Monday, December 29
Fort Myers, Fla.
2:00 p.m.
Columbia University
at
FGCU
Perri Page has had three games with five or more steals so far this season.
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Josh Wang
Women's Basketball Looks to Put a Bow on 2025 Monday at FGCU
12/28/2025 12:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Lions make first trip to Fort Myers for non-conference finale
NEW YORK – The Columbia women's basketball team (8-4) closes out the 2025 calendar year with its first trip to Florida Gulf Coast (4-6) on Monday. Opening tip from Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida, is scheduled for 2 p.m.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Kelly Burke and Greg Anderson will have the call for Monday afternoon's game. Lucas Nicholson will be reporting from the sideline. Fans who are unable to attend can watch live on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
OPENING TIPS
• Columbia owns a 13-game winning streak in true road games, which is the longest active streak in the country.
• The Lions have won four games in a row since returning from the Cancun Challenge. Over that four-game winning streak, they are averaging 72.5 points on offense and holding opponents to an average of 49.5 points.
• Perri Page is one of four players in the country averaging at least 13.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and shooting 50 percent or better from the field. Two of the other three players are reigning All-Americans Sarah Strong (UConn) and Madison Booker (Texas).
• Senior co-captains Susie Rafiu (54.7%) and Perri Page (53.3%) rank No. 1 and 2 in the Ivy League in field goal percentage. Page is also No. 2 in the Ivies in steals per game (2.75), a mark that ranks top 50 in the NCAA. Page's 6.9 rebounds per game are good for seventh in the Ivy League.
• Riley Weiss (18.1) is the Ivy League's top scorer. She ranks top 50 in the NCAA in scoring. Perri Page (13.3) and Susie Rafiu (11.9) also rank top 10 in the Ivy League in scoring.
• Weiss is 16 points from becoming the 16th player in program history to reach 1,000 in their career.
• The Lions are chasing their sixth straight nine-win non-conference season. They went 9-4 in 2019-20, 10-3 in 2021-22, 11-2 in 2022-23, 9-4 in 2023-24 and 9-4 in 2024-25. The 2020-21 season was canceled due to COVID-19.
• Columbia leads the Ivy League in assists per game (16.8), field goal percentage (44.7%) and steals per game (12.3). The Lions rank top 25 in the NCAA in steals per game.
250 GAMES OF THE GRIFFITH ERA
• Columbia head coach Megan Griffith will coach her 250th career game when the Lions battle Florida Gulf Coast on Monday, Dec. 29, in Fort Myers, Florida.
• Griffith is the winningest coach in program history, owning an overall record of 154-95 (.618).
• Earlier this season, Griffith earned her 150th career win when the Lions defeated South Dakota State, 80-67, at the Cancun Challenge (Nov. 28).
• Under Griffith, Columbia has won its first three Ivy League Regular Season Championships (2023, 2024, 2025) and earned its first two bids to the NCAA Tournament (2024, 2025). She coached the Lions to their first NCAA Tournament win in program history, defeating Washington, 63-60, on March 20, 2025.
ROAD WARRIORS
• Columbia has won 13 straight true road games dating back to last season, which is the longest active "away" winning streak in the country. The streak does not include "neutral" site games.
•Columbia's 13-game streak is two better than the second-longest active streak of 11, held by Colorado State.
• The top five active winning streaks also include Texas (W8), UConn (W7), Maryland (W6) and Baylor (W6).
HALFTIME WINNING STREAK
• Columbia has won 34 consecutive games when leading at halftime. The Lions have won their first six such games so far this season, all 20 games when leading at the half in 2024-25, and their final eight such games in 2023-24. Columbia's last loss with a halftime lead came at Princeton on January 20, 2024, taking a 37-33 lead into the locker rooms but coming up short, 80-65.
UTSA POSTGAME NOTES (Dec. 20)
• Fliss Henderson's go-ahead layup with 5.1 seconds left marked the second game in a row Columbia has taken the lead in the final seconds. Perri Page hit a game-winning layup at Seton Hall (Dec. 9) with 0.7 on the clock.
• Marija Avlijas set or matched career-highs in points (21), field goals made (8) and attempted (15), 3-pointers made (3) and attempted (8), and free throw attempts (9).
• Perri Page recorded five steals, marking her third game of the season with five or more.
• The Lions came away with 15+ steals for the fifth time this season.
• Riley Weiss posted career-highs in free throws made and attempted (9-11).
BACK ON THE BUBBLE
• Columbia finds itself right back on the bubble in early NCAA Tournament projections. According to ESPN's Charlie Crème, the Lions are currently listed as "Next Four Out" in his latest bracketology.
• Columbia has earned an at-large bid to each of the last two NCAA Tournaments. In both cases, the Lions were on the bubble entering Selection Sunday, drawing Vanderbilt in the First Four in 2024, followed by Washington in the First Four in 2025. Columbia defeated Washington, 63-60, last season for the program's first NCAA Tournament victory.
• Columbia was also on the bubble in 2023 but did not hear its name called on Selection Sunday. Instead, the Lions went to the WNIT, where they made a run all the way to the championship game against Kansas.
BUILDING A MARCH RESUME
• Columbia's non-conference schedule includes nine games against teams that qualified for last year's NCAA Tournament, WBIT or WNIT. Five of those games are against last season's NCAA field, which includes the home opener against Richmond (Nov. 15), all three contests at the Cancun Challenge – Kansas State (Nov. 27), South Dakota State (Nov. 28) and North Carolina (Nov. 29) – as well as a late December trip to Fort Myers to battle Florida Gulf Coast (Dec. 29). The Lions will also host 2025 WBIT competitors Saint Joseph's (Nov. 20) and UTSA (Dec. 20) and travel across the Hudson to renew a rivalry with Seton Hall (Dec. 9). Butler qualified for the 2025 WNIT.
• In total, Columbia's 2025-26 schedule includes eight games against NET Top 50 teams and 12 games against NET Top 100 teams from a year ago.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
• Click here for information on the FGCU Eagles.
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.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Kelly Burke and Greg Anderson will have the call for Monday afternoon's game. Lucas Nicholson will be reporting from the sideline. Fans who are unable to attend can watch live on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
OPENING TIPS
• Columbia owns a 13-game winning streak in true road games, which is the longest active streak in the country.
• The Lions have won four games in a row since returning from the Cancun Challenge. Over that four-game winning streak, they are averaging 72.5 points on offense and holding opponents to an average of 49.5 points.
• Perri Page is one of four players in the country averaging at least 13.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and shooting 50 percent or better from the field. Two of the other three players are reigning All-Americans Sarah Strong (UConn) and Madison Booker (Texas).
• Senior co-captains Susie Rafiu (54.7%) and Perri Page (53.3%) rank No. 1 and 2 in the Ivy League in field goal percentage. Page is also No. 2 in the Ivies in steals per game (2.75), a mark that ranks top 50 in the NCAA. Page's 6.9 rebounds per game are good for seventh in the Ivy League.
• Riley Weiss (18.1) is the Ivy League's top scorer. She ranks top 50 in the NCAA in scoring. Perri Page (13.3) and Susie Rafiu (11.9) also rank top 10 in the Ivy League in scoring.
• Weiss is 16 points from becoming the 16th player in program history to reach 1,000 in their career.
• The Lions are chasing their sixth straight nine-win non-conference season. They went 9-4 in 2019-20, 10-3 in 2021-22, 11-2 in 2022-23, 9-4 in 2023-24 and 9-4 in 2024-25. The 2020-21 season was canceled due to COVID-19.
• Columbia leads the Ivy League in assists per game (16.8), field goal percentage (44.7%) and steals per game (12.3). The Lions rank top 25 in the NCAA in steals per game.
250 GAMES OF THE GRIFFITH ERA
• Columbia head coach Megan Griffith will coach her 250th career game when the Lions battle Florida Gulf Coast on Monday, Dec. 29, in Fort Myers, Florida.
• Griffith is the winningest coach in program history, owning an overall record of 154-95 (.618).
• Earlier this season, Griffith earned her 150th career win when the Lions defeated South Dakota State, 80-67, at the Cancun Challenge (Nov. 28).
• Under Griffith, Columbia has won its first three Ivy League Regular Season Championships (2023, 2024, 2025) and earned its first two bids to the NCAA Tournament (2024, 2025). She coached the Lions to their first NCAA Tournament win in program history, defeating Washington, 63-60, on March 20, 2025.
ROAD WARRIORS
• Columbia has won 13 straight true road games dating back to last season, which is the longest active "away" winning streak in the country. The streak does not include "neutral" site games.
•Columbia's 13-game streak is two better than the second-longest active streak of 11, held by Colorado State.
• The top five active winning streaks also include Texas (W8), UConn (W7), Maryland (W6) and Baylor (W6).
HALFTIME WINNING STREAK
• Columbia has won 34 consecutive games when leading at halftime. The Lions have won their first six such games so far this season, all 20 games when leading at the half in 2024-25, and their final eight such games in 2023-24. Columbia's last loss with a halftime lead came at Princeton on January 20, 2024, taking a 37-33 lead into the locker rooms but coming up short, 80-65.
UTSA POSTGAME NOTES (Dec. 20)
• Fliss Henderson's go-ahead layup with 5.1 seconds left marked the second game in a row Columbia has taken the lead in the final seconds. Perri Page hit a game-winning layup at Seton Hall (Dec. 9) with 0.7 on the clock.
• Marija Avlijas set or matched career-highs in points (21), field goals made (8) and attempted (15), 3-pointers made (3) and attempted (8), and free throw attempts (9).
• Perri Page recorded five steals, marking her third game of the season with five or more.
• The Lions came away with 15+ steals for the fifth time this season.
• Riley Weiss posted career-highs in free throws made and attempted (9-11).
BACK ON THE BUBBLE
• Columbia finds itself right back on the bubble in early NCAA Tournament projections. According to ESPN's Charlie Crème, the Lions are currently listed as "Next Four Out" in his latest bracketology.
• Columbia has earned an at-large bid to each of the last two NCAA Tournaments. In both cases, the Lions were on the bubble entering Selection Sunday, drawing Vanderbilt in the First Four in 2024, followed by Washington in the First Four in 2025. Columbia defeated Washington, 63-60, last season for the program's first NCAA Tournament victory.
• Columbia was also on the bubble in 2023 but did not hear its name called on Selection Sunday. Instead, the Lions went to the WNIT, where they made a run all the way to the championship game against Kansas.
BUILDING A MARCH RESUME
• Columbia's non-conference schedule includes nine games against teams that qualified for last year's NCAA Tournament, WBIT or WNIT. Five of those games are against last season's NCAA field, which includes the home opener against Richmond (Nov. 15), all three contests at the Cancun Challenge – Kansas State (Nov. 27), South Dakota State (Nov. 28) and North Carolina (Nov. 29) – as well as a late December trip to Fort Myers to battle Florida Gulf Coast (Dec. 29). The Lions will also host 2025 WBIT competitors Saint Joseph's (Nov. 20) and UTSA (Dec. 20) and travel across the Hudson to renew a rivalry with Seton Hall (Dec. 9). Butler qualified for the 2025 WNIT.
• In total, Columbia's 2025-26 schedule includes eight games against NET Top 50 teams and 12 games against NET Top 100 teams from a year ago.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
• Click here for information on the FGCU Eagles.
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
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/ Women's BasketballHighlights: WBK | Columbia 70, UTSA 65
Saturday, December 20
Postgame: WBK | Henderson, Avlijas on Win vs. UTSA
Saturday, December 20
Highlights: WBK | Columbia 54, Seton Hall 53
Tuesday, December 09
Postgame: WBK | Page on Win at Seton Hall
Tuesday, December 09
