WEEKLY TOURNAMENT TIME 2011 COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE CIAA, MEAC, SIAC, SWAC & MORE!!!

LET’S DANCE!
MARCH 7-13, 2011 FOllOW Us theyardweekly theyardhbcu theyardhbcu

NINE TICKETS HAVE BEEN PUNCHED FOR DIVISION II MEN’S & WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS
INDIANAPOLIS—The 2011 NCAA men’s and
women’s basketball tournament field was an-
nounced Sunday night and nine HIstorically
Black Colleges have qualified to participate in
this year’s Division II tournaments. Benedict,
Bowie State, Clark Atlanta, Shaw, Stillman and
Winston-Salem State all qualified for the men’s
tournament while Fort Valley State, Johnson C.
Smith and Shaw advances to the women’s tour-
nament.
Benedict (21-7 overall, 20-4 conference) re-
ceived an at-large bid and will make their sixth
appearance in the NCAA tournament, first since
2009, after winning the SIAC men’s regular sea-
son title. The Tigers, who are the #5 seed in the
south region, will play #4 seed Arkansas Tech on
Saturday, March 12th.
Bowie State (22-5, 16-3) an at-large selec-
tion is seeded #3 overall in the Atlantic Region
and will face Mansfield University, the #6 seed
on Saturday, March 12 on the campus of West
Liberty (W.Va.) University at a time to be deter-
mined. Bowie State and Mansfield met back on
December 3, 2010 (at Bowie State), with Bull-
dogs defeating the Mountaineers 82-81 in over-
time.
Also receiving an at-large bid was Stillman
(21-7, 19-5), who received a bid after nearly pull-
ing off a come-from-behind win against Clark
Atlanta in the championship game of the confer-
ence tournament over the weekend. The Tigers
are the #7seed in the south region and will face
#2 seed Harding on Saturday, March 12th.
Clark Atlanta (22-8, 17-7), who received an
automatic bid after winning the SIAC tourna-
Shaw assistant coach Jeremy Ledbetter (center) dances in the middle of the team as they celebrate winning the men’s
2011 CIAA Basketball Tournament championship game over Livingstone at Time Warner Cable Arena.
ment this past weekend, will make their second
straight appearance in the NCAA tournament.
The #8 seed Panthers will face #1 seed Alabama-
Huntsville, who will host the men’s south re-
gional, on Saturday, March 12th.
Shaw (22-8, 15-6) who also recieved an auto-
matic bid by winning the CIAA conference tou-
nament, will face a familiar foe in their opening
round matchup as they will take on the Rams
of Winston-Salem State on Saturday, March 12
on the campus of West Liberty University. Shaw
was named the #4 seed in the Atlantic Region,
while the Rams were named the #5.
The Bears, who were ranked eighth in the
region before the CIAA Tournament, defeated
Livingstone 72-69 to claim the CIAA title and ce-
ment their place in the field. The Rams finished
19-7 following their loss to Fayetteville State in
the CIAA Tournament.
The two teams split their regular season series
with each team winning on their home floor.
Shaw defeated WSSU 77-64 in Raleigh, while the
Rams captured a 59-49 victory - Shaw’s worst of-
fensive performance on the season - in Winston-
Salem.
Fort Valley State (22-9, 17-5) received an au-
Shaw’s Niesha Searles (center) celebrates with teammates after defeating Johnson C. Smith in the championship game of the WOMEN
women’s 2011 CIAA Basketball Tournament.
tomatic bid into the women’s tournament af-
ter winning the SIAC tournament title over the
weekend. The #8 seed Lady Wildcats will face #1
seed Arkansas Tech, who will host the women’s
south regional, on Friday, March 11th.
The Lady Bears of Shaw (21-11, 14-7), who
earned a berth by defeating Johnson C. Smith
62-56 to claim the CIAA championship, have
been named the 8th seed in the Atlantic Region
and will begin play on Friday, March 11 when
they travel to Edinboro, PA to take on the num-
ber one seed, Edinboro.
The Bears finished their season 21-11. The
15th in Huntsville, AL with the regional win-
ner advancing to the national quarterfinals in
Springfield, MA on March 23rd.
The NCAA Women’s South Regional will take
place Friday, March 11th- Monday, March 14th
in Russellville, AR. Regional winners will ad-
vance to the national quarterfinals in St. Joseph,
MO on March 22nd.
theY’Re In...
MEN
Shaw (22-8, 15-6 CIAA)
Bowie State (22-5, 16-5)
Winston-Salem State (19-6, 12-5)
Shaw (21-11, 14-7 CIAA)
Fighting Scots, winners of the Pennsylvania Johnson C. Smith (24-3, 17-3)
State Athletic Conference (PSAC), finished with
a 26-3 record.
Fellow conference member Johnson C. Smith
will join the Lady Bears in the Atlantic Region.
The Lady Golden Bulls, who lost to Shaw in the MEN
CIAA tournament, were named the second seed Clark Atlanta (22-8, 17-7 SIAC)
in the region and will face Glenville State. Other Benedict (21-7, 20-4)
teams in the Atlantic Region are Charlestown Stillman (21-7, 19-5)
(WV), California (PA), West Liberty, and Millers-
ville. WOMEN
The NCAA Men’s South Regional will take Fort Valley State (22-9, 17-5 SIAC)
place Saturday, March 12th- Tuesday, March
THE YARD WEEK OF MARCH 7TH 2011 CIAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT 2

MEN’S BRACKET WOMEN’S BRACKET

FIRST ROUND-WED., MARCH 2ND FIRST ROUND-MON., FEBRUARY 28TH
4S Johnson C. Smith 67 69 St. Augustine’s 4S
5N Chowan  60 53 Virginia Union 5N
SECOND ROUND-THUR., MARCH 3RD SECOND ROUND-TUE., MARCH 1ST
4S Johnson C. Smith 82 70 St. Augustine’s 4S
1N Bowie State 66 68 Elizabeth City State 1N
THIRD ROUND-FRI., MARCH 4TH THIRD ROUND-FRI., MARCH 4TH
2S Shaw 67 4S Johnson C. Smith 69 65 Shaw
2S St. Augustine’s3:00P
4S 95 Shaw 2S
7N Lincoln (Pa.) 43 2S Shaw 82 74 Lincoln (Pa.)
7N Shaw 2S 63 Lincoln (Pa.) 7N

2S Shaw 71 72 Shaw 2S
3N Elizabeth City State 48 53 Virginia State 3N
CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT., MARCH 5TH CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT., MARCH 5TH
3N Elizabeth City State 65 2S Shaw 72 362
N Elizabeth City StateShaw5:00P
2S 65 Virginia State 3N
6S St. Augustine’s 51 3S Livingstone 69 56 St. Augustine’s
6S Johnson C. Smith 1S 44 Fayetteville State 6S

2N Virginia Union 58 63 Bowie State 2N

3S Livingstone 59 56 Winston-Salem State 3S
THIRD ROUND-FRI., MARCH 4TH THIRD ROUND-FRI., MARCH 4TH
3S Livingstone 77 3S Livingstone 81 64 Livingstone Bowie State7:00P
3S 2N 66 Winston-Salem State 3S
6N St. Paul’s 61 5S Fayetteville State 71 669
N ChowanJohnson C. Smith 1S 33 St. Paul’s 6N

1S Winston-Salem State 63 71 Johnson C. Smith 1S

5S Fayetteville State 66 52 Chowan 4N

4N Virginia State 58 56 Chowan 4N

5S Fayetteville State 74 2011 CIAA MENS & WOMENS BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS 53 Livingstone 5S

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAMS

MEN WOMEN
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Raheem Smith Devon Mclendon Trevin Parks Sidney Evans Greg Henry Demaria Liles Umeka Benson Kyria Buford LaQwesha Gamble Ransheda Jennings
Guard, Shaw Guard, Shaw Guard, JCSU Forward, FSU Forward, Livingstone Forward, Shaw Center, St. Augustine’s Forward, Shaw Guard, Johnson C. Smith Guard, Chowan
Trent Bivens, Guard, ECSU, Darrius Cox, Forward, Livingstone, Charles Rhodes, Guard, Chowan, Tony Smith, Guard, Shaw, Eric Vann, Guard, Bowie State Terran Quattlebaum, Johnson C. Smith, Allison Sikes, St. Augustine’s, Rhon’Neisha Taylor, Virginia State, Aslea Williams, Shaw, Vontisha Woods, Winston-Salem State
THE YARD WEEK OF MARCH 7TH BASKETBALL REVIEW 3

NORthern

CIAA
men’s FINAL Basketball standings As of February 27, 2011
division conference overall
w L W L W l
Sikes, Parks lead All-CIAA Honors
PLAYER OF THE YEAR DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Hampton—The Central Intercol-
1. Bowie State 11 1 16 2 22 4 legiate Athletic Association has an-
2. Virginia Union 9 3 13 5 15 8 nounced its honorees for the 2011 All-
3. Elizabeth City State 7 5 11 7 17 9 CIAA teams and Players of the Year
as selected by the men’s and wom-
4. Virginia State 5 7 5 13 6 20
en’s basketball coaches associations.
5. St. Paul’s 4 8 5 13 8 17 The women’s team is headlined
6. Chowan 4 8 4 14 5 21 Allison Sikes Chanita Jordan Ransheda Jennings Talaya Lynch Allison Sikes Rhon’Neisha Taylor Courtney Medley by 2011 CIAA Women’s Player of the
7. Lincoln (Pa.) 2 10 2 16 4 22 Senior, Guard Junior, Forward Junior, Guard Sophomore, Guard Senior, Guard Senior, Guard Junior, Guard Year, Allison Sikes (Richmond, VA)
St. Augustine’s Bowie State Chowan Chowan St. Augustine’s Virginia State Winston-Salem State
of the St. Augustine’s College Lady
SOUthern division conference overall Falcons. Sikes ranks second in the
w L W L W l
CIAA in scoring, averaging 17.3 ppg.
1. Winston-Salem State 7 3 12 5 19 6 and heads the steals category with
2. Shaw 7 3 11 6 18 8 80, 3.2pg.
3. Livingstone 5 5 9 8 14 11 Defensive Player of the Year hon-
ors are given to Lady Bulldog, Chani-
4. Johnson C. Smith 4 6 11 6 15 10 ta Jordan (Philadelphia, PA) of Bowie
5. Fayetteville State 4 6 8 9 13 13 State University. Jordan sits at the
6. St. Augustine’s 3 7 7 10 9 17 Teaunsha Robinson Kenyatta Gill Tiffany Haywood LaQwesha Gamble Brittany Wright Le’Keisha White Vontisha Woods top of the conference in the blocked
Senior, Forward Senior, Forward Senior, Forward Junior, Forward Senior, Forward Senior, Forward Senior, Forward shots category with 71, 2.8 pg.
Bowie State Elizabeth City State Fayetteville State Johnson C. Smith Livingstone St. Augustine’s Winston-Salem State
women’s FINAL Basketball standings As of February 27, 2011 The men’s team is headlined by
PLAYER OF THE YEAR DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Johnson C. Smith University’s Trevin
NORthern division conference overall
Parks (Hickory, NC), who is the 2011
w L W L W l
CIAA Men’s Player of the Year. Parks
1. Elizabeth City State 9 3 13 5 20 8 dominates the CIAA in scoring; lead-
2. Bowie State 9 3 12 6 17 9 ing the pack with 471 total points and
3. Virginia State 9 3 12 6 18 8 a 22.4 per game average. As of Feb
4. Chowan 9 3 11 7 14 12 20, this Golden Bull has logged 92
assists in 21 games.
5. Virginia Union 3 9 3 15 3 22 Trevin Parks Paul Davis Eric Vann Trevin Parks Denzel Mooney Raheem Smith Braxton Byerson Paul Davis (Clio, SC) of the Win-
6. St. Paul’s 2 10 2 17 3 22 Sophomore, Guard Senior, Forward Senior, Guard Sophomore, Guard Junior, Forward Senior, Guard Senior, Guard ston-Salem State University Rams,
Johnson C. Smith Winston-Salem State Bowie State Johnson C. Smith Lincoln Shaw Virginia Union
7. Lincoln (Pa.) 1 11 1 17 3 23 claims this years’ CIAA Defensive
Player of the Year award. Davis tops
SOUthern division conference overall three statistical lists this season-
w L W L W l
rebounding 218; blocked shots 58,
1. Johnson C. Smith 8 2 15 3 22 3 2.5pg. and field goal percentage, 117-
2. Winston-Salem State 6 4 11 6 16 10 180 for .650 avg. in 23 games.
3. Shaw 6 4 10 7 17 11 The All-CIAA Teams and Players
of the Year were honored at the 2011
4. St. Augustine’s 5 5 11 6 17 10 CIAA Basketball Tournament Tip-Off
5. Livingstone 4 6 10 7 16 9 Rondy Tucker Sidney Evans Darius Cox Maurice Reevy Ibn-Saed Rasoull Paul Davis Shelton Carter Awards Ceremonies.
6. Fayetteville State 1 9 4 13 6 20 Junior, Forward Junior, Forward Senior, Forward Senior, Forward Junior, Forward Senior, Forward Senior, Forward  —theciaa.com
Elizabeth City State Fayetteville State Livingstone St. Paul’s St. Paul’s Winston-Salem State Winston-Salem State

men’s Conference leaders As of February 20, 2011 WOmen’s Conference leaders As of February 20, 2011

Buford is a conference leader in points and rebounds.
SCORING Gms Total Avg/G
T. Parks, Johnson C. Smith 22 486 22.1
D. Mooney, Lincoln 24 517 21.5
B. Byerson, Virginia Union 22 462 21.0
R. Smith, Shaw 23 436 19.0
E. Vann, Bowie State 26 459 17.7
D. Cox, Lincoln 24 376 15.7
M. Reevey, St. Paul’s 23 344 15.0
D. Clark, Bowie State 26 378 14.5
I. Rassoull, Bowie State 23 332 14.4
B. Westmorland, Bowie State 26 371 14.3
REBOUNDING Gms Total Avg/G
P. Davis, Winston-Salem State 24 226 9.4
R. Tucker, Elizabeth City State 25 210 8.4
D. Cox, Lincoln 24 201 8.4
D. Tyree, Chowan 21 164 7.8
S. Evans, Fayetteville State 24 180 7.5
I. Rassoull, St. Paul’s 23 168 7.3
D. Johnson, Shaw 19 133 7.0
J. Herrington, Fayetteville State 23 160 7.0
D. Boyd, Johnson C. Smith 23 151 6.6
M. Reevey, St. Paul’s 23 148 6.4
ASSISTS Gms Total Avg/G
B. McDonald, Virginia Union 22 123 5.6
T. Smith, Shaw 24 132 5.5
T. Parks, Johnson C. Smith 22 98 4.5
A. Best, Fayetteville State 25 110 4.4
D. Clark, Bowie State 26 104 4.0
M. Cooke, Elizabeth City State 23 88 3.8
G. Leseur, St. Paul’s 21 71 3.4
T. Jackson, Virginia State 24 77 3.2
C. Washington, Virginia State 23 71 3.1
B. Price, Elizabeth City State 25 75 3.0
SCORING Gms Total Avg/G
R. Taylor, Virginia State 23 408 17.7
A. Sikes, St. Augustine’s 26 449 17.3
K. Buford, Shaw 24 409 17.0
R. Jennings, Chowan 25 403 16.1
B. Wright, Livingstone 24 380 15.8
C. Medley, Winston-Salem State 25 339 13.6
K. Gill, Elizabeth City State 27 359 13.3
L. Jordan, Fayetteville State 25 330 13.2
T. Lynch, Chowan 25 329 13.2
R. Elbourne, Livingstone 23 287 12.5
REBOUNDING Gms Total Avg/G
L. Gamble Johnson C.Smith 23 230 10.0
T. Haywood, Fayetteville State 23 223 9.7
A. Hardley, St. Paul’s 24 228 9.5
K. Buford, Shaw 24 223 9.3
B. Wright, Livingstone 24 208 8.7
U. Benson, St. Augustine’s 21 180 8.6
L. White, St. Augustine’s 23 189 8.2
V. Woods, Winston-Salem State 21 167 8.0
Y. Stevens, Virginia Union 24 178 7.4
A. Sikes, St. Augustine’s 26 189 7.3
ASSISTS Gms Total Avg/G
B. Spencer, Shaw 27 131 4.9
M. Harrison, Livingstone 23 106 4.6
B. Torain, St. Augustine’s 26 85 3.3
T. Breaux, Johnson C. Smith 18 58 3.2
R. Rector, Winston-Salem State 25 75 3.0
P. Muldrow, Virginia State 25 73 2.9
R. Taylor, Virginia State 23 67 2.9
L. Walker, Bowie State 24 68 2.8
L. White, St. Augustine’s 23 63 2.7
R. Jennings, Chowan 25 68 2.7
THE YARD WEEK OF MARCH 7TH 2011 CIAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT PREVIEW 4

MEN’S BRACKET WOMEN’S BRACKET

FIRST ROUND-WED., MARCH 2ND FIRST ROUND-MON., FEBRUARY 28TH
8 LeMoyne-Owen 65 59 LeMoyne-Owen 8
9 Paine 68 74 Lane 9
SECOND ROUND-THUR., MARCH 3RD SECOND ROUND-TUE., MARCH 1ST
9 Paine 72 63 Lane 9
1 Benedict 77 86 Fort Valley State 1
THIRD ROUND-FRI., MARCH 4TH THIRD ROUND-FRI., MARCH 4TH
4 Clark Atlanta 66 1 Benedict 52 74
2S Shaw Fort Valley State3:00P
1 59 Kentucky State 5
13 Lane 52 4 Clark Atlanta 75 60
7N Lincoln (Pa.) Benedict 4 39 Paine 12

4 Clark Atlanta 81 50 Kentucky State 5

5 Kentucky State 62 58 Benedict 4
CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT., MARCH 5TH CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT., MARCH 5TH
5 Kentucky State 66 4 Clark Atlanta 78 69 ElizabethFort
3N CityValley
State State5:00P
1
12 Albany State 64 2 Stillman 71 54
6S St. Augustine’s Miles 3

2 Stillman 70 64 Albany State 2

7 Claflin 58 66 Stillman 7

7 Claflin 59 2 Stillman 99 44
3S Livingstone Stillman7:00P
7 68 Stillman 7
10 Fort Valley State 55 3 Tuskegee 81 62 Chowan
6N Miles 3 52 Clark Atlanta 10

3 Tuskegee 78 66 Miles 3
6 Morehouse 72 63 Tuskegee 6

6 Morehouse 66 68 Tuskegee 6
11 Miles 63 2011 SIAC MENS 2011 SIAC WOMENS 50 Claflin 11
BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS
THE YARD WEEK OF MARCH 7TH BASKETBALL REVIEW 5

men’s FINAL Basketball standings As of March 3, 2011

SIAC

conference overall
W L W l
Thomas, Goode lead All-SIAC Honors
Atlanta­—The Southern Intercolle- Freshman of the year honors were 2011 ALL-SIAC 2011 ALL-SIAC 2011 ALL-SIAC
1. Benedict 20 4 20 6 giate Athletic Conference announces the awarded to Conisha Hicks of Clark At- WOMEN’S Team WOMEN’S Team ACADEMIC Team
2011 SIAC Men’s and Women’s Basket- lanta for the women and Javier McKin- Player of the Year Player of the Year Women’s All-Academic Team
2. Stillman 19 5 20 6 ball All-Conference Teams as voted on ney of Tuskegee for the men. Hicks led Marcus Goode, Benedict Sammeika Thomas, Miles Stillman
3. Tuskegee 18 6 18 8 by the SIAC Basketball Coaches Associa- the all women in the SIAC in scoring, Newcomer of the Year Newcomer of the Year Men’s All-Academic Team
4. Clark Atlanta 17 7 18 8 tion. averaging 20.2 per contest while McKin- Marcus Goode, Benedict Symone Wilkerson, Albany State Lane
5. Kentucky State 13 11 14 12 The men’s team is led by 2011 SIAC ney averaged 5.1 points per game for the Freshman of the Year Freshman of the Year
player of the year and newcomer of the Golden Tigers. Javier McKinney, Tuskegee Conisha Hicks, Clark Atlanta MEN’S TEAM
6. Morehouse 13 11 13 13 year Marcus Goode of Benedict College. Men’s coach of the year is Fred Wat- Player Pos. Ht. Class
7. Claflin 10 14 11 15 Coach of the Year Coach of the Year
Goode, a native of Chapin, SC, was the son of Benedict College. Watson led the Fred Watson, Benedict Robert Skinner, Albany State Emanuel Williams F 6’3 SR
8. Paine 9 15 10 16 fourth leading scorer in the SIAC, aver- Tigers to a 20-4 conference record, 20-6 Fort Valley State  Baxley, Ga, Economics 3.5GPA
9. LeMoyne-Owen 9 15 10 18 aging 17.4 points per game. The 6-10 overall, and their first regular season title FIRST TEAM FIRST TEAM
sophomore center also averaged 11.7 since 2008. Watson also led the Tigers to Player Pos. Ht. Class Player Pos. Ht. Class Anthony Collier G 6’6 JR
10. Miles 8 16 10 16 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game, both a number three ranking in NCAA south
Lane  Detroit, Mi, Mathematics 3.49GPA
Marcus Goode C 6’10 SO Symone Wilkerson C 5’5 SO
11. Fort Valley State 8 16 8 20 of which led the SIAC, while helping lead region. Benedict  Chapin, SC Albany State  Bonair, Ga Nick Jones F 6’5 JR
12. Albany State 7 17 7 21 Benedict to the men’s regular season ti- Women’s coach of the year is Robert Lane  Nashville, Mhematicsa 3.5GPA
tle. Joining Goode on the first team were Skinner of Albany State University. Skin- Najee Lane G/F 6’4 SR Conisha Hicks G/F 5’3 SR
13. Lane 5 19 6 19 Clark Atlanta Trenton, NJ Clark Atlanta Lithonia, Ga Joe Rudolph G 6’4 SO
Clark Atlanta’s Najee Lane, Claflin’s Eric ner led the Lady Rams to a second place
Lane  Montgomery, Al, Criminal Justice 3.43GPA
Salley, Kentucky State’s Tony Johnson, finish in the SIAC with a 16-6 conference Eric Salley G 6’0 SR Jasmine Birdsong G 5’11 JR
WOmen’s FINAL Basketball standings As of March 3, 2011
and Stillman’s Lajay Sears. record, 17-11 overall. Skinner and the Claflin Smoaks, SC Fort Valley State Sparta, Ga Aaron Ragsdale F 6’5 JR
conference overall Leading the way for the women’s team Lady Rams were also regionally ranked Tuskegee  Chicago, Electrical Engineering 3.61GPA
W L W l
is 2011 SIAC player of the year Sammei- for the first time in recent memory. Tony Johnson G 6’3 SR Sammeika Thomas F 6’2 JR
Kentucky State Louisville, Ky Miles  Birmingham, Al WOMEN’S TEAM
1. Fort Valley State 17 5 19 9 ka Thomas of Miles College. Thomas, Tuskegee’s Aaron Ragsdale leads the
Player Pos. Ht. Class
2. Miles 16 6 19 7 a native of Birmingham, AL, averaged men’s all-academic team with a 3.61 Lajay Sears G 6’2 SR Jamila McKinnis G 6’0 JR
12.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. grade point average while Lane College Stillman Decatur, Al Stillman  Mobile, Al Rakelle Riley G 5’8 SR
3. Albany State 16 6 17 11 Lane  New Orleans, Biology 3.9GPA
Defensively, the 6-2 junior forward was earns the Men’s Team Academic Award.
4. Benedict 15 7 17 9 eighth in the SIAC in steals with 2.3 per Miles’ Chanel Chase and Stillman’s
SECOND TEAM SECOND TEAM
Player Pos. Ht. Class Player Pos. Ht. Class Dawnieka Green G/F 6’0 SO
5. Kentucky State 13 9 16 10 game and fourth in the SIAC in block Jamila McKinnis lead the women’s all- Lane  Ellenwood, Ga, Physical Ed 3.81GPA
6. Tuskegee 13 9 15 11 shots with 1.8 per game. Thomas is academic team with a 4.00 grade point Xavier Collier G 5’11 SO Kourtney Alexander G 5’8 FR
Benedict Augusta, Ga Albany State  Hinesville, Ga Chanel Chase F 6’1 JR
7. Stillman 12 10 14 11 joined by Albany State’s Symone Wilk- average while Stillman College earns the
Miles  Hampton, Ga, Business Admin 4.0GPA
erson, Clark Atlanta’s Conisha Hicks, Women’s Team Academic Award. David Brown G/F 6’4 SR Natalie Davis G 5’8 SR
8. LeMoyne-Owen 8 14 9 17 Fort Valley State’s Jasmine Birdsong, and  —fvsusports.com Clark Atlanta College Park, Ga Claflin  Columbia, SC Jamila McKinnis F 6’1 JR
9. Lane 8 14 8 16 Stillman’s Jamila McKinnis on the wom- Stillman  Mobile, Al, Biology 4.0GPA
Roderick Williams F 6’6 SR Kendra Evans F 5’11 JR
10. Claflin 6 16 8 18 en’s first team.
Morehouse Atlanta, Ga Fort Valley State  Greensboro, Ga
Newcomer of the year for the women Brandi Turner G 5’8 JR
11. Clark Atlanta 6 16 8 18 Stillman  Midfield, Al, Elementary Ed 3.87GPA
was Symone Wilkerson of Albany State. Rakee Anderson G 6’0 SR Courtney Matthewis G 5’11 JR
12. Paine 2 20 3 23 Wilkerson averaged 12.4 points per game Stillman Wilmington, De Kentucky State  Houston, Tx
and tied for the league lead with 4.2 as-
Andrae Nelson C 6’6 SR Tequila Martin G 5’6 SR
sists per game. Tuskegee  Selma, Al Tuskegee  Dothan, Al

men’s Conference leaders As of March 1, 2011 WOmen’s Conference leaders As of March 1, 2011

SCORING Gms Total Avg/G
E. Salley, Claflin 22 534 24.3
L. Sears, Stillman 26 508 19.5
N. Lane, Clark Atlanta 24 456 19.0
M. Goode, Benedict 21 369 17.6
A.J. Nance, LeMoyne-Owen 27 461 17.1
R. Anderson, Stillman 26 427 16.4
T. Johnson, Kentucky State 26 424 16.3
G. Lott, Lane 25 388 15.5
D. Brown, Clark Atlanta 24 367 15.3
R. Barnes, Miles 23 321 14.0
REBOUNDING Gms Total Avg/G
M. Goode, Benedict 21 240 11.4
K. Johnson, Stillman 26 226 8.7
E. Uwadiae-Odigie, Claflin 24 192 8.0
A. Ragsdale, Tuskegee 26 204 7.8
A. Nelson, Tuskegee 26 195 7.5
B. Davey, Fort Valley State 28 209 7.5
N. Lane, Clark Atlanta 24 168 7.0
L. Sears, Stillman 26 178 6.8
A. Somerville, Kentucky State 26 171 6.6
K. Smith, Kentucky State 26 169 6.5
ASSISTS Gms Total Avg/G
X. Collier, Benedict 26 152 5.8
R. Anderson, Stillman 26 127 4.9
M. Orr, Fort Valley State 27 107 4.0
D. McKinnie, LeMoyne-Owen 28 94 3.4
E. Salley, Claflin 22 73 3.3
A. Greer, Benedict 26 84 3.2
A. Burch, Clark Atlanta 26 80 3.1
J. Hines, Albany State 25 76 3.0
A. Callaway, Morehouse 26 78 3.0
N. Lane, Clark Atlanta 24 70 2.9
SCORING Gms Total Avg/G
C. Hicks, Clark Atlanta 26 525 20.2
N. Davis, Claflin 25 391 15.6
J. McKinnis, Stillman 25 369 14.8
K. Alexander, Albany State 28 376 13.4
K. Evans, Fort Valley State 24 307 12.8
S. Thomas, Miles 26 324 12.5
S. Wilkerson, Albany State 28 348 12.4
T. Martin, Tuskegee 25 305 12.2
J. Birdsong, Fort Valley State 28 340 12.1
C. Matthewis, Kentucky State 22 263 12.0
REBOUNDING Gms Total Avg/G
A. McPhail, Paine 26 259 10.0
S. Thomas, Miles 26 251 9.7
J. Birdsong, Fort Valley State 28 254 9.1
B. Jackson, Benedict 26 223 8.6
L. Barron, Claflin 26 213 8.2
U. Barnes, Benedict 25 200 8.0
J. McKinnis, Stillman 25 198 7.9
B. Jones, Claflin 26 197 7.6
K. Morgan, Kentucky State 26 192 7.4
N. Eze, Tuskegee 25 184 7.4
ASSISTS Gms Total Avg/G
S. Wilkerson, Albany State 28 117 4.2
A. Orphey, Miles 26 108 4.2
J. Prince-Coleman, Clark Atlanta 23 93 4.0
B. Goodwin, Claflin 26 97 3.7
B. Williams, Benedict 26 96 3.7
R. Ward, Kentucky State 26 92 3.5
J. Hazley, Stillman 21 66 3.1
T. Martin, Tuskegee 25 75 3.0
A. Dorton, Tuskegee 23 59 2.6
S. Thomas, Miles 24 65 2.5

Lane is in the top-10 in scoring, rebounds and assists

THE YARD WEEK OF MARCH 7TH
men’s Basketball standings As of March 3, 2011
MEAC
conference overall
W L W l
Reed, Doyle lead All-MEAC Honors
Bethune-Cookman junior C.J. Reed
1. Bethune-Cookman 12 3 19 11 was named the 2011 MEAC Player of the
Year as announced by the conference on
2. Hampton 10 5 20 8 Thursday. Delaware State’s Casey Walker
3. Morgan State 10 5 15 12 was selected as Rookie of the Year and
4. Coppin State 10 5 15 13 Norfolk State’s Kyle O’Quinn garnered
the Defensive Player of the Year honor.
5. North Carolina A&T 9 6 15 15
Bethune-Cookman head coach Clifford
6. Florida A&M 7 8 12 18 Reed was named the MEAC Coach of the
7. Norfolk State 7 8 9 19 Year. All awards are voted on by the con-
8. Delaware State 5 10 9 19 ference’s head men’s basketball coaches
and sports information directors.
9. South Carolina State 5 11 9 20
Clifford Reed, who is his ninth year
10. Maryland-Eastern Shore 4 11 7 21 at the helm of the Wildcats, guided Bet-
11. Howard 4 11 6 22 hune-Cookman to their first-ever MEAC
regular season title with a 12-3 record in
North Carolina Central 10 5 15 14 MEAC play and 19-11 mark overall. Un-
Savannah State 0 1 11 18 der his tutelage, the Wildcats were among
North Carolina Central and Savannah State will play games against MEAC opponents but they will not count against their records and neither the top three in the MEAC in field goal
team will compete for a conference championship.
percentage, scoring defense, free-throw
percentage and rebounding defense.
women’s Basketball standings As of March 3, 2011
Clifford Reed and C.J. Reed became the
conference overall first father and son duo to earn All-MEAC
W L W l
top honors during the same season.
1. Hampton 15 1 23 6
Reed and O’Quinn are joined on the
2. Morgan State 10 6 16 13 2011 All-MEAC First-Team by Hamp-
3. North Carolina A&T 10 6 15 13 ton’s Darrion Pellum, Morgan State’s
Dewayne Jackson and North Carolina
4. Howard 9 7 13 17
A&T’s Thomas Coleman.
5. Coppin State 9 7 12 16 Howard sophomore forward Saadia
6. Florida A&M 8 7 14 14 Doyle was named the 2011 MEAC Player
7. Maryland-Eastern Shore 7 8 10 18 of the Year as announced by the confer-
ence on Thursday. Coppin State’s Lar-
8. South Carolina State 6 10 11 16 risa Carter was selected as Rookie of the
9. Bethune-Cookman 5 9 13 15
Year and Hampton’s Quanneisha Perry
10. Delaware State 5 11 9 19 garnered the Defensive Player of the Year
11. Norfolk State 2 14 9 18 honor. Hampton Head Coach David Six
was named the MEAC Coach of the Year.
All awards are voted on by the confer-
Savannah State 3 5 15 11
ence’s head women’s basketball coaches
North Carolina Central 3 15 5 25 and sports information directors.
North Carolina Central and Savannah State will play games against MEAC opponents but they will not count against their records and neither
team will compete for a conference championship. Quanneisha Perry, became the first
MEAC player to earn Defensive Player of
men’s Conference leaders As of March 3, 2011
SCORING Gms Total Avg/G REBOUNDING Gms Total Avg/G
C.J. Reed, Bethune Cookman 31 604 19.5 K. O’Quinn, Norfolk State 29 313 10.8
C.J. Wilkerson, North Carolina Central 29 551 19.0 T. Coleman, North Carolina A&T 30 317 10.6
L. Clement, North Carolina Central 29 547 18.9 K. Thompson, Morgan State 28 249 8.9
J. Shuler, Savannah State 29 530 18.3 A. Stevens, Florida A&M 31 253 8.2
D. Pellum, Hampton 28 604 17.8 C. Funches, Hampton 29 235 8.1
T. Coleman, North Carolina A&T 30 513 17.1 T. Hines, Maryland-Eastern Shore 28 209 7.5
H. Haley, Maryland-Eastern Shore 29 487 16.8 N. Chasten, North Carolina Central 29 208 7.5
K. O’Quinn, Norfolk State 29 472 16.3 J. Smith, Savannah State 29 209 7.2
K. Morgan, Hampton 29 471 16.2 M. Phillips, Howard 29 207 7.1
Coleman averaged a double-double for the season. M. Harper, Coppin State 27 418 15.5 A. Starling, Coppin State 30 207 6.9
BASKETBALL REVIEW 6
2011 ALL-MEAC 2011 ALL-MEAC 2011 ALL-MEAC
women’s Team MEN’S Team ROOKIE Team
Player of the Year Player of the Year
Saadia Doyle, Howard C.J. Reed, Bethune-Cookman WOMEN’S TEAM
Defensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year
Player Pos. Ht. Class
Quanneisha Perry, Hampton Kyle O’Quinn, Norfolk State Larrisa Carter F 5’11 FR
Coppin State  Atlanta
Rookie of the Year Rookie of the Year
Larrisa Carter, Coppin State Casey Walker, Delaware State
Kianna Connor G 5’5 FR
Coach of the Year Coach of the Year Delaware State  Ft. Lauderdale
David Six, Hampton Clifford Reed, Bethune-Cookman
Rae Corbo G 5’6 FR
Norfolk State  Englewood, NJ
FIRST TEAM FIRST TEAM
No. Player Pos. Ht. Class Player Pos. Ht. Class Mikala Scott G 5’11 FR
Saadia Doyle F 5’11 R-SO C.J. Reed G 6’3 JR North Carolina A&T  Dorman, SC
Howard Atlanta Bethune-Cookman  Daytona Beach
Amanda Hairston F 6’0 FR
Doyle ranked 22nd nationally with 13 double-doubles. Bethune-Cookman  Greensboro, NC
Antonia Bennett F 6’1 JR Darrion Pellum G 6’6 JR
Florida A&M  Lakeland, Fl Hampton Hampton
the Year honors in back-to-back seasons.
Perry averaged 9.0 rebounds and totaled Jericka Jenkins G 5’4 JR Dewayne Jackson F 6’8 SO MEN’S TEAM
34 steals in 26 games for the Lady Pi- Hampton  Lancaster, Tx Morgan State  Bowie, Md Player Pos. Ht. Class
rates. The senior recorded eight double- Casey Walker G 6’5 FR
Tameka McKelton G 5’8 JR Kyle O’Quinn F/C 6’10 JR
double performances to aid her team to Delaware State  Broadnax, Va
Florida A&M  West Palm Beach Norfolk State  Jamaica, NY
a 21-6 overall record and 14-1 mark in
Desmond Washington G 6’2 FR
the MEAC. Offensively, she added 12.7 Jacquayla Berry G 5’11 SR Thomas Coleman C 6’9 SR
Delaware State  Harrisburg, Pa
points while shooting 48-percent from North Carolina A&T  Douglas, Ga. North Carolina A&T  Louisville
the field and 61-percent from the free- Avery Moore G 5’10 FR
throw line. Florida A&M  Tallahassee
SECOND TEAM SECOND TEAM
David Six earned Coach of the Year
Player Pos. Ht. Class Player Pos. Ht. Class Justin Black G/F 6’2 FR
honors after guiding the Hampton Lady
Morgan State  St. Louis
Pirates to 21-6 mark and 14-1 record in Brittany Dodson G 5’5 SR Michael Harper G 6’4 JR
Morgan State  St. Louis Coppin State  Milwaukee
conference play, including an unblem- Pendarvis Williams G 6’6 FR
ished 8-0 record at home. In just his sec- Casey Morton G 5’9 SR Kwame Morgan G 6’3 JR Norfolk State  Philadelphia
ond year at the helm, Six’s team recorded Maryland-Eastern Shore  Mardela Springs, Md Hampton  Largo, Md
back-to-back 20 win seasons for the first
Whitney Wiley G 5’10 SR Hillary Haley G 6’6 R-JR
time since 1992-93 and 1993-94 season. South Carolina State  Columbia, SC Maryland-Eastern Shore  Oxon Hill, Md
Doyle is joined on the 2011 MEAC
First-Team by Hampton’s Jericka Jen- Jaleesa Sams F 5’11 SR Kevin Thompson F 6’9 JR
kins, Florida A&M teammates Tameka North Carolina A&T  New Castle, Pa Morgan State Baltimore
McKelton and Antonia Bennett and North
Quanneisha Perry F 5’10 SR Alexander Starling F 6’6 SR
Carolina A&T’s Jacquayla Berry Hampton  Decatur, Ga Bethune-Cookman  Miami
 —meacsports.com
women’s Conference leaders As of March 3, 2011
ASSISTS Gms Total Avg/G SCORING Gms Total Avg/G REBOUNDING Gms Total Avg/G ASSISTS Gms Total Avg/G
J. Threatt, Delaware State 29 175 6.0 S. Doyle, Howard 30 549 18.3 J. Nwachukwu, North Carolina Central 30 285 9.5 J. Jenkins, Hampton 24 177 7.4
K. White, Maryland-Eastern Shore 29 151 5.2 T. McKelton, Florida A&M 29 485 16.7 Q. Perry, Hampton 27 243 9.0 T. Knotts, South Carolina State 23 101 4.4
A. Pauline, Norfolk State 28 145 5.2 A. Bennett, Florida A&M 26 420 16.2 S. Doyle, Howard 30 267 8.9 C. Curley-Payne, Howard 29 111 3.8
C.J. Reed, Bethune Cookman 31 144 4.6 E. Kalu, Savannah State 26 401 15.4 A. Bennett, Florida A&M 26 218 8.4 M. Simms, Florida A&M 28 106 3.8
B. Tunnell, Hampton 29 132 4.6 J. Nwachukwu, North Carolina Central 30 440 14.7 B. Washington, Delaware State 28 227 8.1 J. Daniels, Bethune-Cookman 28 101 3.6
J. Leemow, North Carolina Central 29 118 4.1 J. Berry, North Carolina A&T 25 364 14.6 Q. Donald, Florida A&M 29 232 8.0 J. Berry, North Carolina A&T 25 83 3.3
P. Blackmon, Savannah State 29 118 4.1 D. Fountaine, Savannah State 21 294 14.0 L. Carter, Coppin State 28 221 7.9 E. Kalu, Savannah State 26 80 3.1
K. Riley, Howard 23 84 3.7 J. Sams, North Carolina A&T 24 329 13.7 J. Sams, North Carolina A&T 24 185 7.7 D. Harmon, Delaware State 28 82 2.9
T. Williams, South Carolina State 30 102 3.4 J. Elum, Bethune Cookman 23 312 13.6 T. Davis, Morgan State 25 175 7.0 R. Trice, Norfolk State 23 65 2.8
L. Bastfield, Morgan State 28 94 3.4 J. Jenkins, Hampton 24 315 13.1 S. Bolden, Bethune-Cookman 28 192 6.9 T. Holmes, Howard 30 80 2.7
THE YARD WEEK OF MARCH 7TH 2011 MEAC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT PREVIEW 7

MEN’S BRACKET WOMEN’S BRACKET

SECOND ROUND-WED., MARCH 9TH SECOND ROUND-WED., MARCH 9TH

1 Bethune-Cookman 7:00P 12:30P Hampton 1
9 South Carolina State South Carolina State 8
FIRST ROUND-TUES., MARCH 8TH THIRD ROUND-FRI., MARCH 4TH THIRD ROUND-FRI., MARCH 11TH FIRST ROUND-TUE., MARCH 8TH
8 Delaware State 59 6:00P 2S Shaw
12:00P 3:00P 62 South Carolina State 8
9 South Carolina State 64 7N Lincoln (Pa.) 52 Bethune-Cookman 9
SECOND ROUND-THUR., MARCH 10TH SECOND ROUND-THUR., MARCH 10TH
4 Morgan State 8:00P 2:30P Florida A&M 4
5 North Carolina A&T Coppin State 5
CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT., MARCH 5TH CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT., MARCH 12TH
2:00P 3N
5:00PElizabeth City State 5:00P

6S St. Augustine’s
SECOND ROUND-THUR., MARCH 10TH SECOND ROUND-THUR., MARCH 10TH
3 Coppin State 6:00P DELAY SUN 11:00A 12:00P North Carolina A&T 3
Howard 6
FIRST ROUND-WED., MARCH 9TH THIRD ROUND-FRI., MARCH 4TH THIRD ROUND-FRI., MARCH 11TH FIRST ROUND-TUE., MARCH 8TH
6 Norfolk State 3:00P 8:00P 3S
2:30PLivingstone 7:00P 68 Howard 6
11 Howard 6N Chowan Morgan State 2 56 Norfolk State 11
SECOND ROUND-WED., MARCH 9TH SECOND ROUND-WED., MARCH 9TH
2 Hampton 9:30P 43 Morgan State 2
10 Maryland-Eastern Shore 39 Maryland-E. Shore 7
FIRST ROUND-TUES., MARCH 8TH FIRST ROUND-TUE., MARCH 8TH
7 Florida A&M 2OT 85 52 Maryland-E. Shore 7
10 Maryland-Eastern Shore 87 44 Delaware State 10

PLAYERS TO WATCH

CJ Reed, Guard, Bethune-Cookman Kwame Morgan, Forward, Hampton Thomas Coleman, Center, NC A&T Michael Harper, Guard, Coppin State Saadia Doyle, Forward, Howard Jericka Jenkins, Guard, Hampton Jaleesa Sams, Forward, NC A&T Brittany Dodson, Guard, Morgan State
MEAC Player of the Year looks to lead the The junior is a Second Team All-MEAC The senior from Louisville averaged a The Eagles guard led the team in points The redshirt sophomoe looks to carry the The First Team All-MEAC selection lead The senior looks to win the MEAC The senior from St. Louis led the Lady Bears
top-seeded Wildcats to their first conference selection and is second on the team in points double-double al season and is ranked in the (15.5) and steals (1.5) per game and looks to Lady Bisons to a title even though they are a the Lady Pirates in points (13.1) and assists Tournament title that eluded the Lady Aggies to a #2 seed and in points per game (11.0)..
championship in school history.. (16.2) and steals per game (1.5). top-15 in rebounds nationally. lead them to their first title since 2008. 6th seed. (7.4) per game. last season..
THE YARD WEEK OF MARCH 7TH 2011 CIAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT PREVIEW 8

MEN’S BRACKET WOMEN’S BRACKET

FIRST ROUND-WED., MARCH 9TH FIRST ROUND-WED., MARCH 9TH

1 Texas Southern 8:00P 5:30P Southern 1

8 Arkansas-Pine Bluff Alabama State 8
SECOND ROUND-FRI., MARCH 11TH SECOND ROUND-FRI., MARCH 11TH

8:00P 2S Shaw
5:30P 3:00P

7N Lincoln (Pa.)
FIRST ROUND-THUR., MARCH 10TH FIRST ROUND-THUR., MARCH 10TH

4 Alabama State 8:00P 5:30P Alabama A&M 4

5 Alabama A&M Mississippi Valley State 5
CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT., MARCH 12TH CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT., MARCH 12TH
7:30P 3N
5:00PElizabeth City State 5:00P

6S St. Augustine’s
FIRST ROUND-THUR., MARCH 10TH FIRST ROUND-THUR., MARCH 10TH

3 Mississippi Valley State 12:30P 10:00A Alcorn State 3

6 Grambling State Grambling State 6

2:30P 3S Livingstone
12:00P 7:00P

6N Chowan
FIRST ROUND-WED., MARCH 9TH FIRST ROUND-WED., MARCH 9TH

2 Jackson State 12:30P 10:00A Prairie View A&M 2

7 Prairie View A&M Jackson State 7

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Kevin Galloway, Forward, Texas Southern Casey Canty, Forward, Alabama A&M D’Angelo Jackson, Guard, MVSU Tyrone Hanson, Guard, Jackson State Whiquitta Tobar, Guard, Alabama A&M Tanika Jackson, Forward, Alabama State Hannah Kador, Guard, Southern Kiara Ruffin, Guard, Alcorn State
The Senior from Sacramento is in the top-2 The junior from Demopolis, Al is in the The senior led the surprising Delta Devils to a The Senior from Brooklyn is in the top-3 in The junior guard not only leads the The senior leads the upset minded The senior from Baton Rogue is fifth in the The Lady Braves guard is ranked in the
in the conference in rebounds (7.0rpg) and top-4 in points, rebounds and assists for the 3rd place finish with 12.4 ppg. points (14.0), rebounds (4.1) and assists conference in points per game (18.4), Lady Hornets with 17.8ppg and 11.5 rpg. conference with 13.6 points per game. top-10 in the conference in points, assists, free
assists (6.7apg). Bulldogs. (2.2) for the top-seeded Tigers. she averages 6.0rpg, 3.0apg and 2.3apg. throw percentage and steals.
THE YARD WEEK OF MARCH 7TH NAIA/INDEPENDENT BASKETBALL 9

MENS BASKETBALL woMENS BASKETBALL

Great Day for Tougaloo, OT loss for Xavier Gold Nuggets repeat as champs
Jacksonville—Kadon Day scored
nine of his career-high 32 points in
overtime Saturday to lead Tougaloo to
a 93-80 men’s basketball victory against
Xavier University of Louisiana in the
championship game of the Gulf Coast
Athletic Conference Tournament.
The Bulldogs (27-4), ranked 13th in
NAIA Division I and seeded first in the
tournament, extended their win streak to
12 games and earned an automatic berth
tin the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I
National Championship at Kansas City,
Mo. Xavier (27-5), ranked 17th and the
No. 2 GCAC seed, will wait for an at-large
berth. The NAIA’s tournament field and
schedule will be announced Wednesday,
and the tournament will begin March 16.
“I hope we get in,” XU senior guard
Michael Harvey said. “We’ve worked too
hard not to go. I know we’re one of the
best 32 teams in the country.”
Harvey’s 3-pointer with 11 seconds
remaining in regulation tied the score at
72 and forced overtime. But Day scored
five points in Tougaloo’s 7-0 run to be-
gin overtime, and the Gold Rush never
threatened thereafter.
“Kadon Day came up big. He did a
great job, and my hat’s off to him,” XU
Coach Dannton Jackson said.
Xavier had six players score in double
figures. Denzell Erves had 16 points,
Chris Iles and Wanto Joseph scored 12
apiece, and Cordell Hadnot, Kevin Miller
and Devin Andrew each had 10.
Iles and Andrew were named to the
six-player all-tournament team with Day,
Brent Leduff of SUNO, Marquise Mems
of Tougaloo and William Walter-Brown
of Edward Waters.
Xavier trailed 39-32 at halftime but
rallied to lead twice in the final four min-
utes, the last time at 67-66 after Hadnot’s
two free throws at 2:37.
James Carter’s two free throws with
20 seconds remaining gave Tougaloo a
72-69 lead, then Harvey answered nine
seconds later with his team-leading 45th
3-pointer of the season and the 139th
of his career to tie Michael Varnado for
fourth place at Xavier.
“I got a great screen to get open and a
a good, clean look at the basket,” Harvey
said, “When I released the ball I knew it
was going in.”
Mems scored 18 points, James Carter
14 and Donteeno Todd 11 for Tougaloo,
which is 19-1 since Dec. 4 -- the only loss
was 77-67 at Xavier on Jan. 22 -- and will
appear at nationals for the third straight
year and the fourth time in five seasons.
It’s the Bulldogs’ first GCAC Tourna-
ment championship -- they lost 85-83 to
William Carey in 1989 in their only other
appearance in the finals.
Tougaloo outshot Xavier 50 to 41.7
percent from the floor and made 32-of-
40 free throws. Xavier was 25-of-30 from
the line and made its first 14 in a row
but missed two free throws with 1:17 re-
maining in regulation while trailing 70-
67. The Gold Rush had a 37-31 rebound
advantage but committed six more turn-
overs than the Bulldogs.
Xavier lost for the second time in four
years in the championship game. The
Gold Rush have not won the GCAC Tour-
nament since 1996.
“I’m happy with our accomplishments
this year,” said Jackson, who led a pro-
gram-record four consecutive Gold Rush
teams to the NAIA nationals from 2004-
08. “We’ve won 27 games, the first time
that’s happened in a long time. I like our
body of work. We have fought through
several different kinds of adversity to put
together a successful year.”
Jacksonville—Keldra Hall scored
14 points and Christina Warren 13 Sat-
urday to lead Xavier University of Loui-
siana to a 71-44 women’s basketball vic-
tory over Tougaloo in the championship
game of the Gulf Coast Athletic Confer-
ence Tournament.
The Gold Nuggets (26-6), ranked 20th
in NAIA Division I, won the tournament
for the second straight year and the 12th
time overall to extend their GCAC re-
cord. Xavier will receive the GCAC’s au-
tomatic bid to the NAIA Division I Na-
tional Championship at Jackson, Tenn.,
and play a first-round game March 16 or
17. Pairings and game times will be an-
nounced Wednesday.
Hall, selected the tournament’s most
valuable player, and Warren combined
for 20 points in leading Xavier to a 40-
17 advantage by halftime. The Nuggets
shot 63 percent from the floor in the first
half and finished at 54.7 percent, their
second-best accuracy of the season.
No one else had more than seven
points for the Nuggets -- Brandi Young
and freshmen Paige Gauthier and Car-
men Holcombe scored seven apiece -- but
all 13 players scored.
“I thought our depth wore (Touga-
loo) down,” said XU Coach Bo Browder,
whose teams have won five GCAC tour-
neys in his 12 seasons. “I said early in the
season that we’d be playing our best bas-
ketball at the end of the season, and we
are.”
Xavier matched a tournament record
for the widest winning margin in the
championship round. Mobile defeated
Louisiana College 79-52 in 1993.
Victoria Jones led Tougaloo (12-17)
with 14 points and 11 rebounds -- her
10th consecutive double-double and
third of the tournament -- and Portia
Craft scored 10. The Lady Bulldogs shot
26.3 percent from the floor, and it was the
second straight day that Xavier limited
an opponent to less than 30 percent.
Joining Hall on the six-player all-tour-
nament team were Young and teammate
Jazmoné Kelly, Tougaloo’s Jones, Ebo-
ny Presha of Edward Waters and Ariel
Mitchell of Dillard.
“This is the first time I’ve won a cham-
pionship on any level,” said Hall, a junior
center from Dallas who has played bas-
ketball for 10 years. “My first MVP too.
I was surprised to win MVP. I thought
Christina would win it.”
Warren, the GCAC Player of the Year,
made amends for a subpar performance
in Friday’s semifinals -- five points for the
game and two quick fouls that sent her to
the bench -- by hitting three consecutive
3-pointers in the first four minutes.
“I had my mind set today to stay out of
foul trouble and just shoot the ball and
play harder on defense,” Warren said.
Defensively it was more of the same for
the Nuggets, who extended their school
record by allowing less than 50 points for
the 18th time this season. The previous
mark was 15, a record matched last sea-
son.
“We’ve had major trials and tribula-
tions within the past 12 months of the
program.” Browder said. “Losing my fa-
ther (in April), losing two all-conference
players who could’ve been here today,
including one who would’ve been an All-
American. People think winning is easy.
But it never is when you bring a group of
young people together to win a chanmpi-
onship.”

SEMIFINALS-FRI., MARCH 4TH SEMIFINALS-FRI., MARCH 4TH

MEN’S BRACKET 1 Tougaloo

4 Edward Waters
69
67
64
39
Xavier 1
Dillard 4
WOMEN’S BRACKET
QUARTERFINALS-WED., MARCH 3RD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND-SAT., MARCH 5TH CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND-SAT., MARCH 5TH QUARTERFINALS-WED., MARCH 3RD
4 Edward Waters 83 1 Tougaloo 80 71 Livingstone
3S Xavier7:00P
1 63 Dillard 4
5 Dillard 77 2 Xavier (OT) 93 44
6 N Chowan Tougaloo 3 54 Edward Waters 5
SEMIFINALS-FRI., MARCH 4TH SEMIFINALS-FRI., MARCH 4TH
2 Xavier 75 67 SUNO 2
3 SUNO 66 68 Tougaloo 3 QUARTERFINALS-WED., MARCH 3RD
QUARTERFINALS-WED., MARCH 3RD
3 SUNO 77 84 Tougaloo 3
6 Fisk 64 59 Fisk 6