GCSU’s women’s basketball team finished fourth place in the Peach Belt Conference this year, and faced the fifth-seed Flagler College Saints in the quarterfinals. 

“We were ranked number eight and now we’re ranked four and playing in the semifinals of the conference tournament,” said Hannah Cail, sophomore guard. “I have really enjoyed playing with this team, and we’ve done really well throughout the course of this season.”

Following an 82-73 victory, fueled by an impressive fourth quarter, the Bobcats head to Dahlonega, GA to take on the one-seed University of North Georgia Nighthawks. The semifinals begin Saturday, March 8, at 1 p.m.

“We put expectations on showing up every day, working hard, working to get better throughout the season,” said Ross Jolly, women’s basketball head coach.

The Bobcats opened their season with a road trip, beginning with a few neutral-site contests. The Bobcats began their season against the Young Harris College Mountain Lions and the Emmanuel College Lions on consecutive days, Nov. 8 and 9. The Bobcats meant business in both non-conference games and started the season with a sweep. 

The Bobcats played their first away game the following Wednesday, Nov. 13, against the Erskine College Flying Fleet, to which they won by a landslide, 80-48, with Evie DePetro notching the first 20-point game the Bobcats had this season. 

GCSU traveled back to Milledgeville, Ga., hosting its first game of the season at the Centennial Center against the Newberry College Wolves on Saturday, Nov. 16, to which GCSU promptly won, extending its winning streak to four. The Bobcats won two of the following three, losing their first game to the Shorter University Hawks following the game against the Wolves. 

The Bobcats played against the Columbus State Cougars on Saturday, Dec. 7, for their first Peach Belt Conference competition. While GCSU walked out of the Centennial Center with a four-point loss, it did prove the spike in competitiveness that will be seen throughout all conference play. 

At around this time in the season, the Bobcat injury list began to pile up, and names such as Cierra Foster, Natalia Bolden, Chandler Davis and even Rose Bone missed a few games. 

“Our bench is a strength when we lose three people that were in the rotation,” Jolly said. “We have other people that can step up and contribute to the team as well.”

The Bobcats sat at a record of 7-4 heading into the next conference game, this time facing the University of South Carolina Aiken Pacers, playing them on the road. The Bobcats headed home with a 14-point victory, 60-46, over USC-Aiken, but struggled against the following to PBC opponents, dropping two close games with an 80-75 loss to the Nighthawks and a 87-84 loss to Flagler. 

However, the loss to the University of North Georgia was not all gloomy, as senior guard Ashyia Willis knocked down consecutive jumpers to open the first two minutes of the contest, securing 1,000 points in her collegiate career. 

GCSU bounced back in the following two games, beating the University of South Carolina Beaufort Sand Sharks 63-50 on the road and taking down the Lander University Bearcats 69-61. However, it lost the next game to the Georgia Southwestern State University Hurricanes in a blowout, 70-41. 

The Bobcats regrouped with a win against the Clayton State University Lakers at home, winning 76-67 on Teddy Bear Toss night at the Centennial Center. However, the streakiness of the season continued, as they dropped the next two contests to the University of Augusta Jaguars 63-33 and split the season series against the Pacers, losing the second game against USC-Aiken 64-62.

However, streakiness was no longer present for the Bobcats’ following three games. GCSU marched through the Nighthawks’ gates and cruised to a 51-43 victory over the No. 5 ranked University of North Georgia. The Saints of Flagler College stopped by the Centennial Center, and more history was made that night. With 7:58 remaining on the clock in the third quarter of the competition, senior forward Jada Warren collected her 1,007 career rebound to set the new Georgia College & State University rebounding record. The Bobcats also took down the Saints 67-65 in the competition. 

“I was just amazed, astonished to say the least,” Warren said. “I talked about it with my trainer Stacey Lampkin last year. We were calculating how many rebounds I would need to get each game to make it. Having my teammates, coaches and family coming and driving down to each game, I am happy to have done it.”

The Bobcats capped off a three-game streak with a 68-61 win over the Sand Sharks.

GCSU approached their final five games. The Bearcats put a hold on any Bobcat momentum, taking down GCSU 68-48 in Greenwood, S.C., but the Bobcats bounced back in the next two. The Bobcats collected their successive win against the Lakers, 67-64, and swept the season series before returning home to play the Hurricanes on Homecoming Night. GCSU promptly dominated Georgia Southwestern State, winning 65-58 to celebrate homecoming before returning to the road. 

However, the Bobcats would not win another regular season contest, falling to the Jaguars and Cougars right before the start of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. Nevertheless, the game against Augusta was not all sorrows, as the Bobcats celebrated nine seniors for the women’s basketball team: Chandler Davis, Evie DePetro, Alexis Figures, Cierra Foster, Camryn James, Miracle Parker, Jada Warren, Ashiya Willis and Amelia Wylly. 

“A lot of them have been here for a while now, and their leadership and commitment to the team has really filtered through to the entire team,” Cail said. 

With the potential for the game against the Flagler Saints to be the final game in nine different seniors’ careers, the Bobcats looked to show out. GCSU and Flagler were all knotted at 37 heading into halftime, and the Saints would win the third quarter 23-19, attempting to shut down any hopes for the Bobcats. Nevertheless, the Bobcats were never done fighting, as they took back the lead quickly on a layup by Warren and a three-pointer by Nylah Nuri. GCSU began to pile it on at the end of the quarterfinals contest, reaching a double-digit lead at one point. 

“I hope that in terms of impact, I have left a sense of effort and hard work,” said Warren. “It’s about hustle and effort or it’s about wanting things more.”

The Bobcats are set to play in the semifinals against the University of North Georgia, a team they have beaten before, at the Nighthawks’ stadium. If the Bobcats leave with the victory, GCSU will host the Peach Belt Conference finals. 

“They’ll be a tough team, but they’ll be ready and we will be ready,” Jolly said in his quarterfinals post-game remarks.