Batesville, Ark.  – Katie Turner took the inbounds pass from Jade Giron, turned and put up an 8-foot shot that banked in as time ran out to lift Lyon College over Columbia College 73-71 on Thursday night at Becknell Gymnasium in Batesville.
Turner, a senior forward for the Scots, scored 11 points in the game and seven rebounds. Turner's game-winner put the Scots in a tie for the American Midwest Conference lead with Columbia College at 9-1. Lyon is 17-4 overall and Columbia College drops to 16-5.
Lyon was leading 71-68 when Peyton Crowe completed a three-point play to tie the game with 1:18 to go. After a Scots time out, a missed shot was rebounded by Abby Backes, but Crowe missed a jumper and Paige Kelley came down with the rebound. As Lyon worked the ball around, a final timeout was called with four seconds to play and head coach Tracy Stewart-Lange set up the last play.
Giron led all-scorers with 24 points. She had four rebounds, four steals, five assists and was 3-of-6 from the three-point stripe. Kelley finished with 15 points and was 5-for-5 on free throws and hit 5-of-8 field goals. Marleigh Dodson scored 11 points, Kristen Baham hit for six points on 2-of-2 three-pointers and Allison Byars finished with six points and was 6-of-8 from the free throw line.
For the game, Lyon College shot 52.2 percent from the field, 55.6 percent from the three-point stripe and 71.4 percent from the free throw line. Columbia shot 47.2 percent from the field, 57.1 percent on three-pointers and 72.2 percent on free throws.
Dodson put the Scots on the scoreboard first and a layup from Giron kept them in front early, but Columbia College came back to tie it. Giron put Lyon back in front with a free throw, but Columbia College scored five straight points and held that margin until Turner made two free throws. With 5:16 to go in the first period. The Cougars scored eight straight points for a nine-point lead. Byars made two free throws, Giron made a jump shot and Dodson scored on an inside move to cut the Columbia lead to 18-15 with 1:22 to go in the quarter. Dodson made a free throw and Abby Backes made a three-pointer with seven seconds left to lead Columbia College to a 21-16 lead.
Two three-pointers and a free throw put the Cougars up by 15 points, 31-16 before Giron made two free throws. Allison Stiers put Columbia College up by 16 points, but Giron hit a jump shot, Turner scored at the free throw line and Giron came back for a three-pointer to cut the lead to 10 points, 35-25 at the 2:29 mark. Giron put in a layup, then passed to Baham for a three-pointer from the wing to cut the lead down to eight points and Turner hit a turnaround jumper with 19 seconds left, but Columbia College got a shot from Crowe to fall with two seconds left to make it a 42-32 lead at halftime.
Lyon started its comeback in the third quarter. After Columbia College went up by 11 points, Giron hit a three-pointer and put in a jump shot to cut the lead down to eight. Dodson completed a three-point play to cut the lead to 45-40. The Cougars built their lead back to eight points until Byars made two free throws and Turner made a shot to cut the lead down to five. Two jumpers and four free throws from Kelley tied the game at 52-52 with 1:43 to go in the third quarter. The Cougars got a shot to fall in the next minute and led 54-52 by the end of the period.
Columbia College scored the first three points of the fourth quarter, but Kelley scored inside and Giron tied the game on a three-pointer. The Cougars held a three-point lead with 5:45 to go, Dodson hit a jump shot and Kelley scored after a made Columbia basket. Dodson made a free throw to make it a two-point game and Baham put Lyon in front with a three-pointer from the left wing. After a missed shot, Kelley scored inside and she scored inside again with 2:12 left for a 71-68 lead.