With road wins of 14 and 20 points over Rhode Island and Belmont, respectively, the Columbia women’s basketball team made a huge statement to mid- and high-majors during the inaugural Opening Statement tournament in Nashville.
The eight-team event, which featured the top two teams from the Ivy League, Atlantic 10, American and Missouri Valley Conference split into four-team pods, was dominated by the Lions and Princeton, which went a combined 4-0.
“We have a veteran group that knows how to compete. They know how to win. They know how to bring others along,” associate head coach Tyler Cordell told ESPN+ after Sunday’s win over Belmont, filling in for head coach Megan Griffith amid Griffith’s Columbia-imposed three-game suspension. “It’s really good for them to do that, today, and just get our pieces on the same page.”
Columbia 76, Rhode Island 62
On Friday night, six different players for Columbia (2-0) scored during a 13-0 run to end the first quarter up 19-6.
The Rams (0-2) were more competitive in the next two quarters, outscoring the Lions 16-12 in the second frame and 23-21 in the third quarter to make it a 52-45 contest heading into the final stanza.
After a Rhode Island layup cut the deficit to five with 5:40 left in regulation, senior guard Fliss Henderson and junior forward Mary Ashley Stevenson connected on inside buckets on consecutive possessions to put the Lions up 62-54.
With the clock under three minutes, junior guard Mia Broom and first-year guard Chloe Dix sank triples on back-to-back trips to stretch the lead to 12, 68-56.
Rhode Island got the game back to eight with less than a minute remaining in regulation, but a 6-for-6 effort from the charity stripe put the game away for Columbia.
Columbia 84, Belmont 64
The Lions (3-0) closed out the last two-plus minutes of the first half on an 11-3 run, featuring two triples by senior forward Hilke Feldrappe and another from Broom on three straight possessions, to go into the break with a 42-31 advantage.
Belmont (0-3) got it to a six-point game early a minute and a half into the third quarter, but Columbia put a stop to the run and finished the frame still up 11, 55-44.
The Bruins were down nine early in the final stanza when senior guard Riley Weiss hit back-to-back triples and Broom sank her own consecutive three-pointers to make it a 69-50 contest with 6:53 to go.
Another downtown shot from Weiss less than a minute later stretched the lead to 20, 72-52 and put the game completely out of reach.
Below are thoughts on a successful Southern weekend for the Light Blue:
Core strength
While many teams have one star, and a few are able to bank on consistent production from two or three players, the Lions got strong results from each member of the starting lineup this weekend.
Weiss, the reigning conference Player of the Year, finished with 11 points on Friday and 28 on Sunday, including 21 in the second half. The Long Island native, one of the nation’s premier three-point shooters, ended up with six triples on 35% shooting.
Henderson led the way in the opening game with a 13-point, 12-rebound performance and followed that with another double-double effort of 11 points and 13 boards.
“Fliss Henderson, our senior captain, just found a way to keep everybody on the same page,” Cordell told ESPN+ after the Rhode Island contest. “She battled through physicality. Fliss is our Swiss army knife tonight, and she will be for the rest of the season.”
Stevenson, the newest member of the Lions, averaged 14.5 points on 63% shooting from the field and 88% from the free throw line, 5.5 rebounds and two steals.
Broom, whose confidence and results continue to grow from last year’s WBIT All-Tournament performance, totaled 24 points with six triples on 50% shooting from three, 10 rebounds, eight assists and seven steals.
Feldrappe, another member of the WBIT championship starting lineup, may not have had the same type of numbers as the other four, but her combined 14-point, 13-rebound effort and strong interior defense were valuable to this weekend’s sweep.
Three-D vision
The Lions’ defense held Rhode Island and Belmont to 36% and 40% field-goal shooting from the field, respectively, on the strength of their outside defense, which limited their opponents to a combined 20% (9-for-44) from downtown over the 80 minutes of action. On the other side, the Columbia sharpshooters were able to connect on 44% (21-for-48) of their outside attempts.
Bench with a capital “B”
Even with Lions starters putting up big results, the reserves provided a big boost.
For the weekend, the back end of the rotation totaled 30 points, 18 rebounds, six assists and seven steals. From that group, highly regarded first-year guard/forward Mathis Dritz adding a combined 11 points, five boards, three assists and two steals and rookie guard Chloe Dix had 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal over the two games.
The production this group has given over the opening week has been a good sign for a team that has plans to play deep into March.
Turnover-prone
While there were lots of pluses, not everything was roses. The Lions turned the ball over 17 times against the Rams and 19 times versus the Bruins with their opponents scoring a combined 34 points off those miscues.
Columbia overcame those lapses in both mid-major tussles, forcing an equal number of turnovers and scored 39 points off them. But they’ll have to tighten their grip against the stronger defenses of Michigan, Duke and Maryland.
Associate coach-fed, player-led
The athletes weren’t the only ones to come up big this weekend. Cordell, Columbia’s longtime associate and assistant coach, ably stepped into the lead chair during head coach Megan Griffith’s suspension and led the team to a huge 3-0 opening week against top mid-major competition. Cordell’s ability to handle the pressure and successfully navigate unchartered waters shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who follows the Columbia program or the Ancient Eight.
Up next
The Lions welcome Griffith back on Thursday night, when the team will raise the banner at Levien Gymnasium and take on Michigan. The Wolverines started the season ranked No. 5 in the nation and are expected to rise after defeating No. 2 Connecticut in Ann Arbor last week.