Matt Barker, Sports Information Director

HENDERSON, Tenn. - The Freed-Hardeman Lion basketball team held their own Thursday evening against No. 6 Columbia College, but in the end they came up just short with an overtime loss to the Cougars at the Brewer Sports Center.

Despite the loss, the Lions (3-7, 1-3 AMC) received solid contribution from Marcus Baldwin, who ended the night with 18 points after going 7-for-13 from the field. Ehab Eltayeb also chipped in 18 points for the Lions, as he gave the Cougar defense fits the entire night, shooting 7-for-11 from the field and 4-for-5 from the charity stripe. Jalen Thompson and Simon Fransis rounded out the scoring for the Lions, as both reached double figures with 12 points in the loss.

The Lions shot 47 percent from the field and 33 percent from behind the arc compared to Columbia (11-1, 3-1 AMC) who shot 52 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point range in the win. Nathan Biggs led the Cougars on the attack with 31 points after shooting 12-for-16 from the field and a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe. Three other Cougars reached double figures in the match-up including Jackson Dubinski's 18 points, Nic Reynolds' 13 points and Adam Mennemeyer's 12 points.

The match-up was a back and forth battle from the opening tip, as the first half saw nine ties and two lead changes with Columbia's largest lead being just five points at the 25-20 mark while FHU's largest lead was three points at the 39-36 mark entering the break.

The Lions gained some separation in the second half, as they led for a majority of the frame and reached their largest lead of the game at the 52-44 mark with 15 minutes remaining in regulation. FHU kept their foot on the gas pedal until the waning minutes and held a five point advantage at the 77-72 mark with two minutes remaining.

Columbia; however, would not go down without a fight, as they out-shot the Lions 5-0 in the final two minutes to even things up at 77 apiece to force overtime. The momentum continued for Columbia in the overtime period, as they out-shot the Lions 19-5 to secure the 96-82 victory and send FHU home with their seventh loss of the season.

With the loss, the Lions fall to 3-7 on the season and 1-3 in conference play. Columbia improves to 11-1 on the season and 3-1 in AMC play with the win.

UP NEXT: The Lions are back in action Saturday, December 16th, as they host William Woods University for a 3:00 PM match-up at the Brewer Sports Center.