FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3-2-06

Women's College Basketball: GC&SU 63, Armstrong Atlantic 60

Release Courtesty of Peach Belt Sports Information

GREENWOOD, S.C. – Brittany Holsendolph's three-pointer with 20 seconds left gave No. 5-seeded Georgia College & State University a 63-60 victory over No. 4-seeded Armstrong Atlantic State, giving head coach John Carrick his 400th career victory and pushing the Lady Bobcats into the PBC Women's Basketball Semifinals on Thursday afternoon at Finis T. Horne Arena in Greenwood, S.C.

Holsendolph's three came after the Bobcats had forced a shot clock violation by the Lady Pirates (15-13) with the score tied at 61-all and 47 seconds remaining. After the three, Alicia Durham drove the lane for a layup with seven seconds left, cutting the lead to one, and the Pirates fouled LaWanna Leon on the inbound pass. Leon converted both free throws, then Durham's three-point try at the buzzer was off the mark, giving GC&SU (15-13) the victory and ending the Lady Pirates' season.

Leon led all players for the Lady Bobcats with a double-double of 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Ashley Wiliams added 13 points and Holsendolph finished with 11. Armstrong Atlantic was led by Tana Griffith's 15 first-half points on 5-of-9 shooting from three-point range, a career high for the Australian. Seniors Audosha Kelley and Durham each chipped in 11 points in their final games for the Lady Pirates.

After scoring nine straight to take a 9-3 lead with 15:26 left, the Lady Pirates did not relinquish the lead for the next 25 minutes, but could not quite pull away either, never leading by more than nine points. The Bobcats finally took the lead back with 6:00 left on a free throw from LaWanna Leon, 51-50. Down the stretch neither team led by four points, and the Lady Pirates tied it at 61-all on two Audosha Kelley free throws with 1:31 remaining in the contest.

GC&SU will advance to face the top-seeded Clayton State Lady Lakers at 2:00 p.m. in the PBC Semifinals. Armstrong Atlantic finishes the season with its fourth-straight winning campiagn, a program first for the Lady Pirates.

-Pirates-