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AIKEN, S.C. – The Columbus State University women's basketball team owned the second quarter on Wednesday night and picked up a 60-49 victory at USC Aiken. The Peach Belt Conference contest was played in Aiken, S.C.
 
Columbus State (14-8, 12-6 PBC) scored a combined 31 points in the first, third and fourth quarters. However, the Lady Cougars outscored the Pacers 29-7 in the second period to help secure the victory.
 
"We were good on offense for a small stretch of the game, but tonight was more about the defense," head coach Anita Howard said. "To allow just 49 points and hold them to 23 percent shooting is a strong effort."
 
Things started slow on Wednesday for the Lady Cougars, as CSU didn't score its first points of the game until nearly six minutes in. Zoi Thompson was the sparkplug for the Lady Cougars, scoring the first seven points for Columbus State.
 
USC Aiken (6-18, 3-15) put together a 9-0 run to lead 17-7 late in the first quarter before Machala Raymonville got her first two points to end the quarter with CSU down 17-9.
 
Raymonville opened the second with a pair of free throws followed by a USC Aiken 3-pointer. Down 20-11, the Lady Cougars kicked things into high gear. CSU went on an 18-0 run to turn a nine-point deficit into a nine-point lead.
 
After two Pacer free throws, the Lady Cougars started a new run. This time Columbus State scored nine unanswered points, including back-to-back 3-pointers from Raymonville, and ultimately took a 38-24 lead into halftime.
 
In the second quarter, CSU was 6-of-8 from the 3-point line while limiting the Pacers to 2-of-20 shooting. Raymonville had 16 of the 29 CSU points in the period.
 
USC Aiken battled back to within single digits in the third quarter, but the Lady Cougars withstood the push and pulled away early in the fourth for the win.
 
Raymonville finished with 26 points and nine rebounds. Tatiana Wayne pitched in 12 points, with Thompson scoring 10 points.
 
CSU shot just 30 percent (21-for-70) as a team, but limited the Pacers to 23.1 percent (15-for-65) from the field.
 
Columbus State will wrap up its three-game road swing at Georgia College on Wednesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Milledgeville.