SoCon Women’s Basketball Race Looks to be an Exciting One
Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Talk
Let’s take a quick look at one of the mid-major conferences in the women’s basketball landscape, the Southern Conference. The league has yet to begin conference play, but there are a few teams trending in the right direction, giving me reason to believe the conference championship may come down to a true battle.
The Mercer Bears are currently 9–5 with a 4–1 mark at home, and have won seven of their last ten and four straight. Their most recent outing on Sunday saw them take a 70–67 overtime win over Tulane. Abigail Holtman scored a game high 27 points in the contest, with Nahawa Diarra adding 16.
Diarra has started and played in all 14 games this season and leads the team in minutes with 445, averaging 31.8 per game. She scores an even 12 points per game while pulling down 5.3 rebounds.
Holtman has started nine of the ten games she has played and shoots just under 44 percent from the field. She adds 10.4 points per game and leads the team at 83 percent from the free throw line.
The defending SoCon champion UNC Greensboro Spartans are a perfect 5–0 at home and have won eight of their last ten. On Monday they took a 77–32 win over South Carolina State and will return to action on January 1 to face Carolina University.
Jeni Levine is averaging 15.8 points per game with 205 total points across 13 games. She is a reliable presence on the floor, averaging 31.5 minutes per game and shooting 39 percent from the field. Right behind her is Makiah Asidanya, who averages 11.5 points per game and shoots about 38 percent from three point range.
On the defensive side, Rylan Moffitt leads the team with 17 blocks and 21 steals. The six foot senior forward transferred in from Appalachian State, where she led the team in blocks and rebounds in back to back seasons. Keep an eye on her impact as the season moves forward.
The preseason pick to win the SoCon, the Chattanooga Mocs, are 7–5 and defeated Western Kentucky 59–58 on December 19. They return to McKenzie Arena on December 30 to host Southern Wesleyan.
The Mocs are led by Gianna Corbitt, who has already earned three SoCon Player of the Week honors this season. Corbitt averages 16 points per game, which leads the conference. She also shoots 57 percent from the field, including 52 percent from behind the arc, which is currently third in the country. The offense runs through her and teammate Caia Elisaldez.
Elisaldez averages 34.3 minutes per game and shoots 51 percent from the floor while scoring 14.8 points per game. Both Corbitt and Elisaldez are active defensively, recording 24 and 23 steals respectively.
The SoCon race will be one to watch. As a mid-major league, it could very well be a one bid conference for the NCAA Tournament, so expect the stakes to be extremely high and the competition fierce all the way to the end.
Original Photos Used in Featured Image Credited to (Mercer, UNCG, and Chattanooga Athletics)
Stay tuned to Mays Sports Media for women’s basketball coverage throughout the season
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