AASU Rings In New Year With 72-53 Win Over Flagler

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - The Armstrong Atlantic State women's basketball team opened up the 2010 year successfully, recording a 72-53 Peach Belt Conference victory over host Flagler on Saturday afternoon in St. Augustine, Fla.

The Lady Pirates (4-5, 2-0 PBC) notched their eighth straight win in the series against Flagler (5-5, 0-1 PBC), although Saturday's game was the first meeting between the two teams since February 10, 1992 for the new conference rivals.

Armstrong Atlantic opened up the contest on an 18-4 run - buoyed by a pair of three-pointers from senior Lauren Hall - and maintained that advantage into halftime, taking a 39-28 lead into the break. AASU shot 58.3 percent from the floor in the first half and hit 5-of-10 three-pointers.

A three-pointer and a jumper by sophomore Brooke Long extended the Pirates' lead to 20, 56-36, with 13:47 left to go in the contest. Flagler would get no closer than 16 points the rest of the way.

Junior Arpine Amirkhanyan led the way for the Pirates, hitting all six of her shots from the floor en route to a team-high 16 points. Long added 15 and Hall chipped in 11 - all in the first half - for AASU. As a team, the Pirates shot an outstanding 53.1 percent from the floor.

Flagler was led by Jen Knurek, who collected 12 points and Jen Mitchell, who added 10 points.

AASU returns to action on Wednesday, January 6, hosting a non-conference matchup against Allen University at 6:00 p.m. at Alumni Arena.