COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Report: Arkansas will play in preseason NIT
The Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper reported Arkansas is among the basketball teams that will play in the preseason NIT during the 2015-16 season, but a UA spokesman said Arkansas hasn’t signed a contract to play in the tournament.
The Razorbacks have played in the preseason NIT three times, most recently during the 2001-02 season when they beat Maine and lost to Wake Forest in games played at Walton Arena.
If Arkansas signs a contract to play in the preseason NIT, the Razorbacks likely will play at least one home game. They didn’t play a road game in their previous three appearances, which included six home games.
— Bob Holt
UA women add 6-3 post player
Tatiyana Smith, a 6-3 junior college post player from Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock, has signed to play basketball for the Arkansas women’s team.
“Tatiyana is another key piece in our 2015 recruiting class,” Arkansas Coach Jimmy Dykes said in a university release. “She is a really long athlete that will give us the size we need in the SEC.”
Smith, a native of Plano, Texas, played in 30 of Arkansas Baptist’s 31 games during her freshman season, when she averaged 7.1 points and 9.5 rebounds a game while shooting 40.3 percent from the field. She averaged 11.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season.
Hall guard signs with Grambling
Shakyla Hill, a 5-7 guard from Little Rock Hall, has signed a national letter of intent to play for Grambling State.
Hill led Hall to a 21-8 record and to the 6A-South Conference title. She averaged 16.8 points, 6.2 assists and 4.7 steals a game during her senior season. Hill was named to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s All-Arkansas Preps team and is on the West team roster for the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star Game, which will be played at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.
GOLF
Angles moves to third
Central Arkansas senior Pep Angles shot a 3-under-par 69 on Tuesday to move into third place at the Southland Conference Championship in McKinney, Texas.
Angles opened his round with an eagle, two birdies and a par but stumbled near the turn. He rallied with three birdies over his final six holes to finish with the low round of the day among golfers who finished.
A long weather delay Tuesday left three teams on the course when play was suspended because of darkness. Those teams will begin at 7:30 a.m. today before final-round play begins. McNeese State has a two-shot lead over Sam Houston State in the team standings, but neither team finished the second round.
UALR men 8th, ASU 10th at SBC Champ.
The UALR men’s team got off to a slow start Tuesday, finishing with a score of 296 to fall back four sports to eighth at the Sun Belt Conference Championship in Sandestin, Fla.
UALR opened with a 299 in the first round and had a 283 in round two, which moved the Trojans into a tie for fourth. Georgia Southern won the team title with a score of 849, follwed by Texas-Arlington and Louisiana-Monroe. Arkansas State shot 299-289-298—886 to finish 10th.
Alfred Kerstis led UALR, shooting a 2-over-par 73 Tuesday to finish at 4 over in a tie for 12th place. Johann Voss shot a 1-over 72 Tuesday and finished at 5 over in a tie for 17th with Arkansas State’s Matt Loiacano.
BASEBALL
Henderson State stumbles on road
Delta State took advantage of nine walks allowed by Henderson State pitchers and scored seven runs in the sixth inning of a 17-2 victory Tuesday in Cleveland, Miss.
Henderson State took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on a two-out RBI single by Will Powell that scored Hayden Lessenberry. Delta State responded in the bottom of the inning with a three-run home run by Brandon Cummings to take a 4-1 lead.
The Statesmen took a 10-1 lead after a six-run fifth inning, including a two-run home run by Ethan Gill, and scored seven runs in the sixth by taking advantage of three hit batsmen and two walks.
Chambers leads UAM to road victory
Arkansas-Monticello freshman Braden Chambers earned his first college victory, allowing 2 hits with 12 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings to give the Boll Weevils a 5-4 victory over Union (Tenn.) on Tuesday in Jackson, Tenn.
UAM (17-17) took the lead in the first inning on a two-run double by junior Travis Steinke, who finished 2 for 5. Redshirt freshman Brian Ray put the Weevils up 4-0 in the fourth with a two-run home run, his fourth of the season.
Junior Kevin Fitzpatrick, who finished with three of UAM’s eight hits, had an RBI double in the sixth inning to give the Boll Weevils a 5-0 lead.
The Bulldogs (7-36) took advantage of two walks and a hit batter to break up the shutout bid with two runs in the eighth inning, then scored two runs in the ninth following a two-out error by UAM.