Columbus, GA - Columbus State and Francis Marion made Peach Belt Conference women's basketball history on Sunday, locking in an epic double overtime battle. When the dust settled, CSU had taken a 113-108 win over the visiting Patriots, moving itself into a tie with FMU for the top spot in the PBC standings.

The combined 221 points set a new PBC record for total points scored in a game involving a PBC school. The 113 points by CSU also tied it with Francis Marion for the most points scored in a PBC contest. FMU set that mark earlier this year in a 113-103 win over Lander. Lander holds the single game record by a PBC school in any game with 121, also set earlier this year.

That the game even got to the second overtime was miraculous for the Patriots. Brittany Young missed a three pointer in the final seconds and fell to the floor. Teammate Yasmean Dixon grabbed the long rebound and flipped it right back to Young just as she got back on her feet, and Young fired a shot to beat the horn by milliseconds that banked in for the game-tying shot, forcing the second extra period.

In the second overtime, CSU grabbed an early lead on a Turelle Jones layup less than a minute in, and would never trail. The Lady Cougars scored the first six points of the frame and would lead by as many as nine points. Jennifer Dyer drilled her ninth three-pointer with 19 seconds left to pull the Patriots to within 112-108, but Ashley Stafford sealed the win with a free-throw to provide the final margin. Dyer, who was injured before time expired, tallied a career-high 37 points on the afternoon to go with 10 rebounds. She went 14-24 from the floor overall, a school-record 9-13 from long range, and contributed four steals, as well.

Francis Marion led for the majority of the second half and held leads of seven points on two occasions and eight points once. That came at the 7:26 mark when Dyer hit a jumper to make it 68-60. From there, CSU out-scored the Patriots 11-2 over the next four minutes and took a 71- 70 lead with 3:30 to play. The two squads would trad the lead or be tied six more times before regulation play ended. Creshenda Singletary got the game-tying shot for FMU after two Monica Sicka free throws had given CSU a 78-76 lead with 48 seconds left. Singletary took a pass from Shannon Singleton-Bates and canned a jumper with 37 seconds left. Both squads got off shots before time expired, but nothing would fall, forcing overtime.

FMU held CSU to just one three-point basket and 35 percent shooting in the first half, but led by just a single point at the break. CSU hit 10-16 free-throws in the half and forced nine turnovers to stay close. Ashleigh Beverly's layup with two seconds left pulled CSU within one at 40-39.

In addition to Dyer, FMU also got a double-double from Ebony Allen with 13 points and 10 boards. Young tallied 19 points to go with five assists, while Dixon came off the bench to score 15 points. Kevina Ransom also tallied 13 for the Patriots (17-4, 10-4). FMU shot 37 percent in the second half and 41 percent overall for the game.

Ashley Stafford was outstanding for CSU, scoring 30 points on the afternoon. Stafford hit 10 of 20 shots from the floor and went 10-12 at the free-throw line. Hali Moore and Monica Sicka each tallied 20 points, while Maria Grimes scored 19 - 14 of which came after halftime. Sicka went 6-12 from the floor and 7-8 at the line, while Moore was 8-17 from the floor and 4-5 at the line. Grimes hit 12-15 free-throws, mostly in the second half and completed a double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds. Moore also completed a double-double by collecting 10 rebounds, as well. In all, CSU held a 64-53 advantage on the boards and grabbed an impressive 28 offensive rebounds. CSU shot 58 percent in the overtime periods to finish at 40 percent on the day
and hit 38 of 49 free-throws as a team.

The win wrapped up a stretch of nine home dates in the last 10 for CSU and the Lady Cougars must now go on the road for their next four games and five of the next six. CSU travels to North Georgia for another tough contest on Wednesday in Dahlonega. FMU plays three of its next four at home, beginning Wednesday when it hosts UNC Pembroke.