Columbia had to kick off their season on the road on Tuesday, but they showed no ill effects. They came out on top against the Nease Panthers by a score of 59-51. For the Tigers, this counts as revenge for the 57-48 victory the Panthers walked away with the last time they faced one another back in December of 2023.
Columbia got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was JOLENA GARDNER out in front who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 12 rebounds. GARDNER is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down ten or more in the last five games she's played dating back to last season. DARIYAN WILLIAMS was another key player, dropping a double-double on 11 points and 21 rebounds.
Columbia smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in 17 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Several Panthers players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was McKenna Owens, who had ten points plus seven rebounds and five assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Audrey Rollins, who scored 11 points along with two steals.
Columbia will head out to take on Suwannee at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Nease, they will look to defend their home court on Thursday against Stanton at 7:30 p.m.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
