FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12-13-04

Women's College Basketball: AASU 86, Fayetteville State 78

SAVANNAH, Ga. - After erasing an 8-0 deficit to start the game, the Armstrong Atlantic State women’s basketball team endured a 13-0 second half run by Fayetteville State to hold off the Lady Broncos, 86-78, on Monday evening at Alumni Arena.

The Lady Pirates (7-3) won their fourth straight game despite missing their first eight shots from the floor in falling behind Fayetteville State (3-4) at the outset. AASU rallied with a 12-2 run late in the first half to take a 37-31 lead into intermission, then opened up the second half on fire, building a 16-point lead on a Ramona Wright layup with 13:07 remaining in the contest.

That’s when the Lady Broncos staged their 13-0 run, closing to within three points, and eventually taking a 68-67 lead on a Dominique Williams layup with 5:53 left in the game. AASU tied the game at 70-all on an Audosha Kelley free throw with 4:46 left, then took the lead for good on another free throw from Ramona Wright with 4:09 remaining. Kelley hit a baseline jumper to extend the lead to three, 73-70, with 3:34 left and the Lady Pirates held on for the win.

Each team placed a quartet of players in double figures, led by Fayetteville State’s Monica Mason, who had a game-high 22. AASU was led by Kelley, who had 20 points on the evening, and juniors Ramona Wright and Jamie Sheridan, who each tallied 12 points off the bench. Tokisha Burton added 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds off the bench for FSU.

Neither team shot better than 34 percent from the floor and the two teams combined for 47 turnovers, but AASU took advantage from long range, canning 8-of-15 three-pointers for 53 percent. Sheridan, playing in her first game as a Lady Pirate, hit three of four three-pointers in her AASU debut.

The Lady Pirates next host the 2004 AASU/Chatham Orthopaedics Holiday Classic on Friday, Dec. 17 and Saturday, Dec. 18. AASU plays Lenoir-Rhyne on Friday at 6:00 p.m.

- Pirates -