It's basically been a year and a half since the Clark Atlanta University Panthers women's basketball team competed in an official game, but that long wait ends today.

Clark Atlanta is in Albany, Ga., today where they will be part of the two-day SIAC/CIAA Challenge.  At 3 p.m. today, the Panthers take on Johnson C. Smith University.  That game can be seen live at https://vcloud.blueframetech.com/broadcast/embed/324257?autoplay=1. 

CAU last was on the court March 2, 2019, losing to Lane in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament with a bad shooting day during a 8-19 season.  Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, CAU didn't play a season in 2020-21.

This season, Clark Atlanta looks a lot different, returning only four players from that squad but are picked to finish third in the SIAC East Division.

One of those back on Head Coach Tony Bailey's team is the Panthers' top returning scorer, senior Reagan Jackson, a former SIAC Freshman of the Year. Injuries limited her to 14 games that last season, with 13.2 points per and 3.4 rebounds per game. Also returning is one of the SIAC's top rebounders in 2019-20, senior Autum Morings.  Morings averaged nine points and nine rebounds per game for CAU that year and had 14 points and 20 rebounds against LeMoyne-Owen in December 2019, both season highs for her.

Clark Atlanta takes on a Johnson C. Smith squad that went 17-11 in 2019-20, the last season that the Golden Bulls played.  They return Aubrianna Bonner, averaged 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in 2019-20, and LaZarea Bowens, who averaged 12.3 points and seven rebounds per game.

Saturday, the Panthers are back on the floor in Albany when they take on Elizabeth City State University at 1 p.m.  They open the home portion of the season on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. in L.S. Epps Gymnasium when they host the University of West Georgia.