COLUMBUS, Ga. – Faced with the challenge of their first nationally-ranked opponent this season, the Georgia College Women's Basketball team (9-5, 3-4 PBC) fell 81-48 at No. 16 Columbus State University (14-1, 8-1 PBC) Wednesday night.

The Cougars played every bit like the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) West Division leader, and the conference's top-ranked squad. In a matchup of the nation's top two defensive squads, CSU hit 28-of-58 from the field for 48.3 percent shooting, holding the Bobcats to just 23.7 percent (14-59).

Georgia College had a pair of double-digit scorers, both coming off the bench. Sophomore Shay Tarver (Covington) led the team with 12 points, getting six from the charity stripe. Classmate Ana Anderson (Sharpsburg) added 11 from the frontcourt as well. Junior Alyah McGriff (Suwanee) paced the team in rebounding with eight, and senior LaRice Walker (Franklin) posted a team-best four assists.

CSU's Gabby Williams hit a jumper on the game's first possession, and after McGriff knotted it up 2-2, the Cougars took over for good. Williams led four Cougar double-digit scorers with 14 points.

The Bobcats wrap up arguably the toughest stretch of their 2016-17 schedule, as the last three contests have been against the two teams in the 2016 NCAA Southeast Region title game, followed by a road contest at the league's top-ranked squad.

GC Women's Hoops is back in action Saturday, Jan. 21 at 1:30 p.m. playing host to the University of Montevallo.

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 social media for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.