NAIA Men: Dillard Upsets Hope International
- March 17, 2016
By Chad Waller | Director of Communications and Sports Information and Media Services
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (Box score) No. 7 seed Dillard (La.) will make its first trip back to the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship an extended stay with the biggest upset of the 2016 event thus far, defeating No. 2 seed Hope International (Calif.), 111-91 in the first round. The Blue Devils will face No. 6-seed Campbellsville (Ky.) on Friday, March 18 at 4:30 p.m.
The Royals and Blue Devils battled to a two-point halftime margin with Hope International, which shot 60 percent, leading 44-42. DU, which only shot .472 at that point, kept it close with four more points off turnovers and one more second-chance point.
The Blue Devils, who are making their first trip to the Championship since 2003, then blew it wide open with a 17-5 run to start the second stanza and did not look back from there. Hope International closed to within nine late, but Dillard closed strong to advance. A second-period shooting mark of .595 helped the victors to a .534-.518 overall edge. Dillard was also better on the glass (39-34) and in turnovers (9-19).
In a closely-officiated contest, the teams combined for 59 fouls. In addition, Dillard was 26-for-33 at the line and Hope International was 26-for-41.
The Blue Devils’ 111 points is the most in the tournament this season and the most in a tournament regulation game since Point Park (Pa.) also put up 111 points in a 111-100 first-round win over Lipscomb (Tenn.) in 1997.
“I feel really good because it was a total team effort, I was concerned in the first half because we got in foul trouble,” said Dillard Head Coach Mike Newell. “Demetric, our best player, didn’t play most of the game, but Dennis Hightower stepped up and did a great job as well as DJ Reed and Dexter too; I can go right down the list, great team effort and that’s what we are about.
DU, which improves to 22-10, was paced by Dennis Hightower with a game-high 38 points. He was instrumental in his team’s 69-point second-half explosion, scoring 32 after halftime. The junior was 11-for-19 from the field and 14-for-17 at the charity stripe and also dished out seven assists and stole three passes.
Hightower was joined in double figures by Ramon Johnson (19), Dennis Reed (13), Jessie Ward and Dexter Porchia (both with 10). Reed posted a double-double with 10 rebounds as well.
“This was a tough game for us,” said Hope International Head Coach Bill Czech. “Dillard played well and is obviously well-coached. They wanted it and they went out and got it. Our guys executed well on the offensive end in the first half but we got into a little bit of a hole in the second half and it’s hard to play catch-up against a good team. All year it’s been about playing with a lead for us and we didn’t have that here today.”
Jordan Pellum paced Hope International with 21 points, while Liam Hunt was next with 14 points. Ramon Mejia (13), Bernard Ireland (12), and Dondre Bryant (11) also reached double digits.
Hope International, who was a 2015 national semifinalist, finishes its season with a 26-7 record
Howard Falls to Virginia in NCAA Soccer Tournament
- November 14, 2015
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - The final match of the 2015 campaign for the Howard women's soccer team will go down as a loss. In the grand scheme of things, however, this contest - and this season as a whole - serves as a major victory for the program.
The Bison ended their season Friday evening with a 7-1 loss in the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament to No. 1 seed and 2014 National runner-up Virginia.
After falling behind 2-0 to the Cavaliers (17-1-2) by halftime, the Bison were able to cut their deficit in half early in the second half. After sophomore forward Kela Gray barely missed a score from just inside the box, fellow sophomore Whitney White found herself in the right place at the right time to put Gray's miss into the back of the net.
As exciting as this turn of events was for the underdog Bison, UVA would respond how a championship-level opponent knows how to. The Cavaliers extended their lead back to two less than 30 seconds later and proceeded to score four more goals in the period.
Albany State releases 2016 football schedule
- March 11, 2016
ALBANY, Ga.- The Albany State University Golden Rams have unveiled their football schedule for the 2016 season, ASU Athletics Director Dr. Richard H. Williams and interim head coach Dan Land announced Friday afternoon. Highlighting the nine-game slate is a game with a familiar non-conference opponent, six SIAC conference games, two classics, and matchups with three teams that made appearances in the 2015 NCAA Division II football playoffs.
“Albany State has generated a challenging schedule that will provide a lot of excitement during the 2016 season," said Williams. "Our Golden Rams are making great preparations, and they are ready to deliver some solid football action this season.”
Land believes the competition is stiff, but he believes Albany State will benefit from the tough tasks on his team’s schedule.
“To get better as a team during the course of the season, it’s important to play against good programs,” Land said. “All the teams on our schedule have good coaches, good players and winning attitudes. “We have a tough schedule, but we’ll definitely put in the hard work this offseason and prepare for each of them.”
The Golden Rams, who finished their 2015 season at 6-4, will kick off the season on Sept. 3 in Albany, Ga in a road game with the Valdosta State University Blazers. Valdosta State, a member of the Gulf South Conference, went 9-3 and made the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs last season. Last year, ASU lost to the VSU 21-13 in Albany.
Albany State will open SIAC play and continue a rivalry when it faces the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers on Sept. 10 in the 3rd Annual White Water Classic in Phenix City, Alabama. Tuskegee, who made an appearance in the 2015 NCAA Division II quarterfinals, finished last year with a 10-3 overall record and defeated the Golden Rams 27-14 in last season’s classic. The Tuskegee game is the first of two SIAC West Division crossover games.
Albany State returns to actions on Sept. 17 against the Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla. The Fire program is a member of the Sun Conference that competes at the NAIA level. SEU finished with a 6-2 overall record last season.
ASU will play its first home game on Sept. 24. Golden Rams will host the University of West Georgia, who made a trip to the NCAA Division II semifinals in 2015. The Gulf South member recorded a 12-2 record last year.
Before an open date on Oct. 8, the Golden Rams will host the Miles College Golden Bears on Oct. 1. Albany State defeated the SIAC West Division opponent 29-16 in last year regular season meeting in Fairfield before losing to the Golden Bears 20-7 in the SIAC title game. MC finished the 2015 season with a 7-5 record.
The Golden Rams will take on four SIAC East Division opponents beginning Oct. 15. They will battle with the Maroon Tigers of Morehouse College in Atlanta. Albany State defeated Morehouse 38-0 in the 2015 contest. The Maroon Tigers were 5-5 last season.
Albany State will then journey back home to take on the Clark Atlanta University Panthers on October 22. The contest will serve as the university’s annual homecoming celebration. ASU beat CAU 26-14 in route to the Panthers’ 1-8 overall record.
Albany State will back on the road on October 29. ASU will visit the Benedict College Tigers in Columbia, S.C. The Golden Rams defeated Benedict 35-9 in last year’s meeting, and the Tigers finished with a 0-10 overall record.
The two biggest rivals in the SIAC, Albany State and Fort Valley State University, will close its regular seasons in the 27th Annual Fountain City Classic on November 5 at the A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Georgia. The Golden Rams defeated the Wildcats (5-4 overall last season) 21-17 in the 2015 classic game. The FCC is touted as one of the biggest and best HBCU football classics in the nation.
The winners of the SIAC East and West divisions will play for the 2016 SIAC Championship game in Montgomery, Ala. on November 12.
Complete Schedule
Prairie View Football Home Opener Moved to Thursday On ESPNU
- June 22, 2017
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Prairie View A&M University football’s 2017 home opener against Sam Houston State has been moved to a Thursday night contest and will be televised live on ESPNU.
The Panthers and Bearkats will now play on Thursday, September 7 at Panther Stadium, with kickoff just after 6:30 p.m. It is the second straight year the PVAMU football home opener will be televised live on ESPNU, as the Panthers defeated Texas Southern 29-24 on Sept. 4, 2016 in the inaugural game in the new venue.
“We’re excited to again have our home opener nationally televised on ESPNU,” said third-year PVAMU head football coach Willie Simmons. “To have the opportunity to showcase our program against one of the top teams in FCS Football is a great honor and a great challenge. We expect it will be a sold-out game and an electric environment, and look forward to Panther Nation giving us a tremendous homefield advantage against an outstanding Sam Houston State team.”
Johnson C. Smith Announces 2016 Football Schedule
- March 10, 2016
Charlotte, N.C. – The Johnson C. Smith football team will host four home games, one against the defending CIAA Champions, and will play an away game against an NCAA Division I FCS opponent, as the university announces its 2016 football schedule.
The Golden Bulls, coming off a 4-6 season in 2015 under first year head coach Kermit Blount, will open with three straight road games in 2016, travelling to local rival Wingate on Sept. 3.
Following a nonconference game at Bowie State on Sept. 10, the Golden Bulls will travel to Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C. to take on Division I FCS member Wofford College. The Terriers finished the 2015 season at 5-6 overall and 3-4 in Southern Conference play.
Following the tilt with the Terriers, JCSU will open their home schedule by hosting CIAA Northern Division foe Elizabeth City State on Sept. 24. After an Oct. 1 game at Chowan, the defending CIAA champion Winston-Salem State Rams will pay a visit to JCSU on Oct. 8. After tangling with the Rams, two consecutive road games at Fayetteville State (Oct. 15) and at Shaw (Oct. 22) await the Golden Bulls.
The season will close with two consecutive home games, as St. Augustine’s visits for the annual Homecoming game on Oct. 29. The regular season will come to a close on Nov. 5 when archrival Livingstone travels to the Irwin Belk Complex for the Eighth Annual Commemorative Classic.
The winners of the CIAA Northern and Southern Divisions will then meet on Nov. 12 in the CIAA Championship game with a time and location to be determined by the league office.
2016 JCSU Football Schedule
Date | Opponent | Time | Series | Last Meeting |
Sept. 3 | at Wingate | 1:30 p.m. | Wingate leads 3-0 | 2015, Wingate, 14-0 |
Sept. 10 | at Bowie St. | 4:00 p.m. | Tied 11-11 | 2015, BSU, 34-21 |
Sept. 17 | at Wofford | TBD | Wofford leads 1-0 | 2004, Wofford, 56-0 |
Sept. 24 | Elizabeth City St.* | TBD | JCSU leads 10-7 | 2010, ECSU, 45-27 |
Oct. 1 | at Chowan* | 6:00 p.m. | Tied 1-1 | 2009, Chowan, 33-22 |
Oct. 8 | Winston-Salem St.* | TBD | WSSU leads 42-23-1 | 2015, WSSU, 37-22 |
Oct. 15 | at Fayetteville St.* | 1:00 p.m. | JCSU leads 35-24-3 | 2015, JCSU, 37-20 |
Oct. 22 | at Shaw* | 1:00 p.m. | Shaw leads 21-13-2 | 2015, JCSU, 17-10 |
Oct. 29 | St. Augustine’s* (Homecoming) | 1:00 p.m. | JCSU leads 18-16-1 | 2015, JCSU, 22-3 |
Nov. 5 | Livingstone* (Commemorative Classic) | TBD | JCSU leads 41-22-2 | 2015, Livingstone, 35-12 |
Home games in bold
* denotes CIAA games