Women's Basketball Beats Delaware In Nail-Biter, Dominates Marist

Upper West Side NY

12 December, 2021

5:02 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY ADAM LANG AND REBECCA WACHEN DECEMBER 8, 2021 Columbia women's basketball (8-2) is on a three-game winning streak after exhilarating wins over Delaware (6-2) and Marist (2-6) last week. Now sitting atop the Ivy League leaderboard, the young team is preparing for what will likely be a historic season. Following two close games and earning themselves a 1-1 record at the Christmas City Classic, the Lions continued to show their grit during another tight game against the University of Delaware on Thursday night. Thursday's meeting was the first between the Lions and Blue Hens in precisely 12 years. The wait turned out to be worth it, as it was an intense game up until the final buzzer. Columbia came away with a 73-67 win, snapping Delaware's five-game streak. The squad's next game was less dramatic, as the Lions dominated Marist College (2-6) for their biggest win all season. Following a back-and-forth first quarter against Delaware, the Lions continued to capitalize on their opportunities. A steal and layup in the second quarter by junior guard Jaida Patrick followed by a fast break layup from sophomore guard Paige Lauder got the crowd on its feet for the first of many times that night. After a three from junior guard Carly Rivera and a jumper from sophomore guard Abbey Hsu brought the Lions to a 35-31 lead at halftime, the Blue Hens' offense began to regroup in the third quarter, gaining their first lead since the opening minute of the game. Delaware guard Jasmine Dickey, the leading scorer in the NCAA, was able to turn the momentum in the Blue Hens' favor, scoring 10 of her 23 points in the third quarter. This left the Lions trailing by six as they entered the fourth quarter. In the final quarter, first-year guard Kitty Henderson helped make it a 2-point game with her shot from downtown. Henderson's basket was followed by four more Columbia buckets, which gave the Light Blue a 6-point lead with just over three minutes left. Head coach Megan Griffith, who has known Henderson since her early high school years, sees her as one of the most promising young Lions. "Kitty Henderson is just as tough as they come,'' Griffith said. "She's just going to keep getting better and better. And she can literally defend anybody on the court, which is a really nice luxury to have." The Blue Hens continued to fight, however, as two key shots by Dickey and guard Tyi Skinner gave them the lead back. With Delaware up by one with just over 40 seconds remaining, the Light Blue made sure to give the ball to the player it has relied on all season. In front of a loud Levien Gymnasium, Hsu did what she does best. Dribbling past two defenders, Hsu put the ball up and scored a bucket off the glass while also drawing a foul. Unphased by the pressure, Hsu made her foul shot to give the Lions a 2-point lead. As the crowd erupted to its feet, the Light Blue, not yet satisfied with its lead, pressed on with just under 20 seconds remaining. After a missed shot by Dickey, a foul gave two free throws to junior forward Hannah Pratt, and the Lions could see the victory ahead. With a last-second steal and layup by Henderson, Columbia was able to take home its seventh win of the season. "It felt good to know your school's got your back," Hsu said. "I think they definitely played a big part in this win." Throughout the contest, Hsu continued to show why she is the No. 2 shooter from downtown in the NCAA. She finished the night with a season-high 27 points, shooting 50 percent from the field. Along with 11 points from Henderson and 9 points and 10 rebounds from junior forward Kaitlyn Davis, the Lions showed how their talent can successfully carry them through the rest of the season. "I'm really proud of our staff and the players for believing in what we're doing and not just buying in. I think we surpassed the buy-in stage," Griffith said. "I think our ceiling is very high. We have a lot of things we need to figure out. Our chemistry is still forming and molding, and we've got a lot of new pieces, but I was happy with our fight today." The Lions hit the road on Sunday and traveled up to Poughkeepsie to take on Marist and played their best defensive game of the season. In the 78-49 victory, the Lions limited the Red Foxes to just 24.1 percent shooting. The team had great defensive rotations throughout the game, especially the first and third quarters; the Lions laid down a 17-2 run in each quarter and held the Red Foxes to single-digit scoring. The Red Foxes only had one player make more than two shots, and their offense flowed so poorly that they had five assists while the Lions had 21. Griffith, however, felt the team could have been more consistent, pointing out that Marist's offense rebounded in the second and fourth quarters. "One of our goals was two single-digit quarters," Griffith said. "I do think that one thing our team needs to make sure [is] … we can't wait to mess up to then be motivated to do what we do. … We kind of got caught falling asleep a little bit once we built the lead. That's just not the way that we want to be playing Columbia defensive basketball." Rivera was crucial to the Lions' defensive effort. The guard was at her best when she tagged her player, switched quickly when she needed to, and delivered eight assists—her third time doing so this season. More impressively, the 5-foot-4 Lion ranks second on the team in rebounding with 5.1, only behind Davis, whose double-double this week earned her a second Ivy League Player of the Week award. "I think [Rivera] is just like the definition of knowing where to be. And that's what's putting her in the position … to rebound but also to set her teammates up," Griffith said. "It's really fun to coach a player that can think [about] the game at such a high level." Rebounding was also key to Columbia's victory. After getting dominated on the boards by Stony Brook University (7-1) two weeks ago, the Lions have refocused on their rebounding successes from earlier in the season; Sunday was the fourth game in a row in which the Lions outmatched their opponents in rebounds. The Lions' 58 rebounds included 19 offensive rebounds, which earned them 15 second-chance points. Henderson got her first collegiate start and yielded a team-second 12 points. However, she needed improvements on her efficiency, shooting just 3-10 from the field. She has been a consistent force for the Lions so far, stepping up in important moments when the team loses its rhythm. With just three games left before Ivy League play opens, Columbia seems to have established itself as a championship contender. The Lions now lead the Ivy League table in non-conference record thanks to their impressive offense, which outstrips the second-best offensive team Harvard by almost 10 points on average. The Lions will host the University of Massachusetts (9-1) on Saturday at 2 p.m in Levien Gymnasium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Staff writer Rebecca Wachen can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @rebecca_wachen. Senior staff writer Adam Lang can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow Spectator Sports on Twitter @CUSpecSports. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.