No. 13 Rush open at home vs. Belhaven on Wednesday

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana will begin the 2014-15 men's basketball season with its highest preseason ranking in seven years.

The Gold Rush, 23-9 a year ago, were 13th in the NAIA Division I Coaches' Preseason Top 25 poll announced Tuesday. It's the fifth consecutive season that the XU men are in the preseason top 25.

Xavier will open the season with games against Belhaven on Wednesday and Carver on Friday. Both will tip off at 7 p.m. at XU's Convocation Center. Xavier will play eight of its first nine games at home.

The Gold Rush are in the top 25 for the 38th consecutive time — the longest active streak in the division — and the 51st time in the last 52 polls. The last time the Gold Rush held a higher preseason ranking was 10th place in 2007-08.

Xavier is one of three Gulf Coast Athletic Conference teams in the top 25. Talladega is No. 5, and Philander Smith is No. 23. Xavier won its third consecutive GCAC regular-season title in 2013-14, and Talladega beat Philander Smith in the GCAC Tournament championship game. All three qualified for last season's Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship.

Before the first regular-season poll on Dec. 9, Xavier will play No. 9 William Carey at home on Dec. 1 and a pair of games with Wiley, which received votes. Xavier will open its GCAC schedule Jan. 5 at Talladega, then play Philander Smith at home on Jan. 10.

Defending champion Vanguard was chosen No. 1 unanimously.

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records from 2013-14 season) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Oklahoma City (8) 27-4 249 1 2 Freed-Hardeman (2) 36-2 243 2 3 Vanguard 27-2 229 3 4 Westminster (Utah) 26-3 226 4 5 Campbellsville 32-4 222 5 6 Wiley 30-5 204 6 7 John Brown 28-8 194 7 8 Oklahoma Baptist 29-6 192 9 9 Bethel (Tenn.) 23-11 188 16 10 Baker 27-7 163 11 11-tie Loyola 23-12 162 15 11-tie Our Lady of the Lake 27-5 162 8 13 Westmont 20-10 148 18 14 The Master's 24-9 142 12 15 Lewis-Clark State 27-6 130 17 16 MidAmerica Nazarene 28-4 127 13 17 Georgetown (Ky.) 21-9 124 10 18 Xavier 24-10 123 19 19 Lindsey Wilson 19-12 109 NR 20 Columbia (Mo.) 26-8 105 14 21 Montana State-Northern 22-10 94 20 22 Mobile 23-9 64 RV 23 Hope International 23-10 59 22 24 Langston 20-13 58 RV 25 Central Methodist 22-9 46 NR Others receiving votes: Lyon 45, Cumberlands 35, Wayland Baptist 34, Cumberland 29, Shawnee State 28, Martin Methodist 11, William Woods 11, Concordia (Calif.) 10, SUNO 9, Mid-America Christian 4, Carroll (Mont.) 4.   Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAATHLETICS XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA https://twitter.com/xulagold ttps://www.facebook.com/xulagold

No. 18 Nuggets to open with 4 straight top-25 opponents

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana, 18th in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 poll announced Tuesday, will be thoroughly tested by the time the first regular-season poll is announced.

The Gold Nuggets, 24-10 last season, will:

• Open the season with a ranked opponent — No. 5 Campbellsville — for the first time since 2007.

• Open the season with four consecutive ranked opponents: Campbellsville, No. 9 Bethel (Tenn.), No. 22 Mobile and No. 11 Our Lady of the Lake.

• Play consecutive games against top-10 opponents for the first time since November 1999. Xavier will face Campbellsville at 6 p.m. Friday and Bethel at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Bethel Chamber of Commerce Shootout at McKenzie, Tenn.

The Gold Nuggets are in the preseason top 25 for the fifth consecutive year and the 12th time in Bo Browder's 16 seasons as head coach. The gauntlet they'll run extends to last season, when they closed with three consecutive ranked opponents.

The first regular-season poll will be announced Dec. 9. By that time Xavier also will have played No. 6 Wiley and No. 24 Langston (Nov. 27-28 in the Xavier Classic) and Mobile a second time (Dec. 1 at Mobile). Mobile will be the Gold Nuggets' home opener at 7 p.m. on Nov. 12.

Defending champion Oklahoma City is preseason No. 1 after receiving 8-of-10 first-place votes.

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records from 2013-14 season) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Oklahoma City (8) 27-4 249 1 2 Freed-Hardeman (2) 36-2 243 2 3 Vanguard 27-2 229 3 4 Westminster (Utah) 26-3 226 4 5 Campbellsville 32-4 222 5 6 Wiley 30-5 204 6 7 John Brown 28-8 194 7 8 Oklahoma Baptist 29-6 192 9 9 Bethel (Tenn.) 23-11 188 16 10 Baker 27-7 163 11 11-tie Loyola 23-12 162 15 11-tie Our Lady of the Lake 27-5 162 8 13 Westmont 20-10 148 18 14 The Master's 24-9 142 12 15 Lewis-Clark State 27-6 130 17 16 MidAmerica Nazarene 28-4 127 13 17 Georgetown (Ky.) 21-9 124 10 18 Xavier 24-10 123 19 19 Lindsey Wilson 19-12 109 NR 20 Columbia (Mo.) 26-8 105 14 21 Montana State-Northern 22-10 94 20 22 Mobile 23-9 64 RV 23 Hope International 23-10 59 22 24 Langston 20-13 58 RV 25 Central Methodist 22-9 46 NR Others receiving votes: Lyon 45, Cumberlands 35, Wayland Baptist 34, Cumberland 29, Shawnee State 28, Martin Methodist 11, William Woods 11, Concordia (Calif.) 10, SUNO 9, Mid-America Christia

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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XU Nuggets are a big hit in GCAC victory at Edward Waters

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- Xavier University of Louisiana hit a season-high .468 Monday to earn a 25-13, 25-12, 25-12 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's volleyball victory against Edward Waters.

The victory was the fourth in a row for the Gold Nuggets (15-4, 11-0), who will attempt to clinch a share of a fourth straight GCAC regular-season championship at home on Thursday against SUNO. Xavier has won 54 consecutive matches against GCAC opponents -- 44 in the regular season -- and 52 straight against HBCUs. The Gold Nuggets are 6-1 on the road this season.

Juniors Claudia Haywood, Franziska Pirkl and Jodi Hill and freshman Jada Broussard combined to hit .721 for Xavier on 43 attempts. None of the four committed an error. Haywood had 10 kills and hit .833, Hill had nine kills and hit .600, Broussard -- who sat out the third set -- had seven kills and hit .875, and Pirkl had six kills and hit .625.

Haywood's percentage equaled the highest in a match by an XU player with a minimum of 10 attacks since the program resumed in 2010. Haywood hit .833 at Trinity Baptist in 2012.

Broussard was perfect in the opening set, producing four kills in as many attempts and tacking on a pair of blocks. Hill had two kills during Xavier's 8-0 run to start the second set.

Xavier trailed 6-3 in the third set before closing with a 22-6 run which included five Haywood kills in six swings.

The Gold Nuggets finished with 43 kills and seven errors, a season low, in 77 attacks. Chinedu Echebelem had six kills, and CeCe Williams had five. Echebelem had nine digs and Williams eight, and Pirkl had 31 assists, six digs and three blocks.

Kayla Jones served three of Xavier's four aces. Edward Waters (10-17, 2-11) had only one ace, none by freshman Kaylin Davison, the NAIA leader in aces per set. Davison failed to serve an ace in two matches against Xavier this season.

Xavier and SUNO will meet for the second time this year at 7 p.m. Thursday at XU's Convocation Center. It will be a Dig Pink match for breast cancer awareness, and fans are encouraged to wear pink that day.

The Gold Nuggets scored six of the final seven points at SUNO on Oct. 1 to rally for a five-set victory.

Box Score

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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TSU to Host Inaugural Teresa Phillips Thanksgiving Classic

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The Tennessee State University women’s basketball team will host the inaugural Teresa Phillips Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 29-30, in the Gentry Center.

The tournament, which is named after TSU Director of Athletics and former head women’s basketball coach Teresa L. Phillips, will feature four teams from across the country, including Youngstown State, Nicholls State, Norfolk State and host TSU.

“We thought the Thanksgiving classic would be a great opportunity to give recognition to Coach Phillips,” said TSU head women's basketball coach Larry Inman. “Not only was she a great basketball coach but she continues to be a proven leader in college athletics. It is an attribute to all her years of service to Tennessee State University.”

Teresa Phillips was head coach of the Lady Tiger basketball program at TSU for 11 seasons from 1989-2000. The three-time OVC Coach of the Year recorded 144 total wins while at the helm of the women’s basketball program.

She guided the 1993-94 team to the program's first-ever Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship, the OVC tournament title and TSU’s first appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Phillips and her staff enjoyed another successful season in 1994-95 as the Lady Tigers (22-7, 12-4 OVC) claimed the regular season championship while earning its second consecutive tournament title and a trip to the NCAA tournament.

Phillips garnered national attention when she became the first woman to coach a Division I NCAA men’s basketball team in 2003. She is also an inaugural member of the Girls’ Preparatory School Sports Hall of Fame and a 2008 inductee of the Lookout Mountain Sports Hall of Fame.

Recently, the Ohio Valley Conference named Phillips one of the league's most influential women in its celebration of the 40th anniversary of Title IX. Just last year Phillips was featured on the Tennessean's Legendary Ladies Elite 8 list in conjunction with the 2014 Final Four.

All contests of the Teresa Phillips Thanksgiving Classic will be played in the Gentry Center located on TSU’s main campus. For ticket information call 615.963-ROAR.

Tournament Schedule
Saturday, Nov. 29
Nicholls State vs. Youngstown State – 1 p.m.
TSU vs. Norfolk State – 3 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 30
Norfolk State vs. Nicholls State – 12 p.m.
TSU vs. Youngstown State – 2 p.m.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

WCC broadens athlete transcript probe after fraud charge

VALHALLA, New York -- Westchester Community College is reviewing the transcripts and academic eligibility of dozens of its students-athletes over the last three to five years after The Journal News revealed that two star basketball players had their athletic scholarships yanked from Florida A&M University because of phony transcripts.

The alleged transcript fraud resulted in the firing of assistant WCC basketball coach Richard Fields and a criminal investigation.

"We're looking at all athletes in all sports going back several years," said WCC spokesman Patrick Hennessey. "We feel it was an isolated incident, but we're checking. We want to make sure."

Fields, the assistant coach, was fired Oct. 16 after admitting he provided a phony transcript for Jamell Walker and forged an administrator's signature on an eligibility form for him, Hennessey said.

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Alabama State must move on after falling 37-36 to Alabama A&M in Magic City Classic

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  -- Three weeks ago, Reggie Barlow and his Alabama State football team were on top of the SWAC. The Hornets were 4-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play.

Three straight losses later, Barlow and his Hornets are .500 overall and in their league following a 37-36 loss to rival Alabama A&M in the 73rd State Farm Magic City Classic.

The coach said following the game that he hasn't lost faith in his squad.



"We know that we're a good team," he said. "We've just got to stick together and get ready for the next game. That's all it is at this point."

Twice Saturday, the Hornets led by two touchdowns, the latter in the third quarter.

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Downhill Slide Continues for Jackson State

JACKSON, Mississippi  --  Coming off their bye-week, Jackson State head coach Harold Jackson expected to see a rejuvenated Tiger team take the field. However, JSU quickly fell behind 27-0 to defending SWAC Champion Southern and wound up losing its third game in a row 42-28. JSU also lost its fourth straight home game as the Tigers are now 3-5 on the season and 1-4 in conference play.

Lenard Tillery ran for 166 yards and a touchdown as Southern University beat Jackson State 42-28 Saturday night.

Austin Howard finished with 250 yards passing and a touchdown for the Jaguars (5-3, 4-1 SWAC).

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