Columbia Returns Saturday to Host NJIT

Saturday, December 21

New York, N.Y.

12:00 P.M.

Columbia University

NJIT

Tickets

Team Huddle Women's Basketball Education Day

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin

12/20/2019 3:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Tickets Watch on ESPN+Basketball Podcast Live Stats Game Notes

Streaking Lions look to make it six wins in a row

NEW YORK – After an 11-day layoff for finals, the Columbia women's basketball team (6-3) returns to action by hosting a Saturday matinee against NJIT (3-8). Tip from Levien Gymnasium is slated for noon.

Amy Lawrence and Doug Feinberg will have the call on ESPN+. Live stats are available through GoColumbiaLions.com.

OPENING TIPS
• Columbia returns from finals break and closes out a four-game homestand Saturday with a noon tip against NJIT. The Highlanders are making their first trip to Levien since 2016.

• The Lions enter Saturday on a five-game winning streak that began Nov. 17 with a 61-59 victory over reigning NEC champion Robert Morris. Columbia went on to defeat Army on the road before rolling off the first three of this homestand over Milwaukee, Georgetown and Davidson. The winning streak is the longest since the Lions rolled off seven straight during the 2016-17 non-conference season.

• Over the course of its winning streak, Columbia is holding opponents to 55.2 points per game. Four of the five wins have come when trailing in the fourth quarter, where the Lions are outscoring opponents 90-63 and outrebounding opponents 66-46.

• Janiya Clemmons was named Ivy League Player of the Week on Monday for her performance in the victory over Davidson (Dec. 9). The senior captain scored a season-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting while adding five rebounds, three assists and three steals. The selection was the first of her career.

• Columbia ranks among the NCAA's top 75 in blocks (4.2), top 60 in rebound margin (+6.7), top 40 in rebounds per game (43.44) and top 30 in 3-point defense (.253).

QUICK NOTES
• Columbia ranks No. 2 in the Ivies in rebounds (43.44), offensive rebounds (14.6) and 3-point defense (.253).
• The Lions have outrebounded their opponent six times in nine games.
• Sienna Durr (11.9) Abbey Hsu (11.0) and Janiya Clemmons (10.6) average double figures scoring.
• Mikayla Markham ranks No. 3 in the Ivy League with 41 assists and 4.6 assists per game.
• Kaitlyn Davis, Hannah Pratt and Kallin Spiller are all top 10 in the league in blocks per game.
• Janiya Clemmons ranks inside the top 10 in the league in steals (1.8)
• Columbia has shot better than its opponent in seven of its nine games.
• Columbia is 6-0 when holding the opponent to fewer than 70 points and 0-3 when the opponent scores more.
• Columbia is 5-0 in day games this season and 4-0 on the weekend.

WRAPPING UP GEORGETOWN
• Janiya Clemmons recorded her sixth career 20-point game.

• Columbia trailed by as many as nine in the second half, marking the third time over the five-game winning streak they've come back from seven points or more down in the second half.

• The Lions came up with a season-high 13 steals, their most in a game since 2016 against Central Penn (23).

• Davidson's Suzie-Rose Deegan was the first opposing player to score 20 points off the bench (21) since Penn's Princess Aghayere scored 21 on Feb. 10, 2017.

• Columbia earned its first win this year in a night game and first win when the opposing team shot over 40%.

TOTAL TEAM EFFORT
• Columbia is the only team in the Ivy League that:
   • Has five players rank inside the top 20 in scoring (Durr, Hsu, Davis, Clemmons, Pratt)
   • Has four players rank inside the top 15 in rebounding (Davis, Durr, Hsu, Clemmons)
   • Has four players rank inside the top 15 in blocks (Spiller, Pratt, Davis, Durr)

GETTING BIG
• Columbia has significantly improved in rebounding and blocked shots compared to this point last season. Through nine games, the Lions rank 31st in the NCAA in rebounds (43.44), top 6 in rebound margin (+6.7) and top 75 in blocks (4.2). Through nine games last season, the Lions ranked 201st in rebounds (37.56), 271st in rebound margin (-3.8) and 337th in blocked shots (1.2).

SCOUTING NJIT
• The Highlanders (3-8) return from a six-day break, coming off a six-point loss at Vermont on Dec. 14. NJIT took its first lead of the game, 57-56, in the fourth quarter, but the Catamounts used a 9-2 spurt over the final 2:30 to secure the 65-59 home win. Danielle Tunstall scored 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting for the Highlanders and is the team's leading scorer so far at 13.3 points per game. Freshman Kenna Squier is averaging 10.1. Tunstall also tops the team in rebounding (9.4), ranking No. 2 in the Atlantic Sun.

INSIDE COLUMBIA BASKETBALL PODCAST
• The Inside Columbia Basketball Podcast is back for second season. Columbia Athletics debuted the new podcast last season, which features weekly interviews with coaches and members of the men's and women's basketball programs. New episodes are available weekly on iTunes and SoundCloud.

THE IVY LEAGUE ON ESPN+
All home Columbia games and most Ivy League road contests will air on ESPN+ as part of The Ivy League's partnership with ESPN. ESPN+ is a new, subscription-based service that offers monthly ($4.99) and yearly ($49.99) plans. Click here to subscribe to ESPN+ and start your free trial! Click here for frequently asked questions about the Ivy League on ESPN.

#ROADTOIVYMADNESS
• This year's Ivy League Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments will be hosted by Harvard at Laveites Gymnasium. The top four men's and women's teams will earn berths to the tournament with the women's semifinals on Friday, March 13, and the championship on Saturday, March 14. All games will be broadcast live on ESPN's networks. For tickets and more information please visit IvyMadness.com.