Friday night lit: Jones, Nuggets blast Georgetown Tigers 62-45

NEW ORLEANS — Freshman guard Taylor Jones scored all 11 of her points in the first three minutes — including 3-of-3 3-pointers — to spark Xavier University of Louisiana in a 62-45 women's basketball victory against Georgetown (Ky.) Friday at the Convocation Center.

It was the fourth straight victory and the second in three days for the Gold Nuggets (4-2), who will play host to NAIA No. 13 Our Lady of the Lake at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Jones, scoring in double figures for the third time in four games, produced all her points in XULA's first five possessions. Teammates Essence Wells and Jayla Nichols scored 11 points apiece; Nichols reached double figures for the first time this season.



Justus Martin had 15 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and three steals for the Tigers (2-7), who lost their fifth in a row, and Shelby Beam scored 12.

XULA led 15-2 through four minutes and 26-4 when Wells swished XULA's sixth trey of the quarter at 2:58. Nichols made the other two treys in the period.

The Gold Nuggets led 34-18 at halftime. Georgetown closed its deficit to seven in the third quarter, but XULA ended the period on a 7-0 run. The Gold Nuggets maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the fourth quarter.



XULA was plus-9 in turnovers — gaining 21 and committing a season-low 12 — and a season-best plus-11 in rebounds (43-32). Reserve center DeDe Martinez had season highs of 10 rebounds and three blocks. XULA produced 15 steals, with Wells getting a career-high-tying four and Mikayla Bates getting three for the second straight game.

The teams' field-goal accuracy was nearly identical. Georgetown shot 36.7 percent, and XULA shot 35.8. But XULA led 24-18 in made field goals and 8-4 in made 3-pointers. The Nuggets and Tigers combined for 17 fouls in a game that lasted one hour and 28 minutes — 17 minutes shorter than the Nuggets' 51-48 Wednesday home victory against LSU-Alexandria.

XULA has trailed for just 35 seconds during its win streak, all in the last four minutes against LSUA. It was the third straight game that the Nuggets allowed fewer than 50 points.

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Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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AAMU Lady Bulldogs race past Murray State, 71-54

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Aubriana Bonner was perfect from the field as she led a trio of Lady Bulldogs in double-figure scoring Friday for a 71-54 win over Murray State.

The win is the fourth of the season for Alabama A&M, the first time since 2011 the Lady Bulldogs have won four non-conference games to open a season.

Bonner hit 8-of-8 shots from the field and had a pair of free throws for a game-high 18 points. She also pulled down seven rebounds.

Ashlyn Dotson scored 14 points and also had seven rebounds as A&M worked its inside game to take advantage of mismatches under the boards.

Natalie Collins had 11 points, which is a season-high for her.

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Kanisha Tharpe grabbed seven rebounds as the Lady Bulldogs outrebounded Murray State 46-26.

Lauren McKee had a game-high seven assists.

The Lady Bulldogs started slowly as Murray State (2-6) jumped out to a 6-0 lead and led 11-5 with less than four minutes gone in the first quarter.

Then, the Lady Bulldogs got hot.

And we mean hot!

Bonner scored on a layup to cut the lead to 11-7 and ignite a 19-0 run in the final 5:48 of the first quarter for a 24-11 lead.

Natalie Collins hit back-to-back three-pointers in a span of 34 seconds to give A&M its first lead of the game, with 4:47 to play in the opening quarter.

A&M continued to dominate in the second quarter, opening up a 19-point lead at one point, before taking a 38-21 lead into halftime.

The Lady Bulldogs controlled the third and fourth quarters as well, building their largest lead of the night at 60-34 with 1:48 left in the third quarter.

A&M is off until Dec. 12 when the Lady Bulldogs visit Jacksonville State.

They return to Elmore Gym on Jan. 6 to start the SWAC season with Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
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Boyd paces Grambling State to victory over SE Louisiana

GRAMBLING, Louisiana | Jazmin Boyd led three Grambling State University women's basketball players in double figures as the Lady Tigers overcame a slow start to pick up their second consecutive victory, 61-52, on Thursday night against Southeastern Louisiana at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.

Grambling State (3-3) started slow as the Lady Tigers shot 21.4 percent (3-of-14) and trailed, 11-10. A jumper from Boyd with 5:58 left in the second quarter gave the Lady Tigers the lead in the second quarter as Grambling State took a slim 24-23 advantage into the break. The Lady Tigers came out of the break and shot 50 percent (9-of-18) in the third quarter to extend the lead to 46-34.

Boyd led Grambling State with 18 points, including the only two Lady Tiger 3-pointers, five rebounds, two steals and one assist. Deja McKinney added 13 points and was 5-of-8 at the free-throw line. She also recorded four boards, three asists, one steal and one block. Monisha Neal registered 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.

Taylin Underwood paced Southeastern Louisiana (1-6) with 18 points and nine rebounds. Caitlyn Williams tallied 11 rebounds along with five points, two steals, one block and an assist.

Turning Point
Grambling State led 10-8 after a bucket by Boyd with 43 seconds left in the opening quarter, but Underwood sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lady Lions an 11-10 advantage.

The Lady Tigers were able to grab the lead in the second quarter as Alexus Williams scored on a layup to give Grambling State a 24-20 lead, but Southeastern Louisiana closed the gap right before the half to 24-23 after a pair of free throws by Jaclyn Scholvin.

Grambling State came out in the third quarter and shot 50 percent (9-of-18) as the Lady Tigers used a 22-4 run, capped by a McKinney layup to push the advantage to 46-27, with 2:31 remaining.

Southeastern Louisiana closed out the third on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 46-34 and continued to trim the margin, cutting the Lady Tigers lead to 46-38 on a Charliee Dugas layup with 7:14 left. However, that would be as close as the Lady Lions would get.

Inside The Numbers
* Grambling State shot 34.9 percent (22-of-63) from the field and 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from the free-throw line.
* Southeastern Louisiana was 16-of-62 (25.8 percent) from the floor and 78.9 percent (15-of-19) from the charity stripe.
* The Lady Tigers tallied 36 rebounds, with 28 off the defensive glass.
* The Lady Lions registered 58 rebounds, including 37 of those from the defensive end.
* Grambling State finished with 12 bench points, 28 points in the paint, 27 points off turnovers, and three second-chance points.
* Southeastern Louisiana registered 23 points in the paint, 17 points off turnovers, 20 second-chance points and 22 bench points.
* The score was tied three times and there were seven lead changes.

News & Notes
* Grambling State picked up its second consecutive victory.
* The Lady Tigers' next five games will be on the road, including stops in Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina and Memphis.
* Thursday night's contest was Test Prep Night, hosted by the Student Government Association. With final examinations next week for the student-athletes, SGA staff members handed out complimentary scantrons and offered productive study habits.

Up Next
Grambling State returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 10 as the Lady Tigers visit Tuscaloosa, Ala. to take on SEC member Alabama. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and the game can be seen live on the SEC Network+.

Follow Grambling State Athletics
For complete coverage of Grambling State athletics, please follow the Tigers on social media at @GSU_Tigers (Twitter), /gramblingstateathletics (Facebook), @gramblingathetics01 (Instagram) or visit the official home of Grambling State Athletics at gsutigers.com.

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Davis’ 28 Powers Bethune-Cookman To Historical Triumph at Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- Prior to this season, Bethune-Cookman University men's basketball had never won four games in the month of November, or owned a winning record having played three-or-more contests. That all changed Thursday evening at Swisher Gymnasium as Shawntrez Davis exceeded expectations to lead all scorers with a season-best 28 points to power BCU (4-3) to a 77-66 victory at Jacksonville University.

Davis was key in engineering the Wildcats' largest lead of the game of 14 points with his lay-in at 18:01 in the second half. The junior forward from Atlanta, Ga., scored the half's first six points to give BCU a 40-26 cushion.



The Wildcats, who picked up their first road win of the season, maintained the lead the entire second half despite a furious JU (3-5) rally. Davis sank a pair of free throws to put the visitors ahead, 54-44, with 10:30 remaining before Jayln Hinton scored five points to ignite a 9-0 Dolphin run. Radwan Bakkali's jumper with 6:31 to go was the closest JU came before falling to its second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe at home this season.

Isaiah Bailey nailed a three on the ensuing possession and BCU returned its lead to 10 on his goal-shaking, one-handed slam-dunk with 4:40 remaining. The Wildcats never led the lead squeeze to below six, thanks in large part to guard Malik Maitland's ability to drive each possession past mid-court and his icy 8-8 performance at the free-throw line. BCU had its best performance yet at the penalty stripe, draining 23 of its 28 attempts.

Maitland netted 16 points, tying a season-best, while Bailey tallied 14 with a team-high six assists. Davis collected 10 rebounds and recorded his MEAC-best fifth doube-double. Soufiyane Diakite topped BCU with 11 rebounds. BCU converted 18 Dolphin turnovers into 19 points, and trailed for only 1:04. The Wildcats snapped a two-game losing streak in the series, while achieving their first road win against Jacksonville since 2008.

Neither team could remove a cover from the cylinder to start the game until Davis' jumper fell in at 18:24. He then reeled off seven more points over the next 1:07 to push the Maroon and Gold lead to 9-2 at 17:17.

Jacksonville cut the lead to two on a Hinton dunk at 13:00, and the Dolphins took their first lead on a Jace Hogan layup at 7:40 for a 19-18 edge. The Wildcats regained the lead, 24-22, thanks to an Armani Collins trifecta at 4:27, and led 34-26 at the break with eight points, two helpers, and a steal all by Maitland over the run.

The Wildcats continue their brief road-swing with a trip to Florida Atlantic for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Dec. 2.

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Bowling Green to host Morgan State in 2019

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Bowling Green State University and the University of Maryland have announced an agreement to reschedule its 2019 football game in College Park, Mary. Originally scheduled for Aug. 31, 2019, the game will now be played Sept. 21, 2024. The move allows Bowling Green to add another home game to the non-conference schedule and the Falcons will host Morgan State on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019 instead.

We were excited to work with the University of Maryland and Morgan State University in order to adjust our 2019 schedule in a way that we feel will best serve our student-athletes, fans and season ticket holders," BGSU Director of Athletics Bob Moosbrugger said. "Not only does this shift provide us with an additional home game that will balance our schedule, but it also gives us the opportunity to open the season at home on the Thursday before Labor Day weekend. This will allow our fans the opportunity to enjoy both the home opener and a holiday weekend."

BGSU has not opened a season prior to Labor Day weekend since defeating Tulsa 34-7 in 2013. This will be Morgan State's second visit to The Doyt, as well as the second meeting all-time between the two teams. The first meeting ended in Bowling Green's favor with a 58-13 victory on Sept. 10, 2011. In that contest, wide receiver Eugene Cooper hauled in a school record-tying four touchdowns, three of which came in the first quarter.

The Morgan State matchup will be the first of four non-conference games for the Falcons in 2019. BGSU will travel to Kansas State on Sept. 7, followed by a home game against Louisiana Tech a week later. The non-conference schedule will conclude with a face-off with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame on Oct. 5.

The Maryland game in 2024 will conclude a three-game series between the Falcons and Terrapins. BGSU came away victorious in the first of the three games, played on Sept. 12, 2015, with a 48-27 win at College Park. The Falcons were led by quarterback Matt Johnson, who threw for a career-best six touchdowns, which tied the program record originally set by Ryan Henry in 1994. The win would help propel a 10-4 season that concluded with a MAC Championship title and a trip to the GoDaddy Bowl. The second game of the series is set to take place Sept. 8, 2018 when Maryland visits Doyt Perry Stadium.

The BGSU/Maryland game in 2024 is currently the first scheduled non-conference game for the Falcons in that season.

FUTURE BGSU NON-CONFERENCE FOOTBALL SCHEDULES

2018
9/1 – at Oregon
9/8 – Maryland
9/15 - Eastern Kentucky
9/29 - at Georgia Tech

2019
8/29 – Morgan State
9/7 – at Kansas State
9/14 – Louisiana Tech
10/5 - at Notre Dame

2020
9/5 - at Ohio State
9/12 - Robert Morris
9/19 – at Illinois
10/3 - Liberty

2021
9/4 - at Tennessee
9/11 – South Alabama
9/25 - at Minnesota

2022
9/3 – at UCLA
9/24 - at South Alabama

2023
9/2 - at Liberty
9/30 - at Louisiana Tech

2024
9/21 - at Maryland

2025
9/6 - at Minnesota

2026
9/5 - at Arizona State

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Grambling State stuns Georgia Tech on late bucket

ATLANTA, Georgia | Ivy Smith, Jr. put up a layup with eight seconds remaining and missed, but the loose ball grabbed by Curtis Haywood was tipped back into the Tiger basket as the Grambling State University men's basketball team stunned Georgia Tech, 64-63, on Friday night at McCamish Pavilion.

Grambling State (2-5) used a 22-8 run to turn a 25-23 halftime lead into a 47-31 advantage with 10:19 remaining. Georgia Tech (4-2) rallied and used a 30-13 run to take a 61-60 lead with 1:02 left.

The Yellow Jackets got two free throws by Jose Alvarado with 43 seconds left, but that would be the last time Georgia Tech would score. Smith sank two shots at the charity stripe to cut the margin to 63-62 with 43 seconds left. Tadric Jackson missed two shots at the line and Drake Wilks came down with the big rebound as the Tigers called a timeout with 22 seconds remaining to set up the final play.

After the timeout, Smith drove the lane to put up the shot and the ball bounced around and was tipped by Haywood and went into the basket to give the Tigers a 64-63 lead.

Diontae Jones paced three Grambling State players in double figures with 18 points, nine rebounds, two steals, one block and one assist. Axel Mpoyo tallied 14 points, eight rebounds, one block and one assist, while Smith registered 14 points, six assists, two steals and two boards.

Alvarado led Georgia Tech with a game-high 22 points, including four 3-pointers. He also added four assists, three steals and one rebound. Tadric Jackson registered 19 points and seven boards.

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Grambling State expects tough rematch with Alcorn State for SWAC title

GRAMBLING, Louisiana – It’s the matchup predicted in the preseason to take place for the final SWAC Championship Game.

After the 27-point drumming back in October in the regular season, people around the league didn’t know what to expect. But here we are and the preseason claim of Grambling State (10-1) and Alcorn State (7-4) battling it out for the SWAC title for the third straight season has come to fruition.

While the Tigers’ blowout victory over the Braves might suggest Saturday’s contest might not be close, GSU head football coach Broderick Fobbs, his coaching staff and players as well as Alcorn State head football coach Fred McNair with his coaching staff and players know all too well that once the two teams get together in the SWAC championship game, all bets are off.

“You’re talking about the sixth time in three years,” said Fobbs of Grambling facing Alcorn. “We definitely know each other and know what each other likes to do. For us, it’s about cleaning up our mistakes up for this contest and really getting into the swing of things.”

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