Lady Eagles Fall to Columbia in AMC Opener

COLUMBIA, Mo. (12/2/23)  – The Williams Baptist women's basketball team fell to (RV) Columbia College 72-65 in its American Midwest Conference Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, WBU fell to 6-2 on the season and 0-1 in the AMC, while Columbia, who was receiving votes in the latest NAIA top-25 poll, improved to 7-2 and 2-0 in the league. 

Charmen Taylor and Sara Crowe led the way for the Eagles with each netting a double-double in the contest. Taylor finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Crowe added 14 points and 12 rebounds. Kaylee Clark also finished in double figures with 17 points. 

The game was tightly contested throughout and the Eagles remained within striking distance throughout the contest. WBU held a six-point lead in the first quarter when Kiri Stevenson knocked a jumper to cap a 6-0 run to put her squad ahead 25-19 and maintained their lead until the 2:23 mark of the second quarter when the Cougars converted a layup to retake the lead. 

The layup sparked a 6-0 run for the Cougars to close the half as they took a 39-34 advantage into the break.

Williams closed to within a point on two occasions in the third quarter, but failed to retake the lead and Columbia pushed its advantage to double-digits at 64-53 with 6:12 to go in the game. 

Taylor got WBU within 66-61 after a layup at the 4:01 mark and despite holding the Cougars without a field goal in the 4:45 of the contest, Williams could not knock down shots of their own to pull back in front.

The Lady Eagles return home to take on Evangel (Mo.) Thursday, Dec. 14 at the Southerland-Mabee Center in a non-conference matchup. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.