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NEW ORLEANS — Johnny Griffin, one of four Loyola double-figure scorers, produced 15 of his 21 points in the second half Friday in the Wolf Pack's 72-53 men's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana at Loyola's First NBC Court.
The Wolf Pack (9-2), ranked 22nd in NAIA Division I, won for the seventh consecutive time and completed a two-game season sweep of the Gold Rush (3-6).
Griffin missed his first four attempts from the floor, then went 8-of-9 in the final 26 minutes. He grabbed six rebounds and blocked two shots.
Eric Brown scored 14 points for Loyola, and Nick Parker and Ethan Turner had 13 apiece. Brown made four 3-pointers, and Turner made three.
Freshman guard Donovan Armstrong scored 12 points for XULA. Armstrong made 6-of-8 from the floor and reached double figures for the second consecutive game. Jalen David and Lucas Martin-Julien scored seven points apiece for the Gold Rush, and Leland Alexander grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.
Wesley Pluviose-Philip (two points, three rebounds) and Elex Carter (four points, one rebound, one block) made their season debuts in this game, and freshmen Monte Lambert (six points, two rebounds, one block, one steal) and Khalil McCoy (one point) made their XULA debuts. Pluviose-Philip, Lambert and McCoy missed the first eight games because of injuries.
Loyola outshot the Gold Rush 45.1 to 40.7 percent from the floor and had a 37-32 rebound advantage. XULA's one made 3-pointer, eight made free throws and three assists were season lows.
"Loyola competed at a high level for 40 minutes, and we did not," XULA coach Alfred Williams said.
In the teams' other meeting this season, Loyola won 78-76 at XULA on a basket in the final 30 seconds.
XULA is 0-4 this season against ranked opponents. The Gold Rush will play NAIA No. 6 Carroll (Mont.) at 7 p.m. Monday at XULA's Convocation Center. BOX SCORE
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana got career scoring highs from Mikayla Bates and Bianca Brown and defeated Concordia (Ala.) 58-54 in women's basketball Thursday.
Bates, a sophomore guard, had a game-high 16 points, 10 in the first half, and grabbed a season-high five rebounds. Brown, a senior forward/center, scored 12 points. Both had a pair of steals.
The Gold Nuggets (7-6) trailed 16-11 after one quarter, then outscored the Lady Hornets (10-3) in each of the final three periods. Concordia is ranked No. 1 in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.
Bates and Brown shot a combined 75 percent from the floor (12-of-16). They produced on an afternoon when their teammates shot a combined 18.5 percent (10-of-54).
"Mikayla Bates had an outstanding game," XULA coach Bo Browder said. "I'm proud of her because she works so hard, and it looks like the hard work is finally paying off.
"Bianca Brown is a very good post player who finishes well around the bucket. We're going to need her to play well the rest of the season."
XULA's largest deficit was 19-11 in the 13th minute, but it rallied for a halftime tie at 24 with Bates scoring the final basket. Brown's basket at 1:09 capped her 4-for-4 third quarter and put the Gold Nuggets ahead to stay, 43-41. It was the 14th lead change.
But the Gold Nuggets never pulled away. Concordia missed three straight free throws while trailing 50-48, and the Lady Hornets failed to force overtime when Carshava Sutton missed a driving shot in the lane with 12 seconds remaining. Aliyah Bell grabbed that rebound — her XULA-best eighth of the game — and Brown capped the scoring with a pair of free throws with 3.1 seconds to play.
Three XULA freshmen also contributed to the victory. Maya Trench had eight assists, one fewer than her career best, and Rosie Davis had a career-best five assists. Dasha Pitre's seven points, six rebounds and 14 minutes were career highs.
Lashanique Youngblood had 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a game-high four steals for Concordia. Sutton had nine points and eight rebounds, and Shuntavia Harris had eight points and eight rebounds.
Concordia outshot XULA 40 to 31.4 percent from the floor. XULA was plus-nine in turnovers,
committing 14 and gaining 23, and made a season-high 90.9 percent of its free throws (10-of-11).
The Gold Nuggets will break for Christmas, then travel to Dallas for games at Dallas Christian (Dec. 31 at 11 a.m.) and Paul Quinn (Jan. 2 at 2 p.m.). Times and opponents on this trip have been updated since the publication of schedule cards and posters. BOX SCORE
BOCA RATON, Florida – In their highest scoring outing of the season, Coach Fred Batchelor and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Women’s Basketball team outlasted Saint Francis (SFU), 90-82, inside “The Burrow” at the Florida Atlantic (FAU) Holiday Tournament.
With the win, Eastern Shore (5-3) picked up consecutive victories for the first time this season. Furthermore, the Hawks earned their first win over the Red Flash in program history.
Five Hawks recorded double-figures, led by sophomore guard Keyera Eaton (Winston-Salem, N.C.) with 15 points. Junior Shauntesha Bryant (Syracuse, N.Y.) and sophomore Ra’Jean Martin (Jacksonville, Fla.) combined for 26 points off the bench.
After taking a 15-point advantage at the half, 44-29, Eastern Shore extended its lead to 20 after a trey ball from sophomore Ciani Byrom (Winston-Salem, N.C.), 55-35. The Shore held a 68-47 lead after three.
In the fourth, Bryant gave the Hawks their largest lead of the game with two freebies, 78-56. Saint Francis never gave up as they scored 35 points in the period, but fell short to Eastern Shore, 90-82.
Other notable Hawk performances included guard Moengaroa Subritzky (Auckland, New Zealand) registering 13 points on 50-percent (5-of-10) shooting from the floor. Senior Mariah McCoy (Rock Hill, S.C.) added 11 points in the victory.
For the Red Flash (3-6), Jessica Kovatch had a game-high 17 points. Katie Reese chipped in 16 points in the loss.
Tomorrow (Dec. 17), Maryland Eastern Shore meets FAU in the Championship Game. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. or approximately 30 minutes after SFU takes on Jackson State.
Season tickets for the 2016-2017 season are on sale now starting at just $125, for all men’s and women’s home games. Did you know that a purchasing a season ticket helps all sports at Maryland Eastern Shore, not just basketball? To purchase season tickets, click here. For more information about the 1ticKet Drive, log on to the web at www.easternshorehawks.com or call 410-651-6499. It’s time to show your #HawkPride!
FAST BREAKS > Utah (6-2) will close out its non-conference home schedule this weekend, hosting the Prairie View A&M Panthers (2-9) this Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Huntsman Center > Saturday's contest will mark the first-ever meeting between the Utes and the Panthers. > Utah will play a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) member for just the third time in school history when facing the Panthers on Saturday. The Utes, who are 2-0 all-time against SWAC teams, defeated Southern back in 2009 and picked up a win over Alabama State in 2014. > The Utes are coming off a 77-69 road loss to Xavier this past Saturday in Cincinnati, while PVAMU dropped a midweek road contest to Louisiana Tech, 65-52. > The Utes head into the week ranked first in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage-defense (.369), total rebounds (45.2) and rebounding margin (+12.4). Utah ranks among the top-15 teams in the nation in all three categories, as well. > Junior Kyle Kuzma continues to average a double-double on the season with 15.8 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. He leads the team in both categories.
THE GAME The Utah Runnin' Utes (6-2) return to the Huntsman Center for its final non-conference home contest of the season, hosting the Prairie View A&M Panthers this Saturday, Dec. 17. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. in Salt Lake City.
COVERING THE RUNNIN' UTES Saturday's contest will be televised live on the Pac-12 Network. Jim Watson will call the action, while Drew Shiller provides color commentary for the game.
Fans can also follow the action on-line by logging onto Pac-12.com/live or watching via smart phones and tablets using the Pac-12 Now App, which can be downloaded at the Apple Store, Google Play Store or Amazon Apps Store.
Additionally, the game can be found on the Utah Sports Radio Network (ESPN 700). Bill Riley will provide play-by-play, with the assistance of in-game analyst Jimmy Soto.
Live stats will be provided with links to the contest found at www.UtahUtes.com.
LAST TIME OUT Utah dropped a 77-69 road contest to then No. 13/14-ranked Xavier in Cincinnati, Ohio, this past Saturday.
- GAME NOTES: • Freshman Devon Daniels led Utah with 19 points in the game, on 8-of-11 shooting effort, which included hitting a three-pointer and going 2-of-2 from the free throw line. • Junior Kyle Kuzma registered his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. • Xavier tallied just five more rebounds than the Utes (33-28), marking the first game this season that Utah has been out-rebounded by an opponent. • Utah shot better than 50 percent from the field (28-of-54, .519) for the second time this season. •Utah outscored the Musketeers 44 to 36 in the paint, but Xavier managed to score 19 points off turnovers to Utah's eight points.
ABOUT PRAIRIE VIEW A&M • The Panthers are coming off a 65-52 road loss to Louisiana Tech this past Tuesday and have dropped six straight dating back to Nov. 25. • PVAMU's last win was an 84-69 home victory over Jarvis Christian. • The Panthers are 1-8 on the road this season, with its only win coming back on Nov. 14, against Fresno State (84-78). • PVAMU is just 13-52 in road games played over the past four seasons. • The Panthers are 0-5 against Pac-12 teams dating back to the 2011-12 season, which includes a 78-58 road loss to Oregon State earlier this season.
SERIES HISTORY Saturday's contest between Utah and Prairie View A&M marks the first-ever meeting between the two teams. It will be just the third different opponent from the Southwestern Athletic Conference that the Utes have faced all-time. Utah is 2-0 against SWAC teams, which included a win over Alabama State back in 2014-15. The Utes defeated Southern back in 2009-10.
ANOTHER DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR KUZMA Junior Kyle Kuzma registered his fourth straight and fifth double-double overall on the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds against Xavier on Saturday.
Kuzma heads into this weekend averaging a double-double on the year with 15.8 points and 10.9 rebounds. He leads the team in both categories. Kuzma and Washington State's Josh Hawkinson are the only players in the league averaging a double-double on the season.
DANIELS SETS NEW CAREER-HIGHS Freshman Devon Daniels led the Utes with a career-high 19 points at Xavier on Saturday. The first-year player also registered career-highs in field goals made (8) and field goal attempts (11).
CLEANING THE GLASS The Utes continue to lead the Pac-12 in rebounds, pulling down 45.2 boards per game as a team. Utah is ranked fourth in the nation in the category, just a little over a rebound shy of nation-leading 46.5 rebounds.
Junior Kyle Kuzma ranks second in Pac-12 and 17th in the nation with his 10.9 boards per game. Freshman Jayce Johnson ranks 17th in the Pac-12 with 6.5 boards per game.
WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY In addition to his shooting efforts (.483 FG percentage), Tyler Rawson leads the team with nine blocked shots on the year. He tallied a pair of blocks in Utah's win over UVU last week and has posted two blocks in four of Utah's eight games this season.
ZAMORA COMING UP BIG OFF THE BENCH Junior transfer JoJo Zamora scored a team-high 17 points in the Utes' win over Utah Valley last week, with all 17 points coming off the bench. He registered 13 of his 17 points in the second half, which included eight points over the last seven minutes.
Zamora, who has posted double-digit scoring efforts in five of Utah's eight games, scored a season-high 22 points off the bench against Coppin State (11/18). He heads into the week ranked third on the team with an 11.5 points per game average.
TAKING WHAT IS FREE Utah has tallied a 70 percent or better free throw percentage in five of eight games so far this season. The Utes registered a 75 percent effort at the charity stripe in a win over Utah Valley last week, which included junior JoJo Zamora's perfect 8-of-8 venture on the evening.
Zamora was the first Utah player to register a perfect shooting effort (of at least eight attempts) since former Ute, Jordan Loveridge, knocked down 9-of-9 free throws against Wichita State back on Dec. 12, 2015.
POINTS ALL AROUND The Utes have had three different players score 10 points or more in all but one of its eight games this season. Utah had six players score double-figures in two games, five players in one game, four players in two games and three players in the other two contests.
The Utes are 6-1 when at least three players post double-digit scoring efforts.
SEEING DOUBLE-DOUBLE Utah has had three different players post double-doubles on the season, led by junior Kyle Kuzma's five double-doubles and a double-double from senior Lorenzo Bonam and freshman Devon Daniels.
Kuzma, who currently averages a double-double on the season with 15.8 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, ranks second in the Pac-12 and 16th in the nation with his five double-doubles on the season.
CLAMPING DOWN ON DEFENSE Utah heads into the weekend ranked No. 1 in the Pac-12 and No. 14 in the nation, giving up just a .369 percent shooting effort to opposing teams on the year. UCF leads the nation giving up just .311 percent shooting to opposing squads.
UP NEXT Utah will close out non-conference play next week in Honolulu, Hawaii, participating in the Diamond Head Classic. The Utes open the tournament against San Francisco on Thursday, Dec. 22.
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- The LSU Tigers will be looking to continue its success at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center when they host Texas Southern on Saturday in a game with an early start time of 5 p.m. CT.
Tickets are available at LSUtix.net but fans can bring a new unwrapped toy that will be given to the “Toys For Tots” campaign and receive a free admission for the contest. The upper concourse ticket windows will open on game day at 3:30 p.m. and toys can be dropped off at that location. As usual, LSU students with a valid ID will receive free admission.
The first 2,500 fans will receive a copy of the just completed Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl poster commemorating the LSU football team’s Dec. 31 game with Louisville.
The game will be broadcast on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network around the state with Chris Blair and Henry Hays on the broadcast while Kevin Fitzgerald and Pat Bradley will call the contest on the SEC Network as the third game of their four-game schedule of contests on the Network.
LSU is 6-2 and coming off a 70-66 win over North Carolina Central University in LSU’s first game in 14 days. Texas Southern is 4-6 and will enter coming off a loss at Cincinnati, 96-58. The Tigers are coached by Mike Davis, who took Indiana to the NCAA championship game in 2002. Davis is in his fifth season at TSU.
The Tigers win over NCCU on Tuesday marked the 11th time in Coach Johnny Jones tenure that the Tigers have won when down by five or more points at halftime. LSU was actually down 13 points to the Eagles in the first 10 minutes of the contest. Opponents are averaging 4.1 points more than LSU in the first half of play in the eight games this season, but LSU is averaging almost eight points a game more than opponents in the second half and shooting over 50 percent from the floor.
Antonio Blakeney had 18 of his season high 27 points in the second half against NC Central and he has now posted 20-plus point games in each of the last four contests at the Maravich Assembly Center. Brandon Sampson had his fifth double figure game of the season with 13 and Duop Reath got back in double figures, hitting 7-of-9 field goals for 14 points.
In the last game Blakeney (17.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and Sampson (11.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg) started with freshman Skylar Mays (5.4 ppg, 4.4 apg) at the guard positions with Reath (13.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and Craig Victor II (7.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg) at the forwards. Victor pulled down 11 rebounds in the NCCU game.
Both teams have quick turnarounds from this contest as Texas Southern travels to Fort Worth to face TCU Sunday night while LSU will host 8-3 Charleston on Monday night at 7 p.m. in the Maravich Center.
Follow updates on the game and more on LSU Basketball at www.Facebook.com/LSUBasketball and @LSUBasketball on Twitter.
Coach Johnny Jones met with the media on Thursday afternoon before practice and here are some of his comments: HEAD COACH JOHNNY JONES
Opening statement…
“We’re excited and looking forward to another great challenge on Saturday after a come from behind victory against a really good team in North Carolina Central. We feel that we’ll have another similar challenge with a Texas Southern team that we feel has the ability, talent and experience to finish at the top of their league. They’ll be battling for the championship at the top of their league at the end of their season. They’re a team that can be a NCAA Tournament team. We certainly know that we’ll have to be prepared. They’re big, strong, and quick. They have really good guard play and have one of the leading rebounders if not the leading rebounder in the nation. Our preparedness will have to be one of readiness for a really tough team.”
On team being ready to go against Texas Southern …
“Well the only thing we do is make sure that guys understand how explosive they are and what can happen if they get going and become a confident basketball team what can happen in games. They’re scorers and the challenges that they've had are not indicative of the type of team they have and the team they have the potential to be. They have new players that just became available to them that are playing now that have made them better. We know that we have to make sure we’re playing extremely well. We certainly can’t look at someone else’s scores as an indicator of how we have to play because we have to really play against ourselves and make sure we continue to improve.”
On slow starts this season …
“ … We understand some people we’ve played have shot the ball extremely well and we’ve had to make adjustments. We’re fortunate that we're able to do a good job at halftime and throughout the game making adjustments with our team defensively and even on the offensive end with trying to get better shots, but at the same time take away some our opponents strengths. I’d hate to get off to a great start and not finish well. But I’m glad we’ve had the ability to finish strong in games. Teams sometimes come out of the gate and play extremely well, not that we're playing bad, but we certainly have to give credit to our opponent and their ability to come out and execute and make plays at a high level.”
On Antonio Blakeney’s second half performance and ability to score when needed…
“He has an uncanny ability to really score and make plays. Sometimes guys can get in a rhythm and you can say some guys have a look and he possesses that and that's been throughout high school and throughout the summer. At the end of last year I thought he showed that in several of our games against Mississippi State and Florida and even in the conference tournament against Tennessee. I think he had a nice streak of games and unfortunately became ill during the tournament and that certainly hurt us, but I think he’s picked up where he left off last year.”
On depth and ability to interchange players…
“Well the good thing is I like our team and like the depth on our team and I think certain guys offer something different to or team. You got Sims who’s a little bigger and stronger and has been able to play inside because of the position he played in high school but he has the ability to guard on the perimeter as well. So we have the opportunity to give different looks and that's why these games have been good for us.”
On what he tells the team about slow starts…
“We have to continue to get better. We have to make sure that we come out and are poised and patient on the offensive end of the floor. On the defensive end you have to play at a certain level because teams come out and are going to play a certain way. We have to be cognoscente of the fact that it’s important that we come out with what we call a level five mentality on both ends of the floor. We consider it a championship type mentality and as we continue to practice we’ll continue to get better at it. After a layoff we didn't know what to expect coming out. We saw exactly what transpired and fortunately our guys were able to continue to fight and we weren’t discouraged but encouraged by the effort.” On Texas Southern…
“I know their coach coached at Indiana (Mike Davis) and took them to Final Four. His team will come in extremely prepared and ready to play. I don't think they'll look at any indication of the last team. They'll come in with a mindset that they’re coming in here to compete at the highest level and we have to be prepared for that.”
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
VESTAL, New York -- Binghamton men's basketball returns to action after focusing on finals week when the Bearcats (7-5) host first-time opponent Delaware State (3-8) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center. The game kicks off a basketball doubleheader that will conclude with the BU women playing at 4 p.m.
Head coach Tommy Dempsey's squad has won three of its last four games. It's the earliest BU has reached the seven-win mark in 23 seasons. But BU will be looking to remove the bad taste of last Saturday's 90-85 overtime loss to Loyola. In that game, Binghamton led by 16 points with less than eight minutes left before the Greyhounds rallied.
Superlatives were aplenty from the contest, however. Sophomore center Thomas Bruce hit 9-of-10 shots to score a career-high 20 points. In his first start of the season after returning from an injury, junior forward Willie Rodriguez added 17 points in 25 minutes of work.
As a team, BU made its first nine shots of the game - a program record - and shot 73 percent in the first half, also another school record.
The Bearcats rank 19th in the nation in bench points, showing the team's depth. Binghamton also ranks 38th in the country in three-pointers and 40th in assists.
Delaware State offers a peculiar study in scouting. The member of the Mid-American Athletic Conference (MEAC) was picked to finish 12th (of 13) in its conference preseason poll after going 7-25 last season. Two of the team's three wins have come against Division III opponents. However, the Hornets did something the Bearcats could not in November - beat BIG EAST member St. John's on the road. Two weeks after the Red Storm handled Binghamton by 16 points, Delaware State came to Queens and came away with a 79-72 win.
Two years ago, DSU won 18 games and reached the CBI postseason tournament. This year's squad boasts the reigning MEAC Rookie of the Year (Devin Morgan).
Binghamton has never played a program from the MEAC, which is centered in Norfolk, Va. and is comprised of 13 historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline.
After Saturday, BU will prep for a Wednesday tilt at Army before finishing out the calendar year with a Dec. 30 home game against Marywood.
With finals in full swing on campus, the University of Michigan men's basketball team (8-3) will play its second-to-last non-conference game of the season at Crisler Center this Saturday (Dec. 17) against Maryland Eastern Shore (1-9). In the second game of a doubleheader with the women's team, the Wolverines take on the Hawks at 3 p.m., with a TV broadcast on Big Ten Network.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE
• Maryland Eastern Shore is coming off a 76-58 loss to Central Florida on Dec. 10. Bakari Copeland led the Hawks with 16 points, while Dontae Caldwell added six rebounds.
• UMES is in the middle of a six-game road trip that includes trips to Virginia Tech, Central Florida, Michigan, American and two games at the Sun Bowl Invitational in El Paso, Texas.
• Michigan and Maryland Eastern Shore have a common opponent in Virginia Tech. U-M fell to the Hokies, 73-70, while UMES lost at Virginia Tech, 75-59.
• Maryland Eastern Shore's lone win came in an 87-74 victory over Central Penn. Ryan Andino had a team-best 20 points in the win.
• Andino (14.0 ppg), Copeland (13.7 ppg) and Logan McIntosh (10.0 ppg) are all averaging in double figures in scoring for the Hawks.
• Head coach Bobby Collins is in his third season at UMES. In his first season (2014-15), he led the Hawks to a postseason berth (CIT) for the first time since 1981.
• This will be the first meeting between Michigan and Maryland Eastern Shore. John Beilein faced UMES while at West Virginia, garnering a 95-49 win on Dec. 28, 2006.
MAIZE & BLUE THINGS TO KNOW
• Derrick Walton Jr. became the 51st Wolverine to reach 1,000 points in a career with his final point in the UCLA game (Dec. 10). Walton, who has 1,009 career points, is one of three Wolverines with 1,000 points. Classmate Zak Irvin reached the mark last season and is 30th all-time with 1,271 points. Duncan Robinson has combined his Williams College (548) and Michigan (492) to total 1,040 career points.
• Walton Jr. has five-plus assists in five games, including a season-best eight vs. Kennesaw State. He leads U-M with 4.0 per game. For his career, he has 354, just 12 away from cracking U-M's all-time top 10.
• Over his last six games, Moritz Wagner has gone 35-for-48 from the field (72.9%), including a career-best 20 points against Kennesaw State (Dec. 3) and 18 points against Central Arkansas (Dec. 13).
• Overall, Wagner is shooting 66.7 percent (46-for-69), which is fourth in the Big Ten. Broken down, he is 33-for-45 on two-point field goals (73.3%) and 13-for-24 on three-point field goals (54.2%) -- a team high.
• Wagner has scored in double figures in seven games, including the last six games. During the run, he had 13 points against Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 26), 11 against Virginia Tech (Nov. 30), a career-best 20 against Kennesaw State (Dec. 3), 15, including the game-winner with 16 seconds left, against Texas (Dec. 6), 11 at No. 2 UCLA (Dec. 10) and 18 against Central Arkansas (Dec. 13).
• Zak Irvin leads U-M with 14.2 points per game, having scored in double figures in nine games. He scored a season-best 23 points against Virginia Tech (Nov. 30). He has scored 15-plus points in seven games.
• Mark Donnal and Duncan Robinson have become U-M's Two-Headed Sixth Man. Donnal is averaging 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds and shooting 62.5 percent from the field. After starting the first two games, Robinson has shifted to come off the bench and is averaging 8.2 points per game. Over the last five games, Robinson has produced 11.6 points per game, shooting 47.6 percent (20-for-42) with 13 triples and a season-best 15 points against Virginia Tech (Nov. 30).
WHAT'S AHEAD?
• U-M ends its three-game homestand and the 2016 portion of its schedule this Thursday (Dec. 22) with a 7 p.m. contest against Furman. That game will be televised on BTN.
• The Wolverines will open Big Ten play on New Year's Day, traveling to Iowa City for their conference opener at Iowa (Jan 1). The game time will be determined no later than Dec. 26, with the game televised on BTN.
NC Central vs. Grambling State, Celebration Bowl game time, details Time: Noon ET
Date: Saturday, Dec. 17
Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta Weather: Temperatures will be around 67 in Atlanta with an 80 percent chance of rain but it will be just fine inside the Georgia Dome. What channel is NC Central-Grambling State in the Celebration Bowl on?
ABC will televise the NC Central vs. Grambling State matchup.
How can I watch NC Central-Grambling State online in the Celebration Bowl?
You can follow the game online at ESPN3. Check the live stats for the game here.
How can I listen to NC Central-Grambling State on the radio in the Celebration Bowl?
You can listen at 99.3-FM in Atlanta and on the NCCU Sports Network.
Who is calling the Celebration Bowl for ABC?
Santoria Black is handling the play-by-play duties, while Nick Harrison and Ossie Clark will serve as analysts for the game. CONTINUE READING
GRAMBLING, Louisiana — Grambling's football program has delivered knockout blows for 10 consecutive games dating back to early September.
The last two have just taken a little longer to develop.
With the gloves strapped on tight, No. 14 Grambling plans to come out swinging in the biggest game of the year Saturday against North Carolina Central in the Celebration Bowl.
"This is another heavyweight title fight. We're very talented. They're very talented," Grambling coach Broderick Fobb said. "At the end of the day, it's about technique and who plays with passion the right way without making the most mistakes."
Fobbs is a fan of the title fight analogy. This is the third time in the last three games he's used such words.
The first came against Southern in the Bayou Classic. The Tigers delivered a second-half knockout after a sluggish start. The second time was against Alcorn State. Another slow start led to a 27-point knockout in the second half to capture the 2016 Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.
ATLANTA, Georgia -- The kickoff to the monthlong bowl season is more than just another game.
For that matter, it's goes far beyond the two teams taking the field at noon Saturday.
This is a chance to honor the legacy of all those historically black colleges and universities that played such a vital role in the growth of college football, giving African-Americans a place to play when they didn't have anywhere else to turn.
Call this a well-deserved celebration, which is why there is no more aptly named postseason game than the Celebration Bowl.
"We wouldn't be able to do what we're doing today," said John Grant, executive director of the game that will be played at the Georgia Dome, "if not for what they did yesterday."
Indeed, in the days of Jim Crow, HBCUs were a lifeline for African-Americans in the South.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The Tennessee State men’s basketball team put on a dominating defensive performance on Wednesday night at the Gentry Center, defeating visiting Alabama State by a 68-46 final score. Jordan Reed (Philadelphia, Pa.) posted a team-high 13 points to go with 13 rebounds for Wayne Martin (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
Tennessee State (8-2) held the Hornets (1-9) to 25.4 percent shooting (15-for-59) and limited ASU to 13 first-half points. The Tigers also finished with 10 blocks and forced 21 turnovers.
Tennessee State sprinted out of the gate with an early 8-2 advantage four minutes into the game. TSU’s defense locked the Hornets down as the Tigers’ lead grew to double-digits at 22-12 on the second first-half three from Darreon Reddick (Belleville, Ill.) with 7:49 to go before halftime.
Tennessee State closed the first half on a 24-1 run, keeping the Hornets without a field goal for the last 8:47 of the half for a 40-13 halftime edge.
The Tigers held Alabama State to 18.5 percent shooting (5-for-27) in the first half and forced ASU in 11 first-half turnovers.
TSU reached 50 points in a frantic sequence where Christian Mekowulu (Lagos, Nigeria) and Xavier Williams (Fairfield, Ala.) had blocks on ASU's offensive possession leading to a three from Delano Spencer (Atlanta, Ga.) on the other end for a 50-19 lead with 14:20 left in the game.
The Tigers continued to dominate throughout the second half, leading by as many as 32 points with just over 12 minutes to play.
McCall dished out six assists to facilitate the offense with Mekowulu scoring in double figures with 12.
Tony Armstrong scored a team-b. to face Duke on Dec. 19 for a 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) start. The game will air live on ESPN2. BOX SCORE PHOTO GALLERY - By Sam Jordan GAME NOTES: TSU moves to 19-9 in the all-time series versus Alabama State… It is TSU’s first win in the series since the 1977-78 season… Tennessee State is 8-2 through 10 games for the second year in a row… Nine different TSU players scored in the first half… The 13 points allowed by TSU in the first half were the fewest this season. It is the second time TSU has held an opponent under 20 points this season... The Tigers are now 2-0 at the Gentry Center this season and 18-11 in Head Coach Dana Ford’s three-year tenure… The previous most blocks TSU had in a game this season was five on four occasions. It is the first time TSU has had 10 or more blocks since recording 10 at TCU on Dec. 29, 2014. Head Coach Dana Ford
“I was really pleased with our guys maturate tonight. Their competitiveness, especially early in the first half; and I felt like we came out and paid attention to detail. We had a purpose to use defensively, something we try to emphasize every day. I’m just really happy that we were able to hold a lead for most of the game and never really feel threatened. We also had the opportunity to play some people who have not played a lot and hopefully we built some confidence. And then we were able to rest guys who have been logging a lot of minutes. All-in-all it was a good night for us.”
- On Teams Performance
“I thought we had a lot of purpose to us. We sat down and guarded the ball and we had a tremendous amount of urgency, we communicated and tried not to get screened. Those are the things that really help you defend. They missed some shots too, but I thought we contested shots as well. Whenever we can get to the point where we allow teams just one shot at the rim, I think it is going to be even better. Tonight we gave up 18 offensive rebounds and that is something we are going to need and clean up. We still have work to do.”
- On Key to Defensive Performance
“I think it is very important. It is a good place to be. We want to build leads and we feel we are deep enough to do that against certain opponents. We’ve gotten out to leads this past year and not hold on to them. If you want to be good in March and you want to be good in the league race, well then you have to be able to start fast and finish strong. I thought for the most part we did that today. Human nature sneaks in a bit when you hold a team to 13 points in one half, and that is something we need to try and eliminate. It’s a long year and we have a lot of room for improvement. We will take tonight and move on.”
- On the Importance to Holding a Lead
“I think they are the best team in America. Definitely the best coach in America. Very talented and they do a tremendous job at Duke. Everything is first class. They’re champions. You do not even have to know people inside the program to tell you what you are dealing with. You can see it from the outside looking in. Now that this game is over we’ll dive into them and try to put together the best game plan available to give our guys the best chance to go out there and win the next game. We are just very appreciative, our entire university, our program and our alums, that we are going to have the opportunity to play at Cameron Indoor Stadium against a first class program.”
- On the Upcoming Game at Duke Junior Guard, Darreon Reddick
“I thought it was a good game. It showed our leadership and how mature we are after coming off a tough road loss against an ACC opponent. We came back home and grinded during practice and get better for our game against Alabama State.”
- On the Teams Play Against Alabama State
“It’s hard to scout our team when everybody can score between eight and 15. You don’t know who is going to be hot on any night. Balance Scoring is good; it makes you hard to scout and hard to guard.”
- On the Teams Balance Scoring
“It is a big game on national TV against the number one team in the nation. It is going to be a challenge, but we are ready for it and we are going to go out, play hard and compete.”
- On Playing Duke
Redshirt Senior Guard, Jordan Reed
“I trusted my shots. I have been working with the coaches. Its maturity as far as not looking at an opponent, we were just trying to get better.”
- On what was Working Individually
“It was about taking on the challenge. One of our main goals every game, which is compete, so that’s what I tried to do.”
- On Key to the Defense
“I feel like it is an outstanding opportunity to show the nation the team we really and truly are. We are excited to have a chance to play this game.”
TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
ATLANTA, Georgia -- Grambling State coach Broderick Fobbs still remembers the 2015 Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship game against Alcorn State.
The Tigers lost 49-21 and missed out on a trip to the inaugural Celebration Bowl at the Georgia Dome. In the game, Grambling State was forced into several mistakes, including three interceptions. Fobbs said the game taught him a lesson. He had to get his team bounce back from their mistakes.
“We don’t look at losing as losing, but we look at it as learning,” Fobbs said. “Anytime we go through different things, we learn from it and become a better team. I think our team has learned from that.”
In the offseason, Fobbs made it a point to mold the team into a closer unit. He analyzed the players individually and worked on building their mental and physical strengths. As a result, the Tigers learned how to compete as one — which is named the Grambling way.
“We are only as strong as our weakest link,” Fobbs said. “We focused on making our weaknesses our strengths and our strengths even stronger. We set a foundation that focuses on playing a certain brand of football regardless of the situation.”
GRAMBLING, Louisiana — Recruiting at Grambling has changed right before Broderick Fobbs' eyes during his first three seasons with the program.
Yes, winning cures many things, including recruiting, but Fobbs is noticing how differently, in a good way, Grambling is viewed externally. The brand is resuming relevancy, and recruits are starting to take notice.
"Things have picked up tremendously," Grambling's coach said Monday. "We are a lot more welcome at different places than normal. That speaks to the way our team has played on television and our team has played just in general. Our coaches are very well respected because they do an exceptional job of teaching.
"It's not just about athletes running around, jumping over people and catching balls and making plays. Parents are seeing that, student-athletes are seeing that, and I think high school coaches are seeing that. Things have gone rather well for us in recruiting thus far."
Grambling is 10-1 this season with a Southwestern Athletic Conference championship trophy sitting in the football office, the program's first since 2011. The stakes become much higher in terms of recruiting and branding this weekend when Grambling plays on national television in the Celebration Bowl against North Carolina Central.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- FAMU Director of Athletics, Milton Overton, sits down with Vaughn Wilson to discuss the outcomes of 2016 and the outlook for 2017.
JACKSON, Mississippi – Derica Wiggins scored a game high 20 points to lead the Jackson State Lady Tigers to the 83-66 win over the Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions in non-conference action Tuesday night at the Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center.
With the win JSU improves to a 4-3 overall record and Southeastern falls to 2-6.
Daisha Williams came off the bench to score 14 points for the Lady Tigers and Kierra Adams added 13 points. Sumer Williams, Maria Conyers-Jordan and Chelsea Causey each pulled down eight rebounds for JSU.
Bre Warren led SLU in scoring with 15 points.
JSU led 45-38 at halftime. For the game JSU shot 41 percent from the field (25-61), 31.3 percent in threes (5-16) and 70 percent from the line (28-40). SLU made 38.3 percent of its field goal attempts (23-60), went 23.8 percent from three-point range (5-21) and 62.5 percent from the line (15-24).
The Lady Tigers held the edge in rebounding (54-34), second chance points (18-6) and bench scoring (47-34).
JSU returns to action Dec. 16 to participate in the Florida Atlantic University Holiday Tournament in Boca Raton, Fla. BOX SCORE
The No. 25/23 Cincinnati Bearcats (7-2) begin a three-game homestand Tuesday when they welcome Texas Southern (4-5) to Fifth Third Arena. The game tips at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN3 and 700 WLW.
The Bearcats saw their five-game win streak snapped Saturday at No. 16 Butler, 75-65. Troy Caupain led all scorers with a season-high 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting with a pair of three-pointers and five rebounds. Gary Clark posted his second double-double of the season with 14 points on 7-of-13 shooting with a game-high 12 rebounds. Jacob Evans added 14 points.
The Tigers have lost four in a row after dropping a 102-71 decision at No. 11 Louisville on Saturday. Freshman point guard Demontrae Jefferson made his debut, scoring a game-high 27 points on 10-of-30 shooting with a trio of threes. Derrick Griffin posted a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 26 rebounds, the most by a player in an NCAA Division I game this season.
Cincinnati has won all three previous meetings with Texas Southern, including a 94-57 decision on Dec. 1, 2009 at Fifth Third Arena.
The Bearcats will also play host to 2016 NCAA Tournament participant Fairleigh Dickinson (Dec. 17 at 2:30 p.m. FOX Sports Ohio/ESPN3/700 WLW) and Marshall (Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. CBS Sports Network/700 WLW) before the holiday break.
GAME AT A GLANCE
SERIES INFO: Fourth meeting; Cincinnati leads 3-0 overall; Cincinnati leads 3-0 in Cincinnati LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 94-57 on Dec. 1, 2009 at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati STREAK: Cincinnati - 3 COACHES:Mick Cronin is in his 11th season at Cincinnati (214-131); 14th season overall (283-155) Mike Davis is in his fifth season at Texas Southern (80-62); 17th season overall (317-214) AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (DEC. 12): Cincinnati (25/23); Texas Southern (--/--) RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Chuck Machock. TV:ESPN3; Tom Gelhrter provides play-by-play with color analyst Mark Adams. UC TWITTER PAGES: @GoBearcats and @GoBearcatsMBB
SCOUTING TEXAS SOUTHERN
Texas Southern (4-5) comes to Fifth Third Arena on Tuesday looking to snap a five-game losing streak. Two of the losses during the stretch include setbacks at No. 16 Arizona (85-63 on Nov. 30) and at No. 11 Louisville (102-71 on Dec. 10).
Texas Southern is in the midst of playing its first 16 games of the season away from home. In fact, the Tigers will play only nine home games all year.
Sophomore forward Derrick Griffin was named the 2016 SWAC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. He averages 12.4 points and 11.4 rebounds. He entered Saturday ranked first in the nation with 6.2 offensive rebounds per game.
Against Louisville, Griffin posted a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 26 rebounds, the most by a player in an NCAA Division I game this season. His effort included 15 offensive rebounds against the Cardinals.
Guard Zach Lofton (18.9 points and a team-best 58 field goals) has been named the SWAC Player of the Week twice this season.
Freshman point guard Demontrae Jefferson debuted with 27 points on 10-of-30 shooting with a trio of three-pointers against Louisville.
Texas Southern finished 18-15 overall and took first place in the SWAC with a 16-2 league mark a year ago, advancing to the NIT.
The Tigers have advanced to postseason play each of the last three seasons with two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Former Indiana and UAB head coach Mike Davis is in his fifth season with Texas Southern. He was named the 2015 SWAC Coach of the Year and claimed his 300th career win last season.
TEXAS SOUTHERN SERIES HISTORY
Cincinnati leads Texas Southern series 3-0 with all three meetings coming at Fifth Third Arena. Tuesday marks the third meeting between the teams during the Mick Cronin era.
The Bearcats claimed a 94-57 win in the last meeting between the schools, on Dec. 1, 2009. The series began with an 87-44 UC win on Dec. 1, 1992.
CINCINNATI VS. THE SWAC
Cincinnati holds a 14-0 record against current members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference: Alabama State (1-0), Alcorn State (2-0), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-0), Jackson State (1-0), Mississippi State (2-0), Prairie View A&M (1-0), Southern (1-0), Texas Southern (3-0).
BEARCAT TIP-INS
The Bearcats have won 13 consecutive home games dating back to a 76-57 win over Tulsa (1/2/16).
Cincinnati is one of eight teams to appear in the NCAA Tournament each of the last six seasons (along with Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State, North Carolina, VCU and Wisconsin).
UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI BEARCATS ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Exams are finally finished and a 14-day layoff will end Tuesday night at 8 p.m. as the 5-2 LSU Tigers host North Carolina Central University at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Tickets for the game are on sale at the LSU Athletics Ticket Office all day Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and online at LSUtix.net. Tickets will go on sale at the upper concourse windows of the Maravich Center beginning at 6:30 p.m. LSU students are admitted free of charge with a valid student ID.
The game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates around Louisiana (Eagle 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge) with the “Voice of the Tigers” Chris Blair and Henry Hays on the call. The audio is also available at LSUsports.net. The game will also be televised on the SEC Network with Matt Stewart and Jon Sundvold calling the action.
The Tigers are coming off a win in the game prior to the break which began after LSU soundly knocked off previously unbeaten Houston, 84-65, on Nov. 29 in the Maravich Center. The Tigers played perhaps their best overall half of basketball in shooting 58 percent in the second half (making 20-of-34 shots) while out rebounding Houston, 46-28 with 20 offensive rebounds. LSU posted a 23-8 advantage on second chance points and 46-26 on points in the paint.
Antonio Blakeney had 23 points to lead LSU, while Brandon Sampson hit four treys in scoring 16 points. Craig Victor II had 13 points and Aaron Epps scored 11 off the bench, hitting all five field goal attempts.
The Tigers will not be able to come out with an exam break sluggishness as North Carolina Central has shown its ability to play well in big-time road arenas with a win at Missouri this year and a six-point loss at Ohio State. Senior Patrick Cole has had big games in their last two outings last week, with 13 assists and 18 points in a 79-56 win against LIU-Brooklyn and 28 points in a 70-67 loss Saturday at Coastal Carolina.
LeVelle Moton is in his eighth season as the Eagles head coach with 20-plus win seasons in 2013, 2014 and 2015 reaching the NCAA second round in 2014. He is a former player at the school having graduated there in 1996.
Look for the Tigers to probably keep the same starting lineup from the Houston game with Jalyn Patterson at the point (4.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.0 apg) and Antonio Blakeney (15.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Brandon Sampson (11.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg) at the other two guard positions and Duop Reath (13.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.1 bpg) and Craig Victor II (7.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg) at the forward spots.
This will be the first of three home games in seven days for the Tigers and four games in 10 days, closing out the pre-Christmas schedule with a Dec. 22 game at Wake Forest. The Tigers open up Southeastern Conference play in December for the first time in many years on Dec. 29, hosting Vanderbilt.
LSU’s next action will be Saturday at 5 p.m. against Texas Southern in the Maravich Center.
Coach Johnny Jones met with the media earlier and here are his comments heading into the game:
HEAD COACH JOHNNY JONES
Opening statement …
“We are certainly counting down the days until we have an opportunity to take the floor again against a very tough opponent in North Carolina Central. They have had some really good wins and some close defeats, one of them being by about five or six points at Ohio State. We have had a long layoff. It will have been 14 days to be exact before we have an opportunity to take the floor in a game, but our guys have done a good job in taking care of their studies, their finals. We have had some good practices, and we have had an opportunity to allow for some guys who were banged up with injuries to heal. We are looking forward to being full speed. We do know that coming off of a layoff like that sometimes you’re not as sharp. We (have tried) to make sure that our practices are simulated like games and at game speed and the pace we play. We try to make sure that we include some scrimmages in there as well. At the end of the day, it’s not necessarily games and we know that it certainly will be different at that time. I certainly like the growth of this team. We like how we finished up in our last outing against a really tough, talented Houston team. We feel like we grew and a lot of good things happened. We are hopeful that
we can continue to build off of that at home having three games here before hitting the road again. We certainly hope that we put ourselves in position to continue to grow from that.” LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
