Note: The following was written by Todd Vinyard who will be blogging throughout the 2015-16 basketball and wrestling season as teams prepare to head to Asheville, N.C. in March.
Tip Ins
As the calendar turns the page into December, there have been plenty of standout basketball moments in this young basketball season. SoCon men's teams have picked up wins over teams in the ACC, Atlantic 10, Big 10, Horizon League, SEC and the Sun Belt. On the women's side, UNCG's Lucy Mason already has a 42-point effort to her credit in an 82-72 victory over High Point.
Here's a quick look at what has been happening on the court with information from the conference and school media relations departments ahead of the Southern Conference Basketball Championships presented by General Shale this March in Asheville, N.C.
The Citadel – November was one to remember for The Citadel head coach Duggar Baucom. The Citadel, which is averaging 97.1 points per game, finished the month with five wins for the second time in program history. The Bulldogs play at Air Force today with hopes of staying hot in December.
East Tennessee State – The ETSU women have had five straight games with double-digits in offensive rebounds. The Bucs take on No. 4 Tennessee in Knoxville tonight, before ending their season-long five game road trip at Vanderbilt Saturday. … Junior men's guard T.J. Cromer can score when needed. He is second on the team in scoring with 15.5 points per game and had a season-high 20 points, including 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range, against UNC Wilmington.
Furman – It was a winning Tuesday for Furman. Senior guard Kelsey Ellis came up big in the fourth quarter with 12 of her team high 18 points to lead the Furman women's past Richmond 69-62. … The Paladins men's team beat Piedmont International 99-38 behind freshman Andrew Brown's 21 points and nine rebounds.
Mercer – The Bears 6-1 start on the men's side is the best for the program in more than 30 years. That start drew the attention of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 with a No. 24 ranking on Nov. 30th. … The Mercer women's team is good at sharing as evidence by leading the SoCon in assists. Sydni Means leads Mercer and ranks second in the league with 34 assists and 5.7 assists per game.
UNCG – Mason, a senior, was named the Southern Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week. Mason leads the SoCon with 26.7 points per game. … Three different Spartan men's players are averaging double figures led by senior forward Kayel Locke at 12.5 points per game.
Samford – The Bulldog men jumped out to the best start since 2008-09 with a 3-1 record. Samford's backcourt of Christen Cunningham and Darius Jones-Gibson is averaging 32.0 points and 5.7 assists per game this season. … The Samford women turned up the defense in a 54-30 win over Alabama A&M Tuesday. Alabama A&M shot 23 percent from the floor.
Chattanooga – The Chattanooga men were in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 for the second week in a row at No. 8. … Jasmine Joyner is the women’s career blocked shot leader at UTC with 225 after four rejections in a loss to No. 1 UConn Nov. 30. The seventh-largest crowd to watch a women's game at Chattanooga (6,104 fans) turned out.
Virginia Military Institute – Junior guard Q.J. Peterson was named SoCon Player of the Week for games played November 24-30. Over the last four contests, Peterson has averaged 23.8 points and 5.8 rebounds and has connected on 13 of 16 free throws for 81.3 percent. Peterson and the Keydets are looking to start 3-0 at home for the third time in five years when they face Central Penn tonight.
Western Carolina University – Rhett Harrelson poured in a season-high 14 points in a loss at South Carolina after the Catamounts led for most of the first half. Off the court, WCU's basketball teams and other athletic squads have been participating in "Walking Wednesday" at the local Cullowhee Valley School. Each Wednesday students and WCU athletes walk before school starts to promote healthy lifestyles. … Ace Easter helped end a four-game Catamount women's losing skid with 23 points in a 69-53 win over Florida A&M.
Wofford – The Terriers women's basketball team picked up the first victory of the season 66-54 over Jacksonville State to snap an eight-game losing streak dating back to the 2014-15 season. Wofford had a season-high ten steals in the contest, with Jordan Frazier leading the way with five. … Senior Spencer Collins has moved into the top 20 on Wofford's all-time scoring list with 1,304 career points.