VUU Student-Athletes Make Christmas Bright Via Angel Tree
12/19/2016 | General  Jim Juno
Virginia Union University's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and various student athletes participated in the Salvation Army Angel Tree Program.
The Angel Tree Program allows the community to choose angels (children ages 0-14) from trees displayed at area malls and corporations and purchase gifts for that child at Christmas.
Each angel represents an underprivileged child who, without the support of the community, might not have a Christmas. The donors adopt the angels by providing new clothing and gifts for their Christmas.
 

4 Hawks selected as McDonald’s Hawks of the Week during December

Women’s Basketball standouts take home two honors, along with bowler and men’s basketball player

 MATT MCCANN


PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — Four Maryland Eastern Shore student-athletes have been selected for the second installment of the McDonald’s Hawks of the Week award for their achievements on and off the field of play during the month of December. The award is presented weekly to a pair of Hawks who excel athletically, academically or community service.

The honorees for the three weeks so far this December include: Ciani Byrom (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) and Mariah McCoy (Rock Hill, South Carolina) from women’s basketball, Lindie Esteban (Kapolei, Hawaii) in bowling and Ryan Andino (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) in men’s basketball.

Byrom and McCoy earned two honors each over the past month. Most recently, the pair were honored as members of the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Holiday Tournament’s All-Tournament team. Byrom averaged 17 points per game and shot 62 percent from the floor, while McCoy finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds over the two games as the Hawks won the tournament by sweeping the host Owls and the St. Francis (Pa.) Red Flash.

Prior to that, Byrom had a spectacular week to open December, scoring 35 points with 11 assists and 10 boards as the Hawks defeated UNC Greensboro on Nov. 29 and narrowly lost to East Carolina on Dec. 4 to earn Hawk of the Week honors for Dec. 5. McCoy received Hawk of the Week honors Dec. 12 after leading the Hawks to victory over Mount St. Mary’s with a team-high 15 points.

Esteban enjoyed a fine Sunday at the MEAC Northern Division Meet #2 in Pocomoke City, Maryland on December 4th. She led a unique Hawks lineup to a 3-1 day on the lanes, defeating Coppin State, Howard and Morgan State while dropping their only match to Delaware State by a meager 30 pins. That performance helped the Hawks to a 6-2 weekend to remain in contention for the MEAC Northern Division title.

Andino earned honors on Dec. 12 after a pair of exceptional efforts the week before. In the Hawks’ victory over Central Penn, the junior tied a game high 20 points, with 18 of those points coming from beyond the arc. He one-upped that performance with seven triples to once again tie for a game high in points with 23.

McCoy and Byrom will battle Virginia on Dec. 21, while the men head to El Paso, Tex for the Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational. Esteban and the bowling team resume their schedule in January, beginning with the Mid-Winter Invitational in Arkansas.

For complete recaps, results and news of Hawk athletics, please visit www.easternhshorehawks.com
VUU Downs Gannon 84-55 For Ninth Straight Win

12/18/2016 | Women's Basketball | Box Score

Virginia Union University's Brittany Jackson scored 24 points to lead the Lady Panthers past Gannon University 84-55 on Sunday, December 18, in Erie, Pa.

The win was the ninth straight for VUU, and the 9-0 start is the best start for a Lady Panthers squad in 19 years. Only two teams, the 1997-98 team (which started 14-0) and the National Champion 1982-83 team (which started 15-0) have had better starts than the 2016-17 team.

VUU's Alexis Walker scored 14 points while senior Lady Walker recorded a double-double with 13-points and 11 rebounds.

Virginia Union dominated the first quarter, holding Gannon to just two points. The Lady Panthers led 39-13 at halftime.

The win means the Lady Panthers will enter CIAA play with an undefeated record while Gannon fell to 3-8.

VUU returns home to Historic Barco-Stevens Hall on Monday, January 2, when they meet Winston-Salem State University at 5:30 p.m. in Richmond, Va.
 
Mosley Returns as WBB Drops 63-57 Contest to McKendree
12/19/2016 | Women's Basketball | Box Score
Lebanon, Ill.-Kentucky State University came up short to McKendree University, 63-57, on Monday night at the Harry M. Statham Sports Arena.

The Thorobrettes (3-7, 0-3) finished the non-conference portion of the 2016 campaign 3-4, and will now take on SIAC opponents in 13 of their remaining 15 contests. The Bearcats (8-3, 0-2) matched their season-long win streak at four wins.

"We played well until the last quarter," said head coach Terrance Slater. "We had several possessions where we just took plays off, and it cost us the game. We just can't seem to understand that the little things matter and they will cost you.

Senior forward Jamesha Mosely made her season debut for the Thorobrettes scoring a team-high 15 points from the bench. Junior center Brooke Wallace added 12 points, a team-high eight rebounds and swatted three shots for the third consecutive game.

KSU will be off until Dec. 29 when Albany State University visits the Exum Center. Tipoff is set 5:30 p.m. ET.
 
Women's Basketball Runs Past Saint Augustine's
Box Score MURFREESBORO - The Chowan University women's basketball team exhibited a dominant performance on Saturday afternoon with a 91-64 conference win over Saint Augustine's University. The Hawks improve to 10-2 on the season after the win and 3-0 in CIAA action, while the Falcons drop to a 3-10 on the year and 0-2 in league play.

Chowan had four players record double-digit points in the win. Dhyamond Crenshaw poured in 27 points for the Hawks while Jordan Payne added 20 points with eight rebounds. Payne also collected four steals and three assist in the match-up. Chantel Roberts and Shaikeyla Jordan each chipped in 15 and 13 points for the game respectively.

Ja'Yon Leak scored a team high of 15 points for the Lady Falcons. Shakeisha Washington added 10 points for the Lady Falcons while Kelsee Arnold grabbed nine boards over the course of the game.

Chowan shot 43% from the floor (32-74) with Crenshaw hitting nine of 11 from the floor and Payne hit seven of nine of her shots taken. The Hawks out rebounded Saint Augustine's 49-33 in the contest. The Hawks grabbed 29 offensive rebounds and held the Lady Falcons to 12 offensive boards in the contest.

Chowan will take off until December 29th when they hit the floor against Wingate University in Wingate, North Carolina. Game time is slated for 5:00pm. This is the first of four road games for the Hawks after the Christmas break. They will return to the Helms Center on January 14th where they will host Elizabeth City State in a CIAA Northern Division match-up at 1:00pm.
 

Colston and Alexander Lead Bowie State Women to 65-55 Win Over Johnson C. Smith

Gregory Goings

BOWIE, Md. - Bowie State University held the Johnson C. Smith University women’s basketball team to just 33.9 percent shooting to down the Golden Bulls 65-55 in a CIAA matchup at the A.C. Jordan Arena on Monday afternoon. The loss drops Johnson C. Smith to 8-3 overall and 1-1 in CIAA play while Bowie State improves to 10-2 and 2-0 in the league.
 
With Bowie State holding a 41-38 advantage heading into the fourth quarter, Johnson C. Smith allowed Bowie State juniors Kiara Colston (Burtonsville, Md.) and Kyah Proctor (Capital Heights, Md.) to nail back-to-back three pointers to take the 47-40 lead at the 8:12 mark.  JCSU would respond, cutting the lead to just three points when Anika Jones (Shelby, N.C.) knocked in a three pointer of her own to draw within 51-48 with 4:53 to play. Jones again trimmed the BSU lead to two points (54-52) after a layup, but the Bulldogs quickly rebuilt the cushion to 58-52 after a Kyaja Williams (Baltimore, Md.) basket and a free throw from Colston and Proctor.

The Golden Bulls would cut the lead to four points on two more occasions down the stretch, but could get no closer, as the Bulldogs hit five straight free throws and added a layup as time expired to take the 65-55 win.

Bowie State’s defense forced Johnson C. Smith into 21 turnovers and limited the Golden Bulls to just a 20-of-59 shooting effort and outscored JCSU 26-20 in the paint.  As a team, Bowie State connected for 46 percent of its field goals (23-of-50).

Blaire Thomas (Waterloo, Iowa) and Jones scored 12 points apiece in the loss for the Golden Bulls. Jones tied with Kendall Adams (Opelika, Ala.) for team-high rebound honors with seven apiece.

Bowie State got a season-best 19 points from Colston and a career-high 16 points from Pere Alexander (Baltimore, Md.). Alexander also led Bulldogs with a game-high eight rebounds. Williams fell just short of a double-double, contributing nine points, seven rebounds and a career-best two blocks.

 

The Lady Bulldogs take a seven game win streak into the Christmas break before returning to conference play on Saturday (December 31st), hosting the Rams of Winston-Salem State in an early afternoon tilt beginning at 12 p.m.
 
Hawks Pick up Third Straight Win, Top Falcons 74-61

12/17/2016 6:46:00 PM

MURFREESBORO- The Chowan University men's basketball team captured their third straight CIAA win on Saturday afternoon with a 74-61 victory over Saint Augustine's University. The Hawks improve to 7-2 overall and 3-0 in league action with the win. The Falcons slide to 7-5 on the year and 3-0 in CIAA play after Saturday's setback.

Kevin Kuteyi led all players in the contest 21 points in the win for Chowan. Marco Haskins notched 17 points for Chowan with Carlos Arroyo adding 12 points. Joe Goodwinscored 11 points in the contest and grabbed 11 rebounds (three offensive, eight defensive).

Anthony Gaskins scored 12 points for Saint Augustine's. Anthony Cadogan added 10 points while Kenneth Collins, Chris Melton, D.J. Harrison and Quincy January each recorded eight points in the loss.

Chowan battled through eight ties over the course of the first half before clawing their way to a seven point lead (26-19) by the 3:58 mark. Saint Augustine's battled back to cut the deficit but still trailed 32-29 heading into the halftime break.

The second half was fiercely contested, with neither team able to capture control of the momentum. With the score knotted 44-44 with 11:07 left in the game, Hank Edmondsdrained a three-pointer to push Chowan ahead 47-44. The Hawks held onto the lead from that point forward, pulling away 71-61 with 33 seconds left to play. Chowan secured the 64-61 win with a free throw by Edmonds and two free throws by Goodwin.

Chowan returns to action on December 30th when the Hawks host Lenoir Rhyne. Tip-off is slated for 7:30pm.
 

Bowie State Bulldogs Hold Off Johnson C. Smith for 61-57 Home Conference Win

Gregory Goings
BOWIE, Md. – Bowie State University men’s basketball held off a late game Johnson C. Smith rally, holding on to claim a 61-59 conference victory on Monday evening at the A.C. Jordan Arena, snapping a two-game Bulldogs slide. The victory send Bowie State into the Christmas break with a 2-0 record in the CIAA and 5-7 mark overall.

Down by as many as 14 points midway through the second half, the JCSU Golden Bulls methodically chipped away at the Bulldog lead. Johnson C. Smith’s Cayse Minor (Winston-Salem, N.C.) nailed a three pointer to trim the BSU lead to 50-46 with 6:49 to play. Bowie State would boost the lead back to eight points at 56-48 thanks to a long ball from junior Ahmaad Wilson (Baltimore, Md.) with only 2:07 remaining.

JCSU’s Christian Kirchman (Roanoke, Va.) would then cut the lead to 56-51 when he sliced through the Bulldogs defense and dropped a layup while being fouled.  He would hit the ensuing free throw with 1:53 left on the clock.

After a Bowie State layup by senior Brian Kelley (Lanham, Md.), JCSU got back-to-back three-pointers from Gabon Williams (Charlotte, N.C.) to cut the gap to 58-57 with 41 seconds to go. After a pair of free throws by Bulldogs senior Khary Doby (College Park, Md.), Kirchman again whittled the lead to one after hitting two free throws with 5.8 seconds left.  Following a JCSU foul that sent Kelley to the line, Kelley made the first free throw but missed the second, giving Golden Bulls a last-second chance.

After Gabon Williams secured the rebound, Kirchman streaked up the left side but his three-point attempt was blocked by senior Michael Briscoe (Waldorf, Md.) as the buzzer sounded.

As a team, JCSU shot 39 percent from the field (23-of-59) while holding BSU to just 33.3 percent (33-of-66) from the field. Bowie State won the battle on the glass, out-rebounding Johnson C. Smith 47-40.

Johnson C. Smith (5-7, 1-1 CIAA) was led by Kirchman’s 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field while Gabon Williams added 13 points. Robert Davis (West Friendship, Md.) recorded 12 points for the Golden Bulls and Christian Williams (Chesapeake, Va.) had a productive night on the boards by securing a game-high 13 rebounds.

 

Doby paced Bowie State with 17 points, tying his career-high to go along with a team-high eight rebounds. Junior Ahmaad Wilson (Baltimore, Md.) tallied 16 points and added five rebounds and a pair of steals while Kelley rounded out Bowie State’s double figure scorers with 11.

 

The Bulldogs will pause for the Christmas break and return to conference play on Saturday (December 31st), entertaining the Winston-Salem State Rams at 2 p.m.

 
Sixth-ranked Saints sink shots to stymie Gold Rush

Edward Cassiere December 19, 2016

NEW ORLEANS — Ryan Imhoff's 16 points and career-best 11 assists Monday led NAIA No. 6 Carroll (Mont.) to a 76-60 men's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana.
     
The Saints (10-1), the NAIA leader in field-goal and free-throw accuracy, shot 56.8 percent from the floor and 82.1 percent from the line to snap the two-game home winning streak of the Gold Rush (3-7). Carroll made 18-of-19 second-half free throws.
     
Imhoff had eight first-half assists, then scored 12 points in the second half without missing a shot. The junior guard finished with three blocks and three steals.
     
Zach Taylor scored 14 points, Lorel Johnson 13 and Steven Helm 12 for Carroll.
     
Jalen David had 16 points and a career-high four steals for XULA. Mike Williams scored nine points, and Donovan Armstrong had eight assists. Eleven scored for the Gold Rush.
     
Carroll led 13-3 in the seventh minute before the Gold Rush rallied to take a one-point lead three times. But the Saints closed with seven consecutive points to take a 32-26 halftime lead, then opened the second period with a decisive 18-4 run. Carroll led by 22 points three times in the final four minutes.
    
XULA shot 42.6 percent from the floor and committed 20 turnovers.
     
It was XULA's fifth loss of the season against a ranked NAIA opponent and fourth against a top-10 team. The next Gold Rush game will start at 2 p.m. Dec. 29 at Paul Quinn. XULA's next home game will be its Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opener at 5 p.m. Jan. 7 against Tougaloo.