Colgate, Coppin State meet in NIT
Coppin State Eagles (18-14, 9-7 MEAC) at Colgate Raiders (23-9, 13-6 Patriot)
Hamilton, New York; Saturday, 6 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Colgate takes on Coppin State in the National Invitation Tournament.
The Raiders have gone 13-6 against Patriot opponents, with a 10-3 record in non-conference play. Colgate scores 68.7 points while outscoring opponents by 10.9 points per game.
The Eagles are 9-7 against MEAC teams. Coppin State is sixth in the MEAC with 9.8 offensive rebounds per game led by Laila Lawrence averaging 3.2.
Colgate makes 43.7% of its shots from the field this season, which is 2.5 percentage points higher than Coppin State has allowed to its opponents (41.2%). Coppin State's 38.4% shooting percentage from the field this season is 4.4 percentage points lower than Colgate has allowed to its opponents (42.8%).
TOP PERFORMERS: Taylor Golembiewski is shooting 45.9% and averaging 14.1 points for the Raiders. Morgan McMahon is averaging 1.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Lawrence is averaging 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.6 steals for the Eagles. Angel Jones is averaging 13.3 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Raiders: 8-2, averaging 71.1 points, 30.0 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 7.2 steals and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 45.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 57.9 points per game.
Eagles: 5-5, averaging 57.3 points, 34.8 rebounds, 11.7 assists, 7.4 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 34.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 60.5 points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Addie Way sings and sways to ‘Sweet Caroline' as Lockport reaches state for first time in 20 years. ‘Always up.'
BLOOMINGTON — After four intense scoreless innings with a trip to state on the line, Lockport broke the ice in the fifth inning Monday. And it was time for Addie Way to have some fun. And, boy, did she ever have fun. The junior third baseman laughed it up with her fellow infielders before the start of the sixth. Then before the seventh, while senior pitcher Kelcie McGraw warmed up, Way and junior first baseman Alexis Vander Tuuk were singing and swaying to Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline.' Yes, good times never seemed so good. 'We felt the pressure going into the game,' Way said. 'But as the night went on, we trusted our teammates and we trusted each other. It's just fun all of the time. 'We're always up. We're always cheering.' There was plenty to cheer about at Inspiration Field at Carol Willis Park after Way scored the second run in a two-run fifth inning, helping the Porters beat Bradley-Bourbonnais 2-0 in the Class 4A Illinois Wesleyan Supersectional. Way and Rheanna Slavicek scored the runs for Lockport (31-9), while Taylor Lane hit a sacrifice fly and the Colgate-bound McGraw singled home a run and struck out 10 in a two-hit shutout. Loyola recruit Lydia Hammond allowed four hits for Bradley (22-12), but back-to-back walks to Slavicek and Way in the fifth helped start the Porters' rally and send them to the state semifinals. Lockport will play at 3 p.m. Friday in the final four at Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria against Barrington (34-3-1), a 4-1 supersectional winner Monday over St. Charles East (23-16). And for the close-knit Porters, that means everything. 'I really feel like we are a family,' Way said. 'We are a family on the softball field and off the softball field. We really trust each other.' The trustworthy Way, meanwhile, has been dangerous this spring with her bat. She's hitting .344 with 33 runs and 18 walks, but she also helps the Porters in other ways. 'She brings so much energy to the field,' McGraw said of Way. 'She's a great person and a great teammate. Everybody loves her. We wouldn't be the team we are without her. 'She makes great plays on defense. She hits. We wouldn't be here without her.' Lockport's Marissa Chovanec, who in her second year as coach won the Class AA state championship in 2004 but last reached state in 2005, appreciates what Way brings to the table. 'Addie brings energy and is one of our leaders,' Chovanec said. 'She stepped in at third base when we had an injury earlier in the season. She's done a great job hitting in the No. 2 spot, just keeping the spark in the lineup going. 'She helps not only with her body language but with her performances.' To even get to the supersectional wasn't easy for the Porters. After a 17-0 win over Thornwood to open the playoffs, Lockport topped Shepard 2-0, defeated Lincoln-Way East 3-0 and slipped past Lincoln-Way Central and Florida State-bound pitcher Lisabella Dimitrijevic 2-0 in 10 innings. Way is generally positive, but there was a time in the season that she wasn't so sure the Porters would get this far. They were 3-6 during a stretch in late March and early April, but things turned around and now Lockport has won 17 straight. 'They way we started, we were down on ourselves,' Way said. 'We knew we had to pick it up. We talked to our coach. We talked to our players. 'We all came together in our locker one day and said, 'We really gotta pick it up. We were good last season and shouldn't be playing like this.' Ever since then, it's been great.'
Miami Herald
07-06-2025
- Miami Herald
HBCU National Championship thriving under revamped schedule
The stage is set for the 10th edition of the HBCU national championship game-better known as the Celebration Bowl-and fans no longer have to wait to book their hotels. ESPN has announced that the official date and time of the 2025 Cricket Celebration Bowl will be Saturday, December 13, 2025, at noon ET, live on ABC. The Celebration Bowl, which pits the champions of the MEAC and SWAC against one another, has become the definitive showdown for HBCU football supremacy. And last year's edition delivered in a big way, both on the field and in living rooms across the country. In 2024, the Celebration Bowl marked its first appearance under the newly revamped College Football Playoff schedule. The change shifted the game up by a week, creating ripple effects that sparked debate within the HBCU football world. Critics pointed out that the MEAC champion had a built-in advantage-an additional two weeks to prepare. The SWAC champion had to turn around and play immediately after their conference championship. Still, none of that mattered once the pads started popping. Jackson State, fresh off their SWAC title, steamrolled South Carolina State in a 28-7 statement win to capture their first Celebration Bowl crown. The Tigers also became the second straight SWAC program to hoist the trophy. Flipping a script long dominated by MEAC programs. Off the field, the numbers told a success story of their own. The 2024 Celebration Bowl pulled in 2.1 million viewers on ABC. That number was up 37% from the previous year's 1.5 million audience, according to ESPN. Much of that spike can be credited to the strategic time slot. The noon ET kickoff faced virtually no competition from other college bowl games or NFL matchups. A luxury not afforded in previous years, when scheduling overlap diluted viewership. Attendance for the HBCU national championship has also remained solid, with over 40,000 fans packing Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the 2024 edition. That kind of turnout, paired with rising TV numbers, shows that the Celebration Bowl isn't just surviving in the ever-changing college football landscape, it's thriving. As anticipation builds for the 2025 reveal, one thing is clear. The Celebration Bowl has firmly cemented itself as the crown jewel of HBCU football. And with year 10 on the horizon, all eyes will be on what's next. The post HBCU National Championship thriving under revamped schedule appeared first on HBCU Gameday. Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
Miami Herald
03-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Saniyah King left her mark at Howard. Now she eyes success in the SEC.
Saniyah King, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, did not land at Mississippi State for the next chapter of her basketball career due to a lack of success or a winning pedigree. The ex-HBCU point guard averaged 11.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and a MEAC and Bison-best 4.5 assists per game while starting in 31 of 32 games for Howard University last season. She also dished the second-most assists (145) among freshmen in the nation behind Florida Gators guard Liv McGill. King wants to continue her basketball evolution with dreams of playing in the WNBA after college. With the departure of MSU's guards Jerkaila Jordan and Eniya Russell to graduation, and Denim DeShields taking her talents to Mississippi (Ole Miss), the Bulldogs needed another collection of elite point guards. King is what Purcell needs while also believing the Bulldogs' coach and his staff will help her fulfill her hoops dream. "My main goal [for entering the transfer portal] was development," King told HBCU Gameday. "I know [Mississippi State] is going to help me become the best version of myself." Things will look extremely different for King this fall. She spent her entire life in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region with her mother, Stacey Pettiford. However, Pettiford - an HBCU alum from Howard University - tried to get the 5'7" point guard to leave the DMV to explore her basketball dreams elsewhere. "I wanted her to go away," Pettiford said. "It's a big world out there, and she'd experienced the DMV all of her life." King wasn't ready to take her talents from the big city to a new hoops terrain. But now, as she transitions to Starkville, Mississippi, the sophomore floor general is ready to embrace her next chapter, one that will include some "peace and quiet." "I wanted to slow my life down," King said. "I don't know what life is like without hearing trains, ambulances, and cars constantly passing by. I wanted new scenery. That helps me feel at peace now." King's choice and determination to ditch familiarity for the Magnolia State would not be possible without confidence in her dream, faith in God, and the lessons learned at "The Mecca" of HBCU culture. King, who at 10 years old did not have experience hooping with an elite club team, strolled into a DMV gym for a tryout with the Lady Prime AAU basketball team, coached by then-Washington D.C. street hoops legend Lonnie Harrell. Tons of budding, young female basketball players graced the court. After a couple of drills and some intense 5-on-5 action, Harrell walked over to Pettiford and did not waste any time in his desire for King to join the team. "I remember [her tryout] like it was yesterday," Pettiford said. "Harrell was like, 'we need her' and asked 'how long had she [Saniyah] been playing?'" King's genesis in basketball began with playing with boys at the park during recess in elementary school and running a few houses down the street in her Bowie, Maryland, neighborhood to play pickup games during the week. "I didn't think I was good," King said with a laugh. Her talent reached new heights when she joined Lady Prime. That season, King and her teammates didn't lose a game. As her skills grew with Lady Prime, it later opened the door for success at Bishop Ireton - a private Catholic high school in Alexandria, Virginia - as well as on the AAU circuit playing for Team Durant EYBL, named after 15-time NBA All-Star and DMV native Kevin Durant. However, a "turning point" in her personal development came during the height of the coronavirus pandemic when she completed workout sessions three times per day with Joshua Morgan-Green, the founder of the Triple Threat training regimen based in Annapolis Junction, Maryland. "I was probably there from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.," King said. "When I was younger, I was always stronger and a little faster than my peers. That summer, I really got skilled. My ball handling went to a different level, I perfected my shot, and learned how to work. He [Green] changed my life." King entered the Washington, D.C.-based HBCU after excelling in the classroom as an AP scholar and becoming one of the top 15 point guards in Virginia for assists per game. She held a long lineage of Howard pride in her family. Pettiford, one of King's 11 family members to attend HU, played a key part in her daughter's interest in attending Howard after many years of taking King to basketball games and events on the HBCU campus. King, who had spent all of 18 years of her life living with her mom prior to attending HU, saw Pettiford depart the DMV to move to Atlanta during her freshman year. "When I was at home with her [Pettiford] every day, I would spend most of my time in my room," King said with a laugh. "Seeing her leave helped me mature emotionally." With a 10-hour trek separating the two, King began to realize the lessons Pettiford shared with her about life, time management, and avoiding worldly distractions in pursuit of her dreams, both on and off the court. However, when she entered the gates of the renowned Main Quadrangle, walked across The Yard or stepped inside Frederick Douglas Memorial Hall and Burr Gymnasium for the first time, she quickly found out that Howard was the epitome of "Black excellence" but also a place where she had to grow up and balance a myriad of priorities as a student athlete. "I underestimated college," King said. "Howard helped me come to that realization very fast. It wasn't the normal college experience. … Howard really prepares you for the real world." While pursuing a degree in psychology, King navigated her way as the only freshman on a veteran HBCU women's basketball program - coached by Ty Grace - that featured a combined dozen seniors and grad transfer players, including her friend and teammate, Destiny Howell, the Bison's leading scorer in 2024. "Saniyah is just the player you enjoy and want to play with," Howell previously told Howard Athletics consultant Rob Knox in December. "The first thing I noticed about her is that she is not scared of work, she does not duck no smoke. …She is a good person, making it easier to be a good teammate." King shared similar sentiments about Howell and also credited her leadership. "Destiny [Howell] always sat and watched game film with me and offered encouraging words," King said. "She would tell me that I'm "HER" and to walk like it." But with Pettiford away and a surplus of daily college life distractions around her, it forced King to find herself while remaining focused on her goals in the classroom as well as becoming the best point guard on the hardwood. King leaned into her faith in God to navigate her challenges. Each day, she logged into Instagram, swiped to her bio section and visited one of her highlights named Daily Words of Encouragement (DWOE), which listed her favorite Bible verses and quotes. One of her go-to scriptures comes from Matthew 19:26, which reads, "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" As her freshman season progressed, when she wasn't in class, at practice, or lifting weights with her teammates, she watched sermons and read the Bible, drawing closer to God when she was unable to attend Sunday services at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church in Silver Springs, Maryland. "I was in a place where I had to find and put God at the forefront of my life," King said. "His presence in my life strengthened my mindset and my vision to conquer my goals." As King embraced her walk with God, she matured in the face of adversity. King, who became a force for Howard in HBCU women's basketball, captured Rookie of the Week honors 11 times. With three games remaining against North Carolina Central, South Carolina State, and the defending MEAC champions Norfolk State, Howard sat in second place (17-9) in the MEAC standings. The Bison entered their clash with NCCU, winners of seven consecutive contests and 10 of their last 11 games since league play began on Jan. 4. And for King, her focus remained on finishing the season strong and getting another chance to face the Spartans. However, things took a twist for the Bison point guard. King injured her left foot in Howard's 74-51 victory against the Eagles, sidelining her for the final games of the regular season. She wasn't a stranger to foot injuries. King struggled with bone bruises over the years due to the absence of an arch in her feet. But with the MEAC tournament around the corner, her shot at helping Howard dethrone the Spartans and securing an automatic bid in the women's NCAA tournament remained in motion. However, with an injury comes a wave of emotions and physical challenges. When she returned to the court for the league tourney - specifically in Howard's matchup against Maryland Eastern Shore in the MEAC semifinals - King didn't feel like herself on the court. "I played a little scared," King said. "I wasn't trying to land a certain way [on my foot] and I kept thinking about that. That's not my usual mindset." HU's win set up the MEAC title against the Spartans and future 2025 WNBA signee Diamond Johnson, a player whom King respected, studied, and watched from afar throughout her college career in the Big Ten and HBCU hoops. But like the first two contests, NSU defeated Howard 68-56, ending the Bison's NCAA tourney hopes. "This was supposed to be the time that I shined [on the court]," King said. "It was almost like they [Spartans] had every single play we tried to run rehearsed." Still, the Bison received an automatic qualifying bid to the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT), defeating Siena at home in the first round before losing to Charleston in the second round. Despite the loss, King felt like she took a step forward in her progression after the injury. "My shot was falling, it was like I had woken back up," she said. As King transitions to Starkville, she's embracing the progression of her game. Her daily 7 a.m. workouts include weight lifting, watching film, listening to basketball podcasts as well as improving her technique and feel for reading ball screens and elevating her shooting percentage from beyond the arc. "I hate waking up early," King said. "But since the season ended, I continued that habit. … Losing in the [MEAC] tournament and heading to a new school has inspired me to work even harder this summer. I want to improve my vision to open up the floor more for my teammates." King will have the opportunity to upgrade those skills and more as one of the Bulldogs' floor generals, in addition to pursuing a business degree at MSU. As she navigates her process, King is catching up on family time with her grandfather - who never missed her home games - and spending time with her four little brothers all under the age of 12. She's also going on nail appointments, along with brunch and dinner dates with Pettiford. And when the two aren't tasting new foods at a restaurant, King is whipping up delightful meals in the kitchen, featuring entrées like whole fish, alfredo, roasted Branzino, along with an occasional sweet potato casserole. "She's really a whole chef," Pettiford said with a laugh. "Cooking in the kitchen and on the court." For King, Howard University and her time in HBCU basketball symbolized family on multiple fronts. While she won't walk across The Yard every day this fall, she will take the memories of her teammates and a stronger relationship with Pettiford to Mississippi for a new beginning. "God gave me the older sisters I always wanted but I never had when he brought me to Howard," King said. I love and will miss them all. The post Saniyah King left her mark at Howard. Now she eyes success in the SEC. appeared first on HBCU Gameday. Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
