MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Columbia took out its second defending conference champion in three games, rallying back from seven down in the fourth quarter and surviving a 3-pointer at the buzzer to defeat Robert Morris, 61-59, in women's basketball Sunday afternoon at the newly built UPMC Events Center.
 
Columbia (2-3) regained the lead with a 9-0 fourth-quarter run spurred by back-to-back treys from sophomore Mikayla Markham and first year Abbey Hsu. Kaitlyn Davis, another rookie, hit 2-of-4 free throws after a technical foul was called on RMU's Nneka Ezeigbo to put the Lions on top 54-53 with 5:05 to go.
 
The Lions did not hit another field goal the rest of the game but earned their way to the free throw line 16 times in the final period. Trailing with less than a minute remaining, Sienna Durr hit a pair to flip the lead in Columbia's favor. Markham was fouled after a key block by junior transfer Kallin Spiller, doubling the lead to two points with 16.1 ticks on the clock.
 
The Columbia defense stepped up again by forcing Isabella Posset into a difficult game-tying shot. Spiller came down with the rebound but was unable to convert at the stripe, giving Robert Morris once last chance with 1.6 seconds remaining.
 
The defending NEC champions called for time and advanced the ball into the frontcourt. Posset got off a look from the top of the arc that was on line but skied off the back iron as the buzzer sounded.
 
"Not only is this win big for our program, but just for our players to understand the process of growth and what it looks like and battling through adversity," Columbia head coach Megan Griffith said. "We're really learning from every game, from every experience and from every week. We're trying to carry that over so that when we're practicing we're getting the same sort of reps and the same sort of challenges.
 
"I'm really proud of them. This is huge to come to their gym against a great program and a great team. We battled really hard when we needed to."
 
Sophomores Hannah Pratt and Sienna Durr scored a team-high 13 points apiece. Pratt, playing in her fifth collegiate game after sitting out last year with an injury, scored a season-high 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting. The 6-1 forward also showed off her range by hitting 3-of-5 from 3-point land. Durr scored seven of her points at the charity stripe and gathered a team-high six rebounds. Markham rounded out Columbia's double-figure scorers with 10 points, while Hsu dished out a season-high four assists.
 
"It all comes down to defensive stops," Pratt said. "Down the stretch, we got the stops that we needed. Kallin Spiller did a great job locking down [Ezeigbo and Ozzy-Momodu], who did some damage early in the game. It was really important to lock them down and get stops."
 
Esther Castedo scored a game-high 15 points for Robert Morris (2-2), which was dealt its first loss in its new arena. Nneka Ezeigbo went for 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
 
The Lions shot 46.5 percent from the field and over 47 percent from 3-point range to overcome 26 turnovers. Robert Morris took 27 more shots than Columbia but was limited to 33 percent shooting.
 
The Lions called a quick timeout trailing 12-7 midway through the first quarter. They responded with a 7-0 run that included the first of Pratt's treys. Clemmons hit a 3-pointer as the first-quarter buzzer sounded to put the Lions up 21-17.
 
Columbia opened the game hitting 10 of its first 16 field goals. The lead grew to 26-21 after a Davis putback at the second quarter's 8:14 mark. Robert Morris forced 14 first-half turnovers and tied the game at 30 on Nina Augustin's triple with 2:50 left before halftime. Clemmons took the lead back on a jumper with 40 seconds to go and Davis preserved the advantage with a block in the final second.
 
Pratt swished a three from the corner to start off the second half and give Columbia its largest lead of the game, 35-30. RMU responded with the next seven points and closed out a 12-3 run leading 42-38. The Colonials increased the lead to seven late in the third quarter and again early in the fourth. However, the Lions delivered the final blow to return home to New York with their second win.
 
The Lions fly home to prepare for their next game, which takes place Saturday at Army West Point. Tip from Christl Arena is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
For the latest on the Columbia women's basketball program, follow @CULionsWBB on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook at Facebook.com/ColumbiaWBB, on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.