FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 12-19-01

Women's Basketball: Lenoir-Rhyne 76, AASU 62

HICKORY, NC - Lenoir-Rhyne opened the game on a 16-4 run and cruised to a 76-62 win over the visiting Armstrong Atlantic State Lady Pirates on Wednesday afternoon in Hickory, N.C.

The Lady Bears (9-1) extended their winning streak to eight straight while snapping the Lady Pirates' (3-6) three-game winning streak. Lenoir-Rhyne's Ebony Orr sparked the first-half run, pumping in 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting to give the Lady Bears a 40-31 halftime lead. The Lady Pirates got to within eight points in the second half but could get no closer, despite outrebounding LRC 53-34. Orr led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field, while Maya Grady chipped in 10 points.

AASU was led by junior All-America candidate Zandrique Cason, who notched her third double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds - giving the Mesa, Ariz., native 38 rebounds in two games against Lenoir-Rhyne in her career. Juniors Shanetra Hodge and Becky Thrift each added 10 points, while freshman Ebony McMullen played her best game of the young season with seven points and eight rebounds off of the bench.

The Lady Pirates are off for Christmas but return to action on Wednesday, January 2 at Clayton College & State at 5:30 p.m.