Women's Basketball Hosts UMBC in Season Opener Friday
Ivy League Digital Network // Talent: Jay Alter // Live Audio // Live Stats
Columbia Game Notes UMBC Game Notes
Buy Tickets // 
Twitter
NEW YORK — The Columbia women’s basketball team begins the 2016-17 season on Friday, welcoming UMBC to Levien Gymnasium for a 2 p.m. tip.
PROMO
The first 100 fans in attendance at Friday's game will receive a free slice of pizza courtesy of Papa John's!
THE GRIFFITH ERA BEGINS
Megan Griffith will make her collegiate head coaching debut on Friday and is the third-youngest active head coach in all of NCAA Div. I women’s basketball. Griffith, 31, was inducted to the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame in October. She is the program’s single-season assists leader (148, 2005-06), fifth in career assists (373) and one of 10 Lions in program history to score more than 1,000 career points.
THE SEASON OPENER
Columbia is 4-6 in season openers over the last 10 seasons and 5-5 in home openers . Last year, the Lions opened at UMBC, defeating the Retrievers in overtime, 70-68. Last year's home opener was Nov. 17 against Vermont, which the Lions also won, 73-56. Columbia has won its home opener each of the last two seasons, earning a home-opening victory over Lafayette in 2014-15.
ALL-IVY RETURNER
Junior Camille Zimmerman is a returning All-Ivy League selection. Zimmerman was named to the All-Ivy League Second Team last season after averaging 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds, both of which ranked top 10 in the conference. Zimmerman is Columbia's top returner in scoring (14.4), rebounding (7.3), steals (1.2) and blocks (1.2). Zimmerman has already amassed 800 career points in her first two seasons (14.0/game), putting her on pace to become the school’s all-time leading scorer by the time she graduates in May of 2018.
OLIVER CHASING DOWN HISTORY
Tori Oliver enters her senior season seventh in program history in scoring with 1,055 points ... Oliver is six points away from current head coach Megan Griffith for sixth, who scored 1,061 points from 2003-07 ... Oliver is only 13 points from entering the top five, a spot currently held by Ellen Bossert's 1,068 points from 1984-86.
GIULIANO FOR 3
Junior Alexa Giuliano enters the season No. 3 in program history in career 3-pointers made with 131 through her first two seasons ... Giuliano needs 36 to surpass Melissa Shafer for the record ... Shafer knocked down 166 triples from 2008-12 ... Giuliano drained 73 from long range in her rookie 2014-15 campaign to break Columbia’s single-season record ... Last season, Giuliano tacked on 58 more, which is fourth in the single-season record books.
YOUTHFUL COACHING STAFF
The Columbia women’s basketball coaching staff is the second-youngest in the country with an average age of 27.75-years-old ... Head coach Megan Griffith is 31, making her the third-youngest active head coach in Div. I women’s basketball ... Assistant coach Will Ingersoll is 30, assistant coach Tyler Cordell is 27 and assistant coach Devin Fountain is 23, having just graduated from UC Berkeley in May.
UP NEXT…
Columbia travels to Richmond, Virginia, on Sunday to take on the Spiders. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Robins Center.
