Men's Basketball: USC Spartanburg 65, AASU 55; Women's Basketball: AASU 78, USC Spartanburg 46

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 1-25-03

Men's College Basketball: USC Spartanburg 65, AASU 55
Women's College Basketball: AASU 78, USC Spartanburg 46

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Armstrong Atlantic State women's basketball team forced 36 turnovers by USC Spartanburg in getting back on the winning track, snapping a two-game losing streak with a 78-46 win over the Lady Rifles at Alumni Arena on Saturday evening. The USC Spartanburg men ended the game on a 13-3 run to pull away from Armstrong Atlantic State in a 65-55 victory, earning a split in the Peach Belt Conference doubleheader.

The Lady Pirates broke a scoring doldrum in the first half as, leading 12-9, neither team could score in four minutes. AASU (14-3, 7-2 PBC) used a 14-3 run to take control of the game in the first half, leading 26-12 with 4:43 remaining, then went into halftime with a 17-point lead.

The Pirates stretched their second-half lead to 35, embarking on a 14-0 run midway through the half to cruise to their 14^th win of the year, the most AASU has collected in a season since the 1996-97 season. Junior Tishay Lewis led the Lady Pirates with 17 points, in only 15 minutes of action, while junior Tasha Washington added 16 points and eight rebounds. USC Spartanburg (7-9, 1-7 PBC) was led by Stephanie Feyes' game-high 22 points.

In the men's contest, USC Spartanburg (11-5, 5-3 PBC) jumped out to a 15-4 lead in the first five minutes, but the Pirates (6-10, 5-4 PBC) battled back to take a three-point lead, 32-29, on a Scott Mattingly layup with four seconds left in the half. But Eric Murrell hit a half-court prayer as time expired to send the Rifles into halftime knotted with the Pirates at 32-all.

In the second half, both teams battled in a see-saw affair that saw seven lead changes in the first seven minutes. The Pirates tied up the game at 52-all on a Daryl Williams layup with 4:35 remaining, but AASU would go 1-for-11 from the field the rest of the way, helping the Rifles take the 10-point victory. Williams led all scorers with 21 points, while junior Dave Pisarcik chipped in 17 points for the Pirates. USC Spartanburg was led by Kevin Harrington's 15 points and Murrell's 12 points. Harrington also collected one blocked shot on the night, tying him with Terrence Gist for the USC Spartanburg all-time blocked shot record.

The AASU men's and women's teams are next in action on Wednesday, January 29 in Milledgeville, Ga., as they take on Georgia College & State University. Game times are 5:30 p.m. for the women and 7:30 p.m. for the men.

- Pirates -