Walnut Ridge, Ark. – Lexi Miller scored a game-high 23 points to lead four players in double figures as the No. 2 seed Columbia women's basketball team overcame a slow start to defeat No. 7 seed Missouri Baptist University 76-62 in the quarterfinals of the 2025 American Midwest Conference Tournament Friday in Walnut Ridge, Ark.
 
2025 AMC Freshman of the Year Ashtyn Klusmeyer had 17 points off the bench, while Mallory Shetley added 14 points and Abby Backes filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, a season-high nine rebounds and five assists.
 
The Cougars shot 44.3 percent (27-61) from the field in the win, including 10-of-21 from three-point range.
 
Columbia won its third-straight game to improve to 26-3, while Missouri Baptist ended its season with a 9-20 overall record.
 
The Cougars take on the winner of No. 3-seed Mission University and No. 6-seed William Woods University on Saturday, March 1 at 1 p.m. in semifinals of the 2025 AMC Tournament.
 
Columbia missed its first seven shots from the field and trailed 9-4 in the opening five minutes of play. Miller canned a wing three with 4:49 left in the first to end the shooting slump for the Cougars.
 
Miller scored the final eight points of the first quarter as Columbia held a slim 18-17 advantage. Miller had 13 points to lead the Cougars, who hit four treys in the first quarter.
 
Missouri Baptist scored the first six points of the second quarter to jump in front 23-18, but a 10-2 run from the Cougars got the lead back to 37-31. Columbia hit 7-of-13 from the field in the quarter and led 37-34 at half behind 17 points from Miller.
 
A 7-0 run by the Spartans to open the third quarter put Missouri Baptist up 41-37, but a pair of three-pointers by Miller and a triple by Tori Rubel highlighted an 11-0 run to take a 48-41 lead. Columbia led 59-51 after three quarters of play.
 
Missouri Baptist trimmed the advantage to 65-61 with 4:34 remaining, but an 8-0 run by the Cougars got the lead back to double figures (73-61) and put the game out of reach.
 
Sophia Horton had a game-high 24 points and Riley Jansen added 15 for Missouri Baptist, who hit just 3-of-15 from beyond the arc in the loss.
 
NOTES: Columbia has won nine-straight games against Missouri Baptist and leads the all-time series 49-2 ... The Cougars have won 26 or more games in four-straight seasons ... Columbia won three games this season against Missouri Baptist ... Backes moved into a tie for 16th on the all-time scoring list (1,163) ... Miller is 12 points shy of 1,000 for her career.