Columbia, Mo. – The Columbia College women's basketball team outscored visiting William Woods University 27-5 in the second quarter to remain undefeated with a 75-44 win on Saturday at the Arena of Southwell Complex.
 
Ashtyn Klusmeyer led the Cougars with a game-high 25 points on five three-pointers, while Lauren Friedrich tied a career-high with 15 points on four threes. Columbia hit a season-high with 14 threes in the win and had a 16-0 advantage in second-chance points.
 
"We were able to bounce back in the second quarter and the defense turned into offense," said head coach Matt Moore, who improved to 35-4 in two seasons at Columbia. "I am proud of our intensity after a rough opening quarter."
 
With the win, Columbia improved to 7-0 for the second-consecutive season, while William Woods fell to 0-7.
 
The Cougars missed their first seven shots and committed five turnovers, falling behind 10–0 in the opening six minutes of play. Alli Robertson provided a much-needed spark off the bench, scoring five straight points to cut the deficit to 12–7 with 2:39 left in the first quarter.
 
Columbia trailed 14-9 after one quarter, shooting just 3-of-14 (21.4%) from the field.
 
The Cougars opened the game by missing their first nine three-point attempts, but Friedrich ended the drought with a corner triple to bring Columbia within two. Her basket ignited a 14-0 run, giving the Cougars a 23-14 lead with 4:59 remaining in the half.
 
Klusmeyer closed the second quarter in spectacular fashion, scoring 11 of the final 13 points of the period-including three three-pointers-as Columbia took a 36-20 lead into halftime. She tallied 13 of her 15 first-half points in the second quarter alone.
 
Columbia outscored William Woods 27-5 in the second quarter and knocked down 7-of-18 threes in the first half.
 
A 6–0 run by William Woods cut the deficit to 38-26, but the Cougars responded with 10-straight points to push the lead back to 50-30, highlighted by three-pointers from Friedrich and Emma Daniels.
 
Columbia built a commanding 58-35 advantage after three quarters, connecting on 4-of-6 three-pointers in the quarter. 
 
Jersee Wren had 22 points to lead William Woods, which shot 38.5 percent (20-52) from the field in the loss.
 
The Cougars hosts Williams Baptist University in the 2025-26 American Midwest Conference opener on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 5:30 p.m.
 
NOTES: Columbia has won 10-straight games against William Woods and leads the all-time series 44-11 … Klusmeyer has scored 20 or more points four times this season ... The Cougars have hit 10 or more threes four times this season.