FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12-6-03

Women's Basketball: No. 22 AASU 62, Rollins 56

SAVANNAH, Ga. - For the second straight game, the No. 22-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State women’s basketball squad used a suffocating defense, defeating Presbyterian, 74-51, in college action at Alumni Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The Blue Hose (3-5) scored the first eight points of the game, but the Lady Pirates (4-2) scored nine straight to take a 9-8 lead early. PC regained the lead on a Cameron Cook jumper, 20-19, with six minutes remaining in the first half, but AASU outscored the Blue Hose, 18-7, to take a 10-point lead at halftime, 37-27.

After a Tasha Washington basket opened the second half for AASU, Presbyterian got two baskets from Dana Birnie to cut the lead to eight, 39-31, but that would be as close as the Blue Hose would get. AASU held Presbyterian to just six points in the first 10 minutes after intermission and forced 24 Blue Hose turnovers in picking up its second straight victory. Presbyterian shot just 31.6 percent from the floor (18-of-57) while the Lady Pirates benefited from 26 more shot attempts (29-of-73), shooting 39.7 percent from the floor.

Washington led all scorers for the Lady Pirates with 24 points, while also recording nine rebounds, eight assists and six steals. Junior Ramona Wright went 10-of-15 off the bench for AASU for a season-high 22 points, while senior Vandy Noldon chipped in 11 points. Presbyterian had a trio of players score 10 points – Cameron Cook, Billie Haskins and Anna Sheppard. The Lady Pirate defense did an exceptional job in handling Haskins, who entered the game averaging over 20 points a game and seven three-point attempts. The guard tandem of senior Marloes Renskers and junior Briana Milam held Haskins to just 3-of-14 shooting from the floor and only one attempted three-pointer. Haskins remains 19 points shy of becoming Presbyterian’s 14th 1,000-point scorer with 981 career points for the Blue Hose.

AASU will break for final exams and be next in action on Tuesday, December 16, at Tusculum at 5:00 p.m. Presbyterian is next in action on December 9 against North Greenville at 7:00 p.m.

- Pirates -