RALEIGH, N.C. – The Saint Augustine's University women's basketball team makes its season debut on Friday, Nov. 9, at home against Mount Olive College. Game time is 6 p.m. at Emery Gymnasium, and admission is free.
 
The Lady Falcons return six players from last season's squad which finished 14-14 overall and reached the CIAA Tournament quarterfinals. They have seven newcomers on the team including five freshmen.
 
Last season, the Lady Falcons ranked 13^th nationally in Division II in steals (12.6 per game) and 33^rd in turnover margin. Pressure defense has been a trademark of the Lady Falcons under head coach Rachel Bullard, who is in her third season.
 
“I am anxious about our game on Friday,” Bullard said. “The new energy of this group and its level of maturity have really pushed the team as a whole to get better everyday. I'm expecting excellence from the Lady Falcons versus Mount Olive College. [Mount Olive] is a very disciplined and experienced team but I'm sure our ladies will show up to play.”
 
The Lady Falcons averaged 67.2 points a game while allowing 66.7 last season. They relied a season ago on Keyona Bryant, the 2011-12 CIAA player of the year and school career scoring leader. Bryant graduated in May 2012, but the Lady Falcons plan to fill the scoring void with a balanced offensive attack.
 
The Lady Falcons will attempt to snap a two-game losing streak to the Trojans including a 73-69 loss at Mount Olive in 2011. Ebony Spencer (Sr./Chesapeake, Va.) scored 12 points and Autumn Smith-Faulkner (Sr./Charlotte, N.C.) added six points in the contest. The Lady Falcons have fared well at home against the Trojans, however. They have won two of the last three games in the season series at Emery Gymnasium including a 78-70 win in 2008.
 
The Trojans return all five starters from last year's squad including two-time all-conference player Andrea Jones, who scored 24 points against the Lady Falcons last season. Another player on the team is Ansia Dial, who is the daughter of St. Aug assistant football coach Kevin Dial. The Trojans finished 19-9 overall last season.
 
The Lady Falcons are picked to finish fourth in the CIAA Southern Division. The Trojans are projected to have the third-best team in the Carolinas Conference.
 
WAUG will broadcast the game on 750AM radio and the Internet at www.mywaug.com. Fans can also follow the contest via live stats at www.saintaugfalcons.com. This is the first of two home games in November 2012 for the Lady Falcons.