11/6/2009 - WOMEN'S BASKETBALL A-Sun, CSS Announce Women’s Basketball TV Package

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MACON, Ga. – The Atlantic Sun Conference and Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) announced the schedule of televised women’s basketball contests with all 11 member schools appearing at least once during the seven-week programming schedule.

The schedule opens on Monday, Jan. 11, when Belmont travels the short distance take on cross-town rival Lipscomb in the first installment of “Battle of the Boulevard” The contest starts at 5:30 p.m. CT, with CSS joining the game in progress at 6:00 p.m. The Lady Bisons and Bruins split their two meetings last year, and this season, the Lady Bisons return 11, including four starters. Belmont looks to ride the play of Amber Rockwell, who as a junior, led the Bruins in scoring, three-point field-goal percentage, three-point field goals made, field goals made and minutes played.

Less than one week later on Jan. 16, the venue for the 2010 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Championships takes center stage, as Mercer hosts in-state rival Kennesaw State in a noon tip-off. Mercer comes off a 17-win season in 2008-09 and returns seven, including standout senior LaToya Jackson, who made the 2009 Preseason All-Atlantic Sun Team. The Owls guard Greteya Kelley, a senior from Lawrenceville, Ga., also made the Preseason All-Atlantic Sun squad. Last season, Kelley led the Owls with 2.64 steals per game. She also netted the game-winning 3-pointer against Lipscomb to give head coach Colby Tilley his 700th career win. Last season, the Bears won their home contest with the Owls as they outscored their visitors by a 20-10 margin in the last six minutes.

“We’re excited to have a full slate of women’s basketball contests that spotlights every team in the Atlantic Sun,” A-Sun Commissioner Ted Gumbart said. “This year’s schedule serves as a great promotional item for all of our institutions and benefits our growing fanbase. We are happy to continue our partnership with CSS.”

The second week of CSS contests features the A-Sun’s other intra-city rivalry as UNF travels to Jacksonville on Jan. 18 at 5:00 p.m. for the latest edition of the “SunTrust River City Rumble.” As part of the rivalry, the Ospreys and Dolphins battle for the "SunTrust Old Wooden Barrel" - awarded to the school with the most victories over the other during a school year. Jacksonville, a finalist in each of the last two General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Championships placed guard Courtney Jackson on the 2009 Preseason All-Atlantic Sun team. UNF tallied a 7-13 A-Sun record last season and returns eight players, including three starters as they achieved full Division-I status for this season and gained access to A-Sun and NCAA postseason play. Top scorer Brittany Kirkland returns for her sophomore season after averaging 11.1 points per game.

On Feb 1, CSS returns to Macon, Ga., for a showdown between the Bears and defending regular-season champion FGCU in a 6:30 contest, that CSS will join in-progress at 7:00 p.m. FGCU tallied a 17-3 A-Sun record and return all five starters, including a pair of Preseason All-Atlantic Sun performers as they begin defense of their crown. One such player, senior Adrianne McNally finished last season leading the league in field goal percentage (.505). Additionally, she ranked fourth in scoring, sixth in assists (3.26) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.05), and 10th in rebounding (6.3). Fellow Eagle Chelsea Lyles joined McNally on the Preseason All-Atlantic Sun squad, as the senior finished the season ranked third in 3-point percentage (.377), fourth in free throw percentage (.767) and sixth in scoring. Last season, the Eagles took both contests between the two, including an 85-76 victory at the University Center.

“We look forward to airing women’s basketball game on our broadcast partner CSS,” said RMG LLC-Rights Marketing Group, President John Zarzycki. “This action-packed schedule will demonstrate the quality of our growing Atlantic Sun product.”

Three days after FGCU and Mercer face off in Macon, Ga., Campbell heads to the Edmunds Center to meet with Stetson on Feb. 4 in a 9:00 p.m. tip-off. One year ago, the two met in a pair of memorable contests during the conference season. The second-largest women’s basketball crowd in the history of the Edmunds Center (1,703) saw Stetson pull a victory out against visiting Campbell. In the final regular season game of the year, the two met in Buies Creek, N.C., where the Camels knocked down 10 of 12 free throw attempts in the final 2:19 to wrap up a 67-57 win.

The final regular-season broadcast airs at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 22, featuring ETSU, the two-time defending A-Sun champions, hosting USC Upstate from the Memorial Center. The Lady Bucs look to rely on reigning Player of the Year Siarre Evans. Last season, Evans led ETSU and the A-Sun in scoring (16.4) and rebounding (10.3). She begins her senior campaign ranking sixth on the ETSU scoring list (1,323 points) and seventh on the ETSU rebounding charts (779). A year ago, she scored in double figures in 27 of the 31 games and tallied 18 double-doubles as a junior, moving her career total to 33. The Spartans seek their first win against the Lady Bucs since joining the league in 2007. USC Upstate returns their top six scorers, including junior Chelsea McMillan, who finished the 2009 season as one of only three players in the A-Sun to finish in the top 10 in scoring and rebounding.

“CSS is excited to carry A-Sun women's conference basketball games as part of our already outstanding college basketball lineup for 2009-10,” CSS General Manager Mark Fuhrman said. “The A-Sun Women's Semifinals and Championship game will cap off our season that will include over 190 men’s and women’s games beginning in November.”

The CSS A-Sun women’s basketball package makes up just a portion of the Atlantic Sun’s total television package. CSS will also carry both women’s semifinals on March 5, as well as the final scheduled for noon on March 6. The most current television schedule is always available at www.atlanticsun.org.

Rights Marketing Group LLC (RMG) is based in Atlanta, Ga. and is the exclusive marketing and media partner of the Atlantic Sun Conference. RMG works with Division I college athletic conferences and universities.

CSS is a 24-hour sports channel carrying a full slate of college sports programming lineup. With over 40 live football games, the channel offers a comprehensive sports lineup throughout the year. The channel also offers more than 200 men's and women's live college basketball games and over 50 live baseball games, as well as a comprehensive mix of sports news and in-depth sports analysis geared toward fans in the south. For more information on CSS, or to find out how you can get CSS on your cable system, log on to www.csssports.com.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.