Henderson’s Late Winner Caps Another Dramatic Victory for Columbia

Saturday, December 20

New York, N.Y.

1:00 p.m.

Columbia University

8-4,0-0Ivy League

UTSA

5-6,0-0American

UTSA

Columbia

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Lem Photography

Henderson’s Late Winner Caps Another Dramatic Victory for Columbia

12/20/2025 7:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Postgame Interview Game Book Photo Gallery

Lions end game on 11-0 run to defeat UTSA

NEW YORK – Fliss Henderson scored the go-ahead basket with five seconds left to lift the Columbia women's basketball team past the University of Texas at San Antonio, 70-65, Saturday afternoon from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium.

Columbia (8-4) scored six straight points to level the score at 65 on two Riley Weiss free throws with 50 seconds remaining. Ereauna Hardaway's shot was then blocked by Henderson, who collected the rebound and went on to score what proved to be the game-winner with 5.1 seconds on the clock.

"That's my favorite play," Henderson told Lance Medow in her postgame interview on ESPN+. "You read the defense and you know, 'I'm going downhill.' I honestly didn't even think about it."

UTSA (5-6) had called a timeout to advance the ball and set up a potential winner or force overtime. However, the opportunity never came to be. During the stoppage, head coach Karen Aston was whistled for a technical foul while arguing with the officials. The technical resulted in two free throws and the ball for the Lions. By the time the Roadrunners got it back, they were down five with just over one second remaining.

Junior Marija Avlijas scored a career-high 21 points in the win, also going for three rebounds and dishing out four assists. Weiss scored 16 points. Susie Rafiu scored 13 points and handed out five assists. Perri Page was the fourth Lion in double-digit scoring, tallying 10 points, nine rebounds, and five steals. Henderson scored nine points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds.

"First half, we started off slow, and then second half, we just locked back in and came together," Avlijas said. "I just shot open shots and they went in."

The Lions struggled with 14 turnovers, sub-30 percent shooting and missed free throws in the first half, trailing 30-23 at the intermission. They then scored 47 points in the second half, connecting at just under 50 percent from the field, only turning it over six times and hitting 11 of their final 15 free throw attempts.

Hardaway scored a team-high 17 and had a game-high seven assists for the reigning American Athletic Conference champion Roadrunners. Cheyenne Rowe added 15 on 7-of-11 shooting. Damara Allen (12) and Jayda Holiman (10) rounded out four in double figures scoring.

Despite what turned out to be a rough first half, the Lions kicked off the day with the game's first nine points and led 11-2 on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting. Turnovers then plagued the Lions, going on to commit seven apiece in both the first and second quarters. UTSA ended the half on an 8-0 run to take the lead.

Columbia ended the first half with twice as many turnovers (14) as made field goals (7). They were 0-of-11 from the field in the second quarter, limited to just five points on 5-of-10 at the free throw line.

The first-half struggles did not carry over to the second half. Columbia knocked down six of its first seven field goal attempts in the third quarter, including five straight to get back within four. The Roadrunners were also hot out of the locker room, hitting five of their first six attempts to keep pace.

With 3:55 left in the third, Rafiu drove on the fast break and walked away with an old-fashioned three to get within two of UTSA. Weiss attacked the paint and drew another three-point play to tie the game 45-45.

Avlijas gave the Lions the lead for the first time in the second half when she splashed in a three in the early stages of the fourth quarter. The Roadrunners went on a 6-0 run and held the Lions scoreless for four minutes before Avlijas broke the spell with a putback just as the shot clock expired. Page knocked down two free throws to make it 63-65 with 1:16 left, setting up a memorable finish.

Columbia concludes its 2025-26 non-conference slate on Monday, December 29, at Florida Gulf Coast (3-6). Opening tip from Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida, is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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