Dates for 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics set

Logo courtesy  of
International Olympic Committee

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND (March 30, 2020)  The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, along with the Government of Japan have agreed to the rescheduled 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be held July 23 to August 8, 2021, while the Paralympic Games are rescheduled to August 24 to September 5, 2021.

Further detailed will be shared as the become available.

Isloch Minsk, Neman win in Round 2 of Belarus Soccer League

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

MINSK, BELARUS (March 29, 2020) The final two games of Round 2 of the Vysshaya Liga in Belarus were completed today, bringing an end to the round. Isloch Minsk downed Smolevichi by the score of 1-0, while Neman defeated Vitebsk by the score of 2-0.

In  Isloch's win, came in the ninth minute when 22-year-old forward Momo Yansane drilled the ball into the gaol for the only score of the game. In Neman's win, forward Gegam Kadimayn scored in the 51st minute, and following up with a penalty kick in the 58th minute to secure the win.

Both games were played in the stadiums with no spectators.

Round three action commences on April 3, 2020.

Round Two scores from the Belarusian Football League

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

MINSK, BELARUS (March 29, 2020) Round 2 of the Vysshaya Liga soccer league is in full swing, with eight games scheduled each week The Vysshaya Liga is the top division and is organized by the Belarusian Football Federation. 

With 16 teams competing, Round 1 of the league commenced on March 19 and concluded om March 22 with eight games. Currently in Round 2, six games have been completed, with two additional games scheduled for March 29.

The results of Round 2, held on March 28 are as follows:

Shakhtyor Soligorsk 2, Gorodeja 0 

FC Minsk 3, Dinamo Minsk 2

BATE 1, Slavia-Mozyr 2

Dinamo Brest 1, Slutsk 0

Enerhetik-BGU 1, Rukh Brest 0 

Zhodino 1, Belshina 0

The final two games of Round 2 scheduled for Sunday, March 29 are as follows:

Isloch Minsk  vs Smolevivhi

Neman  vs. Vitebsk

Round 3 kicks off on April 3 with two matches followed by three matches on April 4 and three matches on April 5.

Belarusian Football Federation continues play during COVID-19 pandemic

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

MINSK, BELARUS (March 29, 2020) While the rest of the sports world has shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, soccer is still going strong in the European country of Belarus. Vysshaya Liga is the top division of professional of soccer  in Belarus, and is organized by the Belarusian Football Federation. 

With 16 teams competing, Round 1 of the league commenced on March 19 and concluded om March 22 with eight games. Currently in Round 2, six games have been completed, with two additional games scheduled for March 29.

The results of Round 2, held on March 28 are as follows:

Shakhtyor Soligorsk 2, Gorodeja 0 

FC Minsk 3, Dinamo Minsk 2

BATE 1, Slavia-Mozyr 2

Dinamo Brest 1, Slutsk 0

Enerhetik-BGU 1, Rukh Brest 0 

Zhodino 1, Belshina 0

The final two games of Round 2 scheduled for Sunday, March 29 are as follows:

Isloch Minsk  vs Smolevivhi

Neman  vs. Vitebsk

Round 3 kicks off on April 3 with two matches followed by three matches on April 4 and three matches on April 5.

Steelers sign Former XFL long snapper Christian Kuntz

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA (March 27, 2020) It is being reported by NBCSports.com that the Pittsburgh Steelers have signed former XFL Dallas Renegades long snapper Christian Kuntz. The 6-2, 237-pound alumni of Duquesne University, was with the Steelers last year during training camp and the preseason. He also has seen action as a linebacker in college and earlier in his professional career.

Kuntz began his professional career in 2017, when he signed with the New England Patriots. In addition, he spend time on the rosters of the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Denver Broncos.

The Steelers' signing Kuntz makes four players that that they have added to their roster from the XFL ranks. Previously, they signed defensive tackle Cavon Walker, safety Tyree Kinnel, and offensive tackle Jarron Jones.

USA Softball "Stand Beside Her" tour in holding pattern

USA Olympic Team Member Monica Abbott
(No. 14) will be pitching in the "Stand Beside Her"
Tour when it plays in Sugar Land.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis,
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

SUGAR LAND, TEXAS (March 28, 2020) The USA Softball "Stand Beside Her" tour scheduled for Saturday, April 18, 2020 is in a "holding pattern" as stated in an official press release on March 25. The game, to be played at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas is scheduled for a 1 p.m. CDT start. The press release stated the following:

As it relates to the U.S. Olympic Softball Team and the “Stand Beside Her” tour, presented by MLB, there are still a lot of moving pieces and discussions to be had before we can determine appropriate next steps. However, please know that our commitment to the health and safety of our athletes, coaches, umpires, staff/volunteers, families, and fans is of the utmost importance to USA Softball. When details are available for our new Road to Tokyo, we will share updates as soon as we are able to.
As of now, we do not have any new information regarding the tour stop. We understand that you have a variety of questions regarding the rescheduling of the tour stop, ticket sales and the details of what is to come with our tour stop in HOUSTON. However at this time the information above is what is currently available. As soon as we have information available regarding the rescheduling of our tour stop, which we anticipate to have by April 13, we will be sure to share it with you.

TexSport Publications will publish any further developments, as they become available.

2020 Summer Olympics, Paralympics postponed

By Chris Price
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved
Video courtsey of CGTN via YouTube.com 

TOKYO, JAPAN (March 25, 2020) It has been decided by the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo Organizing Committee that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and the 16th Summer Paralympic Games will be postponed due to the worldwide COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The Games will be delayed to 2021, and held no later than summer 2021. The Games will still be publicly branded and marketed as Tokyo 2020 and 2020 Summer Paralympics, even with the change in scheduling.

Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 7 September 2013.^[1] This will be the second time that Japan, and specifically Tokyo has hosted the Summer Olympic Games, the first being in 1964, making it the first city in Asia to host the summer Games twice. Overall, these will be the fourth Olympic Games to be held in Japan, which also hosted the Winter Olympics in 1972 (Sapporo) and 1998 (Nagano). The 2020 Games will be the second of three consecutive Olympics to be held in East Asia, the first being the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang County, South Korea, and the next being the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.

As part of a formal agreement between the International Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee first established in 2001, the winner of the bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics must also host the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

TexSport Publications will post further information as it becomes available.

ESPN8: The Ocho is back

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT (March 21, 2020) "If you can play it, we cover it. ESPN8: The Ocho." For the entire day on Sunday, March 22, 2020, The Ocho is back. The fictional sports network channel, made famous by the 2004 movie "Dodgeball: A Ture Underdog Story" will be returning to television for its fourth edition on ESPN2.

The lineup for Sunday will certainly adhere to a line from the movie, "Bringing you the finest in seldom seen sports from around the globe. If its almost a sport, we got it here." 

Beginning at 12 midnight EDT, the programing will kickoff with the Johnsonville ACL Cornhole Championships: 2020 Kickoff Battle. The day will continue until the final show at 10:30 p.m. with a one-and-a-half hour broadcast of Moxie Games 3

This will be the fourth edition of  "The Ocho" since the initiative began in the summer of 2017. The schedule for Sunday is as follows. All times listed are EDT.

Midnight – Johnsonville ACL Cornhole Championships: 2020 Kickoff Battle

2 a.m. – World Axe Throwing League: 2019 World Championship

4 a.m. – U.S. Open Ultimate Championships

6 a.m. – 2019 Spikeball College Championship

7 a.m. – 2019 Las Vegas Highland Games

7:30 a.m. – Putt-Putt Championships

8 a.m. – 2019 IDEAL Electricians National Championship

9 a.m. – E:60 as part of The Ocho

9:30 a.m. – 51st National Stone Skipping Competition

10:30 a.m. – 2007 World Sport Stacking Championships

11:30 a.m. – 2019 World Sign Spinning Championship

Noon – 2006 Krystal World Hamburger Eating Championship

1 p.m. – 2006 Johnsonville Brat Eating World Championship

2 p.m. -European TramDriver Championship

3 p.m. -2019 Stupid Robot Fighting League

3:30 p.m. – 46th Annual Cherry Pit Spitting Championship

4 p.m. – Professional Arm Wrestling Championships

4:30 p.m. – 2019 Golden Tee World Championship

5 p.m. – 2018 Classic Tetris World Championship

5:30 p.m. – E:60 on ESPN8 Presented by Liberty Mutual

6:30 p.m. – America’s Dodgeball Continental Cup: USA vs. Canada

7:30 p.m. – 2019 Jelle’s Marble Runs

8 p.m. – Slippery Stairs: College Tour

8:30 p.m. – 2019 Death Diving World Championship

9:30 p.m. – Dodge Juggle 3

10:30 p.m. – Moxie Games 3

Brady leaves the Patriots

Photo by Jeffrey Beall via Flickr

By Lou Roesch
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 18, 2020) Tom Brady has left the New England Patriots for greener pastures both figuratively and literally. The time has come where we will now find out if the system made Tom Brady or Brady really is the G.O.A.T.  The argument has raged for years as to whether Bill Belichick made Tom Brady or Brady made Belichick. 

It all began when the sixth round pick stepped in following the hit that benched then Patriots star quarterback Drew Bledsoe. The 199th pick of the 2000 NFL draft has been the New England field general ever since.

So is it the system or is Brady just that good? Well to hedge the bet, it’s a little bit of both. In the seasons previous to Brady taking over the offensive reins, the Bledsoe led Patriots had not made it to one SuperBowl. Without Brady in 2011, the Patriots went 11-5 with Matt Cassell under center. With Brady sidelined for DeflateGate in 2016, the Patriots went 3-1 with Jimmy Garrapolo and Jacoby Brissett before Brady returned to finish 11-1 and 14-2 overall.  

Here’s where the system doesn’t matter….. the Super Bowl. With Brady, they have won six SuperBowls in 9 appearances. No other quarterback, not Joe Montana, not Terry Bradshaw, not Troy Aikman, not Bart Starr, not Johnny Unitas not anyone has come close to Brady’s accomplishments when the lights were the brightest. 

You can’t pooh-pooh a quarterback who has thrown for more than 75,000 yards, won three regular season MVP’s and is the only player ever named SuperBowl MVP four times. Plus throw in the 54 other NFL records he holds including most career wins by a quarterback with one team. Brady is also tied for the record in these two categories; most seasons with 35 plus touchdown passes and most touchdown passes in a single postseason game with six scoring strikes.

Brady, under Belichek, led New England to a 215-64 regular season record. More importantly, it was done with a plethora of good pieces but not great parts. With really only one running back (Corey Dillon), fans might remember, one wide receiver Randy Moss, one slot receiver (Wes Welker) and two tight ends in Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski who else has Brady had to win with in nearly two decades?

Brady will get his money (L.A. is my guess) and he will deliver the payroll too with another Superbowl title. After all where else would the final chapter to be written on the G.O.A.T be more perfect for the San Mateo California Kid.

Tom Brady; Should he stay or should he go?

Photo by
Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

By Joe Pulley 

Special for TexSport Publications

Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS (March 17, 2020) Tom Brady (No. 12, shown right) the hottest free agent on the NFL market has yet to announce where he will be taking his talents for the upcoming 2020 football season. Bearing that in mind, the question many are asking is should he stay or should he go? There are several arguments and reasons for both sides of this equation and here we provide you with the top three reasons he should stay and the top three places he should consider should he go.

Three Reasons To Stay

Loyalty: The New England Patriots have been nothing but good to Tom Brady ever since the hit that benched Drew Bledsoe. They have right there with him through thick and thin especially when it came to to Deflategate. The Patriots threw others under the bench but not their star signal caller. They have consistently tried to surround him with weapons even questionable character athletes. Robert Kraft has always made sure of that and if it comes to taking care of Tom, expect him to do it again over head coach Bill Belichek's objections.

Money: Brady has made more money then he has fingers and toes by multiple double digit exponents and if that is an issue, they have offered more then most might to a would be 43 year old NFL quarterback. With free agency nearly in full swing, it won't be long till we know how much it will cost to keep Brady. After all, everyone has a price.

Family: This seems to be the most logical reason to stay. First, his dad Tom Sr. (and mom) are regulars at Patriots games. It was reported his dad suffered separation anxiety when he went Michigan for college. Moving your family is always difficult but that is exactly what the Brady bunch has done putting their Brookline home up for sale and buying another in Greenwich, CT. It is just a short two hour drive to Brookline and another 45 minutes or so down the road to Foxborough, MA. home of the Patriots. So don't read a lot into the move.

Three Places He Should Consider

Chicago Bears:  Mitch Trubisky has not set the NFL on fire and it might actually do the him good to watch the G.O.A.T. for a couple of seasons. They have a solid back in David Montgomery and experienced receivers in their prime like Allen Robinson II and Anthony Miller. Not to mention a well built offensive line and a darn good defense.

Indianapolis Colts:  The Colts if they don't land Phillip Rivers whom most think they will should really be in the Brady sweepstakes. With the re-signing of left tackle Anthony Castonzo, the Colts have a front line equal to the task of protecting Brady's body. Castonzo only missed 2% of his blocks in 2019 and was hardly ever penalized. Behind that line, you have a top young runner in Marlon Mack and weapons in tight end Jack Doyle and receiver Ty  Hilton. If that isn't enough, there is the head coach Frank Reich not just a former quarterback himself who engineered the greatest NFL comeback outside of the Super Bowl but also engineered the greatest comeback in college football in 1984. Oh and he's a pretty darn good play caller.

Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton is on his way out the door and what quarterback would not want to have Christain McCaffery in the backfield with him. Kyle Allen has not impressed to the point that Carolina is sold on him long term. The wide receiving corps would reunite Brady and Chris Hogan but more importantly give him in Curtis Samuel a young Randy Moss and then there is DJ Moore who snagged 87 balls for 1,175 yards.

However it might all be a moot point when Brady re-signs with the Patriots.

Houston Texans trade DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 16, 2020) With the sports world virtually shut down all over Texas due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), any sports news is welcome to ardent sports fans, With that being said, the news coming out of the Houston Texans today had many of those fans scratching their heads.

Early Monday morning, it was reported by various news sources, including ESPN.com, that the Texans had traded wide receiver, and fan favorite, DeAndre Hopkins (shown right) to the Arizona Cardinals. The trade included also giving the Cardinals a fourth round pick in exchange for running back David Johnson, a second round pick this year and a fourth round pick next year.

As in any breaking and controversial news story, people turn to social media to express their opinions. Here are a few of those opinions.

Janet Ellis-Crammer, who is a Houston Texans long time season ticket holder, stated.

"I'm dumbfounded. At first I thought it must be wrong, then I got angry, now I'm in mourning and wondering about keeping my season tickets, How could they do this especially now? Everyone is down, now one of our favorite/best players is gone!"

Pat Carrigan, a sports photojournalist who shoots sporting events all over Texas, added

"HURTS WATSON. Guess they are gonna run the ball and check down. Or they think they can get a stud wide receiver in this wide receiver heavy draft and pay rookie money."

Former assistant sports information directer at Houston Baptist University Mary Ellen Ermis added:

"Speechless...Bill O'Brien is way in over his head as both coach and GM."

Tommy Boatman, owner of Houston Sports Images, had a very "unique" was of expressing his thoughts.

"Dumbest decision in the history of dumb decisions. Watson should bail at the first opportunity."

Houston area educator Andy Crawford also had a "special" comment on the trade.

"Welcome to the Houston Texans. Where making the playoffs is good enough."

Long time Houston area sports fan Lauren Rossett added:

"Worst move they could've made. Hopkins and Watson have great field chemistry and this trade will ruin the offense next season.

University of Houston graduate Francisco Casillas stated.

"BOB doesn't know what he is doing and is going to dismantle the team."

The comment by longtime sports radio broadcaster and Houston area sports fan James Larken Smith seems to sum up the trade in a  very special way.

"It's hard to pass judgement until we see how they use the pick. I personally think they are not done with this second round pick, and are trying to get it higher, I hate seeing D'Andre go. He was fun to watch."

As in any major trade, many people have their ideas about the positives and negatives of the decision. Much will be written about the trade for weeks to come.

USWNT wins She Believes Cup

Photo courtesy U.S Soccer WNT via Twitter.com

By Jennifer Edwards
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

FRISCO, TEXAS (March 16, 2020) The United States Women’s National Team quietly won the She Believes Cupon Wednesday, June 11, for the third time against the backdrop of global concern over COVID-19 (coronavirus). Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press and Lindsey Horan racked up the three US goals versus a single goal by Japan to win the championship. This is a huge feather in the cap of new head coach Vlatko Andonovski.

Many critical eyes were watching Andonovski from thestarting 11 to placement to personal reactions. In usual fashion, Andonovski showed the U.S. Soccer Federation they selected the perfect replacement for long time coach, Jill Ellis. Japan’s head coach, Asako Takakura, played an unusually rookie player back line against the United States powerhouse offense. 

While the score did not reflect the lopsided play, the United States consistently outplayed Japan most of the second half to secure the win. The She Believes Cup was created five seasons ago to test players for international teams and is seen as a “warm-up” to the Olympics being held in Tokyo, Japan this summer. 

The invitational tournament highlighted four international teams: United States, Spain, England, and Japan.

Houston Cougars baseball team placed under self-quarantine

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 15, 2020) The Houston Cougars baseball team has been informed by campus administration they are to self-quarantine as a result of one of their staff members developing symptoms of the COVID-19 (coronavirus). The team just returned from a trip to Las Vegas, where they were playing a two-game series against UNLV. The Cougars downed the Rebels 3-1 prior to the remainder of their season being cancelled.

The individual, whose identity was not released, is currently being tested for COVID-19 and the pre-cautionary self-quarantine will last while UH awaits test results, which could take from 48-72 hours

Any related, potential exposure is thought to be limited to the UH baseball team and support staff, as the University was on Spring Break when the team returned. At this time, no other baseball student-athletes, coaches or staff appear to have developed symptoms.

USWNT shows defiance during National Anthem

By Jennifer Edwards
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

FRISCO, TEXAS (March 14, 2020) Last Wednesday night, it looked like a showdown at the O-K Corral with the United States Women's National Team (USWNT) on one side and the United States Soccer Federation on the other. To give background for those who do not know, the United States Women’s Soccer Team players filed a gender-discrimination lawsuit against the Federation in March of 2019. At the heart of the lawsuit is the fact that the ladies were paid far less than their counterparts, while the ladies were far more successful in World Cup and Olympic showings than the men’s team were. The suit was filed under the Equal Pay Act and Title 8 of the Civil Liberties Act. This suit was filed in the U.S. District Court in California. 

The battle of words and actions has heated up on both sides ahead of the May 2020 trial date. The United States Men’s Team added to the USWNT’s claims of gender-discrimination by saying that the United States Soccer Federation, “has been working hard to sell a false narrative to the public and even to members of Congress.” The Federation felt they paid the Women’s Team fairly when reviewing financial records. The Federation states that for 10 years the Women’s team was paid $34.1 million in salary and game bonuses to the Men’s $26.4 million. While these numbers back up what the Federation is saying, the USWNT and USMST do not agree. This week the Federation added to the suit by saying that the women were less skilled than the men arguing that it is “indisputable science”. 

As the USWNT took the field for the final match of the She Believes Cup last Wednesday they defied the Federation and wore their jerseys inside out during the walk-in and national anthem, only showing the four stars representing the four World Cup titles and not showcasing the US Soccer shield that is beneath the stars. Women stand out Megan Rapinoe stated, 

“Is that truly how they feel about 50 percent of the population that they are supposed to be stewarding into the game of soccer? I think that says a lot about how they feel about us … It’s undertones and undercurrents, sometimes blatantly, that we’ve experienced before which is why we’ve filed the gender discrimination lawsuit.” 

The US Soccer Federation President, Carlos Cordeiro, apologized for the remarks made and resigned on Thursday afternoon.

Southland Conference shuts down all spring sports

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 14, 2020) The Southland Conference, in a prepared press release, have announced that all spring sports seasons, have been cancelled. Commissioner Tom Burnett stated in a distributed press release, the following:

“It is with great sadness that we’ve come to this conclusion regarding the remainder of the Southland Conference’s spring sports season.  To adversely impact the student-athlete experience by removing competitive opportunities is not what we’re about, and is not who we are.  This is not what we would have ever wanted or ever imagined.  However, in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Conference membership is taking precautionary steps to best protect the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans and others in our campus communities.  We are also going to be very active in ensuring our spring sports student-athletes are given applicable relief by the NCAA for the use of an additional season of competition in 2020-21, and we look forward to initiating that process as soon as possible.  We believe these measures taken by the Southland membership provide our student-athletes with the continued academic support and other team structures that have traditionally been beneficial for our athletic programs.”  

On Friday (March 13) the NCAA Division I Council Committee has previously stated that it is recommending that all spring-sports athletes affected  be granted an additional year of eligibility. Details are forthcoming. 

A sad day for sports....The Day Sports Died

Story and photo by James Larken Smith
Special for TexSport Publications
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

SUGAR LAND, TEXAS (March 12, 2020) Many times after the end of the NFL regular season, they call the following Monday 'Black Monday', because of all the coaching and front office firings. I think we can call today 'The Day Sports Died'. 

There have been strikes in individual sports, but there was at least a little something to fall back on. There is NO precedent for what happened today. Championships cancelled, not only NCAA basketball, but ALL winter and spring sports; meaning college baseball, I assume, is done for the year. The new spring football league, the XFL, is cancelled for the season. No playoffs or championship. It is to hard to finish the season because players want to try out for NFL practice squads and teams. A perfect 5-0 season for our Houston Roughnecks is done. 

Add the NBA, NHL, MLS, Pro Tennis, Pro Rugby, and Major league and Minor League Baseball to the list of sports on hold for at least close to a month. A sad day, the right call to do this, but a sad, sad day....

No. 5 Northwestern State downs No.8 TAMU-CC in first round of Southland Conference tournament

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

KATY, TEXAS (March 11, 2020) In the first game of the 2020 Hercules Tires Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, No. 5 Northwestern State downed No. 8 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi by the score of 79-62 in front of a scant crowd at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. With the win, the Demons will next face No. 4 Sam Houston State on Thursday, March 12 with a 5 p.m. CDT tip-off.

The game will be played with few, if any fans in attendance, as the Southland Conference announced during the game, that it will limit attendance beginning Thursday morning due to precautions related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

"Beginning with Thursday's women's first round and men's second round games, arena entry will be restricted to participating teams, game officials, tournament staff, spirit groups (at each institution's discretion), credentialed media, other support personnel, and family members included on the team's official pass list. There will be no entry allowed for ticket holders and no opportunity to purchase tickets at the Merrell Center." (from the Southland Conference Press Release)

Against the Islanders the Demons jumped out to a 41-36 lead, after trailing early in the first half, due to the shooting of Chudier Bile (Denver, Colorado/Bradley). The 6-7 junior forward tallied 17 points in just over 24 minutes of play. He was joined by junior starting guard Jarius Roberson (Dallas, Texas, Trinity Valley Community College), who also scored 17 points, and Brian White, who added 13.  Bile a;sp pulled down eight rebounds, to lead the Demons. For the Islanders, Jordan Hairston came off the bench to score 19 points, along with five rebounds'; with Perry Francois adding 10.

TAMU-CC head back home with a 14-18 season record and an early exit from the tournament. The past two years, The Islanders have advanced to the conference tournament; only to be ousted in the first round by Central Arkansas (73-53) in 2019 and New Orleans (83-76) in 2018.

As far as the Demons, the win was the first in SLC tournament play since 2015, when the beat McNeese 96-89 in the second round; only to fall to eventual tournament champions Stephen F. Austin (91-79) in the semi-finals