Columbia, Mo. – This afternoon the 18th ranked Columbia College women's basketball team was back in action when they hosted the Central Baptist (Ark.) College Mustangs in an AMC matchup. Coming off of a great win over 13th ranked Lyon (Ark.) College, the Cougars were full of energy, despite a few being under the weather. Columbia cruised to their 10th conference win of the season as they defeated the Mustangs by a final score of 79-47. With the win, Columbia improved to 12-5 on the season and 10-1 in conference play.
The Cougars came out ready to go and full of confidence as they took it to the Mustangs early. Columbia scored the first 14 points of the game, holding the Mustangs scoreless for the first five minutes. The Cougars were playing solid defense, causing five turnovers and forcing Central Baptist to take tough shots. Columbia was controlling the game as they led 26-11 after one.
The Cougars continued to disrupt the Mustangs on defense causing two quick turnovers to start the second quarter. As the quarter progressed, Columbia was firing on all cylinders as they extended their lead 40-18 with three and half minutes until the break. The Cougars were playing great team basketball as they led 45-20 at the half. Columbia was shooting an impressive 93 percent from the line going 14-15.
The Cougars did not miss a beat coming back from the break as they went on a 7-0 run to start the third quarter. Columbia continued to share the ball very well and did not let up on defense. The Mustangs were able to get a few more buckets to fall, but were struggling to slow Columbia down. The Cougars led 62-35 at the end of the third.
The Mustangs were not giving up as they went on a 9-6 run to start the final quarter. Central Baptist began applying some full court pressure looking to break up the Cougars momentum as Columbia led 70-46 with just under six minutes to go in the game. The Mustangs continued to battle, but Columbia was just too much to handle as they cruised to their sixth consecutive win with a final score of 79-47. The Cougars shot 35 percent from the field, 32 percent from three, and an excellent 93 percent from the line.
Columbia recorded a great team win as each Cougar scored this afternoon. Alexis Uffmann and Abi Feeney both recorded career highs with 14 and 11 points, respectively. In addition, Raegan Wieser (14), Sarah Walters (11), and Jordan Alford (10) also recorded double digits. Along with five players in double digits, Geena Stephens had six points and seven rebounds, Mai Nienhueser tallied seven points, and Ukari McKinney chipped in six points and snagged a team high eight rebounds in the contest.
Columbia College is back in action on Saturday, January 13th when they travel to St. Louis, Missouri to take on Missouri Baptist University in an AMC matchup. The game is set to tip-off at 1:00 p.m.
