NEW YORK – Riding its best 13-game start in program history, Columbia (11-2, 0-0 Ivy) begins its quest for an Ivy League title on New Year's Eve at Yale (6-7, 0-0 Ivy). Tip-off at Lee Amphitheater is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
TICKETS
Fans can
purchase tickets ahead of time by visiting YaleBulldogs.com. Tickets can also be purchased on-site the day of the game.
GAME COVERAGE
Fans unable to attend Saturday's game in New Haven can watch the action
live on ESPN+. Justin Gallanty and Christine Huber will be on the call. Fans can also track the action with
live stats courtesy of YaleBulldogs.com. Live updates will be posted to the Columbia women's basketball team's Twitter account (
@CULionsWBB).
WHAT TO KNOW:
NON-CONFERENCE HISTORY
• Columbia posted an 11-2 (.846) non-conference record, which is its best non-conference record in program history. Its 11 victories tied the 2015-16 team that went 11-4. The program's previous best non-conference record was 10-3 (.769), which was achieved in the 2016-17 season,
Megan Griffith's first as head coach.
• Columbia's 11-2 non-conference record is even more impressive when you consider who they faced. The Lions took on four programs that qualified for the 2022 NCAA Tournament, defeating reigning CAA champion Delaware, Atlantic 10 champion UMass and Miami (FL), which advanced to the Second Round. Its lone loss in those four games came at then-No. 7 Iowa State, which advanced to the Sweet 16.
• The Lions defeated four opponents during the non-conference season currently ranked in the Top 75 of the NCAA NET. Those wins all came on the road, at Memphis (Nov. 7), Seton Hall (Nov. 17), Miami (Nov. 27) and UMass (Dec. 10).
ROAD WARRIORS
• Columbia is 23-2 in its last 25 true "away" games. The Lions are 7-1 so far this year, went 12-1 last year and won their last four such games of the 2019-20 season. Its only two losses over that time came earlier this season at Iowa State (Nov. 20) and last season at Princeton.
IN THE POLLS
• The Lions have been receiving votes in the
AP Top 25 Poll each of the last three weeks. They received votes for the first time in program history on Dec. 12. Columbia is receiving six votes in the latest poll (Dec. 26), which effectively ranks the Lions No. 31 in the country.
• Columbia is ranked No. 35 in the latest
NCAA NET (Dec. 30). The Lions have been ranked as high as No. 23, which they achieved for the first time on Dec. 14. Columbia is currently the highest-rated team in the Ivy League and the second-highest of all teams outside of the power six conferences (Middle Tennessee State).
• The
CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 has Columbia ranked No. 2. The Lions are receiving one first-place vote and have 727 total points in that poll, trailing only Gonzaga.
3-POINT "HSU-TERS"
• Columbia makes the most threes per game in the country, entering the contest averaging 11.0 on the season. The Lions have made 143 threes in 13 games, ranking No. 2 in the nation in total threes and No. 7 in 3-point field goal percentage (.392). Additionally, the Lions are No. 5 in the NCAA in assists per game (20.0), No. 17 in scoring offense (82.2) and also top 30 in field goal percentage (.460).
•
Abbey Hsu ranks No. 2 in the nation in 3-pointers made (46) and No. 3 in makes per game (3.54). She is 46-of-101 from the outside this season (.455), which ranks her No. 38 in the NCAA in 3-point percentage.
QUICK HITS
•
Abbey Hsu (18.2),
Jaida Patrick (12.8),
Kaitlyn Davis (12.1) and
Hannah Pratt (10.6) all average double figures scoring and all rank top 20 in the Ivy League. Henderson (9.8) is also among the top 20.
•
Kaitlyn Davis (7.2) ranks No. 4 in the Ivy League in rebounding. Five Lions (Davis, Pratt, Patrick, Hsu, Henderson) rank among the top 25 in the Ivy League.
• Davis is nine rebounds away from becoming the 14th player in program history to reach 500.
•
Kitty Henderson leads the Ivy League in assists (67) and ranks second in assists per game (5.2). She ranks top 30 in the NCAA in each of those categories. Henderson, Davis (2.9), Patrick (2.6) and Hsu (2.6) are four of the top 10 in the Ivy League.
•
Kaitlyn Davis (.526) ranks No. 2 in the Ivies among qualified players in field goal percentage. Pratt (.462) ranks fourth, Hsu (.455) is seventh, while Henderson (.419) and Patrick (.397) are all among the top 15.
•
Abbey Hsu ranks No. 1 in the Ivies and No. 38 in the NCAA in 3-point percentage (.455).
• Hsu ranks top 5 in the country in 3-pointers made (46) and made per game (3.54).
• Davis is No. 4 in the Ivy League in blocks (1.1). Patrick (0.8) and Pratt (0.7) are in the top 10.
• Columbia is 9-0 this season when getting to the foul line more than its opponent. The Lions have won each of its last 22 games when committing fewer fouls than the opponent.
EIGHT STRAIGHT
• Winners of eight straight, Columbia has a chance to extend its winning streak to nine for the first time in program history. Currently, the Lions have tied the record at eight, which was also accomplished in the 2021-22 and 1985-86 seasons. Columbia is averaging 88.1 points on offense and limiting opponents to 59.1 points during this winning streak.
THE OPPONENT
• Yale (6-7, 0-0) is under the direction of first-year head coach Dalila Eshe, who took over after Allison Guth accepted a job in the offseason at Loyola Chicago. The Bulldogs enter Ivy play having not played in 10 days. Their last game resulted in a 70-63 loss against Lehigh (Dec. 21). Prior to that, the Bulldogs had rolled off two straight wins over Drexel, 60-58 (OT), and Boston University, 58-46. Columbia and Yale shared UMass as their one common opponent during the non-conference season. Columbia defeated the Minutewomen, 83-74, in Amherst. Yale fell on the road, 72-57.
• Kiley Capstraw (12.2) and Jenna Clark (11.5) lead the Bulldogs in scoring. Clark is the team's primary point guard, totaling 66 assists on the season and averaging 5.1 per game. She ranks just behind
Kitty Henderson for the Ivy League lead. Nyla McGill heads the effort on the glass at 8.5 per contest, ranking No. 2 in the Ivy League.
FOLLOW THE LIONS
For the latest on the Columbia women's basketball, follow @CULionsWBB on
Twitter,
Instagram and
Facebook, or on the web at
GoColumbiaLions.com.
