Georgia College & State University (GCSU) women’s basketball (12-8, 4-6 PBC) picked up a mid-week win over Lander University (LU) and suffered a tough loss to Columbus State University (CSU) in a pair of home games over the weekend.
After the contest against Lander, Georgia College held a 13-point advantage, leading 58-45 at the final buzzer.
Against Columbus State, the Bobcats came up five points short, falling 84-79 to the Cougars.
The GCSU offense was dominant against Lander, outscoring the Bearcats in three of the four quarters.
The Bobcats went into the half up 34-20, thanks in great part to the hot hand of Alexa Geary.
Through the first two quarters Geary scored 15 points, going a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the three-point arc. Coming out of the half, LU outscored GCSU 12-7 in the third quarter, but the Bobcats countered in the fourth, outscoring Lander 17-13 to secure the win.
Geary had an outstanding game, netting 23 points to lead not only the GCSU offense, but all scorers from both squads. She shot an impressive 7-for-10 from field-goal range, with all buckets coming from behind the arc, and went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line to add two more.
Harper Vick was the Bobcats’ second-leading scorer with 10 points, while Ashyia Willis and Rose Bone each scored six points.
The big post, Jada Warren, led the team in rebounds with 15, including six offensive rebounds. Warren also eliminated nine Bearcats’ opportunities for secondchance points by corralling defensive rebounds.
Bone was the team’s second-leading rebounder after nabbing seven, six of which came under the LU basket.
The Bobcats went into the game against Columbus State riding a four-game winning streak.
It turned out to be a back-and-forth offensive game for both squads. The Bobcats outscored the Cougars in the opening quarter but trailed 43-36 upon reaching halftime.
Spurred on by the home crowd, Georgia College valiantly attempted a second-half comeback, outscoring their opponents 43-41, but ultimately fell short in the final 84-79 score.
The Bobcats had four double-digit scorers against the CSU women.
Willis led the effort with an impressive 17 points, going 7-for-13 from fieldgoal range, including 2-for-2 from behind the arc. Myra Strickland found her rhythm behind the three-point arc, shooting 50 percent in icing 15 points as the teams second-leading scorer.
Meanwhile, Geary continued her scoring streak as the Bobcats’ third-leading scorer at 13 points, while Bone rounded out the doubledigit scoring, shooting 12 with a perfect 5-for-5 from field-goal range and a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw stripe.
The Bobcat posts also dominated under the baskets with two doubledigit rebounders and one missing the mark by two. Dashaun Jackson led the charge with 11 rebounds, Jackson nabbed five under the Bobcat basket and six under the Cougars’, and Warren continued to be a menace for GCSU corralling 10 rebounds under the baskets. Cassidy Markle also had her best rebounding effort of the season with an impressive eight to her credit, including five under the offensive basket to give the Bobcats opportunities for second-chance points.
The GCSU women will return to action Feb. 4, at Augusta University, with tipoff set for 1:30 p.m.
Their next game at home will be Feb. 8, versus USC Aiken, with tipoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Live stats and broadcast links for all GCSU games are available at GCBobcats. com.