Game Notes - SC State vs. Allen University
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – The South Carolina State women's basketball team opens the 2014-15 season on Friday with a 6 p.m. home game against Allen University.
SC State head women's basketball coach Doug Robertson and his staff will have the task of returning the women's basketball program to its former glory during the 2014-15 season. In 2012-13, SC State went 20-9 and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the MEAC Tournament. Last season, the team went 7-20 and was knocked out of the tournament in the opening round.
To complete the rebuilding process, Robertson welcomes 10 new players and one new assistant coach.
E. Todd Moore joins the coaching staff after spending the 2012-13 season as an assistant at Savannah State University.
Just two players return from last season. Senior guard
Kourtney Williams and senior center
Persephone "CiCi" Goodwin will provide leadership on and off the court for the newcomers. Williams, who earned Third-Team All-MEAC honors last year, led the team in scoring with 15.4 points per game in 25 games. Goodwin played in all 27 games, averaged 5.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and had a team-leading 36 blocks.
Six new guards have been added to the rotation, giving the Lady Bulldogs several options on the court.
Brittany Dumgoole (5-10/Kinston, N.C./Kinston HS),
Amber Howard (5-4/Chattanooga, Tenn./Chattanooga State CC),
Jazzmine Johnson (5-10/Columbia, S.C./Ridge View HS/Seton Hall),
Ashleigh Outler (5-10/Augusta, Ga./Cross Creek HS),
Jamella Smith (5-10/Chapel Hill, N.C./Chapel Hill HS) and
Jasmine "Mallory" Stone (North Augusta, S.C./North Augusta HS) will all see time in the backcourt.
Assisting Goodwin in the frontcourt will be senior center
Deja Jackson (6-2/St. Helena Island, S.C./Beaufort HS), junior forwards
Toni Grier (5-11/Powder Springs, Ga./ Albany (Ga.) Technical College) and
Jasmine Coleman (6-0, Decatur, Ga./Wallace State CC) and freshman forward
Jahmia Bradley (6-1/Augusta, Ga./Westside HS). Stone is a dual threat as she can play well at guard or forward, giving the Lady Bulldogs added depth at either position.
The Lady Bulldogs have a manageable schedule that features 11 non-conference matchups and 15 home games.
They play their first three games of the season at home in the Smith- Hammond- Middleton Memorial Center. They open with Allen University tonight, then take on Columbia College on Nov. 21 and USC-Upstate four days later.
SC State hits the road for games at Presbyterian College (Nov. 29) and Wofford College (Dec. 2) before returning home to face Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opponents Florida A&M (Dec. 6) and Bethune-Cookman (Dec. 8).
Five more games round out the month of December, with matchups at UNC-Greensboro (Dec. 11) and Clemson (Dec. 21) and home games against Alabama A&M (Dec. 14), Jacksonville State (Dec. 16) and the College of Charleston (Dec. 28).
The Lady Bulldogs return from the winter break to host Furman on Jan. 4 in their final non-conference game. They resume MEAC play with a weekend swing through the Tar Heel State, playing at North Carolina Central on Jan. 10 and at North Carolina A&T on Jan. 12.
Games at Delaware State (Jan. 17) and Maryland Eastern Shore (Jan. 19) precede a three-game home stand to close out the month of January. Norfolk State (Jan. 24), Hampton (Jan. 26) and Delaware State (Jan. 31) all come to the S-H-M Center to face the Lady Bulldogs.
February's six games are an equal split of road and home games. SC State travels to Coppin State (Feb. 7), Morgan State (Feb. 9) and Savannah State (Feb. 14), before coming home to host Maryland Eastern Shore (Feb. 21), Howard (Feb. 23) and Savannah State (Feb. 28).
The Lady Bulldogs end the regular season with their final conference matchup at Bethune-Cookman on March 5.
The 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament will run from March 9-14 at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Va.
