NEW YORK — The Columbia women's basketball team's offensive onslaught was too much for Brown to handle, as the Lions kicked off a five-game homestand in victory, 94-74, Saturday afternoon on Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium.
Columbia (16-3, 5-1 Ivy) won its third straight game and now sits in a two-way tie for first in the Ivy League standings with Penn. The Lions were led by sharpshooter
Abbey Hsu's game-high 26 points. The junior from Parkland, Florida, who came into the game leading the nation in threes per game (3.39), knocked down 7-of-11 from the outside, adding six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. She was one of five to reach double figures scoring, along with
Kaitlyn Davis (17),
Hannah Pratt (11),
Kitty Henderson (10) and
Sienna Durr (10).
"We shared the ball well and zone offense is something we've been working on, so it was great to execute," said Hsu, who was named to the Becky Hammon Award Midseason Watch List earlier this week. "It's so fun [when everyone is scoring]. I have full confidence to pass the ball to my teammates. They are going to knock it down and it's a fun group to play with."
The Lions also continued to prove that they are one of the best rebounding teams in the country. Columbia came into the game 17th in the NCAA in rebounding margin (+9.7) and outrebounded the Bears by 23 on Saturday. Twenty-one of Columbia's 49 rebounds were on the offensive end, leading to a 26-7 advantage in second-chance points.
"We take a lot of pride in one-and-done," said Griffith in her postgame interview with Lance Medow. "Our players have the mindset of understanding how to limit teams, and also understand that it's an area that is just a toughness battle … That's a way that you can send a message."
It didn't take long for the Lions to get going.
Kaitlyn Davis won the tip and scored on the opening possession before Hsu hit her first from the outside on the next. Brown briefly held a lead that lasted all of 20 seconds, which went on to be its only lead of the afternoon.
With the game tied, 9-9, Columbia scored the next seven points that ultimately started a 13-2 run. Pratt, Davis, Henderson, Lauder and Hsu all scored over that span, capped off by a smooth stepback trey from Hsu that made it a 22-11 game.
Brown battled through the second quarter, turning the Lions over eight times and holding the high-octane offense to just 15 points. The Bears were with striking distance at the half, 43-29, with Kyla Jones leading all scorers with 14.
Columbia's offense put on a show in the third quarter, netting 31 points and bringing the Levien Gymnasium crowd of 1,167 to its feet multiple times. One of those moments was a 4-point play from none other than Hsu, who pulled up from well behind the 3-point arc and drained her shot against the oncoming Isabella Mauricio.
"The support for this program and the community — I couldn't be more grateful than to be here and doing this with our women's basketball program," Griffith added, "It was great today."
Less than 20 seconds later, the Lions scored again in transition and Brown head coach Monique LeBlanc had seen enough, calling for time with her team down 20. It didn't slow the Lions down, as
Jaida Patrick pulled off one of her patented half-court steals and was fouled on her drive to the basket, electrifying the Columbia faithful, once more.
Columbia led by as many as 26 entering the fourth and maintained a 20-point cushion the majority of the way home. They solidified their win at the foul line, ending the game 23-for-29 at the stripe (.793).
The Lions return to action next Saturday at home, hosting Dartmouth (2-18, 0-6 Ivy) for Pride Night. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
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