BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Birmingham-Southern women's basketball team closed out the first half of its conference season 7-0 with a 69-60 win against Sewanee Sunday afternoon in Bill Battle Coliseum. The Panthers improved to 12-6 overall and sit in first place in the league.

Emilee Olsen (Marietta, Ga./Lassiter HS) led the team, tying a career-high of 20 points with a game-high 13 rebounds.

Christian McGowan (Birmingham, Ala./Oak Mountain HS) and Jameice Holmes (Nashville, Tenn./University School of Nashville) also finished in double-figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Laura Van Peursem (Huntsville, Ala./Randolph HS) tied Olsen with the game-high of 13 rebounds.

BSC led 38-27 at the break off 67 percent shooting in the second quarter when they put up 25 points.  The Panthers led by as many as 13 in the third quarter before Sewanee mounted a comeback.  BSC led by just five with less than a minute to play when Holmes drove to the paint to extend the lead back out to seven.

After she grabbed the rebound off a Tigers miss, Van Peursem was fouled and hit both free throws, pushing the lead to nine.  Sewanee was kept off the board in the final seconds and dropped to 5-12 overall and 2-5 in the Southern Athletic Association with the loss.

The Panthers hit the road next in rematches of this weekend.  They first take on Centre College Friday, Jan. 27 and then head to face Sewanee on Sunday, Jan. 29.  Both days are doubleheaders with the men's team.

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