NEW YORK — Princeton junior Bella Alarie set an Ivy League women's basketball scoring record with 45 points as Columbia put up a fight against the defending league champions all night before ultimately falling, 79-64, Friday evening at Levien Gymnasium.
Despite Alarie's performance, Columbia (5-11, 1-2 Ivy) was within five at halftime and cut the lead all the way to one, 46-45, after a 3-pointer by sophomore Riley Casey four minutes into the third quarter. Princeton (9-8, 1-1 Ivy) answered with the next four points before going on to complete an 11-2 run up by 10. Alarie scored seven straight Tiger points during the run on her way to 19 in the quarter. The Tigers led by double figures the rest of the way.
"I think the main thing was that we started to play young and we weren't thinking in critical moments," Columbia head coach Megan Griffith stated in her postgame interview. "We let them get into the things they wanted to do, easy touches for Alarie, and we were playing passive because we were in foul trouble every quarter. For me, it's hard when we're trying to set a tone and we don't establish it early enough to get into our rhythm."
Alarie caused problems for the Lions all night, finishing 20-for-28 from the field with 14 rebounds and four blocks. She and sophomore Carlie Littlefield combined for 30 of Princeton's 38 points at the half before Alarie scored 27 herself in the second half.
Casey led the Lions offensively, scoring 22 points on 6-of-15 shooting with a 4-for-7 mark from 3-point range. It marked the sophomore guard's sixth straight game in double figures and third 20-point game in her last five outings. Junior Janiya Clemmons knocked down 7-of-12 from the floor on the way to her second straight 16-point game. First-year Sienna Durr rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
The Lions were outrebounded by 16 as Princeton gathered 12 offensive rebounds to finish the night with a 16-5 advantage in second-chance points. The Tigers' size advantage also resulted in a 50-24 advantage in the paint.
Columbia fought its way back from two separate 10-point deficits in the first half. Princeton used an 11-2 run to go up 20-10 with 2:48 left in the opening quarter but back-to-back buckets by Casey and sophomore Imani Whittington helped the Lions climb right back in it. A 3-pointer by Casey to begin the second quarter made it a one-possession game.
Princeton rebuilt the lead to 10 with 2:05 to go in the half but were held scoreless over those final two minutes. A jumper by Clemmons trimmed the deficit back to single digits and a 3-ball by Casey with 44 seconds left made it a five-point game at the break.
Columbia outshot Princeton in the first half, 42 percent to 39 percent, and outscored the Tigers, 15-14, in the second quarter. A 3-point play by Durr sparked the Lions to begin the second half. Columbia later connected on 4-of-5 attempts from the floor to get within a point before Alarie carried the Tigers to their first Ivy League victory of the season.
Columbia completes its weekend slate Saturday against Penn. The Quakers play at Cornell Friday night before making the trip down to New York, Tip from Levien Gymnasium is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The game will be available on ESPN+.
POST-GAME NOTES
- Riley Casey recorded her sixth consecutive game in double figures and is averaging 20.8 points since the start of 2019.
- Sienna Durr recorded her 12 double-figure scoring game of the year. Janiya Clemmons recorded her eighth.
- Bella Alarie's 45 points were an Ivy League women's basketball record, as well as a Levien Gymnasium record for both men's and women's basketball.
- Princeton won its 21st consecutive series matchup against the Lions dating back to 2008.
