AU women fall at nationally ranked Lander in PBC basketball
By Jack Johnson | Sports writer
GREENWOOD, S.C.—Augusta University’s women’s basketball team lost at third-ranked Lander University 70-57 on Saturday, Feb. 20, in a Peach Belt Conference game at Finis Home Arena.
With the loss, the Jaguars (4-3, 5-6) dropped to fifth place in the Peach Belt Conference standings with three contests remaining.
Augusta was led by Zairya West and Kennedi Manning, who scored 17 and 15 points, respectively.
The Jaguars played well in the first half of the game, managing to hold the high-powered Bearcat offense to under 30 points in the opening 20 minutes. AU went into the locker room down by only one at 26-25.
The second half, however, was a different story as Lander was able to capitalize on the foul trouble of Michaela Lane, who is a solid defensive presence in the post. The Bearcats were able to score 22 points in both the third and fourth quarters as their full-court pressure defense forced a series of Jaguar turnovers and slowed the Jags’ offense down in the half court.
Lander’s combination of an efficient offense and a gritty defense were too much for the Jaguars to overcome. Makaila Cange led Lander with 23 points and 18 rebounds. Zamiya Passmore added 21 points for the first-place and undefeated Bearcats (12-0, 14-0)..
Despite the loss, the Jaguars had outstanding performances from West and Manning. Manning continued to show her dominance in the paint with 13 rebounds and three blocked shots while West proved once again to be the go-to option on offense.
“Kennedi and Z played great, but we still desperately need a solid third scoring option,” said AU Coach Millette Green. “Kiera (Howard) needs to be more aggressive; she’s not shooting the ball as much and not getting to the free throw line enough. We also need November Morton to step up and shoot the ball more.”
The Jaguars’ next contest will be yet another tough game as they face Clayton State University on Monday. Clayton currently sits at third in the PBC standings and has a conference and overall record of 8-4.
“This next one against Clayton will be our biggest so far,” Green said. “We’re preparing similar to how we did with Lander since both teams are extremely aggressive. Our goal is to come out of this stretch going 3-0.”
The AU-Clayton State game will be at Christenberry Fieldhouse on Monday, Feb. 22. This is a crucial game for the Jags as they are trying to break through into the top four teams in the PBC for the chance of making the post-season PBC Tournament. Right now Georgia Southwestern has the fourth and final PBC tourney slot with a 6-4 league mark.
Contact Jack Johnson at jacjohnson@augusta.edu.
Zairya West (0) goes up for two of her 17 points in AU’s 70-57 loss at Lander University in Peach Belt Conference action. At the top of the page, Kennedi Manning posts up for the Jaguars as Ashleigh Boulin (11) attempts to feed the post. (photos by Carlos Rodriguez)
