SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — It wasn’t pretty, but Columbia got its biggest road win of the young season.
The Lions (7-4) took the short ride to South Orange, New Jersey and beat Seton Hall (6-2) on a Perri Page layup with 0.7 seconds left, 54–53. Facing an unrelenting Seton Hall defense, the Lions never led in the second half until the final second.
The fourth-quarter hero, Page was the best player on the court all game for Columbia. She set the tone early with nine points in the first quarter en route to a team-high 15, to go along with 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.
“She’s a senior,” head coach Megan Griffith said postgame. “She played like a senior, and we really needed her to.”
This win gives Columbia their first win in Quadrant 1, a marker of an opponent’s quality used in the NET rankings that influence March Madness seedings. The Lions, who currently sit in the Next Four Out in Charlie Creme’s latest Bracketology, will try to use this win to gain momentum heading into two tune-up games before Ivy League play.
While Manhattan and Wagner couldn’t stop the Lions last week, Seton Hall was clearly prepared for Columbia’s offense. The Pirates made the Lions look one-dimensional, forcing three-point attempts from Columbia’s weaker perimeter shooters and making points on the inside from Page and seniors Susie Rafiu and Fliss Henderson hard to come by.
Most impressively, Seton Hall nearly completely neutralized star junior Riley Weiss. Shailyn Pinkney was Seton Hall’s primary defender against the guard from Long Island, and Weiss did not manage a single point while guarded by Pinkney.
Columbia got off to a slow start, not finding much success after an opening layup from senior forward Susie Rafiu. The Pirates forced them deep into the shot clock, with Columbia not managing to get an open look in that time. Pace was a barometer for the Lions all day, as the more tempo they played with, the more success they had offensively.
Following the first timeout, Columbia fell into a deeper rut as Seton Hall’s key shooters Savannah Catalon and Jada Eads found an offensive rhythm early. Eads, whom coach Megan Griffith called the best point guard Columbia played this year, stands at just 5-foot-7 but brings a powerful, physical presence to the court, regularly scoring over much taller players, including 6-foot-1 Susie Rafiu.
Down 17–6, the Lions shuffled around their five on the court, using their substitutes to bring energy and a faster pace. That renewed energy led to a Page-powered rally, who brought the Lions to within one at the end of the quarter.
While the Lions played competitively in the second, Griffith clearly expected more. As the horn sounded going into the half with Seton Hall leading 30–26, Griffith pushed past Rafiu, storming off the court, likely to prepare a fiery halftime speech.
The Pirates’ aggressive defensive scheme contained Weiss, who did not score a single point in the first half. Without the ball in her hands, the Lions largely turned to Broom and Henderson to shoot from long distance. Neither guard — nor the team as a whole — had a successful day from three, and the two combined to shoot 1-for-12 on three-point attempts.
Despite Broom not having much success shooting, she provided a spark of energy off the bench for the team in the third, loudly firing up the Lions heading into the first timeout, down 40–34. That energy sparked a rally as Weiss scored her first points of the day with Broom running point.
In the final minutes of the third quarter, Weiss scored seven points, finally breaking free to bring her team within two heading into the fourth. Notably, she did so while Catalon, the game’s leading scorer, was defending her, taking advantage of a more favorable matchup.
Weiss delivered once more in the beginning of the fourth, making a corner three to bring the Lions within one. As was the story all day, though, success on the defensive end wasn’t enough to fuel a Lions rally, as they missed five three-point attempts in the subsequent minutes while down one possession.
On the day, Columbia shot just 5–for-28 from long range. With Weiss a non-factor — and only shooting 2-for-7 from range when she was open — Seton Hall was content to let the Lions’ less potent shooters take aim, and the strategy nearly gave the Pirates the win.
Columbia was ready to win the hard way, though. Repeatedly down three, Fliss Henderson played more like a forward than a guard, powering her way into the paint to convert two closing layups in the final minutes.
With eight seconds to go, Columbia forced a Seton Hall turnover, getting the ball back for an inbounds play down one point. Henderson passed to Page, who maneuvered near a defender just below the three-point line. Seeing her opportunity, Page dashed into the paint, converting a gutsy layup. With 0.7 seconds showing on the clock, she gave Columbia its first lead of the half at the best possible time.
After a desperation Seton Hall heave missed, that lead became the final score, 54–53. Columbia added a second marquee win to their resume after defeating South Dakota State over Thanksgiving weekend and moved to 2–0 against the Big East on the season.
The Lions demonstrated their ability to grit out a win when points are at a premium, which will be critical in Ivy play. The Lions’ two main foes in the Ivy, Princeton and Harvard, are both known for defense, and each year the Ivy League promises memorable defensive showdowns.
The Lions now have eleven days off for the final exam period before two more non-conference games against UTSA (3-5) and Florida Gulf Coast (2-5) before Ivy play begins in 2026.