FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 2-3-01

Men's Basketball: AASU 65, Columbus State 57
Women's Basketball: No. 1 Columbus State 96, AASU 41

COLUMBUS, Ga. – The Armstrong Atlantic State men's basketball team tied a school record by winning its 11^th straight game on Saturday afternoon, defeating Columbus State, 65-57, and earning a Peach Belt Conference basketball split with the Cougars.

The Pirates (18-5, 10-0 PBC) have put together 11-game winning streaks two previous times in school history – in the 1978-79 season and the 1983-84 season. AASU also tied the 1994-95 team for the best conference start in school history at 10-0.

AASU shot 57 percent in the first half and jumped out to a 41-27 halftime lead thanks to sophomore Brian Hobbs' five-of-six performance from three-point range. Columbus State (10-9, 4-6 PBC) clawed back in the second half and got to within two points, 54-52, on Chris Conklin's layup with 4:23 left but the Pirates went on an 8-0 run to seize control of the game.

Senior center Cyrille Mainnemarre led all scorers with 19 points and Hobbs ended the evening with a career-high 17 points on six-of-seven three-point shooting. Senior Robert Campbell scored eight points and dished out seven assists for the Pirates, while the Cougars were le by Desmond Timmons' 15 points.

In women's action, the Columbus State Lady Cougars showed why they are the No. 1-ranked team in the country, holding AASU to just 14 second-half points and forcing a school-record 42 turnovers in dispatching the Lady Pirates, 96-51.

The Lady Pirates (8-12, 3-7 PBC) managed just five field goals after trailing 48-27 at halftime and took just 45 shots from the field, compared to the Lady Cougars (19-0, 10-0 PBC), who made 32-of-79 shots. Sophmore Zandrique Cason led AASU with 11 points, her second-lowest output of the season, and junior guard Lexie Martin chipped in eight points. CSU placed four players in double figures, led by Kinesha Harden's 15 points, and out-rebounded the Lady Pirates, 52-33.

The AASU men's and women's basketball teams are next in action on Monday, Feb. 5 as they host Georgia College & State University at 5:30 p.m. (women) and 7:30 p.m. (men).

- Pirates -