Division Leading Virginia State Topples #4 Bowie State Bulldogs 62-61

BOWIE, Maryland -- The CIAA Northern Division leading Trojans of Virginia State held off a furious Bowie State charge to squeeze by the #4 Bulldogs 62-61. The loss snaps a Bowie State four game winning streak and sets the Bulldogs season mark at 16-6, 8-2 in conference play and 3-1 in the division.
 
"We could not have played any better defensively and could not have played in worse offensively", stated Bowie State head coach Darrell Brooks.
 
Virginia State (14-5, 8-2 CIAA, 5-0 North), winners of six straight, which included tonight's win, were led by Elijah Moore (Yorktown, Va.) with 17 points. Lamar Kearse (Syracuse, N.Y.) added 12 points and Xavier Parham (Richmond, Va.) came off the Trojans bench to contribute 11 points to go along with seven rebounds and tied for team-high assist honors with three.
 
Tyrece Little (Greenville, N.C.) grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for the Trojans and Alphonso Leary (Norfolk, Va.) was responsible for six rebounds and six points.
 
Bowie State senior Cameron Knox (Baltimore, Md.) shook off a slow start (four first half points) to lead the Bulldogs with 18 points. Juniors Julian Livingston (Bowie, Md.) and Justin Beck (Ellicott City, Md.), tallied 11 and 10 points respectively in the loss. Beck led the Bulldogs on the glass with a team-high six rebounds and recorded a career-high three blocks.
 
As a team, the Bulldogs recorded a season-best nine blocks but were out-rebounded 42-39.
 
The first half featured six lead changes until a 3-pointer by Virginia State's Moore broke a 14-all tie at the 9:17 mark. The Trojans closed the first half with a 17-11 run to take a 34-29 advantage into intermission.
 
Neither team shot very well over the first 20 minutes with Virginia State hitting 13-of-35 (371.1 percent) compared to 9-of-26 (34.6 percent) for Bowie State.
 
The Trojans extended their lead to a game-high 12 points (42-30) early in the second half, but could not put the Bulldogs away.
 
The Bulldogs defense put the clamps on the Trojans which allowed Bowie State to go on an 8-2 run to trim the deficit to 44-40 with 12:25 remaining in the game.
 
Virginia State pushed their lead to 52-44 at the 10:01 mark only to see Bowie State's Beck and Knox answer with back-to-back triples, cutting the Trojans lead to 52-50. From that points, the Trojans responded with an 8-2 spurt only to have the Bulldogs battle back to pull even at 61-all following a 3-pointer by Knox with 19 seconds left on the A.C. Jordan Arena scoreboard.
 
On Virginia State's next possession, the Trojans took the air out of the ball until Tyler Peterson drove to the basket and was fouled by Bowie State senior Zafir Williams (Philadelphia, Pa.) with five seconds left to play. Peterson missed the first of two but made the second for the 62-61 lead.
 
Following a Bowie State time out, Williams drove down the Bulldogs sideline and took a short, off balance layup that missed the mark as time expired.
 
"We missed layups, missed free throws and turned the ball over and that's a bad combination when you're trying to win a close basketball game", said Brooks. We defended well, rebounded pretty good and played with toughness but those little things became big things".
 
The Bulldogs return to action on Saturday (January 31st) hosting the Vikings of Elizabeth City State at 4 pm.

BOX SCORE

COURTESY BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Robert Davis shines for Johnson C. Smith in win against Winston-Salem State

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- The best passes Robert Davis made against Winston-Salem State were the ones he didn’t throw.

The J.C. Smith point guard had his biggest game as a collegian with a game-high 19 points in the Golden Bulls’ 81-78 win against CIAA South rival Winston-Salem State at a packed Brayboy Gym Wednesday. Davis, a freshman, scored 15 points in the second half, including six late to break a four-game slide.

“At practices at different times (J.C. Smith coach Steve Joyner) would get on me about not looking for myself as much,” he said. “I’m really trying to get everybody involved but they’re pressuring me to try to do it for myself. I’m working on it.”

The effort paid off for Davis and J.C. Smith (10-11, 4-6), which won its first division game in four tries. Davis hit 6-of-9 shots and all six free throws to add a new dimension to the Golden Bulls’ offense. “We’ve been talking with him a little bit about that,” Joyner said.

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Six Double Figure Scorers Carry Nationally Ranked Livingstone Blue Bears to 19-0

LaBrea Walker
5'-3" Junior Guard
Hometown: North Las Vegas, Nevada
Transfer: Clinton Junior College
Courtesy: Livingstone College Blue Bears Athletics

RALEIGH, North Carolina  -- The nationally ranked Livingstone College women's basketball team remain undefeated on the season with a clutch 96-73 win over the Falcons of Saint Augustine's University Wednesday night inside Emery Gymnasium.

The Lady Falcons jumped out to control the lead at the start of the game going on a 6-0 run before Jamara Malone came down for an easy lay-in to put the Lady Blue Bears on the board.

The Lady Falcons got up to as many as 11 points at one point early in the first half, giving the Blue Bears something to think about.

On the Blue Bears' ensuing possession Alexis Fowler was fouled and drained her two shots to tie the game up at 22 points apiece.

Alexis Hicks and Cierra York became the catalyst for the remainder of the first half, with Hicks hitting the next four straight shots, followed by York's next five shots, to send the Blue Bears ahead by 15 points to a score of 43-28.

"What got me going was the slow start that our team had at the beginning of the half", said Hicks.

Once York and Hicks got heated up, it was no stopping these two. Things turned around dramatically and the Blue Bears went into halftime leading by 18 points (48-30).

York and Hicks led the first half as the only two in double figures, with 13 and 10 points respectively.

After the break, Labrea Walker opened the game up to a sweet three-pointer to start the pace of the second half.

The second half did not fluctuate too much as the Blue Bears took off and never looked back en route to another victory.

Balanced scoring and teamwork kept the Blue Bears in control which made it difficult for the Lady Falcons to take back the lead.

The Lady Blue Bears shot a blistering 52.2% (35-67) over the Lady Falcons insignificant 27.8 % (20-72) from the field.

The Blue Bears finished with a 49-44 rebounding advantage and connected on 18-22 shots from the charity stripe.

Cierra York came out red-hot and underscored her accolades as she scored 23 points, grabbed eight rebounds, gave out six assists and collected three steals, leading six players in double figures.

The sextet combination of LaBrea Walker (15) Cierra York (23), Jamara Malone (12), Precious Roberts (11), Alexis Hicks (10) and Amber Curtis (13) made the victory that much sweeter, as it was a collective team effort.

"When one person is off another is on, that how deep our bench is. Tonight was most certainly a team effort", saidAlexis Hicks who had 10 points.

From buzzer to buzzer the team played hard and were efficient in their efforts.

The Lady Blue Bears remain unbeaten with an overall 19-0 record, and 10-0 in the CIAA Conference standing.

The team will travel to Winston-Salem State this Saturday (Jan 31) to take on the Rams. The game will begin an hour behind the regular schedule due to prior practice. The team will tip-off at 6:30 P.M. and the door will open no earlier than 5:45 P.M.

For athletic updates please visit the website at www.bluebearathletics.com

COURTESY LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE BLUE BEARS SPORTS INFORMATION 

CIAA honors former O-W star Davenport as leading rusher

RODERICK DAVENPORT
COURTESY SAU ATHLETICS

DURHAM, North Carolina — Saint Augustine’s University running back Roderick Davenport (redshirt Jr./Orangeburg) led the CIAA in rushing in 2014, earning him a place on the all-CIAA Football first team announced at the CIAA Football Championship Awards Banquet at the Durham Convention Center.

The former Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School standout was one of three Saint Augustine’s players on the All-CIAA squad. Wide receiver/return specialist Claytin Lewis (Fr./Raleigh, N.C.) and offensive lineman Martize Smith (Sr./High Point, N.C.) were selected to the second team.

The trio helped the Falcons finish third in the Southern Division after they were picked fifth by the league coaches in the preseason. Overall, the Falcons tied for the sixth-best conference record after they were picked to be the ninth-best CIAA team in July 2014.

“It is good to see the kids receive accolades for their hard work this season,” interim head coach Michael Morand said. “They went through a lot. If you keep praying and having faith, good things will happen if you put in the time on the field and in the classroom.”

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Chowan Athletic Department Set to Host Play4Kay Game February 11th

MURFREESBORO, North Carolina -- The Chowan University athletic department is set to host the annual Play4Kay game in conjunction with the women's basketball program and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) on February 11th. This is the seventh year that the athletic department, women's basketball program and SAAC will host the event, which is intended to raise cancer awareness along with money dedicated for cancer research. Chowan is set to host the Virginia State Lady Trojans at 5:30 pm in the Helms Center.

This year's event will feature a photo booth, cotton candy, in-game contests and prizes. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to show their support. Chowan students that are in attendance by tip-off will receive free popcorn and pizza.

T-shirts will also be available for sale, with proceeds benefiting cancer research. The price for t-shirts is $10. Nationwide, the Play4Kay campaign has raised over $3.8 million to support women's cancer research since its inception in 2007.

It takes a village to battle cancer. The athletic department is seeking cancer survivors to celebrate that village with a survivors walk during halftime on February 11th. Survivors come in many forms, from family and friends to personal diagnosis.

The athletic department is hoping to have active community participation to help raise cancer awareness and funds for cancer research. To take part in this event please contact Meredith Long at longm@chowan.edu or (252) 398-6468.

COURTESY CHOWAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Former Clark Atlanta football coach sues, claims racial discrimination

ATLANTA, Georgia -- A former Clark Atlanta University football coach has filed a lawsuit against the college and its president claiming he was harassed and fired because of his race.

Ted Bahhur, who is white, was fired in 2009 during his fifth season as head coach of the Panther football team because President Carlton Brown wanted a black coach, according to a civil suit filed this month in Fulton County Superior Court.

The lawsuit follows a racial-discrimination complaint filed in 2009 with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC investigation found there was reasonable cause to conclude that Bahhur was discriminated against because of his race, which is a violation of the federal Civil Rights Act, according to a determination letter the commission issued last year.

BAHHUR LAWSUIT

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Nelson Townsend to be honored in FAMU's Black Archives (Video)

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Diane Townsend confidently stood at the front of an afternoon meeting of the 220 Quarterback Club, and — much like her late husband Nelson Townsend — challenged the Rattler community to make a difference by supporting the athletic department.

Townsend stood in front of nearly 60 members of the club Wednesday afternoon at New Times Country Buffet on Monroe Street and said she wants to see her husband's vision for Florida A&M's future fulfilled.

"I'm in orange too," she said.

"This is home now. This is where (Nelson Townsend) died and this is where we're going to stay. I would love to see the vision he had for his school – that was really not his school, but he loved – to do exactly what he knows it can do."

Townsend also learned a plaque honoring her husband — who ...

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