Miller Lifts Cougars in Second Half Past Lyon

Batesville, Ark. – Lexi Miller scored a career-high 19 points help the Columbia College women’s basketball team back from a 14-point halftime deficit en route to an 82-68 win at Lyon College Thursday in Batesville, Ark.
 
Columbia improved to 6-3 (2-1 AMC), while Lyon fell to 1-4 (1-2 AMC). The Cougars lead the all-time series with Lyon 30-15.
 
Trailing by one (65-64) with 5:24 to play, Miller drilled back to back threes to highlight an 18-3 run to end the contest. Columbia outscored Lyon 50-22 in the second half.
 
Miller was 4-of-5 from three-point range and led four Cougars in double figures: Mallory Shetley (13), Allison Stiers (10) and Peyton Crowe (10). Stiers also added a career-high eight assists.
 
Columbia shot 49.1 percent (26-53) from the field and hit 22-of-28 from the foul line in the win. The Cougars had a 38-26 advantage on the glass and dominated second-chance points (19-5) and points in the paint (18-2).
 
Lion scored the first five points of the contest, and led 11-5 early in the contest. The Cougars hit just 5-of-16 from the field in the opening 10 minutes of play and trailed 17-12.
 
Mari-Hanna Newsom hit a three-pointer on three-straight possession to give the Scots at 26-15 lead, but Columbia responded with a three by Crowe to get the deficit to single digits. 
 
Crowe had the hot hand in the second quarter scoring seven of her 10-first half points, and her three with 5:32 let cut the lead to eight (31-23). Lyon took a 46-32 advantage to the break as Newsom led all scorers with 14 points. The Scots hit 8-of-13 from three in the first half.
 
The Cougars opened the third quarter on a 13-2 run to cut the lead to four (48-45), and then Abby Backes canned a three to trim the advantage to 50-48. Columbia hit 7-of-13 from the field in the third quarter to make it a one-point game (55-54) after outscoring Lyon 22-9.
 
Hannah Ferguson tied the game with 8:01 left at 59-59 after converting an old-fashioned three-point play, and then a jumper by DeLaney Horstman gave the Cougars its first lead of the game (64-62) with 5:57 to play.
 
Newsom was held to six points in the second half but led all scorers with 20 points on six three-pointers.
 
The Cougars continue AMC play at Central Baptist College on Saturday, Dec. 3 at. 1 p.m. in Conway, Ark.