NEW YORK – In the midst of its best season in program history, the Columbia women's basketball team (15-3, 6-0 Ivy) hits the road this weekend for a back-to-back at Penn (7-11, 2-4 Ivy) and Princeton (14-4, 6-0 Ivy). The Lions meet up with Penn Friday night at the Palestra at 6 p.m. ET. The following night, they'll challenge the three-time reigning Ivy League champions at Jadwin Gymnasium at 5 p.m. ET.
GAME COVERAGE
Fans can watch both games live on
ESPN+. Live stats for Friday night's game will be available through
StatBroadcast. Live stats for Saturday's game will be provided by
GoPrincetonTigers.com. Live updates will also be posted to the women's basketball team's Twitter page (
@CULionsWBB).
5 THINGS TO KNOW:
1. WINNING WAYS
• Columbia's 15-3 overall record and 6-0 Ivy League record are its best through as many games in program history. Columbia's best Div. I season came in 2009-10, when they went 18-10 with a 9-5 Ivy mark to finish third in the league standings. The program's best season at any level came in 1985-86, going 21-6 and qualifying for the NCAA Div. III Regional.
• Columbia's current seven-game winning streak matches the longest in the program's Div. I era. The program's last seven-game winning streak came in the 2016-17 non-conference season, which was
Megan Griffith's first season as head coach. The only other seven-game winning streak came in the program's first season playing Div. I basketball (1986-87). The longest winning streak in the program's history is eight, which was accomplished by the 1985-86 Hall of Fame team.
2. DOUBLING UP ON PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
• For the second week in a row,
Kaitlyn Davis was named both Ivy League and Met Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week. This past week, she averaged 18.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and shot a combined 17-of-25 (.680) from the field to lead the Lions over Penn and Dartmouth. Against the Quakers, Davis notched her third consecutive double-double, posting 16 points, 12 rebounds and tying a career-high with four blocked shots. Davis' four Ivy Player of the Week selections are the most by a Lion since Camille Zimmerman '18CC earned five during the 2016-17 season. She is also the first Lion to win multiple MBWA honors in the same season since Zimmerman, who went on to be named the 2016-17 All-Met Women's Div. I Player of the Year.
3. PERFECT IN JANUARY
• By going 6-0 in the month of January, Columbia put together its first undefeated month in program history (minimum 3 games played). The Lions kicked off 2022 with a double-digit second-half comeback win at home against Yale, 65-55. They followed it up with a road win at Harvard (Jan. 15), a home win over Cornell (Jan. 20) and a road win at Brown (Jan. 22). The Lions also took down Penn (Jan. 26) for the first time since 2011, coming back from 10+ points down in the second half for a second time during the month. They closed it out by defeating Dartmouth, 65-46, in Hanover (Jan. 29).
4. HSU-TER IN THE HOUSE
•
Abbey Hsu is one of the most prolific shooters in the country. Entering the weekend, she ranks No. 6 nationally in 3-pointers made (63), No. 4 in attempts (173) and No. 3 in 3-pointers made per game (3.50). She is top 100 nationally in field goal attempts (274), points per game (16.9) and 3-point percentage (.364). She also ranks No. 1 in the Ivies 3-pointers made, attempted, made per game.
5. SCOUTING REPORT
PENN
• After starting the Ivy League season 2-0, the Quakers (7-11. 2-4 Ivy) have lost four straight. They most recently fell at home against Harvard last Saturday, 70-63. Leading scorer Kayla Padilla scored 20 points in the contest while sophomore Jordan Obi chimed in with 17, but Harvard stormed back with a 28-14 fourth quarter to turn a seven-point deficit into a seven-point victory. Padilla averages 20.6 points per game and does a lot of damage from the outside at 37.9 percent (39-103). She does not qualify for Ivy League statistical rankings (min. 75 percent games played). Obi (13.4) and Mia Lakstigala (10.9) also average double figures scoring. Kennedy Suttle averages a team-best 7.7 rebounds.
PRINCETON
• Princeton (14-4, 6-0 Ivy) is the only other Ivy League unbeaten heading into the weekend. The Tigers will host Cornell Friday night before welcoming in the Lions on Saturday. Entering Friday, Princeton has won 30 consecutive Ivy League games, which dates back to the 2019 Ivy season. They picked up their 30th consecutive win on the road last Friday night at Yale, coming back from four points down early in the quarter to outscore the Bulldogs, 25-13, and win by 12. They are led by Abby Meyers, who averages a league-best 18.2 points per game. Meyers is also the league's top 3-point shooter in terms of percentage (.394) and has shot 43-of-109 on the season. Ellie Mitchell is the league's leading rebounder (10.0), which ranks among the Top 50 averages in the NCAA.
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MORNINGSIDE HOOPS
The newly branded Morningside Hoops podcast is back for a fourth season. Formerly known as Inside Columbia Basketball, the podcast features weekly interviews with coaches and members of the men's and women's basketball programs. New episodes are available weekly on SoundCloud, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
To listen to this week's episode,
click here.
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For the latest on the Columbia women's basketball, follow @CULionsWBB on
Twitter,
Instagram and
Facebook, or on the web at
GoColumbiaLions.com.
