PHILADELPHIA – The Columbia women's basketball team made up an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime but Saint Joseph's outscored the Lions 14-7 in the extra period to come away with the win, 68-61, Thursday night at Hagan Arena.

Saint Joseph's (3-4) used a 10-0 run that spanned from the end of the third quarter until 4:50 mark of the fourth quarter to take a 50-42 lead. Sophomore Riley Casey stopped the bleeding with an old-fashioned 3-point play, scoring Columbia's first points in over seven minutes.

The Lions (2-5) chipped away at St. Joe's top-50 ranked scoring defense down the stretch and leveled the score when Casey hit a reverse layup with 15 seconds left. The sophomore scored seven of Columbia's 12 points in the quarter and even stole the ball away from the Hawks on their final possession to ensure overtime.

St. Joe's scored seven of the extra period's first nine points to jump back on top and forced the Lions into four turnovers in the five-minute session. The Hawks ended the night with 17 steals and outscored the Lions 26-4 in points off turnovers.

"You have to give credit to Saint Joe's. Cindy [Griffin] had her team ready and they were hungry for a win on their home floor," Columbia head coach Megan Griffith said. "We're really young and going through a lot of growing and learning pains, but that's something we have to work through. We have to be better as coaches and our team has to show up and be ready to compete. All of these kids are used to winning, so they have to figure out what it takes when your back is against the ropes to pull out a win together."

Columbia started four first-years, including the first collegiate starts for Madison Hardy and Lilian Kennedy. First-year Sienna Durr registered her first collegiate double-double, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting to go with a career-high 12 rebounds. Junior Janiya Clemmons joined Durr in double figures with 11 points, eight boards and four assists. Casey and first-year point guard Mikayla Markham each scored seven points. Markham added six assists.

Senior Alyssa Monaghan, the Hawks' leading scoring coming into the night, finished with a game-high 16 points despite a 4-for-12 shooting night. Three of Monaghan's makes were from 3-point range. Kristalyn Baisden and Katie Jekot went for 14 and 13 points, respectively, shooting a combined 7-for-18 from three.

Columbia outshot St. Joe's, 41.7 percent to 34.9 percent, and outrebounded the Hawks, 46-34, but a had rough night from beyond the arc. The Lions were 3-of-17 (.176) from deep while the Hawks were 11-for-33, which included a 4-for-8 performance from Jekot.

After trailing the majority of the first quarter, the Lions took their first lead of the night on an Imani Whittington bucket at the 1:11 mark. They took an 18-16 lead into the second quarter off a make by Hardy.

A 7-0 second-quarter run provided the Lions their first bit of breathing room. Durr scored the first four points before senior Abby Lee drained a 3-ball that put the Lions up, 28-22, and forced the Hawks to call for time. The Lions held St Joe's scoreless for 6:42 of the second quarter to take a five-point lead into halftime.

The Lions took an eight-point lead, their largest of the night, on a Clemmons jumper less than a minute into the second half. St. Joe's immediately answered with back-to-back threes by Baisden and Jekot to get right back in it. The Hawks tied the game at 40 off another Jekot triple but Columbia retook the lead when Hardy connected with 1:27 left in the quarter.

Columbia would not score again until Casey's 3-point play with 4:22 left in regulation that eventually resulted in the Hawks squeaking out a win in overtime.

Columbia will hope to end its five-game skid on Sunday when it travels to Boston College (6-1). The Eagles were handed their first loss of the season Tuesday night against Providence. Tip on Sunday is set for 2 p.m.

POST-GAME NOTES
- First-years Madison Hardy and Lilian Kennedy made their first collegiate starts. The Lions started four first-years along with junior Janiya Clemmons. 

- First-year Sienna Durr earned her first double-double by going for 16 points and 12 rebounds. She is the lone Lion on the roster with a double-double.

- Columbia played its first OT game since Jan. 27, 2017, when it defeated Dartmouth in quadruple overtime, 91-88.

- Columbia dropped to 4-15 all-time against the current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Lions will have another opportunity on Dec. 11 when they visit Fordham.