Matt Barker, Sports Information Director

HENDERSON, Tenn. - The No. 10 Freed-Hardeman Lady Lion basketball team will look to take home their third straight AMC Conference title as they pay a visit to Lyon (Ark) College for a 7:00 PM match-up in Batesville, Ark.

COVERAGE

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SETTING THE STAGE

The Lady Lions enter tonight's match-up coming off a 55-53 upset victory over Columbia (Mo.) College on Saturday in the AMC semifinals to advance to tonight's championship game.

Taleeah Cross led all scorers in the match-up with 24 points as she went 8-for-21 and a perfect 8-for-8 from the stripe to keep the Lady Lions in the game. Kenley Crowell also contributed on the offensive end as she put up 15 points on a 2-for-5 shooting night from behind the arc. Kim Mallory led the Lady Lions on the glass as she pulled down an impressive 14 rebounds in the contest, 13 of which were on the defensive side of the floor.

The match-up was a defensive struggle from the opening tip as FHU (26-6) and Columbia College (27-5) struggled to put points on the board. The Lady Lions shot just 35 percent from the field and 27 percent from behind the arc in the game compared to the Cougars, who shot 31 percent from the field and 21 percent from three-point range.

The Lady Lions were able to hold a slight edge over Columbia at the free throw line, which proved to be the deciding factor in the low scoring game. FHU shot an impressive 78 percent from the stripe, which included converting 6-of-6 free throws in the first half followed by an 8-for-12 stretch in the second half.

Columbia College, on the other hand, struggled from the free throw line, especially in the second half, as they shot a staggering 20 percent to close out the game converting just 1-of-5 free throws down the stretch.

FHU held Columbia College, a team that averages 78 points per game, to just 53 points, despite the Cougars forcing 16 turnovers on the Lady Lions and snagging 10 steals.

Columbia College would come out firing to start the game as they jumped out to an early 7-1 in the first three minutes of the game to hold the early advantage. However, the Lady Lions would counter the Cougar attack with a 10-2 run of their own over the next four minutes to take their first lead of the game at the 11-9 mark with 3:45 remaining in the first quarter.

The Lady Lions were able to reach their largest lead of the game to open the second half as Kenley Crowell connected from downtown to put FHU up 35-29 with 9:42 remaining in the third quarter. However, Columbia would respond with a 6-0 run of their own over the next three minutes to even things up at 35 apiece with 6:28 remaining in the quarter.

Similar to the first half, the defensive struggle would continue in the second half as there would be four ties and eight lead changes take place before the game was decided. The largest lead for both teams in the fourth quarter was just three as both teams continued to battle for the win.

Kenley Crowell would give the Lady Lions a two-point lead with 16 seconds remaining as she converted 1-of-2 from the stripe after being fouled. The Cougars would have one final shot to tie things up or take the lead in the final seconds of the game, but would not be able to convert as the Lady Lions were able to secure the 55-53 victory and advance to the AMC Championship game.

LAST TIME THEY MET

The last meeting between FHU and Lyon College was earlier this season on February 11 as the Scots took control of the game for a 77-54 victory in Batesville, Ark. The Lady Lions shot just 39.2 percent in the contest compared to Lyon who shot 57.7 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from three-point range. Both teams played solid on the defensive end as FHU forced 10 turnovers on the Scots while FHU commited 14 turnovers at the hands of the Lyon defense.

Cross led the Lady Lions on the offensive end and nearly set a career high in the process as she finished with 25 points on a 9-for-21 shooting night. Kenley Crowell followed close behind with an impressive shooting night from behind the arc as she went 3-for-5 from three-point land to finish with 11 points. Erika Zurauskaite led the team on the glass as she finished with six points and eight rebounds.

Lyon College would jump out to an early lead to begin the match-up as they out-shot the Lady Lions 18-5 in the first seven minutes to take an early lead. FHU would make a late push to close the first quarter as they out-shot the Scots 12-5 to cut the lead to six at the 23-17 mark entering the second quarter.

The second quarter would be much of the same for the Scots as they would extend their lead to as many as 11 at the 30-19 mark before FHU would cut the lead to five with 3:56 remaining in the half. The Scots would use the cushion they built in the first quarter to keep a near double digit lead to close the half up 37-29.

The Scots would carry the momentum from the first half right into the second half as they shot 44.4 percent from the field and an impressive 75.0 percent from behind the arc to extend their lead to as many as 25 at the 77-52 mark in the fourth quarter. Lyon College would close the game up 23 as they defeated the Lady Lions 77-54.

The Lady Lions will look to carry their momentum from the semifinal game with Columbia as they face a tough Lyon College team tonight at 7:00 PM in Batesville, Ark.