MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – In a close battle throughout, the Georgia College & State University Women's Basketball team (12-8, 4-6 PBC) fell to Columbus State University (11-7, 5-5 PBC) 84-79 Saturday in the Centennial Center.

The game was nip-and-tuck for the entire 40 minutes, featuring 26 ties and 34 lead changes. Neither team was able to get a double-digit lead at any point.

Sophomore guard Ashyia Willis (Gainesville) led the Bobcats with 17 points, also dishing out a team-high seven assists. Junior Myra Strickland (Duluth) knocked down five threes for her 15 points.

Sophomore Alexa Geary (Calhoun) added 13 points off the bench, helping the Bobcats to a 26-13 advantage in reserve scoring. Sophomore forward Rose Bone (Monroe) was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, finishing with 12 points, and senior forward Cassidy Markle (Cumming) was a boxscore-filler with eight points, eight rebounds, four assists and a steal.

The Bobcats dominated the glass 47-37, thanks to 11 from junior reserve Dashaun Jackson (Miramar, Florida) and 10 from sophomore Jada Warren (Norcross).

GCSU hit a season-high 14 threes, the most by a Bobcat Women's Basketball team since Nov. 17, 2007, when the Bobcats knocked down 15 in a win over Lees-McRae College. The difference tonight came in turnovers, where the Bobcats coughed it up a season-high 24 times and caused 12.

The Bobcats are back in action Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 5:30 p.m., traveling to Flagler College.

Owning the top Academic Success Rate among public schools in Division II, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won three-straight Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of both the PBC Commissioner's Cup and the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in post-season competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports.