ANDERSON, S.C. - With the recent hire of head coach Jimmy Garrity, Anderson University women's basketball has unveiled its 2013-14 schedule that features a key non-conference home-and-home series with Peach Belt Conference power, USC Aiken, and rematches of last season's South Atlantic Conference tournament championship against Tusculum on Feb. 5 and Feb. 26.
Anderson loses four of its five starters from a team that captured its first-ever SAC regular season and conference championships, but returns four bench players that saw time in every game in 2012-13. Junior Sierra Simpson, the lone starter who will return to the lineup this year, averaged 7.5 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game. Simpson looks to fill the void in the points column that Alissa Diaz left, as she closed her senior season averaging 17.1 points per game.
"With the loss of our starters, it means someone has to step up," Garrity said. "Our underclassmen that played under those seniors from a season ago will now have an opportunity. There are plenty of minutes to be had and we'll find our way."
The season begins in Aiken, S.C. for the Holley Tractor/Crescent Automotive Conference Challenge with back-to-back Peach Belt squads in host, USC Aiken (Nov. 8 - 7 p.m.) and Lander (Nov. 9 - 2 p.m.). The Classic will give a young Trojan team an early test with two of the top teams from the PBC.
"We'll know right off the bat where we stand," Garrity said. "I'll be interested to see how we come out to play, this will give us a good test."
AU remains on the road as it travels to arch rival Erskine on Nov. 12 for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff. In the previous two seasons, the Trojans have knocked off the Flying Fleet by 32 points in both meetings. Anderson looks to continue the winning trend before heading back home to begin its home schedule.
"This will obviously be a big game," Garrity said. "I'm sure Erskine will be ready for us and it'll be a very competitive game."
Winston-Salem State opens the home slate and begins a string of three-straight home games, beginning with the Rams on Nov. 14. AU's second meeting with USC Aiken comes on Nov. 18, while its first South Atlantic Conference game will come against Brevard on Nov. 20. BC is slated to return SAC Freshman of the Year, Tuccoa Brackett who averaged 15.2 points per game a season ago.
"The conference is going to very balanced this season," Garrity said. "I'm glad we're able to get our first conference game at home."
Lenoir-Rhyne is the first road SAC game for the Trojans, as they will travel to Hickory, N.C. on Nov. 23 for a 2 p.m. tip. Anderson and LRU were the lone SAC representatives in the NCAA Tournament from a year ago, as both teams were eliminated in the opening round. The Bears return all-SAC first team member Jazmine Charles and all-freshman team selection Jordan Hiatt.
AU continues its road SAC schedule with a trip to Lincoln Memorial on Nov. 26. The Trojans picked up three wins over the Lady Railsplitters last season, including a 76-46 rout in the opening round of the SAC Tournament in early March.
After getting three conference games under their belts, the Trojans step away from their regular season schedule with an exhibition at Division I Furman on Nov. 30 to end a three game road stretch. AU played three exhibitions last season, highlighted by a 72-65 victory over Clemson. This will be the second time in three seasons Anderson will face the Paladins, as AU fell 50-42 in a preseason exhibition in the 2011-12 season.
Anderson returns to it SAC games with home contests against Wingate (Dec. 4) and Newberry (Dec. 7) to bring in the month of December, but quickly jumps to its second exhibition, this time at Big South opponent Liberty on Dec. 12. AU eventually closes out 2013 with a return game at Georgia College on Dec. 16, a team the Trojans defeated 73-52 a season ago.
January begins a stretch of SAC games that will continue throughout the season, beginning with a road contest at Catawba College. Last season, the Lady Indians stunned AU in Salisbury with a 24-point victory, despite the Trojans handling Catawba with a 70-66 victory earlier in the year.
AU heads back to the Abney Athletic Center for two home games, as the Trojans will play LMU for the second time (Jan. 8) and welcome SAC newcomer Coker to league play on Jan. 11. AU has not met Coker since the 2009-10 season as members of Conference Carolinas. In that season, the Trojans went 2-0 against the Cobras, winning both games by a combined margin of 17 points.
Looking to avenge a road loss from last season, Anderson travels to Mars Hill on Jan. 15. The Trojans fell to the Lions 61-42 in a hostile Stanford Arena, but clinched the 2012-13 regular season crown after the game due an LRU loss.
AU heads back home for a key conference game against Lenoir-Rhyne on Jan. 18, before having back-to-back road contests with Brevard (Jan. 22) and SAC newcomer, Queens (Jan. 25). Similar to the Coker series, Anderson has not met Queens since both schools were a part of Conference Carolinas during the 2009-10 season. In that year, AU posted two narrow wins over the Royals as both games were separated by just two points.
After coming back to Anderson for a home game with Carson-Newman (Jan. 29), the Trojans find their toughest stretch of the season with three-straight road games, beginning in Newberry on Feb. 1. AU fell to the Wolves in Newberry last season by 15 points, which snapped AU's eight-game winning streak. The Wolves return two-time all-SAC honoree Halyee Lepaio who is one of the favorites for the preseason SAC Player of the Year award.
"This schedule is interesting because out schedule lays out with 13 home games and 17 road games, but we have four different stretches where we play three straight road games," Garrity said. "I'm very interested to see this play out and hopefully we'll be ready to withstand the rigors of the travel."
Continuing on the road trip, Coach Garrity's team heads to Tusculum on Feb. 5 and Wingate on Feb. 8. The Trojans went 5-0 against TC and Wingate last season, including a narrow 55-52 win over the Pioneers for the SAC Tournament Championship in Greenville.
Anderson hosts two rematches with a Feb. 12 matchup against Mars Hill and a meeting with Catawba on Feb. 15. The Trojans picked up two home wins over the Lions and Lady Indians at the Abney Athletic Center a year ago, highlighted by a 76-68 overtime thriller against Mars Hill.
The final two road trips will be back-to-back, as AU heads to Carson-Newman on Feb. 19 and its first trip to Hartsville, S.C. in 1,496 days, as Anderson faces Coker on Feb. 22.
After playing five of its last seven on the road, Anderson returns home to play its final two regular season games. The Trojans host Tusculum on Feb. 26 and Queens (March 1) to bring in the month of March and close the regular season.
"These conference games are very important night-in and night-out," Garrity said. "When you look at the conference last season, top-to-bottom, it was balanced. I think it's going to be about the same this season where one or two games could make the season."
The SAC Tournament is scheduled to begin on March 5 with the opening round set to take place at the top four seeds' home sites. The semifinals and championship, at Furman University's Timmons Arena, is set for March 8-9, respectively.
