AMERICUS, Ga. - The Columbus State University women's basketball team suffered a hard 85-80 loss against Peach Belt Conference rival Georgia Southwestern State University Wednesday evening inside the Storm Dome on GSW's campus. The Lady Cougars fall to 10-7 (4-5 PBC) and the Hurricanes advance to 16-2 (8-1 PBC).

Columbus State put up an impressive fight with the No. 1 ranked team in the conference. Trailing by 10 points after the first quarter, the Lady Cougars outscored GSW 21-14 in the second to minimize the Canes' lead to only three (37-40). CSU rolled that same offensive energy over into the third quarter, taking a 63-62 lead over GSW. With just 42 seconds left, GSW was able to take the lead by five points to secure the victory.

NOTES:

• Amber Abusbeih scored a game-high 28 points, shooting 50 percent from both the field (11-for-22) and from three-point range (5-for-10).
• Olonna Rawls tallied 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds. She shot an impressive 91.6 percent (11-for-12) from the free throw line.
• Olivia West recorded 11 points, including going 2-for-2 from the charity line and shooting 50 percent (4-for-8) from the field.
• Letiya Reeves posted nine rebounds, three being offensive rebounds, and scored six points.
• CSU went 77.3 percent (17-for-22) in free throws. 

UP NEXT:
Columbus State will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 28 in Milledgeville, Ga. as the Lady Cougars will take on PBC contender Georgia College at 1:30 p.m.