Lady Pirates Double Up Allen, 90-45

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The Armstrong Atlantic State women's basketball squad won its fifth game out of the last six with a 90-45 non-conference victory over visiting Allen University on Wednesday evening at Alumni Arena.

The Lady Pirates (5-5) shot a season-best 54.3 percent from the floor in the victory to move back to .500 on the season in the first meeting between the two teams.

Senior Portia Jones scored 10 straight points early in the first half as AASU jumped out to a 28-5 lead in the first 10 minutes. The Savannah native hit 9-of-12 shots from the floor in the first half and had 19 points at the break. 

Sophomore Brooke Long, meanwhile, came off the bench to hit 5-of-8 shots in the first half en route to 15 points before intermission. At the break, the Lady Pirates led 54-15, just two points off the school record for points in a half. 

Jones hit on three-pointer in the second half to finish with a game-high 22 points, which ties her career high, set earlier this season against Nova Southeastern on Nov. 20. Long also finished the game with 22 points, two of five players in double figures for AASU.

Junior Arpine Amirkhanyan added 14 points, while senior Lauren Hall chipped in 11 and senior Dartayvia Thomas added 10 points.

Allen University was led by Kendra McMichael, who scored all 10 of her second-half points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor. 

The Lady Pirates return to Peach Belt Conference action on Saturday, January 9, with a 1:30 p.m. contest against USC Aiken at Alumni Arena.

Head Coach Matt Schmidt's Post Game Comments:

On what he took away from tonight's game: "We wanted to do things we normally don't do a lot of. We were able to work on our zone and get better against an offense we haven't seen before."

On what tonight's game does for his team heading into Saturday's matchup with USC Aiken: "It gives us a lot of confidence. We're now 2-0 in the Peach Belt and have been able to get a streak going. We shot the ball well and the win really gives us high confidence going into a big game for us this weekend."

On what he was most impressed with from his team tonight: "Our ball movement. We played as an unselfish team, which is how I want our kids to play."