NEW YORK – A 15-0 second-half run helped No. 21/17 Princeton escape New York City with a win, defeating the Columbia women's basketball team, 77-52, Friday night at Jonathan D. Schiller Court inside Levien Gymnasium.
The loss snapped Columbia's six-game winning streak and moved the Lions to 17-9 overall with an 8-5 mark in Ivy League play. Meanwhile, the nationally ranked Tigers (25-1, 13-0 Ivy) won their 21st consecutive game and remained unbeaten in the league.
Princeton outscored Columbia 38-16 in the paint, totaled 16 second-chance points off 16 offensive rebounds and outscored the Lions 25-7 off turnovers. The Lions held Bella Alarie to just six points despite the senior's 11 rebounds, but junior Carlie Littlefield led all scorers with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting.
"I told our team this week that the future is playing the past of the league. We need to have that approach, that we are the future of the league," Columbia head coach Megan Griffith said. "I believe that whole-heartedly. There are going to be a lot changes but we still have to stay locked into the present and execute. That was a big part of what did not go well for us tonight. Conversely, I thought we were very solid to start the game. I thought we had a great defensive game plan that we just did not execute well in the second half. We just had too many turnovers."
Columbia has already clinched a spot in next week's Ivy League Tournament presented by TIAA. The Lions host Penn Saturday night for their final regular season contest. A win over the Quakers would give Columbia the No. 2 seed in Cambridge.
Friday night's game marked the inaugural Pride Night put on by Columbia Athletics, the Office of Multicultural Affiars and University Life. The event celebrated the University's LGBTQ community.
Playing without two key contributors in Sienna Durr and Mikayla Markham, Columbia was led by first-year Abbey Hsu's 12 points and seven rebounds. The five-time Ivy League rookie of the week also chipped in a pair of assists. Senior Janiya Clemmons finished with 10 points, four boards and a pair of steals.
Princeton opened up a competitive game late in the third quarter. After trailing by just nine, 31-22, at halftime, Columbia cut its deficit to five points with 7:50 left when Kaitlyn Davis sparked the Lions with a 3-pointer before grabbing a defensive rebound and going coast-to-cost, where she converted a layup and was fouled to cut Princeton's lead to 36-31.
Princeton quickly pushed the lead back to 10 points in a matter of 60 seconds. The Lions fought hard to keep it close and were within nine after two Janiya Clemmons free throws at the 1:55 mark, but a 15-0 Tigers run ensued over the next 3:27 that put them up 63-39 with 8:28 left in the ball game.
Columbia had a solid defensive game plan that put the Tigers on their heels in the first half. Columbia limited them to just 5-of-19 shooting to trail just 14-10 after 10 minutes. Princeton's 16-7 advantage on the glass and 8-0 advantage in second-chance points was the only reason it remained in front.
The energetic crowd at Levien Gymnasium for Pride Night seemed to fuel the Lions in the second quarter. Princeton's NCAA-leading scoring defense kept Columbia at an arm's reach but the Lions found ways to break through and remain close. Abbey Hsu ignited the crowd with a trey in the final 30 seconds of the half to keep the margin single digits.
Columbia's regular season finale is in less than 24 hours, hosting Penn (19-7, 9-4 Ivy) at 5 p.m. The contest marks Senior Night for Janiya Clemmons and will also be part of Barnard Night at Levien Gymnasium.
