COLUMBIA, S.C.— The Montreat women's basketball team was defeated by the Columbia College Koalas in South Carolina Monday evening, dropping the contest to the hosts 76-71 and falling to 11-17 (8-14 AAC) on the year.
 
After five straight points from Columbia (4-19, 4-18 AAC) to start the matchup, Montreat responded with an and-one from Destiny Lewis to get on the board. The Cavaliers, who began 1-of-9 from the field, allowed the Koalas out to a 9-3 run to start before closing the gap with makes from Alexis Marshall and Caleigh Raby.
 
A plethora of early rebounds by the home team coupled with Cav fouls helped the Koalas out to a 16-9 edge; however, Montreat answered with a 6-0 stretch to end the quarter down by one (16-15).
 
The Cavaliers battled back to hold a two-point advantage (20-18) over Columbia with a 5-2 run over 50 seconds. Jessyka Leak and Raby converted on their shots as the squads fought back and forth midway through the second frame. In a period that featured seven ties, the Cavs shot 50.0 percent (6-12 FG) to pull level with the Koalas at the half (32-32).
 
Montreat shot extremely more efficiently than Columbia, knocking down 12 of their 28 attempts (42.9 percent) in the first half, compared to the home team's mere 28.9 percent (11-38 FG). The main difference in the opening half came on the glass, where the Koalas grabbed 11 offensive rebounds to hold a 25-17 rebounding lead overall.
 
Raby led all Cavaliers with eight points in the initial half, while Alaina McPherson captained the Cavaliers with five rebounds.
 
In the third quarter, the Cavs struggled out of the gate, but eventually found their rhythm. Montreat connected on just one field goal attempt through 7:57; however, the team utilized three buckets over the final 2:03 to stay within striking distance as the Cavaliers trailed by two (47-45) entering the fourth.
 
To start the last frame, Columbia used a 9-2 stretch over 3:11 to go up by nine. The Koalas extended their run, outscoring the Cavs 15-3 to build a 14-point edge (62-48) over the visitors with 4:59 remaining in regulation.
 
Adrianna Gullette instilled energy into Montreat, forcing turnovers and capitalizing on the offensive end of the court to bring the team within arm's length. The freshman scored six quick points and assisted on another basket to trim the team's deficit to eight with 2:22 left. As time waned, Raby contributed another five of her team-high 15 points, though it wasn't enough to put the Cavaliers ahead in the five-point ballgame. In a high-scoring period, the Koalas outpaced Montreat 29-26, as the visitors made 10 of 20 field goals, but Columbia converted at a 66.7 percent rate (10-15 FG) to close out the game.
 
Raby also led the team with nine boards, while Gullette came off the bench to score 12 points in 18 minutes. Four different Cavaliers ended in double figures as Destiny Lewis concluded with 11 points and Tatiyana Cannon added a career-high 10 points. Fourteen different Montreat players scored a point and four grabbed at least six boards in the loss.  
 
Overall, the Cavs bested the Koalas from the field, shooting 44.1 percent (26-59 FG) to Columbia's 38.0 percent (27-71 FG). Though Columbia failed to make a 3-pointer (0-12 3-pt FG), the Koalas outrebounded the Cavaliers 48-35, including 18-7 on the offensive boards, to register 15 second-chance points to Montreat's three.
 
Women's basketball returns home for a competition against the Columbia International University Rams on Wednesday. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m.