NEW HAVEN, Conn. – A 13-0 second-half run propelled the Columbia women's basketball team to another victory and a season sweep over Yale, 65-57, Saturday afternoon in Ivy League action at Lee Amphitheater.
With the win, Columbia (17-4, 8-1 Ivy) continued its record campaign and bounced back from its first Ivy loss last Saturday at Princeton. Junior Jaida Patrick and sophomore Abbey Hsu led the offensive charge, combining for 37 points on a day where four Lions reached double figures. Patrick led all Lions with a season-high 19 on 7-of-12 shooting.
"I thought that our team put together a solid 40-minute game," Columbia head coach Megan Griffith '07CC said. "Yale made a run and that's a good team – you're expecting that to happen – but I thought our team weathered storms really well tonight, in a way that we necessarily haven't done as consistently. Coming into this gym, on their home floor … I just love the confidence that we played with tonight."
The Lions led the majority of the first half but fell behind on a triple by Alex Cade, 37-34, midway through the third quarter. Sienna Durr answered immediately to tie things back up just 13 seconds later and the two sides were separated by just a point entering the final two minutes of the frame.
That's when the Lions put together their run. Patrick and Hsu jumpstarted it with back-to-back treys to increase the lead to seven by the end of the quarter. Columbia then scored the first seven points of the fourth behind Durr, Patrick and an emphatic 3-ball from Hsu. Yale (13-9, 6-4 Ivy) called for time trailing 55-41 with 7:27 to go.
"We knew what adjustments we needed to make in the locker room at halftime," said Patrick, who has reached double figures in five consecutive games. "We really locked in and listened to what the coaches were asking of us ... Just the little things that we need to work on."
The Lions maintained their double-digit lead entering the final five minutes. Yale was able to slowly chip away at it, but by the time they pulled within four, only 33 seconds remained. Columbia drained all six of its free throw attempts to ice it away on an overall much-improved day at the charity stripe (12-14).
Durr and Kitty Henderson completed Columbia's quartet of double-figure scorers. Durr scored a dozen off the bench and was 4-of-7 from the field. Henderson scored 10 and was 2-of-3 from the outside.
"Sienna was a huge reason for our success," Griffith praised of her 2018-19 Ivy League Rookie of the Year. "The kid is a dog -- she just battles. Tonight, you got to see a very consistent … floor leader. I was really proud of how she responded in a role change and handling all of that with grace."
For Yale, Alex Cade scored a game-high 20 points (8-17 FG) and Mackenzie Egger netted 11 off the bench. The Lions limited leading scorer Camilla Emsbo to just six, but the 6-5 forward did pull down a game-high 19 rebounds.
The Lions battled through foul trouble seemingly all day. Four-time Ivy League Player of the Week Kaitlyn Davis was limited to just 17 minutes because of it. She and Henderson both fouled out in the fourth quarter.
"It shows the depth of our program," Griffith said. "We've got a lot of people willing to step up. Even if it's for two minutes, 10 minutes, 15, whatever it is that we need. It's really a next-woman-up mentality."
Saturday's game wrapped up a 3-1 Ivy League road trip for the Lions. They now return to New York, where they'll play their next four games, beginning next Friday night, Feb. 18, against Harvard. Tip-off from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium is slated for 7 p.m. ET.
For the latest on Columbia women's basketball, follow @CULionsWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, or on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
