AMERICUS, GA. -- Second-year head coach Justin Payne and the Georgia Southwestern women's basketball team received 42 points and were picked 10th in the Peach Belt Conference preseason coaches poll, released Tuesday by the league.
The Lady Hurricanes ended last season on a five-game winning streak, finishing 9th in conference with a 7-13 record. Coach Payne has five returners with a very young team, having only one senior and seven freshman; who all will be getting valuable minutes for the Lady Hurricanes. GSW returns Jamesha Samuel and Lex Chatman, who both averaged over 10 points per game along with Dominique Jeffery, who averaged eight points per game. Chatman also led the way, averaging six rebounds per game while Yasmin Perez averaged two assists and two steals per game. Defensively, the Lady Hurricanes dominated the floor, averaging 16 turnovers and 13 steals per game last season.
The PBC approved the league will feature 16 conference game with the top four teams advancing to the PBC Tournament following the season. The Lady Hurricanes will open conference play at home against Lander on Jan. 6. Their first away game will be played Jan. 9 at Francis Marion before GSW invite Georgia College and Augusta to the Storm Dome on Jan. 13 and Jan. 16. GSW then takes a two-game road trip with games at Clayton State Jan. 20 and Flagler College on Jan. 23 before returning back home to host Columbus St. and UNC Pembroke, Jan. 27 and 30, respectively.
GSW opens up February on the road at North Georgia on Feb. 3 and then at USC Aiken on Feb. 6. Young Harris comes to town on Feb. 10 then the Lady Hurricanes hit the road to take on Georgia College, Feb. 13. GSW hosts Clayton St. Feb. 17 and North Georgia Feb. 20 before closing out the season on the road at Columbus St on Feb. 24 and at Young Harris on Feb. 27.
At the end of the season, the top four teams will advance to the conference championship. The preseason coaches poll is listed below. Coaches were not permitted to rank their own teams.
Preseason Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1. | North Georgia (10) | 120 |
| 2. | Lander (2) | 112 |
| 3. | Clayton State | 97 |
| 4. | Francis Marion | 81 |
| 5. | Columbus State | 78 |
| 6. | Young Harris | 64 |
| 7. | Augusta | 63 |
| 8. | USC Aiken | 48 |
| 9. | Flagler | 47 |
| 10. | Georgia Southwestern | 42 |
| 11. | UNC Pembroke | 29 |
| 12. | Georgia College | 11 |
PBC Basketball Preview Day