Columbia women’s basketball overcame a 14-4 deficit to Yale and pulled away for a 68-47 win before a sparse crowd at John J. Lee Amphitheater Friday night.
The Bulldoga came out and got to the rim early. Columbia’s full-court pressure did not hinder the hosts. The Lions uncharacteristically missed 12 of their first 14 shots.
Yale led 16-12 at the end of the first stanza.
Taking an optimistic stance, Columbia coach Megan Griffith said, “it’s always good when you get someone’s best.”
Columbia (19-6, 10-2 Ivy) went on a 12-4 run to cut the Yale (6-19, 2-10) deficit to 18-16 and a junior guard Riley Weiss trey put Columbia up or the first time at 22-20.
Weiss, the leading Ivy scorer at 19.9 points per game, delivered 28 points on a superb array of 10-for-18 shooting, including 4-for-9 from long range.
“Riley is just a super-talented scorer,” Griffith said.
Columbia went on a 15-0 run to start the second half, culminating in a senior forward Susie Rafiu inside move to the hoop.
The Lions led 56-35 at the end of the third quarter, outscoring Yale, 26-8.
The last stanza was a mere formality, as the teams were knotted at 12.
Yale showed signs of life early on but was turnover-prone after and couldn’t stop the Lions’ offensive explosion.
The Bulldogs finished with 21 turnovers and only shot 1-for-8 from three-point range.
Rafiu added 14 points and six rebounds.
Yale was once again led by sophomore guard sensation Ciniya Moore, who posted 15 points.
Yale recorded seven blocks, two short of its season high.
Yale hosts Cornell for Senior Day and Columbia travels to Brown in a key Ivy clash, both at 5 p.m. Saturday.