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By:
Stephen Williams
COLUMBUS – It was a night full of milestones in the Lumpkin Center, as the seventh-ranked Columbus State University women's basketball team rolled over Clayton State 100-69 in a big Peach Belt Conference showdown.
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Britteny Tatum and
Ashley Asouzu became the 10
th and 11
th players in program history to reach 1,000 points, both crossing the plateau in the fourth quarter. Tatum led all scorers with a career-best 24 points on the night, while Asouzu finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds.
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Head coach
Anita Howard also picked up her 100
th win of her career as CSU improved to 21-1 on the season. Howard holds an overall record of 100-31 in nearly five full seasons.
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"This was such a special night," Howard said. "To see both of these four-year seniors reach 1,000 points speaks to how hard they have worked over their careers and they deserve all the praise.
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"We got off to a great start tonight and kept up the intensity throughout. We put together a pretty strong effort all the way around."
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As they did earlier this season in Morrow, the Lady Cougars got off to a strong first quarter start. Up 8-5, CSU put together 10 straight points to open up a double-digit margin.
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Clayton State (19-5, 11-4 PBC) stayed within striking distance until late in the second quarter when CSU started to pull away for good.
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The Lady Cougars used an 11-2 run over the final four minutes to open up a 17-point lead at halftime.
Keyrra Gillespie banked in a 3 and
Eboni Williams scored on the final possession to put an exclamation point on the first half.
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CSU took a 23-point lead into the fourth quarter, setting the stage for its milestone moments.
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With less than five minutes to play in the game,
Asia Vetter found Tatum on the left wing and the senior knocked down her second 3-pointer of the day to set a new career high and reach 1,000 points.
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One minute later, Asouzu grabbed her final rebound of the day and went coast-to-coast to lay-in the basket she needed to cross the 1,000-point mark.
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The CSU reserves took care of it the rest of the way as the Lady Cougars reached the 100-point mark for the second time this season.
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Columbus State was 37-for-83 (44.6 percent) from the field and knocked down 6-of-17 3-point attempts. The Lady Cougars were 20-for-27 from the free throw line.
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Clayton State was limited to just 35.8 percent (24-of-67) shooting and 4-of-14 from outside.
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Columbus State will be on the road for its next three contests, starting at Montevallo on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
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