AUGUSTA, Ga. (Men's & Women's basketball) -- The Paine College men's and women's basketball teams are gearing up to go on a long road trip that will cover Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee to kick on Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. The first stop for the Lion pride is in Frankfort, Ky. against the Thoroughbreds of Kentucky State University on Dec. 3. The women will tip off at 5:30 p.m. and the men will follow at 7:30 p.m.
The Lady Lions (1-5) look to continue their winning ways after getting an 83-76 road victory over the College of Coastal Georgia. Kentucky State (3-1) is riding the wave of a win over Charleston University, 62-45.
Last season, the Thorobrettes defeated Paine when they hosted the Lions on Jan. 12, 2015 with a score of 80-45.
Janisha Wilkerson led the way for the Lady Lions with 14 points and six rebounds. This season, the Paine return to the Exum Center with a few new pieces and vital returners.
Ashley Watts has returned full force and is playing in perfect tandem with
Janisha Wilkerson. Watts and Wilkerson are neck at neck in scoring with averages of 17.2 and 17.3 points per game, respectively. Watts comes into the contest with her best game this season of 28 points against Coastal Georgia. Wilkerson asserted her dominance over the Mariners with a 24 point and seven rebound performance. In the assists department, Watts has been the most generous Lady Lions as she is averaging 7 per game. On the boards for the Lady Lions,
Delisia Sharpe will need to have an impressive game in the rebounding category for a victory. Sharpe is currently averaging 5.3 rebounds. The newcomer,
Chasity Mullins, continues to prove herself as a defensive force as she is the steal leader for the team averaging 2.0 per game.
For a win in Kentucky State territory, the Lady Lions have to contain Shaia Horton and Jamesha Mosley. Horton is currently averaging 13.8 points per game while Mosley is averaging 12.5 per game. Aliyah Gipson is the rebounding machine for the Thorobrettes with 5.8 boards per game. Kentucky State's table setter is Alexandra Stanford with 5.5 assists per game.
On the men's side, Paine (1-6) comes into the game after a resounding 95-73 win over the University of North Georgia in the HEAL Complex. The Thorobreds (1-4) are trying to bounce back after tough loss to the University of Southern Indiana, 111-101.
In their last meeting, the Lions were the victors over Kentucky State on Jan. 12, 2015 with a score of 68-64.
Denzel Dillingham led the way for Paine with 22 points and eight rebounds on the night. This time around the team enters the game with relatively new faces and more offensive fire power.
This season, the Lions are being led by Dillingham with 28 points per game. Dillingham recorded his sixth double digit performance over the Nighthawks with 40 points. He is accompanied by
Arnis Libazs who is averaging 16.7 points per game.
Don Quarles has been keeping Paine in the game with his rebounding. Currently, Quarles leads the team in rebounding with 7.0 boards per game. Newcomer
Reginal Shuford keeps the table set for Paine with 4.0 assists per game.
As the Lions hunt for their next win, the team will have to shut down Malcolm Smith. Smith is averaging 17.8 points. In the paint for Kentucky State, Reggie Breeden and William Bryant have been putting in work. Breeden currently leads the team in rebounds per game with 8.3. Not far behind is Bryant with a rebounding average of 7.0 per game. Dorian Jordan is the most generous Thorobred with an average of 9.8 assists per game.
For information on how to follow the action of these upcoming games, be sure to check paineathletics.com.
