STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Columbia erased a 17-point third-quarter deficit but ran out of steam in the fourth quarter, falling to Stony Brook, 85-73, Monday evening on the opening day of the 2023-24 women's college basketball season.
Columbia (0-1) used an 18-2 run that spanned 3:26 to get within a point. They closed the run with a combined 10 straight points from senior Abbey Hsu and first-year Riley Weiss, including a flash of three straight triples.
Two free throws by Kitty Henderson and a bucket by the junior with less than 30 seconds left in the period put the Lions on top for the first time since the first quarter. A rare triple by junior Noa Comesaña, the first of her career, gave Columbia a 64-63 lead early in the fourth.
A 13-0 run by the Seawolves (1-0) ensued and the Lions could not come up with another answer. Gigi Gonzalez scored eight of those points on her way to a team-high 18, matching Khari Clark's total. Clark posted a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds.
"I thought [Stony Brook] did a great job tonight," Columbia head coach Megan Griffith said. "They were poised and controlled and … played very confidently. I thought that was a testament to their preparation leading up to this.
"For us, we are still getting that chemistry together. I'm not really worried about it. I think at the right time we'll click and this was just another opportunity for us to learn tonight."
Hsu, who was named to the 2023-24 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Award Watch List, began the season with a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds. The dozen boards tied for the most of her career and helped the senior from Parkland, Florida to her third career double-double. The only thing that didn't go right for Hsu in the season opener was the 3-ball, going 1-of-13 from deep and 9-for-15 from inside the arc.
"I'm not worried about that," said Griffith when asked about Hsu's 3-point night. "Abbey is such a great shooter. She shoots herself in and out of games and I thought she got some good looks. Honestly, it's just about her sticking to her plan but also realizing that she's going to have to score in different ways, which I think she showcased tonight. Defensively, she had 12 rebounds tonight, which is huge ... This is big for her. She's learning how to be an impact player all over the floor which is going to be really valuable for us."
First-year
Riley Weiss, who played in front of a home crowd on Long Island, scored 14 off the bench in her Columbia debut.
Cecelia Collins, a transfer from Bucknell, scored 11 and had five assists in her first game as a Lion.
Columbia took a 21-18 lead on a Hsu bucket with 1:50 left in the first. The Seawolves closed with quarter with the final nine points on triples by Kelis Corley, Janay Brantley and Victoria Keenan.
The Lions got into a defensive rhythm in over the first part of the second quarter but found themselves trailing for the length of it. Three-point plays by
Kitty Henderson and
Paige Lauder helped keep them within striking distance, 46-35, at the intermission. Stony Brook held an 18-4 advantage in points off turnovers, which was a big difference maker in an otherwise even stat sheet between the two sides.
Columbia's big third-quarter run came after the Seawolves took their largest lead of the night, 52-35, off a Sherese Pittman and-1 opportunity. Collins netted the first five points to get it started. Hsu and Weiss splashed home a trio of threes in a span of just over a minute all but erase the deficit.
Columbia will now get set for its home opener this Friday night against Seton Hall (0-0). Tip-off from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
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