While the Columbia campus is divided over global events, most are united over the performance of the school’s athletic programs.
On Sunday, the women’s soccer team faced Rutgers in front of a raucous crowd during its NCAA Tournament first-round victory. Two days later, the Lions’ faithful (and Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris) packed Levien Gymnasium as the women’s basketball team welcomed Kara Lawson and Duke, the first time a top-25 team ever visited Morningside Heights.
Megan Griffith’s Light Blue squad went toe-to-toe with the No. 22 Blue Devils the entire evening but came up short in a 66-62 defeat.
Duke (3-0), which faced USA Basketball for an exhibition on Sunday, used its tenacious defense and height advantage to race out to an 11-2 lead. Columbia (1-2), on the strength of senior Abbey Hsu’s 10-point effort, battled back and the first quarter ended with the visitors up 19-15.
A fastbreak layup by junior Cecilia Collins at the halfway mark of the second period knotted the game at 24. A Hsu free throw a minute later gave the Lions its first lead of the evening.
After a late layup put the Blue Devils up two, Collins hit a pullup jumper at the buzzer to send the teams into the locker rooms tied at 30.
Columbia came out strong in the second half, opening up a 40-36 lead four minutes into the third quarter, but Duke immediately responded with a 13-2 run and eventually finished the frame up 51-44.
The Blue Devils stretched its lead to ten, 60-50, with just under six minutes to go in the fourth quarter, and things looked bleak for the reigning Ivy League regular season champs. However, Columbia stormed back with a 10-0 run of its own, led by back-to-back triples from Hsu and junior Kitty Henderson.
Reigan Richardson hit a layup to put Duke up 62-60 with 1:47 left in regulation, and Hsu missed a contested jumper near the basket. A reverse layup by Ashlon Jackson made it a four-point game with just over a minute to go.
Hsu hit a floating runner in the lane to cut the deficit to two, 66-64, but Duke worked the shot clock down and Jackson nailed a two-pointer just inside the three-point line at the top of the key to put the game away for good.
The victorious Blue Devils were led by Boston College transfer Taina Mair with 18 points, three rebounds and three steals. Richardson and Kennedy Brown had 10 points each, while Yale graduate transfer Camilla Emsbo, who missed last year to an ACL injury, notched three points and six rebounds in 22 minutes.
For Columbia, Hsu finished with a game-high 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting. Henderson had 15 points and three assists, while Collins totaled six points, nine rebounds and three assists.
Between the evenly matched programs, the biggest differences were seen on the inside and in turnovers.
Duke, which features two 6’6″ players, was outrebounded 37-34 by the smaller Lions but managed to take seven more free throws and a 16-point advantage (42-26) with points in the paint.
While Columbia likes to push the pace and is going to have its fair share of turnovers, many of the 21 were unforced and Duke turned those into 20 points.
A couple of thoughts as the Lions get ready for Thursday night’s contest against Towson, the top preseason pick in the Coastal Athletic Association.
Hsu is aiming for Ivy Player and Defensive Player of the Year
With the graduation of eight seniors, including three starters, from last year’s team, there is no doubt this is Hsu’s team. She has risen to that challenge, by being the team’s top player and most vocal leader. While the reigning Ivy League Player of the Week is the conference’s all-time best from the three-point line, her two-point game has grown since last year. In addition, she has taken her defense up a notch and has now been tasked with handling the opposition’s top score.
Through the first three games, Hsu is the league’s top scorer (23.0), fourth in blocks (1.3), seventh in steals (2.0) and eighth in rebounding (7.3).
Four-fifths of the starting lineup is set
With so many new players, for the first time in several seasons, Griffith knows it will take time for the team to gel. Fortunately for a coach that prefers an uptempo four-guard lineup, she has that starting group set.
The main complement to Hsu is Henderson. The Australian point guard, who shifted from the two guard to point guard role in the latter part of the 2022 Ivy season, has been tasked by Griffith with adding more point production. So far, so good for Henderson, who is sitting at 11.7 points and 3.7 assists per game.
Collins, who transferred from Bucknell, has had a seamless transition in first season at Columbia with 10.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest. The coach, who told Collins right away that she was going to be in the starting lineup, feels she has been the ultimate teammate and is the glue that keeps the team together.
Filling out the final guard spot is first-year Riley Weiss, who has started the last two games. The Long Island native has shown a high degree of confidence as she learns the pace of the college game and is averaging 6.3 points per game.
The forward spot has to catch up
As noted above, the Lions have a strong group of starting guards, as well as added depth in the backcourt from Nicole Stevens and Perri Page, both of whom missed significant time in 2022-23 due to injuries, as well as rookie Fliss Henderson (Kitty’s sister). The frontcourt, however, is not in the same position.
Noa Comesaña has started each game but is returning from a year off due to hip surgery. As she returns to competitive action, she only has 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds a game. Susie Rafiu, who was in the opening night starting lineup, has also limited success with 2.0 points and 0.7 boards a contest.
Of the main group of bigs, Paige Lauder may be the best bet to replace the departure of Kaitlyn Davis.
Lauder, who has been the first forward off the bench in each of the first three games, has been referred to her by her coach as a “microwave” for her ability to put up big numbers quickly. While the 6’1″ Malvern, Penn. native is averaging 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds a game, she is also averaging 3.0 fouls, which has contributed to her only playing 18.3 minutes a night.
Once Lauder can control her fouling, she can move into the starting lineup, stay on the court for longer stretches and give the Lions its most complete starting five.