Koalas Women’s Basketball Battle, Fall Short at Montreat

Black Mountain, N.C. (11-17-21) – Columbia College (SC) women's basketball battled hard but fell short, falling to Montreat College, 71-61, in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) road contest. With the loss, the Koalas fall to 0-4 overall and 0-3 in the AAC. The Cavaliers improve to .500 at 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the AAC.

Carnasia Wells scored 13 of her team-high 18 points over the first two quarters to lead three Columbia College players in double figures. 

Dynasia Jackson scored 14, and Hali Doctor dropped in 10 for the Koalas, who outshot the Cavaliers 38.8 to 37.9 percent from the field.

Nyla Jackson came off the bench to contribute seven points with a team-high eight rebounds.

Montreat was led in scoring by Caleigh Raby, who dropped in a game-high 31 points. Jessyka Leak recorded a double-double, 14 points-11 rebounds, with five assists for the Cavaliers in the win.

After going into the half down by three, Columbia College scored the first four points of the third quarter to take its first lead of the game, 42-41. 

Montreat rattled off the nine straight points to regain the lead, 50-42, with just under four minutes remaining in the quarter. Doctor hit a layup with 2:35 left to stop the run. The Koalas scored the last five-of-seven points in the stanza to go into the final quarter down once again by three, 52-49.

Raby hit a three-pointer to cap off a 13-7 Cavalier run over the first six-plus minutes of the final quarter to push its lead to nine, 65-56. 

Doctor hit a layup with 3:32 to stop the run and pull Columbia College within six, 59-65, but that would be the closest they would get before falling by the 10-point margin.

Montreat opened the contest with an 18-5 run by the three-minute mark. The Koalas picked up its offensive intensity, scoring eight-of-10 points to end the quarter down by seven, 20-13.

Columbia College maintained its intensity to start the second stanza, using a 7-2 run to pull within two, 22-20. The Cavaliers took a 12-point lead, 37-25, at the 4:21 mark of the quarter, but the Koalas had one more run left in them. Columbia College closed the quarter with a 13-4 to pull within three, 41-38, heading into the half.

The Koalas will return to the hardwood on Saturday, Nov. 20, when they host Johnson University in an AAC contest in Porter Gym on the campus of Columbia College.