They asserted themselves early and didn’t let up Sunday afternoon as the
Senior Jarvis Nichols puts in a layup against Truman Sunday afternoon at White Auditorium. The Hornets won 65-61. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin
Emporia State men’s basketball team won a hard fought game against Truman 65-61. Matt Boswell and Xavier Burnette led the Hornets combining for 34 points and 10 rebounds.
“Coming out in the second half, coach had faith in me that if I’d get that ball in the low block that I would make something happen with it,” Boswell said. “I got a couple of shots going and hopefully sparked us the second half there at the beginning.”
Boswell and Burnette helped spark the Hornets early on as they jumped out to a fast 13-6 lead. The two combined for 11 of the first 13 points before Truman pulled back to within two points.
Neither team took control of the first half as the Hornets entered the break up 29-26.
“The first half we weren’t shooting well from the field, and guys were just kind of standing around watching, not attacking, settling for jumpers,” Burnette said. “We just knew that we had to come out even more aggressive. The more aggressive you are, I think the better you play.”
The second half saw much of the same script as Boswell scored six unanswered points after Truman quickly tied the game at 29. Much like the first half, neither team ran out to a lead larger than six points.
The Hornets, however, controlled the momentum as Burnette contributed on two different and-one plays. The first came at the 13:39 mark to break a tie, and the second happened with 6:07 left giving ESU a five point lead. A lead they wouldn’t give up for the remained of the afternoon.
“We got one possession where we had three or four offensive rebounds, ended up pulling it out and running some clock, and we ended up turning it over, but… we never veered from what’s made us successful in the last 10 days or so,” said Head Coach David Moe.
Clutch free throws down the stretch by Robert Moores who had 17 points on the afternoon would eventually put the Bulldogs away for good.
“We didn’t play as well as we’ve been playing. A little carry over from the end of the (Missouri) Western game as far as finishing shots and making plays,” Moe said. “But you get a win under your belt again and bounce back, and then hopefully you can start making shots and making plays again.”
The Hornets improve now to 11-9 overall and 8-6 in the MIAA. Their next game was Wednesday night against Central Missouri. They then travel to Nebraska-Omaha in what is the first of three straight road games for the Hornets.
“I was glad we could finish this game off,” Boswell said. “We really needed this win. We gotta build from it.”
Brandon Schneeberger
Bouncing back: the Raines family is working diligently to improve their credit scores and buy their first home.(BLACK ENTERPRISE Financial Fitness Contest Winner No. 78)(April Raines, Gabriel Raines)
Black Enterprise March 1, 2007 | Nash, Sheryl Nance YOU DON’T HAVE TO TELL APRIL AND Gabriel Raines that financial missteps can have a lingering effect. “We’ve learned the importance of how you use credit,” says April. She recalls her college days, when she always paid $100 on her credit card bill. Not necessarily a bad idea, but April, now 27, would wait until she had exactly $100 to make a payment rather than pay the minimum amount due each month. Those late payments tarnished her credit rating.
Her husband, Gabriel, has a different problem. At age 30, he hasn’t established any real credit over the years. Having little or no credit history means that there’s scant information available to help lenders determine if he’s a good risk.
Such credit confusion has cost the Albany, Georgia, couple. When they began looking to purchase their first home a year ago, a mortgage broker advised them to pay off their credit card debt first in order to boost their FICO scores and qualify for better financing terms. Although the couple paid off $5,000 in debt, they still have sizeable student loans, and their scores only showed minor improvement, still averaging around 550. Though there are exceptions, in general, scores below 620 mean that a borrower may be required to carry a subprime mortgage–one that carries an above-prime interest rate.
The Raines family is now racing against the clock, working as fast as they can to build savings. April and Gabriel–along with sons Jordan, 6, and Justin, 3–are paying $485 a month to rent a two-bedroom apartment that’s bursting at the seams. “The place has no yard and we have no equity,” says April. “Getting out is critical.” The couple has shopped around, and they estimate that a three- or four-bedroom home with two baths will cost them about $150,000. If they qualify for a Federal Housing Authority loan, they will need a 3% down payment of $4,500, which they hope to save within six months. April and Gabriel have already saved roughly $1,000 and are confident that they’ll reach their goal because of their income: April makes $40,000 a year as a business manager at a hospital, and Gabriel earns $52,000 as a the assembly specialist.
The couple is ready to make the sacrifices necessary to reach their financial goals, and together they are scrutinizing monthly spending for waste. Fortunately they’ve reduced one big cost: childcare. Now that their older son is in school all day, their childcare expense of $900 a month has been cut in half. see here 2000 honda accord
Although their immediate objective is to buy a house, April and Gabriel have additional goals, including saving for an emergency fund and increasing contributions to their employer-sponsored retirement accounts, from roughly 4% of their salaries to 10%. They are also looking to beef up savings for their sons’ college educations. But the couple’s debt load continues to hinder their savings and investing plans. They still owe $1,000 in credit card debt, $6,500 on a car note for April’s 2000 Honda Accord, a medical debt which is in collections, and $80,000 in school loans. April holds a bachelor’s degree in allied health services and an M.B.A. Gabriel has a certificate in industrial electrical technology and plans to get his associate’s degree in business administration this year.
Despite their challenges, the Raines family remains optimistic. “We have learned a lot,” says April. “We’ve seen the impact of not doing what we need to do. site 2000 honda accord
The Advice BLACK ENTERPRISE had financial adviser Pierre Dunagan, president of The Dunagan Group in Chicago, take a look at April and Gabriel’s situation. He says the couple’s financial future should be positive because youth is on their side, and they’ve learned from their early mistakes. Dunagan suggests the following:
Enhance credit scores. Enhance credit scores. There are two steps they can take to improve their credit scores. First, because Gabriel has a limited credit history, he should open two charge accounts and consistently pay them on time. Second, April should take $1,000 of the contest winnings and pay off her medical expenses. Dunagan believes she can negotiate a reduced amount. Once the debt is paid, she can get payoff letters, send them directly to the credit bureaus, and request that they record payment and clear it from her report.
Negotiate smartly. Dunagan believes the couple will meet their targeted savings goal of a 3% down payment in short order, especially considering they will likely receive a $5,000 income tax refund this year. He adds that they may save money on the home purchase by asking their real estate agent to negotiate for the seller to pay the closing costs.
Increase savings. April and Gabriel need to get serious about saving for retirement and give their money time to work for them. Dunagan says unequivocally that they need to increase their retirement contributions to 10% of their incomes. He adds that their cash flow should not be dramatically affected if they also increase their payroll deductions.
Because Gabriel recently paid off the loan on his 1997 Grand Cherokee Jeep, the couple has an extra $250 in disposable monthly income that can be put toward building an emergency cash reserve of at least three to six months of expenses. Dunagan suggests putting the other half of the contest winnings in their emergency fund.
Fund the childrens’ college education. Fund the childrens’ college education. The couple should begin saving $150 monthly per child in a 529 plan using an index fund. They can achieve this by reducing two discretionary bills. The family currently spends $115 a month on cable TV. Going without some of the premium channels will reduce that bill by $50 a month says Dunagan. They rent multiple movies a week that they don’t have time to watch. Paring back could cut that cost in half. The couple was planning to save $75 a month in two mutual funds but Dunagan suggests they divert that money to the children’s 529 plans.
Financial Snapshot:
April & Gabriel Raines
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Gross Income $92,000
ASSETS
Savings and Checking (hers) $300 Savings and Checking (his) 500 Money Market Account 75 Ariel Mutual Fund 50 403(b) Retirement Acct. (hers) 1,700 403(b) Retirement Acct. (his) 500 1997 Grand Cherokee Jeep * 3,000 2000 Honda Accord * 5,500 Total $11,625
LIABILITIES
Student Loans (hers) $50,000 Student Loans (his) 30,000 Auto Loan 3,500 Medical Collections 1,000 Credit Card Debt 1,000 Total $88,500
NET WORTH -$76,875
* ACCORDING TO KELLEY BLUE BOOK Nash, Sheryl Nance
