No. 7 Texas Women's Basketball advances to Second Round, downs ASU, 86-42.

The 44-point win ties Texas’s largest margin of victory in the NCAA tournament since playing No. 15 seed Hampton on March 23, 2003.

AUSTIN, Texas— Sophomore forward Ariel Atkins scored a team-high 15 points and senior center Imani Boyette brought down a team-high 10 boards to propel No. 7/7 Texas over Alabama State, 86-42, in the First Round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament inside the Frank Erwin Center on Saturday night.

With the win, No. 2-seeded Texas (29-4) advances to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight season. The Longhorns hold an all-time record of 36-27 in Tournament play, including a 20-9 mark when hosting. The 44-point win ties Texas's largest margin of victory in the NCAA tournament since playing No. 15 seed Hampton on March 23, 2003.

Boxscore (PDF) | Postgame Notes | Postgame Quotes | Photo Gallery
 

"I thought our team was really ready to play, and our starters got us off to a good start," said Texas head coach Karen Aston. "It took us a half to sort of settle into the discipline of the game, and once we did that, I think we played pretty good basketball. I thought they had a good rhythm the entire evening."

Senior guard Empress Davenport tallied 13 points for the game featuring three triples, her new career-high. Sophomore guard Brooke McCarty added 12 points, and freshman guard Lashann Higgs scored 10 points, including a perfect 6-of-6 effort from the free throw line. Senior guard Celina Rodrigo led with a team-high four assists.

All 13 eligible players on the Texas roster scored at least two points on the night for the first time this season. As a team, the Longhorns shot 46.4 percent (32-of-69) from the field and 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from behind the arc. Alabama State shot 22.2 percent (12-of-54) from the floor and 35.3 percent (6-of-17) from downtown. The Horns dominated the battle of the boards, 50-29, and outblocked the Lady Hornets, 7-2.

No. 15-seeded Alabama State (19-12) was led by junior guard Danielle Clark with 13 points.

Davenport got Tournament play rolling with the first five points for the Longhorns, and a three-point conversion from Atkins coupled with a Rodrigo layup put the Horns up 10-3 at the 6:35 mark of the first. After one ASU free throw, Texas went on a 9-1 run to lead by 13 (18-5) with 2:18 remaining. The Lady Hornets responded by grabbing the last eight points of the quarter to cut the margin to 18-13 Longhorns.

Boyette got her first two points of the night from the free throw line to open the second and added a layup to hand Texas the 22-15 lead at the 8:59 mark. A Davenport triple and an Atkins jumper pushed the advantage to double-digits again (29-18) with 2:57 remaining in the half. The teams would trade shots from the line in the closing minutes of the first half, and a long Lady Hornet jumper ended it, sending Texas into the break with a 32-22 advantage.

The Horns wasted no time in the third, jumping out on an 11-0 spurt (43-22) to force an ASU timeout at the 6:48 mark. Texas only allowed Alabama State five points in the third, and the Longhorns found their groove behind conversions from Atkins and McCarty, who tallied 18 points together for the quarter. A jumper from junior center Lang ended the third, putting Texas ahead by 31 points (58-27).

The Longhorns continued to dominate play in the last quarter, scoring all 28 points from the bench. Freshman forward Jordan Hosey added a huge block followed by a three-point conversion to make it 72-34 Horns with 4:54 remaining in regulation. The Lady Hornets found their bright spot behind back-to-back triples from junior guard Daniele Ewert, but a long jumper from junior Sara Hattis ended the game, 86-42 Texas.

Up next, Texas will play No. 10 seed Missouri in the Second Round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament on Monday, March 21. Tip is set for 8 p.m. CT, and the game will be carried live on ESPN2.
 

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS LONGHORNS MEDIA RELATIONS

FAMU forward Malcolm Bernard confirms he's leaving the program

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M forward Malcolm Bernard will finish his collegiate career with a different team.

Bernard confirmed in a phone interview with the Tallahassee Democrat he is leaving the team. He led the Rattlers in points (14.4 per game) and rebounds (7.1). He also led the team with 119 assists.

Bernard has one year of eligibility left.

"I just wanted another opportunity," Bernard said. "An opportunity to do something different. I believe to do that, I have to separate myself from FAMU. You have to do what's necessary, especially when you're trying to reach other goals."

Bernard said he's "weighing his options" in regards to where he'll transfer, but the decision to leave "wasn't easy." He said was granted his release Monday afternoon.

This is the second year in a row FAMU's leader has left the team. Guard Jermaine Ruttley (who also led the Rattlers in points, assists and rebounds) transferred after the 2014-15 season and now plays for Arkansas-Little Rock. The Trojans (29-4, 17-3 Sun Belt) will play fifth-seeded Purdue in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday.

Ruttley averages 3.4 points per game for the Trojans.

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S.C. State's Buddy Pough Looks Back And Ahead

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- South Carolina State head football coach Buddy Pough is home. He grew up in Orangeburg and went on to earn All-MEAC honors as an offensive lineman at South Carolina State.

Now as he prepares for his 15th sesaon as the head coach of his alma mater, Pough looks back on his career that has seen him lead the Bulldogs to a pair of MEAC title outright and four shared conference titles.

"You can't believe it's been that long," said Pough.

"You know, 15 years - has it really been that long? Well, it is. I've enjoyed every minute of it."

But the coach quickly turns his attention to 2016 and his lofty goals for his program.

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Demetric Austin was 10-for-10 from the free throw line and finished with a double-double.

Kansas City, Missouri (excerpts taken from NAIA.org) — No. 6 seed Campbellsville (Ky.)qualified for the quarterfinal round of the 2016 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship with an 81-73 win over sixth-seeded Dillard (La.). The Tigers take on the winner of No. 1-seeded LSU Alexandria (La.) and No. 5-seeded Carroll (Mont.) in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 19 at 5:30 p.m. CDT.

Elliott Young led the way for Campbellsville with 22 points and eight rebounds, converting 4 of 7 three-point shots. Sekou Harris chipped in with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists, Dii'jon Allen-Jordan added 13 points, eight rebounds and six steals, while Hagen Tyler tallied 12 points.

"I didn't think we played our best basketball tonight," said Dillard head coach Mike Newell.

"We made a lot of mental mistakes and you can't do that in March. This group accomplished a lot of great things, but we didn't win a national championship, and that's why I came to Dillard."

Campbellsville (24-10) forced 10 turnovers in the first half on the way to a 37-28 lead at intermission, limiting Dillard to 10 of 33 shooting (.303) that included two three-point shots on 10 attempts. The middle third of the half was a pivotal stretch for the Tigers, who turned a 10-9 deficit into a 26-16 advantage thanks to six points from Harris.

The second half saw the Tigers' advantage swell between one and 10 points throughout the second half before Harris and Young helped finish off the game with conventional three-point plays prior to four free throws by Rob Robinson.

"I am really happy for Houston Chatman (JR/Houma, La.)," said Newell. "It's really special to go out in your last year and win a conference championship, get a chance to go to the NAIA tournament and go as far as the sweet 16. He's a great young man and I am very fortunate to have coached him." Chatman finished with just three points and two boards in his final game as a Bleu Devil.

Campbellsville shot 51.7 percent in the second half (15 of 29), including 6 of 12 from beyond the arc. Dillard owned the battle of the boards with a 50-40 advantage, but the Tigers committed just 10 turnovers and recorded 12 steals.

Demetric Austin (JR/Washington, D.C.) scored a game-high 23 points, hitting all 10 of his free throws, to go along with 11 rebounds for the Bleu Devils. Dennis Reed (JR/England, Ark.) also pulled down 11 rebounds, while Dennis Hightower (JR/Chicago, Ill.) (JR/Chicago, Ill.) recorded 19 points, five assists and four rebounds.

Dillard finishes its season with a 22-11 record.

Game notes:

Campbellsville – All-time in the championship, the Tigers improve to 2-3 in the Second Round – their previous such victory came in 2008 against former member McKendree (Ill.), 80-64… The margin of victory/defeat in four previous second round games was 8.3 points… Moves to 8-10 all-time in the championship… Hagen Tyler made 4-of-9 three-pointers tonight – he entered the game ranked No. 4 in NAIA in treys made (101)… As a team, Georgetown has knocked down 23 triples in two tournament games … Of the five teams to qualify for the quarterfinals thus far, the Tigers become the second program with double-digit losses… Campbellsville joins fellow Mid-South Conference members Cumberlands (Ky.) and Georgetown (Ky.) in the round of 8, which will be played on Saturday.

Dillard – In first appearance since 2003 – fifth overall – Blue Devils fall to 3-6 all-time in the National Championship … Was riding a five-game win streak heading into second round game … Dennis Hightower averaged 28.5 points over two games in this season's championship to finish this season with at least 10 points in three of his last four games… Demetric Austin, who had a season-low five points in the tournament opening win Thursday, collected a team-high 23 tonight… Grabbed 16 offensive rebounds, which was right at the team's season average, which ranks No. 2 in the NAIA.

COURTESY GULF COAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEDIA RELATIONS

Sean Mapson Named as MVSU New Head Women’s Soccer Coach

ITTA BENA, Mississippi – A new day has dawned for the Mississippi Valley State University women's soccer program, as Sean Mapson takes the helm as the fourth head coach in the program's history.

"I am very pleased with our selection of Sean Mapson to lead the Mississippi Valley State University women's soccer program. He has followed our program over the years and is fully aware that our program is one of the best in the SWAC. He has a solid background in the sport; having played professionally, coached on various levels (youth to collegiate), and continues to be a student of the game by earning several soccer coaching certifications. I believe Coach Mapson will build on our successes," said Athletic Director Dianthia Ford-Kee.

Mapson takes over a program that won the 2015 regular season Southwestern Athletic Conference title. He comes to MVSU after serving as the assistant coach for the women's soccer program at the University of Southern Mississippi, a position he began in 2011.

In 2013, under Mapson and USM's Head Coach Mohammed El-Zare, the team finished 7-9-4, one of the best records recorded in the past decade, however the two were far from done. In 2015, the team finished the season with their highest conference ranking in the past seven years. In addition to coaching, Mapson was also responsible for developing technical and tactical training sessions, organizing and managing the travel budget and match and player analysis. He was also, the goalkeeper coach, recruitment coordinator and camp director.

While at Southern Miss. Mapson coached one 2015 Conference USA All-Academic First Team honoree, one 2015 Conference USA All-Freshmen Team honoree, two 2014 Conference USA All-Academic First Team 2014 honorees, one 2014 Conference USA All-Conference Third Team honoree, two 2013 Conference USA All-Academic First Team honorees and one 2013 Conference USA All-Freshmen Team honoree; the team also scored an overall 3.23 Team GPA in 2014.

Prior to arriving at USM, Mapson served as the assistant coach of the men and women's soccer program at William Carey University.

While serving his alma mater, Mapson assisted in helping the men and women's teams reach the NAIA National Tournament in consecutive seasons. In addition to this achievement, both goalkeepers received NAIA First-Team All-American honors.

Mapson also served the Hattiesburg Youth Soccer Association as the Youth Coach and Director of Goalkeeping from 2007-2015.

His playing achievements at William Carey, includes the GCAC All-Freshmen team in 2006 and selections to the GCAC All-Conference Team in 2007 and 2009, as a goalkeeper. He also played with Leicester City (England) and Macclesfield Town F.C. (England).

In addition to being a student-athlete, Mapson was a double major at William Carey University. He received his Bachelor of Science Degrees in Social Science and Physical Education and Coaching in 2011. In 2014, he graduated with a Master of Science Degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in Sports Coaching Education.

Mapson is married to Rachel Maximo-Mapson; the two have three dogs and one cat.

"I would like to thank the Mississippi Valley State University family and Athletic Director, Dianthia Ford-Kee and the rest of the search committee for trusting in my ability to lead the program forward. I would also like to thank the players at the University of Southern Mississippi, the Senior Women's Administrator Sonya Varnell and Coach Mohammed El-Zare for the opportunities they provided for me to develop as a coach. I look forward to newest chapter in my coaching career and working to make a positive impact on the team, university and community," said Head Coach Sean Mapson.

COURTESY MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

XU's Allen, Coleman, relay team finish in top 10 at Rhodes meet

MEMPHIS, Tennessee -- Xavier University of Louisiana got top-10 finishes Friday from triple jumpers Clarke Allen and Keairez Coleman and a relay team at the Rhodes Invitational.

Allen placed sixth in the women's triple jump with a best mark of 10.84 meters (35 feet, 6 3/4 inches), two-tenths of a meter less than her XU-record performance of two weeks earlier. Coleman was 10th in the men's division in 12.35 meters (40-6 1/4).

In the women's 3,200-meter relay, the XU team of Brianna Pace, Dionysia Love, Chinyere Jones and Maliya Vaughn placed fifth in 10 minutes, 18.50 seconds. It was the first time since 2014 that the Gold Nuggets competed in this event.

There was no team scoring. The two-day meet will conclude Saturday. The meet is Xavier's second of the season.

Here are all the Xavier Friday results from the Rhodes Invitational:

Women
5,000: Hannah Finnegan, 39th in 22:29.29
3,200 Relay: Brianna Pace, Dionysia Love, Chinyere Jones, Maliya Vaughan, 5th in 10:18.50
Triple Jump: Clarke Allen, 6th in 10.84 meters (35 feet, 6 3/4 inches); Dorian Hill, 16th in 8.91 meters (29 feet, 2 3/4 inches)
 
Men
5,000: Christopher August, 37th in 16:41.09; Darrick Williams, 46th in 18:02.91 
Triple Jump: Keairez Coleman, 10th in 12.35 meters (40 feet, 6 1/4 inches); Christopher Kennie, 11th in 12.11 meters (39 feet, 8 3/4 inches).

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Nicholls State defeats Xavier Gold Nuggets 4-0

THIBODAUX, Louisiana -- Nicholls State did not lose a set Friday in a 4-0 women's tennis victory against Xavier University of Louisiana.

Andrea Mastrippolito clinched for the Colonels (4-11) with her 6-3, 6-3 victory against Vashni Balleste at No. 6 singles. Clemence Krug defeated Jana van der Walt 6-1, 6-0 at No. 4, Julia Melendez beat Brandi Nelson 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2, and Laia Charles defeated Tess Guarino 6-3, 6-0 at No. 5.

Charlene Goreau and Sha'Nel Bruins of the Gold Nuggets, 5-7 and ranked 16th in the NAIA, still were on court when Nicholls clinched. Their matches were not completed. The doubles matches were not played.

Next for Xavier's women and men will be a trip to Florida for three dual matches, starting with St. Thomas at 2 p.m. EDT Tuesday.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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