Thursday, December 31, 2015

Denver Broncos add rookie guard Robert Myers (Tennessee State) to 53-man roster

ENGLEWOOD, Colorado -- The Broncos filled the vacated 53rd spot on their roster by signing rookie offensive lineman Robert Myers off the Ravens' practice squad.

A fifth-round pick of the Ravens this year, the Tennessee State product flew onto draft radars because of a solid college career which he distinguished himself with his power, quickness and size (6-foot-5 and 335 pounds). He said that he sees himself as more of a right guard, but can play either side.

Myers displayed those attributes during a solid week of practices at the Senior Bowl last January, proving that he could handle the step-up in class from the Ohio Valley Conference.

At the National Scouting Combine last February, he earned the nickname "Quadzilla" because of his massive quadriceps that are 33 inches in circumference. His quads were on full display when he rolled his shorts up high during his Combine workout.

"Anything that looks that good, you've got to be proud of," he said with a smile. "I worked hard, you know?"

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FAMU Rattlers playing with confidence after win over Clemson

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- It took a few games, but Florida A&M’s women’s basketball team is playing with confidence.

The team has won three of its last four games after losing three straight earlier in the season. The Rattlers, now 6-7, are playing with some more swagger after a 77-68 road win over Clemson (4-9) on Tuesday to close out their out-of-conference schedule.

Coach LeDawn Gibson said the victory gave the team a huge boost of confidence. The Rattlers will try to follow up their success with a win over MEAC foe Savannah State Friday at the Lawson Center.

“Just watching the team practice, you can tell it gave them a boost of confidence,” Gibson said. “It helped us mentally and morally. That confidence is helping us get to where we need to be. You can really tell the game gave them a boost.”

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JSU Women's Basketball close out non-conference play with 53-52 win over Lipscomb

JACKSON, Mississippi – Radejah Woodson, junior guard, shot 5-10 from the field, 2-5 in three-point range for 12 points to lead Jackson State in their 53-52 win over Lipscomb University in the final game of non-conference play on Wednesday, Dec. 30.

The Lady Tigers (6-5) created a solid start against the Lady Bisons (3-12) scoring 33 points in the first half while holding Lipscomb to 18.

In the first half of the game, the Jackson State played hard defense putting up 33 points while holding Lipscomb to 18.

Lipscomb adjusted to Lady Tigers defense and revved up their own in the third scoring 23 points while holding JSU to 5. The Lady Bisons also took their first lead (41-38) of the game with 1:07 left in the third making it anyone’s game to take in the fourth.

With just 2 minutes left in the game, Daisha Williams landed a three-point shot to tie the game at 50. Loren Cagle delivered a lay-up to put Lipscomb up two on the Lady Tigers near the one-minute mark.

With just three-seconds left in the game, Williams hit another three to seal the Lady Tiger win.

Nyahok Bile, senior forward, recorded another 10-plus rebound game bringing down a game high of 15 boards.

Daisha Williams went 4-7 from the field and 3-5 in three-point range to add 11 points to the JSU scoring effort which included her game winning shot.

As a team, the Lady Tigers shot 38.9 percent from the field, 25.0 percent in three-point range, and 50.0 percent at the free-throw line while Lipscomb shot 29.5 percent from the field, 31.3 percent in three-point range, and 75.0 percent at the free-throw line.

The Lady Tigers will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 2 when they host Alabama State in the first conference game of the season. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. in the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center. The women’s game will be followed immediately by the men’s.

Follow Jackson State basketball and the rest of JSU Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Join the conversation using the #JSUMoreThanAGame.

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FAMU Finishes 11th In FCS Home Attendance For 2015


TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M University’s football program got some good news from the 2015 season, as they finished 11th in the nation in average home attendance among the 125 NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision teams.

The Rattlers drew 60,240 fans for the four home games at venerable Bragg Memorial Stadium, good for a per-game average of 15,060.

Rattler Football’s 2015 numbers were a major improvement over their 2014 showing at the turnstiles in Bragg, when four games drew 48,188 fans, good for 12,047 per game average.

In 2015, FAMU finished second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in average home crowds, behind South Carolina State (15,629), which drew 78,147 fans in five home games.

The 2015 Rattler home schedule was highlighted by the 18,020 fans for the Sept. 26 home opener against Tennessee State, the fifth-largest home opening crowd in Bragg, followed a month later by the homecoming game crowd of 22,678, which was the third largest homecoming draw in the past 10 years.

FAMU Athletic Director Milton Overton was elated at the news from the NCAA Statistics Service, saying: “These attendance numbers are evidence of the great passion and dedication our fans have for Rattler Football. This was a tremendous showing even with the team’s record, and we believe that bigger and better things are just ahead for our athletic program.”

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JSU Men’s Basketball Remains Perfect at AAC with 89-66 Win Over SELA

JACKSON, Mississippi – The Jackson State men’s basketball team finished the non-conference portion of its scheduled and closed out 2015 in grand style. Five Tigers scored in double-figures en route to an 89-66 victory over the Southeastern Louisiana Lions Wednesday night at the Lee E. Williams AAC.

Paris Collins led the Tigers (5-8) with a 22 point, four rebound, four assist and three steal effort. He went 8-15 from the field, 2-5 from three-point range and finished 4-4 from the free throw line in 36 minutes of action. Kaven Bernard came off the bench to add 21 points, three rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes. Chace Franklin also came off the bench to score 15 points on 4-10 shooting. He also went 4-5 from the line and pulled down four rebounds over 27 minutes. Janarius Middleton put together a solid game as he scored 12 points on 4-8 shooting and grabbed six rebounds. Raeford Worsham posted his third double-double of the season as he finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He went 5-7 from the field and was 4-4 from the line.

Zay Jackson led the Lions (2-11) with a 23 point and a six rebound effort.

JSU led 45-34 at halftime and outscored SELA 44-32 in the second half.

JSU returns to action Saturday, Jan. 2 to face Alabama State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference opener at the AAC. Tipoff for the men’s game is set for 5:30 p.m. (immediately following the 3 p.m. women’s game). The game will be broadcast on SWAC TV. For ticket information call the JSU Athletics Ticket Office at 601-979-2420.

For all of the information on JSU Athletics visit www.jsutigers.com, Facebook (JSTATETIGERS), Twitter (JSTATETIGERS) and Instagram (JSTATETIGERS).

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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Nuggets lose to Lady Demons; Browder denied again


NATCHITOCHES, Louisiana -- Senior guard Janelle Perez scored a season-high 22 points Tuesday, leading Northwestern State to a 73-57 women's basketball victory against NAIA No. 9 Xavier University of Louisiana.

The Lady Demons (6-5) are 6-0 at home this season. They gave the Gold Nuggets (9-5) their third consecutive loss -- their first of the season by double digits -- and denied Bo Browder his 400th XU coaching victory.

Emoni Harvey's 3-pointer at 6:55 of the first quarter gave Xavier its only lead, 3-2. Northwestern State then scored the next seven points and led for the final 36 1/2 minutes.

Perez, who was first-team All-Southland Conference this past season, was 7-of-10 from the floor, 1-of-2 on 3-pointers, and 7-of-7 from the line in 30 minutes. She also led her team with seven rebounds and four assists.

Cheyenne Brown scored 13 points, Shahd Abboud 12 and Beatrice Attura 10 for Northwestern State, which is 4-0 this season against non-NCAA Division I opponents.

Donyeah Mayfield scored 13 points, Whitney Gathright 10 and Harvey eight for Xavier. Mayfield's eight rebounds and Gathright's six assists were game highs. Reserve guard Kelsey Joseph made her first two 3-pointers of the season and scored a season-high six points.

After trailing 34-22 at halftime Xavier twice cut its deficit to six points in the first three minutes of the third quarter. Northwestern State then produced an 11-0 run and led by double digits for the final 15 1/2 minutes.

Xavier made a season-best eight 3-pointers, but the Lady Demons outshot the Gold Nuggets 53.5 to 34.8 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 36-31. Northwestern State dominated at the line, making 25-of-34 free throws to Xavier's 3-of-4. Xavier attempted two free throws in each half and did not get to the line in the second half until 2:30 of the fourth quarter.

Browder is 399-147 in his 17th season at Xavier. His 18-year record as a head coach at 4-year colleges is 401-155.

Xavier is 0-2 this season against NCAA DI opponents. The Gold Nuggets lost 77-69 Nov. 12 at Louisiana-Lafayette.

Xavier's next game will start at 3 p.m. Saturday against LSU-Shreveport at the Convocation Center. The Gold Nuggets will play their first Gulf Coast Athletic Conference game at 5:30 p.m. Monday at home against Edward Waters.

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Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Gold Rush wallop Fisk, finish 2-0 in Holiday Classic

NEW ORLEANS -- Morris Wright and Gary Smith combined to make 8-of-8 3-pointers in the final 32 minutes, and Elex Carter recorded his first double-double for Xavier University of Louisiana in a 68-44 men's basketball victory Wednesday against Fisk in the Gold Rush Holiday Classic.

The Gold Rush (12-4), ranked 17th in NAIA Division I, finished 2-0 in this event and won for the third straight time. The winning margin is Xavier's largest this season.

Wright, scoring in double figures for the 24th consecutive game, had 19 points and made his final six field-goal attempts, five of them 3-pointers. Smith scored 13 points and made a career-high three 3-pointers without a miss. Carter, in his first year at Xavier after transferring from Southern University, produced his team's first double-double of the season, career highs of 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Wright had a season-high six assists and zero turnovers one day after committing a season-worst seven turnovers in a victory against LSU-Shreveport. His five treys matched a season high. Smith tied his career best with three steals and produced back-to-back double-figure point performances for the first time in his career.

Jason Perry had eight points, nine rebounds and four blocks for Fisk (5-12), and Kameron Foster scored eight points.

Xavier took the lead for good in the fifth minute, and a 13-2 run gave the Gold Rush a 17-6 lead at 11:07 of the first half. Xavier led 37-19 at halftime -- its biggest intermission advantage of the season -- and took its biggest lead, 64-38, on Charles Savoy's free throw with 2:25 remaining.

Xavier outshot the Bulldogs 42.6 to 31.4 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 42-33. Xavier's 11 turnovers matched a season low and were 10 fewer than the previous day. It was the first time this season that the Gold Rush limited an opponent to less than 50 points.

In Wednesday's opening game, LSU-Shreveport built a 26-point lead and won 86-73 against Mobile. Fisk defeated Mobile Tuesday.

Xavier will be at home for its Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opener at 7:30 p.m. Monday against Edward Waters. The Gold Rush are 10-0 at home this season.

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Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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