Saturday, January 6
New York, N.Y.
2:00 p.m.
Columbia University
vs
Penn
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Stockton Photo, Inc.
Women's Basketball Opens League Play at Home on Saturday
1/5/2024 1:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Reigning champions begin first Ivy title defense
NEW YORK – Riding a seven-game winning streak, the Columbia women's basketball team (9-4) begins its 37th Ivy League season on Saturday when it hosts Penn (8-5). The game's opening tip from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
TICKETS
• Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of time by visiting GoColumbiaLions.com/Tickets. Fans can also purchase tickets on-site at the ticket window, located at the main entrance on the southeast corner of 120th and Broadway.
YOUTH BASKETBALL DAY
• All youth ages 5-12 who wear a basketball jersey/shirt will receive half-off tickets.
• All fans can meet the team after the game for a post-game autograph session.
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES BY THE MARCHING COBRAS
• The mission of Marching Cobras is to enrich the lives of teens by providing opportunities for artistic expression and teen development through music, marching, dance and entertainment. See the Cobras in action with multiple special performances throughout the game!
GAME COVERAGE
• Saturday's Ivy League opener will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can access live stats courtesy of GoColumbiaLions.com. Lions fans can also follow the team on social media (@CULionsWBB) for live updates.
WHAT TO KNOW:
OPENING TIPS
• Columbia won a share of its first Ivy League title last season by posting a record of 12-2. The Lions split with Penn and Princeton, and swept the league's four other teams.
• The Lions are riding a season-long seven-game winning streak. Over that span, Columbia is averaging 80.6 points per game, outscoring opponents by 19.1 points, shooting 45.7 percent from the field and outrebounding opponents by an average 11.0 per contest. Abbey Hsu is averaging 23.0 points per game during the winning streak, shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 40.0 percent (22-55) from long range.
• Wooden & Naismith Trophy Award Watch List selection Abbey Hsu averages an Ivy League-leading 21.9 points per game, which ranks No. 12 in the NCAA. She is top 20 in the NCAA in total field goals (107), attempts (233) and total points (285), as well as top 40 in 3-pointers (36) and threes per game (2.77).
• Hsu is the reigning Ivy League Player of the Week, winning the award for the third time this season and 10th time in her career on Tuesday. She averaged 24.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 1.5 assists and a block across a 2-0 week in Northern California. She shot 54.5 percent (18-33) from the field.
• Cecelia Collins is coming off a career-high 28-point performance on New Year's Eve at Pacific. She went 9-of-11 from the field and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, notching her fifth career 20-point game
• Columbia enters the contest leading the Ivy League in 11 NCAA-ranked statistics, which includes scoring offense (76.0), scoring margin (+10.2), rebound margin (+5.8), field goal percentage (.440), 3-pointers made per game (8.3), assists per game (17.5), bench points per game (21.2) and assist/turnover ratio (1.09).
LAST TIME OUT
• The Lions had their best offensive performance of the season to close out the 2023 calendar year on top, defeating the University of the Pacific, 93-75, on New Year's Eve in Stockton, California. Columbia dominated the first quarter and used a 15-0 run to take a 22-9 lead. Pacific (8-5) burned two timeouts to no avail. Behind a spark from Collins, Columbia hit seven straight field goals and shot 63 percent in the frame to build a commanding 16-point advantage.
• Cecelia Collins posted a career-high 28 points in the victory, going 9-of-11 from the field, 3-for-4 from downtown and 7-of-8 at the charity stripe. The junior transfer from Bucknell added five assists to her tally.
• Columbia registered its most assists in a game (26) since Dec. 13, 2022 in a 90-47 win at LIU (27).
• The Lions went 15-of-16 from the free throw line, marking their best game (min. 10 att.) since Nov. 10, 2019, when they went a perfect 12-for-12 in a 70-51 victory over Fordham.
• Columbia scored a season-high 93 points, its most in a game since defeating Brown 94-74 on Jan. 21, 2023.
• Cecelia Collins hit career-highs in points (28), field goal percentage (.818) and made threes (3).
• Collins posted her fifth career 20-point game and 30th career game in double figures.
• Kitty Henderson tied her season-high of eight assists.
• Susie Rafiu matched her career-high with 10 points (5-10 FG).
• Columbia outscored Pacific 21-0 in fast-break points. Last year, they outscored Penn, 30-0, as part of a 72-50 victory at Levien Gym.
CHASING DOWN THE ALL-TIME GREATS
• Abbey Hsu is currently No. 2 in scoring in Columbia basketball history (men's or women's) with 1,800 career points. She is 173 points behind the all-time record held by Camille Zimmerman '18CC.
• Hsu is No. 12 on the Ivy League's all-time women's scoring list. She is 18 points behind Justine Gaziano (Brown, 2016-20) for a top-10 all-time spot.
• Hsu is currently No. 23 among active NCAA Div. I players in career points.
Columbia Basketball All-Time Scoring Leaders
(W) Camille Zimmerman (2014-18) - 1,973
(W) Abbey Hsu (2019-pres.) - 1,800
(M) Buck Jenkins (1989-93) - 1,767
(M) Jim McMillian (1967-70) - 1,758
(M) Maodo Lo (2012-16) - 1,756
DECEMBER DOMINANCE
• Columbia posted a perfect 5-0 record in the month of December with wins over Villanova (Dec. 3), Memphis (Dec. 6), Wagner (Dec. 10), San Francisco (Dec. 28) and Pacific (Dec. 31).
• Last year, the Lions went a perfect 7-0 in December.
• Dating back to the 2021-22 season, Columbia has won 13 straight games in the month of December and is 15-1 overall. Its last loss came against UMass, 87-75, on Dec. 11, 2021 at Levien Gym.
HSU COLLECTS 10TH PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD
• Abbey Hsu was named Ivy League Player of the Week for the 10th time in her career (Jan. 2).
• Hsu averaged 24.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 1.5 assists and a block in wins at USF and Pacific.
• Hsu's 10 awards tie Camille Zimmerman '18CC and Judie Lomax '10BC for the most in program history.
• Hsu is the 11th player in league history to win the award at least 10 times and the first to do so since Bella Alarie (Princeton, 2017-20).
• Columbia is No. 64 in the NET rankings (Jan. 5) and is one of three Ivy League teams in the Top 80.
• Columbia's average opponent NET is 131, which ranks 46th-toughest in the NCAA.
• The Lions are an undefeated 7-0 vs. NET 101+. They are 2-4 vs. the NET top 100.
• Columbia ended the 2022-23 season No. 47 in the NET, its highest final ranking in program history.
• Columbia's peak in the NET last year was 23rd, which came on Wednesday, Dec. 14.
• The NET, which stands for the NCAA Evaluation Tool, replaced the RPI after the 2017-18 season and it is used as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for the NCAA tournament.
ABOUT THE QUAKERS
• Penn (8-5) enters as winners of two straight. They took down Maine in a nail-biter, 72-69, last Saturday and defeated Div. III Gwynedd Mercy the following day, 89-34.
• The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) named Mataya Gayle its National Freshman of the Week on Wednesday. Gayle was also selected as the Ivy League Rookie of the Week and the Big 5 Player of the Week. The rookie averaged 21.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game, shooting 46.7 percent from the floor with five threes. She is one of three Quakers averaging 15 points per game this season (Stina Almqvist, 15.8; Mataya Gayle, 15.5; Jordan Obi, 15.2).
• Columbia has won three of the last four series meetings, sweeping the Quakers in 2022 and splitting the season series last year with each team winning at home. Penn leads the overall tally by a margin of 52-21. Sixteen of Columbia's 21 series victories have come at home.
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.
TICKETS
• Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of time by visiting GoColumbiaLions.com/Tickets. Fans can also purchase tickets on-site at the ticket window, located at the main entrance on the southeast corner of 120th and Broadway.
YOUTH BASKETBALL DAY
• All youth ages 5-12 who wear a basketball jersey/shirt will receive half-off tickets.
• All fans can meet the team after the game for a post-game autograph session.
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES BY THE MARCHING COBRAS
• The mission of Marching Cobras is to enrich the lives of teens by providing opportunities for artistic expression and teen development through music, marching, dance and entertainment. See the Cobras in action with multiple special performances throughout the game!
GAME COVERAGE
• Saturday's Ivy League opener will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can access live stats courtesy of GoColumbiaLions.com. Lions fans can also follow the team on social media (@CULionsWBB) for live updates.
WHAT TO KNOW:
OPENING TIPS
• Columbia won a share of its first Ivy League title last season by posting a record of 12-2. The Lions split with Penn and Princeton, and swept the league's four other teams.
• The Lions are riding a season-long seven-game winning streak. Over that span, Columbia is averaging 80.6 points per game, outscoring opponents by 19.1 points, shooting 45.7 percent from the field and outrebounding opponents by an average 11.0 per contest. Abbey Hsu is averaging 23.0 points per game during the winning streak, shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 40.0 percent (22-55) from long range.
• Wooden & Naismith Trophy Award Watch List selection Abbey Hsu averages an Ivy League-leading 21.9 points per game, which ranks No. 12 in the NCAA. She is top 20 in the NCAA in total field goals (107), attempts (233) and total points (285), as well as top 40 in 3-pointers (36) and threes per game (2.77).
• Hsu is the reigning Ivy League Player of the Week, winning the award for the third time this season and 10th time in her career on Tuesday. She averaged 24.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 1.5 assists and a block across a 2-0 week in Northern California. She shot 54.5 percent (18-33) from the field.
• Cecelia Collins is coming off a career-high 28-point performance on New Year's Eve at Pacific. She went 9-of-11 from the field and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, notching her fifth career 20-point game
• Columbia enters the contest leading the Ivy League in 11 NCAA-ranked statistics, which includes scoring offense (76.0), scoring margin (+10.2), rebound margin (+5.8), field goal percentage (.440), 3-pointers made per game (8.3), assists per game (17.5), bench points per game (21.2) and assist/turnover ratio (1.09).
LAST TIME OUT
• The Lions had their best offensive performance of the season to close out the 2023 calendar year on top, defeating the University of the Pacific, 93-75, on New Year's Eve in Stockton, California. Columbia dominated the first quarter and used a 15-0 run to take a 22-9 lead. Pacific (8-5) burned two timeouts to no avail. Behind a spark from Collins, Columbia hit seven straight field goals and shot 63 percent in the frame to build a commanding 16-point advantage.
• Cecelia Collins posted a career-high 28 points in the victory, going 9-of-11 from the field, 3-for-4 from downtown and 7-of-8 at the charity stripe. The junior transfer from Bucknell added five assists to her tally.
PACIFIC POSTGAME NOTES🎞️ Rolling back the tape from Sunday's 93-75 victory against Pacific!#EDGE // #RoarLionRoar 🦁🏀 pic.twitter.com/jXVD9DOmUV
— Columbia Women's Basketball (@CULionsWBB) January 1, 2024
• Columbia registered its most assists in a game (26) since Dec. 13, 2022 in a 90-47 win at LIU (27).
• The Lions went 15-of-16 from the free throw line, marking their best game (min. 10 att.) since Nov. 10, 2019, when they went a perfect 12-for-12 in a 70-51 victory over Fordham.
• Columbia scored a season-high 93 points, its most in a game since defeating Brown 94-74 on Jan. 21, 2023.
• Cecelia Collins hit career-highs in points (28), field goal percentage (.818) and made threes (3).
• Collins posted her fifth career 20-point game and 30th career game in double figures.
• Kitty Henderson tied her season-high of eight assists.
• Susie Rafiu matched her career-high with 10 points (5-10 FG).
• Columbia outscored Pacific 21-0 in fast-break points. Last year, they outscored Penn, 30-0, as part of a 72-50 victory at Levien Gym.
CHASING DOWN THE ALL-TIME GREATS
• Abbey Hsu is currently No. 2 in scoring in Columbia basketball history (men's or women's) with 1,800 career points. She is 173 points behind the all-time record held by Camille Zimmerman '18CC.
• Hsu is No. 12 on the Ivy League's all-time women's scoring list. She is 18 points behind Justine Gaziano (Brown, 2016-20) for a top-10 all-time spot.
• Hsu is currently No. 23 among active NCAA Div. I players in career points.
Columbia Basketball All-Time Scoring Leaders
(W) Camille Zimmerman (2014-18) - 1,973
(W) Abbey Hsu (2019-pres.) - 1,800
(M) Buck Jenkins (1989-93) - 1,767
(M) Jim McMillian (1967-70) - 1,758
(M) Maodo Lo (2012-16) - 1,756
DECEMBER DOMINANCE
• Columbia posted a perfect 5-0 record in the month of December with wins over Villanova (Dec. 3), Memphis (Dec. 6), Wagner (Dec. 10), San Francisco (Dec. 28) and Pacific (Dec. 31).
• Last year, the Lions went a perfect 7-0 in December.
• Dating back to the 2021-22 season, Columbia has won 13 straight games in the month of December and is 15-1 overall. Its last loss came against UMass, 87-75, on Dec. 11, 2021 at Levien Gym.
HSU COLLECTS 10TH PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD
• Abbey Hsu was named Ivy League Player of the Week for the 10th time in her career (Jan. 2).
• Hsu averaged 24.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 1.5 assists and a block in wins at USF and Pacific.
• Hsu's 10 awards tie Camille Zimmerman '18CC and Judie Lomax '10BC for the most in program history.
• Hsu is the 11th player in league history to win the award at least 10 times and the first to do so since Bella Alarie (Princeton, 2017-20).
NOTES ON NET RANKINGSFor the 10th time in her career, Abbey Hsu is the @IvyLeague Player of the Week! 👟👏
— Columbia Women's Basketball (@CULionsWBB) January 2, 2024
2️⃣-0️⃣ Week
2️⃣4️⃣.0️⃣ Points
7️⃣.5️⃣ Rebounds
2️⃣.5️⃣ Steals
1️⃣.5️⃣ Assists
1️⃣.0️⃣ Block#EDGE // #RoarLionRoar // #OnlyHere 🦁🏀🗽
📰 MOREhttps://t.co/P82t59bl8s pic.twitter.com/UsQXsZCtXk
• Columbia is No. 64 in the NET rankings (Jan. 5) and is one of three Ivy League teams in the Top 80.
• Columbia's average opponent NET is 131, which ranks 46th-toughest in the NCAA.
• The Lions are an undefeated 7-0 vs. NET 101+. They are 2-4 vs. the NET top 100.
• Columbia ended the 2022-23 season No. 47 in the NET, its highest final ranking in program history.
• Columbia's peak in the NET last year was 23rd, which came on Wednesday, Dec. 14.
• The NET, which stands for the NCAA Evaluation Tool, replaced the RPI after the 2017-18 season and it is used as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for the NCAA tournament.
ABOUT THE QUAKERS
• Penn (8-5) enters as winners of two straight. They took down Maine in a nail-biter, 72-69, last Saturday and defeated Div. III Gwynedd Mercy the following day, 89-34.
• The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) named Mataya Gayle its National Freshman of the Week on Wednesday. Gayle was also selected as the Ivy League Rookie of the Week and the Big 5 Player of the Week. The rookie averaged 21.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game, shooting 46.7 percent from the floor with five threes. She is one of three Quakers averaging 15 points per game this season (Stina Almqvist, 15.8; Mataya Gayle, 15.5; Jordan Obi, 15.2).
• Columbia has won three of the last four series meetings, sweeping the Quakers in 2022 and splitting the season series last year with each team winning at home. Penn leads the overall tally by a margin of 52-21. Sixteen of Columbia's 21 series victories have come at home.
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.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballPostgame: WBK | Coach Griffith on Win at Manhattan
Wednesday, December 03
Highlights: WBK | Columbia 63, #12 UNC 80
Saturday, November 29
Highlights: WBK | Columbia 80, South Dakota State 67
Friday, November 28
Highlights: WBK | Columbia 92, Kansas State 95
Thursday, November 27
