Women’s Basketball falls to Columbia College Koalas at Home
The St. Andrews Knights women's basketball team dropped their conference matchup at home Saturday, Dec. 2, against the visiting Columbia College Koalas.
The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) opponents stayed within striking distance of each other throughout the first three quarters until the visiting Koalas turned up the heat with less than five minutes to play.
Kamya Hatten's layup with 4:27 left in the game extended the Koala's lead to double digits, 68-58. The Knights fought back with a Hailey Crozier steal that led to an Ashley Starks layup, but they could not keep in stride with their opponents' offense in the following possessions.
After Hatten sunk a three-pointer at 3:19 on the assist from Payton Brookover, the Knights did not convert a basket on the next three trips down the court.
Carnasia Wells foul on Starks sent the junior to the free throw line with 2:14 remaining in the game for two shots. She made both, cutting the deficit to 11, 73-62.
The Knights quickly called for a 30 second time out to regroup. Once play resumed, Starks took an open look at the basket for a long three-pointer that missed, with Samantha Tougher pulling down the offensive rebound. She fed the ball down low to Riley Nelson, but her turn around jump shot did not fall.
Leah Page put two more Koala's points on the board with her layup at 1:19, sealing the deal for the victory. They held the momentum of the game for the final minute, capturing the win, 79-65.
The Knights fall to 3-4 overall, 2-4 in conference play.
Starks finished the game with 24 points, three rebounds, and two assists. She was 8-21 from the field, including 3-7 from three-point range.
Freshman Emily Cruz also helped bolster the Knights offense with 15 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. She was 6-8 from the field, including a perfect 3-3 from three-point range.
The Knights travel to Pikeville, Kentucky to face off against the Pikeville University Bears on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 5:30 P.M. EST