THE CASH STUFF FOR MARCH 7, 2013

NNPA STORIES -
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http://www.nnpa.org/news/lead/supreme-court-hears-voting-rights-challenge-by-george-e-curry/
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http://www.nnpa.org/news/lead/the-elusive-black-agenda-by-freddie-allen/  [picture]

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BLACK CAUCUS BLASTS GOP

VOTER ID PLAN “SALES PITCH”

By Cash Michaels

Editor

            It was a seemingly kinder, gentler Republican House leadership Tuesday that rolled out their plans for a “deliberative, responsible and inactive ” month-long approach of legislative hearings to ultimately pass a “fair” voter photo identification law. House Speaker Thom Tillis (R-Mecklenburg) and House Elections Committee Co-Chairman Rep. David Lewis (R-Harnett) even invited those who are opposed to the measure, to “productively” join with the Republicans to craft a law everyone can live with.

            The hearings will begin on Tuesday, March 12^th, and will feature experts, pro and con, Rep. Lewis said.

            “We are asking our colleagues in the House who do not support this bill, the various outside groups who’ve made it clear through their continuing opposition to this bill, we’re asking them to help us. We’re asking them to come to the table, and serious talk about an issue that’s very important to us,” Lewis said, adding that the “integrity” of the voting process must be protected.

            Tillis noted that a recent Elon University poll showed that over 70 percent of North Carolinians agreed, favoring some type of voter ID.

With Republican supermajorities in both the state House and Senate, Tillis assured everyone a voter ID law was a certainty, especially with Republican Gov. Pat McCrory on board to sign it as soon as it crossed his desk. Still, he wanted to extend an olive branch towards bringing about.

            But hours later, members of the Democrat-led NC Legislative Black Leadership Caucus made it clear that they weren’t falling for the Republican ”sales pitch,” and though Democrats are outnumbered in the state Legislature, they will still stand and fight against voter ID, and any other repressive legislation they feel will hurt poor and middle-class communities of color.

            “The voter ID bill being proposed will definitely do damage to the citizens in the [communities] we serve each and every day, NCLBC chairman, Rep. Garland Pierce (D-Hoke) said.

            Former NCLBC chairman, state Sen. Floyd McKissick (D-Durham) of the over 4 million votes cast in North Carolina during the 2008 presidential elections, only 44 cases of alleged voter fraud occurred.

            “[The Republicans] are trying to create the perception that there is rampant voter fraud, when there are no statistics to bare that out,” McKissick said, adding that the true GOP goal is to target black Democrats and independents, “…and suppress that vote.”

“This [proposed voter] ID bill is something of a solution looking for a problem,” said Rep. H. M. “Mickey” Michaux, a Democrat also from Durham. “There have been no problems, particularly in North Carolina, in regards to any voter fraud.”

That was the stance former Gov. Beverly Perdue took when she vetoed the voter ID law the GOP legislature passed in 2011, stalling their attempts to have it in place in time for the 2012 presidential elections. Perdue, a Democrat, said she vetoed the bill because it was a clear attempt at voter suppression, a charge Republicans denied.

But the charge gained firepower when the NC Board of Elections researched the voter rolls, and determined that over 600,000 registered voters across the state -, many of them people of color and a majority of them Democrats - do not have some form of legal photo identification, like a driver’s license.

            When asked to respond to Speaker Tillis and Rep. Lewis’ promise that the process for coming up with a photo voter ID bill will be slow, “fair” and “deliberative,” with an open invitation to opposing groups to participate “productively,” Michaux was dismissive.

            “I think that’s a sales pitch that they’re out there pushing right now, that they think that by making it look fair, that it will become fair,” Michaux chided, adding that it was no different from “putting lipstick on a pig.”

            “The only thing I can tell Republicans to do is forget it, because you are disenfranchising a half million people,” Michaux went on. “Our state Board of Elections has proved that figure already. [And] I have heard nobody say what it is going to cost in order to provide everybody with photo ID. Those who don’t have it – you got 600,00 people – how are you going to provide hem with that? How are you going to not disenfranchise those people? Somebody tell me that!”

Michaux and other NCLBC also asked why people who send in absentee ballots are not subject to the same legislative scrutiny that voters who show up at the polls are about to receive.

            House Speaker Tillis and Rep. Lewis say as part of their upcoming process, they will look at the absentee balloting process.

Beyond fighting voter ID, Rep. Pierce said members of the NCLBC are filing bills and speaking out on issues such as helping ex-offenders to find work; banning revealing if one is a felon on employment applications; increasing the minimum wage; sparking more economic opportunities and training in rural parts of the state to stem unemployment; providing more access to capital for small businesses; improving pre-kindergarten funding and moving the program back to the Dept. of Public Education; getting struggling schools the resources they need for their special populations; making sure that the NC Board of Governors remains diverse; monitoring healthy disparities on people of color; and re-introducing a bill to compensate victims of the state’s sterilization program.

            But creating more jobs is a priority to the NCLBC, and Rep. Michaux pointed that the state’s unemployment rate, 9.2, has not really changed since the GOP took over the General Assembly in 2011.

“They are truly taking from the needy, and giving to the greedy,” said Rep. Pierce, noting bills passed to stop expansion of Medicaid to poor North Carolinians, end the Earned Income Tax Credit, and the reduction of unemployment benefits will hurt not only low-income, but middle-class citizens – black and white – as well.

            Ending the inheritance tax, which only millionaires in the state paid, was an example of the GOP looking out for the rich, Rep. Pierce added.

            “This is a class struggle,” Pierce said, “Not necessarily black or white.”

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[SPECIAL STORY FOR THE CAROLINIAN] 

WHITFIELD TO SUE FOR TERMINATION

By Cash Michaels

Staff writer

            A former Lenoir County precinct judge says he will file a lawsuit against the Lenoir County Board of Elections because it wrongfully terminated him from the position he held for 25 years, and “defamed” him.

            Christopher Whitfield says he was removed as Kinston Precinct K-2 judge – a designated official who maintains order and settles disputes at the polling place - two years ago. He adds that the board secretary told him that the minutes reflected the reason for Whitfield’s removal as, “My work didn’t meet board standards,” something that Whitfield vehemently disagrees with.

            He indicates that at the time of his termination, a new elections board had taken over, changing chairman, and also going without the only black member it previously had. But Whitfield says he doesn’t blame the new members because they had nothing to do with his termination.

            Whitfield says he’s only had trouble at his precinct twice in 25 years, and that was during early voting when “people were doing what they weren’t supposed to be doing.”

            “This county’s board [of elections] has been out of control for years,” Whitfield says, noting the current controversy where the board is trying to terminate its elections director.

            Whitfield says he feels slandered by the accusation that his work “didn’t meet board standards” after twenty years, and is planning to sue accordingly. He says there was no due process allowing him to face his accusers, present his record, have a full and fair hearing before termination, and appeal the decision.

            “It was done in the dark,” Whitfield maintains, adding that he hasn’t found any officials in Lenoir County who has been able to specifically outline what exactly he did wrong, and when.

            And Whitfield says in the twenty-five years that he did serve, he’s never heard of anyone else connected with the Lenoir Board of Elections who was for the same reason he was. He feels that he has been “defamed” because the board put his termination due to allegedly not meeting board standards  “in the public record.”

            “My legal team is ready to move,” Whitfield indicates. “I’m going to sue the board for slander and defamation of character. I’m going to do that win, lose or draw.”

            But Whitfield says part of his mission is to straighten out the problems with the board to “correct this process for the younger people.”

            “I’m not stopping,” he adds. “Hell will be frozen over before I stop.”

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CASH IN THE APPLE – 3-7-13

By Cash Michaels

            NABJ MEET – This Saturday I’m scheduled to travel to Charlotte to speak at Johnson C. Smith University during the plenary session of the National Association of Black Journalists Regional III Conference on Saturday, March 9^th .

            They’ve asked me to come and talk about my extraordinary experience coordinating the historic Wilmington Ten Pardons of Innocence Project. Ken Smith, anchor/reporter with WRAL-TV in Raleigh invited me, and I was honored to accept.

            In case you don’t know, NABJ is a powerful advocacy organization for black journalists in print, radio and television. It has fought to make sure that all of us have a place in the various newsrooms across this nation, to make sure that our community’s story is accurately told.

            But NABJ, since its beginnings in the mid-1970’s, has also always insisted that journalists of color be given the opportunity to prove themselves, and match their skills to anyone else in their field. As a result, we’ve all been proud of journalists like ABC’s Max Robinson, CBS’ Ed Bradley and BET’s Ed Gordon.

            So I am extremely proud to be speaking to some of the top black journalists from throughout the South, and share my experience with the Wilmington Ten project.

            It also helps that I am in the process of producing a documentary about the experience titled, “Pardon of Innocence: The Wilmington Ten,” for which the script is being written right now, on-camera interviews have been ongoing, and the tentative premiere date is Dec. 31^st, 2013 – the one year anniversary of when Gov. Perdue indeed granted the pardons.

            So the experience is always on my mind, and in my heart. Now I’ve already done several media interviews about it with outlets from all over the nation. But this will be the first that I’ve been invited to share the experience with an audience.

            And on this occasion, not just any audience, but an audience of my peers, who take journalism seriously because this is how they make their living.

            More importantly, I can’t wait to take their questions, because I know there are many. But I hope, in both my presentation, and our Q and A period, that I help my colleagues feel better about the profession we all practice.

            I’ve always seen journalism not just as the practice of reporting the facts, or telling the story accurately and in context (in my opinion, facts without context are worthless), but more importantly as a way to help people.

            That meant, sometimes, that as a journalist, I had to get involved, something that journalists traditionally are taught not to do.

            But being a reporter in the black community, in my opinion, leaves you no choice. If you live, or at least work in the community, and you hold a position of some responsibility, then you have no choice but to stand up and speak out, especially when you see injustice.

            There are many who disagree with that, but the distinction lies in the answer to the following question – are you a black reporter, or a reporter who happens to be black?

            Most African-American reporters who work for major media outlets like CBS, ABC or CNN, are reporters who happen to be black, because covering the African-American community is not their primary responsibility. So CNN’s Soledad O’Brien, who is leaving CNN to ramp up her own documentary production company, has proven without doubt that there is more to her than her “Black America” series.

            The same with Byron Pitts, who is reportedly leaving CBS News and “60 Minutes,” for ABC News. Byron’s vast body of work, just like Ed Bradley before him, proves that he is among the finest television journalists anywhere, or any color.

            Earl Caldwell, formerly of the New York Times. He was one of the first black reporters there, covering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and originally assigned to cover the emerging Black Panther Party of the late 1960’s-early 1970’s. The FBI wanted Caldwell to spy for them, and he refused. So they took had him indicted, and when Caldwell refused to divulge his sources, the case went all the way up to the US Supreme Court.

            The High Court decision in Caldwell’s case led to the laws reporters enjoy today that protect them for revealing their sources in important stories.

            And then you have those of us who work exclusively for the Black Press, be in black newspapers and magazines, radio stations, online or television programs. We specifically target the black community, even though we know and appreciate that many outside of our community also read, watch and listen to our work. Our primary mission is to inform, inspire and educate our community, which means we advocate for our issues without apology.

            Some say that’s biased. Absolutely, the same kind of bias that’s employed in a sports magazine, company newsletter or school newspaper. That doesn’t mean we don’t work diligently to make sure that our facts are straight. Indeed, we delight in pointing out where the mainstream media has screwed up.

            Our responsibility, as black reporters (as opposed to being reporters who happen top be black), is to work on behalf of the African-American community, which means we must be advocates for those who voice is otherwise never heard.

            As a black reporter, that was my job as coordinator of the Wilmington Ten Pardons of Innocence Project. Not just to report what was going on, but also join in coalition with other community groups to bring about justice. That meant I had to work on various levels, and do something reporters ordinarily aren’t supposed to do – not just get involved with the story, but actually steer and direct it.

            That’s normally frowned upon because journalists are expected to be “objective” observers. But the Pardon Project was a direct effort of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, the 200-member black newspaper association that in March 2011 voted to secure pardons for the Wilmington Ten.

            Mind you, the NNPA didn’t vote to report about getting pardons. They voted to make it happen.

            Stories alone weren’t going to make that happen. Reporters who happen to be black weren’t going to make it happen.

            It took those of us who take our mission and commitment to our community seriously, joining in coalition with the NCNAACP, and black attorneys, and the black church, and white academia and social networking groups, to ultimately bring about the justice was forty years overdue.

            That’s the story I will both this Saturday morning in Charlotte before the NABJ Region III Conference, and ultimately, in the film we’re producing for later this year.

            And as a black journalist, I am very proud to tell the story.

            CONGRATULATIONS TO GOV. BEVERLY PERDUE – On March 14^th, the NNPA Foundation will formerly honor former Gov. Beverly Perdue as “Newsmaker of the Year” during a special dinner in Washington, D.C.

            Perdue is being recognized for her historic, and courageous act, under a lot of pressure, of granting pardons of innocence for the Wilmington Ten. North Carolina black publishers all agreed, as did other NNPA publishers across the nation, that Gov. Perdue certainly earned this distinction.

            We are very proud of her, and plan to be in Washington on March 14^th to cover the occasion.

            Thank you Gov. Perdue.

Make sure you tune in every Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. for my talk radio show, ''Make It Happen'' on Power 750 WAUG-AM, or online at www.myWAUG.com. And read more about my thoughts and opinions exclusively at my blog, ‘The Cash Roc” (http://thecashroc.blogspot.com/2011/01/cash-roc-begins.html). I promise it will be interesting.

Cash in the Apple - honored as the Best Column Writing of 2006 by the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Columnist Cash Michaels was also honored by the NNPA for Best Feature Story Journalist of 2009, and was the recipient of the Raleigh-Apex NAACP’s President’s Award for Media Excellence in Sept. 2011.

Until next week, keep a smile on your face, GOD in your heart, and The Carolinian in your life. Bye, bye.

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STATE NEWS BRIEFS – 3-7-13

***[UPDATED] GOV. PERDUE, JOYNER, ATTY FERGUSON AND REV. BARBER TO BE HONORED DURING BLACK PRESS WEEK

            [WASH., D.C.] Former NC Beverly Perdue is scheduled to be honored as the “Newsmaker of the Year” March 14^th by the National Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation during it annual Black Press Week celebration in Washington, DC. Perdue is being honored for granting pardons of innocence to the Wilmington, a project the NNPA had launched in 2011. Also honored will be North Carolina Central University law Professor Irving Joyner, who co-chaired the Wilmington Ten Pardons of Innocence Project, NCNAACP Pres. Rev. William Barber, who pushed the cause publicly, and attorney James Ferguson, the lead defense attorney for the Wilmington Ten.

NEW NORTH CAROLINA PRESIDENT FOR AT&T

            [CHARLOTTE] Venessa (NOTE - THIS SPELLING IS CORRECT) Harrison has been named the new president of AT&T North Carolina, replacing Cynthia Marshall, who moved to the company’s Dallas, Texas headquarters. Harrison, 56, is a North Carolina native and an African-American who has been with AT&T for 33 years. She has served as Regional Vice President of External Affairs for AT&T NC. She began her career in the operator services division.

HOUSE RESOLUTION SPONSOR SAYS OBAMA “OUT OF CONTROL” ON GUNS

            [RALEIGH] A resolution passed by the state House Rules Committee along partisan lines Tuesday says it “…opposes any infringement by the federal government of the right of the people of this State to keep and bear arms.” The sponsor of the resolution, freshman lawmaker Rep. Michael Speciale (R-Craven), adds that “We right now have an out-of-control federal government…[and] we here in the North Carolina General Assembly are the last bastion of hope between citizens and an ever-encroaching federal government.” Speciale didn’t stop there. He blamed Pres. Obama and Vice Pres. Biden specifically for measures to control the flow of guns. At press time, the measure was headed to the House floor.

CHENEY SHOULD BE “ROTTING IN HELL,” SAYS NC GOP CONGRESSMAN

            Apparently not all North Carolina Republican congressmen are fans of former Vice President Dick Cheney. Congressman Walter Jones told Young Americans of Liberty, a Libertarian group, that he hold’s Cheney responsible for America’s involvement in the Iraq war. "Congress will not hold anyone to blame," Jones is quoted as telling the group. "Lyndon Johnson's probably rotting in hell right now because of the Vietnam War, and he probably needs to move over for Dick Cheney.'' Jones was an early supporter of the war, before he turned against it.

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TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS 3-7-13

RWCA “STATE OF NC POLITICS” TOWN HALL TONITE AT 7

            With Republicans dominating the top levels of North Carolina government, what is the current state of our political environment today? That and more will be discussed this evening, March 7^th, starting at 7 p.m. during a special community town hall meeting at Martin Street Baptist Church, 1001 East Martin Street in Raleigh. Sponsored by the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association and NC Black Elected Officials, there will also be a panel discussion, and 41 minute documentary on ALEC. For more information call 919-833-9756.

DUKE UNIVERSITY SETTLES LACROSSE LAWSUIT

            Thirty-eight members of the 2005-06 men’s Duke lacrosse team have settled a lawsuit with Duke University stemming from the 2006 alleged Duke lacrosse rape case. Crystal Mangum, currently free on bond pending her murder trial, accused three members of the lacrosse team of raping her during a strip party the team was having. Her charges were later dismissed by the State Attorney General’s office. The three accused players have separately settled with the school, and have suits against the Durham police department still pending.

RALEIGH NAMED TOP TEN “BEST” CITY FOR FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS

            The Capital City has made a lot of top ten lists recently, and now it is deemed one of the nation’s best places for women to open a business. The personal finance website NerdWallet recently reported that Raleigh ranks eighth on its top ten list out of fifty cities nationwide for female entrepreneurs. The site noted Raleigh’s low unemployment, quality of life, and high number of businesses per 100 residents as just some of the reasons why Raleigh ranked so high. The city also ranked ninth in the overall percentage of female-owned businesses at 24.4 percent.

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ST. AUG STUDENTS LEAD - Four students in St. Augustine's University's Political Science Club monitored the polls on Election Day 2012, and were honored with a check from Common Cause NC. Pictured are (l to r) Jamie Goff, Jill Ricks, Ashley Merideth and Masac Dorlouis [photo courtesy of Masac Dorlouis]

Students at Saint Augustine's University honored for helping Community

Political Science Club students rewarded for monitoring local polls during election 

by Masac Dorlouis
Special to The Carolinian

Students in the political science club at Saint Augustine's University who volunteered to monitor polls during the presidential election, were honored on  February 26^th with a small contribution from Common Cause NC.

Concerned about all the threats of voter intimidation and confusion that would come with the 2012 presidential election, Common Cause North Carolina campus outreach chose to educate the youth about how to respond. 

Saint Augustine's Political Science Club, led by Professor Willie Fullwood, jumped at the opportunity to exercise their civic duty to the community by volunteering to monitor Tarboro Community Center the day of the Nov. 6^th, 2012 election. 

"This was my first presidential election. I wanted to vote and ensure others had the right to exercise their right to vote also," said Jamie Goff, a sophomore business major,-when asked why she decided to volunteer. 

Students were trained on how to help and respond if a citizen felt misled or threatened by anyone who wasn’t a precinct official. 

Club members didn't observe or experience any incidents of this nature during election day, but shared their sentiments about how they enjoyed seeing the community come out to vote.

"It was exciting to see many people come out to support their candidates," said Ashley Meredith, acting president of the club," and particularly interesting to see how many minorities took advantage of voting." 

Students were asked to monitor the polls throughout the day, especially during the hours activity at the polls was expected to increase. 

Sophomore Jill Ricks said," I really enjoyed my experience poll monitoring. As a young adult, I benefited from this experience because I felt empowered exercising my right to vote and ensuring that others had the opportunity to do the same without intimidation." 

The members present at the ceremony agreed that they would be willing to serve their community as poll monitors again! 

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LADY SHAW BEARS WIN THIRD STRAIGHT CIAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Special to The Carolinian Newspaper

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Shaw University Lady Bears won their third straight CIAA Championship following a 72-53 victory over Fayetteville State in the title game on Saturday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The Lady Bears outscored the Lady Broncos 42-27 in the second half to win their eighth CIAA Championship in the last 11 years. The win improves Shaw, the No. 2 seed from the Southern Division, to 25-4 overall while Fayetteville State, the No. 1 seed from the Southern Division, drops to 24-6 overall.

Shaw was led by three players in double figures with Crystal Wilson and Crystal Harris leading the way with 18 points apiece. Taylor Dalrymple chimed in with 16 points and eight rebounds and was named the Most Valuable Player for the Tournament.

"We knew it was going to be a battle of rebounds and free throws," said Shaw head coach Jacques Curtis. "When we lost to them the first time, they outrebounded us and shot more free throws than we did. When we played them the second time, we out rebounded them and shot more free throws. So we knew the key to the game had nothing to do with putting the ball in the basket, it had to do with us not putting them on the line as much."

The Lady Bears pulled down 48 rebounds compared to 41 for Fayetteville State. From the charity stripe, the Lady Bears were 18-of-22 while the Lady Broncos were 10-of-11.

Fayetteville State was led by Akysia Resper, who finished with a team-high 16 points. Alicia Person added 11 points in the loss. The reigning CIAA Player of the Year Kristen Hanzer was limited to just eight points and was held scoreless until midway through the second half.

"What we got from Shaw is what we expected," said Fayetteville State head coach Eva Patterson-Heath. "I'd like to congratulate them for winning a third CIAA Championship. I put the word 'relentless' on the board at the start of the game. I feel like at times it did not apply. We just did not attack, as was demonstrated in 11 attempts at the free throw line."

After a three-pointer from Akysia Resper gave the Lady Broncos the early 3-0 lead, the Lady Bears responded with a 6-0 run to take a three-point lead thanks to a layup from Crystal Wilson at the 15:19 mark of the first half.

An off balance jumper from Dalrymple tied the game up at 8, sparking a 10-0 run that helped propel the Lady Bears to an eight-point lead. Kearah Jeffreys buried back-to-back jumpers, with the last one coming with 9:06 left to give Shaw the 16-8 lead.

Resper buried another three-pointer to bring FSU within five at 16-11 with 8:33 left in the period. Dalrymple pushed Shaw's lead back to seven when she drained a jumper.

The Lady Broncos cut it back down to five when Shuanda Ashford drilled a shot from the post to make it 18-13. The Lady Bears answered with a 6-0 run to build a 24-13 lead with 6:01 remaining in the period.

The Lady Broncos responded with a 13-3 over the next five minutes run to get back within one thanks to a layup from Je'Lena Robertson, which made it 27-26 at the 1:09 mark.

Harris scored the final three points of the half on a layup and a free throw to give the Lady Bears a 30-26 advantage at halftime.

The Lady Bears opened the second half on a 10-2 run to go up nine. A three-point play the old fashioned way from Crystal Gordon gave the Lady Bears a 37-28 cushion with 16:28 remaining in the game.

After FSU's Tierra Coleman sank a pair of free throws to bring the Lady Broncos within seven, Harris and Wilson scored the next four points for the Lady Bears to increase their lead back to double digits. Wilson snagged down an offensive rebound and hit a jumper with 14:35 remaining to give Shaw a 41-30 lead.

A pair of free throws from Dalrymple gave Shaw another 13-point lead before Shuanda Ashford responded with a layup on the other end to bring the Lady Broncos within 11.

After a three-point play by Wilson and a layup from Harris extended Shaw's lead to 16 at 48-32, the Lady Broncos scored the next four points to get back within 10 after a layup from Kristen Hanzer for her first points of the game, which came at the 10:09 mark.

The Lady Bears answered with an 8-0 run to extend their lead to 18. A steal from Jeffreys and a layup from Diamond Mitchell gave Shaw a 56-38 with 8:04 left in the contest.

Person ended a three minute stretch without a field goal when she buried a jumper to bring the Lady Broncos within 16 with 7:05 remaining.

After a layup from Harris increased the Lady Bears' lead to 18 at 58-40, Hanzer brought it back down to 15 with a three-pointer at the 6:19 mark. Thirteen seconds later, David converted a layup to push it back to 17 at 60-43.

The Lady Bears went on a 9-5 run over the next three minutes to build a 21-point lead. Dalrymple's layup at the 2:23 mark made it 69-48.

A three-pointer by Hanzer made it an 18-point game before Harris made it a 20-point margin with a layup with 58 seconds left. Gordon sank 1-of-2 free throws to extend Shaw's lead to 21 with 11 seconds left.

A late bucket from Robertson brought it back down to 19 with one tick left. When the buzzer rang, the Lady Bears celebrated the victory.
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BOWIE STATE WINS SECOND STRAIGHT CIAA CROWN

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Byron Westmorland had a huge night in leading Bowie State to the CIAA championship.

The senior forward scored a career-high 38 points including 26 points in the second half to outduel Livingstone's Mark Thomas and help Bowie State break open a tight game for an 85-74 victory over Livingstone in the CIAA finals at Time Warner Cable Arena on Saturday. The Bulldogs (16-13 overall) won their second championship, including the first under Head Coach Darrell Brooks, after entering the tournament as the No. 4 Northern Division seed. The latest title comes 10 years after the Bulldogs claimed their first CIAA crown in 2003.

With the victory, the Bulldogs received the conference's automatic bid in the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Blue Bears (22-6 overall) are anticipating an at-large bid after reaching the title game as the No. 6 ranked team in the Atlantic Region. The top eight teams in the region will advance to the tournament. 

"I'm so proud of my team, especially my five seniors," Brooks said. "They've worked hard. We've had a lot of adversity this year and all through it, they stuck together and we got a great reward for it."

However, the Blue Bears missed out on that elusive first league championship after winning their first Southern Division title and coming into the tournament as the division's top seed. The Blue Bears can blame Westmoreland, the tournament MVP, for that.

The Bulldogs' star sparked a late run which clinched the title for the Bulldogs. Down 53-51 with 14:42 left, the Bulldogs outscored the Blue Bears 34-21 with Westmoreland scoring 18 points during the spurt. The Bulldogs' finish was similar to Friday's semifinal against Winston-Salem State when they went on a late surge to reach the championship game.

The Bulldogs withstood an outstanding effort by Thomas of the Blue Bears, a talented guard who scored a career-high 34 points before fouling out late. Thomas kept the Blue Bears in the game by scoring 18 points in the second half. His layup on a drive cut the Blue Bears' deficit to 75-67. But Westmoreland completed a three-point play of his own for a 78-67 lead with 2:05 left that wrapped up the game for the Bulldogs, who outscored the Blue Bears 42-33 in the second half.

Westmorland finished the night making 13 of 19 shots which ranged from jumpers to layups in transition which resulted in three-point plays at times. He also made 10 of 15 free throws in addition to getting six rebounds and four steals.

Westmorland got support from his inside players. Forward Carlos Smith had 11 points and seven rebounds and forward Najee White contributed 10 points. Forward Dameatric Scott had seven rebounds and five assists. Guard Bryan Wilson also helped out on the boards, grabbing six to go along with eight points. The inside play complemented Westmoreland as the Bulldogs scored 46 points in the paint and 16 second-chance points.  

"[The] game was kind of what we expected," Brooks said. "It was a war. We thought it was going to be a very physical game. We thought that the team that did the best job defending and on the backboards would be the team that would probably win the game and fortunately, it was us."

As a team, the Bulldogs shot 56 percent. Meanwhile, the Blue Bears shot 38 percent.

"Bowie came out and scored points," Livingstone coach James Stinson said. "That was the biggest fear. We knew they would score. We knew that Westmoreland was a tough person to stop, but we left some points out there ourselves, by not making free throws, by missing a few layups here and there, and I think we were a little anxious at certain points in time. We've been down this road once before and we just didn't take advantage of the opportunity that was presented to us. I take my hat off to Bowie State and congratulate them for doing such a good job."

Other than Thomas, the Blue Bears struggled from the floor. Thomas was 11 of 21 from the floor and 9 of 13 from the free-throw line in addition to three steals. Darnell Turner added 11 points but he was the only other double figure scorer. Anthony Welch scored nine points on 3 of 4 three-point shooting.

The Bowie State big men impact the contest from the start by limiting the Blue Bears to one shot and getting inside for easy baskets. A dunk by Carlos Smith off a missed layup lifted the Bulldogs to an early 15-7 lead.

Led by Thomas, the Blue Bears came back to pull within 22-19. The Blue Bears led 26-24 on his three-point play.

The Bulldogs reclaimed momentum when Wilson swished a three pointer for a 40-36 Bulldogs lead with under a minute remaining in the half. A three-pointer by Westmorland made the score 43-38 Bowie State, but Thomas answered with a three before halftime to cut the Bulldogs lead to 43-41 at the break.

Thomas scored 16 points in the first half for the Blue Bears. Westmorland scored 12 and Smith with 10 for the Bulldogs. White added eight points for the Bulldogs.

Thomas gave the Blue Bears a 46-44 lead in the second half on a three-pointer, but Bowie State reclaimed the lead at 51-46 on a free throw and layup by Westmorland.

Once again, it was Thomas who brought back the Blue Bears. His free throw and three from the deep corner put the Blue Bears back ahead 53-51. Westmoreland scored five straight points as the Bulldogs regained the lead at 56-53. A dunk by White and a layup by Westmoreland extended their lead to 65-56, giving the Bulldogs the cushion they needed to hold off the Blue Bears. When Scott scored on a tip-in, the lead reached 13 points at 75-62.

The All-CIAA Tournament team featured Westmorland and Scott of Bowie State, and Thomas, Jody Hill and Ethan Anderson of Livingstone. The other All-CIAA Tourney members are Quinton McDuffie of Chowan, Christopher Grier of Virginia State, Justin Glover of Winston-Salem State, Derrick Washington of Lincoln (Pa.), and Angelo Sharpless of Elizabeth City State. Johnson C. Smith won the John B. McLendon Team Sportsmanship Award.

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