Women's basketball beats Harvard to remain undefeated in Ivy play

Upper West Side NY

22 January, 2022

1:41 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY REBECCA WACHEN • JANUARY 17, 2022, 10:05 PM After two Ancient Eight games for Columbia women's basketball were postponed due to COVID-19 concerns, the team returned to the court looking to prove itself. This game marked the final time the Lions (11-3, 2-0 Ivy) would travel to Cambridge to face off against Harvard head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith, who is retiring at the end the 2022 season, after 40 years as the Crimson's leader. Hungry for a successful season in honor of its head coach, the Crimson (8-9, 2-3 Ivy) showed some promise, but the Lions found a way to run away with the win. It was only the seventh time in program history that the Light Blue topped the Crimson. Despite getting off to a hot start, Harvard could not hold onto its lead early in the first quarter, as Columbia's strong offensive efforts tied the game back up 13-13 with just under five minutes remaining in the quarter. Then, consecutive baskets by junior forward Kaitlyn Davis and sophomore guard Abbey Hsu propelled the Lions to their first lead of the afternoon. The remainder of the first half consisted of back-and-forth action between the two teams, with both squads looking to go on a run to put the game in their favor. But it was not until the end of the third quarter that the Lions began to find their momentum, resulting in a 9-0 run to take a 45-37 lead entering the final quarter. Threes by Hsu and junior guard Sienna Durr awakened the Light Blue offense, providing a spark that would continue in the final quarter. Going three for three from behind the arc to start the fourth quarter, Columbia was able to gain a 14-point lead that the Crimson could not overcome. The Lions continuously showed the depth of their bench throughout the matchup, with sophomore guard Nicole Stephens scoring a season-high 12 points. Harvard could not catch up to the Lions with Stephens on the court, as she shot 3-3 from the field, which included making two clutch threes, in the final quarter. While taking 34 fewer shots than the Crimson, the Lions impressed with their accuracy, helping them earn a 72-64 victory. Five different Lions scored from behind the arc and four Lions finished in double figures. Continuing her dominant season, Hsu shined offensively, leading the Lions with 21 points on 8-11 shooting, including 5 three-pointers. On the defensive end, junior forward Hannah Pratt led the Lions, grabbing a career-high 14 defensive rebounds to secure the win for Columbia. The Lions look to continue their winning streak on Thursday at 5 p.m. when they will be back at Levien Gymnasium to take on Cornell (6-8, 1-2 Ivy) before heading up to Rhode Island to face off against Brown (5-11, 0-4 Ivy) on Saturday. 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.