Sunday, March 26
New York, N.Y.
4:00 P.M.
Columbia University
vs
Harvard
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Josh Wang
Columbia-Harvard Round 4 Takes Center Stage Sunday in the WNIT
3/25/2023 4:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Lions and Crimson set to go head-to-head for a fourth time this season
NEW YORK – Revenge will be on the minds of the Columbia Lions (26-5) when they host Ivy League-foe Harvard (20-11) Sunday in the Great Eight of the WNIT. Tipoff from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium is set for 4 p.m. ET.
For the Lions, they'll be looking to avenge a loss against the Crimson from two weeks ago in the Ivy League Tournament semifinals. Columbia came back from nine points down in the fourth quarter to force overtime before Harvard prevailed in the extra period. The loss extinguished the Lions' Ivy League Tournament hopes and, according to the NCAA Selection Committee, cost them an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Columbia defeated Harvard in their two other meetings during the regular season.
TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets ahead of time by visiting GoColumbiaLions.com/Tickets, or by calling 888-LIONS-11. Fans can also purchase tickets on-site at the ticket window, located at the main entrance on the southeast corner of 120th and Broadway.
GAME COVERAGE
Sunday's game is scheduled to air live on ESPN3 and the ESPN App. Fans wishing to access the game on ESPN3 will need to verify their TV provider in order to view it on their desktop or the ESPN app. Live stats will be provided by GoColumbiaLions.com. Live updates will be posted to the Columbia women's basketball team's Twitter account (@CULionsWBB).
WHAT TO KNOW
BACK IN THE GREAT EIGHT
• For a second straight season, Columbia will compete in the Great Eight of the WNIT. Last year, they defeated Holy Cross, Old Dominion and Boston College to set up a National Quarterfinal matchup against Seton Hall. The Lions took the lead with 35 seconds remaining but saw their historic season come to end, 78-75.
• This marks the first time an Ivy League team has made back-to-back appearances in a Round of 8 of a national tournament. Prior to last season, no Ivy League team had ever advanced that far. The winner of Sunday's game will be the first Ivy League team to ever appear in a national semifinal.
• Sunday will mark just the second time two Ivy League men's or women's basketball teams have gone head-to-head in the postseason (outside of the Ivy League Tournament). The only other occasion came nine years ago to the day, March 26, 2014, when the Columbia men took on Yale in CollegeInsider.com Quarterfinals.
• Abbey Hsu ranks second in the country in 3-pointers made per game (3.35), sixth in total threes (104) and is among the top 50 in 3-point percentage (.391).
• Hsu passed Ula Lysniak '87BC (1983-87) for second on Columbia's all-time scoring list in Friday night's win against Syracuse. Lysniak, who was the program's all-time leader until 2017, ended her career with 1,447 points. Hsu now stands at 1,463 and will have a full senior season to chase down Camille Zimmerman '18CC's record of 1,973.
• Hsu's 104 triples this season are second to her Ivy League record of 108 that she made last season. The junior from Parkland, Florida is the only player in Ivy League history to ever make 100 or more in a season.
SYRACUSE POSTGAME NOTES
• Columbia improved to 4-0 in its last four games against opponents from the ACC. That now includes wins over Syracuse, Miami, Boston College and Clemson. The Lions are now also 5-1 against the conference in their last six games.
• All five Columbia starters scored in double figures for the fourth time this season. The other three occasions came against Seton Hall (Nov. 17), Stony Brook (Dec. 7) and Yale (Dec. 31).
• Columbia had at least five players score in double figures for the seventh time this season.
• Columbia's 11 made threes marked the 11th time this season they made 10 or more in a game. It was the first such game since Feb. 3 in a 72-50 home win over Penn.
• Columbia tallied 22 assists, marking the 14th time the Lions have gone for 20 or more this season.
THE OPPONENT
• Harvard (20-11, 9-5 Ivy) finished tied for third in the Ivy League standings and advanced to the tournament championship game, where it ultimately fell short to Princeton, 54-48. The Crimson advanced to the fourth round of the WNIT by defeating Towson, UMass and URI. This is the first time they have made the round of 8 in any women's basketball postseason tournament.
• Harvard is led by First Team All-Ivy selection Harmoni Turner, who is averaging 16.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals on the season. She ranks top-five in the Ivies in scoring, assists and steals. Lola Mullaney (14.5), McKenzie Forbes (13.7) and Elena Rodriguez (11.2) also average double figures scoring. Forbes has come on strong late in the season, scoring in double figures in each of her last eight games and averaging more than 19 points per game in that span.
• The series has been dominated by Columbia in recent years. The Lions have won seven of the last nine and were on a six-game series winning streak before falling in the Ivy semifinals. Harvard leads it all-time, 64-10.
FOLLOW THE LIONS
For the latest on the Columbia women's basketball, follow @CULionsWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, or on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
For the Lions, they'll be looking to avenge a loss against the Crimson from two weeks ago in the Ivy League Tournament semifinals. Columbia came back from nine points down in the fourth quarter to force overtime before Harvard prevailed in the extra period. The loss extinguished the Lions' Ivy League Tournament hopes and, according to the NCAA Selection Committee, cost them an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Columbia defeated Harvard in their two other meetings during the regular season.
TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets ahead of time by visiting GoColumbiaLions.com/Tickets, or by calling 888-LIONS-11. Fans can also purchase tickets on-site at the ticket window, located at the main entrance on the southeast corner of 120th and Broadway.
GAME COVERAGE
Sunday's game is scheduled to air live on ESPN3 and the ESPN App. Fans wishing to access the game on ESPN3 will need to verify their TV provider in order to view it on their desktop or the ESPN app. Live stats will be provided by GoColumbiaLions.com. Live updates will be posted to the Columbia women's basketball team's Twitter account (@CULionsWBB).
WHAT TO KNOW
BACK IN THE GREAT EIGHT
• For a second straight season, Columbia will compete in the Great Eight of the WNIT. Last year, they defeated Holy Cross, Old Dominion and Boston College to set up a National Quarterfinal matchup against Seton Hall. The Lions took the lead with 35 seconds remaining but saw their historic season come to end, 78-75.
• This marks the first time an Ivy League team has made back-to-back appearances in a Round of 8 of a national tournament. Prior to last season, no Ivy League team had ever advanced that far. The winner of Sunday's game will be the first Ivy League team to ever appear in a national semifinal.
• Sunday will mark just the second time two Ivy League men's or women's basketball teams have gone head-to-head in the postseason (outside of the Ivy League Tournament). The only other occasion came nine years ago to the day, March 26, 2014, when the Columbia men took on Yale in CollegeInsider.com Quarterfinals.
IF THE HSU FITS…Opportunity is knocking! ✊🦁🏆#EDGE // #RoarLionRoar
— Columbia Women's Basketball (@CULionsWBB) March 25, 2023
📷 @BLVCKPICS pic.twitter.com/NayoYUFIWk
• Abbey Hsu ranks second in the country in 3-pointers made per game (3.35), sixth in total threes (104) and is among the top 50 in 3-point percentage (.391).
• Hsu passed Ula Lysniak '87BC (1983-87) for second on Columbia's all-time scoring list in Friday night's win against Syracuse. Lysniak, who was the program's all-time leader until 2017, ended her career with 1,447 points. Hsu now stands at 1,463 and will have a full senior season to chase down Camille Zimmerman '18CC's record of 1,973.
• Hsu's 104 triples this season are second to her Ivy League record of 108 that she made last season. The junior from Parkland, Florida is the only player in Ivy League history to ever make 100 or more in a season.
SYRACUSE POSTGAME NOTES
• Columbia improved to 4-0 in its last four games against opponents from the ACC. That now includes wins over Syracuse, Miami, Boston College and Clemson. The Lions are now also 5-1 against the conference in their last six games.
• All five Columbia starters scored in double figures for the fourth time this season. The other three occasions came against Seton Hall (Nov. 17), Stony Brook (Dec. 7) and Yale (Dec. 31).
• Columbia had at least five players score in double figures for the seventh time this season.
• Columbia's 11 made threes marked the 11th time this season they made 10 or more in a game. It was the first such game since Feb. 3 in a 72-50 home win over Penn.
• Columbia tallied 22 assists, marking the 14th time the Lions have gone for 20 or more this season.
THE OPPONENT
• Harvard (20-11, 9-5 Ivy) finished tied for third in the Ivy League standings and advanced to the tournament championship game, where it ultimately fell short to Princeton, 54-48. The Crimson advanced to the fourth round of the WNIT by defeating Towson, UMass and URI. This is the first time they have made the round of 8 in any women's basketball postseason tournament.
• Harvard is led by First Team All-Ivy selection Harmoni Turner, who is averaging 16.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals on the season. She ranks top-five in the Ivies in scoring, assists and steals. Lola Mullaney (14.5), McKenzie Forbes (13.7) and Elena Rodriguez (11.2) also average double figures scoring. Forbes has come on strong late in the season, scoring in double figures in each of her last eight games and averaging more than 19 points per game in that span.
• The series has been dominated by Columbia in recent years. The Lions have won seven of the last nine and were on a six-game series winning streak before falling in the Ivy semifinals. Harvard leads it all-time, 64-10.
FOLLOW THE LIONS
For the latest on the Columbia women's basketball, follow @CULionsWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, or on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
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