FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12-17-05

Day Two Wrapup: 2005 Chatham Orthopedics Basketball Classic

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Three teams emerged unscathed after the second day of the 2005 Chatham Orthopedics Classic on Saturday as both Armstrong Atlantic State squads picked up wins to finish the Classic with 2-0 marks. The Pirate men knocked off No. 24-ranked Presbyterian, 65-56, while the Lady Pirates dumped No. 15-ranked Carson-Newman for the second time this season, winning 58-53. Top-ranked Montevallo’s men also finished the Classic undefeated after a 73-55 win over Lenoir-Rhyne, while Tusculum’s women capped a second-half comeback to stave off Fayetteville State, 66-62, in the day’s first game.

The Pirates (5-2) came out hot against the Blue Hose, building a 28-22 lead and pushing that lead to 13 points, 44-31, with 11:27 remaining in the contest. That’s when Presbyterian (10-2) caught fire from the floor – hitting six straight three-point shots after starting the game 0-for-11 from beyond the arc and going on a 17-2 run to take a two-point lead, 48-46, with 7:29 left. AASU fought back, however, snapping a 52-all tie on a free throw by Darly Massamba and embarking on a 11-2 run of its own to take control and pull away with the nine-point victory. Massamba led all scorers with a season-high 15 points for AASU, while Bryan Taylor chipped in 14 and Tory Harris and Jamaal Galloway each added 10 points. A trio of Presbyterian players finished the game with 12 points – Johann Collins, Bryan Bostic and Pat Kiscaden – it was Kiscaden that led the second-half three-point barrage, hitting four-of-six threes in the second half for the Blue Hose.

The Lady Pirates (4-4) evened their record with the upset of the No. 15-ranked Eagles, using a tough defensive effort to limit Carson-Newman to just 30 percent shooting from the floor and just 25 percent from three-point range. Sophomore Tana Griffiths led the Lady Pirates with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor, including 4-of-6 three-pointers, and earned a spot on the All-Classic team, along with sophomore Kaneetha Gordon and Classic MVP Alicia Durham. Carson-Newman was led by Amanda Ray’s 15 points and 12 rebounds, her second straight double-double that also earned her a spot on the All-Classic squad.

Top-ranked Montevallo flexed its muscle in the day’s first men’s game, jumping out to a 39-22 halftime lead en route to the comfortable 73-55 victory. The Falcons (10-0) got 22 points from Marcus Kennedy, who hit 11-fo-14 shots from the floor, and 17 points from Greg Brown to remain perfect on the year. Lenoir-Rhyne (3-6) shot just 2-of-13 from three-point range and turned the ball over 20 times in the loss. Reggie Bratton and Josh Kindred each tallied 11 points to lead the Bears.

Tusculum (9-2) got back on the winning track in the first women’s game of the day, coming from behind to knock off Fayetteville State (4-6), 66-62. Chassity Martin’s game-high 22 points was the deciding factor as the helped the Pioneers erase a five-point halftime deficit. Tiffany Mitchell led the Broncos with 21 points as Fayetteville State finished their week-long stay in Savannah with a 2-1 mark. Martin and Brooke Underwood were named to the All-Classic team for Tusculum, while Mitchell earned All-Classic honors for the Broncos.

AASU returns to action on Tuesday, December 20, when the Pirates host Florida Tech in a doubleheader beginning at 5:30 p.m. with the women and concluding with a 7:30 p.m. contest with the men.

-Pirates-