By: Matt Sugam (contributions from GoColumbiaLions.com)
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — Columbia responded to its wake-up call and avenged the end of last season all in one game.
Kaitlyn Davis had a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Abbey Hsu hit four 3-pointers and had a team-high 19 points, as Columbia defeated Seton Hall, 83-76, at Walsh Gymnasium on Thursday night. All five Columbia starters finished with double-figure scoring, rounded out by Kitty Henderson (15), Jaida Patrick (12) and Hannah Pratt (12). Senior Lilian Kennedy also played a big role off the bench, scoring six timely points on 3-of-4 shooting.
After a disappointing home loss to Vanderbilt on Sunday, Columbia had a chance to get revenge against the team that ended its season last year. They did just that.
"I'm so proud of our team. We've had this game circled on our calendar for a while, since March 28," head coach Megan Griffith said. "It was just an opportunity for us to come back and battle with a really great Seton Hall program. I have a ton of respect for what Tony [Bozzella] does with his program and with his team. We executed our game plan."
The Lions fell to the Pirates in the WNIT Quarterfinals in heartbreaking fashion last season. In that game, Columbia took a 75-74 advantage in the final 35 seconds in front of a raucous home crowd at Levien Gymnasium, but Seton Hall was sent to the foul line on back-to-back possessions, ending the game 20-for-20 at the charity stripe.
This time, Columbia ended things from the free-throw line.
Seton Hall would cut a 13-point lead down to 70-69 with 3:19 left in the fourth quarter. The home team then took its first lead of the game on the ensuing possession and, from there, it was a wild back-and-forth game for the final minutes.
Henderson nailed a 3-pointer with 1:20 left to give Columbia the lead at 77-76. Davis extended it to 79-76 on a putback layup with 18 seconds remaining before icing it at the free throw line for the Lions. Davis finished a perfect eight-of-eight from the charity stripe.
The Lions are now 19-1 in their last 20 road games.
"I think it's just ingrained in us," Griffith added. "We try to make every place home and that's just from culture. That's just how we treat each other every day. It's how we wake up the same way and our approach to everything that we do.
"That's Columbia women's basketball and you just translate it from place to place."
Davis won the opening tip and Pratt found Patrick for the corner trey just eight seconds in as the Lions pounced on the Pirates. After leading by as many as 13, Columbia ended up taking a 25-14 lead after a first quarter that included hitting five of its first six shots from beyond the arc. The Lions were showing off a good inside-out game and crisp passing in transition, finding the open shooter. They ended the night 12-for-25 from the perimeter.
Seton Hall would continue to chip away at Columbia's lead, cutting it to 38-27 at the half. The Lions would extend the lead to 13 in the third quarter before taking a 61-54 advantage into the final quarter.
Columbia (3-1) held Seton Hall (2-2) star guard Lauren Park-Lane to just nine points.
Columbia will travel to No. 7/8 Iowa State for a game on Sunday at 12 noon Eastern. The game airs on Big 12 Now through ESPN+.
"Excited to go to Iowa next," Griffith said. "They are a top-eight team in the country and I think we're ready for it."
Matt Sugam '23 SPS has been covering sports in the NYC Metropolitan area for over a decade. He has spent the last eight years covering college and professional sports as a stringer for the Associated Press and contributing to The New York Times, USA Today Network, NJ.com, and SNY.tv. He's been covering Lions Athletics for gocolumbialions.com while pursuing an M.S. in Strategic Communication at Columbia's School of Professional Studies. Follow him on Twitter @MattSugam or visit his website at www.mattsugam.com
