GRANITEVILLE, S.C. | Ashyia Willis made double-digit points once again as she crept closer to 1,000 points in her career as Georgia College & State University defeated the University of South Carolina-Aiken 60-46 in a Peach Belt Conference women's basketball game Saturday (Jan. 4) afternoon inside the USCA Convocation Center.

The Bobcats climbed to 8-4 overall and 1-1 in conference play, while the Pacers fell 3-9 and 0-2. GCSU returns to action Wednesday (Jan. 8) when they host No. 7 University of North Georgia at 5:30 p.m. inside the Centennial Center.

GCSU started the contest on the right foot, opening with a 9-2 run in the first five minutes, capped off by a Willis jump shot. The quarter continued this way as the Bobcats held the Pacers at bay, finishing the first quarter with a five-point lead (18-13).

The Pacers tied the Bobcats early in the second quarter, evening everything at 18; however, Chandler Davis quickly restored Georgia College's lead, and an Evie DePetro three-pointer and Hannah Cail layup gave the Bobcats a seven-point lead (27-20) before the end of the half.

Nevertheless, the Bobcats would start slowly exiting the locker room, which the Pacers quickly took advantage of. A Paris Webster jump shot would provide USC Aiken with its only lead  at 32-31 midway through the third quarter. This would promptly disappear as DePetro would knock down two jumpers, and Davis would finish two layups to give the Bobcats a five-point lead within the next minute. A Miracle Parker three-pointer with 15 seconds on the clock would give the Bobcats a seven-point lead (45-38) heading into the game's final 10 minutes.

The Bobcats wouldn't let up in the fourth quarter as a Willis jump shot would give the Bobcats their first double-digit lead of the night at 51-40, and it would continue that way for the remainder of the contest.

Willis led the Bobcats with 15 points and now is just three points (997) away from becoming the 19th Bobcat in program history to score 1,000 points in her career.  Jada Warren tacked on another double-digit rebound performance with 17. Cail would add nine points, while DePetro and Davis would each add eight.

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.