AU women’s basketball opens season with victories over Barton, North Greenville
By Drew Wall | Sports writer
The Augusta women’s basketball team set the tone this past weekend in Newberry, S.C., with a dominating 86-46 win over Barton College and a 59-55 win over North Greenville University.
The Jaguars’ defense was relentless against Barton College, holding the Bulldogs to a 25-percent shooting night while putting up an efficient 51 percent from the floor of their own.
Senior guard Tomyiah Alford led everyone in points and steals in the game against Barton. Alford shot 7 of 11 from the field, scoring 15 points, and adding four steals to her efficient scoring night.
“Alford did a great job playing the passing lanes and getting a lot of steals for us,” said AU Coach Celeste Stewart. “She also does a really good job with getting her to her sweet spots.”
Kennedi Manning put up a double-double in the opening game (13 points and 11 rebounds), picking up right where she left off last season. Manning also did a terrific job defending the paint with three blocks to go with her double-double.
As dominating as a performance Augusta had against Barton, it was anything but against North Greenville University the following day. Nonetheless, the Jaguars came from behind to get a 59-55 win over the Crusaders.
Augusta found itself down 36-25 at the half. North Greenville went on a 7-0 run in the middle of the second quarter, but the Jaguars countered with a 7-0 run of their own to end the half.
“The team responded really well to adversity,” said Stewart. “Adversity is something I have really emphasized to the team, and they have to understand adversity is going to happen, but how you respond to it when it comes is the real key. This team showed a lot of composure and they handled the adversity really well.”
Junior guard Mone Florence had herself a strong second half, hitting three 3-pointers. Her three pointers gave the Jaguars the spark they needed, and Augusta outscored North Greenville 34-19 in the second half to secure its undefeated weekend.
Florence led the game in scoring with 16 points, shooting 4 of 10 from the 3-point line. Florence also made her presence known on defense with a pair of steals.
“Mone did a great job shooting,” Stewart said. “She also does a lot of great things for this team that do not show up on the stat sheet.”
Manning and Alford also tallied 14 points a piece against North Greenville, and Manning secured 11 more rebounds for her second straight game with a double-double.
The Jaguars’ next game will be Saturday, Nov. 18, when they travel on the road to take on Wingate in Wingate, N.C.
“Wingate is traditionally a very good program who has played in a lot of big games and has had a lot of success in the past,” Stewart added when asked about Wingate. “We have to play with a chip on our shoulder going on the road in a game like this, and our defense needs to create pressure so that we can turn our defense into offense.”
Wingate beat Augusta 75-70 last season. This will be a test to see where this team currently stands.
Contact Drew Wall at dawall@augusta.edu.
Tomiyah Alford had 15 points against Barton and 14 against North Greenville in AU’s season-opening wins. (photo by Paula Toole, AU Athletics) At the top of the page, Kennedi Manning was tough in the paint with 13 points against Barton and 14 against North Greenville. Manning had 11 rebounds in both games. (Bell Ringer file photo)
