WSSU: Cutting sports means more scholarships and hopefully more victories

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina - It was a rough couple of days last week for the Winston-Salem State athletics department and it had nothing to do with wins and losses.

Making a move toward enhancing its revenue sports (football and basketball) the athletics department decided to disband men’s golf and the men’s track programs. That means by next fall the school will no longer offer golf or indoor or outdoor track.

The money saved will go toward scholarships that could possible fully fund the football team.

Last season with just 28 scholarships the WSSU football team had its best season in school history going 13-1 and advancing to the Division II semifinals. With the extra scholarship money the football team could have 36 scholarships, the most allowed in Division II, by 2013.

Even though having a full 36 scholarships isn’t a guarantee of championships and national glory, it certainly helps if your depth is better.

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FAMU's Bennett looking at pro career

ANTONIA BENNETT

TALLAHASSEE, Florida - Antonia Bennett wasn't even sure she'd complete her high school career, much less finish a collegiate career at Florida A&M as the best offensive player in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Now she is preparing to take the next step in hopes of catching on with a professional team, either in the WNBA or playing professionally overseas. Bennett was invited to participate in two free-agent camps, beginning March 30 in Denver.

The invitations came despite having mixed feelings after the Rattlers were bounced from the MEAC tournament in the semifinals round three weeks ago. The loss ended a remarkable season for FAMU that culminated with the school's best record (22-8) in 15 years.

"I was real hurt after the loss, but in my mind I was thinking what's next," Bennett said. "I knew I wanted (to play professionally) real badly."

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Sequoyah stands tall as Shaw reigns

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Sequoyah Griffin scored 24 points and Shaw rallied to win its first national title, beating Ashland 88-82 in overtime on Friday night in the national championship game.

Aslea Williams added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Kyria Buford had 10 points for the Lady Bears (29-6), who erased an 11-point halftime deficit.

Jena Stutzman scored 32 points, and Kari Daugherty had 24 points and 15 rebounds for the Eagles (33-2). Alyssa Miller added 12 points for Ashland.

Shaw opened overtime with a 13-2 run and held on to snap Ashland’s 33-game winning streak following its loss in the season opener.

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Sequoyah stands tall as Shaw reigns

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Shaw (N.C.) coach Jacques Curtis predicted the NCAA Women's Division II championship game against Ashland (Ohio) would go down to the wire. His evaluation was spot on, and he got to celebrate a happy ending. Sequoyah Griffin scored 24 points as Shaw claimed its first national title with an 88-82 come-from-behind overtime victory Friday night at Greehey Arena.

Defense was a main reason the Lady Bears (29-6) were in the Elite Eight, and that was their key against Ashland in overcoming a 14-point second-half deficit.  “I'm a good predictor,” Curtis said with a laugh. “We wanted it to be a close game, because that is to our advantage. We knew in a close game we would be fresher. We knew we would have a good chance to win.”

In addition to forcing 11 of Ashland's 21 turnovers in the second half, the offense picked up. Aslea Williams finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Brittany Ransom added 12, and tournament MVP Kyria Buford tacked on 10.

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Lady Bears Claim D-II National Championship With OT Win

SAN ANTONIO, Texes – "We are going to give them a game worthy of television." Shaw head coach Jacques Curtis had said those words in a press conference prior to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship.

Tonight, his players made him a prophet as Shaw came from an 11-point halftime deficit to claim an 88-82 overtime victory over #2 ranked Ashland to claim Shaw's first national championship in any sport.

"This is what Coach recruited us for," said Shaw senior center Aslea Williams. "I wasn't going to finish my senior year with a loss. Even when I didn't play well, my teammates had my back." Senior guard Brittney Spencer echoed her sentiment. "This feels awesome. This is what I dreamt about. This is what I play basketball for."

"It's a surreal feeling right now," said senior forward Kyria Buford. "After all we've gone through, it just feels unreal."

The Lady Bears got off to a quick start, but soon fell behind Ashland and trailed by 11 at the half.

"We weren't that concerned that we were down by 11 at the half," said Curtis. "We knew we hadn't played our best, but we felt good and had a lot of energy. We felt we could wear them down."

He continued, "We had to make sure we could still see them. They had a chance to put us away in the first, but didn't take advantage of it. We felt a close ballgame was to our advantage."

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Pro Day a Success for Tennessee State Tigers Football

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Tennessee State football conducted its' annual pro day on Friday at the TSU Indoor Practice Facility.

Several professional scouts from the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL) were in attendance. Over 300 spectators were at the facility on Friday.

The Tigers had scouts from numerous NFL teams including the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans.

Most of the 2011 TSU seniors participated including Rico Council, John Jones, Jr., Calvin McNairl, Dante' Thomas and Joseph Wylie.

TSU continues spring practice on Saturday with a scrimmage at 10 a.m. All scrimmages and practice are open to the public.

UPCOMING SPRING PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Saturday, March 24 - Scrimmage - 9 a.m.
Monday, March 26 - 4 p.m.
Wednesday, March 28 - 4 p.m.
Friday, April 6 - 4 p.m.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Giants GM, NFL scouts observe Jaguars at Pro Day

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern University welcomed several officials from around the NFL, including New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese, to Doug Williams Field at the Louisiana Leadership Institute for Pro Day Thursday.

Eleven Jaguars worked out for NFL scouts after being measured and weighed. The players were put through a series of combine drills, including the broad jump, 225-pound bench press, 40-yard dash, the shuttle run and the three-cone drill before conducting individual position workouts.



"What really impressed me were some of the guys that are in the stands, our underclassmen, that had an opportunity to see these guys and see the pro scouts," said Southern head coach Stump Mitchell.

"It will assist them in getting serious about their (own) workouts."

Wide receiver Laquinton "Smoke" Evans ran the fastest 40-yard dash on Thursday with a 4.46 time. Wide receiver Jared Green recorded a 10'9" broad jump. Dexter James (23), Kedy Enabulale (21), and Lee Almanza (20) each surpassed the 20-rep plateau in the 225-pound bench press.

Over seven NFL team were represented at Pro Day, including the New Orleans Saint, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Rams, and Dallas Cowboys.



Former Southern standout wide receiver Juamorris Stewart, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, was on hand to watch some of his former teammates at Pro Day. Last year, former defensive tackle Jordan Miller used his Pro Day workout to fuel his campaign to reach the NFL and was eventually signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears.

"When you're at an HBCU, if you don't (perform) well its a slap in the face," said Mitchell.

"You usually have to go the Canadian (Football League) route or something like that. When you do (perform) well from an HBCU, usually it gets you an opportunity to get in the door a lot sooner than if you were at a major school."



COURTESY SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Shaw Lady Bears win Division II National Championship 88-82 OT

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Shaw University Lady Bears are Division II Women's National Basketball Champions for 2011/12, ending  powerful Ashland University's 33 game win streak in the process. The Lady Bears bigs got the job done on the inside, as Ashland put on a shooting clinic, hitting NBA range 3-point shots to take the game into overtime. But momentum stayed with the Lady Bears as they hit clutch shots and free throws to wrap up the victory.
The CIAA and NCAA National Champions ends the season with a 29-6 record  and the schoo'ls first national championship in women's basketball.

Ashland ends the season with a 33-2 record and the national runner-up trophy.

More to be posted later...

‘Big Three’ leads Shaw into Div. II National Final Tonight

NCAA DIVISION II NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2012,

TIME: 8:00 PM EDT

TV: CBSSPORTS CHANNEL (check your local listing)

INTERNET: NCAA.COM VIDEO STREAM - CLICK HERE

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Jacques Curtis wearied of the sameness in college basketball. He was going to do something about it to not only shake things up, but give his Shaw team a better chance to win.

It was last season and he knew he had a star in 6-foot-1 forward Demaria Liles, but his team was struggling. Why, Curtis reasoned, was because his team was using the style of basketball everyone else was playing. Shaw would play with three guards and two big people in the front court, their opponents would do likewise. With the strength of the offense being with the three guards, the team with the better trio, Curtis said, wins. That wasn’t a good thing for Shaw.

“We didn’t think we could put three guards out there better than theirs,” Curtis said. “But if we could put three bigs out there, we’re better than anybody. That’s when we created our triple post offense.”

2011/12 SHAW UNIVERSITY LADY BEARS ROSTER

It helped Shaw make it to the Elite Eight last season and it has been the primary reason Shaw (28-6) is in Friday night’s championship game against Ashland (33-1).

Shaw advanced to the title game with a textbook night from its “Big Three” – Kyria Buford, Aslea Williams and Chrystal Harris, all 6-1. Each had a double-double and dominated Rollins in an 87-71 win.

Shaw had 48 points in the paint, 37 off of second chances and outrebounded Rollins 61-38.

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Ashland's Daugherty ready to cap run

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Ashland (Ohio) junior forward Kari Daugherty is having a memorable year. She leads the nation in rebounding (13.8) and double-doubles (26) while pacing the Eagles to a 33-1 record.

Now, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Midwest Region Player of the Year is trying to add another memory by leading her team past Shaw (N.C.) for the NCAA Division II championship. Tipoff is set for 7 tonight in Greehey Arena.

“I was hoping we would have a great season,” Daugherty said. “Going into every season you always want to be playing in the last game, but only two teams get to do it. You have to have a good team and a bit of luck. I'm so grateful to be here.”

Daugherty has made her presence felt during Ashland's first Elite Eight appearance. She scored 13 points with 13 rebounds as the Eagles knocked off Alaska-Anchorage 71-51 in the opening round. In a 77-62 semifinal win over Bentley (Mass.), she poured in 31 points and grabbed 22 rebounds.

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Eagles, Lady Bears to Play for First National Titles

SAN ANTONIO – It has been a wild ride in San Antonio for the AU women's basketball team thus far in San Antonio.  Between seeing the Alamo, attending a banquet, handling media requests from across the state, signing autographs for kids at a basketball clinic and attending a pep rally at a local elementary school, the Eagles have managed to squeeze in some basketball.

And those have been some big basketball games. The Eagles toppled No. 8 Alaska-Anchorage on Tuesday and No. 5 Bentley to advance to Friday (March 23) night's NCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship Game.

The Eagles will play Shaw (N.C.) University in a matchup of two schools looking for their first national titles in a team sport. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. EDT and will air on CBS Sports Network, Mansfield's WMFD and NCAA.com. Fans can attend watch parties on AU's campus at the student center and Kates Gymnasium. Fans at Kates Gymnasium are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets.

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