Benedict College Lady Tigers Beat Newberry, 69-56

COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- The 24^th-ranked Benedict College Lady Tigers closed out 2015 and their non-conference schedule with a 69-56 victory over Newberry College on Thursday night in the Benjamin E. Mays HRC Arena.

Regime McCombs scored a season-high 35 points, making five 3-pointers and sinking eight of 10 free throws in the final minute. McCombs ranks second in NCAA Division II in total 3-pointers and 3-pointers per game.

The Lady Tigers improved to 12-1 on the season with their seventh straight win. Newberry fell to 5-7.

Shelby Britten led the Wolves with 20 points.

Benedict led from start to finish, scoring the first nine points of the game. The Lady Tigers led 18-9 after the first period.  Destiny Betts scored on an offensive rebound putback to give Benedict a 10-point lead, 28-18, at the half.

Newberry cut the lead to six, 30-24, on a 3-pointer by Samantha Creed with 8:12 left in the third, but the Lady Tigers scored the next seven points, getting two baskets by Betts and a 3-pointer by Dorothy Brown, for a 37-24 lead. Back-to-back 3-pointers by the Wolves made it 37-33 with 4:26 left in the third, but McCombs answered with a 3-pointer for the Lady Tigers. Newberry cut the lead to 43-40 with 22 seconds left in the period, but Deja Stallworth hit a 3-pointer to close out the period and give Benedict a 46-40 lead heading into the final period.

A 3-pointer by Creed cut Benedict's lead to 48-43 with 8:37 left in the game, but the Lady Tigers responded by scoring the next seven points for a 12-point lead with 3:26 to play. Over the final 2:29, Benedict scored all of its points at the free-throw line, going 12-for-16.

Benedict forced Newberry into 18 turnovers and scored 20 points off those turnovers.

Benedict, which entered the game as the NCAA Division II leader in rebound margin, was out-rebounded for the first time this season, 34-32. Betts led Benedict with eight rebounds.

Benedict, 2-1 in the SIAC, takes on Tuskegee on Saturday at 1 p.m. and then hosting Miles on Monday at 5:30 p.m.

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Florida A&M Women Ring In New Year With 59-38 Win Over SSU

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The FAMU Women’s Basketball team won their third straight game on New Year’s Day, riding a strong second half surge past the Savannah State Tigers, 59-38 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game at The Al Lawson Center.

FAMU (7-7, 1-1 in MEAC) caught fire from the floor in the second half, shooting 51.9 percent from the floor (14 of 27) to pull away from the visitors, which trailed 26-18 at the half.

The Rattlers outpaced the Tigers (2-8, 0-1 in MEAC) on the scoreboard over the last two quarters by a 33-20 margin.

Alicia McCray’s layup with 9:16 left in the third put FAMU ahead by 10 points, 28-18 and the Tigers never got closer the rest of the way, as the Rattlers held a 15-point edge, 42-27 after three periods.

Dawn King’s three-pointer with 28 seconds left in the game staked FAMU to its’ largest and final margin at 59-38.

Alicia McCray led FAMU with 15 points, followed by Olivia Antilla with 11 points.

WHAT’S NEXT: FAMU hosts Mercer University in their next game on Monday, Jan. 4 at 7:00 p.m. in The Al Lawson Center.

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Madison Prep linebacker Cedric Triplett commits to Southern

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Madison Prep linebacker Cedric Triplett didn’t recognize the number calling his cell phone when he was out with friends.

Triplett took a chance and answered and found out Southern University coach Dawson Odums was ready to take a chance on him.

Odums called to offer the 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior a scholarship. And Triplett committed to the Jaguars.

“At first I thought somebody was joking with me,” Triplett said. “Then I realized it was coach Odums. I’d met him and talked to him before.

“I was surprised he called. … I didn’t expect it. Southern is a school I’ve grown up watching. I’ve gone to homecoming and other games. So I committed.”

Triplett was a second-team All-District 6-2A choice. He finished with 88 tackles and helped the Chargers finish with an 11-1 record.

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Jackson State prepping for SWAC competition

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Wednesday’s 23-point home triumph against Southeastern Louisiana was a much needed bounce-back performance by Jackson State.

The Tigers dropped back-to-back road games in Ohio two weeks before that. The result was pleasing, but JSU coach Wayne Brent still had to put it in context for his players.

“Like we told them (the players), that game doesn’t mean as much as the next two coming up,” Brent said.

Those two upcoming games represent the first two contests of SWAC play for the Tigers (5-8), who will host Alabama State (5-7) at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Lee E. Williams AAC.

At 5-8, JSU owns the best record it has had entering conference play under Brent. Statistical categories place the Tigers in good light among other SWAC teams.

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Livingstone College's Rodney Hughey Named Assistant Coach of Dream Bowl IV -- College Football All-Star Game

SALISBURY, North Carolina  --  Rodney Hughey was selected as the defensive backs coach for Dream Bowl IV College Football All-Star game. This is his fifth season as the assistant head coach for Livingstone College football program. Hughey was promoted to Defensive Coordinator in 2013, after serving as Defensive Backs coach since the 2010 season.

The fourth annual Dream Bowl will be played January 18, 2016 at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex in Virginia Beach, VA. Dream Bowl IV is the premier small college football all-star game in the country and the only game to have NFL and CFL scouts in attendance. The game will allow the best FCS, D-II, and D-III athletes from across the country showcase their talents to help them make it to the next level of professional football. The game and the series of events held over Martin Luther King Weekend is a celebration of the excellence, commitment, and sacrifice made by the players and their families.

The Dream Bowl treats seniors to a real bowl game experience. The Dream Bowl provides first-class accommodations, meals, and facilities for the players, along with a full weekend of football and social related activities for their friends and families, which will create a lifetime of memories for their collegiate send-off game.

For more information on Livingstone College football, visit the official Blue Bear website at www.bluebearathletics.com.

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American Sports Network & Cutting Edge Sports Management Agree to Multi-Year Deal for Dream Bowl Broadcast

DREAM BOWL IV ALL-STAR ROSTER 

MILLTOWN, New Jersey -- American Sports Network (“ASN”), a division of Sinclair Networks Group, which is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI), announced that it has entered into an agreement with Cutting Edge Sports Management to broadcast the Dream Bowl for the next two years. The college all-star game will be played on Monday, Jan. 18, 2016 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The Dream Bowl was created to provide opportunities for FCS, Division II and Division III athletes to showcase their talents. Under the agreement, ASN will air the game on Sinclair broadcast stations and other affiliates around the country.

“We have found the perfect broadcast partner in American Sports Network to help us expand the reach and exposure of the game and these individual players,” said Neil Malvone, president of Cutting Edge Sports Management.  

Malvone added “the broadcast reach of ASN, through its parent company, Sinclair, will permit the entire country to see the talented players competing in this year\’s Dream Bowl.” 

“We are pleased to enter into this relationship, to deliver a college all-star game that provides a service to our communities,” said Doron Gorshein, COO of Sinclair Networks Group. “With this agreement with Cutting Edge Sports Management, we continue to enhance our product offering, and provide relevant, high quality live sports events for students, alumni and fans from the institutions of those competing in the game.”

Ray Katz, Managing Partner ROI Sports Marketing Group said: “The promotional commitment of ASN across their college football schedule will ensure tremendous value for our sponsors and partners. ROI Sports Group is the sponsorship partner of Cutting Edge Sports Management and led negotiations with ASN. 

About American Sports Network

ASN is a division of Sinclair Networks Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., the largest and one of the most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country with 164 television stations it owns, operates and/or provides services to in 79 markets, broadcasting 384 channels. Sinclair’s portfolio reaches approximately 43 million television households and is affiliated with all the major networks. In addition, ASN’s content is syndicated to other broadcasters and regional sports networks. ASN, which launched in August 2014, produced 250 college events in nine sports in its first year and plans to air more than 375 events in the 2015/2016 academic year.

About Cutting Edge Sports Management

CESM is a full-service leader in sports management with areas of expertise in event planning, strategic marketing, business management, player development, and media relations. CESM creates innovative all-star event competitions at every level of sports. The CESM difference is to continue to revolutionize the sports industry with strategic partnerships and full service capabilities. With CESM, the athletes come first to maximize their potential and get them to the next level

Shaw Bears Persevere to Defeat Bluefield State, 83-79

RALEIGH, North Carolina – The Shaw University men's basketball team rallied from a 12 point deficit in the second half to defeat the visiting Blues of Bluefield State College on Thursday evening to conclude the 2015 portion of the season in their non-conference finale.

Shaw improves to 4-9 on the season, while Bluefield State drops to 4-12 on the year.

Larry Richardson, II (Garner, NC) scored 17 points, including 6-of-6 from the foul line, while Joell Hopkins, Jr. (Raleigh, NC) and David Madol (Manchester, NH) scored 12 points each. Defensively, Madol had a team-best nine rebounds, while Hopkins, Jr. collected seven.

The Bears opened up play with an 8-2 run over the Blues but BSC would claw their way back to tie the game at 15-all at the 9:31 mark.

The lead changed four times before the Blues took the final lead of the half sparked by hot shooting from their guards. BSC was able to connect 8-of-18 from the 3-point line for 44.4 percent in route to a 39-35 lead over the Bears at halftime.

Although the Bears outscored the Blues in the paint 14-8, BSC was able to score 11 points off of Shaw's turnovers, while adding eight points in second chances and posting a 12-3 advantage in bench scoring.

Richardson, II opened up the second half with a 15-footer to chop at the Blues lead (39-37) but BSC responded with an easy layup to extend the lead to three points at the 18:56 mark. From there the Blues would continue to lead most of the half as they built their largest lead of the game at 12 points with 11:20 left.

Despite sluggish play and trailing by double digits, the Bears showed life and intensity as they were able to get within two-points with 6:00 showing on the game clock. The next possession down, Jamar Cooper (Petersburg, VA) gave the Bears their first lead of half with a deep 3-pointer at the 5:45 mark (65-64) which charged a 7-2 run for the Bears.

From there, Shaw was able to maintain control the game at their tempo to close out the contest with the 83-79 win.

Mark Durgan led all scorers with 31 points and six assists, while Joshua Windham and Chas Harvey scored 15 points each for the Blues.

Shaw will return action on Monday, Jan. 2nd to host Chowan University for a CIAA conference matchup. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m.

For the most up-to-date information on Shaw men's basketball and its 11 varsity sport teams, visit shawbears.com.

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