Leading by only two points at the half, Saint Augustine's College out scored its crosstown rival Shaw 50-22 in the second to cruise to an easy 89-59 win last Saturday. The Falcons (11-3, 5-2), who are the top scoring team in the conference, have won five straight and set up a showdown with the first-place Johnson C. Smith (13-3, 5-0) tonight in Raleigh, N.C.

Both Smith's women's and men's teams are undefeated in the conference.

After Smith, the Falcons travel to Durham, N.C., for their rematch against their cross-city rival North Carolina Central. St. Aug's routed NCCU 92-17 on Jan. 14.

Central Ranked Fourth in Poll

Despite losing two of their last three games, the Lady Eagles are ranked No. 4 in the first NCAA Division II South Atlantic Region poll. NCCU (12-3, 3-2) opened the season 11-1 before losing back-to-back road games at Shaw and St. Aug's.

The Lady Falcons have an 11-day layoff before their rematch against St. Aug's Jan. 28.

Chairwoman of the Board

Elizabeth City State center Celeste Trahan continues her dominance in the paint.

For the second straight year, Trahan is leading the CIAA in rebounds at 16.2 per game. Trahan is also the top-scorer, averaging 20.5 points per game.

This season, Trahan learned that her accomplishments last season landed her in the Official 2006 NCAA Women's Basketball Records Book. She now ranks fourth all-time in both rebounds (398) and rebounding average (13.7 per game) by a freshman. She also captured the second- and third-best rebounding performances in the nation last year with her CIAA record-breaking 28 rebounds in the championship game against Shaw. A month before, Trahan had turned in the nation's third-best overall performance with 24 boards.

Of the 12 individuals ranked for rebounding performances last season, she was one of three freshmen, and the only player to be listed twice.

"It's nice, it makes me feel good, but I'm not going to jump for joy," said Trahan who didn't play basketball until her freshman year in high school.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm happy, especially since there are so many who don't get this type of opportunity, but I'm not going to get too excited because I'm not satisfied. I want to win. I want our team to win." The Lady Vikings (7-6, 4-1) are currently in third place in the Eastern Division behind Virginia Union and Shaw.

Winston-Salem Names Permanent Track and Field Coach

Halcyon M. Blake is the new Rams' head track and field/cross country coach following the departure of interim head coach Benny Morgan. Blake began her duties Jan. 17 as she prepares WSSU for its first season of track and field competition in nearly five years.

Blake has over 24 years of coaching experience. She coached Methodist to runner-up finishes the past 5 1/2 years in the Mason Dixon and USA South conferences. While there she was named coach of the year and has produced over 97 all-Conference and first-team student-athlete honors.

"Blake is supremely qualified and will bring a level of coaching and recruiting ability to a program that is beginning its re-development stages," said director of athletics Chico Caldwell. "Despite the infancy of our program, we expect great things from coach Blake and her program."

Track and Field Winners

St. Aug's Joe Kindred won the men's high jump at the UNC-Chapel Hill opener Jan. 14. Kindred won the event with a leap of 2.12 meters.

NCCU sophomore Brian Hope won the men's 60-meter dash for the second straight indoor track meet, this time at the University of North Carolina's "Fast Times" event in Chapel Hill, N.C. Hope, a native of Raleigh, N.C., who also won at the Christopher Newport University Invitational in December, finished the race in 6.74 seconds. NCCU junior Hakeem Mohammed, a native of Winston-Salem, N.C., won the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.15.

Player of the Week: Trahan averaged 20.3 points, 19 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.3 steals as the Lady Vikings went 3-0 last week. Against St. Aug's, Trahan recorded 26 points, 16 rebounds and four steals.

Game of the Week: JCSU vs. St. Aug's, Jan. 24 at 7:30PM ET
Can the Golden Bulls, who are in first place in the West Division, derail the high-flying Falcons? Should be a doozy.

About the Author:

Bonitta Best is the sports editor at The Triangle Tribune in Durham, N.C., and a regular contributor to Black Voices. Her column appears every Tuesday.