look different - on the court and in the box score. After seasons of building around defense, Staley finally as a group that is designed for offensive efficiency. The Gamecocks are scoring more (77.5 ppg - 6th in SEC, 48th in nation) and more efficiently (.491 FG %age - 2nd in SEC, 6th in country) than at any time in the Staley era. And, after seasons of talented guards generating their own offense, Staley's 2013-14 success is predicated on getting the ball inside - three primary post players combine to score 47.5 percent of the team's points - and on ball movement creating the best shots as 62.0 percent of made field goals have been assisted, ranking the Gamecocks sixth in the SEC and 37th in the nation with 16.8 assists per game. Defense is still a staple of the program with the Gamecocks ranking third in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 49.0 points per game. Only four opponents this season have scored 55 or more points against South Carolina.

December Decisions
In its 40th season of women's basketball, South Carolina is 159-79 (.668) all-time in the month of December, including a 27-7 record (.794) in the sixth season of the Dawn Staley era. The Gamecocks hold at least a .500 record in all three site possibilities during the month - 96-23 (.807) at home, 34-30 (.531) on the road and 24-24 (.500) at neutral sites.

Home Sweet Home
With comprehensive records beginning in the 1976-77 season (the third for women's basketball at South Carolina), the Gamecocks are 369-155 (.704) all-time in games played at home, including a 124-58 mark (.681) in Colonial Life Arena. In the sixth season with head coach Dawn Staley at the helm, South Carolina is 59-25 (.702) at home, including one game at Carolina Coliseum in the 2012-13 season. The Gamecocks have won 45 of their last 56 games played in Colonial Life Arena.

Make It, Take It
South Carolina is exhibiting its most efficient offense of the Dawn Staley era so far this season, leading the SEC and ranking sixth in the nation with 49.1 percent accuracy from the field. The Gamecocks have shot 50.0 percent or higher six times already this season - the most in a season under Staley. In fact, in the previous five seasons, South Carolina hit at least 50.0 percent of its field goal attempts just 12 times combined. This year's top effort was 60.9 percent against Charleston Southern (Nov. 8) - program best under Staley - followed by a 58.5 percent showing against NC Central (Dec. 2). The Gamecocks made at least 65.0 percent of their attempts in a half five times this season, including a remarkable 73.9 percent (17-of-23) in the second half against Seton Hall (Nov. 17).

Post Presence
South Carolina's trio of primary post players - Alaina Coates, Elem Ibiam and Aleighsa Welch - has been the key to the Gamecocks' offensive production so far this season. The trio has accounted for 438 of the team's 922 points this season - 47.5 percent - and is shooting a combined 64.1 percent from the field (164-of-256). Welch leads the SEC and is third in the nation in field goal percentage at .700 for 14.3 points per game (12th in SEC). Coates' perfect shooting outing for 23 points against SC State has lifted her average to 11.2 points on 64.9 percent shooting. Ibiam's strong three games before the holiday break have her scoring 11.1 points per game on 57.6 percent shooting. In all, the Gamecocks have scored 464 points in the paint this season - 50.3 percent of their total scoring.

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