ITHACA, N.Y. — The Columbia women's basketball team put together a 15-0 fourth-quarter run to take its first lead of the game but Cornell held the Lions to one point over the final five minutes to hang on, 60-51, early Saturday afternoon at Newman Arena. The game was the Ivy League opener for both teams.
After trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half and 13 early in the fourth quarter, Columbia (4-10, 0-1 Ivy) came to life in the blink of an eye. First-year Mikayla Markham hit the first of three straight Columbia 3-pointers that ended with back-to-back triples by sophomore Riley Casey to narrow the gap to one. Markham followed with two more buckets over the next two minutes to close the run and give the Lions their first lead of the game, 50-47, with 5:23 remaining.
Cornell (7-5, 1-0 Ivy) locked down on defense the rest of the way to earn the victory. The Big Red allowed just one point on a free throw by first-year Lilian Kennedy and outscored the Lions 13-1 over the final five-plus minutes to start the league season with a win.
"The first half was frustrating because we did not play Columbia basketball," head coach Megan Griffith said. "It took us two quarters to get back to what we do well and that wasn't enough. We have to be more dialed in to our game plan and turn this around quickly for next weekend."
Casey led the Lions with 16 points but finished the game shooting 4-for-15 from deep as she tried to pull her team back in the final minutes. First-year Madison Hardy scored 15 points on an impressive 5-for-7 showing from beyond the arc, including back-to-back triples to make it a six-point game midway through the third quarter. First-year point guard Mikayla Markham added a career-high 13 points and tied her career-high of 10 assists to register her first collegiate double-double.
"It's very impressive that she's had two 10-assist games this season as a rookie," Griffith added. "She was a positive for us today."
Laura Bagwell-Katalinich was the story for Cornell. The junior scored 10 of the Big Red's first 12 points and started the morning 5-for-5 on her way to a game-high 21 points. Samantha Widmann registered a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Cornell outrebounded the Lions, 50-33, en route to a 20-7 advantage in second chance points. The Big Red's size advantage also showed in the paint where they outscored Columbia, 32-8.
Bagwell-Katalinich carried the Big Red through the first quarter. The junior scored the first two buckets of the game and hit her fifth shot in a row to put Cornell ahead early, 12-3. Casey's 3-pointer at the 6:49 mark represented Columbia's only points until Hardy hit off a baseline in-bounds pass from Markham to get the Lions within six. Hardy hit again with 11 seconds left in the quarter to make it a five-point game.
Cornell's size advantage became evident in the second quarter. The Big Red scored the first 11 points to build their largest lead of the half, 25-9. The Lions called for time after Bagwell-Katalinich ended the run with the Big Red holding a 22-8 advantage on the glass. Triples by Casey and Hardy brought the margin back to 13 by halftime.
The Lions got off to a much better start in the second half, hitting three of their first four shots which forced Cornell head coach Dayna Smith to pause the game at 34-24. Hardy kept the momentum going by drilling consecutive threes to make it a six-point game. Theresa Grace Mbanefo responded with the next four points for the Big Red to help them regain a double-digit lead entering the fourth quarter.
Hailey Miklos scored to start the final period for Cornell but Columbia put together one of its best runs of the season to get back in the game. First-year Lilian Kennedy got it started down low and in a matter of 60 seconds Markham and Casey combined for three straight threes to chop the margin to a single point. Markham polished off the 15-0 surge with two jumpers to send the Lions ahead for the first time.
Columbia held that lead until Caitlyn Smith sank a 3-pointer from the right wing with just under three minutes to play. The Lions had looks to stay in the game but missed their final 10 shots from the field.
Columbia will have an opportunity to avenge the loss next Saturday when Cornell makes the return trip to Levien Gymnasium. Tip is slated for 4 p.m. with the game airing live on SportsNet New York (SNY).
POST-GAME NOTES
- Mikayla Markham's 10-assist game was her second of the season. Prior to this year, the last Lion to have 10 assists in a game was Danielle Browne, who scored 10 points with 11 assists against Brown in 2009. That game also marked the last time a Lion went for a double-double with points and assists.
- Markham extended her streak of five-assist games to nine and registered her first two collegiate blocks.
- Madison Hardy's 15 points marked her sixth double-figure scoring game, all of which have come off the bench.
- First-years Sydney Brown, Sienna Durr, Madison Hardy, Lilian Kennedy and Mikayla Markham all made their Ivy League debuts.
- Saturday's tip was moved up to 11 a.m. due to travel concerns because of a winter storm affecting the Northeast.
- Cornell improved to 41-25 in the series since Columbia went Div. I in 1986.
