Saturday, November 27, 2010

Defense Stifles Pensacola Christian for 2nd Straight Win

MACON, GA - A stifling defense led Wesleyan College to its second consecutive win in a 61-51 victory against Pensacola Christian College at Porter Gymnasium.

Ciara Walker scored a game-high 22 points to go with 13 rebounds to give the Pioneers (2-0) almost all the offense they needed. Wesleyan limited the Lady Eagles to just 24% shooting from the floor including a paltry 2-of-18 from the three-point line. Add in 18 turnovers and the defensive effort definitely turned the tide of a close game.

"We played as a unit for the first time out there tonight," stated head coach Jason Henry. "We showed a lot of hustle and created a lot of deflections. Our second half rebounding was a key as well (Wesleyan outrebounded PCC by 12 in the second half). Once our shooting comes around, the defense will keep us in a lot of games."

Brie May added 15 points for the Pioneers while Bridney Green (13 rebounds) and Bre' Solmone (10) ripped down double-digit boards. Elisabeth Marina finished with 19 points and nine rebounds to pace the Lady Eagles (0-10).

The Pioneers open the season with consecutive wins for the first time since 2001-02 and look to make it three straight when they host Great South Athletic Conference rival LaGrange College on Dec. 2. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00pm at Porter Gymnasium.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Solmone's Double Double Paces Wesleyan Basketball in Season Opening Win

The Wesleyan College basketball team opened its 2010-11 campaign on a positive note with a 68-61 win over Toccoa Falls College.  After winning only two games a season ago, the Pioneers relied on the performance of two returners and two newcomers to set the tone for their first win of the season.

Junior returners Erinn Williams and Bre Solmone led the way for the Pioneers, scoring 17 and 16 points respectively.  In addition to her 16 points, Solmone added 17 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals to her stat line, while Williams was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line.  Newcomers Brie May and Bridney Green pitched in 11 and 10 points respectively in their collegiate debut.

Tied at 32 at the intermission, the second half proved to be a back and forth struggle between the teams that never saw a lead of more than six points until the last five minutes.  After being whistled for 14 first half fouls, the Pioneers calmed down in the second half and tightened up their defense, forcing the Eagles into 23 turnovers for the game.

The Pioneers return to action following the Thanksgiving break on November 27 against Pensacola Christian College. Tipoff is at 6:00pm at Porter Gymnasium on the campus of Wesleyan College.

Pioneers Finish 4th in GSAC Cross Country Championship

The Wesleyan College cross country team finished fourth at the 2010 Great South Athletic Conference Championship race on October 30.  The Pioneers were paced by senior Belle Thomas, whose third place finish with a time of 27:19 was good enough to earn her All-Conference honors.

The Pioneers finished behind GSAC champions Huntingdon College, who placed six runners in the race's top ten.  The Hawks ended the day with 22 points with Spelman College finishing a distant second with 75 points.  Wesleyan was edged out of third place by Salem College by a mere six points.

Miriam Oakes (16th/31:00), Kaitlyn Rentz (20th/31:40), Amanda Holliday (29th/33:07), Emily Epperson (38th/35:43), Talor Lyle (41st/36:30) and Aditi Dey (45th/37:50) round out the Pioneers results.

In addition to Thomas's All Conference nod, Aditi Dey, Emily Epperson, Azea Mustafa and Miriam Oakes earned Academic All Conference honors.  And in a new award category, Aditi Dey won Wesleyan's Sportsmanship Award.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Basketball Season Preview

Wesleyan College Basketball Season Preview:

Head Coach: Jason Henry (4th year, 7-58 overall)
Last season: 2-18, 0-14 Great South Athletic Conference


Returners:

Ciara Walker: 5’9” Forward
• Sophomore from Columbus HS in Columbus GA
• Finished 2009-10 season averaging a double-double with 12.0 ppg and 10.2 rpg
• Led the conference in rebounds as a freshman

BreAna Solmone: 6’ Guard/Forward
• Junior from Camden County, GA
• Finished 2009-10 season averaging 9.2 ppg and 10.0 rpg
• Led the conference in blocked shots and finished second in the GSAC in rebounding and third in steals

Erinn Williams: 5’6” Point Guard
• Junior from Milford, OH
• Led the conference in minutes played (37.2/gm) and finished 5th in the GSAC in assists and assist to turnover ratio


Newcomers:
Evgenia Korun: 5’6” Point guard
• First year from Bitola, Macedonia
• Will be looked upon to control tempo and score from the point guard position

Bridney Green: 5’11” Forward/Center
• Transfer from ABAC who attended high school at Westside High School in Macon
• Started her freshman year at ABAC before suffering an injury that held her out her entire sophomore season.
• Will be looked upon as a scoring threat in the post and as a leader

Brie May: 5’8” Point guard
• First year from Columbus, Ga.
• Will be looked upon to set the tempo on defense and contribute at the point guard position

Claire Mugisha: 6’4” Forward/Center
• First year from
• Will provide a big presence in the paint

Team strengths:

This year should mark a huge step forward for Wesleyan College basketball program if all of the newcomers stay healthy. There are a good number of dedicated players with a lot of playing experience, and the athletes who have transferred in should step up and lead a team with a lot of talent. The out of conference schedule should be favorable for the Pioneers as well who open the season with five consecutive home games.

Team Weaknesses:

Although there are a lot of transfers with talent on the roster, they have not played together for any length of time so cohesion on the court will take time.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Wesleyan Athletes Earn Academic All-Conference Honors

The Great South Athletic Conference awarded its post-season honors this week and 11 Wesleyan student-athletes were named to the Academic All-Conference team for their respective sports.  In order to earn this honor, the student-athlete must be at least a sophomore and have an overall grade point average of 3.25.

Amber Campbell, Emily Epperson, Azea Mustafa and She-Marie Steadman earned the award for soccer, while Alaina Avera, Candace Malone, Katie McIntosh, Anna Plue and Noelle Webster were named to the Academic All Conference team for volleyball.

Aditi Dey, Emily Epperson, Azea Mustafa, and Miriam Oakes each received the honor for the cross country team, while senior Belle Thomas earned All Conference honors after finishing third overall in the GSAC Championship race.