Xavier loses 6-3 to No. 3 team in NCAA Division II

PENSACOLA, Florida -- Xavier University of Louisiana won a pair of doubles matches Friday in a 6-3 men's tennis loss to West Florida.

The Gold Rush (2-5), ranked eighth in the NAIA, built a 2-0 lead before the Argonauts (6-0), ranked third in NCAA Division II, won 5-of-6 singles matches. But Xavier won as many matches as the Argonauts' first five opponents combined -- a list which includes three top-40 NCAA DII schools and NAIA No. 2 Auburn Montgomery.

"We gave a great effort today and played some really good doubles," XU coach Alan Green. "West Florida was just too much for us in singles."

Kyle Montrel and Nikita Soifer scored Xavier's first point of the dual and improved to 6-0 this season with their 8-4 victory against Bruno Savi and Carlos Moura at No. 1 doubles. Then newcomers Tushar Mandlekar and Kevin Chaouat, paired for the first time at Xavier, rallied from a 7-2 deficit -- and saved three match points -- in a 9-7 victory against Alex Peyrot and Domenico Sano at No. 2. Peyrot and Sano are NCAA D-II's 10th-ranked tandem.

Elio Latella and Felipe Frattini prevented an XU doubles sweep by defeating Viktor Svoboda and Adam Albrecht 9-7. It was the first collegiate doubles match for Albrecht, a freshman.

Montrel, Soifer and Vincenzo Ciccone lost to nationally ranked singles opponents. The only XU player to win a set was Svoboda, who defeated Douglas Boe 7-6 (7-4), 1-6, 1-0 (12-10) at No. 4. It was Svoboda's first singles victory in three attempts this season.

"Viktor played well," Green said. "He is beginning to find his rhythm on the court."

Savi, ranked first in NCAA D-II, beat Montrel, ranked 39th in the NAIA, 6-3, 6-1.

Green said Xavier's men's and women's duals against Fisk and Tougaloo in Jackson, Miss., scheduled for Saturday, were postponed. Next competition for the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will be at 9 a.m. Friday against Coastal Georgia in the opening round of the AUM Invitational at Montgomery, Ala.

Results

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Shaw Advances To CIAA Championship Game With 60-59 Win Over #10 Virginia State

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- The Shaw University Lady Bears clinched a spot in the CIAA Championship game with a 60-59 win over #10 Virginia State University Friday afternoon in Time Warner Cable Arena.

 

With Virginia State trailing by three, Cana Marriott launched a long jumper as time expired, but it was ruled a two-point basket, sending the Lady Bears to their ninth conference final in 12 years.

 

The Lady Bears will compete for their fourth straight CIAA Championship and take on Fayetteville State University on Saturday at 5:00pm.

 

Shaw entered the contest as the number two seed out of the Southern Division while Virginia State was the top seed out of the North.  The Lady Trojans suffered just two losses on the season, both to Shaw, and end the year with a 25-2 overall record.  Thursday's contest came down to the wire and featured five ties and four lead changes.

 

Jacques Curtis, head coach of the Lady Bears stated, "It was a fans' game.  We had a game similar to this during the regular season…[Virginia State] is a very good team.  We got off to a good start and we felt like we needed to have a good start today in order to win…We just held on until the end…Tomorrow is going to be another quality game."

 

"We knew it was going to be a hard fought game all the way until the end.  We knew it was going to be a battle.  We knew both teams were going to make runs and it was going to come down to who could make defensive stops late in the game," Lady Trojans' head coach, James Hill Jr. noted.

 

Diamond Mitchell paced the Lady Bears with 12 points in the win.  Micah Brooks and Verdine Warner each notched 11 points apiece while Ariel Hatcher chipped in 10 of her own.  Warner also hauled in a game-high 10 rebounds (three offensive, seven defensive).  Kamiya Burwell had nine assists to pace the Lady Bears.

 

Pryncess Tate-Dublin led all players in the game with 21 points in the loss for Virginia State.  Alexandria Massado added 11 points in the effort.

 

Bryann Guyton opened the contest with a jumper for the Lady Bears.  Tate-Dublin answered with a jumper of her own for Virginia State on the next possession.  A bucket by Brooks for Shaw sparked a 6-0 run and handed the Lady Bears an 8-2 lead with 16:53 on the clock.  Lamesha Deal's layup on the next possession ended a five minute scoring drought for the Lady Trojans.

 

Leading 8-4, a 5-0 run by Shaw quickly put the Lady Bears ahead 13-4 midway through the first half.  The Lady Trojans managed to hold Shaw scoreless for the next two minutes as they clawed their way back to pull within three points (13-10) with 7:32 left to play.

 

A layup by Warner followed by back-to-back buckets by Mitchell returned the momentum to Shaw and left Virginia State with a nine point deficit.  Down 21-15, the Lady Trojans outscored the Lady Bears 6-2 over the next three minutes to make it a two point game (23-21) at the 1:40 mark.

 

Virginia State was unable to hold on to the momentum and the Lady Bears closed out the half leading 28-23 after three made free throws by Brooks and a layup by Henry.  Tate-Dublin's bucket for Virginia State at the start of the second half put the Lady Trojans within three points (28-25).

 

Both teams exchanged baskets until Kamiya Burwell's three-pointer with 14:49 on the clock gave Shaw a six point (37-31) advantage.  Jessica Lyons answered with a basket and Tate-Dublin followed with a layup for the Lady Trojans, but Ariel Hatcher nailed a deep three at the 10:34 mark allowing Shaw to pull away 44-37.

 

The Lady Trojans resiliently battled back to change the momentum of the game just under the midway point of the second half.  Trailing 46-39, Virginia State rattled off nine unanswered points capped by a Tate-Dublin three to take their first lead of the game (48-46) with 6:58 left in the contest. 

 

The score was tied four times in the final six minutes of play and neither team led by more than three points.  With the score tied 57-57 and 40.7 seconds on the clock, Warner sank two free throws for a 59-57 lead for Shaw.   The Lady Bears capitalized on another free throw opportunity as Warner made good on the attempt to give Shaw a 60-57 lead with 17 seconds left in the game.

 

Marriott hit the jumper right at the buzzer and just in front of the three point arc, allowing the Lady Bears to take the 60-59 win and advance to the CIAA Championship.

 

The Lady Bears return to the championship for the nine time in the last 12 years, and are undefeated in finals the school's history.

 

Shaw and Fayetteville State met twice this season, with each team claiming a victory.  The two were tied in the southern division at the end of the regular season, but a coin flip gave FSU the number one seed in the south.

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Fayetteville State Ends VUU Lady Panthers CIAA Tourney Run

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  --  Amber Calvin scored 19 points to lead Fayetteville State University to its second straight CIAA Tournament championship game with a 64-57 women's basketball semifinal victory over Virginia Union University 64-57 at Time Warner Cable Arena on Friday, February 28, 2014.

 The Lady Broncos (21-6) will play in the finals on Saturday at 5 p.m. The Southern Division champions, the Lady Broncos are shooting for their fourth CIAA title and first since 2010.

Akysia Resper added 14 points and Je'lena Robertson chipped in 12 points for the Lady Broncos, who made 16-of-19 free throws for 84 percent. They knocked down 6-of-6 free throws in the final minute to hold off the pesky Lady Panthers, who struggled at the free throw line. The No. 3 Northern Division seed, the Lady Panthers were 13-of-31 from the charity stripe for 42 percent.

"In close games, it is going to come down to rebounding and free throws," Fayetteville State Head Coach Eva Patterson-Heath said. "Fortunately, we hit our free throws."

The quintet of Robertson, Calvin, Resper, Deja Middleton and Bria Robinson combined to make 16-of-16 free throws with Robertson hitting 6-of-6. Her two free throws with four seconds left iced the game for the Lady Broncos.

Missed free throws prevented the Lady Panthers from catching the Lady Broncos. Down 58-49 with 4:03 left, the Lady Panthers were 2-for-10 down the stretch. Despite the missed free throws, the Lady Panthers still had a shot with Melyse Brown drilled a three-pointer from the corner to pull within 60-57 with 35.4 seconds remaining. The Lady Broncos sealed the win on two free throws apiece by Middleton and Robertson in the final 17.6 seconds.

"Free throws were the issue today," Virginia Union Head Coach Barvenia Wooten-Cherry said. "We missed a lot of free throws."

Brown paced the Lady Panthers (11-16 overall) with 16 points. The trio of Ashle Freeman, Lady Walker and Jasmin Dancy each scored 11 points. Walker pulled down 13 rebounds for a double-double and Freeman had four assists and four steals. She set the school record for steals in the contest.

Trailing by two at halftime, the Lady Panthers jumped out to a 37-31 lead in the second half. The Lady Broncos gained momentum with a 19-3 run to go up 50-40. Calvin scored eight points and Resper added seven points during the spurt including a three-pointer for a 40-39 Lady Broncos lead.

The Lady Panthers stayed in striking distance by controlling the boards. They outrebounded the Lady Broncos 47-30 overall which led to a 34-26 scoring advantage in the paint and a 13-4 edge in second-chance points in the game. The free-throw shooting accuracy of the Lady Broncos prevented the Lady Panthers from making a comeback.

Calvin scored seven points and Robertson had six in the first half for the Lady Broncos, who were in front 25-23 in the first half.

Walker had nine points and nine rebounds for the Lady Panthers.

Led by six points from Walker and five from Brown, the Lady Panthers led 17-15 in the first 10 minutes.

The Lady Broncos kept pace behind the shooting of Calvin, who had seven points.

The Lady Broncos led 22-20 on a jumper by Robertson, but Walker scored on a layup to tie the game.

Resper hit a three for a 25-22 Lady Broncos' lead. A free throw by Walker pulled the Lady Panthers within two at 25-23 at halftime.

COURTESY VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Willie Totten named to Black College Hall of Fame

COACH WILLIE TOTTEN
Courtesy AAMU Athletics
 

Black College Football Hall of Fame 2014 Inductees

NORMAL, Alabama  -- It was announced that former Mississippi Valley quarterback and Alabama A&M quarterbacks coach  Willie Totten will be inducted into the Black College Hall of Fame on March 1, 2014 in Atlanta.

He will join A&M Hall of Famer and NFL Hall of Famer John Stallworth who was also selected for the honor.

The Class of 2014 includes six players and one coach. The inductees were selected from a list of 25 finalists who had been determined earlier by the Black College Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

The Selection Committee is comprised of black college football sports writers, analysts and commentators Roscoe Nance (Chairman), Donald Hunt, Ty Miller, Charlie Neal and Lloyd Vance former NFL General Managers Ernie Accorsi and Gil Brandt, long-time NFL scouts Charles Bailey and Charles Garcia, director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture Lonnie Bunch, and historian Michael Hurd.

The Class of 2014 includes Robert Brazile (Jackson State University), Leroy Kelly (Morgan State University), John Stallworth (Alabama A&M University), Michael Strahan (Texas Southern University), Willie Totten (Mississippi Valley State University), Doug Wilkerson (North Carolina Central University) as player inductees and Marino Casem (Alcorn State University) as a coach inductee.

These men will be honored at the Fifth Annual Enshrinement Ceremony, presented by the Atlanta Falcons on March 1, 2014. The event will take place at the Loews Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia in conjunction with Black College Football weekend.

The Black College Football Hall of Fame was established to honor the greatest football players, coaches and contributors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Each inductee's college or university will receive a $5,000 grant to support continuing academic and athletic opportunities at their respective institutions.

About Totten
Quarterback, Mississippi Valley State University (1982-1985)
First Team All-American in 1984 … Set more than 50 Division I-AA passing records … Team averaged 59 points per game … Threw for a record 58 touchdowns in one year … Division I-AA's all-time leader and ranks second in career passing yards (12,711) and single-season passing yards (4,557 in 1984) … Twice led the nation in passing efficiency … Inducted into College Football Hall of Fame (2005) … Buffalo Bills (1987) … One season … Played a season in CFL (Toronto Argonauts), and three seasons in Arena Football League (1988-1989, 1991) … Born July 4, 1962 in Leflore County, MS.

COURTESY ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Southern baseball lineup work in progress

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- Southern baseball coach Roger Cador’s lineup card is still very much a work in progress.

He can pencil in D.J. Wallace in right field and Lance Jones in center field.

“Everything else is up in the air,” Cador said.

He’ll continue trying to sort out the rest of the lineup when the Jaguars (2-2) open a three-game series against Northwestern State (3-4) at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Brown-Stroud Field in Natchitoches.

Cador did a lot of experimenting during two exhibition games against Baton Rouge Community College last weekend. He said he did a lot of things that he wouldn’t have done in a game that counted in the standings, such as leaving left-handed batters in to face left-handed pitchers, just to see how players handled them.

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TSU Basketball teams set to face Alabama State Saturday at 5:30 and 7:30 pm

HOUSTON, Texas  --  The Texas Southern Men's and Women's basketball teams will continue conference play this upcoming week as they both get set to face Alabama State at home at the H&PE Arena.

This women's game will start at 5:30 pm followed by the men's contest at 7:30 pm on Saturday, March 1^st. A complete listing of TSU home basketball games can be found by clicking the schedule links located at www.tsuball.com.

COURTESY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Jeff Stubbs, Derrell Taylor stayed at Jackson State despite odds

JACKSON, Mississippi  -- When Wayne Brent was hired as Jackson State’s basketball coach and held his first workout in March of last year, he had 10 players show up.

By the fall, Jeff Stubbs and Derrell Taylor were the only major contributors left from that initial group.

Brent, though, has never asked why they decided to stay.

“I probably would have never had a conversation with them because my thing has always been, ‘This is the way we’re going to do it, and if you don’t want to do it like this, there’s almost 300 other schools you can go to,’” Brent said. “If you come to practice and put up with what we can do, you got to be a tough-minded individual.”

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