Columbia, Mo. – The Columbia College women's basketball team battled back from a 16-point second half deficit but fell short in a 74-66 loss to Evangel University in a battle of teams receiving votes in the NAIA Preseason Top-25 Poll on Wednesday at the Arena of Southwell Complex.
Evangel won its season opener to improve to 1-0, while Columbia suffered its first loss of the season and fell to 1-1.
Ashtyn Klusmeyer scored a season-high 24 points and added nine rebounds, while
Emma Daniels filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, seven assists and seven rebounds and
Lauren Friedrich recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Columbia shot 42.9 percent (24-56) from the field, including 9-of-20 from three-point range, and committed a season-high 24 turnovers. The Cougars outrebounded Evangel 51-36.
Columbia started slowly, turning the ball over on its first three possessions and falling behind 6-0 in the opening 78 seconds. Klusmeyer scored seven straight points to trim Evangel's lead to one (12-11), but the Valor held a 19-16 advantage after the first quarter.
Evangel used a 13-1 run to build its largest lead of the half at 37-21 with 4:10 remaining.
The Cougars went into the locker room trailing 42-31, with Klusmeyer leading all scorers with 14 points. Columbia shot 37.5 percent (12-of-32) from the field in the first half, but its 15 turnovers led to 17 Evangel points.
Klusmeyer opened the third quarter with a pair of baskets to spark a 7-0 run, cutting the Cougars' deficit to 42-38. Freidrich's three-pointer from the wing brought Columbia within three (49-46), but the Cougars trailed 57-49 heading into the fourth quarter.
A 7-0 run by the Cougars to open the fourth quarter got the Evangel lead down to one (57-56) with 7:31 to play. Evangel put the game out of reach with an 8-1 run late in the quarter.
Lydia Babirye (18 points), Kamie Jenkins (13 points, 18 rebounds) and Brooklyn Kearby (11 points) scored in double figures for Evangel, which had a 24-5 advantage in points off turnovers. The Valor turned the ball over just three times.
The Cougars have a quick turnaround hosting Lyon College on Friday, October 30 at 6 p.m.
NOTES: Columbia leads the all-time series 3-1 … Klusmeyer went over 800 points for her career (807) … Evangel did not trail in the contest … The Cougars hosted an International Parade of Nations at halftime.
