Jeremy Wright, Sports Information Intern

HENDERSON, Tenn. – The Freed-Hardeman University women's basketball team (8-3, 5-0 AMC) defeated Columbia College (10-3, 6-1 AMC) 78-48 in the AMC Game of the Week for its fifth consecutive win.

Both teams came into Saturday's matchup perfect in conference play, and the Lady Lions were rolling from the start. They were able to score on their first four offensive possessions to jump out to a 10-3 lead, and they never looked back. The Lady Lions went into halftime leading 45-16 behind Haylee Croom's outstanding performance where she outscored Columbia by herself with 17 points.

To start the second half, Columbia put together a 7-2 run, but the Lady Lions withstood every Columbia run en route to the win. Defense again was key in the victory as the Lady Lions forced 18 Columbia turnovers and held the Cougars to 29 percent shooting for the game.

The Lady Lions thrived off of outstanding offensive performances by Croom and Chynia Brooks. Croom finished with 29 points and 17 rebounds, while Brooks added a career-high 25 points of her own.

The win capped off 2019 for the Lady Lions, and they will be back in action on January 4 when they travel to Williams Baptist.