Immediately after losing to Harvard women’s basketball in the Ivy League semifinal, Columbia senior forward Perri Page said in no uncertain terms, “We are winning the WBIT. I can tell you that right now.”
Two games in, Columbia are more than backing up Page. After demolishing St. John’s 74–26 at home on Thursday, the Lions (22–8, 11–3 Ivy) romped past North Dakota State (29–5, 15–1 Summit), 86–57, in Columbia’s first-ever trip to the Peace Garden State.
“Our team has done a great job of turning the page,” Columbia coach Megan Griffith told ESPN+ after the game.
Harvard, which dispatched Columbia from the Ivy League Tournament after spoiling the latter’s Ivy League title pursuit late in the season, took care of business at Lavietes Pavilion to advance from the WBIT’s second round simultaneously Sunday, holding Eastern Kentucky to just two first-quarter points en route to a 63-34 win.
Lions roar past Bison
The Lions shot over 60% from the field in their first half en route to a 56–22 lead and then coasted through the second half for a dominating victory. Columbia’s scoring prowess came from the three-headed monster of Page, junior guard Riley Weiss, and sophomore guard Mia Broom, who combined for 70 of Columbia’s 86 points.
Broom, emerging into a genuine weapon for the Lions, led the way with a career-high 26 points, including five three-pointers. Broom and junior forward Hilke Feldrappe earned spots in the postseason starting lineup following injuries to senior guard Marija Avlijas and junior guard Fliss Henderson.
“I’ve been really happy to see our players step up and have each other’s backs,” Griffith said
North Dakota State junior forward Avery Koenen led the way for the Bison with 21 points, including their first eight of the game. After scoring the first points of the game, the Bison fell victim to Columbia’s swarming press, going down by double digits after the first quarter and never becoming close to catching up.
After the first quarter, Columbia had already forced six Bison turnovers. Powered by Broom and Weiss, they shot 65% from the field, including four-for-nine from long range. The Lions led 30–13 and were just getting started.
The second quarter was much of the same story. While North Dakota State committed fewer turnovers, they failed to consistently make shots. Meanwhile, Columbia still couldn’t miss. The Lions headed into the half shooting well over 50% from the field, including a deep three from Broom in the closing seconds of the quarter to make the score 56–22, with she, Page and Weiss combining to score 46 of those points.
It would take a perfect second half for North Dakota State to make the end remotely close. The Bison started out that way on defense, holding the Lions scoreless for the first four and a half minutes of the quarter. Their offense turned a corner, scoring their first points off a turnover of the game.
But a cascade of missed shots capped the mini Bison run at 6–0, bringing the game to within a still-massive 28 point deficit.
The Lions steadied the ship from there, playing evenly throughout the quarter after the initial Bison run. Both teams held serve in the fourth quarter, tying 13–13 in the final frame, though the ending at 86–57 in Columbia’s favor was all but assured throughout.
Looking at the sideline at Griffith, though, one would expect Columbia was losing by two in a national final. Griffith, always the perfectionist, found points of issue even with her team up 30, and Sunday’s result likely would not happen without her constant demand of excellence.
Three years removed from a trip to the WNIT finals, Columbia are back in the familiar position of playing their hearts out in a postseason tournament, even if it’s not the Big Dance.
“We’re really just attacking it together,” Griffith said.
The Lions await the winner of tonight’s battle between California (20–14, 10–10 ACC) and Kansas State (19–17, 11–11 Big XII) and will face the Golden Bears in Berkeley or the Wildcats in Manhattan, Kan. depending on the result Sunday night.
“Ready to go get it,” Griffith said.
Crimson clamp down on Colonels
Harvard built a 19-2 cushion going into the second quarter and never looked back, pairing stifling defense with an ensemble offensive attack comprised of double-figure-scoring efforts from senior forward Katie Krupa, junior forward Abigail Wright, senior guard Saniyah Glenn-Bello and first-year guard Olivia Jones.
The Colonels shot a woeful 14-for-59 (23.7%) from the floor.
Harvard, a No. 4 seed in the WBIT, will hit the road to face No. 3 Wisconsin (15-17, 5-13 Big Ten) at a time to be determined Thursday in the tournament quarterfinals.