Video: Postgame with Paul Nixon
NEW YORK - Brittany Simmons and Caitlyn Unsworth hit five of six free throws in the game's final 40 seconds to give Columbia a 77-74 win over Bryant in women's basketball action in Levien Gymnasium.
Columbia trailed by two at the half (36-34), but opened the second period on a 26-8 run over 10 minutes to take a 16-point lead, 60-44, with 10:22 to play. Melissa Shafer had 11 of her 17 points in that span.
Bryant's Steph Cardamone hit a jumper with 9:58 to play and initiated an 18-9 Bulldog run that cut the lead to one, 69-68, with 2:26 remaining.
Shafer hit three of four free throws during two Columbia possessions, giving the Lions a four-point lead with 1:12 to play. Bryant answered with a layup by Brittany Stahura with 50 seconds on the clock and the Bulldogs fouled Simmons, who hit the back-end of a two-shot foul.
Trailing by three with 34 seconds left, Bryant hit the offensive boards hard and got two shots on a single possession when Stahura put back a miss by Meredith Soper.
Columbia led by one with just 18 seconds remaining, and Bryant fouled Simmons on the in-bounds play. Simmons hit both and pushed the lead back out to three, 75-72 with 15 seconds left.
After a three-point miss by Bryant, Soper was fouled on the offensive rebound and hit both shots to cut the lead to one with six seconds remaining. Columbia got the ball in-bounds and Unsworth was fouled with three seconds to play. Unsworth made both to ice the game and hit a new career-high with 12 points.
Columbia, who shot 38 percent for the game, led by as many as 16, in a game with eight ties and lead changes. Columbia went 27-of-37 from the free throw line and 8-of-19 from behind the arc. Bryant shot 43 percent for the game, but just 2-of-17 from behind the arc and 20-of-31 from the charity stripe.
Bryant's Soper led all scorers with 20 points, while Naan Ankoma-Mensa totaled 19 points with seven rebounds.
Columbia's Amara Mbionwu finished with six points and a career-high 10 rebounds, while Shafer led the Lions with 17 points and five steals.
Taylor Ball had seven points and six assists, while Tyler Simpson totaled 12 points and five rebounds in just 19 minutes of action.
Columbia returns to action on January 4, when the Lions travel to Lafayette for a 5 p.m. game.
