Clutch Shooting Down Final Stretch Gives Columbia Its First Conference Victory With 77-71 Win Over Yale
NEW YORK – Clutch shooting down the final stretch of the fourth quarter was exactly what the Columbia women’s basketball team (12-8, 1-4) needed as the Lions earned its first Ivy League win of the season in a thrilling 77-71 victory over Yale (11-11, 2-3) on Friday night.
Led behind 20 second-half points by sophomore Camille Zimmerman and 11 by Alexa Giuliano, the Lions dominated on the offensive side of the ball in the final 20 minutes of action, shooting 50.0 percent (12-of-24) from the field and 3-of-5 from downtown to seal the victory.
While the Bulldogs got off to the early lead with a 7-0 run out of the gate, junior Devon Roeper was able to come in off the bench and hit a layup in traffic, sparking eight unanswered points as Emily Surloff and Alexa Giuliano paired up with back-to-back threes to give the Lions an 8-7 lead.
With the help of eight Columbia fouls, however, the Bulldogs were able to go 8-of-9 from the line to finish the quarter and take a 20-14 lead into the second.
After being held scoreless for nearly three minutes, it was Columbia’s defense that stepped up, holding the Bulldogs to 2-of-7 from the field to let the Lions pull to within four, 26-22, and force a Yale timeout with 4:49 to go in the half.
Despite the aggressive play of Devon Roeper and a corner-three by first-year Abby Lee, 14 trips to the free throw line proved to be too much as the Bulldogs took a 35-30 advantage heading into the locker rooms at the half.
With the Lions trailing 42-35 early on in the third quarter, sophomore Alexa Giuliano was able to drain a three from the far corner and with the help of a Camille Zimmerman and-one, Columbiawas able to run away with eight unanswered and take back a 43-42 lead with 5:42 to go in the third.
Following a back-and-forth battle by both teams, Giuliano was able to step up once again for the Lions, draining a big three in the corner before a Roeper bucket in the paint sent the game tied at 55-55 into the final 10 minutes of play.
Each team continued to trade buckets through the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, but with the Lions trailing, 63-62, and only 2:40 remaining it was all Camille Zimmerman as the sophomore drained a clutch jumper to put the Lions back on top heading into the final stretch.
That was exactly the momentum Columbia needed as Alexa Giuliano came back down the court and drained yet another three to make it a 67-63 lead with 2:20 to play.
Despite a pair of triples from the Bulldogs, Zimmerman was able to hit another clutch jumper and the Lions were able to capitalize on all six free throws down the final stretch to seal a 77-71 win and give Interim Head Coach Sheila Roux her first Ivy League victory.
With 20 points coming in the second half, Zimmerman finished with a game-high 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Giuliano finished with 16 points after shooting 6-of-12 from the field and 4-of-7 from downtown.
The Lions finished the game shooting 23-of-27 from the free throw line in a game that saw 51 combined fouls, with Zimmerman leading the way after going 12-of-13 from the charity stripe.
The win also marked the first in seven-straight meetings with the Bulldogs with Columbia's last win coming back on Feb. 24, 2012 at home, 56-52.
The Lions will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 6, as they welcome Brown to Levien Gymnasium for their annual #Play4Kay game at 6 p.m.
