Cougars Pick up Road Win at Central Baptist

Conway, Ark. – The Columbia College women’s basketball team limited host Central Baptist College to 28.3 percent shooting in a 68-49 win Thursday at A.R. Redding Fieldhouse in Conway, Ark.
 
Columbia won its ninth-straight game to improve to 18-3 (10-1 AMC), while Central Baptist suffered its fifth-straight defeat and fell to 3-12 (2-8 AMC). The Cougars remain in a tie for first place in the AMC standings with Stephens College.
 
Lexi Miller scored a season-high 18 points on five three-pointers and also added five rebounds and a career-high five assists, while DeLaney Horstman recorded her 12th double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds. 
 
Allison Stiers (14 points, six rebounds) Mallory Shetley (10 points, seven rebounds) and Mackenzie Hess (10 points, seven rebounds, five assists) also scored in double figures for the Cougars, who outrebounded Central Baptist 47-33.
 
Stiers (five) and Shetley (four) combined for nine of 11 points in the first quarter as the Cougars trailed 15-11. Columbia shot 38.5 percent (5-13) from the field and had five turnovers in the opening quarter.
 
Miller canned a pair of threes to open the second quarter as Columbia gained the 17-15 advantage. The Cougars extended the lead to 24-17 after Horstman scored a pair of buckets and Hess drained a three. The Cougars opened the second quarter on a 13-2 run.
 
Columbia outscored Central Baptist 21-6 in the second quarter and took a 32-21 lead at half. The Cougars limited the Mustangs to 25.8 percent (8-31) shooting in the first half, including 1-of-13 from three-point range. Stiers had eight points to lead Columbia.
 
A pair of threes by Stiers and Miller pushed the lead to 38-24, and then Miller connected on her fourth three-pointer of the game to make it 42-24 with 3:32 left in the third. Horstman scored five of the final six points of the quarter for the Cougars to make it 48-32 after three.
 
Central Baptist got the lead down to nine (52-43) with 7:44 to play, but Stiers responded with a three to get the lead back to double figures at 55-43. Miller’s fifth three of the game with 4:46 to play made it 61-44 and put the game out of reach.
 
Caroline Citty (13 points) and Lydia York (11) scored in double figures for Central Baptist, who hit 7-of-8 from the free-throw line in the loss.
 
The Cougars continue their road trip at Williams Baptist on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 1 p.m.
 
NOTES: Columbia has won 12-straight meetings against Central Baptist and leads the all-time series 19-1 … The Cougars received 36 votes in the NAIA Top-25 Poll … Columbia only had five players score in the win … The Cougars limited an opponent to 50 or less points for the ninth time this season.