XU Rush 8th in preseason, in top 10 for 30th straight time

NEW ORLEANS -- For the Xavier University of Louisiana men's tennis program, the beat goes on.

The Gold Rush were eighth in the NAIA Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll announced Tuesday. It's the 30th consecutive top-10 appearance for Xavier in a streak which began May 3, 2011.

Xavier will play its first dual match of 2015 at 3 p.m. Friday against city rival Loyola at XU Tennis Center. XU's and Loyola's women's teams also will play at that time.

The XU men have the same ranking they finished 2014 with. It's the Gold Rush's 60th consecutive top-25 appearance; that streak began April 4, 2007.

Defending champion Georgia Gwinnett, 21-0 last season, is the preseason No. 1. There are six preseason top-25 teams on Xavier's schedule: No. 10 Belhaven (Feb. 7 at XU), No. 22 William Carey (March 19 at Hattiesburg, Miss.), No. 4 Vanguard (March 30 at Costa Mesa, Calif.), No. 19 Lewis-Clark State (March 31 at La Mirada, Calif.), No. 9 Westmont (April 1 at Santa Barbara, Calif.) and No. 3 Auburn Montgomery (April 10 at XU).

All-Americans Kyle Montrel and Nikita Soifer are among six Gold Rush returning lettermen.

The first regular-season rankings will be announced Feb. 17.

The top 25:

1. Georgia Gwinnett
2. Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
3. Auburn Montgomery
4. Vanguard
5. Lindsey Wilson
6. Cumberland
7. Bethany (Kan.)
8. Xavier
9. Westmont
10. Belhaven
11. Concordia (Calif.)
12. Graceland
13. Coastal Georgia
14. Northwood (Fla.)
15. SCAD Atlanta
16. Pikeville
17. Olivet Nazarene
18. Oklahoma Baptist
19. (tie) SCAD Savannah
19. (tie) Lewis-Clark State
21. Mobile
22. (tie) William Carey
22. (tie) Indiana Wesleyan
24. San Diego Christian
25. Webber International

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director 

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XU Gold Nuggets 34th overall and still receiving votes

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana collected five points Tuesday to rank 34th in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll.

The Gold Nuggets (12-10 overall, 5-1 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) are among others receiving votes for the fourth consecutive week. And for the second time in that period, they're not the GCAC's leading vote-getter.

That distinction belongs to city rival SUNO, which received eight points and is 31st. SUNO won 73-43 at Xavier on Jan. 19 and gave the Nuggets the second-largest home defeat in their history.

But Xavier has won twice since then, both in GCAC road games, and will enter a 3 p.m. Saturday contest at city rival Dillard with four victories in its last five games.

Xavier's next home game will start at 5:30 p.m. Monday against Edward Waters.

The top of the rankings has a familiar look. Freed-Hardeman, defending champion Oklahoma City and Campbellsville are 1-2-3 for the fourth consecutive week. Freed-Hardeman (19-1) is No. 1 for the fifth consecutive poll.

The top 25:

1. Freed-Hardeman
2. Oklahoma City
3. Campbellsville
4. Westminster (Utah)
5. Bethel (Tenn.)
6. Loyola
7. Langston
8. (tie) Oklahoma Baptist
8. (tie) Concordia (Calif.)
10. Montana State-Northern
11. The Master's
12. Vanguard
13. Our Lady of the Lake
14. Wiley
15. MidAmerica Nazarene
16. Shawnee State
17. Westmont
18. Lewis-Clark State
19. Carroll (Mont.)
20. Lyon
21. Lindsey Wilson
22. Great Falls
23. Martin Methodist
24. Columbia (Mo.)
25. Benedictine (Kan.)

Others receiving votes, in order of points:
Texas Wesleyan
Cumberland
Georgetown (Ky.)
Wayland Baptist
Pikeville
SUNO
Culver-Stockton
Baker
Xavier
William Woods
Auburn Montgomery

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director 

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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Xavier Rush are 19th after 3rd consecutive climb in rankings

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana is still winning and still gaining support in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll.

The Gold Rush (16-6 overall, 5-1 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) climbed for the third straight week, moving from 20th to 19th Tuesday. It's Xavier's highest rank since the preseason, when it was 13th.

Xavier won 73-59 Monday at Voorhees and improved its win streak to a season-high five games.

The Gold Rush are in the top 25 for the 43rd consecutive time. That's the longest active streak among NAIA DI men's teams. Xavier appeared in 56 of the last 57 top-25s.

The GCAC has three top-25 teams for the sixth time in as many polls this season. Talladega climbed from sixth to fourth, and Philander Smith dropped from 24th to 23rd. Talladega will visit Xavier at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9.

Campbellsville, No. 1 for the past three polls, dropped to sixth after losing both its games this past week. Ascending to the top spot is Cal State San Marcos, which received 5-of-10 first-place votes and is No. 1 for the first time since Dec. 9.

Xavier will visit city rival Dillard at 5 p.m. Saturday, then play Edward Waters at 7:30 p.m. Monday at XU's Convocation Center.

The top 25:

1. Cal State San Marcos
2. Pikeville
3. Hope International
4. Talladega
5. Freed-Hardeman
6. Campbellsville
7. Benedictine (Kan.)
8. Dalton State
9. Wayland Baptist
10. Arizona Christian
11. Our Lady of the Lake
12. Great Falls
13. Columbia (Mo.)
14. (tie) Concordia (Calif.)
14. (tie) Martin Methodist
14. (tie) Georgetown (Ky.)
17. Mid-America Christian
18. Montana Western
19. Xavier
20. Oklahoma Baptist
21. Evangel
22. Bethel (Tenn.)
23. Cumberlands
24. Philander Smith
25. LSU-Alexandria

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director 

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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Southern U.Track and Field turns in notable marks at UAB

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- Southern University Men’s and Women’s track and field recorded several top-three finishes during a two-day span at the UAB Vulcan and UAB Green and Gold track meets last weekend in Birmingham, Ala.

UAB Vulcan Invite, Friday, Jan. 23

Harold Fluellen finished fifth in the 60-meter hurdles with a speed of 8.33. Montel Brown sprung for a sixth-place finish in the high jump with a mark of (1.90m). Yanik Duffus collected an impressive finish in the 60 meters as he finished with a time of 6.97, while also placing in the top ten during the 200 meters (22.36). John Haynes’ performance in the 800 meters allowed him to place in the top ten with a time of 1:56.34.

The women’s 4x400 relay team earned a sixth-place finish with a time of 4:00.63. Deandra Deveaux gained the longest distance in the women’s long jump with a mark of 5.28 meters for the SWAC. Tiana Cephers collected a leap of 10.31m in the triple jump, while Georgeanna Felder received a tenth-place finish in the shot put, nailing a mark of 11.55m.

UAB Green and Gold Invite, Saturday, Jan. 24

Southern’s John Haynes placed third in the 400 meters with a mark of 49.85. Yanik Duffus placed fifth in the 60 meters (7.04), followed by Justin Pearson in seventh (7.16). Harold Fluellen’s 8.44 time secured him a fourth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles. Tylor Lighten gained a sixth-place finish in the 200m with a time of 22.36. The men’s 4x400 relay team placed fifth with a mark of 3:26.75.

Southern’s experienced field corp garnered the teams highest mark led by Georgeanna Felder, who produced a second place finish in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 17.09m. Ashley Shepard’s 5.47m jump earned her a third-place finish in the long jump. Celeste White gained a third-place finish in the 5000 meters with a time of 19:54.79, while Reyna Anderson crossed the finish line first for the Jaguars in the 200 meters with a time of 25.33. The women’s 4x400 relay team received an eighth-place finish with a mark of 4:02.94. Briana Radford tossed a 13.90m throw in the shot put finishing fourth in the field.

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UDC Firebird Spotlight - Denikka Brent, Women's Basketball

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Denikka Brent is a standout senior and mechanical engineering major on the women’s basketball team from Chesapeake, Virginia.  Denikka started playing basketball in the 5th grade with great influence from her uncle, whom she considers more like her older brother. Her father, David Brent, has a career in the Navy which required her and her two younger siblings to live in many places including Tennessee and Virginia Beach.

Denikka Brent was honored for scoring her 1,000th point in a road
game at American International College on Dec.1, 2014.

Favorites:  Denikka loves seafood and is an exceptional pianist. Not only does she come from a family of athletes, but also a family of musicians. She has played the piano seriously since her sophomore year in high school. As a musician, she is a big fan of music including gospel, hip-hop, R & B, and rap. Her favorite artist is Beyoncé.

About UDC/Future Career Plans: Denikka was highly recruited and ultimately wanted a school with an engineering program. She loves Washington, D.C., and plans on returning to the area to work. She aspires to one day pursue a career in engineering, then earn her Master’s degree and continue her education with a Ph,D. in Aerospace Engineering with a concentration in NASA.

She says her student-athlete experience at UDC has thus far been great. She notes her professor, Dr. Kline, has taught her a lot and has been an encouraging force behind her studies and athletic career.

Basketball Career: Denikka’s most noted highlights of her basketball career include wining the East Coast Conference Championship and reaching the 1,000-point milestone. To prepare for games, she keeps to herself by listening to music. On the court, she finds she “thinks about a lot”, but her main focus is on winning. The advice she would give to other student-athletes is balancing athletics and academics. Also, she added that you must manage your time wisely.

Quote from Coach Lester Butler, Jr. -  “Denikka has been the face of the women’s basketball program for the last three years. She is everything you want in student-athlete – a great student and a special talent on the basketball court. She will go down as one of the greatest players to ever play for this school.”

High School: Brent is a 2011 graduate of Booker T. Washington High School...played guard for the basketball team...1st Team All-District and Team MVP…also was a member of the National Society of high school Scholars, Math National Honor Society, and National Honor Society…graduated 4th in her class with a cumulative GPA of 3.85

Personal: Daughter of David and Medina Brent...has two siblings, Destinee and David...Mechanical Engineering major…favorite athletes include Kobe Bryant, Maya Moore and Lebron James… favorite food is seafood…favorite movie is The Temptations … favorite musicians are Beyonce and Chris Brown…also recruited by Florida A&M, East Carolina, Longwood, and Furman… greatest athletic experience is getting to the NCAA tournament in her freshman year… dream as a college athlete is to make it to the NCAA tournament one more time and to win the conference title…greatest athletic influence is her father.

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Albany State women scorch visiting Claflin

ALBANY, Georgia — The Albany State Lady Rams’ basketball team got their second win in three games Monday night as they returned home and defeated Claflin 65-52 at the HPER Gym.

The win puts the Lady Rams at 8-9 on the season and 7-3 in the SIAC.

The second half started with a putback from Artisha Holston, which sparked a 9-0 run by the Lady Rams. They held the Lady Panthers scoreless for the first five minutes of the half and went on to build a 48-28 lead with 12:20 left.

Claflin, however, did not go away. The Lady Panthers chipped away at the lead and with 5:41 remaining, Jaquanna Davis hit a lay-up and drew a foul. She sank two more free throws on the next Claflin possession to make it an eight-point game with five minutes left, capping a 20-6 run.

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Virginia State on five-game winning streak heading into big CIAA tilt

RICHMOND, Virginia -- Virginia State (13-5, 7-2) travels to Maryland on Wednesday to face Bowie State (16-5, 8-1) in the first of two games between the two teams atop the CIAA Northern Division. The Trojans currently sit at 4-0 in the division, the Bulldogs are 3-0.

Virginia State enters the game on a five-game winning streak since losing back-to-back games to Shaw and Winston-Salem State early this month. Bowie State has won four straight since a loss to Shaw on Jan. 10.

The Trojans have played nine conference games and are holding CIAA teams to 60.8 points per game - lowest in the conference. The Bulldogs are allowing a third-best 68.6 points per game.

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Red-Hot NSU Defeats Savannah State, 70-54

SAVANNAH, Georgia  –  For the third game in a row, the Norfolk State men's basketball team shot better than 60 percent overall, and the result on Monday night was a 70-54 victory over Savannah State in MEAC action at Tiger Arena.

The Spartans hit 28-of-45 from the field (62.2 percent) to win their third in a row and fifth in the past six games. The victory moved their record to 7-1 in conference play, with all seven victories coming by at least 14 points. NSU improved to 14-9 overall.

Junior RaShid Gaston had 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 13 rebounds for his second straight double-double. He had 11 points in the second half as NSU pulled away from the Tigers after SSU had cut the deficit to just six.



Gaston had eight points during a 12-4 run midway through the second stanza. NSU later went on a 15-4 spurt right near the end of the game to go up by as much as 19.

Savannah State (5-15, 1-5 MEAC) led in the early part of the game, but NSU took a 10-point lead at the break. The teams traded buckets early in the second half before Savannah State scored six straight to get to within six, 39-33, at the 14:20 mark. Freshman Jordan Butler stopped the bleeding with a three-point play, and Gaston scored eight points during a 12-4 run for the Spartans that made it 54-39 with 6:27 on the clock.

The Tigers made one last run. Alante Fenner sank a pair of free throws at 3:55 to cap an 8-1 run, cutting the Spartan lead to eight, 55-47. NSU, though, scored 15 of the next 19 points in the game to put Savannah State away for good.

The Spartans connected on 16-of-24 in the second half. For the game, they also shot 5-of-12 from 3-point range.

NSU had its good and bad moments in the contest. The Spartans had a big edge on the glass, 38-20, and outscored the Tigers by a 20-8 margin in second chance points. Butler had a career-high five blocks, helping the Spartans finish with a 10-0 edge in rejections for the night.

For the second game in a row, though, NSU had more than 20 turnovers. Savannah State had just 10 giveaways compared to 21 for the Spartans, although NSU still led in points off turnovers, 13-10.

Along with Gaston, NSU had three other players in double figures. Junior Jeff Short added 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while junior D'Shon Taylor added 13 on 5-of-7 shooting. Senior Jamel Fuentes scored 10 points on 4-of-7 field goal attempts for his first double-figure scoring game of the season.

Savannah State shot 20-of-55 (36.4 percent) for the game, including a 1-of-12 effort from beyond the arc. Brian Pearson led the Tigers with 14 points.

Pearson sank a pair from the free throw line to give Savannah State an early 11-7 lead four and a half minutes into the contest. The Spartans then held the Tigers scoreless for nearly five and a half minutes. Their 7-0 run only got the lead to three, 14-11, as Fuentes finished it off with a jumper in the lane.

Senior Malik Thomas put NSU up by eight, 25-17, after sinking back-to-back 3-pointers, the latter near the right corner with 5:02 to go before intermission. The Spartans led by as much as 11 after Gaston hit a pair of layups with less than two minutes left, and NSU went into the half up 31-21.

Thomas had seven points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Butler totaled five points, six rebounds, five blocks, two assists and two steals.

NSU will return home to host Hampton in the Battle of the Bay on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Joseph Echols Hall.

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UAPB Rips Prairie View A&M, 105-68

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas -- The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Men's Basketball Team won their third straight as the Golden Lions defeated Prairie View A&M University, 105-68 here Monday night at the H.O. Clemmons Arena.

The contest was originally to be aired on ESPNU, but due to inclement weather in Bristol, Conn., ESPN was unable to broadcast the game. UAPB's next scheduled television appearance will be on February 16 against Alcorn State on the SWAC Digital T.V. at the H.O. Clemmons Arena, with the Lady Lions tipping off at 5:30 p.m. and the Golden Lions tipping off at 7:30 p.m.

This is the first time that UAPB has scored 100 –plus in a game in seven seasons. The last the Golden Lions reach the century mark in a contest was during the 2008-09 season, when UAPB defeated Alcorn State, 101-77.

PVAMU jumped out to a 6-2 lead start the contest with a Jacoby Green three pointer, followed by a Montreal Scott free throw and a put-back by Reggis Onwukamuche with18:23 to go in the half.

UAPB tied the contest at 6-6 on back-to-back scores by Thaddeus Handley and Devin Berry at the 17:47 mark of the half.

Scott gave the Panthers a 12-11 lead with his made three pointer with 15:31 left in the first.

The Golden Lions answered with a 10-0 run to take a 22-12 lead on a Marcel Mosley jumper with 11:40 left in the half.

PVAMU cut UAPB's lead to 25-23 on a Green put back with 7:22 to go, capping an 11-3 run by the Panthers.

UAPB ended the first half with a 25-10 run to take a 50-33 lead into the break.

The Golden Lions finished the first half shooting a blazing 67.9 percent (19-of-28), while PVAMU shot 52.2 percent (12-of-23).

UAPB opened the second half with an 18-7 run to take a 68-40 lead, capped off by a Hammond three pointer with 16:07 to go in the game.

The Golden Lions extended their lead to 81-51 on a Trent Whiting field goal at the 10:37 mark.

Whiting scored the Golden Lions 100th point with his made free throw giving UAPB a 100-63 lead with 2:37 left in regulation.

Mosley and Austin Cox scored the Golden Lions finals points of the contest with three pointer by Mosley and a pair of made free throws by Cox for the 105-68 finale.

PVAMU (5-15, 3-4 SWAC) had three Panthers to score in double-figures with a Scott scoring a team high 16 points, followed by Josh Brisco with 12 and Green with 10. Tre Hagood led the Panthers on the boards with seven, while Hagood dished out a team high five assists.

UAPB (6-15, 3-4 SWAC) had a quintet to score in double-figures with Mosley scoring a game high 26 points to lead all-scorers, followed by Hammond with 17, Handley added 15, and Whiting dropped in 13, while JoVaughn Love finished with 10. Whiting led the lead Golden Lions on the boards with eight, while Mosley dished out a game high seven assists.

The Golden Lions will return to action on Saturday, January 31 as they travel to Grambling, La., to take on Grambling State at Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center in a 5 p.m. start.

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Is $1 billion too high a price for a new Florida State University engineering school?

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- $1 billion -- it seems like a lot of money to pay for new separate, but supposedly equal, engineering schools in Florida. But that's been the push of Florida State University president John Thrasher who has coveted splitting the exisiting school that serves FSU and Florida A&M University.

As a former state senator, Thrasher pushed hard to get a bill through the Florida Legislature to split the engineering school away from Florida's historic black university in hopes of boosting the national image of garnet and gold. Of course, the FAMU nation wanted no parts of a break-up.

Now as FSU president, Thrasher faces the reality of what the dreams of an individual engineering school with cost his university. According to a new study released this week, breaking up the school could cost $1 billion and would draw legal challenges on civil-rights grounds.

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Separate FSU-FAMU engineering schools could cost $1 billion, study says

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Splitting the engineering school shared by Florida State University and Florida A&M University into separate programs could cost $1 billion and draw legal challenges on civil-rights grounds, according to a new study on the issue.

But the report, from the California-based Collaborative Braintrust Consulting Firm, also says that changes are needed at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering if it remains a single institution.

In many ways, the final version of the study is similar to an early draft. It maintains that the start-up costs of a separate FSU engineering program that could help the university gain national prominence would run into the hundreds of millions of dollars, and that a Supreme Court ruling on education segregation known as the Fordice decision could double that.

"The cost to set up a new FSU engineering college that has the scope of a top 25 public engineering college is estimated at $500 million," the report says. "The Fordice decision seems to imply that the same $500 million would need to be invested in the FAMU engineering college. Hence, the overall cost to set up a two-college system may be prohibitive."

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McDonald's 3-Pointer Lifts NCCU to 55-54 Win Over DSU

DURHAM, North Carolina – Anthony McDonald scored a game-high 23 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 27 seconds left, to lift North Carolina Central University to a 55-54 win over Delaware State on Monday night in front of a live television audience on ESPNU.

An electrifying, near-capacity crowd inside McDougald-McLendon Gym energized the host Eagles from an eight-point second-half deficit to their 31st consecutive home victory, the third-longest home win streak in Division I men's basketball.

A home court celebration seemed improbable when Delaware State senior guard Amere May was fouled in the act of attempting a three-pointer with 0.4 seconds left on the clock. Needing two free throws to tie and all three to win, the 83 percent free-throw shooter toed the line and, with more than 3,000 fans roaring, calmly drained the first freebie. After a timeout, May, who made all seven from the charity stripe up to this point, missed his second free throw and a chance to win in regulation. His last attempt, the potential game-tying free throw, also bounced off the rim, sending the fans to mid-court for a post-game party.



During NCCU's game-changing 9-0 run, Jordan Parks deflected a pass, Jamal Ferguson tracked down the loose ball, and, while falling out of bounds, tossed a blind pass over his head to a wide open Parks, who brought down the house with a thunderous two-handed slam.

McDonald finished the night with four three-pointers and was a clutch 9-for-10 from the free-throw line to lead NCCU (16-5, 8-0 MEAC). Senior point guard Nimrod Hilliard, who left the game with an apparent knee injury, but returned to spark the Eagles' comeback, finished with 13 points, five assists and two steals.

Delaware State (10-10, 4-2 MEAC) was topped by Tyshawn Bell with 13 points, while May ended with 12 points.

NCCU will attempt to extend its 10-game win streak when visiting East Tennessee State on Jan. 31.

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S.C. State gets key MEAC win over Hampton

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- Improved defense and a balanced scoring effort helped South Carolina State (7-15, 5-3) match its Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win total from a season ago with a key 65-56 victory over Hampton Monday night before 707 fans at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.

With nine games to play, the Bulldogs sit tied for third place in the MEAC standings and remain in the thick of the conference’s regular-season title race.

“There’s plenty of games left,” S.C. State head coach Murray Garvin said. “We’re still competing to try to win a regular season title. We’re coming out and competing, not just to finish a game but to compete for a championship.”

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Texas Southern Tigers get a triple overtime win over MVSU

GREENWOOD, Mississippi -- Tonnie Collier scored 26 points including two free throws with 11 seconds left in triple-overtime as Texas Southern beat Mississippi Valley State 85-84 on Monday.

Collier's free throws came after Isaac Williams' jumper put MVSU up 84-83 with 19 seconds left. MVSU had one last possession, but a turnover and foul by Billy Jackson sealed it.

Mississippi Valley State had the last shot in regulation and the first two overtimes, but missed each time.

MVSU's Vacha Vaughn forced overtime with his lone basket of the game, a layup with 50 seconds left.

TSU's Malcolm Riley prompted the third overtime with a jumper with 25 seconds left.

Collier was 8 of 14 from the floor and made five three pointers for the Tigers. Madarious Gibbs added 17 points.

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Alabama A&M Bulldogs roll over Alcorn State

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama  –  Ladarius Tabb and Adrian Edwards each had a double-double Monday night to help lead the Bulldogs to a 78-66 win over Alcorn State.

Tabb, the No. 3 scorer in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, had a season-high 33 points while Edwards had 13. Tabb also pulled down 12 rebounds and Edwards had 10.

The win snaps a two-game losing streak and lifts the Bulldogs to 4-3 in the SWAC. Alcorn State falls to 3-5 in the conference.

Alabama A&M hits the road this weekend with a game Saturday at Prairie View A&M and Monday at Texas Southern. Monday's game will be televised on ESPNU. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.

Rakiya Battle, who averages 5.4 assists per game to lead the conference, had 12 assists Monday, several to Tabb – including a couple of alley-oop slams.

Marquis Vance led a trio of Braves in double figures with 17 points; LeAntwan Luckett scored 13 and Kenyan Pittman added 10.

The Bulldogs shot 50 percent from the field and led at the half 42-35.

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Funeral for Coach James Wright is Wednesday in Birmingham

OBITUARY: James Wright

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Funeral arrangements are set for Coach James Wright, assistant men's basketball coach at Alabama A&M.

Services will be noon Wednesday at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, 1329 Avenue G in Birmingham.

Coach Wright died last Wednesday at home. He was 46.

The popular coach was in his fourth year as an assistant coach with the Bulldogs.

He came to The Hill from the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Before that, he was an assistant at the University of West Alabama where then-Athletic Director E.J. Brophy nicknamed him "The Recruiting Machine."

Wright also served as the coach, president and general manager of the AAU basketball team Rise & Shine from 1993-2004.

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Despite rough final few minutes, Southern women hold off Alabama State 53-49

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — The Southern women’s basketball team seemed to be rolling toward its fifth consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference victory.

The Jaguars led Alabama State by double figures for nearly all of the first 34 minutes, but then everything changed. They started missing shots and turning the ball over, and they watched their lead shrink to a point.

But two free throws by Britney Washington and two big defensive plays by Jasmine Jefferson saved the day in the final minute as Southern beat the Lady Hornets 53-49 on Monday night in the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.

The Jaguars, 8-10 and 6-2 in the SWAC, visit Alcorn State on Saturday. ASU fell to 8-9 and 4-3.

“I thought we played solid basketball for about 28 minutes, then we just lost focus,” Southern coach Sandy Pugh said. “We made a lot of mental mistakes, especially on defense. It was a lot of little things.”

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Southern falls to Alabama State 63-59 in OT

HEAD COACH ROMAN BANKS
SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Southern men’s basketball coach Roman Banks and his staff lingered in the hallway outside the visitors locker room after the game Monday night in the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.

Banks was trying to find the right words with which to address his team after a 63-59 overtime loss to Alabama State that determined first place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

It was a game in which the Jaguars led by as many as 17 points in the first half, had a chance for a tie-breaking score in the waning seconds of the second half, and thought they had secured possession for a possible tying or winning basket at the end of overtime only to see the officials rule a held ball that went the Hornets way rather than a Jaguars timeout.

“You want to calm down and make sue that you say the right things,” Banks said. “They didn’t intentionally miss a shot or intentionally throw a bad pass. We were a little inconsistent offensively, but other than that, we played a pretty good ballgame.”

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Coleman, defense deliver for XU in victory at Voorhees

XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUSIANA MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM 2014-15
ROSTER
COACHES

DENMARK, South Carolina -- Sydney Coleman had 17 points and eight rebounds Monday, and NAIA No. 20 Xavier University of Louisiana produced its best field-goal defense of the season in a 73-59 men's basketball victory against Voorhees.

The Gold Rush (16-6, 5-1) have a season-high five-game win streak and won on the road for the second time in three days.

Coleman, an All-GCAC forward last year, was 6-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the line. It was the 10th time this season he scored in double figures.

Xavier is 4-0 this season when Coleman leads the team in scoring.

The Gold Rush limited the Tigers (8-10, 1-4) to 29.3 percent from the floor, 21.9 percent in the second half. Voorhees was 0-of-8 on 3-pointers after making 2-of-10 in the first half.

RJ Daniels, in his best performance for Xavier since Nov. 14, had 12 points and nine rebounds. Anthony Goode scored 12 points, and Morris Wright and Jarvis Thibodeaux had nine points apiece. Thibodeaux grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, six offensive, to reach double figures for the fifth time this season.

Jerrod Brown had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Voorhees -- he made 14-of-16 free throws -- and Greg Henry had 12 points and seven rebounds.

For the sixth time this season, Xavier won after trailing at halftime. Voorhees led 31-28 at the break, but the Gold Rush rallied to lead by double digits midway through the second half. Wright's layup gave Xavier a 52-40 advantage with 10:48 remaining.

It was Xavier's eighth double-digit victory of the season and second in conference. The score was the same as the Xavier-at-Voorhees women's game played prior to the men.

Xavier shot 41.5 percent from the floor, 46.4 percent in the second half, and outrebounded Voorhees 40-33. Both teams committed 29 fouls, with Xavier making 25-of-32 free throws to the Tigers' 23-of-32.

Thibodeaux made 7-of-8 free throws, and Goode made 4-of-4. Goode, who ranked sixth in free-throw accuracy in NAIA Division I entering the game, has made 66-of-75 (88 percent) this season.

Box score

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Nuggets win at Voorhees in 3rd straight road victory

DENMARK, South Carolina -- Alesha Smith's career-high 15 points and Vinnie Briggs' 14 points and 10 rebounds carried Xavier University of Louisiana to a 73-59 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory Monday against Voorhees.

The Gold Nuggets (12-10, 5-1) won for the fourth time in five games and earned their third consecutive road victory.

Smith also had two assists, two steals and no turnovers in her second consecutive career-high scoring performance. Briggs recorded her team-leading second double-double and Xavier's fourth of the season.

Donyeah Mayfield had eight points and nine rebounds for the Gold Nuggets, and Daylin Boatner scored eight. Kelsey Joseph had a career-high six steals, four in the first half.

Xavier trailed 12-4 through five minutes before taking control with a 19-7 run. The Gold Nuggets led 39-32 at halftime.

Keosha Hardaway had 21 points and eight rebounds for Voorhees (4-13, 0-5), and Kritofia Smart scored 12.

Voorhees outshot Xavier 39.1 to 35.1 percent from the floor. The Gold Nuggets outrebounded the Lady Tigers 43-40 and gained 26 turnovers, 15 by steals. Xavier committed one first-half turnover and finished with a season-best-tying seven.

Both teams struggled at the line despite plenty of opportunities. Xavier made 16-of-34 free throws -- a season-worst 47.1 percent -- and Voorhees made 21-of-34.

It was Xavier's seventh double-digit victory of the season and their third in conference. The Gold Nuggets climbed two victories above .500 for the first time since Dec. 17.

Xavier will visit city rival Dillard at 3 p.m. Saturday. The next XU home game will start at 5:30 p.m. next Monday against Edward Waters.

Box score

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

XULAATHLETICS

XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Impending Weather Halts ESPNU Broadcast Tonight: PVAMU vs. UAPB

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Prairie View A&M at Arkansas Pine-Bluff game – scheduled to air tonight at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU – will no longer be televised due to the impending snowstorm set to hit the Northeast on Monday night. The game was to be called by Mark Brown and Mo Cassara from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn. headquarters – one of 45 games this season supplementing its on-site event presence with production support originating at ESPN. The game is still scheduled to be played locally.

The next Southwestern Athletic Conference game to be broadcast on ESPNU will be the Alabama A&M at Texas Southern men’s game next Monday, February 2 at 8 p.m. CT.

Prairie View will be broadcast next on the SWAC Digital Network Saturday, February 7 at Texas Southern.  The doubleheader with the women is set for a 5:30 p.m. CT tipoff.  Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s next broadcast is Monday, Feb. 16 on the SWAC Digital Network beginning at 5:30 p.m CT. The Golden Lions will face Alcorn State.

COURTESY SWAC.ORG

Monroe Walker Hired as Head Tennis Coach at TSU

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennessee State Director of Athletics Teresa Phillips announced the hiring Monroe Walker to the position of head men’s and women’s tennis coach, Monday.

“I am pleased to announce the hiring of Monroe Walker to lead our tennis programs here at Tennessee State,” Phillips said. “He has already achieved success in his time as a head coach, and we look forward to him continuing to grow while building our men’s and women’s teams.”

Walker last coached as the head men’s and women’s coach at Graceland University (2011-15). Prior to that stint, Walker served a graduate assistant at TSU.

“I am very excited to come back to Tennessee State where I received my Master’s Degree,” Walker said. “I have learned a lot since then, so I am looking forward to building this program up and allow players to succeed on and off the court.”

He earned three consecutive HAAC titles for the Graceland men's team. He also has hosted the ITA Fall Regional (2013, 2014) and HAAC Conference Tournament in his final year with the program.

In 2014, Walker led both the men's and women's team to the HAAC Conference titles and automatic berths into the National Tournament - a program first for Graceland. The men's and women's team both won a round at the National Tournament. It was the first time in Graceland women's history to win a match at Nationals.

Individually, Walker aided Birkir Gunnarrsson to a berth in the National Tournament. Walker also helped 3 student athletes earn ITA All-American accolades including Birkir Gunnarsson who finished as the No. 11 ranked single.

As a high school player, Walker was top-five athlete in the state of Tennessee and a top-50 player in the Southern section in addition to being a Billie Jean King National Tournament participant.

Out of high school, Walker signed to play college tennis at Xavier University (La.). At Xavier, he earned doubles conference champion as a freshman and finished in the top 50 in the NAIA single's rankings.

Additionally, he won freshman of the year and the conference championship his senior year. Walker won over 100 matches in singles and doubles while at Xavier.

Walker graduated from Xavier University with his Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and Management before finishing his graduate degree at Tennessee State University in Sports Administration.

Walker's hobbies include working out, sports, movies and listening to music.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

No.17 Wiley College hands No.5 Langston University First Loss

MARSHALL, Texas -- No. 17 Wiley College (Texas) Women’s Basketball team is now Langston University’s (Okla.) first loss of the season beating the Lions, 85-76, in a nail-biting back-and-forth match. With the victory, the Lady Wildcats move to an overall record of 13-2, 8-2 in the Red River Athletic Conference.

From the beginning, the Lady Wildcats knew that they were going to have to play a fast paced game to be able to keep up with the Lions and their quick plays. The squad was going to have to play as a team and everyone would have to play their part on the court in order to come out on top.

“I am very happy that we won,” says Head Coach Courtney Pruitt. “But I do know we still have a long way to go. We are very capable of being a very good team but we just have to play up to our full potential. We had some players really step up their game tonight and showed that they can be great leaders to this team.”

The Lady Wildcats did have a hard time slowing down Lynette Holmes, who finished the game with a double-double scoring 30 points and 11 rebounds.

Senior Tyeka Ranton lead the team with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists along with junior Ri’Kell McWright who was not far behind with 19 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks.

In hopes of making their third NAIA National Tournament appearance, the Lady Wildcats still have to battle through the rest of their season now having to hit the road and play No. 15 Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas) and No. 5 Langston University on their home court.

By Antonya Pharr, Sports Information Director
COURTESY WILEY COLLEGE WILDCATS SPORTS INFORMATION

NOTE: Langston University first year Coach Cheryl Miller's Lions are 17-1, ranked #5 in NAIA and tied for 1st place in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC).  So far, Miller has signature wins over NAIA #1 ranked Oklahoma City University and #15 Our Lady of the Lake University.

Red River Athletic Conference
2014-15 Women's Basketball Standings (Jan. 26, 2015)

School RRAC Overall GB Home Away Neutral Streak
No. 5 Langston 9-1 .900 17-1 .944 -- 8-0 8-1 1-0 Lost 1
No. 15 Our Lady of the Lake 9-1 .900 15-4 .789 -- 8-2 5-2 2-0 Won 6
No. 17 Wiley 8-2 .800 13-2 .867 1.0 5-1 4-1 4-0 Won 4
Louisiana State-Alexandria 6-4 .600 8-5 .615 3.0 4-2 4-3 0-0 Won 1
LSU Shreveport 6-4 .600 10-8 .556 3.0 5-4 5-4 0-0 Won 2
St. Thomas - Houston 5-5 .500 9-10 .474 4.0 6-3 3-5 0-2 Won 1
Texas College 5-5 .500 6-10 .375 4.0 4-6 2-4 0-0 Lost 1
Huston-Tillotson 4-6 .400 5-13 .278 5.0 2-4 3-9 0-0 Lost 1
Jarvis Christian 2-8 .200 3-12 .200 7.0 2-7 1-5 0-0 Won 1
Southwest 1-9 .100 3-18 .143 8.0 2-5 1-13 0-0 Lost 3
# - Paul Quinn 0-0 .000 0-13 .000 4.0 0-6 0-7 0-0 Lost 13
Bacone 0-10 .000 2-12 .143 9.0 2-4 0-8 0-0 Lost 5
# - Not eligible for postseason

FAMU President Elmira Mangum Named ‘Person of the Year’ by Capital Outlook

 Elmira Mangum, Ph.D.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) President Elmira Mangum, Ph.D., will be honored today as the “Person of the Year” by The Capital Outlook newspaper.

Each year, The Capital Outlook Editorial Board selects an individual who is making a profound impact on the quality of life in the Big Bend area and beyond. In announcing the award, the Board highlighted President Mangum’s efforts to bring hope and inspiration to Floridians and throughout the nation.

“Dr. Mangum’s selection as The Capital Outlook’s ‘Person of the Year’ is a major recognition,” said Rev. Dr. R.B. Holmes Jr., publisher and president of the newspaper. “Her selection as the 11th president and first permanent female president of FAMU signals a new day in higher education. The higher education and academic communities across America proudly salute Dr. Mangum, who has the gifts and skills to transform FAMU into a stronger and bolder university in this 21st century.”

President Mangum will receive the “Person of the Year” award at Four Points by Sheraton Bronze Ballroom, located at 316 West Tennessee Street in Tallahassee.

“I am honored to receive this award from an organization with a great legacy of educating and empowering our community,” Mangum said. “This honor is not taken lightly, as it inspires me to continue to seek out the resources necessary to ensure that our low-wealth citizens have access to a high-quality and affordable education.”

COURTESY FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS