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By: Stephen Williams

COLUMBUS – The Columbus State University women's basketball team came roaring out of the gates and never looked back on its way to a 66-42 victory over King University on Wednesday night. The game was played inside the Lumpkin Center.
 
Gabby Williams led all scorers with 12 points on the night. Ashley Asouzu and Alexis Carter each added double-doubles to their season total. Asouzu tallied 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Carter finished with 10 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocks. Erin Morrow chipped in a season-high 11 points.
 
"We played excellent again on the defensive end tonight," head coach Anita Howard said. "We still aren't where we want to be overall, but we are continuing to improve each time out."
 
Williams took the opening tip and laid it in just three seconds into the contest, setting the tone for the entire night.
 
With the score at 4-2, Asouzu scored on the offensive end, sparking a 17-0 Lady Cougar run that spanned more than five minutes. All five CSU starters scored during the spurt.
 
A pair of free throws from Narshanda Malone capped the opening quarter scoring, giving the Lady Cougars a 25-4 edge after the first 10 minutes.
 
Columbus State (5-0) has now outscored its opponents 90-37 in the first quarter this season.
 
After taking a 19-point lead (33-14) into the locker room at halftime, the Lady Cougars exploded again in the third.
 
Leading 38-19, CSU scored the final 18 points of the frame to take its largest lead of the night. Morrow scored eight of her 11 points during the stretch.
 
With the game already in hand, King (7-3) brought the game closer behind a 23-point fourth quarter. The Lady Cougars were comfortably ahead though and eased to the 24-point victory.
 
The Lady Cougars shot just 37 percent (27-for-73) from the field and made 5-of-20 (25 percent) three-point attempts. CSU turned 31 turnovers into 29 points.
 
Columbus State, the top field goal percentage defense in the country, limited King to just 23.6 percent (13-of-55) shooting, including 5-for-31 (16.1 percent) in the first half.
 
CSU will now head into conference play with a road trip to Flagler on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in Saint Augustine, Fla.