FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12-18-04

2004 AASU Chatham Orthopaedic Holiday Basketball Classic
Day Two Recap

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Three teams – the Armstrong Atlantic State men’s and women’s teams as well as Ashland’s women’s team – finished undefeated after day two action in the 2004 AASU Chatham Orthopaedic Holiday Basketball Classic at Alumni Arena on Saturday. The Lenoir-Rhyne College men were the fourth team victorious on the day.

Even though both AASU squads finished undefeated, it was far from an easy task in either contest. The AASU men (6-3) battled crosstown rival Savannah College of Art & Design (5-9) for a full forty minutes before coming away with the 68-66 victory in the first regular season game in school history between the two rivals. The Pirates rallied from a seven-point first-half deficit to tie the game at 34-all at intermission, then the two teams played even ball in the second half until the 1:28 mark, when Lorenzo Lawrence’s two free throws put the AASU up by one, 65-64. A turnover by the Bees gave AASU possession and after two free throws by freshman Jamaal Galloway, a three-point lead with 26 seconds left at 67-64. Junior Alex Carter then came up with the play of the game, knocking away the ball from SCAD’s Owen Oliver, diving on the floor for the loose ball, and calling time out to give AASU possession. Lawrence hit another free throw to put the Pirates up by four and go on to the two-point win. Each team placed four players in double figures, led by Lawrence, who had 20 points for the Pirates. Brian Taylor and Carter each had double-doubles with 10 points and 10 rebounds for AASU, while SCAD was led by Gerard Bowden’s 18 points. Ryan Kaminski and Shaun Watson chipped in 14 points each.

The Lady Pirates survived a dreadful half of basketball, but were able to come back and defeat Mars Hill, 60-46, to win their sixth game in a row. AASU hit just 3-of-20 shots from the floor in falling behind the Lions, 29-15, at halftime. But a stellar defense and better second-half shooting allowed the Lady Pirates to go on a 16-0 run in the second half to take control of the game. AASU forced 33 turnovers from the Lions (4-4), while getting to the foul line and converting 27-of-37 free throws, compared to just 7-of-12 for Mars Hill. Junior Audosha Kelley led all scorers with 22 points for the Lady Pirates (9-3), while junior Alicia Durham chipped in 11 points and senior Ramona Wright added 10. Abby DeBusk led Mars Hill with 15 points, while Crystal Davis added 10.

In the earlier women’s game of the day, Ashland watched a nine-point lead in the second half slip away, then came up with a big shot late as Hali Burns’ layup with 1:19 remaining propelled the Eagles to a 69-67 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne. Ashland (7-4) placed five players in double figures, led by Amber Rall’s 15 points, while Lenoir-Rhyne (6-5) got a monster game from returning DII All-America center Crystal Clary, who had 19 points and 16 rebounds. The All-Tournament team for the women consisted of Lenoir-Rhyne’s Shea Blacknell, Mars Hill’s Abby DeBusk, Ashland’s Jackie Mason and Catherine Portyrata and AASU’s Alicia Durham, Ramona Wright and Audosha Kelley. Kelley was named the MVP.

The early men’s game saw Lenoir-Rhyne open up an 11-point lead at halftime, 37-26, then shoot 52 percent in the second half to take an 82-60 victory over USC Aiken. The Bears (5-5) were led by Stephen Hinds’ 24 points and Roman Davis’ 19 points, while USC Aiken (4-5) was led by Curt Triplin’s double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Both AASU teams are next in action on Tuesday, December 21, when they visit Florida Tech in Melbourne, Fla., for a doubleheader beginning at 5:30 p.m.

-Pirates-