Columbia
Saint Francis (PA)
Oliver, Zimmerman Lead Women's Basketball over Saint Francis
11/19/2016 9:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
| Score by Quarter | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
| Columbia | 16 | 20 | 29 | 19 | 84 |
| Saint Francis | 21 | 25 | 13 | 18 | 77 |
| Stat Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Columbia | Saint Francis |
| FGM-A | 28-69 | 28-71 |
| FG% | 40.6% | 39.4% |
| 3FGM-A | 5-24 | 6-26 |
| 3FG% | 20.8% | 23.1% |
| FTM-A | 23-25 | 15-16 |
| FT% | 92.0% | 93.8% |
| Rebounds | 51 | 32 |
| Assists | 15 | 8 |
| Turnovers | 27 | 19 |
| Blocks | 1 | 11 |
| Steals | 10 | 16 |
| Individual Leaders | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Columbia | Saint Francis |
| Points | Tori Oliver (23) | Ace Harrison (26) |
| Rebounds | Camille Zimmerman (17) | Ace Harrison (9) |
| Assists | Paulina Koerner (7) | Ace Harrison (4) |
| Steals | Emily Surloff (4) | Ace Harrison (8) |
| Blocks | Camille Zimmerman (1) | Courtney Zezza (6) |
LORETTO, Pa. — An 18-0 third-quarter run lifted the Columbia women's basketball team to an 84-77 victory over Saint Francis University Saturday afternoon at DeGol Arena.
Senior Tori Oliver and junior Camille Zimmerman each scored 20 points for the Lions. Oliver netted a season-high 23 on 7-of-11 shooting and was a perfect 9-for-9 at the foul line. Zimmerman scored 20 on 8-of-18 shooting and brought in a season-high 17 rebounds, helping Columbia (2-1) outrebound Saint Francis (1-2), 51-32.
SFU went into the half with a 46-36 lead and extended the margin to 12 just 55 seconds into the third quarter. The rest of the quarter belonged to Columbia, scoring 22 of the next 24 points over a span of 7:49, including 18 unanswered over a six-minute stretch. Baskets by Oliver and senior Devon Roeper got the run going. Roeper went on to tie the game at 53 halfway through the quarter and finished the night with a season-high 13 points The Lions scored eight more to cap the run ahead 61-53.
Columbia maintained the lead through the fourth with the help of two big 3-pointers from junior Alexa Giuliano. Both triples turned one-possession games back into two-possession games, the latter spurring a 7-0 run that put Columbia back ahead by nine with less than two minutes remaining.
“We knew each team was going to have their runs in this game, but the big thing was not to let that break us,” said head coach Megan Griffith. “We weathered the storm, stuck together and trusted one another.”
The Red Flash came into the night averaging 97 points through their first two games, which included a season-opening 103-100 victory at Wisconsin. The Lions held SFU's offense to season-lows in nearly every offensive category, including just six made 3-pointers – SFU made 15 from long range against Wisconsin and 14 on Tuesday at Marquette.
The Lions won the game with their plus-19 rebounding margin and by taking advantage of their opportunities at the foul line. Columbia hit 23-of-25 (92 pct.) at the stripe, making seven more free throws than SFU on nine more attempts. The Lions hit all 11 of their free throw attempts in the third quarter.
Sophomore Paulina Koerner scored 10 points to round out the four Lions in double figures. The point guard dished out a career-high seven assists and played a career-high 39 minutes.
For SFU, Ace Harrison scored a game-high 26 points and led the Red Flash with nine rebounds in their home opener. Katie Reese scored 19 and Jessica Kovatch had 12.
Columbia heads back to New York for its next game, traveling out to Long Island to face Stony Brook on Tuesday. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. from Island Federal Credit Union Arena.
Postgame Notes:
- Columbia improved to 2-0 all-time against Saint Francis. The Lions won the first meeting between the two teams last season, 82-78, in New York.
- Tori Oliver (23), Camille Zimmerman (20), Devon Roeper (13) and Paulina Koerner (10) scored in double figures. Oliver and Roeper marked season-highs.
- Camille Zimmerman grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds.
- Columbia hit season-highs in points (84), field goals made (28) and free throws made (23).
