NEW YORK – The Columbia women's basketball team recovered from a slow start defensively to get past LIU, 65-55, Monday night in non-conference action from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium.
 
The win improved Columbia to 9-3 on the year as the team breaks for finals. The Lions were led by Kaitlyn Davis and Kitty Henderson, who scored a game-high 15 points apiece. Davis added a game-high 12 rebounds to notch her fourth double-double of the season. Meanwhile, Abbey Hsu and Sienna Durr chipped in with 11 points each.
 
"What happened in the first quarter was obviously not the game plan," Columbia head coach Megan Griffith said. "But I was really happy to see us execute better defensively in the second quarter and throughout the rest of the game. We switched up on ball screens, made sure we communicated early, got in the gaps for drivers and wrapped up. Those things won us the game."
 
LIU (0-10) opened the game 6-for-9 from the field and raced out to a 15-4 lead. An early timeout helped settle things down for the Lions, who closed the gap to five by the end of the quarter. Davis and Henderson combined for 15 of the team's 20 points.
 
Columbia locked in defensively and held the Sharks to just nine points over a 10-minute span between the first and second periods. Sienna Durr's triple at the 5:02 mark put the Lions ahead for the first time, 29-27.
 
Both teams were shooting 50 percent from the field in a tie game at the half. The Lions were also hitting at that clip from the perimeter with the help of Hsu, who was 2-for-3 from the outside through the opening 20 minutes.
 
LIU managed just seven points on 3-of-13 shooting as Columbia's defense toughened up even more in the third period. Hsu hit a triple at the buzzer to send the Lions into the fourth leading by nine.

🐈🐈🐈 Another AND-1 for Kitty! She's had a few of these tonight and is up 15 points.

💻 https://t.co/HeI8uOwv9R
📊 https://t.co/wnwkMttzKJ#RoarLionRoar pic.twitter.com/cSHnMMOz4H

— Columbia Women's Basketball (@CULionsWBB) December 13, 2021

A driving layup by Davis a couple minutes into the fourth quarter gave Columbia its first double-digit lead of the game. LIU chipped away to pull back within six, but Columbia didn't let it get away. A couple of fast-break opportunities for Jaida Patrick combined with another three by Durr put the game out of reach.
 
Columbia has 15 days before it competes again, hosting Hofstra at Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium on Tuesday, December 28. Tip-off is set for 5 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.