Matt Barker, Sports Information Director

HENDERSON, Tenn. - The Freed-Hardeman Lady Lion Basketball team had to battle the entire way Saturday afternoon to get the job done, but in the end they came away with a 70-63 victory over No. 4 Columbia College in a back and forth battle at the Brewer Sports Center.

Sandrea Sylman led the way for Freed-Hardeman (12-0, 6-0 AMC), as she fired in 21 points after putting together an impressive second half, where she fired in 13 points down the stretch. The 21-point outburst from Sylman marked the eighth time this season the Chattanooga, Tenn. native reached the 20-point threshold for the Lady Lions.

Carrie Hatchel followed close behind with 17 points after shooting an impressive 6-for-11 from the field and 2-for-3 from behind the arc. Hatchel was solid on both sides of the floor, as she dished out four assists and snagged three steals in the victory.

Chynia Brooks rounded out the scoring for the Lady Lions with 11 points. Despite getting in early foul trouble, FHU Junior Forward Haylee Croom led the Lady Lions on the glass with seven rebounds in the win.

Morgan Brandt led Columbia on the attack with 17 points while Jordan Alford followed close behind with 13 points and six rebounds. Mai Nienhueser rounded out the scoring for the Cougars with 11 points.

The Lady Lions struggled to stop the offensive attack of Columbia (9-2, 5-2 AMC) in the first half, as they shot an impressive 50 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc, led by Brandt, who fired in nine of her 17 points in the first half.

However, despite the impressive shooting performance by the Cougars in the first half, the Lady Lions kept things knotted up at 31 apiece entering the break. The opening two quarters were tight the entire way, as the first half saw four ties and seven lead changes with neither team gaining more than a six point advantage in the half.

The second half; however, was a different story, as the Lady Lions opened the third quarter with a three-point field goal by Chynia Brooks to regain the lead. FHU led by as many as six points in the third quarter before Columbia out-shot the Lady Lions 13-5 to close the stanza with a 51-49 lead.

Both teams kept things tight in the fourth quarter, as things remained knotted up at 57 apiece with five minutes remaining in regulation. However, from there, the Lady Lions put together a 13-6 run to close out the game with a 70-63 victory.

With the win, the Lady Lions move to 12-0 on the season and 6-0 in conference play. Columbia College falls to 9-2 on the season and 5-2 in AMC play with the loss.

UP NEXT: The Lady Lions are back in action Thursday, January 3rd, as they take on St. Louis College of Pharmacy for a 5:30 PM conference road match-up in St. Louis, Mo.

For all the latest information regarding the FHU Women's Basketball team, be sure to follow FHU Athletics on all our social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, all @gofhulions