ANDERSON, S.C. - Coming off one of the most memorable seasons in program history, Anderson University women's basketball head coach Jimmy Garrity has announced his 2015-16 schedule, which features nine games against opponents that reached last year's NCAA Tournament.
Home-and-home matchups with South Atlantic Conference rivals Newberry, Catawba, Carson-Newman and Wingate, along with a home contest with defending regional champion Limestone, make up 36 percent of the Trojans' regular season schedule, as all five teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament a season ago. The group of five combined for a 114-46 record in 2014-15.
Before the start of the regular season, the Black and Gold open their preseason with a highly-anticipated matchup with Division I Clemson on Nov. 8 inside the Abney Athletic Center. In the teams' last exhibition, the Trojans pulled off a memorable upset over the Tigers, 72-65, at Littlejohn Coliseum on Nov. 2, 2012. A week later, AU sees its final tune-up before the regular season with a trip to Western Carolina on Nov. 15.
"I'm extremely excited about this year's schedule," Garrity said. "We start off the season with two strong exhibition games against Clemson and Western Carolina. Those two games should give us a pretty good idea of where we are as a team."
AU begins its regular season with its rivalry game against Erskine for a chance to earn a Beville Cup point. The Trojans look to continue their dominance over the Flying Fleet, as they currently carry a 14-game winning streak in the all-time series.
"Our first regular-season game will be against rival Erskine and competing for a point towards the Beville Cup," Garrity said. "Erskine returns many players from a really good team that won 18 games last season."
The Trojans are on tap to host 13 regular-season home games with nonconference tilts with USC Aiken (12/3) and Limestone (12/31). Prior to the home meeting with the Pacers, Anderson opens its play on Annie Tribble Court with league foe Mars Hill on Nov. 24 in a rematch of the Trojans' SAC Tournament opener, in which the Black and Gold grabbed a 67-52 win. The matchup with the Lions will begin Anderson's longest home stretch of the season (three games).
"USC Aiken and Limestone also present great regional competition," Garrity added. "Both schools always have a roster full of really good basketball players. It will take our best effort to win."
Limestone highlights AU's grueling slate after it eliminated
Anderson from the postseason in the Southeast Regional title game
and eventually advanced to the Final Four. The Saints closed the
year with a 34-2 overall record and recorded a perfect 22-0 mark in
Conference Carolinas.
2015-16
Schedule
Last season, Anderson became the first women's basketball program to post 20 league wins in SAC history, ending the year with a 20-2 conference record and a regular-season conference championship. Wingate and Catawba handed AU its lone conference setbacks a year ago, as they are scheduled to return to the Electric City on Jan. 16 and Feb. 13, respectively. AU looks to snap a two-game home setback streak to the Indians, after Catawba handed the Black and Gold their only home conference loss in 2014-15.
"The SAC continues to get stronger and stronger each year," Garrity said. "From top to bottom, the league is so competitive. Last year, the SAC received five of the eight regional bids to the NCAA Tournament and I expect the same tough competition from the conference against this year."
Anderson looks to continue its dominance in the friendly confides of the Abney Center, as Garrity boasts an unprecedented 22-5 home record in his two seasons. With their 13-1 record at home in 2014-15, the Trojans have not lost in the Electric City since a Jan. 3 setback to Catawba. Since the loss, AU rattled off nine straight home wins by an average margin of victory of 10 points.
The SAC Championships are scheduled to get underway on March 2,
beginning with the quarterfinals held at the top-four seeds of the
tournament. The semifinals and final will take place on March 5-6
at Timmons Arena on the campus of Furman University. AU seeks its
third trip to the title round in four seasons this year, as the
Championships return to Greenville for the fourth straight
year.
2015-16 Know Your Opponents
Clemson - Nov. 8
Site: Home (Abney Athletic Center), 2 p.m.
2014-15 Record: 9-21 (1-15 Atlantic Coast)
2014-15 Finish: Tied for 14th in ACC; ACC Tournament First
Round
Last Meeting: Anderson won 72-65 (Clemson, 11/2/12)
Western Carolina - Nov. 15
Site: Away (Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center), TBA
2014-15 Record: 11-19 (3-11 Southern)
2014-15 Finish: Tied for sixth in SoCon; SoCon Championships First
Round
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Erskine - Nov. 21
Site: Away (Belk Arena), 6 p.m.
2014-15 Record: 18-12 (15-7 Conference Carolinas)
2014-15 Finish: Tied for second in Conference Carolinas; Conference
Carolinas Tournament semifinals
Last Meeting: Anderson won 92-70 (Abney Center, 12/16/14)
Mars Hill
Home: Nov. 24, 6 p.m.
Away: Jan. 27, 6 p.m. (Stanford Arena)
2014-15 Record: 11-17 (9-13 South Atlantic)
2014-15 Finish: Eighth in SAC; SAC Tournament First Round
Last Year: Anderson won 67-52 (Abney Center, 3/4/15), Anderson won
71-58 (Mars Hill, 2/11/15), Anderson won 94-85, OT (Abney Center,
1/14/15)
USC Aiken - Dec. 3
Site: Home (Abney Athletic Center), 6 p.m.
2014-15 Record: 18-12 (13-6 Peach Belt)
2014-15 Finish: Second in PBC East Division; PBC Tournament
semifinals
Last Meeting: Anderson won 69-65, OT (Aiken, 11/19/14)
Queens
Home: Dec. 5, 2 p.m.
Away: Jan. 23, 2 p.m. (Levine Center)
2014-15 Record: 5-22 (3-18 South Atlantic)
2014-15 Finish: 12th in SAC
Last Year: Anderson won 74-54 (Abney Center, 2/28/15), Anderson won
66-53 (Charlotte, 1/24/15)
Tusculum
Away: Dec. 8, 6 p.m. (Pioneer Arena)
Home: Feb. 3, 6 p.m.
2014-15 Record: 6-19 (6-16 South Atlantic)
2014-15 Finish: Tied for 10th in SAC
Last Year: Anderson won 69-51 (Greeneville, 2/25/15), Anderson won
66-50 (Abney Center, 2/4/15)
Newberry
Away: Dec. 12, 2 p.m. (Eleazer Arena)
Home: Jan. 30, 2 p.m.
2014-15 Record: 21-11 (14-8 South Atlantic)
2014-15 Finish: Tied for third in SAC; SAC Tournament champion
& NCAA Tournament quarterfinalists
Last Year: Anderson won 69-57 (Gaffney, 3/13/15), Newberry won
64-58 (Greenville, 3/8/15), Anderson won 81-72 (Abney Center,
1/31/15), Anderson won 64-59 (Newberry, 12/6/14)
Coker
Home: Dec. 16, 6 p.m.
Away: Feb. 6, 2 p.m. (DeLoach Center)
2014-15 Record: 11-17 (7-15 South Atlantic)
2014-15 Finish: Ninth in SAC
Last Year: Anderson won 70-63 (Abney Center, 2/21/15), Anderson won
65-54 (Hartsville, 1/10/15)
Catawba
Away: Dec. 19, 2 p.m. (Goodman Gymnasium)
Home: Feb. 13, 2 p.m.
2014-15 18-12 (14-8 South Atlantic)
2014-15 Finish: Tied for third in SAC; SAC Tournament semifinalists
& NCAA Tournament quarterfinalists
Last Year: Anderson won 63-52 (Greenville, 3/7/15), Anderson won
70-59 (Salisbury, 2/14/15), Catawba won 74-60 (Abney Center,
1/3/15)
Limestone - Dec. 31
Site: Home (Abney Athletic Center), TBA
2014-15 Record: 34-2 (22-0 Conference Carolinas)
2014-15 Finish: Conference Carolinas Regular Season &
Tournament Champions; NCAA Tournament Final Four
Last Year: Limestone won 72-38 (Gaffney, 3/16/15), Limestone won
72-65 (Gaffney, 11/29/14)
Brevard
Home: Jan. 6, 6 p.m.
Away: Feb. 17, 6 p.m. (Boshamer Gymnasium)
2014-15 Record: 8-18 (6-16 South Atlantic)
2014-15 Finish: Tied for 10th in SAC
Last Year: Anderson won 70-57 (Abney Center, 1/21/15), Anderson won
67-48 (Brevard, 12/3/14)
Lenoir-Rhyne
Away: Jan. 9, 2 p.m. (Shuford Gymnasium)
Home: Feb. 20, 2 p.m.
2014-15 Record: 12-16 (10-12 South Atlantic)
2014-15 Finish: Seventh in SAC; SAC Tournament Semifinals
Last Year: Anderson won 76-69 (Hickory, 1/17/15); Anderson won
62-48 (Abney Center, 11/22/14)
Lincoln Memorial
Away: Jan. 13, 6 p.m. (Tex Turner Arena)
Home: Feb. 24, 6 p.m.
2014-15 Record: 14-15 (11-11 South Atlantic)
2014-15 Finish: Sixth in SAC; SAC Tournament First Round
Last Year: Anderson won 82-78 (Harrogate, 1/7/15), Anderson won
74-69 (Abney Center, 11/25/14)
Wingate
Home: Jan. 16, 2 p.m.
Away: Feb. 27, 2 p.m. (Cuddy Arena)
2014-15 Record: 22-10 (19-3 South Atlantic)
2014-15 Finish: Second in SAC; SAC Tournament First Round and NCAA
Tournament Round-of-32
Last Year: Anderson won 68-57 (Abney Center, 2/7/15), Wingate won
59-48 (Wingate, 12/31/14)
Carson-Newman
Home: Jan. 20, 6 p.m.
Away: Feb. 10, 6 p.m. (Holt Fieldhouse)
2014-15 Record: 19-11 (13-9 South Atlantic)
2014-15 Finish: Fifth in SAC; SAC Tournament First Round and NCAA
Tournament First Round
Last Year: Anderson won 73-71 (Abney Center, 2/18/15), Anderson won
78-65 (Jefferson City, 1/28/15)
