Greenwood, S.C. – Columbus State University traveled up to Greenwood for their rescheduled game against Bearcats of Lander University.  

The Lady Cougars (11-5, 5-2 PBC) fell short against Lander (9-5, 4-3 PBC) in a 76-66 loss to end their four-game winning streak. 

First Quarter 

Reigning PBC Player of the Week, Letiya Reeves started off the scoring for Columbus State with a layup. Three minutes passed in the competition when Zuzanna Rudenko was fouled and made both of her free throws to get the Lady Cougars just one point behind the opponent at 7-6. Lander went on a scoring streak and ended the quarter with a lead of 18-10.  

Second Quarter 

With the Lady Cougars behind, Amanda Ogbonna got the scoring started with a layup with help from Olonna Rawls as she notched her second assist of the game. With less than four minutes left in the half, Rawls got taken down twice in the span of 13 seconds but recovered quickly to make both of her free throws to make the score 22-23 with Lander barely ahead. CSU headed to the locker room down by seven as Lander led in three pointers and rebounds with a score of 33-26.  

Third Quarter 

Reeves opened the quarter with her fourth steal and sixth point of the game. Within the next several minutes, the Bearcats increased their lead to 46-32 with a series of three-pointers and layups. Bre'lyn Snipes and Reeves come back into the game with less than three minutes left in the half. The two helped get points back for the Lady Cougars and the quarter ended with CSU behind by 52-48

Fourth Quarter 

 With CSU closing the point gap in the third quarter, the Lady Cougars continued to fight in the last quarter of the game. After a defensive block by Ogbonna, Snipes took a fast break down the court and added two points on the board from a layup. For the next five minutes, scoring for the Lady Cougars was scarce as they gained nine points while Lander added 16 to make the score 70-59 with 2:22 left in the game. Despite last minute scoring efforts, the Lady Cougars came up short against the Bearcats with a final score of 76-66.  

Inside the Numbers  

• The Lady Cougars end the game with 28.6% in shooting (24-of-84), 5.3% in three-pointers (1-of-19), and 70.8% in free throws (17-of-24).  

• Reeves led scoring with 18 points, shooting 8-of-20 from the field, adding six rebounds, and five steals.  

• Rudenko led in assists for the game while also shooting 5-of-11 for 15 points.  

• CSU took advantage of Lander, making 17 steals throughout the game.  

• The Bearcats led the game in assists with 22 and rebounds with 55.  

Up Next 

• The Lady Cougars come back home to the Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center to face off against the Sandsharks of USC Beaufort on Jan. 29 with tip off set for 5:30 p.m. ET.