Staff reportAugusta University opens its Peach Belt Conference campaign Thursday, Dec. 19, at Christenberry Fieldhouse. The women tip off at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men at 7:30.The Jaguar men will begin their defense of their PBC championship, which includes both the regular-season and tournament crowns. Led by Deane Williams, Augusta finished first in the league last season and then won the PBC tourney title at Christenberry before advancing to the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen.Dip Metress' AU team enters with a 5-3 record, coming off a 98-68 win over city rival Paine College on Dec. 7. The Jags have won three of their last four with the lone blemish coming in a home loss to Emmanuel on a buzzer-beater."We need to protect home court if we want to defend our title," Metress said of Friday's conference-opener.The Jaguars are led by senior post player Rafael Monteiro, who is averaging 18 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. The Brazilian is shooting 60 percent from the field and 88 percent from the foul line. Sophomore guard Miguel Arnold is averaging 14.4 point and shooting nearly 40 percent on three-pointers.Monteiro and Arnold have gotten plenty of help from Troy Cracknell, Tyshaun Crawford and Tyree Myers. Cracknell is averaging 10.5, Crawford 10.1 and Myers 9.8 points per game. Crawford is averaging 7.5 rebounds and leads the team in blocked shots with 14. Crawford had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Paine. Myers, the sophomore guard from Baltimore, Md., has 45 assists and only 12 turnovers thus far on the season. Guard Darren Lucas-White is averaging 9.1 points per outing and has been a key on defense."They have best record in the league heading into league play," Metress said of the Hurricanes.Georgia Southwestern opened the season with five straight wins, but lost in its last outing to Albany State 72-66 on Dec. 5. Coach Ben Hicks's Hurricanes are led by Soloman Thomas, Jamari Dean, Jalen Cameron and Abdul Dial. Thomas, a 5-foot-10 guard, is averaging 22 while shooting 52 percent from the field. Then Dean averages 17.7, Cameron 15 and Dial 11.8 points per game.AU swept last season's games with GSW, winning 76-67 in Americus and 74-70 at Christenberry.On the women's side, AU enters with a 3-5 record and is coming off a 71-61 win over Paine. Guards Kiera Howard, Zairya West and Crystal Corley lead Augusta. Howard averages 10 points, 3.5 rebounds and leads the Jaguars in assists. West is averaging 10.8 points and is shooting 40 percent from the field and 85 percent from the line. Corley is averaging a team-high 11.2 points per game. Forward Kennedi Manning is averaging 8.9 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds.The Hurricanes are 4-2 after winning their first four games and then losing two in a row. In their last outing, on Nov. 30, GSW lost to Eckerd College 81-66. Morgan Towells lead the 'Canes with a 12.2 scoring average.