PBC YEARBOOK
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2015-16 Women’s Basketball
Postseason Awards
PBC Elite 15 Award Presented by GradesFirst
Ashleigh Zandi, Lander
WBCA All-America Honorable Mention
Kelsey Hutchins, North Georgia
Kariel Hutt, Augusta
Cierra Jackson, North Georgia
D2CCA All-Southeast Region
First Team
Michelle Mitchell, Columbus State
Kelsey Hutchins, North Georgia
Second Team
Bre Crum, Lander
Peach Belt Conference to earn a No. 7 spot in the final NCAA
Southeast Region ranks. The Jaguars are making their fourth
NCAA Tournament appearance all time since the 1991-92 season
and their first in the last eight seasons. Augusta prevailed to
postseason play in 2002-03 and followed it with trips in 2003-04
and most recently 2007-08.
The team is 11-4 in their last 15 games this year and are
averaging 71.6 points per game. Limestone earned the top
seed and is 30-0 on the year. Most recently, Augusta reached
the Peach Belt Conference Semifinal game and fell to Columbus
State 78-65.
Augusta (24-8) meets seventh seed Francis Marion in the NCAA Southeast Regional championship game on Monday, March 14 at 7:00 p.m., in
the Timken Center on the campus of Limestone College. It will mark the
third matchup between the two this season after FMU swept the Jags in
the regular season.
Junior Breonna O’Conner recorded a career-high 32 points
to match her jersey number in the win and led the charge in a
fourth-quarter comeback for Augusta. The Jags outscored Anderson
28-12 in the fourth quarter and shot 44.8 percent from field-goal range
across the game while the Trojans were 43.5 percent shooting. The Jags
shot 50 percent from three-point land and made 22-27 free throws
(81.5 percent).
O’Conner added five steals and three rebounds, sophomore Joshyn
Belcher hit four treys and totaled 18 points, and sophomore Cynara Pitt
put up 12 points and six boards. Junior Kayla Lovett and senior Kariel
Hutt each had eight points.
Anderson was led by Alexis Dillard’s 21 points and 13 rebounds
and outrebounded the Jags 38-34. The Jags forced 17 turnovers and had
nine as a team while outscoring the AU bench 31-9.
Augusta trailed early as Anderson controlled a 27-20 game after
the first period. The Jags missed their first two shots of the second
period, but senior Samantha Carlson got to the free-throw line and hit
one for a 27-21 game.
Augusta Advances To Sweet 16 With 81-73 Comeback Win Over Anderson
GAFFNEY, S.C. – The eighth-seeded Augusta Jaguars met
fifth-seeded Anderson in the NCAA Southeast Regional semifinal
game on Saturday night and stormed from behind to win an 8173 contest at the Timken Center in Gaffney, S.C. The Jags advance
to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 2004 season.
After recording one of the biggest upsets in NCAA college
basketball this season with a 79-70 triumph over No. 2 nationally-ranked Limestone in the quarterfinal game of the regional,
the Jags prevailed to match the winningest season in school history
at 24-8 since the 1991-92 season with the win over Anderson.
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The Trojans moved to a 10-point lead with 7:09 left in the second period
and took the half up 45-35 over Augusta. The double-digit lead lasted at
2015-16