Columbia Holds Off Delaware to Improve to 2-0

Thursday, November 10

Newark, Del.

7:00 p.m.

Columbia University

2-0,0-0Ivy League

Delaware

1-1,0-0CAA

Columbia

Delaware

Kitty Henderson had 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists in Thursday's win.

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Joshua Jones

11/10/2022 11:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Box Score Game Book Highlight: Pratt Gets Going Early Highlight: Tough Bucket by Davis

Pratt, Henderson lead Lions past reigning CAA champs

NEWARK, Del. – Hannah Pratt notched her first double-double of the season and the Columbia women's basketball team dominated the glass on its way to defeating Delaware, 64-56, Thursday night at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Columbia (2-0) took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter and quickly extended it to a dozen on back-to-back triples by Pratt. However, just when it seemed like the Lions were about to put their foot on the gas, they went cold, missing their next seven shots over a five-minute span as Delaware (1-1) clawed back. A 3-pointer by Jewel Smalls with 2:48 to play made it a 53-49 game.

The Lions needed something to turn the momentum and Kitty Henderson delivered. The sophomore Australian knocked down her third 3-ball of the night, which ignited a 7-0 run that put Columbia back up by 11 with less than a minute remaining.

That all but sealed it, as Pratt and Henderson combined for 31 points on 6-of-11 from the perimeter to take down the defending CAA champions.

"I thought both [Hannah and Kitty] played more solidly than everybody else tonight and were the most consistent players on the court," Columbia head coach Megan Griffith said. "I thought they had somewhat of a passive start and weren't as aggressive early, but they settled in and produced. For both of them to hit shots when we needed them was huge and their rebounding presence was huge. Kitty also had zero turnovers tonight and I was happy to see her finish strong."

Pratt turned in a game-high 16 points and 10 rebounds to produce her fifth career double-double. Kaitlyn Davis matched Pratt on the boards and Kitty Henderson turned in 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists. All told, the Lions outdid Delaware, 53-40, on the glass, including 20-8 on the offensive end. Those second chances were vital for the Lions, which got off 71 looks on a night where they shot just 31 percent.

"We're just kind of struggling to string together stops right now and we've got to stick to the game plan more, honestly," Griffith added. "When the ball tips, we tend to be a little too locked in maybe, too eager. We need to echo calls and communicate the right way. We didn't do that to the best of our ability and just need a little bit more of a consistent 40-minute effort."

Pratt scored each of Columbia's first seven points but Delaware had the advantage after 10 minutes thanks to a Smalls triple in the quarter's final seconds. Smalls (11) and Tara Cousins (12) were Delaware's leading scorers on the night.

The Lions settled in on defense to start the second quarter, not allowing UD to score until almost four minutes in. The Blue Hens then scored a quick five on buckets by their two leading scorers. However, Columbia's two leading scorers each sank a shot in the final minute to level the score at 30 at the break.

The third quarter was Columbia's most dominant of the game. Despite shooting 28 percent in the period, the Lions were 3-for-4 from downtown and held the Blue Hens to just nine points on three field goals. An 8-0 run with threes by Henderson and Jaida Patrick opened Columbia's lead up to eight heading to the fourth, where they found a way to walk out 2-0.

After starting with a pair of wins on the road, Columbia will debut for its home crowd on Sunday with an SEC matchup against Vanderbilt (2-0). Tip-off from Levien Gymnasium is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.

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