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Sarah Sagerer 2016-17
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Women's Basketball Athletic Communications

Season Preview: 5 Things to Know about the Hatters

Stetson Looks to Defend ASUN Title in 2017-18

The 2017-18 Stetson women's basketball season gets underway Friday afternoon.  As the Hatters prepare to host Thomas University at 2:30 p.m., here are five things you need to know about this year's squad.

1. The Hatters are young.

Stetson will have 10 active players on its opening day roster, and half of them are freshmen. Rookies Sydney Wagner, Megan Vincent, Shania Meertens, Michelle Pruitt and Kendall Lentz have come a long way during preseason practice and are looking forward to making an impact on the team.  

In addition to the five freshmen, the Hatters have two sophomores, Kennedi Colclough and Jordan Tully. Tully will be making her Hatter debut after transferring from Boise State and sitting out last season.

"Our upperclassmen have to be really good because we do have more younger players than older players this year," head coach Lynn Bria said.  "Last year it was just the opposite.  I think our upperclassmen have to be really good every day to help bring the younger players along."

2. The Hatters have been bitten by the injury bug.

Several Hatters have had miss time during the preseason, including senior Sarah Sagerer, a first team all-conference performer and the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year.  Sagerer will likely miss at least the first couple of games as she recovers from an offseason injury.

"Sarah means a lot to us. She has played a lot of minutes since her freshman year," Bria said.  "For us, there is no doubt she is the best defender in our league.  If she doesn't block a shot, she probably alters it in some way.  Offensively, she has gotten a lot better with her back to the basket.  She has worked really hard to develop her perimeter game this year. She has a great impact on our team."

Sagerer's absence in practice could be a blessing for some of the younger players, especially freshmen post players Vincent and Pruitt, who have gotten a lot more reps during the preseason than perhaps they would have otherwise.

"It has helped some of our players get stronger," Bria said. "I think in the long run it has helped our team become better with some of our other kids getting those reps."

3. Scoring will have to come from new sources.

With the graduation of the program's all-time leading scorer Brianti Saunders as well as Breana Bey and DeAsia Beal, plus the injury to Sagerer, Stetson will be looking to make-up for over 40 points a game from last year's team.  

One player that will likely make a big impact in this area is senior guard Brittney Chambers.  Chambers averaged 11.8 points-per-game last year coming off the bench, and she ranked second on the team with 48 3-pointers.  

"I think we are going to rely heavily on Brittney to score or to create shots for teammates," Bria said. "She can do so many things well on both ends of the floor. I really like what she has done in practice and in our scrimmages."

Joining Chambers in the backcourt is junior point guard McKenna Beach.  A mainstay in the lineup during her first two seasons, Beach will be called upon to have an even bigger impact on the offense this season.

"I think McKenna has to shoot the ball more," Bria said.  "I don't think she has to create more shots, she has to be willing to take more shots and shoot when she is open.  She would do that some last year, but we really relied on Brittney, Bri and Bey to shoot."

4. The defense will have to step up.

While the team works on its offensive production, it will be up to the defense to pick up the slack.  Last year, the Hatters had one of their best defensive teams in school history, holding opponents to just 57.5 points-per-game.  That performance helped propel Stetson to a 15-game winning streak and the team's first-ever ASUN regular season championship.

"I don't think this year's team will generate points like last year's team did, so we are going to have to get stops," Bria said.  "It's going to be different.  Not having Sarah will hurt us defensively, but if we get her back we are going to be fine.  We have worked a lot on our defense, and we are going to have to guard, no question."

5. The non-conference schedule will help prepare the team for conference play.

Non-conference games against BCS opponents Texas (ranked No. 2), Florida State (No. 14), and Florida, plus a slew of quality mid-major opponents will challenge the Hatters throughout the first two months of the season.  Bria says the schedule will really help the team prepare for the start of ASUN action in January. 

"We are going to see where we are right away," Bria said. "I think we are going to have to grow up really fast, but I think it is going to prepare us for conference.  We are going to see a lot of different styles, a lot of different teams play a lot of different ways, and I think that kind of represents our league. I have tried to schedule tougher every year, and I will continue to do that.  I think that really helps prepare us for our conference.  At the end of the day, it is all about how you finish."

The season begins Friday afternoon as the Hatters host Thomas University at 2:30 p.m.  The game will be the second half of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader at the Edmunds Center.  

Tickets start at just $7 for general admission and can be purchased online or at the Edmunds Center box office.  Stetson students, faculty and staff are admitted free with an ID.

Friday's game will also be broadcast live on WatchESPN and WSBB radio.  Live stats, the Stetson women's basketball twitter feed, and the HatCheck text messaging service will provide live updates as well.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.

 
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Players Mentioned

Breana Bey

#23 Breana Bey

F
5' 9"
Senior
Brianti Saunders

#10 Brianti Saunders

G
5' 4"
Senior
McKenna Beach

#2 McKenna Beach

G
5' 6"
Junior
Brittney Chambers

#30 Brittney Chambers

G
5' 6"
Senior
Kennedi Colclough

#24 Kennedi Colclough

F
6' 0"
Sophomore
Sarah Sagerer

#1 Sarah Sagerer

F
6' 3"
Senior
Jordan Tully

#32 Jordan Tully

F
6' 2"
Sophomore
Kendall Lentz

#35 Kendall Lentz

F
5' 11"
Freshman
Megan Vincent

#23 Megan Vincent

F
6' 4"
Freshman
Sydney Wagner

#3 Sydney Wagner

G
5' 6"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Breana Bey

#23 Breana Bey

5' 9"
Senior
F
Brianti Saunders

#10 Brianti Saunders

5' 4"
Senior
G
McKenna Beach

#2 McKenna Beach

5' 6"
Junior
G
Brittney Chambers

#30 Brittney Chambers

5' 6"
Senior
G
Kennedi Colclough

#24 Kennedi Colclough

6' 0"
Sophomore
F
Sarah Sagerer

#1 Sarah Sagerer

6' 3"
Senior
F
Jordan Tully

#32 Jordan Tully

6' 2"
Sophomore
F
Kendall Lentz

#35 Kendall Lentz

5' 11"
Freshman
F
Megan Vincent

#23 Megan Vincent

6' 4"
Freshman
F
Sydney Wagner

#3 Sydney Wagner

5' 6"
Freshman
G