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By:
Stephen Williams
COLUMBUS – Following a 12-day layoff, the 23
rd-ranked Columbus State University women's basketball team will take the floor for a New Year's Eve non-conference contest against Auburn Montgomery. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. inside the Lumpkin Center.
Last Time Out
Columbus State raced out to a 34-11 edge after the opening quarter on its way to a 98-62 victory over Augusta on December 19.
Alexis Carter finished with 23 points and nine rebounds, while
Ashley Asouzu tallied a double-double of 14 and 10.
Narshanda Malone scored a season-high 19 points in the win.
Howard on the Matchup
"It was great to get a little rest over the holiday break after a good start to the season. I want to see us come out sharp on Saturday and continue playing the way we were before the break."
Series History
Columbus State and Auburn Montgomery are meeting for the first time as NCAA Division II schools. The Warhawks are transitioning to Division II from the NAIA.
Last Meeting
The Lady Cougars put four players in double figures and defeated AUM 85-72 on December 3, 2014 in Montgomery, Ala.
Michelle Mitchell led CSU with 17 points, while
Ashley Asouzu added 12 of her own.
About Auburn Montgomery
AUM has struggled through the first half of the season to the tune of a 2-13 record. The Warhawks snapped an 11-game losing streak on Thursday night however, defeating West Alabama 72-69.
Saturday will be AUM's sixth contest against a Peach Belt Conference foe this season with losses already against Georgia College, Georgia Southwestern, Montevallo, North Georgia and Young Harris.
Auburn Montgomery has struggled on the offensive end this season averaging just 54.2 points per game.
Kaylan Withrow (11.5 points) and Grace Farnswort (10.3) are the only Warhawks averaging more than seven points per night.
CSU Notes
Columbus State (7-0) begins the post-Christmas portion of its schedule as one of 12 teams still undefeated in Division II.
The Lady Cougars currently rank in the top-10 in the country in field goal percentage defense, scoring margin, rebounding margin, blocks per game, steals per game, turnover margin, offensive rebounds per game, turnovers forced per game and rebounds per game.
Senior point guard
Keyrra Gillespie turned in her second straight game with at least 10 assists in CSU's last contest, and she currently leads the nation with a 4.6 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Columbus State is averaging 81.9 points per game, the 11
th-best mark in Division II. The Lady Cougars have scored above 90 in each of the last two games.
Media Coverage
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on NewsRadio 540 WDAK with CSU Hall of Fame broadcaster Scott Miller on the call.
