COLUMBUS - For the first time this season, the Columbus State University women's basketball team will take on a ranked opponent traveling to square off against No. 10 North Georgia. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. inside the Convocation Center in Dahlonega, Ga.

Winners of three straight, the Lady Cougars (9-2, 4-1 PBC) are looking for some revenge after UNG captured the 2019 Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship over CSU. 

"This is obviously an important game, but all conference games are critical to the success of your season," commented head coach Matt Houser. "The goal for us is the same heading into every game. We have to focus and play our style of basketball."

"North Georgia is very talented. They know what they want to do to you on offense and run a very efficient system. It's going to be a challenge and we are excited to see how we match up."

Over the weekend, Columbus State shook off another slow first half to record a 64-52 victory against UNC Pembroke. The fourth quarter was the deciding factor as the Lady Cougars outscored UNCP 20-4 to win their third straight PBC game by double figures. Kaihla Carter scored a team-high 18 points while Christalyn Boston posted impressive numbers with 12 points and nine rebounds. 

Due to technical conflicts, audio for Wednesday's game can be heard on CougarSportsTV. 
 

CSU	Stats	UNG
9-2, 4-1	Record	13-1, 6-0
74.2	PPG	70.6
60.5	Opp. PPG	55.3
41.1%	FG%	45.4%
37.9%	Opp. FG%	33.1%
43.1	Rebs/Game	43.6
33.6%	3PT FG%	32.4%
25.9%	Opp. 3PT FG%	22.5%
62.8%	FT%	63.4%
14.7	Assists/Game	17.3
13.7	Steals/Game	6.9
2.8	Blocks/Game	3.0

Game 12

Opponent: University of North Georgia 
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Site: UNG Convocation Center (3,600), Dahlonega, Ga.
Radio: CougarSportsTV - Scott Miller, play-by-play. 
Live Video Stream: Nighthawk Sports Network
All-time Series: CSU leads 16-13
Last Meeting: March 10, 2019, in Augusta, Ga. (UNG 90-72)

About North Georgia

The two-time defending PBC regular season and tournament champions, North Georgia once again is having a strong season. The Nighthawks are 13-1 overall and a perfect 7-0 against PBC opponents. UNG has won seven straight games with its last loss coming on Nov. 30 against Belmont Abbey.

 Julianne Sutton is one of the top scorers in the league averaging 16.8 points per game while shooting an impressive 58.1 percent from the field. Abbie Franklin (11.1 PPG) is a sharpshooter from beyond the arc leading the PBC with a 43.2 3-point shooting percentage. She has made a league leading 35 threes on the year. Kara Groover is leading the league in assists (4.0 assist/game) and is also seventh in rebounding (7.2 rebs/game). 

North Georgia is tough to score on having a top-20 scoring defense at the Division II level. Opponents shoot just 33.1 percent overall and 22.5 from three against the Nighthawks, putting UNG inside the top-10 in the nation in both defensive metrics. North Georgia is ruthless on the boards with a plus-9.7 rebounding margin.

UNG has won 20 straight games in Dahleonga and 26 out of the previous 27. The Nighthawks are also on a 16-game PBC winning streak.

Lady Cougar Notes

• The Lady Cougars have put together dominating runs over recent games. Against UNC Pembroke, CSU had a 20-4 spurt in the fourth quarter while outscoring Georgia College 20-0 in a second half run on Jan. 8.

• Over the past two fourth quarters, CSU is outscoring its opponents 41-17.

• Columbus State's average margin of victory this season is 19.4 points.

• At the Division II level, Columbus State ranks seventh in the nation in steals per game (13.7), 21^st in 3-point field goal defense (25.9 percent), 21^st in turnovers forced per game (22.82), and 25^th in turnover margin (5.82).

• At the conference level, the Lady Cougars lead the PBC in field goal attempts per game (69.0), 3-point field goal percentage (33.6), offensive rebounds per game (15.4), and steals per game (13.8).

• The Lady Cougars rejected five shots against UNC Pembroke last Saturday. It was the first time since Nov. 26 that CSU had four or more blocks in a game. 

• Over the past six games, CSU is shooting 72.5 percent (74-for-102) from the free throw line. 

• Kaihla Carter has been on a scoring tear of late. In the last three games, the senior is averaging 17.3 points per game, including her first career 20-plus point game performance against Georgia College. 

Series History

• The Columbus State-North Georgia series dates back to 2006, but the rivalry has heated up over the past few seasons. CSU holds a slim 16-13 advantage.

• However, the Nighthawks are 4-1 in the previous five games, including winning three in a row. In Dahlonega, the two sides have split 14 games.

• In the 2019 PBC Tournament title game, North Georgia shot 56.9 percent in the 90-72 victory over the Lady Cougars. CSU was 7-of-28 from three. 

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