Friday, February 23 | 6:00 p.m.
Pizzitola Center | Providence, R.I.
Columbia (7-18, 1-9)
Brown (14-9, 2-8)
Saturday, February 24 | 5:00 p.m.
Lee Amphitheater | New Haven, Conn.
Columbia (7-18, 1-9)
Yale (13-10, 6-4)
NEW YORK – The Columbia women's basketball team makes its final road trip of the season for a Friday-Saturday back-to-back at Brown and Yale. Friday night's game in Providence tips at 6 p.m. and will air on both ESPN3 and the Ivy League Network. Saturday's tip at Yale is at 5 p.m. on the Ivy League Network. Fans can access the Columbia radio call for free.
OPENING TIPS
• Senior Camille Zimmerman leads the Ivy League in points per game (19.5), total points (488), field goals made (174), free throws made (126), free throw percentage (.881), rebounds per game (9.7), total rebounds (242) and double-doubles (13). Nationally, she ranks 16th in free throw percentage and 25th in double-doubles.
• Zimmerman enters the weekend with 1,896 career points, which is sixth in Ivy League women's basketball history. She is 37 points behind Gail Koziara (Dartmouth, 1978-82) for fifth. Zimmerman also ranks among the top-10 in Ivy League history in career scoring average (17.4), field goals made (698) & field goal attempts (1,636).
• Three first-years have worked their way into Columbia's starting lineup. Riley Casey leads the bunch with 10.1 points per game, which ranks second among Ivy League rookies. Casey and first-year Madison Pack have been mainstays the majority of the season, while Imani Whittington has started each of the last three games.
• Columbia hopes to snap a six-game losing streak and earn season series splits against Brown and Yale. The Bears took a high-scoring affair two weeks ago in New York, 84-80, in which Zimmerman went for 22 points and a career-high 24 rebounds. Yale defeated Columbia decisively that weekend, 73-50, behind senior Jen Berkowitz's game-high 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Last season, the Lions won in New Haven, 72-68. • Zimmerman is two blocks from becoming the fifth Lion in program history to record 100 in a career.
• Zimmerman leads the Lions in points (19.5), rebounds (9.7), assists (3.3), steals (1.0) and blocks (0.7). Last season, she was the only player in the country to lead her team in all five categories.
• Zimmerman is second on Columbia's all-time rebounding list, entering the weekend with 887 in her career. The program record is 937, set by Kathy Gilbert White '91CC.
• Columbia has been outrebounded in 17 of its 18 losses. The Lions outrebounded Brown, 43-41, but suffered their first loss of the season when grabbing more boards.
• Columbia has been held to 60 points or less in 12 of its 18 losses. Conversely, the Lions average 73.6 points in their victories and have never been held to fewer than 60 points.
• Columbia is coming off its two worst shooting games of the season, behind held to less than 30-percent from the floor against both Penn and Princeton.
• Zimmerman and senior Paige Tippet have played in all 109 games of their Columbia careers. Zimmerman became the third player in program history to make 100 career starts at Penn (Jan. 13). The only game Zimmerman did not start was on Senior Night of her rookie season. Zimmerman will tie Tori Oliver (2013-17) for the most starts in program history with two this weekend.
SCOUTING BROWN
• Brown (14-9, 2-8) won 10 consecutive games during the non-conference season on its way to a 12-1 non-conference record. The winning streak (Nov. 24 - Jan. 5) was the second-longest in program history, behind only a program-best 13-game streak during the 1992-93 season. Even with all the non-conference success, Brown is now 2-8 in the Ivy League, earning its first win at home against Yale in overtime, 81-71. They defeated Columbia two weeks ago in New York, 84-80, for their only other win. The Bears were swept at home last weekend by Harvard and Dartmouth. Brown likes to get up and down the court quickly and simply outshoot their opponents, averaging an Ivy League-best 77.1 points per game. They have had significantly less offensive success against Ivy League opponents, averaging just 70.5 points. Junior Shayna Mehta is the second-leading scorer in the Ivy League (18.2/game), shooting 40.9 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from long range.
SCOUTING YALE
• Yale (13-10, 6-4) holds the most impressive win of the Ivy League season as the only team to defeat Princeton, doing so by a score of 73-59 in the first week of February. The Bulldogs are currently fighting for a spot in the Ivy League Tournament and enter the weekend in a three-way tie for third with Dartmouth and Harvard. Yale tries to create turnovers, ranking atop the Ivy League and 25th nationally with 10.7 steals per game. Columbia only allowed the Bulldogs three steals in their first meeting, but senior Jen Berkowitz scored 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting to lead them to a 23-point victory. Berkowitz heads the team with 15.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 20 total blocks on the campaign. Senior Tamara Simpson is the turnover catalyst, ranking No. 3 nationally with 102 total steals and 4.64 steals per game.
PLAY4KAY FREE THROW CHALLENGE
• Columbia is participating in the Play4Kay Free Throw Challenge. For every free throw the Lions hit during the month of February, fans can pledge a dollar amount that will directly benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. One-time flat donations are also accepted. So far, the Lions have hit 51 free throws during the month at $7.33 per free throw for a total of $373.83. To join Columbia in the Play4Kay Free Throw Challenge, please visit https://pledgeit.org/columbia-women-s-basketball/.
20-20 VISION
• Senior Camille Zimmerman went for 22 points and a career-high 24 rebounds last time against Brown. It marked the first 20-20 game by an Ivy League player since Michelle Nwokedi had 21 points and 20 rebounds at Richmond last season, Dec. 10, 2016. It marked the first such game by a Lion since Hall of Famer Judie Lomax '10BC went for 20 points and a program-record 27 rebounds in her final game, March 6, 2010, which also came against Brown. There have been 20 20-20 games in NCAA Div. I this season to date.
CASHING IN AT THE STRIPE
• Columbia is one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the country, ranking No. 12 in the NCAA in free throw percentage (.768). Senior Camille Zimmerman leads the Ivy League and ranks 16th nationally at 88.1 percent. Zimmerman has made 126 free throws on 143 attempts, both of which also lead the Ivy League. Senior Paige Tippet, junior Abby Lee, and first-years Riley Casey and Madison Pack are all hitting at least 75 percent from the charity stripe.
KATRINA McCLAIN FINALIST
• Senior Camille Zimmerman was named a finalist for the 2018 Katrina McClain Award, presented by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) to recognize the nation's best power forward. The committee announced its 10 finalists on Thursday, Feb. 1. In the preseason, Zimmerman was one of 20 named to the Katrina McClain Award Watch List. The 10 finalists for the Katrina McClain Award also include Lauren Cox (Baylor), Kristine Anigwe (Cal), Napheesa Collier (UConn), Caliya Robinson (Georgia), Myisha Hines-Allen (Louisville), Stephanie Mavunga (Ohio State), Ruthy Hebard (Oregon), Bella Alarie (Princeton) and Maria Jesperson (South Florida). The list will narrow down to five in March.
30-POINT NIGHT
• Senior Camille Zimmerman had 31 points and 11 rebounds at Harvard (Feb. 2) to mark her fourth career 30-point game. Her 31 points tie for the most in a regulation game in her career. She scored a career-high 37 points in a quadruple overtime victory (Jan. 27, 2017) at Dartmouth.
20-POINT PAIR
• Senior Camille Zimmerman and first-year Riley Casey each scored 20 points at Dartmouth (Feb. 3). Casey scored a career-high 21 on 7-of-15 shooting, including 19 second-half points as the Lions tried to forge a comeback. Zimmerman put together her 14th 20-point game of the year on 8-of-12 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. It marked the first time two Lions scored 20 points in the last 45 games, when Tori Oliver (23) and Camille Zimmerman (20) did so in a victory over Saint Francis (PA) on Nov. 22, 2016.
PICKING A FIGHT
• Columbia has shown it's not afraid to play anybody, as evidenced by the strong opponents on this year's schedule. Columbia has faced five teams in the RPI top-50, which includes Mississippi State (3), Buffalo (14), Green Bay (16), Princeton (35) and Arizona State (41). Houston ranks 57th. According to the Jeff Sagarin ratings, Columbia's strength of schedule ranks 91st nationally, which is the toughest in the Ivy League.
