EASTON, Pa. – Kaitlyn Davis scored 15 of her game-high 17 points in the second half to push the Columbia women's basketball team past Lafayette College, 72-59, Thursday night at the Kirby Sports Center.
The victory moves Columbia to 4-0, marking the first time it has started the year with four straight wins since 2002. The team's last three wins have all come on the road.
Despite taking a 33-12 lead early in the second quarter, it wasn't easy for the Lions. Lafayette (0-3), which was playing its home opener after falling at Pitt and Duquesne last weekend, fought back to close within six late in the third quarter. Columbia remained on top by single digits, 57-48, heading to the fourth.
The experienced Lions pulled through, yet again, in the fourth, scoring the first six points to extend their advantage to 15 and leading by double figures the rest of the way.
"A lot of credit to our players for having grit down the road," said Griffith, who took home her 50th career coaching win with Columbia. "It was not a pretty game -- we came out shooting hot and then cooled off a little bit, and then settled in too much to how they wanted to play … I'm just proud of our girls for gritting it out."
Davis was big for the Lions in the second half. She opened the frame with a highlight-worthy coast-to-coast drive and scored five of the team's first eight points. After the Leopards pulled within six, the 6-footer out of Norwalk, Connecticut answered with a crucial and-1 opportunity that helped settle the Lions back down.
"I know we were coming off a hot win at Clemson, but our team, no matter the challenges, is going to step up," said Davis, who pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and filled the stat sheet with two assists, four steals and a block. "Things didn't always go our way but we kept fighting and got the W."
Davis wasn't done yet. After junior transfer Jaida Patrick scored five consecutive points in the fourth quarter to put the Lions ahead by 15, Davis banked home a three from the top of the arc to drive the first nail into Lafayette's coffin.
Sophomore Abbey Hsu and junior Hannah Pratt also reached double figures scoring for the Lions. Hsu drained a triple just six seconds into the night and was 4-of-9 from the perimeter on her way to 14 points. Pratt had 13 off the bench and hit 2-of-3 from downtown to go with an old-fashioned 3-point play early in the second quarter. At that moment, Pratt had accounted for nine of the Lions' last dozen points.
A 26-5 scoring run between the first and second quarters is what gave Columbia its 33-12 cushion. Pratt and Henderson knocked down two threes within 15 seconds of one another as part of the run to make it a 24-10 game at the end of the first.
Turnovers were a huge advantage for the Lions all night. Columbia came up with 17 steals to force Lafayette into 28 total miscues, which resulted in a 30-4 advantage in points off turnovers. The Lions only committed a season-low 11.
Columbia heads to the nation's capital this weekend for a Sunday matinee against Georgetown. Tip from McDonough Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
For the latest on the Columbia women's basketball, follow @CULionsWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, or on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
