Seniors Lead AASU To 71-64 Win Over Lander On Saturday

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The Armstrong Atlantic State women's basketball squad closed out the 2008-09 regular season with a 71-64 win over visiting Lander on Homecoming and Senior Day at Alumni Arena on Saturday afternoon in Savannah.

The Lady Pirates (17-10, 12-8 PBC) will head to next week's Peach Belt Conference Championships as the No. 4 seed with the victory, and ironically will face Lander (17-10, 12-8 PBC) - who ended up as the No. 5 seed - in the first round of the tournament on Thursday.

A first half of runs ended with Lander holding a four-point 36-32 lead at intermission. AASU erased an early 3-0 Lander lead with a 10-0 run, but the Bearcats responded with a 17-0 run to take a 10-point lead, 20-10, with 13:19 left. AASU retook the lead on a Lindsey Holmes layup, capping a 19-7 run to give the Lady Pirates a 29-27 lead with 3:55 left, but Lander would close the half on a 9-3 run.

A three-pointer by Holmes tied things up in the second half, 37-37, with 17:19 left, then AASU took the lead for good on a three-pointer by Ashley Duhart, giving the Lady Pirates a 42-39 lead with 14:29 left. AASU shot an unconscious 63.6 percent from the field in the second half (14-of-22), including canning four of seven three-pointers.

Senior Lacey Willis led all players on the day for the Lady Pirates with 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the floor, to go with 11 rebounds and six assists. Versluis, another senior, notched her first double-double of the year with 12 points and 11 rebounds, to go with five blocked shots. Senior Ashley Duhart notched 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 3-of-4 three-pointers, while the fourth senior for AASU playing in her final home game, Lindsey Holmes, added eight points.

Jasmine Judge was the only Lander player to reach double figures, hitting 5-of-12 three-pointers for a team-high 17 points. Kaylyn Small added eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds off the bench.

The Bearcats and the Pirates will meet in a rematch of the 2008 PBC Tournament title game on Thursday, March 4, at 3:00 p.m. in PBC Quarterfinal Action in Aiken, S.C.