Thursday, December 30, 2010

Bobcat Women Defeat Newberry, Dominique Huffin Surpases 1,000 points

An all around wonderful display of basketball for the Georgia College women's team last night in day one, game two of the Georgia College Holiday Classic. The Bobcats defeated Newberry College 67-43 to move to 7-1 on the season.

Senior guard Chimere Jordan netted 23 points in the win, her third straight game with at least 20 points. Junior forward Tammeisha Law dropped in 12 points respectively, all in the second half. GC shot well at 43 percent overall, while gaining an impressive 46-31 advantage on the rebounds.

The night, however, belonged to senior guard Dominique Huffin. 'Nique poured in 13 points to become the schools 12th member of the 1,000 point club in Georgia College women's basketball. Huffin currently stands at 1,011 going into Thursday's contest vs. Wingate University (6-3).

After possibly the best display of basketball last time out versus Newberry, Georgia College will have to quickly turn the page and get set to play the Bulldogs in day two, game four of the tourney.

Here are some keys for Georgia College to prevail:

1) BREAK THE PRESS: Last night I had the opportunity to watch Wingate, a South Atlantic Conference member, do battle against UNC Pembroke (PBC, just like GCSU). I was impressed with the full court pressure Wingate head coach Barbara Nelson installed for her team. The press itself is fundamental, aggressive, and causes problems for other teams. Georgia College will have to handle ball pressure well to win the ball game.

2) KEEP TRACK OF KURIE WASHINGTON: The junior guard is dropping down 16.7 per night for the Bulldogs. Washington is very talented from the inside, but can also play from the perimeter too. The Bobcat defense will have to make sure Washington does not control the Bulldog offense.

3) CONTEST SHOTS: Wingate shoots the ball well as a team at a 40.2 percent rate. Therefore, it is imperative to close out and contest shots the Bulldogs will get from anywhere on the floor.

4) KNOW WHAT'S AT STAKE: Although not a conference game, the game against Wingate (and last time out versus Newberry) all have implications toward the NCAA Southeast Regional rankings. The top 8 teams get an at-large bid at season's end to the NCAA Tournament. You do not want to drop one of these games and have to look back at season's end with wishful thinking.

Join in today for the broadcast: Bobcats vs. Bulldogs on your radio dial! 2:50 p.m. on www.country102fm.com (Listen Live...click WMVG). Yours truly has the radio call today!

The telecast duties will be handled by Georgia College Sports Information Director, Al Weston. For that, go to www.pennatlantic.com for all the action.

Great staff, great games ahead right before New Years. Let's hope GC makes a resolution to win!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

GC Women's Hoops Turns Attention to Newberry College after Long Holiday Break

I hope Santa was good to you all!

It's been almost two weeks since we last saw the Bobcat women's basketball team in action. GC defeated Winston Salem State 63-53 on Dec. 16 to move to 6-1 on the season.

After a long break with no practice or games, head coach Mo Smith and his team must focus on getting ready for Newberry College Dec. 29 and Wingate on Dec. 30 for the after Christmas tournament hosted by Georgia College.

Here are some keys for a Bobcat victory against Newberry:

1) DEFEND THE INSIDE: Newberry does not shoot the rock well from behind the perimeter. At just, 27.1 percent from three point land and averaging 3.3 makes per game, it's obvious Newberry struggles from the outside. Therefore, it will be important to defend the interior and protect against any sort of dribble penetration Newberry might present.

2) KEEP HELEN MCKINNEY IN CHECK: Newberry's star senior guard (20.3 points per game) has been outstanding thus far on the year. Holding true to her on defense will be imperative whoever draws that task for GC.

3) PLAY AT A GOOD PACE: This is the first game back after Christmas holidays. If the Bobcats get caught up in playing too fast or too slow, things could go south quickly. I'd like to see Georgia College pick and choose their spots to push the ball or run a good offensive set.

4) REBOUND: Last game, GC was marvelous on the defensive glass. Newberry tallies 40.3 rebounds per game as a team. For a win, it will be crucial to get on the glass.

Looking forward to taking the mic after a wonderful holiday! Tune in tonight at 6:55 on www.pennatlantic.com! Georgia College vs. Newberry College!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Georgia College Women's Basketball Welcomes Winston Salem St. Before Christmas Break

Finals are done. The stress load is lifted. And the Bobcat women's basketball team, after an 83-67 loss a couple of weeks ago to #2 Lander, returns to the hard wood to play host to Winston Salem St. and the Rams on Thursday night at the Centennial Center.

Georgia College (5-1, 0-1 PBC) will look to avenge a loss against Lander that saw the Bobcats not help their own cause. Multiple times throughout the game against the Bearcats, GC had costly turnovers to give Lander easy buckets.

But, the beauty of sports is having chance after chance to redeem yourself. And that's exactly what Georgia College will look to do against the Rams (4-3, 0-0 CIAA).

The Rams present an interesting look, much like Lander University. Although not as talented, Winston Salem will look to dribble penetrate the Bobcat defense early in the possession and often during their offensive sets. Junior guard Courtney Medley leads the team in scoring, averaging 13 per game. Behind Medley is sophomore guard Jasmine Newkirk at 12.1.

Winston Salem does not shoot well from behind the arc, dialing in at just 23.2 percent.

With that being said (or written), here are the keys for a Georgia College win:

1) LIMIT THE DRIBBLE PENETRATION: The Rams will look to dribble penetrate the Bobcat defense. Therefore, it's imperative for the Bobcats to rotate over quick enough during the defensive stand. Not doing so will allow easy layups or dishes to other players.

2) CONTINUE SHOOTING WELL: The last two games the Bobcats have shot extremely well from the field. Against St. Augustine's on Nov. 27, GC shot 47.1 percent as a team and followed that with a 43 percent performance last game against Lander University. The team is starting to gel offensively, which is nice to see.

3) POST PLAYERS: Winston Salem has four players on the roster that stand 6'0" or higher! The Bobcat post players will have to bang bodies all evening in order to be successful. This includes boxing out, contesting shots, and being a good defensive position on the floor. I wouldn't be at all surprised if head coach Mo Smith went with the "4 out, 1 in " style of offense to try and counteract the size of Winston Salem with GC's speed.

4) STAY FOCUSED: This is the last game before the ladies will have significant time off. Winning this eases the pressure going into the holiday break. A 6-1 record looks a whole lot better than 5-2 with two weeks off!


Catch the action this afternoon and on into the early evening on the video webcast! Air time is set for 5:25 et on www.pennatlantic.com

Let's hope Santa drops off an early gift in the way of a win for GC today!