Hawkins, Texas – The Centenary women's basketball team opens its 2023-24 regular season on Wednesday evening with a non-conference contest against the Jarvis Christian University Bulldogs set for 5:30 p.m. inside the E.W. Rand Center.
The Ladies fell 88-48 at home to the LSUS Lady Pilots in an exhibition game last Wednesday while the Bulldogs (0-1) opened the season with a 68-61 loss at Wiley University on Saturday. Jarvis Christian is a member of the NAIA and competes in the Red River Athletic Conference.
Centenary is scheduled to play 24 regular-season contests and one more exhibition game – on Thursday, Dec. 14 against McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La. The Ladies will play 10 games at home, 13 on the road, and one neutral-site contest. Centenary will play 16 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference contests – eight at home and eight on the road.
The Maroon and White's home opener is set for Wednesday, Nov. 15 against LeTourneau University (5:30 p.m.) in the Gold Dome. The Ladies will play a pair of games in the Millsaps Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 25-26 in Jackson, Miss. as the Maroon and White face Hendrix College at Noon on Nov. 25 and then the host Majors on Nov. 26 at 2 p.m.
The Ladies finished 3-22 overall and 3-13 in SCAC play last season but despite the Ladies' struggles, they landed three players on the all-conference team as the three All-SCAC selections marked the most in six seasons. The Ladies were once again a stingy defensive team as they held 12 of their 25 opponents to 70 points or less in a game and six to 65 or fewer.
"I have high expectations for our team this season," said Centenary interim head coach Paul Reed. "I personally think that our group of upperclassmen is awesome – they lead by example, bring energy, are aggressive, and are good teammates."
"The vibe is different this season compared to last year. All of the Ladies want to hang out together and have the same goals which makes our team stronger due to that bonding.
Two of those three All-SCAC performers from last season return this season - sophomore G Amiyah Barrow (Baton Rouge, La.) and junior G Alana Jones (Shreveport, La.). Barrow, who earned Honorable-Mention distinction, was one of the top rookies in the conference as she averaged 7.9 PPG and reached double figures eight times. She shot 40.7 % from the floor and also averaged 3.8 rebounds/game, 1.8 assists/game and 1.3 steals/game as she finished in the top 25 in the conference in scoring and top 15 in both free throw percentage (78 %) and FG %. Barrow shot 38.1 % from beyond the arc as one of the conference's most balanced offensive players, scored 15+ points in a game four times and recorded a career-high 19 against Millsaps on Nov. 26.
Jones earned Honorable-Mention All-SCAC honors as she was one of the top all-around players in the conference last season, playing in 23 games, starting in each one as she averaged 8.6 PPG (second on team) and 8.2 rebounds/game to lead the team. She finished as the league's second-leading rebounder, finished in the top 12 in steals and blocked shots, top 15 in assists and free throw %, top 25 in scoring, ranked third in both defensive and offensive rebounds and played the second-most minutes of any player in the conference.
She reached double figures eight times during the season, recorded four double-doubles and posted nine games with 10+ rebounds. Jones grabbed a career-high 21 boards in a 102-101 loss to Birmingham-Southern which are the fourth-most in a single game in program history.
Senior F Amelia Bagwell (West Monroe, La.) is back for a fifth season after averaging 5.6 PPG and 4.0 rebounds/game last season. Bagwell averaged 19.3 minutes/game, played 308 total minutes, and shot an impressive 42.4 % (36-85) from the floor. Sh had a total of 81 rebounds, nine assists, six steals, and five blocks for the season while finishing 18-28 (64.3 %) from the FT line. Bagwell reached double figures twice, grabbed 10+ rebounds three times in a game, and had one double-double.
She scored a career-high 33 points in the Ladies' 102-101 loss to Birmingham-Southern, which is tied for the third-most in a single game in program history. Bagwell grabbed 16 rebounds and was 13-23 from the floor in 35 minutes as her 13 field goals made are tied for the second-most in a single game in program history and her 23 attempts are tied for the number eight all-time record.
The 101 points are the most that the Ladies have ever scored in a loss, as the previous program record was 86 against Stephen F. Austin on Dec. 17, 2005. The 203 combined points also broke the previous record of 181 done twice before and most recently in that 95-86 loss to SFA in 2005.
The Ladies also return a trio of talented sophomores - G Madison Davis (Shreveport, La.), G TaNyjah Plumber (Kinder, La.), and F Kyra Stokes. Davis played in 24 games last season and made six starts as a rookie, averaging 3.3 PPG and 1.3 rebounds/game. Davis averaged 17.3 minutes/game and reached double figures twice as she scored 11 points in consecutive games against Hendrix on Nov. 18 and 21. Plumber played in 18 games and made 16 starts and she averaged 5.1 PPG and 2.2 rebounds/game while playing 21.9 minutes/game. She reached double figures three times and scored a season-best 20 points against Wiley on Nov. 17.
Plumber made the third-most (11) 3-point baskets on the team and totaled 39 rebounds, 17 assists, and 18 steals. Stokes made an immediate impact in her rookie season as she played in 17 games and made 16 starts, averaging 7.8 PPG (fourth on team) and 6.0 rebounds/game (third on team). She recorded six double-digit scoring games and did so in six of her last 13 games, scored a season-high 19 points on Jan. 10 against St. Thomas, and had one double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds against Texas Lutheran on Dec. 17.
Senior G Blair Abshire (New Iberia, La.), sophomore G Lauren Castillo (Fort Worth, Texas), senior G Tamia Alexander (Breaux Bridge, La.), and sophomore F/C Makalyn Savoy (Opelousas, La.) are all back as they have combined for 80 games played, led by 54 from Abshire who is back on the roster after not playing last season. As a junior in 2021-22, she played in 22 games and averaged 6.5 minutes per game.
Four new faces join the Ladies this season – sophomore F Layla Powell (Fort Worth, Texas), freshman G Kira Latson (Pearland, Texas), freshman F Yadneli Molina (Vinton, La.), and freshman G Mallory Dougharty (Evadale, Texas).
"Amiyah Barrow and Alana Jones are key contributors and all-conference players who both played big minutes last season. TaNyjah Plumber and Kyra Stokes played major roles last season and having Amelia Bagwell back for a fifth season is very valuable."
"Layla Powell, a transfer from the University of the Ozarks, will be looked upon as a key contributor along with Mallory Dougharty and Kira Latson, who are both from Texas."
"We open up with Jarvis Christian and then play Wiley University a few days later and they are both members of the Red River Conference, so we are familiar with them. "We will face Southern Arkansas University, a division II school, on the road which will be a big challenge followed by two games in the Millsaps Tournament over the Thanksgiving weekend."
"The conference schedule, as always, will be very difficult as the SCAC will be strong with teams like nationally-ranked Trinity and Colorado College and more."
The Ladies begin conference play on Friday, Dec. 1 at Austin College in Sherman, Texas and their first league contest at home is on Sunday, Dec. 31 against Colorado College. Centenary was picked to finish eighth in the SCAC preseason poll released last week.
Centenary will play host to the 2024 SCAC Basketball Championship Feb. 23-25 at the Gold Dome.
See the complete Ladies' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests. Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests.
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