Hot Shooting Leads Women's Basketball Over Columbia

Athens, Tenn.- The women's basketball team played on their home court for the second time this week on Saturday. The team looked to stay in the winning side of things as they hosted the Columbia College Koalas for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) game.

Points from Jordan Wright, Alexis Bates, and Anna Crowder gave the Lady Bulldogs a 6-3 lead early on. Back-to-back three-point baskets by Bates and Wright broke a 6-6 tie and pushed TWU to a 12-6 lead as 7:09 ticked on the clock in the first quarter. With 3:25 remaining until the second quarter, Cambree Mayo, Yeika Jimenez Diaz, and Crowder scoring had moved the team's advantage to 18-10. Ella Crowder and Ashley Baxter added to the team's score to give the team a 23-20 lead at the quarter break.

The team went score-to-score to open the second quarter with A. Crowder and Mikalee Martin keeping the team in the lead to open the second quarter. The back-and-forth scoring continued throughout the quarter with four lead changes occurring over the next several minutes. Jaci Powell forced the final lead change of the quarter with her three-pointer and a three-point jumper by Wright helped the team take a 40-39 lead into halftime.

The third quarter changed the game. The one-point advantage turned into a 21-point advantage by the end of the third quarter due to the Lady Bulldogs outscoring Columbia 31-11 in the quarter. A 13-2 run, with scoring by the combination of Wright, A. Crowder, and Mayo, gave the team their first double-digit lead. A three-point basket by Powell pushed the team over 60 points, making the score 62-44. Scores from Mayo, A. Crowder, and Jimenez Diaz made the score 71-50 at the end of the third quarter.

Similar to the third quarter, Tennessee Wesleyan opened the fourth quarter on another run, this time an 18-5 scoring rally giving the team an 89-55 lead midway through the quarter. A. Crowder, Bates, Baxter, Mayo, Sierra Bates, and Powell all scored during the run. Taylor Penning knocked down a free throw to put the team on the 90-point mark, and the team went on to win the game 99-62.

A. Crowder scored a career-high 20 points in the contest while Wright (4 3-PTM) had 18 points. Baxter (4 3-PTM) added 12 points. The team made a season-high 14 three-point baskets in a game where every player who played scored.

The win moved the team's record to 12-6 overall and 10-6 in the AAC.