(Courtesy DSU Athletics)

FLORENCE, Ala.– Electricity was in the air at Braly Municipal Stadium, as the No. 2 Statesmen took on top-ranked North Alabama Thursday night. The match-up did not disappoint as the two teams needed overtime to decide a winner. It was in overtime that the Statesmen found the end zone, and came away with the 30-24 win.

The game was a defensive chess match in a scoreless first quarter, as both teams traded punts. The  Statesmen defense held strong throughout the quarter even stopping the Lion offense on fourth down.

Defense was still the name of the game as the second quarter got underway. After moving the ball past the 50 yard line, the Statesmen were held short on fourth down in the quarter’s first series.

North Alabama (6-1, 0-1 GSC) took advantage of their good field position, and subsequently took the lead . Quarterback Lee Chapple hit Mo Miliam for a 43-yard completion. That play set up a four yard touchdown run for Demetrious Goode. The run and the extra point that followed gave the Lions the 7-0 lead.

The Statesmen (7-1, 1-0 GSC) offense then came to life as they answered the Lion touchdown with one of their own. Senior Quarterback Micah Davis hit senior wide receiver Tim Smith for a 42-yard gain to get the drive going. Davis completed two more passes on the drive before junior Brandon Lucas found the end zone on a two yard run. The touchdown and point after tied the game up at 7-7.

The Lions would not be denied on their next drive as they retook the lead. Chapple completed all five of his passes the 52-yard drive. Goode capped the drive off with his second touchdown run of the game, a six yard scamper. The extra point gave the Lions the 14-7 advantage.

Down seven, the Statesmen drove down the field once again. Davis kept the drive alive with a two yard run on fourth and one. Just when the Statesmen seemed poised to tie the game up again, the Lion defense made a play. Bryan Thomas picked off a Davis pass on the  goal line. The Lions then took a knee, as they went into the locker room with a 14-7 lead at the half.

The Lions started the second half with the ball. They marched down the field, but the Statesmen defense held tough, and forced North Alabama to kick a field goal. The 26-yard kick gave the Lions the 17-7 lead. The 14-play drive was the most plays on a scoring drive for the Lions this season.

The Statesmen were in need of offense on their next drive, and they came through with a 81-yard march to the end zone. A mix of runs and passes helped the Statesmen move the ball down the field. Davis found Smith once again on a completion, and Smith did the rest to get into the end zone. North Alabama’s Janoris Jenkins was flagged and ejected after the play. The extra point cut the Lions’ lead to three points at 17-14.

The Statesmen defense came out after the touchdown reenergized. Senior linebacker Robert Hogan came up big with a sack that helped end the North Alabama drive. The Statesmen then took over on offense, but could not convert a fourth and one which gave the ball back to the Lions.

The Lions took advantage of their defensive stop. The Lions went on a five play 52-yard drive capped off by 20 yard pass by Chapple to Miliam for a  touchdown. The score put North Alabama up 24-14 early in the fourth quarter.

After the Statesmen were forced to punt, the Lions went back on the offensive. The Statesmen defense put a stop to that by forcing a turnover. Senior lineman Anthony Daniels picked off Chapple. The Statesmen took  full advantage by marching down the field. A seven play 35-yard drive was capped off by Davis running the ball into the end zone. The score cut the UNA lead back down to three at 24-21 with 4:24 to go in regulation.

The ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Lions. The Statesmen defense answered the call once again, as they forced the Lions to punt  with two minutes on the clock. The punt was a good one for the Lions, as they pinned the Statesmen on their own one yard line.

The stuff of legends occurred on the next Statesmen drive. Davis and the offense engineered a 13-play, 99-yard drive to tie the game up. Senior kicker Matt Dean tied the game up with a 27-yard field goal, which sent the game into overtime.

The Lions had the ball first in the overtime period. The Lions started to march down the field, but were stymied by the Statesmen defense. Nathen O’Jibway then missed a 31-yard field goal. That meant the Statesmen took over with the game still tied.

The Statesmen offense made sure that they didn’t have to settle for a field goal try. Junior running back Brant Botill ran to the end zone from the four yard line. The score gave the Statesmen the 30-24 victory in spectacular fashion.

Davis finished the game 29-for-41  for 339 yards, one passing touchdown, and one rushing touchdown. The Statesmen finished the game with 512 yards of offense compared to 345 yards for UNA. The Statesmen were flagged for 11 penalties for 104 yards. The Lions were called for seven penalties for 75 yards.

The Statesmen look to keep their momentum going, as they will most likely be named the new No 1 team in the country. They will return home to take on Valdosta State on Oct. 22. The game will get underway at 3:00 p.m., and pre game will begin at 2:00 p.m.

–Courtesy DSU Athletics

(Courtesy GSC)

The top-ranked University of North Alabama Lions will take on the second-ranked and GSC rival Delta State Statesmen Thursday night at Braly Stadium in Florence, Alabama, home of the NCAA Division II National Championship Game.

From the AFCA:

The Top 10 remained relatively unchanged, but losses to five Top 25 teams this past weekend caused a shakeup in the bottom half of the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. North Alabama still sits at No. 1, receiving 28 of a possible 29 first place votes, after the Lions handed Arkansas Tech a 44-10 loss. Delta State (Miss.) and Bloomsburg (Pa.) flip-flop positions this week with the Statesmen moving to No. 2 after a 34-20 win over Arkansas-Monticello. Bloomsburg (Pa.) is No. 3 this week after moving its record to 6-0 following a 45-10 victory over Cheyney (Pa.). No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney and No. 5 Washburn (Kan.) round out the Top 5.

Losses to Albany St. (Ga.), Shepherd (W.Va.), Central Missouri, Hillsdale (Mich.) and Edinboro (Pa.), made room for five new teams to enter the Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. West Virginia Wesleyan is 6-0 on the season and comes in at No. 21 after a 45-44 overtime victory over then-No. 14 Shepherd (W.Va.). No. 22 West Alabama enters the poll for the first time this season after a 38-10 win over Southern Arkansas, while Bemidji State (Minn.) re-enters the poll at No. 23 after a two-week layoff. Wayne State (Neb.) enters at No. 24 for the first time this season while No. 25 Mars Hill (N.C.) enters the AFCA Top 25 for the first time since September 25, 2007.

Read More: AFCA.com

(Courtesy UMDBulldogs.com)

FLORENCE, ALA. – David Nadeau, by his own admission, has had better kicks during his three years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, but none have been more important than the one he booted early Saturday afternoon in Florence, Ala. The junior placekicker put an exclamation point on a perfect season for the Bulldogs by nailing a 32-yard field goal as time expired, sending UMD to a 20-17 victory over Delta State University in the NCAA Division II championship game.

“When it came off of my foot, I knew it would be close,” said Nadeau. “It wasn’t the best kick I ever hit before by any means, but when I saw it going up, I knew then it was going in so I just turned around and ran.”

With the win, No. 1 UMD not only took home a second national championship (only eight other schools have claimed multiple titles) but became the first NCAA II club ever to go 15-0 in a season more than once, duplicating the mark turned in by the 2008 Bulldogs on their way to the school’s first NCAA II crown of any kind. Unranked Delta State, which like the Bulldogs were making its second title game appearance, concluded the year at 11-4.

“What a great game,” said UMD head coach Bob Nielson. “It was one of those days when both teams had an opportunity to win and it could have gone either way. We just kept plugging away and believing and when you do that, good things usually happen.”

UMD, which was meeting Delta State for the first time ever, struck first by getting a 32-yard field goal from Nadeau four minutes in, eight plays after junior Zach Hulce brought back the opening kickoff 47 yards on his first return as a Bulldog. Freshman Joe Reichert recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff at the Delta State 34-yard line, but UMD was unable to capitalize — instead giving the ball back to the Statesmen deep in Bulldog territory after Alex Miller’s punt was blocked (for the first time this season) following a muffed snap and returned to the UMD 11. Three snaps later, Micah Davis and Maurice Moore hooked up on an eight-yard scoring strike to give the Statesmen a 7-3 lead. The Bulldogs answered right back on their next series as junior quarterback Chase Vogler found a wide open Ben Helmer in the end zone from 14 yards out to cap a nine-play, 76-yard drive and put the Bulldogs back on top by three. One possession after the Statesmen were snuffed by the Bulldogs on a fourth-and-goal situation at the UMD two, Davis hit Chance Davis with a 16-yard touchdown pass and Delta State went into the half up 14-10.

Read More: UMDBulldogs.com

A major leader and weapon will be All-American (Honorable Mention), All-GSC, and GSC Player of the Week, Trevar Deed.  Any D2 school would be lucky to have him as he gained 1,917 all-purpose yards and scored 15 touchdowns last season.  He will be supported by several returning starts and over 20 transfers from community college or other classification of the NCAA.

The Statesmen open against in-state rival Jackson State from the FCS (formerly I-AA).  That game will be a good opener for bragging rights, but won’t factor into the post-season.  A week later, DSU will attempt to avenge one of last season’s losses by hosting Arkansas Tech before traveling to an always tough opponent in Valdosta State.  Just two weeks later in Cleveland, another GSC playoff team visits as UWA will attempt to make it two-in-a-row.  Other tough games of the season include hosting North Alabama and the final week of the regular season on-the-road against Ouachita Baptist.

D2 Sports Network predicts Delta State will finish 8-4 losing in the second round of the NCAA playoffs.

For the second year in a row, the Delta State‘s run at a National Championship in women’s basketball was ended one round short of a title shot, falling 58-39 to Franklin Pierce University Wednesday at Bill Greehey Arena on the campus of St. Mary’s University.

The Ravens (29-5) out-scored the Lady Statesmen (30-7) 20-10 over the first 13 minutes of the second half, to extend their lead to 49-32, and held Delta State to just seven points over the final seven minutes of the game. The Ravens finished the game shooting 40.4-percent, and were 6-of-23 from three-point range. The Lady Statesmen made just one shot from behind the arc in 11 attempts.

FULL STORY

–Courtesy GoStatesmen.com

Mavericks Roll Past Seawolves to the NCAA Finals

The #4 Minnesota State Mavericks defeated the #2 Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves 83-60 to advance to the NCAA Finals. The win brings MSU’s record to 31-2, while UAA ends its season with a 32-4 record.

The Mavericks set a quick pace early on as they connected on their first six shots from the field to build a 17-6 lead with 13:48 left on the clock. Senior guard Heather Johnson chipped in 10 points during that span, including two shots from beyond the three point line. MSU maintained its double-digit lead throughout most of the second half as it held an 11 point lead at 58-47 with less than nine minutes left in the game. The Seawolves then managed to pull within seven points to Mavericks at 58-51.

The floodgates opened after this as the Mavericks responded with a 9-0 to extend their lead to 67-51 and never looked back as they closed out the game with an 83-60 win. Johnson led all scorers with 25 points, while shooting 5-of-7 from behind the three point line. With her five three point field goals Johnson has tied Kelli Freeman for the most three point field goals made in a career at MSU with 241.

Minnesota State will take on the winner of the #24 Delta State/#14 Franklin Pierce game Friday.

FULL STORY

–Courtesy MSU Athletics

The Lady Statesmen pressured the West Texas A & M Lady Buffs right out of Texas, and the Elite Eight. The dominant defense of Delta State held their opponents to just 13 first half points, and the Lady Statesmen survived a late stampede by the Lady Buffs to claim a 55-47 victory and a trip to the National Semifinals.

With 4:12 left in the game, the Lady Statesmen (30-6) enjoyed a seemingly comfortable 45-30 lead. Just over three minutes later, West Texas (28-6) cut the lead to just four points at 49-45. The Lady Statesmen made four free throws in the final minute of the game and allowed just two more points to take the victory.

The Lady Statesmen were dominate early defensively, holding West Texas A & M to just 23.1-percent shooting in the first half. After jumping out to a 7-0 lead over the first three minutes of the half, the Lady Buffs rallied to cut the lead to four nearly ten minutes later.

Delta State took a 19-13 lead into the locker room at halftime behind the hot hand of Courtney Wilson, who made 2-of-4 shots from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line to lead the Lady Statesmen with seven points.

Freshman Veronica Walker led all scorers with 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. She also had four key blocks. Denesha Henderson added a career-high 12 points and five rebounds, while Wilson added nine points.

The Lady Statesmen shot 55.6-percent in the second half, increasing their shooting percentage to 46.8 for the game, while holding the Lady Buffs to a mere 25.4-percent, establishing a new NCAA postseason record for DSU.

FULL STORY

–Courtesy GoStatesmen.com

No. 14 Franklin Pierce Defeats No. 6 California (Pa), 88-73

Despite 30 points from senior guard Linsday Johnson the No. 6 Vulcans suffered an 88-73 loss to No. 14 Franklin Pierce University (N.H.) in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight on Tuesday at the Bill Greehey Arena.

The California University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team finished the season with a 29-5 overall record after making its fourth Elite Eight appearance in the last seven seasons.

Franklin Pierce‘s Johannah Leedham led the team with 30 points, shooting 9-of-13, while teammates Toby Martin and Jennifer Leedham finished with 16 a piece.

Vulcans’ Johnson scored a team-high 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the floor, including three-of-six from beyond the arc. She also collected six rebounds and two assists. The Ohio native moved into No. 10 place in school history with 1,263 points, surpassing former teammate Kim Nowakowski (2004-07). Johnson also finished her career as one of the most prolific three-point shooters in school history, ranking third all-time with 156 treys.

Franklin Pierce will face the winner of Delta State and West Texas A&M Wednesday.

–Courtesy Cal (PA) Athletics

Huge comeback earns Seawolves Final 4 berth

All-America center Rebecca Kielpinski delivered 14 points and 13 rebounds and Alaska Anchorage held Clayton State without a field goal for the final eight minutes Tuesday to earn a 66-59 win in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championships.

Ruby Williams and Tamar Gruwell added 11 points apiece for 2nd-ranked UAA (31-3), which advances to its second consecutive national semifinal appearance. The Seawolves will face 4th-ranked Minnesota State (30-2) in that game Wednesday. Clayton State (26-7), the winner of the Southeast Region, was led by 12 points from reserve forward Nikkisha Pritchett.

The Seawolves started the game on a roll, scoring the first 12 points before CSU called a timeout. But that break got the Lakers rolling as the Atlanta-based squad turned up its full-court pressure and drained three straight three-pointers to make UAA’s lead evaporate in less than two minutes. CSU continued to thrive from its pressure throughout the half, forcing 17 UAA turnovers and taking a 39-30 lead into the locker room – the Seawolves’ largest halftime deficit of the season.

The Lakers maintained their lead at around seven to 11 points throughout the first 12 minutes of the second half, but UAA – the nation’s leading defensive club – would bounce back after falling behind 56-43 at the 8:35 mark. Freshman forward Hanna Johansson started the decisive 23-3 surge with an inside bucket, and Williams followed with a layup a minute later. From there, Gruwell – scoreless to that point in the game – took over on the offensive end, draining three three-pointers in a two-and-half-minute span. Her final swish tied it 57-57 at the 5-minute mark, and Clayton State could not regain control.

FULL STORY

–Courtesy Alaska-Anchorage Athletics

Minnesota Mankato Moves On To Semi-finals

The No. 4 Minnesota State Mavericks kept their NCAA Championship aspirations alive as they defeated the Michigan Tech Huskies 61-53 in their first ever Elite Eight game. The win brings MSU’s record to 30-2, while Michigan Tech ends its season with a 27-7 record.

The first half began with Michigan Tech jumping out to an early 14-8 lead with 13:19 left in the half. The Huskies shot 4-of-4 from three point land during that stretch. The Mavericks and Huskies would remain close the rest of the way, exchanging the lead four times, with Michigan Tech finishing the half with a 31-30 lead. The Huskies finished the half shooting 6-of-7 from beyond the three point line. Senior guard Jo Noreen led all scorers with 12 points, while shooting 4-of-5 from the field. Senior forward Alex Andrews posted a team-high six rebounds, along with four points.

Scoring was at a premium early on in the second as Michigan Tech held a two-point lead at 36-34 with 14:00 left in the half. The Mavericks would then begin a 15-5 run, behind seven points from junior guard Tiffany Moe, to take a 49-41 lead with 8:31 left in regulation. MSU would then extend its lead to 11, at 56-45, behind a three point shot from sophomore guard Andrea Walsh with 4:21 left in the game. The Mavericks would not look back as they closed out the game with a 61-53 win. Noreen paced the Mavericks with 20 points, along with six rebounds and five steals. Moe added 11 points, eight rebounds and a career-high five steals. Moe and Noreen combined for 10 of MSU’s 12 steals. Andrews recorded her 12th career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Minnesota State will take on the winner of the Alaska-Anchorage in the NCAA Final Four Wednesday.

FULL STORY

–Courtesy Minnesota State Mankato Athletics

Joining Delta State in the top five are defending national champion Mount Olive College, Tampa University, Central Missouri State University, and fellow Gulf South Conference member Ouachita Baptist University. The GSC was also represented in the poll by Southern Arkansas University (No. 8), and the University of West Alabama (No. 9).

The Statesmen (48-11) claimed their 11th Gulf South Conference championship last season, but were upended in the NCAA South Central Region title game by Ouachita Baptist.

Delta State returns five starters off last year’s club, led by all-American second baseman Clay Sartain. The senior from Horn Lake was a unanimous all-Gulf South Conference and all-Region pick last season after batting .390 with 22 doubles, 10 home runs, and 62 RBIs. Joining Sartain in the middle of the lineup will be all-GSC and all-Region selection Devin Goodwin at shortstop. The pitching staff will look to all-GSC and all-Region starter Korey Cunningham this year. Senior Levi Bishop returns as one of the top closers in the nation.

The Statesmen pitching staff also returns seniors Marcus Wilson (RHP) and Joey Haston (RHP), junior Cody Kelley (RHP) and sophomore Nathan Hardy (RHP).

Delta State’s coaching staff also assembled one of the top recruiting classes in the nation last season. With competition at a fierce level at third base, catcher, and in left and right fields, the new-look Statesmen offense will certainly be able to hit in 2009.

The schedule features several key in-region non-conference games with national powerhouses, including Florida Southern, West Alabama, Montevallo, and West Florida.

– Courtesy of GoStatesmen.com

PINGBASEBALL.COM POLL

BASEBALLNEWS.COM POLL

The Big 3

How will the chips fall this season? If venue has any importance the season will be as close as ever. All three teams host and travel in their head-to-head match-ups. VSU hosts Delta and travels to UNA, while the Statesmen host the Lions. The Blazers will begin the season hosting traditional in-state rival Ft. Valley State of the SIAC and will then travel to 2006 playoff participant Newberry College from the SAC. Delta State has only one out-of-conference game when they open the season traveling to McNeese State (FCS) while North Alabama has three opening in a non-conference match-up with fellow GSC school Southern Arkansas. The Lions then travel to Carson-Newman (10-1 last season) from the SAC with a mid-season road contest against Independent North Greenville.

The greatest change in personnel will be with the defending national champions. The Blazers lose 13 starters including QB Willie Copeland, yet return All-Americans WR Cedric Jones and safety Sherard Reynolds. UNA returns Harlon Hill finalist QB AJ Milwee and All-GSC linebacker Michael Johnson, while Delta State will attempt to replace Harlon Hill finalist and All-American Michael Eubanks. The Statesmen will have a quarterback battle as they return the two starters (Garrett Dewitt, Dedrick Wilson) from last season along with Georgia transfer, Blake Barnes.

All three have key contests with playoff implications while the hottest game is the UNA/Carson-Newman battle, as the Eagles felt jilted out of the playoffs on a technicality last season. If any of the “Big 3” run the table in these games and head-to-head, they will be primed to sit atop the regional rankings at the end of regular season. Any slip-ups along the way will cause another year of nervousness around playoff selection time. However, with the Southeast Region having one less conference, a mixture of success a la 2007 should also provide all three with repeated post-season invitations.

Are you Reddie?

GSC elitists would have the preview stop there, yet the action in this conference is too exciting to limit coverage to the perennial powers. Several teams are on the verge of having breakout seasons and shaking things up at the top. One such team for a couple of years has been Henderson State. HSU was 6-2 in the conference for the second straight season in 2007. They will be led by All-GSC returning starters Bernard Palmer (RB) and All-American defensive back Devon Hughes. Key contests include opening with in-state rival and former GSC foe Central Arkansas (provisional FCS), traveling to North Alabama and hosting defending national champion Valdosta State.

Harding University is returning a stellar backfield unit with Harlon Hill Finalist Quarterback David Knighton and senior running back Alan Webster. They open with three non-conference games including one with fellow GSC team West Alabama. Then the Bisons have a tough challenge to begin their GSC schedule as they travel to Delta State and host North Alabama before a late season battle with Valdosta.

After a .500 season, the Wonderboys ofArkansas Tech will be led by All-American punter Michael Podobnik and quarterback Cole Barthel who had to sit out the end of last season with injury. Their toughest contests will include an out-of-conference and in-state match-up with Central Arkansas before hosting North Alabama and traveling to Delta State during their GSC campaign.

In Kearney, NE, the ladies had an exciting day with two games going into overtime. Alaska-Anchorage topped Franklin Pierce in OT during the first game of the day, while it took South Dakota two overtime periods to defeat Washburn in the nightcap. Other action included Northern Kentucky defeating Wingate while top-ranked and undefeated Delta State beat California (PA).

D2 Ladies Final Four:

Alaska-Anchorage (30-4) vs. Northern Kentucky (26-8)

South Dakota (31-1) vs. Delta State (33-0)

On Thursday March 27th, the semifinals will be at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. CST and be will air live on ESPN U. Two days later, ESPN 2 will cover the national title game, beginning at 5:00 p.m. CST.

The men had a full day of action in Springfield, MA where Augusta State defeated Central Oklahoma in double overtime and Alaska-Anchorage slipped by California (PA). During the night session Winona State defeated previously unbeaten Grand Valley State and top-ranked and undefeated Bentley handled North Alabama.

D2 Men’s Final Four:

Alaska-Anchorage (28-6) vs. Augusta State (26-6)

Winona State (36-1) vs. Bentley (34-0)

The semifinal games will be televised on CBS College Sports Network. The Championship Game will be televised live on CBS with Tim Brando and Dan Bonner providing commentary at 1:30 p.m. Central on Saturday, March 29.