TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (December 29, 2012) – FCSAA No. 10 Tallahassee Community College used a 50-point second half to rally for an 83-71 win over Gordon (Ga.) State College on Saturday evening in the final day of play at the Comfort Inn Holiday Classic.

With the victory, Tallahassee (12-4) will carry a four-game winning streak into its Panhandle Conference opener at NJCAA No. 3/FCSAA No. 1 Chipola College.

The host Eagles trailed for much of the first half and went to the locker room looking at a 35-33 deficit. Murray State signee Jarvis Williams (15 points) and Marquis Barnes (14 points) did the majority of the damage for the Highlanders, combining for 29 first-half points.

The defending NJCAA Region 17 champions didn’t go away quickly after the intermission. Again led by Williams and Barnes, Gordon State scored eight unanswered points to take a 43-37 lead with 17:51 left in the game.

After a pair of ties, the last at 48-all at the 14:26 mark, Tallahassee finally began to assert itself.

Trevor McDade, who scored all but two of his 18 points in the second half, knocked down a three-pointer to give Tallahassee a 58-56 lead with 12 minutes left in the game.

Alex Andrews followed with a three-pointer of his own, part of what eventually became a 20-4 run that gave the Eagles a 75-60 lead, their largest of the game.

Barnes’ three-pointer with 3:55 remaining ended an almost six-minute drought without a field goal for Gordon State. By that time, however, Tallahassee still enjoyed a comfortable 75-63 lead.

The Eagles shot 55.9 percent (19-of-34) from the floor in the second half while limiting the Highlanders to just 11-of-30 shooting (36.7 percent).

Georgia native Curtis Diamond led Tallahassee with 20 points. Fellow Georgian C.J. Washington added 17 and Marlon Johnson tallied 11.

Williams scored a game-high 29 for Gordon State and Barnes followed with 23 but the rest of the team managed to hit only four of 23 field goal attempts and scored 19 total points.

Next Saturday’s PC opener is scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. eastern tip and the game will be carried by Panhandle Sports Broadcasting at www.PSBlive.com.

In Saturday’s first men’s game at the Comfort Inn Holiday Classic, East Georgia State College knocked off Florida State College at Jacksonville, 89-76.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (December 29, 2012) – After falling to Georgia Perimeter College on Friday evening, NJCAA No. 22/FCSAA No. 4 Tallahassee Community College needed to bounce back quickly if it wanted to carry any momentum its January 5 Panhandle Conference opener.

Behind a record-breaking performance from its defense, Tallahassee got back on the winning track in a big way, defeating the College of Central Florida, 75-29, on Saturday in the final night of action at the Comfort Inn Holiday Classic.

Tallahassee established a new single-game record for fewest points allowed in the win. The previous mark was set in the Lady Eagles’ 45-30 win over Daytona State College on December 5, 1998 – Teresa Atkinson’s second season as head coach.

Against the Patriots (3-14), Tallahassee was every bit as dominant as the score indicated.

Thought both teams started out slow offensively, Tallahassee broke a 3-all tie with a 12-2 run to grab its first double-digit lead of the night. R’Kiyah Scott knocked down a jumper to get Central Florida back within eight, 15-7, with 12:04 left in the first half but that turned out to be as close as the Patriots would get the rest of the night.

Sarah Williams’ basket started an 8-2 run and Tallahassee later scored the final 13 points of the half to carry a 36-11 lead to the locker room.

Central Florida twice got within 23 in the first three minutes of the second half but soon after Tallahassee scored 15 unanswered points to extend its lead to 59-19 with 9:57 left in the game.

Led by sophomore Yanique Gordon’s career-high 15 points, Tallahassee’s reserves outscored its Central Florida counterparts, 32-4. Gordon hit a career-best six field goals on eight attempts and also recorded a personal best nine rebounds in what was easily her strongest outing since returning from a knee injury that sidelined her for the first month of the season.

In addition to Gordon, Tallahassee got stellar bench play from freshman Morgan DeMilio who scored three points and dished out five assists in 14 minutes of action.
Sophomore Jeraldine Campbell, making her first start of the season, also added 15 points for Tallahassee.

Tallahassee limited Central Florida to 5-of-27 (18.5 percent) shooting in the first half and 13-of-60 (21.7 percent) overall. That translated into a dominating performance on the glass, where the Lady Eagles outrebounded Central Florida, 61-26.

Karley Barnes had 15 rebounds and Aariel Allen, 12.

Tallahassee will carry an 11-3 record into next Saturday’s PC opener at NJCAA No. 12/FCSAA No. 3 Chipola College. Game time is 6:30 p.m. eastern and the game will be carried by Panhandle Sports Broadcasting at www.PSBlive.com.

In Saturday’s first game at the Comfort Inn Holiday Classic, Indian River State College defeated Georgia Perimeter, 60-57, to emerge as the only undefeated team in the weekend event.

Michael Snaer scored 19 points and was chosen the game’s most valuable player.

Florida State (8-4) extended its winning streak to four games and remained unbeaten in four games against Tulsa (7-6).

Tulsa’s Scott Haralson scored 17 points, all in the second half. Tulsa junior Pat Swilling Jr. had a career-high 19 points and five assists, but he scored only two points in the second half.

The Hurricane’s leading scorer this season, James Woodard, went 2 for 10 and scored eight points.

Tulsa couldn’t avert a blowout despite shooting 11 for 24 from 3-point range. They made only 11 of 32 two-pointers (34 percent), committed 17 turnovers and were outrebounded 44-32.

Shannon had 10 rebounds and shot 6 for 11 in 26 minutes. The Seminoles trailed by as much as five points in the first half, but Shannon helped them overcome a slow start and had nine points by halftime.

Florida State missed shots on its first six possessions. The Seminoles began getting to the rim consistently in the second half, when they shot 57 percent, and they finished at 47 percent.

An 18-5 spurt put Florida State ahead 64-49 midway through the second half. Tulsa rushed several shots during the run and scored twice in 13 possessions.

The Hurricane committed turnovers on five of their first six possessions. Swilling sank a 3-pointer to get them on the scoreboard, and he made a pair of 3s during an 11-2 run that gave Tulsa a 21-16 lead.

Devon Bookert’s buzzer-beater put the Seminoles ahead at halftime, 36-33. Haralson hit consecutive 3-pointers early in the second half to give the Hurricanes their final lead, 41-40.

The Hurricane rallied from 17 points down to beat Oral Roberts in their last game, but there was no comeback this time.

In the Seminoles’ last meeting against the Eagles, Deluzio carried FSU to a 68-59 victory in Chestnut Hill on Jan. 19, 2012 by scoring a career-best 28 points and making six three pointers.

On Sunday, Deluzio didn’t hit a three, but instead did her damage in the paint, ripping down a career-best 12 rebounds to go along with 25 points. She also dished six assists in a dominating effort.

“Her confidence jumpstarted everything we did today,” head coach Sue Semrau said about the fifth-year senior guard. “We needed her to be a rebounder today as we didn’t do a very good job in that category. I felt like we were a little rusty. I’m proud of the way the team grinded the game out towards the end when Boston College made their run. It was a good win for us.”

Boston College guard Kerri Shields hit her fifth three to bring BC within 2, 68-66, with 3:42 remaining. After BC center Katie Zenevitch made a layup to keep the Eagles within 2, 72-70, senior guard Morgan Toles drilled a 12-foot jumper with 40 seconds remaining in the game.

Boston College turned the ball over 10 seconds later when junior forward Natasha Howard ripped the ball away from Eagles’ point guard Tessah Holt.

Howard passed the ball ahead to Deluzio, who was fouled and fittingly iced the game with a pair of free throws that put the Seminoles in front, 76-70, with 21 seconds left.

“I just go out and play,” Deluzio said. “That’s what everyone on this team does. Nobody is trying to get a double-double or score 25 points. It just happens when everybody plays their role.”

Howard also recorded a double-double – with 12 points and 10 rebounds – despite battling foul trouble the entire game.

Howard and starting center Chelsea Davis each picked up two early fouls and Florida State spent much of the first half playing “small ball,” often without a player over 6-0 on the floor. Howard had four early points and four boards, but logged just seven minutes before the break. Davis played just two minutes in the first half.

Still, the Seminoles built up an early lead thanks to the play of Deluzio. The Seminoles made 12 of their first 20 field goal attempts and Deluzio scored 14 before halftime. With Howard and Davis on the bench, the 5-11 Orlando, Fla., native played much of the first half in the post and also grabbed seven rebounds in the first 20 minutes.

A jumper by senior guard Leonor Rodriguez (14 points) made the score 27-13 with 6:45 remaining in the first half. However, the Eagles fought back as their three-point attempts starting falling. Shields buried a pair from long range in the last 2:23 of the first half. Her second trey made the score 34-28 and FSU clung to a 37-30 lead at the break.

Shields (17 points, five treys) and Nicole Boudreau (14 points, four treys) kept Boston College (6-5 overall record) in the game in the second half. The Eagles made five of their first seven long-range attempts after halftime and battled back from an 11-point deficit to come within 2 on Shields’ big trey with just under four minutes left.

Toles finished with a season-high nine points to go along with six assists, two steals and just one turnover in 34 minutes for a Seminole squad that improved to 11-1 and won its sixth ACC opener in seven years.

Florida State heads on the road to take on Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Thursday at 7 p.m. before facing Maryland in College Park, Md. at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 6. The contest against the Yellow Jackets will air live on ESPN3, while the matchup with the Terrapins will be broadcast on ESPNU.

For more information on Florida State women’s basketball, follow the Seminoles on Twitter @FSU_WBasketball and like their official Facebook page.

ATHENS, Ga. (Dec. 29) – Muhammad Abdul-Aleem recorded a double-double and two other Rattlers scored in double figures as the Florida A&M Men’s Basketball Team dropped a 82-73 contest to the University of Georgia, here Saturday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum.

Abdul-Aleem scored a team-high 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead the Rattlers, while Jamie Adams added 12 and Markee Teal finished with 10. D’Andre Bullard dished out four assists in his first game back with the squad.

UGA had three Bulldogs to score in double-figures as Nemanja Djurisic scored a game high 21 points to lead all scorers, followed by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with 11 and Brandon Morris added 10. Caldwell-Pope led UGA on the boards with nine and Vincent Williams dished out four assists.

The Bulldogs jumped out to an 8-0 lead as Brandon Morris connected on a jumper with 15:57 to go in the first.

FAMU used a 14-5 run to cut the UGA lead to 22-20 on a Trey Kellum jumper with 9:53 to go in the first.
UGA returned the favor with a run of their own as they took a 35-24 lead on a Sherrard Brantley with 6:35 field goal, capping a 13-4 run.
The Bulldogs would go into the break with a 49-36 lead as UGA finished the first half shooting 53.1 percent (17-of-32), while the Rattlers shot 41.2 percent (14-of-34).

FAMU opened the second half with an 11-4 run, cutting the Bulldogs’ lead to 53-47 on a pair of free throws by Oneyekachukwu Odi with 12:52 left in the second half.
UGA would then extend their lead to 71-59 on a Djurisic field goal with 5:51 left in the game.

The Rattlers would rally as they cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 78-71 on an Adams layup with 41 second left in the game, capping a 14-7 run by FAMU.  The FAMU rally would fall short as the Bulldogs held on for the 82-73 win.
The Rattlers finished the game shooting 37.0 percent (27-of-73), whereas the Bulldogs shot 44.8 percent (25-of-58). FAMU held the rebounding margin over UGA 45-41.
UGA raised their record to 5-7, while FAMU lowers their record to 4-8 on the season.

The Rattlers will return to action on Monday, Dec. 31 as they will take on Texas
Tech in Lubbock, Texas at United Spirit Arena in 12 p.m. CST tip.

ORLANDO, Fla. (Dec. 29) – Jasmine Grice recorded her third double-double of the season as the Florida A&M Women’s Basketball team dropped a 100-75 decision to the University of South Florida, here Saturday afternoon at the USF Sun Dome.

Grice, paced the Lady Rattlers with 30 points and 11 rebounds as she scored 19 of her 30 points in the second half. Kimberly Sparkman added 22 points to round out the duo of Lady Rattlers to score in double figures. Andreya Lacy dished out a team high six assists.

USF had three Golden Bulls to score in double figures as Andrea Smith scored 29 points, followed by Andrell Smith with 26 and Courtney Williams with 12. Andrea Smith led the Bulls on the boards with nine, while both Andrell Smith and Inga Orekhova dished out six assists each.

Andrell Smith gave USF a 10-5 lead on a made three pointer with 16:25 to go in the first.

The Lady Rattlers would knot the game at 20 on a Keturah Martin jumper with 10:11 left in the half, capping a 12-6 run by FAMU.

USF would retaliate with a run of their own as they took a 32-25 lead on a Caitlin Rowe jumper with 7:40 to go in the first, capping a 12-5 run by the Bulls.

The Bulls would go into the break with a 44-36 lead as they finished the first half shooting 40.0 percent (16-of-40), whereas FAMU shot 50 percent (14-of-28).

USF opened the second half with a 20-5 run as they took a 64-41 lead on an Andrell Smith layup with 12:29 to go in the game. The Bulls would then extend their lead to 88-54 on an Andrea Smith three pointers with 6:11 to go in the game.

The Lady Rattlers would outscore the Bulls 21-12 in the final six minutes of the contest as USF held on for the 100-75 win.

FAMU finished the contest shooting 46.2 percent (30-of-65), while USF shot 44.0 percent (37-of-84). The Bulls held the rebounding edge over the Lady Rattlers 52-37.

The Lady Rattlers will return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 2 as they will host Florida International for Kids and Community Day at the Al Lawson Center in a 2 p.m. start.

 By Florida State Sports Information

TALLAHASSEE, Fla – Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher continued to fill in his staff Thursday when he announced the hiring of veteran defensive coach Sal Sunseri. Sunseri has a long history of success coaching in the SEC and the NFL over the course of a 28-year span. He has been a defensive coordinator, assistant head coach at Alabama for Nick Saban and a seven-year defensive line coach for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL. Sunseri will join Fisher’s staff in time to coach in the 2013 Discover Orange Bowl.

“He’ll be our defensive ends coach,” said Fisher when asked about the Sunseri hire. “Another great recruiter. Another great guy that’s coached in the NFL, coached tons of first-round picks at linebacker and defensive end. A lot of knowledge. He and I have been together for a long time. He and I have known each other for a long time. He used to send his son to my camp. I used to coach his son in camp for many years and got to develop him early — Tino. And we coached together at LSU during those times. We have been friends for a long time. He brings a lot to the table. And that’s another guy in the system who also knows that system. So you’ve got a front-end guy to help bridge that gap.

Sunseri joins Florida State after serving as the defensive coordinator at Tennessee in 2012. With the Vols, Sunseri coached two of the nation’s top defensive players. Linebacker A.J. Johnson was fourth in the nation and led the SEC averaging 11.5 tackles per game.  Cornerback Byron Moore was tied for 11^th in the nation in interceptions and he led the Southeastern Conference in that category.

Prior to Tennessee, he spent three years as the assistant head coach and linebackers coach at Alabama under Saban, including the 2009 and 2011 national championship teams. He also spent seven years (2002-08) with the Carolina Panthers under then-head coach and current Denver Broncos coach John Fox, a tenure that included the franchise’s lone NFC Championship and Super Bowl appearance.

A former All-American linebacker at Pittsburgh, Sunseri joined the Alabama staff in January of 2009 after serving as the defensive line coach with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. As a member of the Crimson Tide staff, he held the title of assistant head coach for defense and coached the outside linebackers.

The 2011 outside linebackers flourished under Sunseri and contributed to the overall success of the defense. Lombardi and Butkus Award finalist Courtney Upshaw led the way with 17 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, which ranked second and fourth, respectively in the SEC. Sunseri was also recognized individually for his contributions when he was named a finalist for the Broyles Award, presented to the nation’s top assistant coach.

In 2010, Sunseri continued to build on his solid foundation from the National Championship season. The defensive unit ranked third in the country in scoring defense and fifth in total defense. Sophomore linebacker Dont’a Hightower garnered second-team All-SEC honors with 69 tackles (second on the team) and nine quarterback hurries. Upshaw led the Tide from his jack linebacker spot with 14.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks and was named the MVP of the Capital One Bowl after recording five tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks in the 49-7 win over No. 7 Michigan State.

In Sunseri’s first season at Alabama, he helped guide the Tide to the National Championship behind a dominant defense that ranked second nationally in four major categories – rushing defense, pass efficiency defense, total defense and scoring defense. His NFL experience with the pass rush helped Alabama generate 32 sacks and 98 tackles for loss, despite losing Hightower to an early-season injury. Alabama was also well-represented on the AP All-America team with three defenders earning first-team honors, including Butkus winner Rolando McClain.

Sunseri’s defensive line with the Panthers was regarded as one of the best in the NFL. Defensive ends Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker and defensive tackle Kris Jenkins earned Pro Bowl honors during his tenure. He produced at least one Pro Bowl defensive lineman five times as the line coach. The Panthers were among the top 10 in the NFL in terms of fewest yards allowed in four of his seven seasons and made three playoff appearances.

Sunseri came to Carolina as a defensive assistant in 2002 and took over as defensive line coach in 2003. It was a seamless transition as the Panthers defensive line accounted for 32.5 of the team’s 40 total sacks and also produced a pair of Pro Bowl players in Jenkins and Rucker, setting the standard for which his future units would be measured.

Prior to his time at Carolina, Sunseri worked as the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Michigan State in 2001 after spending 2000 on Saban’s Louisiana State staff in the same capacity. He was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Alabama A&M in 1998 and 1999 after three seasons as the linebackers coach at Louisville.  Sunseri’s climb of the coaching ladder included one-year stops at Illinois State (1994) and Iowa Wesleyan (1993).

He broke into coaching at his alma mater, Pittsburgh, in 1985 and directed the defensive line and linebackers before being named assistant head coach in 1992.

Sunseri began his playing career at the University of Pittsburgh in 1978 as a walk-on and ended it as a team captain and consensus All-American as a senior in 1981. A three-year starter at linebacker, he helped the Panthers to a combined record of 33-3 and anchored a defensive unit that led the NCAA in total defense in 1980 and 1981. He was the defensive MVP in the 1982 Senior Bowl and was drafted in the 10th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers but had his pro career cut short by a knee injury in training camp. He received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Pittsburgh in 1982.

Sunseri is married to the former Roxann Evans, who was a varsity gymnast at Pittsburgh. The couple has two daughters, Jaclyn and Ashlyn, and two sons, Santino (a quarterback at Pittsburgh) and Vinnie (a defensive back at Alabama).

SAL SUNSERI COACHING CAREER
2012 » Tennessee, Defensive Coordinator

2009-11 » Alabama, Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers
2002-08 » Carolina Panthers, Defensive Line
2001 » Michigan State, Linebackers/Special Teams
2000 » LSU, Linebackers/Special Teams
1998-99 » Alabama A&M, Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
1995-97 » Louisville, Linebackers
1994 » Illinois State, Defensive Coordinator
1993 » Iowa Wesleyan, Assistant Head Coach/Def. Coordinator/Special Teams
1985-92 » Pittsburgh, Defensive Line/Linebackers/Assistant Head Coach (1992)