Columbus State women lock up third straight Peach Belt championship appearance with 78-65 win over Augusta

Columbus State didn’t like how the scoreboard looked when it was trailing Augusta University in the Peach Belt semifinals at Lumpkin Center Saturday night.

All three minutes and 40 seconds of it.

Augusta hit four of its first five shots to jump out to a short-lived 8-4 lead in the game’s opening minutes.

CSU (24-4) responded with a 16-0 run and kept its foot on the gas to secure a spot in the conference’s championship game on Sunday at 4 p.m. against the winner of the other semifinal game between Lander and Clayton.

“We got hit on some screens early and gave up some easy baskets, but then once we got some stops we were able to get out in transition,” CSU coach Jonathan Norton said. “It created some easy opportunities for us. Once we got the lead we settled down and played with more confidence.”

Saturday’s 78-65 victory gives the Cougars a chance to become the first team in PBC history to win three straight tournament championships.

“It means the world to me,” CSU starting forward Ashley Asouzu said. “To be in a program where every single year consecutively we can just continue to go to the championship that means a lot. It speaks volumes about the coaching and players. Each year we have had a different group of girls come in and every year we are able to bond and get the job done.”

Michelle Mitchell led all scorers with 24 points while Asouzu and Britteny Tatum also scored in double-digits. Asouzu scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for a double-double.

Asouzu was part of CSU’s strong overall frontcourt effort. The Cougars out-rebounded Augusta (44 to 34), had more points in the paint (34 to 26) and second chance points (14 to 10). Asouzu’s six offensive rebounds matched Augusta’s total as a team midway through the fourth quarter.

The junior received a nice ovation from the home crowd when she fouled out with 4.4 seconds to go in the game.

“I won’t pick on her too much,” Norton said of Asouzu’s fifth foul. “She did have that double-double.”

While Columbus State’s lead dipped to five points with 3:40 to go, there was very little doubt in the outcome with two-time PBC Player of the Year Mitchell on the floor for the Cougars. Mitchell buried a jumper on the ensuing possession to end a 10-0 Augusta run.

Norton was complimentary of an Augusta team he thinks CSU could face in the NCAA tournament. He said it would be a travesty if Augusta didn’t reach the postseason with their 22-8 record.

It would be a tiebreaker for the Peach Belt rivals who played in the regular season with Augusta winning 79-72. Norton wasn’t courtside for the January game as he was undergoing medical testing after collapsing on the court earlier that week.

“That game was just a rumor,” Norton said making light of the situation.

Norton hopes his team sticks to the defensive principles that guided them to victory Saturday night if the teams do meet in another rematch.

“I did watch the film and we had a lack of focus for obvious reasons,” Norton said. “We were playing with some different defensive principles. We weren’t doing some things on ball screens and dribble hand-offs, and they got the best of us (in January). We made some adjustments and we were more dialed in.”

AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY (22-8)

Breonna O'Conner 6-16 0-1 13; Joshlyn Belcher 3-7 4-5 13; Kariel Hutt 5-81-2 11; Camille Gee 4-9 0-0 9; Lonna Turner 2-6 3-4 7; Cynara Pitt 2-8 2-46; Kayla Lovett 1-6 1-4 3; Mallory Myers 0-1 3-4 3; Samantha Carlson 0-0 0-00. Totals 23-61 14-24 65.

COLUMBUS STATE (24-4)Michelle Mitchell 11-22 2-2 24; Britteny Tatum 5-13 9-10 20; Ashley Asouzu8-10 0-1 16; Gabby Williams 2-7 5-6 9; Brea Walker 2-4 3-3 8; Alexys Woods0-0 1-2 1; Ashley Johnson 0-2 0-2 0; Kristian Carter 0-0 0-0 0; Erin Morrow0-2 0-0 0; Eryn Cochran 0-0 0-0 0; Tatiana Wayne 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-6020-26 78.

Augusta University............   15   15   19   16  -   65

Columbus State................   21   17   23   17  -   78

3-point goals--Augusta University 5-13 (Joshlyn Belcher 3-5; Camille Gee1-3; Breonna O'Conner 1-4; Cynara Pitt 0-1), Columbus State 2-7 (BrittenyTatum 1-4; Brea Walker 1-3). Fouled out--Augusta University-BreonnaO'Conner, Columbus State-Ashley Asouzu. Rebounds--Augusta University 34(Kariel Hutt 11), Columbus State 44 (Ashley Asouzu 12). Assists--AugustaUniversity 10 (Kayla Lovett 3; Camille Gee 3), Columbus State 10 (GabbyWilliams 5). Total fouls--Augusta University 24, Columbus State 22.Technical fouls--Augusta University-None, Columbus State-None. A-525

This story was originally published March 5, 2016 at 7:59 PM with the headline "Columbus State women lock up third straight Peach Belt championship appearance with 78-65 win over Augusta."