CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College women's basketball team returns home for an afternoon tilt with Jacksonville on Saturday at the Templeton Center. The battle with the Dolphins will be shown on ESPN+.
Matchup: Jacksonville (4-2) vs Presbyterian (3-4)
Date: Saturday, December 3
Time: 2 pm
Site: Templeton Center (Clinton, S.C.)
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Twitter: @bluehosewbb
Notes
Opening Tip
- The Blue Hose return home for the first time since a thrilling comeback win over Western Carolina back on November 15th to battle Jacksonville on Saturday afternoon. PC looks to continue its winning ways after an OT win over UNCG on Wednesday as the Dolphins come in at 4-2 and look to avenge last year's loss to the Blue Hose in Jacksonville.
Scouting the Dolphins
- Jacksonville enters Saturday's contest with a 4-2 mark and have won each of its last three over FIU, Warner and Bethune-Cookman. The Dolphins are led offensively by Shynia Jackson who's averaging 13.8 ppg and 7.5 rebounds/game. DeShari Graham has totaled 13.2 points/game and Seraphine Bastin has tallied 11.8 ppg along with a team-high 8.3 rebounds/game. Bastin also leads the team with 21 assists and 10 steals.
Blue Hose Race Past Spartans in OT
- After both teams struggled in the fourth quarter to score, PC used a 15-2 run in overtime to race past UNCG on Wednesday night for the 67-54 OT victory. In the extra session, Sjökvist and Neira each tallied four points as Kline added three to lead the Blue Hose to the OT win. It marked PC's first overtime win since 2020 when the Blue Hose defeated Longwood 82-77.
PC Opens the Sunshine State Tour
- PC opens the month of December with three straight games against teams from Florida beginning with the lone home game in that stretch against Jacksonville on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Hose hit the road on Tuesday for a visit to Gainesville to battle Florida out of the SEC. The Florida tour wraps up for the Blue & Garnet on Dec. 15 with a return trip down south to battle Florida State out of the ACC.
Head-to-Head vs the Dolphins
- PC and Jacksonville meet for the second time in as many years as the Blue Hose earned a 62-54 win over the Dolphins last November down in Jacksonville. Jade Compton led the Blue Hose with 21 points as she was one of four players in double figures in the win over Jacksonville. PC held JU to 3-14 shooting in the fourth to create the eight point seperation that afternoon.
Second Quarter Dominance
- PC has controlled the scoreboard in the second quarter throughout the opening three games of the season as the Blue Hose have outscored their opponents 115-72 in the quarter. PC has been led by Mara Neira who's tallied 26 points in the second highlighted by 12 at Minnesota. Bryanna Brady has added 22 in the quarter while Tilda Sjökvist has posted 16 in the quarter. Christina Kline has tallied 12 after five points the second on Wednesday at UNCG. On the defensive end, PC held Furman to just three points and Western Carolina to five points in the second quarter of its respective games with those two SoCon foes.
Blue Hose in the Ranks
- Mara Neira enters play ranked fifth in the league averaging 14.1 points/game as Bryanna Brady sits ninth with 12 ppg... Brady is eighth in the conference averaging 6.4 rebounds per contest... Neira leads the league at 49.3% field goal percentage and Neira is third at 42.6%... Neira sits fourth in the conference with 13 threes... Tilda Sjökvist is seventh in the Big South with 22 assists... Brady is one of four players in the league with 10+ blocks as the fifth-year senior has tallied 10 and sits in a tie for third in the conference... As a team, the Blue Hose rank third in the league with 286 rebounds as they average 40.9 per contest which also ranks third in the Big South...
On Tap
- PC is scheduled to play 29 contests under the direction of fifth year head coach Alaura Sharp during the 2022-23 season including 18 league games which begin on December 29th at Campbell. The Blue Hose are slated to make trips to St. Thomas, Minnesota, Morehead State, UNCG, Florida and Florida State in non-conference play while welcoming Carolina University, Furman, WCU, Jacksonville and Bluefield to Clinton. Presbyterian will play nine home-homes with the league in 2022 beginning with Campbell on Dec. 29.
New Faces Enter the Equation
- The Blue Hose enter the 2022-23 season with a lot of fresh faces in 2022 as 11 new players join the squad. The Blue Hose freshman class includes guards Aubrie Kierscht (Salina, Kan.) , Ashley Carrillo (Liberal, Kan.) , Tilda Sjökvist (Huskvarna, Sweden) , Natalie Herrin (Patterson, Ga.) and forward Dennaye Hinds (Bridgeport, Conn.). In addition to the five freshman, PC also added a host of upperclassmen in 2022 to round out the roster. Coach Sharp welcomes Christina Kline (La Salle), Mara Neira (Eastern Wyoming), Sonia Sato (McCook CC), Dagne Apsite (UTEP), Núria Cunill (Eastern Washington) and Laila Grant (Vincennes).
