Box Score Walnut Ridge, Ark. - The Lady Cougar basketball team earned a 67-58 road victory at conference foe Williams Baptist College on Thursday night. Columbia, the 19^th-ranked team in Tuesday's NAIA Top 25 Poll, improves to 9-4 overall and 5-0 in American Midwest Conference (AMC) play with the win, their fifth straight dating back to December 28^th.

The Lady Cougars trailed early, but used a 15-0 run on their way to a 37-27 halftime lead. Columbia shot 44 percent from the field, while holding the Eagles to a 30 percent clip in the opening period. Heather English led the Lady Cougars with 14 points at the break.

Columbia would stretch its lead out to 18 with the help of a 13-5 run to begin the second half. The Lady Cougars maintained a double-digit advantage for much of the final period before a 9-0 run by the Eagles pulled them within seven at 65-58 with 1:36 to play. However, the Columbia defense tightened up to hold Williams Baptist scoreless over the remainder of regulation and Tierney Seifert knocked down a pair of free throws in the final minute to put the game away.

Columbia finished the game at 38 percent from the field, led by English with a team-high 14 points and five assists. Laurel Wichmann added a game-high nine rebounds as the Lady Cougars limited the Eagles to 28 percent shooting on the night.

Columbia will be back in action at AMC opponent Hannibal-LaGrange University on Saturday, January 11^th. Game time is set for 2:00 pm in Hannibal, Mo.