Women's basketball earns first Ivy League win in comeback against Yale

Upper West Side NY

08 January, 2022

3:14 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY ADAM LANG • JANUARY 2, 2022, 9:18 PM Women's basketball got off to a hot start in the new year and in conference play, defeating Yale to collect its 10th win of the season and remain on top of the Ancient Eight table. The conference-leading offense of the Lions (10-3, 1-0 Ivy) matched up against the third-ranked defense (0.3 points behind top team Princeton) of the Bulldogs (7-6, 0-1 Ivy), and offense ultimately prevailed. The Bulldogs dragged the Lions into their way of basketball in the first 20 minutes, but the Lions found their rhythm after halftime and completed a 12-point comeback victory. After canceling its last non-conference game against Hofstra (3-5) due to COVID-19 concerns, the Light Blue played its Ivy opener without fans, in accordance with a new policy that extends until Jan. 18. Levien Gymnasium was quieter, but with the passionate chants from the Lions off the court and commands from head coach Megan Griffith, the gym was still full of energy. Junior forward Kaitlyn Davis said that this win is a testament to the team's enthusiasm. "We'd like to shout out to our fans who sent us a lot of love to speak, especially as we found out the news. And I think that it just makes us want to play even harder, knowing that they can't be there," Davis said. The Lions were rusty in the beginning of the game after a chaotic week following the resurgence of COVID-19 and a change in their schedule. The team struggled to find its pre-conference offense, shooting 22.8 percent from the field in a 22-point half, far below the Lions' average pace of 74.3 points per game. Yale's six-foot-five forward Camilla Emsbo recorded four blocks in the first quarter alone. Many of the Lions' top scorers were hit especially hard. Sophomore guard Abbey Hsu entered the contest leading the Ivy League in scoring but went 1-of-7 in the first half to score just 3 points. Junior forward Sienna Durr, who started the season averaging 14.3 points in the first two weeks but shot just 36.4 percent in December, continued to slump in the first half, failing to score on 0-of-4 shooting in the first 20 minutes. Despite the sluggish offense, even when the Bulldogs ran off to a 12-point lead to begin the third quarter and it looked like the story of the first half was going to continue, Griffith said she was never worried during the game as Yale's 30-point half was a good result for Columbia's 67.5-point average defensive allowance, which ranks seventh in the Ivy League. "Even from the tip, even going down 12… I just never would have thought we would lose that game," Griffith said. "And that's not just to say Yale's not a good team. … [Our] team is very hungry." However, after the break, the Lions built on their attentive first-half defense, turning it up a notch while finding an offensive rhythm. Yale shot 28.9 percent in the second half, scoring just 25 points, while Columbia played in its comfort zone, scoring 43 points. Davis played a huge role on both ends of the court, scoring 11 points while contributing four blocks and five steals. She was crucial in limiting Yale's top scorer Emsbo, who averages 15.6 points per game, to just 9 points. Durr also bounced back offensively, recording an 11-point half on 3-of-5 shooting. While Hsu continued her struggle, junior guard Carly Rivera filled in with a team-high 14 point performance. Rivera averages 5.8 points this season and is a pass-first point guard, but when the team needed her this afternoon, she stood up to the challenge, knocking down 5-of-8 free throws in the final minute to seal the victory. "[Rivera's] just not afraid of anyone or anything," Griffith said. "I told her, we don't win this game without you, and I have all the confidence in the world for that kid to make decisions." Finally, senior captain and guard Mikayla Markham tied everything together for the Lions in the second half. The Light Blue needed a leader on the floor to rediscover their territory, and Markham contributed 7 points in 12 minutes of play. Markham is one of the most experienced players on the Columbia team, having played two full seasons of NCAA basketball. "Mikayla is just somebody that knows our stuff inside and out, offensively especially, and that's what we needed. We needed an organization, we needed a calm presence, especially to help out Carly with the ball-handling duties," Griffith said. "She's just been a great captain." The Lions look to continue their winning streak in next week's competitions. They will host two more home games against Princeton (8-4, 1-0 Ivy) and Penn (6-7, 1-0 Ivy), who each got their conference-opener win today as well. Columbia will play Princeton on Friday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m., and Penn on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 5 p.m. The Friday game will be broadcast on ESPNU, and the Saturday game will be on ESPN+. 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.