By: Jenn Hatfield

After Boston College missed a last-second shot against Columbia on Thursday night, students stormed the court to celebrate the Lions' improbable 54-51 win in the Sweet 16 of the WNIT. Event staff didn't do much to dissuade the celebration: One staff member, clad in a bright yellow polo, chest-bumped forward Hannah Pratt, and others hugged jubilant players. Students waved rally towels as they gathered at center court and basked in the moment.

"I've never seen that here, and that was really special and an emotional moment for me," said Columbia head coach and former player Megan Griffith. "… It means a lot, but we're not done. We've got three more games to win."

The win was historic for a program that had never made the WNIT before, let alone advanced to the Elite Eight. Columbia's previous high-water season was 1985-86, when the program had a 21-6 record and finished third in the NCAA Division III East Regional Tournament. But between when the architect of that team, Nancy Kalafus, left in 1991 and Griffith's arrival in 2016, the program won just 28% of its games.

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