DSU Hornets Win Overtime Thriller 66-65, over GWU

DOVER, Delaware  -- Casey Walker hit two free throws with 24.3 seconds left in overtime to lift Delaware State to a 66-65 win over Gardner-Webb in Memorial Hall this evening.

Gardner-Webb had two shots on the final possession of the game, but came up empty. DSU's Kendall Gray blocked the first shot attempt out of bounds with 2.1 seconds left in the extra period. Naji Hibbert missed a three-point attempt from the left corner for the Runnin' Bulldogs as time expired.

The score was 61-61 at the end of regulation.

Gardner-Webb scored the first overtime points on two free throws by Tyrell Nelson with 3:12 left. The Hornets grabbed the lead, 64-63, on the three-point play by Gray with 2:50 remaining in the extra period.

The Running Rebels regained the lead, 65-64, on a jumper by Jerome Hill at the 1:52 mark in overtime.

After each team failed to score on their next possessions, Delaware State regained the ball with 55 seconds left to play.

DSU’s Tyshawn Bell missed a jumper with 29 seconds remaining, but the Hornets retained the ball when it was last touched by a Gardner-Webb player on the rebound before going out of bounds.

Delaware State inbounded the ball to Walker, who was fouled by Gardner-Webb’s Donta Harper while driving the baseline. He calmly knocked down the two free throws to give the Hornets the final lead of the game.

The Hornets used a strong second half performance to force the overtime.

Gardner-Webb led 33-23 at the half, and opened up a 48-33 lead on a dunk by Onzie Branch with 14:17 left in regulation.

The Hornets began their comeback on the next possession. A.J. Thomas hit a lay-up to jump start a 21-5 run over the next nine minutes. Kendal Williams capped off the rally with a three-point shot to give the Hornets a 54-53 lead with 4:59 remaining in the second half. Walker hit two three-point shots, while Thomas, Williams and Bell added four points each during the spurt.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs missed each of their four field goal attempts, committed six turnovers and was five-for-nine at the free throw line during the Hornets’ second half rally.   

Walker led all players with 21 points, the high for a Hornet this season. His performance was highlighted by four three-point field goals, tying his season high. Walker also led the Hornets with eight rebounds.

Gray and Bell added 10 points each for DSU. It marked the fourth straight double-figure scoring game for Gray, who also had a game-high four blocks. Bell returned to action after missing the previous game due to an ankle injury.

Hibbert led three Gardner-Webb players in double figures with 12 points.

Delaware State was 26-for-58 from the field (44.8%), including seven-of-18 from three-point territory (38.9%). The Hornets were seven-for-nine at the free throw line.

Gardner-Webb hit 24 of its 56 shots from the field (42.9%) and five- of-18 from beyond the arc (27.8%). The Runnin’ Bulldogs missed 10 free throws in the game, going 12-for-22 at the line.

The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Hornets, who improved to 3-10 this season. The win was also the 199th at Delaware State for head coach Greg Jackson. He needs two wins to tie the late Bennie George (1949-71) for the all-time high in DSU men's basketball victories.

Gardner-Webb fell to 7-8 on the season.

The Hornets return to action on Saturday (Jan. 4) at Campbell University. Game time is 7:00 p.m. in Buies Creek, N.C.

Delaware State will return home on Jan. 11 to face MEAC rival Hampton. Game time is 4:00 p.m. in Memorial Hall. The homestand will also include a visit by Norfolk State on Jan. 13 (7:30 p.m.).

DSU vs Gardner-Webb_stats_plays

COURTESY DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Sixth lawsuit filed against JSU, athletic director Vivian Fuller

JACKSON, Mississippi  --  Jackson State and its athletic director Vivian Fuller are facing another lawsuit.

The suit, which is also against president Carolyn Myers, was filed Dec. 17 by former administrative assistant Georgina Felder. Felder claims she was fired in Nov. 2012 in retaliation for her participation in investigations against Fuller.

Fuller’s former secretary Lolita Ward filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Fuller back in Aug. 2012.

According to the latest suit, Felder was ...

CONTINUE READING

TSU's Rod Reed Named "12th Titan"

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- Prior to Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, the Tennessee Titans honored Tennessee State head football coach Rod Reed by naming him the “12^th Titan”.

Reed was introduced following the pro team’s starters, ran through the tunnel and stuck a sword down into midfield while getting a standing ovation.

 

The Titans gave the unique honor to Reed following the Tigers’ record-setting 2013 campaign in which they posted a 10-4 record and won a playoff game for the first time since 1986.

 

ROD REED 12TH TITAN VIDEO

 

Reed holds a 26-21 record over four years, including an 18-7 mark over the past two seasons and TSU has recorded at least two more wins in each of his previous three seasons.

 

Reed has coached 19 All-Americans, 15 in the past two seasons. Forty-two Tigers have made All-OVC teams in Reed’s tenure, including a school record 12 this past season.

 

In 2013, TSU won the Black College National Championship for the first time since 1982.

 

You can watch Reed being introduced as the “12^th Titan” by clicking, here.

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Why Black College Football Players Fall Behind In Education

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- New research raises concerns about low graduations rates for black college football players. Host Michel Martin finds out more from education reporter Emily Richmond, and professor Shaun Harper of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Michel Martin. We're going to spend some time today talking about some important issues in the world of sports and entertainment. We'll talk about how and why it's becoming clearer that head injuries are not just a problem in football.

But first, we want to talk about college football. There are three new reports out now, which raise troubling new evidence about a wide achievement gap between white college football players and their African-American counterparts. We wanted to talk more about this so we've called on Emily Richmond. She wrote about these studies in a recent piece for The Atlantic. Welcome back, Emily Richmond. Thanks for joining us once again.

EMILY RICHMOND: Oh, it's my pleasure, Michel. Thank you.

MARTIN: Also joining us is Shaun Harper. He is an associate professor and executive director of the Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education. That's at University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. That center published one of those reports that we're going to talk about titled "Black Male Student-Athletes and the 2014 Bowl Championship Series." Professor Harper, welcome to you. Thank you for joining us.

SHAUN HARPER: Thanks so much for having me.

TAKE A LISTEN TO THIS IMPORTANT PODCAST:



COURTESY NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO (NPR.org)

How Colleges Fail Black Football Players

At least half of black football players on the top-10 teams won’t graduate within six years of enrolling.

ATLANTA, Georgia (Dec. 11, 2013)  -- As the nation’s top college football teams prepare to take the field for the elite bowl games, three new reports out this week raise similarly troubling concerns about dismal graduation rates for many of the black players constituting the bulk of the starting lineups.

While the formulas used in the three reports vary to some degree, the pictures painted are not dramatically different. First up: the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Study of Race and Equity’s report on football teams participating in the 2014 Bowl Championship Series.  Based on completion rates across four cohorts (rather than focusing on a single year) at least half of the black football players won’t graduate within six years of enrolling, the report concluded. That’s compared in the report with "a graduation rate of 67 percent for student-athletes overall in the seven major NCAA Division I sports conferences."

Take a look at the infographic for the 10 teams playing in the elite bowl games and national championship:

CONTINUE READING

Black Male Student-Athletes and the 2014 Bowl Championship Series

Will Black Bowl Players Be Academic Losers?

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania – Data released today (Dec. 9, 2013)  from the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education details the low graduation rates of Black male student-athletes on teams participating in the 2014 Bowl Championship Series (BCS). Based on six-year graduation rates at the 10 schools, at least half the Black players taking to the gridiron in a BCS game this year will not graduate. Teams playing in the five BCS Bowls were announced last night.

This year’s data (infographic available for download at www.gse.upenn.edu/equity/bcs) is focused on the top 25 BCS schools. The data also show that although Black men make up 60% of the top 25 BCS football teams, only 12% of coaches and athletic directors are Black.

“In some instances, at Florida State University, for example, Black men comprise nearly 70% of the football team, yet just over one-third of those Black male student-athletes will graduate,” said Dr. Shaun R. Harper, a professor in the Penn Graduate School of Education and the Center’s Executive Director. “These numbers are shameful. In my view, no team with rates this low for a population that comprises such a significant portion of the team should be allowed to play in any BCS Bowl. These schools and their athletic conferences must be held more accountable.”

This updated research on Black male student-athletes and racial inequities in college sports examines the poor performance of these colleges and universities in graduating their Black male athletes. Only 50% of Black male student-athletes graduate within six years from universities in the seven major NCAA Division I sports conferences, compared to 67% of student-athletes overall, 73% of undergraduate students overall, and 56% of Black undergraduate men overall.

To download the original Harper, Williams, and Blackman report on Black male student-athletes, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu/equity/sports.

Bowl Breakdown of Black Male Student-Athlete Graduation Rates:
National Championship

• Florida State: 37% [21% lower than student-athletes overall]
• Auburn: 51% [8% lower than student-athletes overall]

Sugar Bowl

• Alabama: 53% [15% lower than student-athletes overall]
• Oklahoma: 42% [13% lower than student-athletes overall]

Orange Bowl

• Clemson: 47% [20% lower than student-athletes overall]
• Ohio State: 50% [25% lower than student-athletes overall]

Fiesta Bowl

• Baylor: 50% [14% lower than student-athletes overall]
• Central Florida: 47% [13% lower than student-athletes overall]

Rose Bowl

• Michigan State: 49% [23% lower than student-athletes overall]
• Stanford: 82% [11% lower than student-athletes overall]

The Harper, Williams, and Blackman report notes that problems as pervasive as the underrepresentation of Black men in the undergraduate student population at predominantly white colleges and universities, their overrepresentation on revenue-generating NCAA Division I sports teams, and their comparatively lower six-year graduation rates warrant a multidimensional response from various stakeholders.  The report authors offer numerous concrete strategies and recommendations for five groups: the NCAA and Sports Conference commissioners; college and university leaders; coaches and athletic departments; journalists and sports media, and Black male student-athletes and their families.

---

About Penn GSE
Penn GSE is one of the nation’s premier research education schools. No other education school enjoys a university environment as supportive of practical knowledge building as the University of Pennsylvania. Penn GSE has long been known for excellence in qualitative research, language and literacy studies, practitioner inquiry, and teacher education. Over the past 15 years, Penn GSE has also developed remarkable strengths in quantitative research, policy studies, evaluation, higher education, and psychology and human development. The School is notably entrepreneurial, launching innovative degree programs for practicing professionals and unique partnerships with local educators, and the first-ever business plan competition devoted exclusively to educational products and programs. For further information about Penn GSE, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu. 

WSSU to start CIAA play

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- The newcomers to the Winston-Salem State basketball program will get their first taste of the intensity of CIAA play tonight when Virginia Union visits the Gaines Center.

WSSU is 5-5; Virginia Union is 2-8 (1-0 CIAA).

“I’ve heard it’s a crazy atmosphere in every game,” said Preston Ross, a transfer from Western Carolina. “You have to ready to play and get up for the games. I’m looking forward to it.”

The Rams (5-5) will have three home games in the next five days, but the atmosphere will be rather tame with WSSU students still out on break. Coach Bobby Collins says he hopes fans will come out to help fill the void.

CONTINUE READING