After a season competing in the tough Peach Belt Conference, Augusta State second-year coach Tes Sobomehin said she understands the league a little better.
"You need a good amount of athletes to compete on a nightly basis," she said. "Our depth is definitely better than we had last year."
The Lady Jaguars lost the final 11 games of the season to finish at 5-23. This year, there's a lot of new faces,
Augusta State opens its season at 7:30 tonight at Carson-Newman. The Lady Jaguars return home for a two-day tournament, Friday and Saturday.
Here's a few things to look forward to this season:
HELLO, MY NAME IS...: After losing the top four scorers off last year's team to graduation, transfer or other reasons, Sobomehin went big in recruiting. Of the 15 players on this year's roster, 11 are newcomers.
Look for 6-foot senior forward Kirsten Stallings, a transfer from Florida A&M, to make an impact inside.
"She's someone who's hungry and will leave it on the floor every night," Sobomehin said.
Also, expect freshman forward Waneta Carlisle and junior guard Blaire Egardo, a transfer from Mount San Antonio Community College, to see significant minutes.
JUST AN EXHIBITION: Augusta State lost big in exhibition contests to the University of Alabama-Birmingham and South Carolina, a pair of NCAA Division I opponents. But Sobomehin said the scores of the games don't tell the whole story.
"We made a huge improvement from our scrimmage to the first exhibition to the second exhibition," she said. "I was very happy with how we performed. The scores didn't really tell how we played."
SETTING GOALS: With the Peach Belt Conference's realignment, Augusta State is one of seven teams in the East Division; six teams are in the West Division.
The top four teams from each division qualify for the conference tournament.
"Our ultimate goal is to finish in the top four in the division," Sobomehin said.
Reach Chris Gay at (706) 823-3645 or chris.gay@augustachronicle.com.
| Nov. 18 | at Carson-Newman | 6 p.m. |
| Nov. 20 | North Greenville | 7:30 |
| Nov. 21 | Glenville State | 2 |
| Nov. 24 | at Miles | 7 |
| Dec. 1 | at Anderson | 7 |
| Dec. 3 | Paine | 5:30 |
| Dec. 5 | Armstrong Atl . State | 5:30 |
| Dec. 12 | at Winthrop | 5:30 |
| Dec. 15 | Clayton State | 5:30 |
| Dec. 17 | West Georgia | 2 |
| Dec. 30 | Carson-Newman | 2 |
| Jan. 4 | at North Georgia | 5:30 |
| Jan. 6 | Flagler | 5:30 |
| Jan. 9 | Francis Marion | 5:30 |
| Jan. 13 | at Armstrong Atl . State | 5:30 |
| Jan. 20 | UNC Pembroke | 5:30 |
| Jan. 25 | at USC Aiken | 5:30 |
| Jan. 28 | at Georgia Southwestern | 5:30 |
| Jan. 30 | at Columbus State | 1:30 |
| Feb. 3 | USC Aiken | 5:30 |
| Feb. 6 | at Lander | 1:30 |
| Feb. 8 | at UNC Pembroke | 5:30 |
| Feb. 11 | Georgia College & State | 5:30 |
| Feb. 13 | Montevallo | 3 |
| Feb. 17 | at Flagler | 5:30 |
| Feb. 20 | at Francis Marion | 1:30 |
| Feb. 27 | Lander | 5:30 |
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