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New Orleans – The resurgent Dillard University men's basketball team (8-14, 3-2 GCAC) continues Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) and hosts Tougaloo College (15-7, 4-1 GCAC) for the annual Bleu Devil Classic on Saturday, Feb. 12, starting at 7:30 p.m. at Dent Hall.
All students/fans are encouraged to attend the home game on Feb. 12 against the Tougaloo College as long as they can show a COVID-19 vaccination card or a negative test result from the last 72 hours that will be checked before entry is allowed at the gym at Dent Hall and purchased a ticket.
If fans are unable to attend the game in-person, Wah-lah! TV will be broadcasting the game with Charles McNeil (play-by-play) and Hekma Harrison (color) on the call. Click on this link or the link at the top of this story to watch the game live.
About the Dillard Bleu Devils
The Bleu Devils are rising and have won their last two games coming into this weekend. The program earned a hard fought 83-75 contest against Rust College on Feb. 3. Rajhan Billingsley led the charge for Dillard with a career-high 23 points. Kaleb Allison chipped in with a near double-double of 22 points and nine rebounds. Elijah Moore filled up the stat sheet with 19 points and six assists. Nicholas Carmouche totaled seven points and eight assists. Jeremiah August pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds. DU went on the road and kept the winning streak going with a 65-61 victory over Fisk University on Feb. 5. Billingsley again stood out with a game-high 17 points. He also had seven rebounds. Moore chipped in with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists. Mekai Pope also reached double figures with 11 points off the bench.
DU has played one of the tougher schedules in the country with eight of their losses coming against teams that were ranked when they were played or are currently ranked.
The program has been led this season by Moore. He is getting 14.5 points per game. Moore is also pulling down 5.3 rebounds, leads the team in assists (70) and steals (37). Allison is getting 13.8 points per game. He is second on the club at 7.7 rebounds per game. August is the leading rebounder at 10.7 board per game. He is also averaging 7.3 points per game and leads the team with his 14 blocks. Billingsley has come on strong over the last month and is averaging 12.9 points per game. Taiveyhon Mason is also averaging in double figures at 11.8 points per game. He is third on the team in assists (56) and third in steals (23). Tyrus Crawford is averaging a nearly a double-double at 8.3 points and 9.6 rebounds a contest. Carmouche is second on the team in assists with 58.
Billingsley was named the GCAC's Player of the Week for first time in his career on Feb. 7. He averaged 20 points and five rebounds per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 68.8 percent from three-point range and 75 percent from the line from Jan. 31 – Feb. 5. It was the sixth time that a Dillard men's player has been honored this season as Jay Malone was named the GCAC Player of the Week three times during the first semester. Moore was named the GCAC's Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Jan. 11. He averaged 26 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game on the week for Dillard from Jan. 2 - Jan. 10. Allison was named the GCAC's Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Jan. 19. He averaged 18 points and four rebounds per game for the games from Jan. 11 – Jan. 18.
As a team, Dillard is averaging 72.7 points a game, shooting 41.3 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from three-point range and 62.4 percent from the free throw line. The team also has an average of 44.6 rebounds, 14.9 assists and 7.1 steals per game
Dillard went 8-3 last season in what was very much a start-and-stop season that featured nine postponements or cancelations and a season that didn't officially start until January of 2021. The program returns seven letter winners and adds seven new members to the squad this season. Among the returners is Moore (13.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game), Billingsley (13.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game) and August (7.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game). The team also returns Mekai Pope, Crawford, Carmouche, Shemar Bates and Elijah Pittman. The program also added seven newcomers in Kenneth Bates, Mason, Malone, Cinque Harris, Ikem Okeke-Oraeki, Kaleb Allison and Melvin Baker.
Coach Newell is in his seventh season at the helm of the program and has led Dillard to three NAIA National Championship appearances (2016-18) in his time at the school. The Bleu Devils have won five titles since his arrival in 2015, which includes two conference regular season titles (2017-18) and three consecutive tournament titles (2016-18). Under Newell, Dillard is 105-68 and 48-21 in conference play. He has 19 winning seasons, including nine seasons with 20 or more wins. In his 26 seasons as a head coach, Newell has amassed an overall record of 433-340.
About the Tougaloo College Bulldogs
The program's head coach is Thomas Billups. He is in his eighth year coaching the Bulldogs. The school is based on Tougaloo, Miss. The Bulldogs are 15-7 on the season and have a mark of 4-1 in GCAC play. TC has won its last three games. The team is being led this season by Cameron Copeland. Copeland is averaging 13.7 points per game. He also leads the team with 37 steals and 88 assists. Antawn Beans is getting 10.3 points per contest. Cameron Woodall is putting up 9.9 points per game. Sebron Carter is getting 9.1 points a game. Trajan Fielder is scoring 8.8 points a game. The Bulldogs are averaging 72.5 points per game while shooting 43.1 percent from the field, 30.2 percent from three-point range and 66.0 percent from the line. TC defeated Dillard by a 78-66 score on Jan. 20. The program is 6-5 in road games this season.
After hosting the Bleu Devil Classic this week, Dillard finishes up the home schedule and hosts Philander Smith on Thursday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m. The team plays its final regular season game on the road against Rust College on Monday, Feb. 21, at 7:30 p.m.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bleu Devils by following Dillard Athletics on Twitter at @GeauxDU, Facebook at Facebook.com/dillardbleudevils/ and Instagram at Instagram.com/dillardbleudevils/
