Langston clips LSUA to claim RRAC men's hoops tournament title - Mar 7, 2016
Before Saturday, LSU Alexandria had not lost since Dec. 3 in overtime against Langston for the Generals' only loss in conference play. Langston repeated the feat on Saturday by toppling the top-ranked Generals, 74-72, in a thrilling Raising Cane's RRAC Men's Basketball Tournament championship game. Both teams are assured of a trip to the NAIA Divison I Men's Basketball National Championship Game by virtue of LSUA's regular season conference title and Langston's tournament triumph. In a game where the score was tied 16 times, including 31-31 at halftime and 65-65 at the end of regulation, it was a hustle play by the Lions' Terrell Jones (6'5''-F) that won the game in the closing moments of overtime. Tied again at 72-72, Jones judged correctly on a shot by teammate Curtis Jones (6'2''-G) and caught the offensive rebound under the basket. He moved too quickly for the Generals' frontcourt and flipped the ball in with a one-handed scoop shot to clinch the victory. See the game-winning shot here. In the fourth quarter, it was Terrell Jones (6'5''-F) who hit a crucial three-pointer with 1:48 remaining to give LU a 65-62 lead. It was RRAC Player of the Year Deangelo Coleman (5'11''-PG) who responded with a three-pointer of his own on the Generals' last possession of the second half to send the game to overtime. Terrell Jones (6'5''-F) led Langston with 22 points, and Tournament MVP Curtis Jones (6'2''-G) added 16. Brian Sylvester (6'8''-F) was the top scorer for LSUA with 22 points in addition to 12 rebounds. Coleman and Darius Johnson (6'3''-G) accounted for 11 points each. LSUA saw its 21-game winning streak come to an end. Now it's on the Kansas City, and both teams will learn their draw and seeding in the NAIA national tournament on Wednesday. Two other RRAC teams, Our Lady of the Lake and LSU Shreveport, will wait until then to learn their fate. Both will be in the running for at-larger berths. This was the first RRAC tournament title for the 13th-ranked Lions since 2004. Langston is now 25-6 on the season, and LSUA is 29-3.
RRAC Tournament Final: Langston - LSU Alexandria 74-72, OT RRAC Tournament Semifinals: Langston - Our Lady of the Lake 71-65 LSU Alexandria - LSU Shreveport 90-75
Courtesy of RRAC
All-RRAC Awards 2016 - Mar 7, 2016
All-RRAC 1st Team 2016
Coleman
Fields
Grigsby
Jackson
Jones
All-Tournament MVP: Curtis Jones (6'2''-G) of Langston Player of the Year: Deangelo Coleman (5'11''-PG) of LSU-Alexandria Defensive Player of the Year: Brian Sylvester (6'8''-F) of LSU-Alexandria Freshman of the Year: William Claiborne (6'10''-F/C) of LSU-Alexandria Newcomer of the Year: Joe Jackson (6'6''-F) of Our Lady Lake Coach of the Year: Larry Cordaro of LSU-Alexandria