Men: AASU 79, Columbus State 77; Women: AASU 73, Columbus State 54

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2-21-08

Men’s Basketball: AASU 79, Columbus State 77
Women’s Basketball: AASU 73, Columbus State 54

SAVANNAH, Ga. (February 21) – The Armstrong Atlantic State basketball squads picked up a sweep of visiting Columbus State in Peach Belt Conference doubleheader action at Alumni Arena on Thursday evening. The Pirate men edged Columbus State, 79-77, while the Lady Pirates collected a 73-54 win over the Lady Cougars.

Senior Jamaal Galloway’s back-to-back three-pointers gave the AASU men a 74-69 lead with two minutes remaining over the Cougars (12-15, 8-9 PBC), and a Franchot Brown layup stretched the lead to seven with just 1:23 left in the game. Full-court pressure by the Cougars, however, resulted in backcourt steals on consecutive possessions, leading to a three-pointer by Travis Matthews and a basket by Jeff Tarver that cut the lead to just one with 35 seconds left. Two Galloway free throws and another Tarver bucket kept the lead at one with 13 seconds remaining, 78-77, when the Pirates’ Parker Hayden missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving the Cougars the ball with a chance to take the lead. Corris Portis drove the right baseline and Galloway stepped in, taking the charge with 3.1 seconds left to preserve the victory.

Corey Johnson led the Pirates with 21 points on the night, while Brown finished with a career-high 18 points to go with 12 rebounds. Galloway had 17 points – 14 in the second half – as well for AASU. Columbus State was led by Matthews’ game-high 26 points – 21 in the first half – while Javarus Stewart added 10 points.

The Lady Pirates, meanwhile, opened up a 34-25 lead at halftime against the Lady Cougars, then watched junior Lindsey Holmes hit five three-pointers in the first seven minutes of the second half to build an 18-point lead, 56-38, and cruise to the victory. The win avenged an earlier 80-49 loss at Columbus State on January 23 and was the Lady Pirates’ fifth win in their last six games.

Junior Lacey Willis enjoyed a second straight strong effort for the Lady Pirates (16-9, 10-8 PBC) with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Holmes finished the night with 15 points and senior Kaneetha Gordon added 15 points. Columbus State (15-9, 11-6 PBC) was led by Maria Grimes’ 16 points.

The Pirates and Lady Pirates return to action on Wednesday, February 27, as AASU hosts Francis Marion for a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader, beginning at 5:30 p.m. It will be senior night for both squads as three Lady Pirates and seven Pirates play in their final home games of the 2007-08 season.

- Pirates -