PHILADELPHIA – Kaitlyn Davis and Abbey Hsu scored 17 points apiece to lead the Columbia women's basketball team to its eighth consecutive win, 66-57, over Penn on Friday night at the Palestra.
With the win, Columbia improved on an already historic season, upping its record to 16-3 overall and 7-0 in the Ivy League. The victory was Columbia's second in nine days against the Quakers (7-12, 2-5 Ivy), earning a season series sweep for the first time since 2010. Its eight-game overall winning streak ties the program record, which was set by the 1985-86 team (NCAA Div. III).
"It's a huge testament to the mindset and the embrace of our culture," Columbia head coach Megan Griffith '07CC said. "We said we had unfinished business from two years ago and this team is just on a mission right now … Every game counts. I'm glad we got the sweep but it's on to the next one and that's been our approach all season."
The Lions didn't even need one of their patented second-half comebacks to pull off the win Friday night. With the help of a hot start by Hsu and a buzzer-beating layup by Jaida Patrick, Columbia took a four-point lead into the locker rooms. They then used an 11-0 third-quarter run that spanned nearly five minutes to create separation. Penn made one last run in the fourth quarter to get within four, but the Lions stayed calm and cool under pressure. Timely buckets by Patrick and first-years Noa Comesaña and Kitty Henderson made it a double-digit lead, once again, and the Lions walked out on top.
Davis, the two-time reigning Ivy League Player of the Week, made her presence felt all night. On top of her 17 points, the junior cleaned up the glass for a game-high 15 rebounds, also adding five steals, three assists and a pair of blocks. Six of her boards came on the offensive end, helping the Lions double up the Quakers, 14-7, in second-chance points.
"We just try to do what we need to [in order to] get the job done -- get a stop, score and get a stop," said Davis, who recorded her eighth double-double of the year. "It's a great win. It was the next one on the schedule … that's the one we wanted and now we're focused on the next one."
Hsu had 15 of her 17 points at the half after starting the game a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc. Patrick continued her recent run of success with a double-double off the bench, scoring 10 points with a career-high 12 rebounds. Henderson rounded out the Lions' double-figure scorers, netting nine of her 10 points in the second half. Carly Rivera tallied a career-high nine assists.
For Penn, Sydnei Caldwell scored a game-high 20 points off the bench. Their leading scorer, Kayla Padilla, was limited to just 11 on 4-of-15 shooting. The Lions held the Quakers to 27.9 percent from the field, marking the fifth time in the last six games they've held an opponent under 30 percent.
A back-and-forth first quarter that saw four lead changes resulted in the Lions leading by a pair. Hsu was 4-for-4 from the outside and drained two of them in the final 1:19 to have a dozen after 10 minutes.
Things cooled down in the second quarter as Columbia started 0-for-6 shooting with a couple of turnovers. Penn used that time to go on a 10-0 run, taking its largest lead, 24-19, on a Padilla steal and coast-to-coast bucket at the 7:00 mark.
Patrick put an end to the scoring drought two possessions later and the Lions tied things back up with 3:52 left before the half when Patrick found Comesaña inside. Davis put back her own miss to give Columbia the lead and Patrick ended the half in style, releasing the ball a tick before the horn sounded to send her team up 33-29 at the break.
Columbia continued to suffocate Penn's offense in the third quarter, holding them to 20 percent shooting and just 1-of-9 from the outside. The 11-0 run started off with a triple by Henderson, followed by back-to-back buckets by Davis and a floating jumper from Hsu. Two free throws by Comesaña increased the lead to 49-35.
Penn had one last gasp for the fourth quarter, hitting a flurry of threes to whittle the margin to four. However, it was Columbia's night to shine, as the Lions always had an answer when they needed it to set up a battle between two Ivy League unbeatens on Saturday.
"Our team has started to build a lot of trust within what we do," Griffith added. "It's about helping them understand 'okay this is what's going to happen at the end of a game,' and when you're hunted … you're not used to having that sort of pressure. I think the more we talk about it and get in situations like this, it's only going to prepare them for when it really matters."
Columbia heads to Princeton (15-4, 7-0 Ivy) for a Saturday night showdown against the Tigers. Tip-off from Jadwin Gymnasium is set for 5 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.
