BLUFFTON, S.C. | Ashyia Willis scored a season-high 21 points as Georgia College & State University took down the University of South Carolina-Beaufort 63-50 in a Peach Belt Conference women's basketball game Wednesday (Jan. 15) evening at The Cove.
The Bobcats improved to 9-6 overall and to 2-3 in the conference, while the Sand Sharks fell to 3-10 and 1-4. GCSU returns to action with a Peach Belt matchup against Lander University Saturday (Jan. 18) at 1:30 p.m. inside the Centennial Center.
Following a jump shot from the Sand Sharks' Brielle Bartelt to give USC Beaufort a 23-21 lead, the Bobcats would answer back with a 13-0 run to close out the half to take a 34-23 lead at the intermission, with six points coming from Hannah Cail.
USC Beaufort attempted to whittle down the Bobcats' lead exiting the locker rooms; however, GCSU continuously answered to thwart the chances of a Sand Shark comeback. The fourth quarter would tell the same story, although Willis, Cail, and Miracle Parker would continue to add to the Bobcats' lead throughout the the final 10 minutes, scoring all 19 of GCSU's points in the period.
In addition to Willis' 21-point game, Cail would add 14 of her own, and Parker and Evie DePetro would contribute nine and eight points, respectively. Jada Warren would once again tack on double-digit rebounds, with 15 in this performance, while Parker would come close to a double-double with eight rebounds.
About GCSU Athletics
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for four consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won five consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of 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 postseason 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 or subscribe to the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.
