BALTIMORE, MD. - Junior guard Shasta Henderson sent the game into overtime and then scored 12 points in overtime to help lift the Lions over Morgan State, 85-78, in double overtime in the consolation game of the UMBC Retriever Tip-off Tournament. Henderson finished the game with a career-high 18 points.
The win marked Paul Nixon's first as the Lions' head coach as Columbia improved to 1-1.
With the score tied 73-73 going into the second overtime, Henderson drove for a layup to put the Lions up two points. Junior Becky Hogue hit two free throws to give Columbia a four-point advantage, but Morgan State's Renee Robinson hit a basket to cut the lead again. However, the Bears sent the Lions to the free throw line six times in the rest of the game and the Lions made five to seal the 85-73 victory.
Junior guard Megan Griffith led the Lions with 19 points and had nine assists. Sophomore Michele Gage chipped in with15 points and senior Sarah Beato and sophomore Brittney Carfora each had 12 points. Junior Becky Hogue led the Lions with 12 rebounds.
In the first overtime and the score tied at 67, Henderson completed a classic three-point play to put the Lions back on top. However, with the score 73-70 in Columbia's favor, Morgan State's Latricia Jones hit a three-pointer at the buzzer for the second time in the game to send it into another overtime.
Columbia started out the second half with a 12-point lead, but Morgan State held the Lions to two points in the first 7:20 of the half and cut the lead to 48-44. Morgan State took the lead, 50-49, with 9:23 left in the game and increased its lead to 63-57 with 3:29 left. A free throw by Griffith cut the lead by one and a three-pointer by Gage cut the lead to two. With 1:08 left in regulation, Henderson hit a jumper to tie the score and send the game into overtime.
The Lions opened the first half with a 7-0 lead with help from a bucket and a three-point play from Gage and a basket from Griffith. Morgan State went on a seven-point run of its own to tie the score. The Bears took a 20-15 lead but the Lions fought back and took the lead back with 5:19 to go and we able to amass a 12-point advantage (46-34) by halftime.
After the first half, Griffith led all players with 12 points and Hogue led with six rebounds.
Gage was named to the All-Tournament team after posting her first career double-double against Fairleigh Dickinson, scoring a game-high 21 points and grabbing a team high 12 rebounds. The next day against Morgan State, Gage added another 15 points along with four assists and seven rebounds. Over the weekend, she went 14-for-16 from the free throw line. The complete list of the All-Tournament honorees is posted at the bottom of the page.
The Lions continue their season on Wednesday, November 23 with their first home game of the season. Columbia takes on Delaware State at 7 p.m.
Members of the UMBC Retriever Tip-off Tournament All-Tournament Team
Dominisha Britton (Morgan State)
Michele Gage (Columbia)
Krissy Suckow (Fairleigh Dickinson)
Brittnie Hughes (UMBC)
Matea Pender (UMBC), MVP
