Women's Basketball | 3/15/2017 8:24:00 PM
Box Score Billings, Mont. – Tonight the 12
th ranked Columbia College women's basketball team was back in action when they traveled to Billings, Montana, to take on the 21
st ranked University of Montana Western Bulldogs in the first round of the 2017 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship presented by Wells Fargo. The Cougars, who earned an at-large bid after finishing the regular season with a 26-6 record, saw their season end tonight as they were defeated by the Bulldogs by a final score of 63-53. With the win, Montana Western will advance to take on Oklahoma City University in the second round of the national championships.
The third seeded Cougars came out in the first quarter of the game and were very patient on the offensive end. They moved the ball well and took advantage of their open looks as they jumped out to an early 12-7 lead over the Bulldogs midway through the first period. The Cougars continued to knock down their shots as the quarter progressed and held a 15-11 lead heading into the second.
In the second quarter of the game, the Cougars turned up their defensive efforts to start the period. They forced the Bulldogs to turn the ball over several times but were unable to take advantage on the other end as they had trouble taking care of the ball themselves. Despite being lose with the ball to start the quarter, the Cougars were able to settle into their offense as halftime neared. They ended the half on an 11-4 run and held a 31-22 lead at the halftime break. Columbia College was led by
Raegan Wieser who finished the half with a team high 12 points.
The Bulldogs came out of the halftime break and were looking to make a run at the Cougars. They were able to start the half on a 13-9 run and outscored Columbia 16-14 in the quarter to cut the Cougars lead down to seven heading into the final period. Despite holding a seven point advantage, it was clear that Montana Western had the momentum going into the fourth. The Bulldogs opened the period on 15-2 run and were able to take their first lead of the ballgame with just five minutes remaining in the contest. The Cougars did the best they could to get back into the game but their shots just didn't seem to be falling down the final stretch of the game and Montana Western was able to close out Columbia to earn a spot in the second round of the 2017 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship presented by Wells Fargo.
The Cougars were led by
Raegan Wieser who finished with a team high 18 points in the game. In addition to Wieser,
Morgan Brandt added 14 points and a team high eight rebounds to round out the top performers for Columbia.
With the loss, this marks the end of the 2016-17 season for the Columbia College women's basketball team. The Cougars finished with season with a 26-7 record on the season and a 19-5 record in conference play.
