Tennessee State Tripped Up at Vanderbilt

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The Tennessee State men’s basketball team suffered its first loss of the season, falling by an 83-59 final score on the road at Vanderbilt on Tuesday night at Memorial Gymnasium. Ken’Darrius Hamilton (Montgomery, Ala.) led TSU’s offense with a career-high 19 points on the night.

TSU (6-1) dug itself an early deficit as Vanderbilt (4-3) built a 21-point halftime edge. For the Tigers, which received votes in the Associated Press Top 25, Darreon Reddick (Belleville, Ill.) also turned in a double-digit scoring effort with 12 points.

Hamilton led the TSU offense with seven points in the first seven minutes as the Commodores jumped out to a 17-11 advantage. The Tigers found themselves down by 10, trailing 24-14 with eight minutes to play before halftime.



The Tigers cut the Vanderbilt lead down to seven on a Reddick jumper at 29-22 with just under five minutes to play before halftime.

The Commodores ended the half on a 14-0 run to take a 43-22 halftime lead. Vanderbilt shot 61 percent (14-for-23) from the field in the first half.

The scoring went back and forth in the second half as the Commodores maintained a 20-point lead for most of the final 20 minutes.

TSU forced 19 turnovers in the game, leading to 23 points off turnovers. The Tigers finished 20-for-49 (40.8 percent) from the field, while Vanderbilt finished with 25-for-46 (54.3 percent) shooting.

Vanderbilt was led by 22 points form Matthew Fisher-Davis and 13 from Jeff Roberson.

Next on the schedule, TSU plays at Lipscomb on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 4 p.m. in an ESPN3 broadcast.

GAME NOTES: Tennessee State falls to 0-9 in the all-time series versus Vanderbilt… The Tigers are now 1-36 against teams that currently make up the SEC… Tennessee State received two votes in the most recent Associated Press Top 25… TSU is 5-1 away from home this season.

TSU Head Coach Dana Ford
“Obviously we have to play a lot better. A couple of disappointments tonight, obviously our play on the glass; I thought we would be a little more competitive on the glass. We just have to shake this one off and move on to the next one.”
- On Performance versus Vanderbilt

“The reason we were in foul trouble, was because they were the aggressor. At times the play got a little big for us and sometimes when that happens you can become a little passive and I think that led to some fouls.”
- On Teams Early Foul Trouble

“This is a high level game for us, to come over and play a power-five team who is bigger, stronger, faster and very well coached. This is a really good test for us and tells us who we really are, we are a very good Ohio Valley team and this is a good teaching moment for us.”
- On the Advantages to Playing Vanderbilt

“We needed to pay more attention to detail, which we did a very poor job of tonight. But we have to keep it in perspective. Our biggest fear coming into tonight was their size. And that was the deciding factor. We have never been outrebounded by 19, like it happened tonight. Some of that was size, but some was also the lack of attention to detail. And those are the things we will try to fix, starting tomorrow.”
- On Keys to Team’s Needs

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Delaware State Hornets Post Impressive Win Over St. John's, 79-72

QUEENS, New York -- Despite traveling nearly 5,700 miles for four games in nine days, the Delaware State men’s basketball team found the energy to stun St. John’s 79-72 in a nationally-televised contest (Fox Sports 2) at Carnesecca Arena this evening. The win marked the Hornets’ first –ever against a Big East team and second vs. a major conference opponent in three seasons, rivaling their 72-65 victory over Wake Forest of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Nov. 26, 2014.

Delaware State (2-5) led for nearly 35 minutes in the contest. The Hornets held a 38-34 lead at the half and outscored the Red Storm 41-38 in the final 20 minutes.

DSU took its biggest lead, 63-48, when Devin Morgan hit a three-pointer with 9:56 left to play.

Morgan led all players with a season-high 26 points on nine-of-13 shooting from the field, including three-of-six on three-point shots.

DeVaughn Mallory added a career-high 16 points for the Hornets. Mallory was eight-for-13 from the floor, and tied for the team lead with six rebounds.

Kavon Waller continued his torrid shooting this season, hitting six-of-nine shots from the field and three-of-six on three-point attempts to contribute 15 points to the win.

Waller raised his overall shooting percentage to .564 (31-55) and a MEAC-best .606 on three-point shots (20-33) to rank in the top 10 among all Division I players. He has reached double figures in scoring in six of the Hornets’ seven games this season.

The Hornets shot 64% in the first half (16-25) and 53.3% in the second (16-30) to post a season-high 58.2% shooting percentage for the game.

Ahmed Bashir led four St. John’s players in double-figures with 19 points.

The Red Storm dropped its fifth straight game to fall to 2-5 this season. Chris Mullen, an All-America at St. John’s and a former NBA star, is in his second season as head coach of the Red Storm.

The Hornets return to action on Friday at state rival Delaware. The First State Rivalry contest begins at 7 p.m. at UD’s Carpenter Center.

Delaware State has won its last two road games against the Hens (2012, 2014).

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Bengals add cornerback Tony McRae (North Carolina A&T) back to practice squad

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- The Bengals have finally filled the vacant spot on their practice squad, which has been open for weeks following the Patriots signing tight end Matt Lengel to their 53-man roster.

The spot now belongs to rookie cornerback Tony McRae who spent the summer with the Bengals before making the practice squad when it was first constructed. But, McRae didn’t last long on the Bengals’ initial practice squad roster as he was released on September 16, just days after the practice squad was originally formed. His release from the practice squad made room for Trey Hopkins, who remains with the team in that capacity. Hopkins originally made the 53-man roster when the Bengals were dealing with injuries to second year tackles Jake Fisher and Cedric Ogbuehi.

McRae was originally signed by the Bengals as a rookie free agent in August (about 10 days after the start of training camp). The former North Carolina A&T product went undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft.



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Head coach Shawn Walker has planted the seeds for success at Grambling

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Grambling State University is a school steeped in history, with its Louisiana roots stretching as far back as the late 1800s. It was founded by a group of African-American farmers who wanted to operate a school in the northern part of the state to educate other African-Americans.

Known for a rich musical and cultural history, highlighted by its World Famed Tiger Marching Band and Grammy-winning alumna Eryka Badu, the university also sports a strong history in athletics. It’s a history highlighted by Eddie Robinson, who retired as the winningest coach in NCAA football history, and Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams.

However in recent years, the Grambling State basketball program has fallen on hard times, with only one season above .500 since 2005 and only one 20-win season in program history, dating back to 1979-80. But much like the farmers who founded Grambling, the school’s current administration has planted the seeds that they hope will help the basketball program finally blossom.



The first step was to hire current head coach Shawn Walker, who had the arduous task of rebuilding the Grambling program in the summer of 2014 amid APR sanctions.

Out of 351 teams in Division I, Walker says, the Tigers may have been the worst.

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Virginia State Women’s Basketball Defeats UDC Fire Birds, 55-51

ETTRICK, Virginia -- The Virginia State University Women's Basketball Team defeated the Fire Birds of University of the District of Columbia on November 28, with a 55-51 victory.  The win improved the Trojans to a 5-1 overall record on the season.

"We had to pick up our energy and support each other as a team," shared junior guard Endia McKinney (Norfolk, VA). "It was about making better choices and communicating, that's what we relied on."

McKinney pioneered the Trojans offensively and led the charge defensively with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Taylor Daniels (Hampton, VA) followed up with 11 points and senior guard Nandi Taylor (Mt. Morris, Michigan) rounded out the double-digit scoring with 10 points.

The Fire Birds were led offensively by Shantrel Oliver who recorded 17 points. NyAsia Anderson followed up with 13 points and led UDC defensively with 13 rebounds.

UDC made a push in the second quarter to erase a 7 point deficit outscoring the Trojans, 15-7, to take a 1 point 24-23 lead into halftime.

In the opening minutes of the third quarter UDC secured their largest lead of the night with VSU trailing by 12.

VSU charged a timeout down 32-23. Shortly after, McKinney put an end to the Trojans scoring drought with her third basket of the night from 3 point range.

Two possessions later, senior guard Joy Hickman (Wilmington, DE) knocked down a shot from behind the arc to cut the UDC lead to 6. Moments later, Daniels went up to score a quick basket, gets the call, and completes the 3 point play to make it a 1 point game.

The Trojans defensive adjustments allowed them to produce offensively, scoring 14 points off of the Fire Birds 16 turnovers. UDC ended the night with only 4 points off of the Trojans 7 turnovers.

VSU worked hard until the final seconds to secure the 55-51 win.

The Trojans shot 28.1 percent (16-57) from the field, 19.4 percent (6-31) from behind the arc, and 70.8 percent (17-24) at the line, while the Fire Birds shot 34 percent (17-50) from the field, 24 percent (6-25) from behind the arc, and 73.3 percent (11-15) at the line.

Traveling to Salem, WV on December 9-10, the Trojans will be taking the court for the Joe Manchin Classic.

VSU is working hard to prepare for the 2017 CIAA Basketball Tournament on February 20-25 in Charlotte. NC.

For more information on VSU Trojans women's basketball, follow Trojans Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports, or call 804-524-5030.

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Jackson's 30 Points Propels Undefeated #9 Ranked Virginia Union Over Shepherd, 90-68

RICHMOND, Virginia -- Virginia Union University's Brittany Jackson poured in 30 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Lady Walker scored 15 points and had 14 rebounds for her fourth double-double, and the Panthers rolled in the third quarter for a 90-68 win over Shepherd on Monday in Barco-Stevens Hall in Richmond, Va.

The Panthers, ranked No. 9 in the WBCA poll, are 4-0 at home and have scored 90 or more points in all but one game this season.

"We don't have Kiana Johnson, but as a team, I think we're a better team this year," said Union coach AnnMarie Gilbert. "A lot more scoring pieces, a lot more people to rebound and slash, and on any given night, it could be a different kid (to lead in scoring)."

The Rams (2-4) shot 52.9 percent from the field and led Virginia Union 19-18 after the first quarter. Union held Shepherd to 4-of-15 shooting and scored 20 themselves in the second quarter for a 38-35 lead at halftime.

The Panthers (5-0) pulled away in the third quarter. They outscored Shepherd 27-10, holding the Rams to 4-of-17 shooting, as they made 11 of their 17 field goal attempts. They took a 20-point lead into the fourth.

"The kids really have pride," Gilbert said. "They were like, 'Coach, we're going to get this thing turned around. It's a little too close,' at halftime."

Gilbert said the team still is trying to find an identity defensively. She would be happy if they can put together four quarters like Monday's third.

"Offensively, 80 to 100 points, that's always within reach, but really getting stops, consecutive stops, we haven't been able to do that, and that was really our focus," Gilbert said.

"Pound the glass, every rebound, get it, outlet it quickly, and let's go the other way. Lady Panther basketball, and I saw it in that third quarter."

Virginia Union outrebounded Shepherd 58-35 in the game. They scored 54 points in the paint and 24 second-chance points.

Their defense and ability to control the boards led to 37 fast-break points, many coming from Jackson.

The 5-9 junior guard plays on the block in Union's 2-3 zone, but is explosive running the floor and can finish through contact. She also knocked down midrange jump shots and hit three 3-pointers.

She was 3 for 3 from the free throw line and grabbed eight rebounds and recorded three assists.

It's her first year at Virginia Union after having played previously for Georgia Tech and ASA College.

"She's been finding her way, but I think this kid is, if not the best guard in the CIAA, she's one of the best," Gilbert said.
Union had the best guard in the CIAA last year in Johnson, who wore No. 3.

This year, if only by coincidence, Jackson is No. 3.
"Three was the only small number available," Gilbert said, "but I think she's going to represent it very well."

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Virginia Union's Jay Butler Gets 200th Career Win

HEAD COACH JAY BUTLER
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RICHMOND, Virginia -- Virginia Union University's Ray Anderson scored 25 points as VUU defeated Clayton State University 71-62 on Monday, November 28, in Morrow, Ga.

The win was Head Coach Jay Butler's 200th career win at the college level. Butler had won 177 games as head coach of the women's basketball team at the University of the District of Columbia from 2003-15.

VUU's Tavon Mealy scored 16 points while teammate James Paige added 14 points.

Virginia Union's John Mitchell pulled down 14 rebounds in the win.

The win raised VUU's record to 5-2 on the season while Clayton State fell to 3-3.

The Panthers now travel to Washington, D.C., to face the University of the District of Columbia at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 30.

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