First-Half Dominance Leads Columbia To 67-48 Win Over Wagner
NEW YORK – The Columbia women’s basketball team (8-4) came out attacking early and never looked back on Wednesday night as the Lions took away a 67-48 win over Wagner in the final game of 2015.
After an odd start to the game with a jump ball off the opening tip to lead to a re-jump, it was Alexa Giuliano who was able to drain a three in the corner to put Columbia on the board first.
Despite a 5-0 run by the Seahawks, the Lions were able to rally back with six unanswered to pull ahead to a 17-10 lead after the first quarter of play. Columbia picked up 10 of the team’s 17 first-quarter points off eight Wagner turnovers.
The Lions continued to spread the ball around in the second quarter, outscoring the Seahawks, 18-6, as Giuliano drained another three from the corner in the final seconds to give Columbia a 35-16 advantage at the half.
Columbia picked up 16 of their 35 points off Wagner’s 14 first-half turnovers and did not allow the Seahawks to get any points despite nine turnovers of their own.
Wagner was able to keep pace with the Lions for the early part of the third quarter, but after missing on their last 11 field goal attempts of the quarter, the Seahawks went into the final 10 minutes of play trailing, 55-32.
Despite a late fourth-quarter run by the Seahawks after Columbia turned the ball over six times in a three-minute period, the Lions were able to hold on as they sealed a 67-48 victory.
Camille Zimmerman led the Lions with 17 points and six rebounds while Tori Oliver also finished in double-figures, picking up 11. Rookie Josie Little brought down 10 boards in only 14 minutes of play off the bench for Columbia while senior Sara Mead added seven points, eight rebounds, three assists and a steal.
The Lions held Wagner to only 24-percent from the field (18-of-75) after the Seahawks struggled from beyond the arc, going 3-for-20 (15.0) from downtown.
The Lions will return to action on Sunday, Jan. 3, when they welcome Central Pennsylvania to Levien Gymnasium for the first game of 2016, with tipoff at 2 p.m. on the Ivy League Digital Network (ILDN).
