St. Louis, Mo. - The Columbia College women's basketball team defeated American Midwest Conference (AMC) opponent Missouri Baptist University by a score of 89-54 on Saturday afternoon at Lacey Gymnasium for their 14^th straight victory. Columbia, the 16^th-ranked team in the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll, improves to 14-0 overall and 8-0 in conference play with the victory, their 20^th straight over Missouri Baptist dating back to 2006. The Spartans fall to 3-7 on the season and 2-5 in league play with the loss.

Senior guard, Petrolina Chilaka posted 15 first quarter points after going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc to help the Cougars go ahead 27-9 after 10 minutes of play. Columbia maintained a sizable lead throughout the second quarter, outscoring the Spartans 18-13, to carry a 45-22 advantage into the halftime break. The Cougars shot 53 percent from the field while limiting MBU to 32 percent shooting in the half. Chilaka tallied 20 first half points after draining 5-of-5 shots from three point range.

Columbia struggled a bit in the third quarter as the Spartans used a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to 16 at 52-36, the closest MBU had been since the first quarter. The Cougars were outscored 14-9 in the third quarter and led 54-36 with 30 minutes erased from the game. Columbia gained control in the fourth quarter as they pushed their advantage to 37, their biggest lead of the afternoon, and didn't have any problems from there as the squad ran away with their 14^th straight victory.

The Cougars finished shooting 48 percent from the field while holding the Spartans to a 33 percent clip. Chilaka broke the all-time most points scored in a game record, previously set in 2004 by Charliss Ridley (37), with 42 points on the afternoon. She made 8-of-10 from three point range, tying the most threes in a game record, and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. Ashlee Marlatt also finished in double figures with 18 points while Corri Hamilton chipped in 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Martha Imoniana pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds to help the Cougars finish with a 47-36 advantage on the boards.

The Cougars will return to AMC action Thursday, January 7^th when they host 7^th-ranked Freed-Hardeman University. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Arena of Southwell Complex.