Men's Basketball: AASU 79, No. 10 CSU 62; Women's Basketball: No. 24 AASU 75, No. 11 CSU 55

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 2-22-03

Men's College Basketball: AASU 79, No. 10 CSU 62
Women's College Basketball: No. 24 AASU 75, No. 11 CSU 55

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Armstrong Atlantic State made basketball history on Saturday as the Pirates knocked off two ranked teams on the same day for the first time ever, as the men's squad knocked off No. 10 Columbus State, 79-62 and the No. 24-ranked Lady Pirates defeated No. 11 Columbus State, 75-55, at Alumni Arena.

The Pirates (11-13, 10-7 PBC) jumped out quickly on the Cougars (23-3, 14-2 PBC) early, taking a 22-7 lead in the first seven minutes, then expanded that lead to 22 at halftime, 46-24. AASU then held on as Columbus State staged a comeback over the final four minutes, winnowing a 71-47 AASU lead to just 11, 73-62, with 1:35 left. The Pirates held the Cougars scoreless to close out the game, however, and come away with the biggest victory in head coach Jeff Burkhamer's brief AASU career. It was AASU's fourth-straight win over Columbus State in Savannah, and kept the Pirates' hopes for the No. 3 seed in the PBC South Division alive.

Five AASU players scored in double figures, led by junior Daryl Williams' 17 points and 11 rebounds and junior Tim Brewer's 15 points off the bench. Senior Dave Pisarcik added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Pirates, while Columbus State was led by Joey Gunter's 13 points and John Thomas' 10 points.

In the women's contest, the No. 24-ranked Lady Pirates (22-3, 15-2 PBC) led a tight first-half by nine at the break, 35-26, but after the Lady Cougars' Denise Stubbs hit the first basket for either team in the second half at the 17:19 mark, the Lady Pirates proceeded to score the next 22 points over a six minute stretch to take a commanding 57-30 lead and end up winning by 20 for AASU's record-breaking 22^nd win of the season. The win also extended the Lady Pirates' home winning streak to 14 and ended an 18-game winning streak for Columbus State (23-2, 15-2 PBC).

The win gives the Lady Pirates the edge for the No. 1 seed in the upcoming South Division. If AASU can win its final two contests, they will earn the top seed thanks to a better division record than Columbus State. The win also extends AASU's current win streak to a school record-tying nine games - tying a mark set earlier this year and, ironically enough, broken by Columbus State, back on January 18^th in Columbus.

Senior Shanetra Hodge led a balanced scoring effort for the Lady Pirates with 14 points off the bench, hitting six-of-seven field goals, including both of her three-point attempts. Senior Anita Griffin added 10 points and junior Tishay Lewis recorded her seventh double-dobule of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Ten different Lady Pirates scored on the evening, while Columbus State was led by Courtney Favors' 13 points and Lucia Heston's 10 points.

The AASU men's and women's teams will wrap up their home schedule on Wednesday, February 26 as they host Georgia College & State University for a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader beginning at 5:30 p.m. with the women's contest.

- Pirates -