Box Score      
      The Lady Bears Basketball team took to the court in front of the home crowd on Wednesday night in search of their first conference victory of the season against the Columbia College Koalas. The Bears wasted no time establishing their presence on the court, opening the game on a 10-0 run and never looking back. The Bears relied on a stingy defense and clutch shooting to take a 30-17 lead into the locker room at the half. The Bears held the Koalas to a meager 12.12 shooting percentage from the floor during the first half, allowing only 4 buckets on 33 attempts. In comparison, the Lady Bears shot 36.67% from the floor on 11 of 30 shots.

      Senior guard Natalie Johnson led all scorers with 20 points, 4 rebounds, and a steal during her 33 minutes of playing time. Johnson made 9 of 13 shots from inside the perimeter, while going 2 for 3 from beyond the three-point arch. Rhande Haskett also had a huge night for the Bears, grabbing 16 rebounds along with 14 points, 4 blocks, and a steal during her 34 minutes of court time.

      As a team the Bears shot 42.1% from the floor en route to the 64-54 victory.  The win marks the second straight victory for the Bears in front of the home crowd, as well as their first against a conference opponent.

      "I am so proud of the girls tonight for jumping out with the early lead and never looking back," said Head Coach Matt Sanders as he celebrated with his team immediately following the game. "We've been working feverishly on improving on the small details of the game that have caused us problems up until this point. Now that we're starting to get those areas worked out, it's making a huge difference for us in the box score."

      The Bears will try to take their new found momentum on the road with them this weekend as they travel to Asheville, North Carolina to take on conference rival Montreat on Saturday, January 24^th. The game is scheduled to tip at 2:00 PM.