NEW YORK – Columbia (9-4, 0-0 Ivy) begins its 34th season of Ivy League basketball on Saturday when it hosts Cornell (7-5, 0-0 Ivy) for a 3 p.m. tip inside Levien Gymnasium.
 
The game is the first of a doubleheader with the men's program, who will also face the Big Red at 7 p.m. A Community Day Festival will follow the women's game in the Blue Gym of the Dodge Fitness Center for ticket holders of either contest.

Lance Medow and Amy Lawrence will have the call of Saturday's game live on ESPN+. Fans can find live stats by visiting GoColumbiaLions.com, or keep up with the action on Twitter by following @CULionsWBB.
 
 
OPENING TIPS
• Columbia begins its 34th season of Ivy League basketball on Saturday when it welcomes Cornell to Levien Gymnasium for a 3 p.m. tip.
 
• The Lions have won eight of their last nine and wrapped up the non-conference season at 9-4. Their nine non-conference victories tie for the third-most in program history and marks the third time in the last five years they've won at least nine games heading into Ivy League play.
 
• Columbia has won its last six in a row at home. Over that stretch, they are averaging 72.8 points and holding opponents to 49.5 points per game, which includes a 77-48 victory over Mercer in the team's last outing on Jan. 4. Columbia has also outrebounded opponents by an average margin of +10.2 over that span and held opponents to 18.9 percent shooing from 3-point range. The opposition has been held to fewer than 50 points four times.
 
• Sophomore Mikayla Markham is coming off a career-high 16 points in the victory over Mercer two weeks ago. She shot 5-of-6 from 3-point land in the effort, had six assists and also tied a career-high with four steals. She ranks third in the Ivy League in assists with 54 total and 4.2 per game.
 
• Columbia is 9-24 all-time in Ivy League openers and will be looking to win for the first time since 2014.


QUICK NOTES
• Hannah Pratt has blocked a shot in 12 consecutive games and ranks No. 4 in the Ivy League with 16 blocks.
• Sienna Durr had a career-high five assists against Mercer (Jan. 4).
• Lilian Kennedy had a season-high 12 points and eight rebounds in the victory over the Bears.
• Columbia ranks seventh nationally in 3-point defense (.247), 53rd in blocks (4.5) and top 50 in rebounds (41.69).
• Hsu, Durr, Clemmons, Pratt and Davis all rank in the top 25 in the Ivy League in scoring.
• Davis, Pratt, Spiller and Durr are all top 20 in the league in blocks per game.
• Janiya Clemmons is top 5 in the Ivy League in steals (1.9); Abbey Hsu is top 10 (1.8)
• Columbia has shot better than its opponent in 10 of its 13 games.
• Columbia is 9-0 when holding the opponents to fewer than 70 points and 0-4 when opponents score more.
• Columbia is 8-1 in day games and 6-1 on the weekend.

 
SIX-PACK OF WINS
• The Lions put together a six-game winning streak that spanned Nov. 17 - Dec. 21. It began with a 61-59 victory over reigning NEC champion Robert Morris and was the longest winning streak since they rolled off seven straight during the 2016-17 non-conference season.
 
• Over the course of its winning streak, Columbia held opponents to 53.2 points per game, 33.6 percent shooting and 20.2 percent from 3-point range. They held opponents to fewer than 50 points three times and boasted a +17.1 scoring margin. Four of the six wins have came when trailing in the fourth quarter.
 
 
BALANCED EFFORT
• Columbia is the only team in the Ivy League that:
   • Has five players rank inside the top 25 in scoring (Durr, Hsu, Davis, Clemmons, Pratt)
   • Has four players rank inside the top 20 in blocks (Spiller, Pratt, Davis, Durr)
 
 
SCOUTING CORNELL
• After defeating ETSU, 71-43, in its last outing on Jan. 4, 2020, Cornell enters Saturday's contest with a 7-5 overall record, marking its seventh winning non-conference record in the last eight seasons. Laura Bagwell-Katalinich (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Samantha Widmann (15 points, 17 rebounds) both recorded double-doubles in the victory, marking the first time that two Cornell players notched a double-double in the same game since 2016. Cornell will be tough on the glass and enters the game ranking No. 3 in the NCAA in rebounding margin (+14.3), as well as No. 25 in scoring defense (55.5) and No. 27 in rebounds (42.8).
 
 
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.