Cougars Celebrate Senior Day with Win

Columbia, Mo. – The Columbia College women’s basketball team celebrated Senior Day with a 71-65 victory over Missouri Baptist University Saturday at The Arena of Southwell Complex.
 
Prior to the game, head coach James Arnold and staff recognized their two seniors – Hannah Ferguson (Clay Center, Kan., 1,244 points, 728 rebounds) and Allison Stiers (Herman, Mo., 783 points, 444 rebounds). The duo has combined for over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
 
Columbia won its seventh-straight game to improve to 19-4 (14-2 AMC), while Missouri Baptist had its 10-game win streak snapped and fell to 17-4 (13-2 AMC). The Cougars moved into a tie for first place in the AMC standings with University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy.
 
Mallory Shetley led the Cougars with a career-high 36 points and 14 rebounds, and scored her 1,000th point on a three with 7:00 left in the second quarter. Shetley finished the day 13-of-21 from the field and 8-of-11 from the free-throw line. Lexi Miller added nine points while Abby Backes had eight.
 
Columbia forced 17 turnovers in the win and had a 17-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
Columbia started slow hitting just 4-of-19 (21.1 percent) from the field and trailed 12-9 after the opening quarter.
 
Shetley had the hot hand in the second quarter scoring 18 points on 8-of-8 shooting. Her three midway through the quarter gave Columbia an 18-16 lead, and then five-straight points from Miller made it 25-19. 
 
Shetley scored nine of the final 11 points for the Cougars to push the lead to 39-24 lead at half. The Cougars hit 12-of-17 (70.6 percent) in the quarter and outscored Missouri Baptist 30-12.
 
Shetley had 20 points and seven rebounds in the first half, as Columbia shot 44.4 percent (16-36) from the field and forced 10 turnovers.
 
Missouri Baptist got back into the game with a 6-0 run midway through the third to make it 45-38, and a bucket by Alexis Allstun cut the lead to 50-47 after three quarters. The Cougars hit just 3-of-13 field goals and had six turnovers in the quarter and were outscored 23-11.
 
Lauren Ebert tied the game for the Spartans with a three with 5:53 to play, but Miller answered back with a three of her own to give the Cougars the lead for good.
 
Allstun (22 points) and Tionne Taylor (10) scored in double figures for Missouri Baptist, who recorded seven blocks and outrebounded Columbia 43-42.
 
The Cougars host Harris-Stowe State Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 5:30 pm.
 
NOTES: Columbia is 13-1 this season at home … The Cougars swept both meetings and lead the all-time series with Missouri Baptist 43-2 … Shetley scored in double figures for the 14th time this season.