Women's Basketball Takes Harvard to the Wire in Defeat
| Score by Quarter | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
| Harvard | 16 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 58 |
| Columbia |
9 | 15 | 18 | 13 | 55 |
| Stat Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Harvard | Columbia |
| FGM-A | 18-53 | 18-54 |
| FG% | 34.0% | 33.3% |
| 3FGM-A | 3-16 | 2-7 |
| 3FG% | 18.8% | 28.6% |
| FTM-A | 19-26 | 17-24 |
| FT% | 73.1% | 70.8% |
| Rebounds | 38 | 40 |
| Assists | 14 | 11 |
| Turnovers | 14 | 15 |
| Blocks | 7 | 2 |
| Steals | 3 | 7 |
| Individual Leaders | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Harvard | Columbia |
| Points | Destiny Nunley (20) | Camille Zimmerman (28) |
| Rebounds | Destiny Nunley (7) | Camille Zimmerman (12) |
| Assists | Katie Benzan (4) Kirby Porter (4) |
Paulina Koerner (4) |
| Steals |
Katie Benzan (3) |
Janiya Clemmons (2) Tori Oliver (2) |
| Blocks |
Jeannie Boehm (3) |
Maya Sampleton (2) |
NEW YORK — The Columbia women’s basketball team dug itself out of an early 12-point hole and took Harvard down to the wire, but could not pull out the victory, 58-55, Friday night at Levien Gymnasium.
Down by eight with less than three minutes remaining, Columbia used a late surge that ended with two Tori Oliver free throws to get within one point with 19 seconds remaining. The Lions fouled and got the ball back down 57-55, but were called for a travel.
Harvard (19-3, 7-2 Ivy) gave Columbia (12-10, 2-7 Ivy) one final chance by only converting 1 of 2 at the foul line. The Lions inbounded from the opposite end of the floor with 5.2 seconds left, but a sprinting desperation attempt by Camille Zimmerman in front of the Columbia bench went sailing.
“We have to start the fight, be fighters, and put the gloves on at the beginning of the game,” said head coach Megan Griffith ‘07CC. “Defensively, we’re really focused and engaged. As soon as we can get both sides of the ball working for us, I think we’ll be a fun program to watch.”
After falling behind 16-4 to start the game, Columbia used an 11-0 run that lasted the majority of the third quarter to go up, 37-35, its first lead since 2-0. Harvard fought back with eight unanswered points in the fourth quarter to rebuild a nine-point cushion before Columbia turned it back on late.
Zimmerman continued her Ivy League Player of the Year campaign with a game-high 28 points and 12 rebounds to record her conference-leading 11th double-double. She scored six straight as part of the third-quarter run and added six more through the game’s final minute. The junior shot 10 of 28 from the field and 7 of 8 from the foul line, reaching the 20-point plateau for the seventh consecutive outing.
First-year Janiya Clemmons made the first start of her collegiate career and impressed with eight points, three rebounds and two steals. The Maryland native stole the ball from Harvard’s Madeline Raster on the game’s first possession and scored on the other end of the floor. She matched her highest scoring output of the season.
“We talk a lot about being consistent in practice, taking care of the little things and building good habits – that led to Janiya starting tonight,” Griffith added. “I’m happy for her and she should feel good about that, but we still have a long way to go. If she wants to be great, it’s going to be really hard. As long as she keeps buying in and working hard, she’ll be a special player, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
Senior Tori Oliver also finished with eight points, adding nine rebounds, three assists and two steals. First-year Maya Sampleton netted seven points to go with a pair of blocks. Sophomore Paulina Koerner turned in a game-high four assists off the bench.
For Harvard, Destiny Nunley shot 8 of 16 from the floor on her way to team-highs of 20 points and seven rebounds. Katie Benzan added a dozen in the scoring column. She and Kirby Porter each had a team-high four assists.
Columbia will try and snap its four-game Ivy League skid Saturday night, when it welcomes Dartmouth (6-16, 1-8 Ivy) to Levien Gym. Tip is set for 6 p.m.
Postgame Notes:
- Camille Zimmerman recorded her seventh consecutive 20-point game and Ivy League-leading 11th double-double. She is averaging more than 25 points and 10 rebounds in Ivy League play.
- Zimmerman is 27 points away from Columbia’s Div. I single-season scoring record of 521 held by Judie Lomax ‘10BC (2009-10). She now has 494 points on the season.
- Harvard earned a season sweep, winning both games by a combined five points.
