Columbia
YALE
Late Comeback Not Enough for Women's Basketball vs. Yale
2/22/2015 4:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Box Score
NEW YORK – In the first national television women's basketball game inside Levien Gymnasium, Columbia battled back from an 18-point second-half deficit versus Yale, and pulled within six, but it would not be enough as the Lions slipped to the Bulldogs, 67-57, Saturday afternoon.
Tori Oliver paced Columbia (8-16, 2-8 Ivy League) with 21 points. The sophomore's main scoring contribution came from the free throw line as she went 13-of-16 compared to a 4-of-16 performance from the field. Oliver added seven rebounds, three assists and one steal to her stat line while Camille Zimmerman added 10 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and one take away.
Yale (12-12, 6-4 Ivy League) received double-digit performances from four players with Whitney Wyckoff leading the way with 17 points. Clara Mokri, meanwhile, chipped in a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. More than half of the Bulldogs points came in the paint, 44, as the visitors turned 21 Lion turnovers into 19 points including 10 off the break.
Poor shooting was the Lions biggest opponent in the opening half of the game. Columbia shot just 20.0 percent (2-10) compared to Yale's 40.7 percent performance from the floor at the second media timeout. Despite the connection rate, the Lions were only down seven, 12-7.
Thanks in part to back-to-back buckets from Zimmerman, Columbia pulled within one. See-saw action scattered the next few minutes before Ara Talkov swished a triple from the top of the key to lock things at 16. The contest would tie once more before the break, but Yale had an answer every Lions hoop to hold onto an edge. Over the final 4:19 the Bulldogs went on an 8-2 stretch to send Columbia to the locker room down, 34-25.
Despite the poor shooting that opened the game, Columbia climbed back and finished the first half going 9-of-23 (39.1%) from the field and 3-of-8 (37.5%) from deep. The Lions received three players with six points in Alexa Giuliano, Devon Roeper and Zimmerman. Yale, meanwhile, maintained its stellar shooting with a 50 percent connection rate for the first two minutes.
Yale's momentum carried over out of the break. The Bulldogs burst out of the locker room scoring eight unanswered points to make it a 16-2 stretch that continued from the first frame. Over that run, the Lions were held scoreless for 4:24 until Oliver sunk a pair from the stripe.
The Lions used free throw shooting to stay within striking distance. Off a 14-of-16 performance from the line, Columbia pulled within 10, before Oliver scored her first field goal of the night to make it a single digit deficit at the 8:41 minute mark.
Yale would not get the Lions get closer than eight as it built its lead back to double figures. Columbia did not go down without a fight, however, as it used key free throw shooting and turned steals into points. Thanks to an 8-0 run from Oliver and Sara Mead the Lions came within seven, 59-52, with 3:11 on the clock.
As time was expiring Columbia played in the percentage favor as Yale only hit 2-of-15 from the charity stripe. The percentages did not play in the Lions favor as the Bulldogs sunk 10-of-12 to hold on for the 67-57 win.
Columbia heads out on the road for the final time this season as it heads north for contests at Dartmouth and Harvard. The Lions visit the Big Green Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m., before stopping by Cambridge for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Crimson Saturday, Feb. 28.
