AU women's hoops preparing for season with series of scrimmages
By Nyla Robinson | Sports writer
The Augusta University women’s basketball team scrimmaged Claflin on Saturday, October. 19, at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
Claflin, picked to finish second in the CIAA, had the upper hand most of the game. No statistics were kept for the scrimmage.
“It was a great learning experience, and I believe playing in the scrimmage showed us some things we need to work on and also some things we did well,” said AU Coach Celeste Stewart.
Senior Autumn Phillips and graduate student Yamani Paul were the standouts for the Jaguars against Claflin.
Phillips, a guard, is the top returning scorer from the 2023-24 team that finished second in the Peach Belt Conference with a 15-3 league mark. They made it to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional and finished 22-9.
A senior from Norcross, Phillips averaged a team-best 15 points per game last season. Another key returnee is guard Mone Florence, who averaged 9.3 points per game. Paul averaged 6.5 points per game.
Stewart says these preseason scrimmages are beneficial to her team as they prepare for the season opener.
“I believe the scrimmages we have in place will prepare us for when we start official games,” Stewart said.
Key losses for AU were Tomiyah Alford and Kennedi Manning, who combined for 24.3 points per game. Manning was the team’s leading rebounder with 7.5 boards per game.
Stewart’s Jaguars will scrimmage at Coker this coming Sunday (October. 27) at 1 p.m.
The Jaguars will open the regular season against North Greenville on Nov. 8 at 11:30 a.m. The next day, AU will play Barton College at 5:30 p.m. Both games will be played in Tigerville, S.C.
AU’s first home game will be Nov. 13 against Newberry at 5:30 p.m. at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
Contact Nyla Robinson at nyrobinson@augusta.edu.
AU’s Autumn Phillips (5) looks to pass to a teammate during a scrimmage with Claflin on Oct. 19 at Christenberry Fieldhouse. At the top of the page, Yamani Paul (4) goes up strong for the Jaguars, who will play a scrimmage at Coker on Sunday, Oct. 27. (photos by Paula Toole, AU Athletics)
