By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information

Circleville, Ohio---Ashley Tunstall (Huber Heights Wayne/Dayton, Ohio) poured in 31 points, including 20 in the second half, to lead the No. 2 Owens Community College women's basketball team to a 91-81 win over Columbus State Community College in the Region XII District I championship game at Ohio Christian University Saturday.

Tunstall finished 10-for-14 from the field and 10-for-13 from the foul line to lead Owens to its second district championship in the past three seasons.

Early on, it appeared as if Owens would run away with the game as they scored the game's first six points and 24-11 with 12:28 remaining in the first half. Later in the half, Owens led 37-30 before Columbus State answered with a 7-0 run to tie it up with just under three minutes left.

Owens, however, got a jumper from Sierra Harley (Africentric/Columbus, Ohio) to take a 40-38 lead into the break.

Owens opened the second half in a similar fashion to the first half as they scored the first seven points. Kheri Motley (West Bloomfield/West Bloomfield, Mich.) spurred the run with an off balance jumper, followed by a steal and a dish to Courizma Williams (Hughes/Cincinnati, Ohio) for a layup. Williams then hit a 3-pointer to make it 47-38 just 46 seconds into the half.

From there, Columbus State continued to knife into the lead, but Tunstall answered each time. With 6:54 left, Columbus State cut it to a 67-65 lead, but Tunstall answered with a layup.

Then, after Columbus State's Erinn Bailey hit a pair of free throws to trim the deficit back to just two, Tunstall hit another layup and converted a free throw for a 3-point play.

Bailey answered with a running floater in the paint, but Tunstall hit a pair of free throws on the other end. Moments later, after Lewis missed a jumper, Tatyana Reynolds (Rogers/Toledo, Ohio) hit a 3-pointer that put Owens up 77-69 with 4:42 left - and it seemed to stun Columbus State.

Down the stretch, Columbus State trimmed the deficit back to six on four occasions, but Tunstall hit another layup, followed by a pair of free throws from Motley and a mid-range jumper from Zhana Randolph (Rochester/Rochester Hills, Mich.). Following that, Owens got its final six points from the foul line to seal the championship.

Tunstall's 31 points broke her previous career high of 25 set earlier this season against Cincinnati State. In her team's two wins this weekend, she averaged 25.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals. She had eight rebounds Saturday.

Harley added 16 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Williams had 13 points and four assists. Motley and LaKayra Carlisle (Pershing/Detroit, Mich.) each added nine points, while Carlisle had seven rebounds. 

As a team, Owens finished 27-for-33 from the foul line compared to 23-for-33 for Columbus State. Aside from Tunstall's 10-for-13 finish, Harley was a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line.

For Columbus State, Bailey scored 21 points and added eight rebounds to lead her team. Additionally, Jaslynn Rollins had 14 points and 12 rebounds, followed by 13 points from Breyonia Hearn. Lewis added 10 points and 10 rebounds (five offensive). Six of the 12 rebounds by Rollins were on the offensive glass, as well. 

With the win, Owens advances to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II National Tournament in Overland Park, Kansas March 17-21. Based on the team's No. 2 national ranking, its 31-1 record and 31 game winning streak, Owens figures to get one of the top seeds in the tournament. Full seedings and a bracket will be released by the NJCAA next week.

Notes

Saturday's district title is the second in the past three years for Owens and its fifth in program history.