By Laurie D. Willis

Livingstone College News Service

SALISBURY – For the first time in school history, and following a season in which the men’s

team repeated as CIAA champions, Livingstone’s men’s and women’s basketball squads have

been picked to finish first in the Southern Division of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic

Association.

The Blue Bears men and women were picked to finish first by the CIAA Basketball Coaches

Association during its Media Day in Charlotte, where the CIAA has relocated its

headquarters.

The men’s team, led by head coach James Stinson, Jr., finished the 2014-2015 season 19-10,

winning the regular season title en route to a second, consecutive CIAA championship. The Blue

Bears won the title on Feb. 28 after defeating Winston-Salem State, 106-91.

Livingstone also defeated the Rams in 2014 by a 15-point margin to capture its first CIAA title.

Returning for Livingstone are senior guards Eric Dubose, from Brooklyn, N.Y., and Ty

Newman, from Easton, Md., who were named to the pre-season All-CIAA squad. Dubose

averaged 15.7 points per game, led the team in assists with 3.2 per game and shot 82 percent

from the free-throw line last season. Newman averaged 14 points per game last year and was

second on the team in rebounding with 4.6 boards per contest.

“Our guys are young, so with our youth it will be challenging for us to be able to compete at the

number-one level,” Stinson said. “But it’s great to know that both of our programs have gotten a

level of respectability among their peers, and I’m looking for some strong leadership from

returning seniors Dubose, Newman and Robert Flint.”

The Lady Blue Bears, under the direction of head coach Anita Howard, finished the 2014-2015

season with a historic 26-2 record. The Blue Bears lost only one game in the regular season, to

archrival Johnson C. Smith University.

Despite their stellar record, a nullification process bumped the Lady Blue Bears from the number

one seed heading into the CIAA Tournament. Nonetheless, they handily defeated Bowie State,

91-73, before defeating J.C. Smith, 50-43, in their second-round game. Livingstone played

Lincoln University in the third round but lost in a tight contest, 57-55.

Howard said she’s looking forward to a great year on the hardwood.

“Being ranked No. 1 in the Southern Division in the preseason is definitely an honor, especially

since my colleagues within the conference do the voting,” she said. “Having fallen a little short

of our goal of a championship last season, along with losing five key seniors, it says a lot to still

receive this ranking. It says that people see vast improvement in the program and have a sense

that we won’t let up.”

Livingstone’s men travel to Durham to play reigning national champion Duke University in an

exhibition game on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. The Blue Bears tip off the 2015-2016 season by participating in the

CIAA/MEC Basketball Challenge that’s being held in the C.E. Gaines Center at Winston-Salem

State, Nov. 13-14. The men’s first home game is against CIAA rival Lincoln on Jan. 2.

The Lady Blue Bears begin their season by hosting Mars Hill College on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. Other

season highlights include hosting UNC Pembroke at 6 p.m. on Nov. 24 and playing at cross-town

rival Catawba on Dec. 2.