NEW YORK – Sophomore Abbey Hsu drained six 3-pointers in the second half to lead the Columbia women's basketball team to a comeback win over Cornell, 70-57, Friday night in the regular season finale at Newman Arena.
Hsu led all scorers with 25 points, ending the game 6-of-13 from the outside. After starting the game 0-for-3, the 2019-20 All-Ivy selection went 6-for-10 in the second half. Her performance propelled the Lions back from a seven-point halftime deficit, outscoring Cornell 45-25 over the final 20 minutes.
Friday's victory put a cap on Columbia's (21-5, 12-2 Ivy) historic regular season. The Lions tied the program record for wins -- the 1985-86 team went 21-6 -- polished off their best Ivy League season and will head to the Ivy League Tournament (March 11-12) as the No. 2 seed.
"Our first half was definitely not the way we were hoping to start the game, but credit to Cornell on their Senior Night ... they gave us a hard second quarter, especially," head coach Megan Griffith said. "I thought the way we showed out in the first three minutes of that third quarter were really important. That set the tone for the rest of the game."
Columbia scored the first eight points of the third quarter to erase Cornell's halftime lead in a matter of two minutes and 15 seconds. Kitty Henderson and Abbey Hsu nailed back-to-back threes and Cornell called for time after Noa Comesaña scored down low to push the Lions back in front.
Hsu's third quarter was just getting started. Tied at 42, the Parkland, Florida native caught fire, draining three consecutive triples in a span of less than a minute. Her last of the barrage gave her four of Columbia's six treys in the quarter, as the Lions took control heading to the fourth.
"It definitely does feel good," said Hsu when asked about her confidence when she sees a shot go down. "When I start off a game missing, it helps that all of my coaches and teammates tell me to keep shooting. They give me confidence."
Hsu's fifth three of the half gave the Lions their first 10-point lead of the night with 3:04 left. She followed it up with number six on her next attempt, sparking a 9-0 run that made it a 16-point lead with 45 seconds remaining.
"I'm really proud of the kid. She's really figuring it out and growing up," Griffith said. "To only be a sophomore and be doing what she's doing is really impressive. What makes her good is that her teammates support her effort to be great and vice versa. We just have a team that's totally bought into our culture and that wants to be great."
With her six triples, Hsu upped her season total to 91, which ties for third in Ivy League history. The record for threes in a season is 99, owned by Harvard's Katie Benzan (2017-18).
Juniors Jaida Patrick and Kaitlyn Davis joined Hsu in double figures. Patrick went for 11 points and 10 rebounds to record her third double-double of the season. She also tied career-highs in assists (6) and steals (4). Davis had 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. All told, Columbia assisted 20 of its 25 made field goals.
For Cornell, Kaya Ingram and Ania McNicholas scored a team-high 12 points apiece. Senior Theresa Grace-Mbanefo added 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks in her final collegiate game.
Columbia now turns its attention to the Ivy League Tournament. Its semifinal game will come against the No. 3 seed, which will be either Yale or Harvard, and is set for Friday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. The tournament is being hosted by Harvard at Lavietes Pavilion.
"It feels good to set records and stuff, but like I always say, we haven't hit our goal," Hsu said. "We've had this expectation all season long and we're not satisfied just meeting our expectations. We want to get better every day. We're not satisfied."
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