(LEBANON, Ill. – Jan. 26) – The McKendree University women’s basketball team had four players score in double-figures and nine players score points in a 20 point win over visiting Columbia College.

 

The Bearcats, now 13-8 overall and 5-1 in the AMC, travel to Hannibal, Mo. Tuesday to play Hannibal-LaGrange College at 7 p.m. The Columbia Cougars fell to 9-12 overall and 4-2 in the AMC with the loss.

 

Freshman guard Ashley Agee (Moberly, Mo./Moberly) (Moberly, Mo./Moberly) led the Bearcats with 16 points. Junior forward Emily Best (Wood River, Ill./East Alton-Wood River) had 11 points and five rebounds, while senior guard Amanda Lance (Poplar Bluff, Mo./Twin Rivers) and senior Heather Elders (Energy, Ill./Herrin) both scored 10 points, with Elders also pulling down nine rebounds. Columbia’s Rachel Oswald led all players with 23 points and 14 rebounds in the contest to record the double-double. Oswald also blocked four shots.

 

Columbia led by four after eight minutes of play, but the Bearcats went on a seven point run after a three-pointer and a layup by Haley Klingelhoefer (Mascoutah, Ill./Mascoutah) (Mascoutah, Ill./Mascoutah) and a jumper by Suzy Gerler (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central). The Bearcats took advantage of poor shooting by the Cougars in the final minutes of the first half and built a 18 point lead at halftime. The Cougars could only get within 13 points in the second half and the Bearcats came away with a 20 point win.

 

The Bearcats shot 37.9-percent from the field in the contest, compared to 30.7-percent for the Cougars. The Bearcats also held a 80 percent to 76.9 percent advantage from the free throw line. Columbia only shot eight percent from behind the arc in the contest compared to 44.4 percent for the Bearcats.