SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Augusta State used a decisive run late in the second half to register a 55-53 Peach Belt Conference road win Saturday night over Armstrong Atlantic State in Alumni Arena.
With the victory, the Lady Jaguars (21-14, 7-11 PBC) clinched fourth place in the conference's East Division and qualified for next week's PBC Championships on the campus of Columbus State University in Columbus, Ga. ASU will take on regular-season champion Clayton State on Thursday, March 1 at 1:00 p.m., at the Lumpkin Center in the first game of the tournament.
ASU moved out to a nine-point advantage at 52-43 with just 2:58 left after a jumper from Becky Newhouse capped a 9-2 spurt in which five different players scored. Amber Peterson swished a pair of free throws to put ASU up 54-47 with 45.5 seconds left. Karolina Rykowska answered with a 3-pointer just seven seconds later before Newhouse hit 1-of-2 free throws for a 55-50 Lady Jag advantage with 35 seconds remaining.
Mauri Wells kept AASU in the game when she canned a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the :17 mark. The Pirates fouled to send ASU's Brittany White to the free throw line for a 1-and-1 opportunity. Her first attempt missed, and Wells snagged the rebound and rushed up the floor. Her running jumper from the right wing just missed, giving the Lady Jags their seventh road win of the season and fifth in conference play.
ASU sophomore Jemimah Ashby posted a team-high 12 points, while White and Newhouse each had 11. Junior forward Laci Schreiber hauled in a career-high 15 rebounds as ASU claimed a 47-37 advantage on the boards. White added four assists and four steals.
Rykowska booked a game-high 14 points, D.D. Gipson notched a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds and Demisha Mills netted 10 off the bench.