Hampton improves to 6-1 with overtime win over Georgia State

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men’s basketball team needed overtime for its sixth straight win Tuesday night, but the Pirates defeated Georgia State 60-56 at the HU Convocation Center.

Georgia State led 36-28 with 13:21 left in the second half, but the Pirates responded with a 16-4 run – a run punctuated at the 6:38 mark by a monstrous breakaway dunk from sophomore forward Koron Reed (Philadelphia, Pa.) to give Hampton a 44-40 lead. Junior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) had 13 of Hampton’s 16 points in that run.



Pellum, Hampton edge Georgia State in overtime, run winning streak to six

Unlike last season, Hampton University (6-1) is winning close games. Reigning MEAC Player of the Week Darrion Pellum scored 21 points to spark HU to its sixth consecutive victory -- 60-56 in overtime over Georgia State at the Convocation Center. Kwame Morgan had 13 points and Charles Funches 11 rebounds for the Pirates. Brandon Tunnell, who had 10 points, hit a clinching free throw for a four-point lead with 3.6 seconds to play. HU overcame 4-for-18 first-half shooting and 20 points and 10 rebounds from the Panthers' Eric Buckner.

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NEXT GAME: Dec. 4,  vs. Howard University at Madison Square Gardens

Even with its problems, S.C. State football has improved under Pough

Quarterback Malcolm Long ends successful S.C. State career with dark clouds of not winning any FCS playoff games in three attempts.

STATESBORO, Ga. - Shared between offensive lineman Johnny Culbreath, linebacker Julius Wilkerson and quarterback Malcolm Long are 35 victories, 11 school career records, three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships and a black college football national championship.

Defending the legacy they and 11 fellow South Carolina State seniors established in four years would seem unnecessary. Yet Saturday's 41-16 loss at Georgia Southern in the first round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs found head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough trying to explain why the lack of postseason success and 0-9 record against non-FCS HBCUs is not a major blemis.

NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament: A Look at the Top Eight Seeds

#1 Florida (27-1, First Round Opponent – South Carolina State 17-22 MEAC Champions) Top-ranked Florida earned the school’s first top seed in the NCAA tournament by making history. The Gators completed the SEC’s first ever undefeated season. Who to Watch: Junior outside hitter Kelly Murphy was among the conference leaders in all offensive categories. Freshmen setter Chanel Brown averages over five assists per set.

For the full the bracket, click here

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Brown named 18th president of Alcorn State University

LORMAN, MS — The vigor of a young man at the top of his game caused both excitement and concern for Braves fans Tuesday. After an all-day listening session to determine the next president of Alcorn State University at its main campus in Lorman, M. Christopher Brown II was officially given the job.

Brown, a Charleston, S.C., native, currently serves as executive vice president and provost at the historic Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn. From 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., Brown answered questions from students, faculty, alumni and leaders from the school and community.

The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning announced its unanimous decision to hire Brown as president after receiving feedback from the various groups.



Christopher Brown hired as Alcorn State University's new president

LORMAN, MS — The state College Board has hired Christopher Brown to become the 18th president of Alcorn State University. Brown, 38, currently is vice president and provost at Fisk University in Nashville. He’s expected to start at Alcorn in January.

Brown, a Charleston, S.C.-native, has been fielding questions from campus constituents for most of the day. In meetings with alumni, faculty, students and others, he discussed his vision for Alcorn, touching on athletics, budgets, student activities and fundraising.

“It feels natural,” he said about possibly leading the state’s land grant HBCU. “I’m convinced that this is where I’m supposed to be, and this is where I’m supposed to serve.”

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SWAC: Hunt for hidden gems

Coast football players fall under the recruiting radar each year. The three in-state SWAC schools -- Alcorn State, Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State -- all plan to find a few hidden gems. SWAC programs usually don’t start recruiting until the first week of December to better utilize their resources in these tough economic times.

“The SWAC programs are going to really get active now that the seasons are over,” Steve Robertson of Scout.com said. “They don’t have the budgets the bigger schools do, so they don’t have a lot of on campus events like summer camps to evaluate a lot of talent. They have to depend on good old-fashion road work and film study.

Recruiting season hits full gear for Alcorn State

LORMAN — Alcorn State’s 2010 season might have ended last on Nov. 20 with a 27-14 loss to Jackson State in the Capital City Classic. But the Braves’ second season is still in full swing. Now that the season is over, Alcorn State coaches are canvassing the state and country trying to find athletes that will keep the Braves’ program heading in the right direction.

In the last three years, Alcorn has improved its record from 2-10 to 3-6 to 5-6. And head coach Earnest Collins said getting quality recruits is critical to continuing the upward trend of the program.

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The Big Apple Classic: Hampton vs. Howard and Virginia State vs. Virginia Union

New York, NY - The Big Apple Classic has announced that hip hop legend Doug E. Fresh is confirmed to participate as a host at the fifth anniversary of the Big Apple Classic on Saturday, December 4, 2010 at Madison Square Garden.

Doug will host the drumline competition portion of the CIAA and MEAC basketball thriller that is known for bringing heart-pounding basketball, electrifying drumlines and other southern black college traditions to the tri-state area. The Big Apple Classic is the only basketball tournament that showcases teams from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) at the world famous Madison Square Garden.

This year's Big Apple Classic starts on December 3 with a kick-off party at Greenhouse and continues on December 4 with rival games between CIAA schools Virginia State University and Virginia Union University and MEAC schools Hampton University and Howard University. Games start at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively.

Thousands of alumni, students, celebrities and other basketball fans are expected at what has become one of the most highly anticipated family and social events of the year. Last year's Big Apple Classic drew more than 10,000 attendees, including celebrities such as Gayle King and the Rev. Al Sharpton. Other highlights include an essay contest for high school students, a Black college fair, a drumline competition, and musical guests.

Event tickets are $29.50 and $54.50. A portion of ticket proceeds will be donated to Every Child USA to support efforts to improve the quality of life of America's children through literacy, health and opportunity.

For a $5 discount per ticket (active starting on Wednesday, Dec. 1) or more information, visit www.thebigappleclassic.com




Internationally celebrated as "The Human Beat Box," Doug E. Fresh rose to fame in the 80's and 90's with hip hop mega hits like "The Show/La Di Da Di," "Keep Risin' to the Top," and "All the Way to Heaven." He remains a highly sought after performer and continues to draw fans of all ages and backgrounds. Doug has been featured on American Idol and most recently he is enjoying new-found attention from the dance craze, The Dougie, which is sweeping college and professional sports games nationwide. The pop culture dance pays homage to Doug's signature dance moves and his iconic status in hip hop as "The World's Greatest Entertainer." The Dougie reached critical mass recently when CNN invited Doug into the studio to teach Wolf Blitzer "how to do The Dougie."

About the upcoming Big Apple Classic, Doug offers: "I think that what the Big Apple Classic is doing to support young people getting an education is very important. Education is key. We are coming to a basketball game, but education is still the focus and I respect that. It's positive and it's fun and that's what I'm all about."

Claflin takes sweep of LeMoyne-Owen

The second half of basketball games haven't always been the easiest for the Claflin Lady Panthers. In at least three of their games, Claflin women's head basketball coach Tiffany Tucker has watched as her squad allowed their opposition to open the final 20 minutes of play with a scoring run while gaining confidence all at the same time. Tuesday night was no exception for the Lady Panthers, but they were able to hang on against LeMoyne-Owen for the 69-64 win.

The home-standing Lady Panthers (2-3, 2-1) struggled to gain a comfortable lead against the Lady Magicians (0-3, 0-1) in the first half until the 8:25 mark. That's when Natalie Davis and Brittani Jones led Claflin on a 13-0 scoring spurt to put them ahead 36-24 with 5:11 to play. Despite allowing LeMoyne-Owen to go on a 6-0 scoring streak to end the half, Claflin went into the locker room with a 41-33 lead at halftime.

Claflin's Salley proves he's motivated in senior year

Eric Salley sped down the court at Claflin's Tullis Arena as teammate JaWan Davis led the Panthers' fastbreak in the final seconds of their game against LeMoyne-Owen.

Davis delicately lobbed the ball toward the goal for Salley to slam home in front of the home fans, but the Smoaks native slipped on a wet spot on the floor. That's probably the only thing that seemingly stopped the Panthers' senior guard who lit the Magicians up for 31 points in Claflin's 61-54 win Tuesday night.

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FAMU has pitchers to spare

Sophomore pitcher Steven Dollar said it best when he described the options that interim head coach Brett Richardson will have when it comes to his pitching staff. "If somebody's arm gets sore, we can just go ahead and pull him out; don't wait another inning," Dollar said.

Having such a choice is huge turnaround for a Florida A&M baseball program that last season had to use just about every player on its roster as a pitcher. The bullpen was so thin that...

FAMU Scores at Will in 93-70 Rout of Webber

TALLAHASSEE | Webber International University failed to stop any aspect of Florida A&M's offense Monday night. The Rattlers scored a season-high 93 points en route at a 93-70 exhibition victory over the Warriors. Webber failed to match up against FAMU's superior size and allowed 46 points in the paint.

"They beat us pretty good on the inside," said senior guard Justin Cockrell, who scored 11 points. "In our conference we should be able to match up pretty good but they beat us with the inside play."

Rattlers lose 7, return 15 to football field next year

When Florida A&M lines up on the football field next season, there shouldn't be too many uncommon faces. The program will lose just seven starters who completed their eligibility at the end of this season. In almost every case, the players who were backups will likely be promoted unless they are beaten out in spring.

In all, the Rattlers will have 15 starters returning, a situation that had coach Joe Taylor beaming with optimism about next season. All of the players who played on special teams also will return. "We have very good reasons to be optimistic," Taylor said Tuesday. "With 15 starters coming back, that simply tells us that we're going to be experienced. We've got a lot to build on."

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