NEW YORK – Senior Janiya Clemmons scored seven of her season-high 20 points in the game's final five minutes and the Lions forced 20 turnovers to claim a 63-60 comeback win over Davidson Monday evening at Levien Gymnasium.
 
Columbia registered its fifth straight victory and improved to 6-3 on the year. The Lions came up with a season-high 13 steals to rally from as many as nine down in the second half. Five of those steals came in the fourth quarter.
 
"The resiliency piece, the growth and the maturation of our team is something we've been focusing on a lot," said head coach Megan Griffith in her post-game interview. "It was good to see us have that composure late in the game."

The defense fueled the Lions down the stretch. Clemmons gave her team a 55-53 lead when she stole the ball, dribbled down the floor and swished a pull-up jumper with 6:05 left. On Davidson's next possession, Abbey Hsu came up with a steal that led to a Clemmons layup and a 57-53 lead with 4:44 to play.

"I loved how aggressive we were," said Clemmons, who reached 20 points for the sixth time in her career. "The game plan was to be up in the them the whole time and we never let up … It feels good to be on this streak and be on the up going into finals. We're feeling good so hopefully we can keep it going."
 
Davidson (7-4) had a chance to tie the game in the final 15 seconds as Katie Turner got off trey from the left wing with her team trailing 60-57. However, first year Kaitlyn Davis quickly closed down on Turner and skied for the block. Davis would go on to finish with seven points and a pair of rejections.
 
"I love KD," added Clemmons. "She's always making plays and she just goes hard at all time. You never know what to expect but it's always something great."
 
Clemmons was fouled and converted another free throw for a 61-57 lead with 13 seconds to play. Three seconds later, Clemmons sealed the win with two more free throws.
 
"Jay is like having another coach on the floor," said Griffith, who has coached the senior captain since her rookie season. "I'm most proud of how consistent she has been as a leader, especially in these last two years … I'm really happy today that she was the one to carry it home for us."
 
Clemmons' 20 points came on 8-of-14 shooting to go with five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophomore Sienna Durr added 14 points on 5-10 shooting and came away with six boards. Clemmons, Abbey Hsu and Mikayla Markham registered three steals apiece.
 
The Lions also received key performances off the bench. Sophomore Riley Casey scored her first points of the season after returning from injury and finished the night with six off a pair of treys. Her first 3-pointer came at the end of the third quarter to make it a one-point game.
 
Davidson was led by Suzi-Rose Deegan's game-high 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Donovan added 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Columbia battled back from several deficits on the evening. Trailing 44-37 late in the third quarter, the home side rallied with a flurry of 3-pointers and hustle plays. Clemmons hit, followed by back-to-back 3-balls from Davis and Casey to pull the Lions within one. Davidson led by as many as nine points, 36-27, in the opening moments of the second half.

The Wildcats took a 34-27 advantage into halftime after Deegan swished a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Wildcats used a 9-0 run midway through the second period to take the lead. 

Columbia held Davidson scoreless for a five-minute span in the second quarter and used a 7-0 run to go up 20-15. Clemmons started the run with a driving layup which tied the game at 15. Five straight points by Durr, including a 3-pointer at the top of the key gave the Lions a five-point edge.
 
Columbia will take a two-week break for final exams before getting back into action on Saturday, Dec. 21 against NJIT. The final game of the four-game homestand tips at noon.
 
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.