Friday, Jan. 30, 1998 Sports Page 7 Eagles claw back to beat St. Aug. in OT Eagle freshman forward/center Jimmy Boston pulls in one of 17 rebounds that he made against the Bowie State Bulldogs. Along with his 17 rebounds, Boston scored 14 points in the Eagles' 81-64 victory. In six games already this year, Boston has accumulated 65 rebounds, averaging 10.5 per game. Staff photo by Paul Phipps by Michael Raeford Staff Writer Jan. 17, North Carolina Central University's men's basketball team played a nationally televised game against conference rival St. Augustine's College in McLendon- McDougald Gymnasium. Playing in front of a crowd of 3,123 roaring fans, the Eagles, who trailed almost the entire game, rallied from a double-digit deficit to defeat the Falcons 92-88 in over time. The Eagles out-rebounded St. Augustine's 57-35. Freshman forward/center Jimmy Boston electrified the fans with a stellar performance leading the Eagles with 28 points and pulling in 21 rebounds. Junior guard Jomo Lyles-Belton finished second in scoring with 21 points. Senior guards Mike Hadley and Mike White finished the game with 17 and 13 points, respectively. The Falcons were led by guard Larry Johnson who scored 21 points and forward Lafante Moses with 19 points. Five Game Recap The Eagles started the New Year off with a home conference game against the Broncos of Fayetteville State University. Despite a six point deficit at the half, the Eagles clawed their way back to defeat the Broncos, 70-66. White ted NCCU, shooting seven of seven from the field for 19 points. Boston finished with 16 points, sophomore guard Marques Johnson scored 13 points, while Lyles-Belton added 10 points. FSU's leading scorers were Timothy Rells, Larry Bratcher and Phillip Allen who scored 18,16 and 11 points, respectively. Jan. 6, the Eagles hosted the Bulldogs of Bowie State. Outstanding rebounding (NCCU-46, Bowie St.-31) sparked the Eagle offense giving NCCU an 81-64 victory over Bowie. Hadley led the Eagles with a game-high of 21 points. Boston scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds, while Lyles-Belton scoredlO points. Shae Johnson led Bowie, Che Evans and William Brown who scored 17, 16 and 10 points, respectively. Jan. 10, the Eagles travelled to Raleigh to battle St. Augustine's College. The Eagles were plagued in the first half by poor shooting, with just 25 percent accuracy. Terrible offensive performance during the first half paved the way for St. Augustine's victory .over NCCU, 100-84. The Eagles were led by White with 29 points, Johnson with 17 points, Hadley with 13 points, and Boston and Lyles-Belton with 10 points each. St. Augustine's was led by Moses and Johnson, who both finished with 23 points. Jan. 13, the Eagles travelled to Salisbury, N.C., to compete against conference foe Livingstone College. Behind efficient three-point shooting, the Eagles defeated the Blue Bears 77-69. The Eagles completed nine of 17 shots from three-point range, a whopping 53 percent success rate. Leading scorers for the Eagles were Hadley with 25 points, freshman guard Gordon Tucker with 17 points. White with 13 points and sophomore forward Warren Bell with 10 points. The Blue Bears were led by Derrick Wyche who scored 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Antar Crawley who scored 15 points. Jan. 15, the Eagles took a break from conference play to face Wilberforce University at McLendon-McDougald Gymnasium. Despite dismal first half shooting and a one-point deficit at the half, the Eagles fought their way back to capture a convincing victory over Wilberforce, 89-69. Hadley, who repeatedly broke down the Wilberforce defense, finished with a game-high 27 points. Boston and center Boswell King both had double doubles with 13 points andl2 rebounds, and 10 points and 12 rebounds, respectively. Tucker finished with 11 points and three steals. Wilberforce was led by Barry Martin with 18 points and Demetrius Sams with 14 points. Women’s basketball team struggles for wins in *98 by Douglas G. Johnson II Staff Writer Jan. 19, the Lady Eagles (6-10) fell to Savannah State University by a score of 71-68. The individual leading scorers for Savannah State were not available, but as a team they shot 50% from the three-point line. NCCU senior forward Latisha Martin led the Lady Eagles with 26 points and nine rebounds.Junior forward/center Earlean Lipsey scored 14 points and eight rebounds. Trailing by 23 points at the half, the Lady Eagles outscored Savannah State 52-32 in the second half, but still came up short. Another factor for Savannah State's victory is that they shot 46 percent from the field and 77 percent from the free throw line. Five Game Recap Jan. 3, the Lady Eagles were blown away by Fayetteville State Poteat nation's top in 400 meter dash From staff reports Nzinga Poteat, a senior from Harrisburg, Pa. is ranked as the nation's top female runner in the 400 meter dash for Division II Indoor Track and Field. Poteat also finished fourth place in the CIA A Cross-Country Championships last fall.. Softball, tennis and track prepare for spring season from staff reports Practices have started for the spring sports and players are eager to begin competitions. Women's softball and both men's and women's tennis will begin in mid-February. Outdoor track will begin in March. Listed below are the first few matches of the spring teams. University, 81-53. The Lady Bronco's leading scorers were Tammy Brown, Michelle Dent, and Nattlie Pearson with 19,15 and 14 points, respectively. The Lady Eagles were led by freshman center Danya Nelson and sophomore guard/forward Cherina Barnes with 16 and 12 points respectively. Jan. 6, NCCU fell to the Bowie State Lady Bulldogs 62-48. Bowie State was led by Tarsha Wilson and Beverly Winstead with 18 points and 15 points respectively. NCCU was led by junior forwaistjCrystal Cosby and Barn.es with 14 points and 11 points respectively. Jan. 10, St. Augustine's College handed the Lady Eagles their eighth loss of the season with a 72-57 victory. St. Augustine's was paced by guard Tinita Vick who had 31 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. NCCU was led by Barnes who scored 21 points and had seven rebounds. Nelson chipped in with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Lady Eagles were plagued with 35 turnovers. Jan. 13, the Lady Eagles were nipped by the Livingstone College Blue Bears, 58-53. Livingstone was led by Vickie Purnell with 23 points and eight rebounds, and Davonyale Tedford with 14 points and 15 rebounds. NCCU's leading scorers were Barnes and sophomore forward Fatimah Bah, who scored 12 points each. Jan. 17, the Lady Eagles defeated the Lady Falcons of St. Augustine's College 64-54 for their sixth win of the season. NCCU's Martin led a balanced attack with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Junior guard Hallina Humphries and Barnes added 17 and 13, respectively. The Lady Falcons were led by Donita Mays, who earned 22 points and 11 rebounds. Women's Softball Date Opponent Time 2/11 at Louisburg College 4:00 2/14 at Queens College 1:00 2/19 PEMBROKE COLLEGE 4:30 2/22 LEE'S McCRAE 4:30 Women's Tennis Date Opponent Time 2/22 at Limestone College 1:00 2/25 at Averett College 2:00 2/28 at Louisburg College 11 a.m. Men's Tennis Date Opponent Time 2/22 at Limestone College 1:00 2/25 at Averett College 2:00 Outdoor Track & Field Date Opponent Time 3/28 LT. WALKER INVITE 9 a.m. i In each issue we'll spotlight an outstanding student-athlete who shines on and off the field or court. To nominate a deserving athlete, call Sports Editor Jelani Manuel. 560-6504. Please leave your name and number. Student-athlete of the week: Elisha Marshall, ranked number one nationally in the 55 meter dash in NCAA i Division II track and field, also has maintained a 3.3 GPA while at NCCU. by Dinky Kearney Staff Writer For most college students, the daily grind of a 15-hour course load is enough to handle, let alone be a studeni athlete. Elisha Marshall, a two year All-American sprinter with North Carolina Central University women's track team, is a classic example of a student who excels in the classroom and on the track. Marshall, a Human Science major with a concentration in Child Development, is a senior from Fayetteville. She is attending NCCU on a track scholarship. Marshall chose to attend NCCU because it was the only school that offered her an athletic scholarship. Since she has been at NCCU, Marshall has maintained a GPA of 3.3 and made the Dean's List last semester. Marshall says that the root of her academic achievement comes from the determination to succeed and her family. ' "My mother is my inspiration to achieve academic excellence, and she is my primary motivation," she said. In track, her skills are just as dynamic. Marshall runs the 55, 60 and 200 meters in indoor track and runs the 100 meters in outdoor track. Some of her achievements while at NCCU include a Third place finish in the 1996 Nationals and a second place finish in the 1997 Nationals. At the 1997 National Championships she received the Most Valuable Player award and the Most Improved Award. On December 13, 1997, Marshall finished in first place in the women's 60 meter dash at the George Mason Lid- Lifter indoor track meet in Fairfax, Va., posting a time of 7.56. Marshall's victory in the 60 meter dash automatically qualified her for the 1998 NCAA Division II Indoor Track Championships at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Ind., on March 13-14. At the same meet, Marshall also finished in first place in the ;:s200 meter dash, posting a time of 25.89. But Marshall doesn't measure her present and future success Elisha Marshall solely on her athleticism. She understands the importance of getting an education. "When you go out there to run, you could hurt youisell oi shatter a knee," she said. "All athletes should get their college degree because sports are not guaranteed. "I have aspirations of owning my own day care," M.iishall said. "I enjoy being with children, and I'd love to woik with them," she said.