WASHINGTON – Carly Rivera broke a tie game by draining three consecutive 3-point attempts in double overtime, as the Columbia women's basketball team defeated Georgetown, 66-56, Sunday afternoon at McDonough Arena.
The victory improves Columbia to 5-0 for the first time in program history. The Lions began playing under the Columbia name in 1984 after the creation of the Columbia-Barnard Athletics Consortium.
On a day where both teams had a hard time knocking down shots, Columbia and Georgetown (2-2) headed for overtime in a 42-all tie. Rivera scored her first points of the game on a trey in the first OT and Kaitlyn Davis hit 1 of 2 at the charity stripe with 24.7 seconds left to bring the game to double overtime.
And then Rivera took over. With a big group of supporters in the stands cheering her on, the nearby Arlington, Virginia native launched a trey to put Columbia back in front. The Hoyas answered on a layup, but Rivera proceeded to knock down two more threes on consecutive possessions to put her team in front, 62-55, as Georgetown called for time with only a minute remaining.
"My team really fueled me for that and kept telling me to shoot," said Rivera, who had a career-high 12 points to go with six rebounds, four assists and four steals. "Everybody was really excited and it felt really good to impact the game like that when we needed it … It was really awesome to come play in front of my family, my friends and people who have been watching me since I was a kid."
Two free throws by Hannah Pratt and a breakaway layup from Abbey Hsu in the final seconds capped off the victory. It was Columbia's fourth consecutive win against a BIG EAST opponent, all of which have come against Georgetown and Providence.
"Unreal. I will say this, Carly has got ice in her veins," Columbia head coach Megan Griffith said. "…The kid loves the moment. She is totally built for this and she's thinking ahead of even us. She's so locked in and she's been a great leader for us. I'm really proud of her."
Along with Rivera, sophomore Abbey Hsu scored in double figures with a game-high 18, knocking down five threes. Davis posted her second double-double of the season by going for 11 points and 10 rebounds, also tallying three assists.
Both teams ended the game under 40 percent shooting but Columbia put all that out of its mind in the overtimes. The Lions were 8-of-11 from the floor in the extra periods, including 5-of-8 from long range. Four of those threes belonged to Rivera.
"It wasn't the prettiest basketball game today," said Griffith. "Defensively, we were locked in and I'm really proud of them for gutting this one out. These are the ones that teach you a lot about yourself."
Georgetown was led by Milan Bolden-Morris' team-high 14 points. Four Hoyas ultimately scored in double figures, including Jillian Archer who went for 12 points and 11 boards.
Points off turnovers were a big advantage for the Lions. After outscoring Lafayette, 30-4, in that category on Thursday, Columbia played to a 23-11 advantage against Georgetown. The Lions had eight steals and forced the Hoyas into 22 total turnovers.
The Lions led just 8-4 after the first quarter and took a 22-14 advantage into the half. Neither team hit a three until Hsu buried one at the 4:41 mark of the second quarter. Columbia led by as many as 12 in the opening 20 minutes.
Georgetown started the second half on a 7-0 run to get within one and tied it for the first time at the 2:17 mark. Kelsey Ransom's bucket as time expired in the third quarter gave the home side its first lead of the game.
The lead change hands three times in the fourth. Back-to-back threes by Hsu and Jaida Patrick gave the Lions some breathing room, 36-31, but Georgetown tied things back up at 42 with 1:42 remaining in regulation.
That would be the score heading to overtime. After Rivera's heroics in the second extra session, Columbia ultimately led the game for more than 41 minutes but had to sweat it out to move to 5-0.
Having won four straight games on the road, the Lions finally return home Wednesday to host Stony Brook. Tip-off from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium is set for 1 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.
