BLUEFIELD, Va. – The Bluefield University women's basketball nearly erased a double-digit second-half deficit, but fell 60–55 to Columbia College Saturday afternoon inside The Dome.
Columbia struck first with an early three, but Bluefield (0–5, 0–2 AAC) settled in defensively, forcing multiple Koala turnovers in the opening quarter. Gabriela Rosado provided a spark inside with two early layups, and Ashanti Northcross added a pair of free throws and a late driving score to keep the Rams within 10–8 after one.
The Rams briefly grabbed their first lead of the afternoon early in the second quarter when Zoey Snavely drilled a three from the left wing and Abby O'Quinn followed with a deep triple of her own to put BU ahead 14–13. O'Quinn connected again moments later, and a basket from Lauren Bragg kept the Rams within striking distance. Columbia, however, closed the half on a 12–6 run to take a 25–20 advantage into the break.
The Koalas stretched their lead to 15 with a series of transition baskets and second-chance points midway through the third. Rosado kept BU afloat with two strong finishes in the paint, and Northcross added a pair of free throws to trim the margin to single digits entering the final frame.
What appeared to be a comfortable Columbia lead quickly evaporated in the fourth quarter. The Rams erupted for 24 points in the period, fueled almost entirely by the hot hand of O'Quinn. She opened the quarter with a three, then buried another two minutes later off a feed from J'Maia Joseph. A third triple cut the deficit to 44–42, and after Columbia briefly pushed the lead back to seven, O'Quinn drilled her fourth and fifth threes of the period to make it a 55–51 game.
With 1:15 remaining, O'Quinn connected on her eighth three-pointer of the afternoon, tying the program record for most made threes in a game and bringing Bluefield within 55–54. After a defensive stop, Snavely tied the game at 55 with a free throw, but Columbia regained the lead at the line with 26 seconds left and added late free throws to hold on.
O'Quinn finished with a career-best and game-high 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc, matching the BU single-game record for made threes. Rosado added eight points and two steals, Snavely posted six points and four rebounds, and Joseph totaled five points, four rebounds, and two assists off the bench. Northcross contributed nine rebounds, six assists, and three steals, while Elle Gunter pulled down six boards and provided strong perimeter defense.
The Rams return to action Wednesday, traveling to Milligan University for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.
