Box Score COLUMBUS, Ga. – The night proved to be a tough one for the Georgia College women's basketball team (11-10, 7-7 PBC) Saturday, as they took on No. 11 Columbus State University (22-1, 13-1 PBC). The 68-46 loss also marked the end of the Bobcats' four-game winning streak.
The Bobcats had Enisha Donley (Loganville) and Shanteona Keys (Roswell) in double-digit scoring again, but were unable to top the Peach Belt Conference's (PBC) highest-ranked team in the Cougars. Donley had her 14th 10-plus scoring effort for the season with 11, all of them coming in the first half, adding five rebounds to her name.
Keys saw her hot-shooting streak come to end Saturday, as she was only able to add 10 points for the night. She shot 33 percent (4-12) from the field, but had a 2-of-4 night from three-point range. The double-digit performance marked her 20th of the season and 88th for her career. Keys averaged 25.8 points per game during the Bobcats' four-game winning streak. She has now scored 10-plus in eight straight games.
Georgia College was able to shoot an impressive 87.5 percent (7-8) from the charity stripe in the first half, also adding a 3-of-4 effort from beyond the arc. The Bobcats still found themselves down at the half 35-24. The Cougar defense clamped down in the second frame, allowing the Bobcats only 22 points. The Bobcats shot just 9-of-29 in the second half.
The Cougars had an impressive night defensively, only allowing the Bobcats to shoot 30.8 percent from the field and forcing 18 turnovers for the night. Michelle Mitchell, who posted 18 points and seven rebounds for the contest, led Columbus State. The Cougars remain with only one loss, as the Bobcats were able to hand them their only defeat of the season 73-62 on Jan. 10.
The loss puts the Bobcats in fourth place in the Peach Belt Conference West (PBC) standings. Georgia College is four games back from second in the division with five remaining. To make the PBC Tournament Georgia College will need to maintain their fourth slot. Last year saw the Bobcats take the PBC West fourth seed in the tournament and advance all the way the championship game.
The Bobcats will look to bounce back against Young Harris College at home in the Centennial Center at 5:30 p.m. In their last outing against the Mountain Lions, the Bobcats began their winning streak with a 62-48 victory.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at @GCBobcats on Twitter and Facebook for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.
