INDEPENDENCE, Kan. - The Independence Women's Basketball team continues to show improvement but is still in search of that second conference win, as they fell to Colby on Wednesday night, 70-55. 

After staying within striking distance for the first quarter, the Lady Pirates surrendered a double digit deficit as Colby pushed out to their biggest lead of the night at 18 late in the second quarter. Independence bounced back with six unanswered points to close out the half trailing by 12. 

Once again the Lady Pirates showed a strong effort out of the halftime locker room, as their six unanswered points before halftime parlayed into nine more unanswered points to begin the third period, cutting the Colby lead to just three, after back to back three point makes from Flutra Mehmeti in her first game back from an injury. 

That was as close as the Lady Pirates would cut the Colby lead though, as they would finish the game on a 33-21 run, as they caught fire from three point range down the stretch. 

Colby had slight advantages in shooting from the field, rebounds, points in the paint, as well as turning 14 Pirate turnovers into 21 points.

Danaiya Stillwell-Smith continued her fantastic freshman season by finishing with 18 points and nine rebounds in the loss. 

The loss moves Independence to 4-15 overall and 1-12 in KJCCC play, as they now gear up for round two of the Montgomery County rivalry, where they will host Coffeyville, the game right now currently scheduled for Saturday, pending the weekend weather. The Lady Pirates lost at Coffeyville back on November 22nd, 62-29.