NEW YORK – The Columbia women's basketball team hits the midway point of the Ivy League season with its first road trip in four weeks this Friday and Saturday at Yale and Brown. The action begins Friday with a 6 p.m. tip at Yale and concludes Saturday with a 7 p.m. showdown in Providence. Both games will be available on ESPN+. Saturday's game against Brown will also be available on NESNplus.

OPENING TIPS
• Columbia has played each of its last five Ivy League games at home and is coming off a weekend that consisted of a 75-65 victory over Harvard before ending with a narrow 70-69 defeat to Dartmouth. The Lions jumped ahead 22-2 in the first quarter against the Crimson and held on in the fourth quarter by hitting each of their final 12 free throw attempts. Saturday, Columbia led Dartmouth throughout the first three quarters before playing a back-and-forth fourth quarter that resulted in a one-point defeat in the final seconds.
 
• Junior Janiya Clemmons had a career weekend against Harvard and Dartmouth where she recorded career-highs in scoring (23), field goals (8), field goal percentage (8-11), free throws (7), free throw attempts (10), rebounds (12), steals (3) and minutes (38). She recorded her first collegiate double-double against Harvard (21-12) before besting her career-high in scoring the next day against Dartmouth.
 
• Sophomore Riley Casey is on a career-long, nine-game double-figure scoring streak in which she is averaging 18.2 points per game. She has scored at least 20 points four times over those nine games.
 
• First-year Sienna Durr was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the fourth time on Monday. She averaged 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds last weekend, including a 22-point, 10-rebound performance in the 75-65 victory over Harvard. Columbia has six combined Rookie of the Week selections this season.
 
• First-year Lilian Kennedy is averaging 7.9 rebounds over her last eight games.
 
• Columbia's first-year class has provided 52 percent of the team's scoring, 54 percent of its rebounds and 62 percent of its assists this season.
 
• First-year Mikayla Markham has 100 total assists this season and is currently 11 away from cracking the single-season top 10. The single-season assists record of 148 is held by head coach Megan Griffith (2005-06).
 
• Markham averages an Ivy League-best 5.6 assists per game, which ranks third among NCAA freshman.
 
• First-year Madison Hardy ranks No. 2 in the Ivy League in 3-point field goal percentage (.375) and sophomore Riley Casey ranks third (.370). Columbia is the only team in the Ivy League with two players among the league's top five in 3-point shooting.
 
• First-year Sienna Durr leads the Lions in scoring (14.6) and rebounding (6.2).
 
• Durr and junior Janiya Clemmons rank No. 2 and No. 3 in the Ivy League in field goal percentage. Columbia is the only team in the league with two individuals in the top five.
 
• Clemmons is third on the team in scoring (11.7), second in rebounding (5.9) and second in assists (2.2). She has been named to the Ivy League Weekly Honor Roll a team-best eight times.
 
• Riley Casey's five 3-pointers against Harvard marked the second time this season she has made at least five in a game and the fourth such occasion this season by a Lion.
 
• Two Lions had a double-double against Harvard (Clemmons 21-12, Durr 22-10), marking the first time since Jan. 27, 2017 when Camille Zimmerman (37-19) and Devon Roeper (18-11) did so in a 4OT win at Dartmouth.
 
• Columbia is 6-3 when shooting for a higher percentage than its opponent compared to 0-10 when it doesn't.
 
• Columbia's win over Harvard was just its fourth since becoming a Div. I program (1986-87).
 
• Columbia's win over Harvard was its first when shooting less than 40 percent from the field since Dec. 11, 2017 in a 75-53 win over Hofstra.
 
• Three Lions scored 20 points against Harvard, marking the first such occasion in over 13 years. It was the first time three Lions scored at least 15 since Jan. 28, 2017 at Harvard.
 
• Columbia went 24-27 at the foul line against Harvard (.889), marking its highest free throw percentage (min. 20 made) since Nov. 19, 2016 at St. Francis (23-25).
 
• Columbia registered 50 rebounds against Harvard, marking its first 50+ rebound game since Feb. 4, 2017 at Brown (51).
 
• Harvard's 28.3 percent shooting was the worst by a Columbia opponent since Jan. 3, 2017 when Hampton shot 28.2% in a 60-58 victory over the Lions.

SCOUTING YALE
• Yale (14-7, 4-2 Ivy) sits in second place in the Ivy League standings after a weekend that saw them earn a thrilling, 96-86, victory on the road over defending champion Princeton. They then had their four-game Ivy League winning streak snapped with a six-point loss at Penn on Saturday. Yale's win at Jadwin Gymnasium was its first in 10 years while the 96 points they scored was a school record. The Bulldogs are led by junior guard Roxy Barahman, who is averaging an Ivy League-best 19.6 points per game and scored 33 in Friday's win over the Tigers. Yale also has two of the league's best rebounders in first-year Camilla Emsbo (8.7) and junior Megan Gorman (8.0). Emsbo also averages double-figures scoring at 11.6 points per game. The Bulldogs rank 21st nationally in rebounds per game (42.90) and No. 32 in field goal percentage defense (.360).
 
SCOUTING BROWN
• Brown (9-13, 1-5 Ivy) hopes to snap its five-game losing streak this weekend when it welcomes Cornell and Columbia to Providence. The Bears are currently tied for last in the Ivy League with Cornell and each of their last four losses have come by at least 17 points. Brown is all about offense, pacing the Ancient Eight at 73.2 points per game while ranking last in points allowed at 77.5. Despite all the points they score, Brown shoots just 39.6 percent, which is seventh in the league, while allowing opponents to shoot 41.9 percent, a league worst. Brown's defensive presence is felt in the turnover department, coming up with a league-best 10.0 steals per game and boasting a +1.64 turnover margin. Junior Justine Gaziano and senior Shayna Mehta average 18.5 and 17.5 points, respectively, which ranks them No. 2 and No. 3 in the conference.
 
HISTORIC WIN OVER HARVARD
• Columbia came away with a historic 75-65 victory over Harvard last Friday. The Lions raced out to a 22-2 first-quarter lead that saw them score 22 unanswered points. It marked Columbia's best first quarter against an opponent since going ahead of Central Penn 28-2 in a 102-18 victory on Jan. 3, 2016. Harvard took 92 shots in the game to Columbia's 57, tying the Ivy League record for field goal attempts in an Ivy League game that Columbia held against Harvard on Jan. 13, 1990. Harvard was also 10-of-45 from 3-point range, breaking the Ivy League record for 3-point field goal attempts previously held by Brown (41) against Cal from 2017. The win was just Columbia's fourth against the Crimson since becoming a Div. I program in 1986-87 and the second for the Lions at home against Harvard in the last five years. The win also saw three Lions score 20-plus points for the first time in over 13 years (Casey 23, Durr 22, Clemmons 21).
 
NCAA FRESHMEN LEADERS
• Columbia's first-year class is holding its own among NCAA freshmen. Point guard Mikayla Markham averages 5.6 assists per game, which is the third-best mark among freshmen and 23rd in the NCAA overall. Markham also carries a 2.33 assist/turnover ratio, which is the second-best mark among freshmen and 34th in the country overall. Forward Sienna Durr is No. 3 among freshmen in field goal percentage (.491), which is a mark that ranks among the NCAA's top 100.
 
INSIDE COLUMBIA BASKETBALL PODCAST
Columbia Athletics debuted a brand new podcast featuring 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 new 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
• The Ivy League men's and women's basketball tournaments have a new home this season. After the first two years of the tournaments were held at the Palestra in Philadelphia, this year's tournaments will be hosted by Yale at Payne Whitney Gymnasium. The top four men's and women's teams will earn berths to the tournament with the semifinals on Saturday, March 16, and the championships on Sunday, March 17. All six games will be broadcast live on ESPN's networks. For tickets and more information please visit IvyMadness.com.