NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Columbia looked every bit like a team preparing to make a postseason run in March, jumping all over Yale from the tip on its way to a dominant win, 76-50, Saturday afternoon in Ivy League women's basketball action from Lee Amphitheater.
The Lions (21-5, 12-1 Ivy) used a 12-0 run early on to gain control and never looked back. They led 27-7 at the end of the period behind a scorching 12-of-14 (.857) shooting, marking their largest first-quarter lead of the season. The defensive effort was just as good, limiting Yale (8-18, 5-8 Ivy) to just 3-of-17 (.150) and more than doubling the Bulldogs on the glass, 11-5, to demoralize the Senior Day crowd.
"We can't look past anyone in this league – it's just a talented league all around. We had to come out here and get on them from the start," said junior
Cecelia Collins, who finished with 10 points, three rebounds and a game-high six assists. "I think we did a good job of that. There were a few stops we'd want back but I think we executed until the end and got the [win]."
The victory makes nine straight for Columbia, which now has a chance to grab no less than a share of its second straight Ivy League title next Saturday at Cornell. The Lions will head to Ithaca as hot as any team in the country, winning 19 of their last 20 since Thanksgiving.
"We just have to take care of business. We just have to make sure we're ready and we're on it," said head coach
Megan Griffith when asked about the opportunity next Saturday. "It will be nice for us to have a clear mind, get to Ithaca early, and then just take care of business."
Five Lions reached double figures in the scoring column for the first time this season. They were led by senior
Abbey Hsu's 15 points on 5-of-9 from the floor. She tacked on seven rebounds and an assist less than 24 hours after a 28-point, 10-rebound outburst at Brown.
First-year
Riley Weiss netted 13 and knocked down three triples off the bench. Junior point guard
Kitty Henderson scored six of Columbia's first 10 points on her way to a dozen. Sophomore forward
Susie Rafiu continued to make strides toward becoming a dominant post player, stuffing the stat sheet with 11 points, a team-high seven rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block.
"Depth is huge. I think that's something, even last year, that we didn't have as much of," Griffith added. "To have multiple people that can come in and contribute … is huge. It gives a breather to any of the starters and we can move them in so many ways. It's really neat the lineups we can play around with."
Columbia's 12-0 first-quarter run was capped by a bucket from Hsu off a baseline out-of-bounds play. That made it a 14-3 game at the 5:30 mark. Weiss splashed home her first three to increase the advantage to 19-5. The Bulldogs were then forced to call for time trailing 23-7 after Rafiu's first bucket of the afternoon.
Yale tried to get back into the game in the second quarter. The Bulldogs actually outscored Columbia, 22-17, in the period but only got within as little as 13 on a Jenna Clark layup with just a minute to go before halftime.
Paige Lauder answered in the final seconds to give the Lions a 44-29 lead at the break.
The margin went right back to 20 as Columbia opened the second half with the first five points. They did a good job of getting to the foul line, going 7-for-10 in the third quarter, and quieted Yale to just seven total points.
The final period was academic but the Lions didn't let that deter their focus. The bench did its job, scoring 12 of the team's final 17 points and maintaining a cushion of no less than 20 through the final horn.
Columbia's regular-season finale at Cornell takes place next Saturday, March 9, at Newman Arena. The game's opening tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
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