COLUMBUS, Miss. -   To paraphrase the opening words of Charles Dickens' classic novel "A Tale of Two Cities," it was the best of halves, it was the worst of halves for The W women's basketball team versus St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) leader Principia College in a 55-51 home loss at Pohl Gym.  The host Owls (1-11, 0-5 SLIAC) squandered a double-digit first half lead, as the Panthers (8-4, 5-0 SLIAC) survived to remain unbeaten in the league.
 
MUW opened with a blistering first half that had Principia on its heels. The suffocating Owls' defense caged the Panthers' offense, permitting single digit totals – eight and nine points – in the first two quarters, respectively. Meanwhile, The W was riding its two leading scorers – Calysia Phillips and Conley Langford – to its largest lead of 17 points late in the second period, before settling on a 15-point halftime cushion, 32-17.
 
But hither came the third quarter, a span that has been a nightmare for MUW in most of its games. This drought proved especially costly when the Owls managed just two points the entire segment. By the end of the third, Principia had taken its first lead of the game and, unfortunately for The W, the Panthers would not relinquish their upper hand.
 
The Owls' scoring woes seeped into the fourth quarter, as well. A Langford free throw at 6:24 derailed a Principia 21-2 scoring run over the first 16:36 minutes of the second half.
 
Yet, The W still hung close until the very end. With 50 seconds left to play, a Phillips' layup got the Owls to within a single point, 50-49, after the and-one free throw was missed. The Panthers converted 5-of-6 free throws in the waning seconds to stave off the MUW comeback bid.
 
Phillip notched her third-consecutive game with 20-plus points, finishing the afternoon with a game-leading 25. She hit 9-of-19 from the floor, overall, and was 5-for-11 from beyond the arc. Phillips also proved to be the most larcenous of defenders with four steals.
 
Langford, for her part, did mt of her damage from the free throw stripe, where she converted 7-of-8 attempts, on her way to a 12-point effort. Langford led all rebounders with nine caroms to her credit.
 
Reshya Hudson contributed six points and seven rebounds.
 
The W will next host Fontbonne University on Saturday (Jan. 11/1 p.m.) at Pohl Gym.