MONTGOMERY, Ala. ----- Nadia Stewart led four players in double figures with a career-high 21 points, but the Auburn Montgomery women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought contest to No. 5 Columbus State, 88-78, Wednesday at the AUM Gymnasium.

NOTES
• AUM fell to 5-20 on the season.
• The Lady Cougars improved to 23-1 overall.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Stewart scored 21 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out five assists in the contest.
• Kaylan Withrow contributed 15 points, hitting 5-of-11 3-point attempts.
• Grace Farnsworth also connected on five 3-pointers to match Withrow's 15 points.
• Danielle Gaines-Jordan scored a career-best 12 points, pulled down five rebounds and blocked a season-high two shots.
• Chandler Sutton scored eight points and had three rebounds in her third consecutive start.
• Tyra Caudle recorded a team-leading eight rebounds.
• Montgomery native Ashley Asouzu led the Lady Cougars with 22 points and 16 rebounds.
• Britteny Tatum (22) and Gabby Williams (15) also scored in double figures for CSU.
• Keyrra Gillespie finished with five points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Lady Cougars scored the first 10 points of the contest, but a pair of Withrow treys cut the deficit to 12-6 with 6:02 remaining in the first. AUM continued chipping away and pulled to within 15-12 on a Stewart layup with 3:51 left in the quarter. The Warhawks trailed 18-15 after one quarter.
• Columbus State opened the second quarter with a 13-5 run and built a 31-20 lead with 6:53 remaining before halftime on a basket by Jasmine Herndon. The Warhawks battled back and trimmed the deficit to five points, 31-26, following a Farnsworth trey, but the Lady Cougars answered with a 16-5 spurt and built a 47-31 advantage following a trey by Ariel Johnson with 1:01 left before the half. Withrow hit two more 3-pointers down the stretch, sending the Warhawks to halftime down 47-37.
• In the third quarter, AUM pulled to within six points on a pair of occasions, including as late as 2:33 left in the period, 59-53, on a Shanna Strain layup. The Warhawks trailed by seven points following a Farnsworth trey, but Erin Morrow drained a trey with nine seconds remaining, and a pair of free throws by Tatum in the final second, upped the advantage to 70-59 after three quarters.
• CSU upped its lead to a game-high 18 points, 79-61, on a Tatiana Wayne trey with 6:57 remaining, but the Warhawks stormed back with a 17-2 run and pulled to within four points, 82-78, with 59 seconds remaining after a pair of Gaines-Jordan free throws. Gaines-Jordan and Sutton fueled the run with five points each during the stretch. The Lady Cougars scored the final six points of the game, including an unnecessary layup as time expired by Tatum after the Warhawks elected not to foul in the final 15 seconds, to provide the final margin.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• AUM finished 26-of-59 from the floor, including 10-of-22 from behind the arc. The Warhawks hit 16-of-26 free throw attempts.
• Columbus State was 34-of-76 from the field, but just 8-of-30 from distance. The Lady Cougars finished 12-of-15 from the charity stripe.
• The Warhawks committed 16 miscues, while forcing 10. CSU held a 17-9 edge in points off turnovers.
• CSU held a 48-34 advantage on the glass, including a 17-8 lead on the offensive end. The Lady Cougars maintained a 13-9 edge in second-chance points.
• The Lady Cougars held a 38-22 advantage in the paint.
 
UP NEXT
The Warhawks will conclude their season on Saturday, Feb. 25, when they host Selma University for a 2 p.m. Homecoming contest.