Women’s team off to blazing start
December 4, 2014
We are only a month into the women’s basketball regular season and the team has already broken a number of team records.
On Nov. 29, the team scored 113 points against Brenau State in the Den, topping their previous record of 112 points scored against Coastal Georgia on Nov. 21.
Along with averaging 93.5 points per game, the team has yet to lose a game, their record sitting at 8-0 so far this season. For head coach Kellie Kennedy, it’s all about the depth of the team.
“We have depth that we never had in the past. We could have two starting line ups if we wanted,” Kennedy said. “Our ability to sub players in and out of the game has really helped us this season.”
Kennedy said that the transition game has also frustrated a number of their opponents at the start of the season. One of the questions for the team coming into this season was their ability to play in the post after the departure of Jasmine Brewer, who averaged 14.2 points per game and 7.5 rebounds for her career with the Pack.
However, Kennedy said that the post play of sophomore Meghan Temple has been key to the team’s success thus far.
“She’s been huge with her added playing time this season. She is so tough to guard in the post and she draws double teams that really open up the offense for us,” Kennedy said.
The added responsibility she is experiencing as the center position is something that Temple said she was expecting coming into the season.
“With Jasmine leaving, I knew I would have to contribute more than I did last year,” Temple said. “I didn’t think I’d fill into this role this easily. It has been exciting.”
The sophomore is averaging 11.3 points per game and is leading the team in rebounds at 11.1 per game. In spite of her individual success, Temple said that it has been a team effort.
“Scoring has been spread out across the board. We’ve all been scoring double digits every game. I don’t have to score double digits every night, but when I do it’s a bonus for our team,” Temple said.
Among the history tallied by the team this season, senior Janecia Neely recorded 1,000 points for her career on a recent Georgia road trip. With the team winning at the rate that it is, Neely said that this milestone is that much more important.
“It’s really awesome. I’ve watched a ton of amazing players hit that 1,000-point mark during my time here. Hitting that mark for me is an amazing accomplishment,” Neely said.
Neely is leading the team in scoring and assists at 16.1 and 4.8 respectively. The important goal for Neely is getting beyond the conference tournament by taking each game one at a time.
“Coach Kennedy has really emphasized to us that each game we play is our most important game. Getting to the Elite Eight really showed us what we can do. It is important for us to stay in the moment and work hard each game,” Neely said.
