Macomb, Ill. – The Columbia College women's basketball team trailed by three points at halftime but went ice cold from the field to start the third quarter, resulting in a 75-37 loss at NCAA Division I Western Illinois University on Tuesday in Macomb, Ill.
 
Western Illinois opened the third quarter with 19 unanswered points as the Leathernecks improved to 7-1. Columbia, which played the contest as an exhibition game, remains 9-0.
 
Ashtyn Klusmeyer led the Cougars with nine points, while Lexi Rubel added six points, 11 rebounds and four steals. Columbia shot 22.0 percent (13-59) from the field and had 21 turnovers in the loss. 
 
Columbia missed its first six shots and fell behind 4-0 in the opening four minutes, but five straight points from Rubel and two Klusmeyer free throws put the Cougars ahead 7-6.
 
Western Illinois held a 14-9 lead after the first quarter as Columbia limited the Leathernecks to 6-of-20 shooting (30.0 percent).
 
WIU used a 9-0 run midway through the second quarter to push the margin to 27-14 with 5:58 remaining. Columbia closed the half strong, scoring the final nine points, including threes from Klusmeyer and Emma Daniels, to trim the deficit to 31–27 at the break.
 
Klusmeyer led Columbia with nine first-half points as Cougars held WIU to 35.1 percent shooting (13-37) and owned a 23-18 edge on the glass. The Leathernecks turned 11 Columbia turnovers into 15 points.
 
The Cougars missed their first 14 shots of the third quarter, allowing WIU to score 19 straight points and stretch the lead to 50-27. WIU outscored them 23-5 in the period and took a 54-32 advantage into the fourth quarter.
 
Mia Nicastro powered Western Illinois with a 24-point, 14-rebound double-double, while Raegan McCowan added 21 points. The Leathernecks controlled the game by dominating points off turnovers (27-6) and points in the paint (52-18).
 
The Cougars continue their three-game road trip at Culver-Stockton College on Thursday, December 11 at 7 p.m.
 
NOTES: Western Illinois has won both all-time meetings between the two teams … Columbia's all-time leading scorer Mallory Shetley had six points and five rebounds for WIU.