Williams
and Neely Earn DU Co-Athlete of the Week Award
Freshman Tyrone Williams and sophomore Darius
Neely were selected as the DU Co-Athletes of the Week for the dates of
February 25-March 3.
The Marrero, La. native was sensational in the three games
that Dillard played at the 2013 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament in
Little Rock. Williams led his eighth seeded Bleu Devils through two huge
upsets over cross-town rivals Xavier and SUNO as his team eventually made it to
the championship game. Williams scored 25 points and grabbed four boards
in the 2013 GCAC championship game where Dillard fell to Philander Smith.
Williams also had another fabulous game and scored 26 points, pulled down six
rebounds and had two steals in the semifinal victory over SUNO on the previous
day. He also hit 4-of-6 three pointers in the game.
In the first round of the GCAC tourney, Williams helped his
team eliminate the number one seed Xavier University as he poured in 16 points,
seven rebounds and three assists and one block. Williams was named to the
2013 GCAC All-Tournament team.
On Saturday, the Charlotte native finished in first place
out of 13 runners in the Men’s 200 Meter Dash final at the 2013 Tulane Team
Challenge at Tag Gormley Stadium. He blazed by his competition as he
crossed the finish line with a time of 22.59.
Neely also finished first out of nine participants in the
Men’s 100 Meter Dash posting a time of 11.18 and was named “double-sprint
champion” of the challenge. Neely led his team to a second place overall
finish at the meet.
Neely was also a part of the Men’s 4x100 Meter Relay team
that finished in first place with a time of 42:25.
#2 Panthers
Defeat #8 Bleu Devils in GCAC Championship Game
The
number eight seed Dillard University had its Cinderella run come to an abrupt
halt in the championship game of the 2013 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference
tournament as they fell to the number two seed Philander Smith College
65-45 at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock. The game was dubbed “The Battle
of the HipHopPrez” since Dillard’s president (Dr. Walter Kimbrough, a.k.a. the
‘HipHopPrez’) spent the last seven years as Philander’s president.
The only challenge that he gave Dillard’s athletic teams
before the year started was to “defeat Philander Smith,” but the championship
game loss allowed Philander Smith to take a 4-3 lead in the overall head to
head match up this season against Dillard (volleyball & basketball
combined).
The Bleu Devils got off to a solid start as freshman Tyrone
Williams continued his hot shooting streak and finished with 25 points on
10-of-21 shooting, but the Panthers made a key substitution midway through the
first half when former Razorback player Andre Clark entered the game. The
6’9” center immediately made his presence felt finishing with 19 points and 13
rebounds in the game.
Despite trailing by just seven points at the half, the Bleu
Devils had no answer for Clark throughout the course of the game as Philander
Smith pulled away to win the second half by a 15 point margin. Coach Bernard
Griffith and his Bleu Devils used a six man rotation for nearly the
entirety of the tourney and the fatigue finally caught up to the young
squad. Out of the eight players on Dillard’s tournament roster, all were
either freshmen or sophomores.
Freshman Norvel Shelby had a solid game for Dillard
with 12 points, four rebounds, two steals and one assist, but freshman Jarrain
Jenkins had the worst shooting performance of his stellar season, going
1-for-16 from the field as he finished with just three points but grabbed 14
rebounds and added one steal.
Williams and Jenkins were both named to the 2013 GCAC
All-Tournament team.
In the semi-final of the GCAC tournament, Dillard pulled off
another astronomical upset with a 58-54 victory over the number five seed
Southern University at New Orleans. Freshman Tyrone Williams finished
with 26 points, hitting 10-of 16 shots from the field and nailing 4-of-6 three
pointers. Williams also pulled down six boards, produced two steals, one
block and one assist in 40 minutes of action. GCAC Freshman of the Year Jarrain
Jenkins finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals
and one block. Dillard played fantastic defense throughout the game and
held SUNO to just 32 percent shooting from the field.
In the first round of the GCAC tourney, the number eight
seed Dillard University pulled off the upset of a lifetime with a 59-56 victory
over the numer one seed Xavier University in the first round of the Gulf Coast
Athletic Conference tournament. Thanks to Dillard’s stellar zone defense,
Xavier shot just 30 percent from the field for the game.
Jenkins scored a game-high 23 points, nailing 10-of-18 shots
from the field. He also pulled down nine rebounds, produced two assists
and two steals in just over 37 minutes.
Sophomore Jordan Kilson filled up the stat sheet for
the Bleu Devils with 14 points, six boards, five assists and four steals, and
Williams had a stellar game as he finished with 16 points, seven
rebounds, three assists and one block in 40 minutes of action for Dillard.
Dillard ends the season with a 5-21 record.
Lady Bleu
Devils Eliminated from GCAC Tourney
Dillard
suffered its worst loss of the season with a 75-34 loss to Southern University
at New Orleans. With the loss, the Lady Bleu Devils were eliminated from
competition in the first round of the 2013 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference
Tournament in Little Rock.
GCAC Player of the Year April Perry scored 22 points in just
26 minutes for a SUNO team that produced five scorers in double figures against
Dillard. On the other hand, the Lady Bleu Devils had one lone player who
scored in double figures and that was GCAC Freshman of the Year Alena Evans who
finished with 12 points, seven boards and four steals in 35 minutes.
Dillard trailed 52-18 at the half and shot just 19 percent
for the game. Senior Jazzmin Smith was held to just seven points,
two steals and two boards in just 20 minutes of action. Smith was
recently named 1st team All-Conference and played her final game in
a Dillard uniform.
Dillard ends the season with a seven game losing.
Bleu Devils
Eliminate rival Xavier from GCAC Tourney
Less
than one week after getting dismantled by the Gold Rush in the final game of
the regular season, the #8 seed Dillard University pulled off the upset of a
lifetime with a 59-56 victory over the #1 seed Xavier University in the first
round of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference tournament at Barton Coliseum in
Little Rock. Thanks to Dillard’s stellar defense, Xavier shot just 30
percent from the field for the game.
The Gold Rush had no answer for Dillard’s Jarrain Jenkins
who was recently named GCAC Freshman of the Year. Jenkins scored a
game-high 23 points, nailing 10-of-18 shots from the field. He also
pulled down nine rebounds, produced two assists and two steals in just over 37
minutes. Jenkins picked up his fourth foul with 14:54 left in the ball
game, and at the time Dillard held a six point lead. He was then forced
to sit out for quite some time, and that is when the Gold Rush went on a huge
run and took a 43-40 lead with 8:34 left in the game.
Several minutes later, Jenkins entered the game and scored
eight points down the stretch to close out the game for the Bleu Devils.
Wanto Joseph had a strong game for Xavier with 20
points, seven boards, five assists and four steals on the night, but the Gold
Rush had only one other player to score in double figures.
Dillard (4-20 overall) had a 33-26 lead at the half and only
allowed Xavier to hit just seven first half shots. Sophomore Jordan
Kilson filled up the stat sheet for the Bleu Devils with 14 points, six boards,
five assists and four steals, and freshman Tyrone Williams had a stellar
game as he finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one block
in 40 minutes of action for Dillard.
Dillard Vies
for GCAC Championship in “Battle of HipHopPrez”
The
Bleu Devils continue to shock the GCAC world as they advanced to the
championship game of the GCAC tournament and face Philander Smith College on
Saturday, March 2, at 4:30 p.m. at Barton Coliseum. The game is dubbed
“The Battle of the HipHopPrez” since Dillard’s president (Dr. Walter Kimbrough,
a.k.a. the ‘HipHopPrez’) spent the last seven years as Philander’s
president. The only challenge that he gave Dillard’s athletic teams
before the year started was to “defeat Philander Smith.”
In the semi-final of the GCAC tournament, Dillard pulled off
another astronomical upset with a 58-54 victory over Southern University at New
Orleans. Freshman Tyrone Williams finished with 26 points, hitting
10-of 16 shots from the field and nailing 4-of-6 three pointers. Williams
also pulled down six boards, produced two steals, one block and one assist in
40 minutes of action. GCAC Freshman of the Year Jarrain Jenkins finished
with 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.
Dillard played fantastic defense throughout the game and held SUNO to just 32
percent shooting from the field.
Dillard’s Henry
Grabs 2nd Place Finish in Women’s 100 Meter Dash
Lady Bleu Devils junior sprinter Courtney Henry
finished in second place in the Women’s 100 Meter Dash at the 2013 Tulane Team
Challenge at Tag Gormley Stadium. Henry posted a time of 13.17. She
also collected a third place finish in the Women’s 200 Meter Dash with a time
of 26.71.
Also in the 200, her teammate’s junior sprinter Destinee
Showell and freshman sprinter Dominique Hardin finished fifth and
seventh, posting times of 26.96 and 27.98 respectively.
Showell went on to compete in the Women’s 400 Meter Dash and
took home an eighth place finish with a time of 1:01.99. She also
competed in the Women’s 100 Meter Dash with her teammate Henry and finished in
fifth place, posting a time of 13.67. Hardin also participated in the
Women’s 400 and finished in 11th place with a time of 1:03.94.
“Overall I expected Courtney to do pretty well,” said head
coach Bobby Williams Jr. “I was satisfied with her performance
regardless of the weather conditions since it was very cold, and Destinee did
very well, competing in three different sprinting events for us.”
The GCAC defending champion Lady Bleu Devils have dropped
down in numbers, but nonetheless continue to keep striving for success.
“Our women’s team is very small since we lost some ladies to
unforeseen events, so this year will be a year to focus on individuals at
nationals.”
Senior Jonquil Griffin, who was recently named the
recipient of the 2013 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions
of Character Award, finished fifth overall in the Women’s Triple Jump with
a distance of 10.28 meters.
The Lady Bleu Devils finished sixth overall at the 2013
Tulane Team Challenge.
Dillard’s Neely
Takes 1st in 100 & 200 at Tulane Team Challenge
Dillard
University sophomore Darius Neely finished in first place out of 13
runners in the Men’s 200 Meter Dash final at the 2013 Tulane Team Challenge at
Tag Gormley Stadium. He blazed by his competition as he crossed the
finish line with a time of 22.59. Neely also finished first out of nine
participants in the Men’s 100 Meter Dash posting a time of 11.18 and was named
“double-sprint champion” of the challenge. Neely led his team to a second
place overall finish at the meet.
“It’s a great accomplishment since I’ve never been named
double-sprint champion before,” said Neely. “I feel like our men (Bleu
Devils) did well regardless of the weather conditions.”
Also in the Men’s 100, sophomore Kermit Buggage and
sophomore Tobyus Simmons finished second and third overall, posting
times of 11.40 and 11.48 respectively.
In the Men’s 200, sophomore Jevonte Ezzard finished
in second place behind his teammate Neely, posting a time of 23.00.
Simmons ended up in fourth place with a time of 23.38.
In the Men’s 400, Ezzard finished in second with a time of
49.50 and junior teammate Matthew Jones finished in third with a time of
50.45.
Normally temperatures range between 70 and 80 degrees on an
ideal track day, but temperatures were around the low 40’s with a ton of wind
at City Park.
“I honestly think the weather conditions slowed down my
times, but no excuses,” said Neely.
In the Men’s 110 Meter Hurdles, senior Runell King finished
first with a time of 17.27, and senior Marcel Williams finished second
overall in the Men’s Javelin Throw with a distance of 31.63 meters. With
the Tulane Team Challenge, Williams completed the first collegiate track and
field meet of his career.
“It was very fun,” said Williams. “One day during
offseason I told my teammates that I would throw 100 yards in my first meet,
and to hear the announcer yell over the speakers that I threw equivalent to 103
yards was a true accomplishment.”
Ezzard, Buggage, Simmons, and sophomore Friday George were
a part of the Men’s 4x100 Meter Relay team that finished in first place with a
time of 42:25.
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Dillard University Athletics - March 2013
