Women's Basketball Falls Late to Unbeaten Reinhardt, 71-61

COLUMBIA, SC- When a team starts the season 7-0, they can expect to get their opponent's best shot. That's exactly what Reinhardt got from the Koalas on Wednesday night.

Despite their best effort and a fourth-quarter Columbia lead, the Eagles escaped with their eighth win of the season, 71-61, to stay unbeaten. The loss drops the Koalas to an even 5-5 on the young season and 3-4 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play.

The guests jumped out to an early 22-15 lead after the first ten minutes of action thanks to critical shooting from deep; the Eagles knocked in three triples and put up 22 total shots in the quarter.

Thanks to a solid defensive effort, Columbia settled in and found their rhythm on both sides of the floor. The Koalas controlled the quarter and outscored the guests 17-8 in the second to take a 32-30 lead into the break.

The third was a back-and-forth show for the fans. Neither side could get an advantage over the other as they went blow-for-blow en route to each side scoring 22 points. Reinhardt eventually pulled away in the fourth, getting the best of a Koala team starting to find its groove.

Carnasia Wells paced the Koala offense with a team-high 17 points, and Kamya Hatten joined her in double-digits with 13. Reinhardt was led by their standout Sophomore forward Maria Sanchez Ponce with 30 points.

Columbia College will return to action on Saturday for more AAC play when they travel to St. Andrews for a noon start.