COLUMBUS - After two road victories last week, the Columbus State University women's basketball team returns to the Lumpkin Center to host Georgia College. The Peach Belt Conference game will begin at 5:30 p.m.

CSU (14-4, 9-3 PBC) suffered a defeat to Young Harris on Jan. 25, but bounced back in a big way last week. The Lady Cougars traveled to take down Georgia Southwestern 76-68 before recording a 71-59 victory at Augusta.

"Last week was critical," commented head coach Matt Houser. "We needed to respond and we were able to grab some key wins."

"We are in the stretch run now. Everyone is going to be playing with a higher sense of urgency and I know Georgia College is going to bring their A-game on Wednesday."

In Saturday's win over Augusta, the Lady Cougars only trailed at the start, building a 22-point lead by the third quarter. Four players scored in double-figures with Valeria Merlos leading the way with 16. The senior was 4-for-9 from beyond the arc. Aujana Dawkins posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Eboni Williams and Kaihla Carter both chipped in 10 points.

CSU will celebrate the 34^th annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day with the announcement of the eight student-athletes chosen for the Girls In The Game scholarship. The presentation will happen during halftime of the men's game. 
 

CSU	Stats	GC
14-4, 9-3	Record	5-15, 2-10
72.6	PPG	52.0
62.3	Opp. PPG	63.4
40.4%	FG%	32.2%
38.2%	Opp. FG%	41.1%
43.6	Rebs/Game	37.9
32.8%	3PT FG%	28.1%
25.6%	Opp. 3PT FG%	41.1%
62.8%	FT%	67.2%
13.2	Assists/Game	8.4
12.8	Steals/Game	5.7
3.4	Blocks/Game	1.8

Game 19

Opponent: Georgia College
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2020
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Site: Lumpkin Center (4,500), Columbus, Ga.
Live Video Stream: Cougar Sports TV - Scott Miller, play-by-play. Mike Sanda, color.
All-time Series: CSU leads 39-28
Last Meeting: Jan. 8, 2020, in Milledgeville, Ga. (CSU 66-48) 

About Georgia College

Georgia College (5-15, 2-10) will be playing its third straight game away from home on Wednesday after already making visits to Lander and Flagler. On Feb. 1, the Bobcats fell 72-56 against Flagler in St. Augustine, Fla. Since the calendar turned to 2020, GC is just 1-8, including a loss to CSU on Jan. 8.

Harper Vick (13.8 PPG) is Georgia College's leading scorer while Dail Adaway (7.3 rebs/game) is ninth in the PBC in rebounding.

As a team, Georgia College scores only 52.0 points per game, the lowest mark in the league, while opponents shoot 41.1 percent from the floor.

Cougar Notes

• Aujana Dawkins leads CSU with seven double-doubles this season. She is one of just two players in the PBC to have seven or more.

• Dawkins currently averages 9.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for the Lady Cougars. She is third in the PBC in rebounding and fifth in field goal percentage (52.8%).

• CSU's defense had a rare night off collecting steals and rejecting shots against Augusta. The Lady Cougars recorded eight steals and didn't tally a block. It was only the second time this season CSU failed to post 10 or more steals in a game.

• At the Division II level, Columbus State ranks 10^th in steals per game (12.8) and 12^th in 3-point field goal defense (25.6%).

• At the conference level, the Lady Cougars leads the PBC in field goals attempted per game (67.9), 3-point field goal percentage (32.8%), offensive rebounds per game (15.6), rebounds per game (43.6), and steals per game (12.8).

• LeeAysia Williamson leads the PBC in scoring averaging 17.8 points per game, despite scoring only seven last time out.

• Three CSU players rank in the top-10 in 3-point shooting in the PBC (Valeria Merlos 39.5%, Williamson 36.8%, and Kaihla Carter 35.4%).

• Columbus State is eighth in the latest D2SIDA Southeast Region poll, up two spots from last week.

Series History 

• Columbus State has taken on Georgia College more than any other program. Wednesday's meeting will be the 68^th all-time between the schools.

• The Lady Cougars lead the all-time series 39-28, including a 16-3 mark since the start of the 2011-12 season.

• In January, CSU went on 20-0 run in the second half to go on for a 68-48 victory over GC. Carter scored a season-high 22 points while Williamson added 14. 

Up Next

Columbus State will hit the road once again traveling to Greenwood, S.C. to take on No. 22 Lander. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

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