Columbia advances to Ivy’s first ever WNIT Fab 4 by exacting revenge against Harvard

 

Columbia women’s basketball didn’t miss its unexpected shot at revenge at Levien Gym Sunday.

A dynamite third quarter proved just explosive enough for Columbia to hang on in a 77-71 win over Harvard, advancing to the Ivy League’s first ever WNIT Fab 4. Columbia’s triumph ended the Crimson’s season 16 days after their Ivy League Tournament of Columbia questionably compelled the NCAA selection committee to exclude the Lions from the NCAA Tournament.

“That loss really hurt us, and we wanted to kill them this game,” sophomore guard Kitty Henderson told ESPN3 after the game. “So we came out and showed them who should have won every single game against them.”

Columbia will face the winner of Monday’s matchup between Bowling Green and Florida.

Driving the Lions’ third win in four games against Harvard was a 34-point third-quarter that allowed them to build a 63-43 lead 40 seconds into the final frame after a first half that proved more of a defensive struggle than expected between the Ivy League’s top two offenses.

But Harvard mounted a furious comeback, delivering a 28-point fourth quarter that featured 11 points from standout sophomore guard Harmoni Turner and 3-for-7 team three-point shooting (versus Columbia’s 0-for-6 showing from three).

Harvard got as close as a 68-66 deficit with 3:27 to play off a three by senior guard McKenzie Forbes before Columbia stood tall, as Henderson responded with a layup and the Lions clamped down defensively, allowing just two more baskets the rest of the way.

Columbia had led 27-23 at halftime despite missing shots inside.

“I think honestly coming out of halftime, we were just like, make layups, guys,” Columbia coach Megan Griffith told ESPn3 postgame.

Senior guard/forward Kaitlyn Davis stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, leading her team in all three categories. Henderson posted 15 points, five assists and nine rebounds, including five offensive boards.

Harvard was led by Turner, who registered 23 points, seven assists and four boards, and sophomore guard Elena Rodriguez, who kept Harvard in the game early and finished with a 7-for-8 field-goal shooting clip and 15 points along with seven turnovers.

“When you have a kid like No. 14 [Turner] who can just get to the basket in about four seconds, it makes it difficult,” Griffith said. “But I was proud of our players for making sure we could weather that storm, and here we are going into the final four here.”

Harvard at Columbia in WNIT Great 8: What to watch for

Columbia and Harvard women’s basketball will square off for a fourth time this season Sunday at 4 p.m. at Levien Gym on ESPN3.

This time, a WNIT Fab 4 berth is on the line.

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Eight reasons to savor Princeton men’s NCAA Tournament run with Elite 8 a win away

Princeton Athletics’ pinned tweet on Twitter borrows the Sacramento Kings’ rallying call referring to a purple beam of light that comes from the Golden 1 Center after a team win. Princeton men’s basketball’s two wins at the Golden 1 Center lifted the program to its first Sweet 16 appearance of the modern NCAA Tournament era. (Princeton Athletics)

With the Elite 8 just a win away for No. 15 Princeton as it prepares for No. 6 Creighton in Louisville Friday, here are eight reasons for not only Tiger folk but the entire Ancient Eight to savor the Tigers’ historic Sweet 16 run:

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Harvard women headed for WNIT third round for first time in program history

Harvard sophomore guard Harmoni Turner nearly recorded a second straight triple-double in Harvard’s WNIT second-round win at Massachusetts Monday night. (Erica Denhoff)

For the first time in program history, Harvard women’s basketball is headed for the third round of the WNIT.

The Crimson advanced to the third round of the WNIT Monday night with an 89-87 win at Massachusetts, propelled by memorable performances from sophomore guard Harmoni Turner and junior guard Lola Mullaney.

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Columbia women show how to take care of business against Fairleigh Dickinson

Junior guard Abbey Hsu led all scorers with 25 points in Columbia’s WNIT opening-round win over Fairleigh Dickinson Friday. (Photo by Erica Denhoff)

Postseason wins are never to be taken for granted.

Columbia women’s basketball was expected to prevail in its WNIT opening-round matchup against Fairleigh Dickinson at Levien Gym Friday, and it did just that in a ho-hum 69-53 victory.

But as the Knights fell to the Lions Friday night, their No. 16-seeded men’s counterparts shocked the basketball world by toppling No. 1 Purdue in the Round of 64 in a 63-58 triumph.

It says a lot about the advancement of Columbia (24-5, 12-2 Ivy) under coach Megan Griffith that the Lions have transitioned from going without a postseason win for its first 36 years in Division I to being well-positioned to make a deep WNIT run for the second season in a row.

And the Lions made history of their own against Fairleigh Dickinson (24-8, 14-2 NEC) Friday night.

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Ivy hoops postseason picture comes into view

The Princeton men drew a No. 15 seed and will travel to Sacramento to face No. 2 Arizona Thursday. (Steve Silverman)

The Ivy hoops postseason picture is emerging.

The Princeton men were handed the lowest seed handed to an Ivy since Penn was disrespected with a No. 16 seed in 2018, while the Columbia women were deprived of a NCAA Tournament berth altogether despite a top-50 NET ranking.

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2022-23 IHO Women’s All-Ivy Awards

The Ivy League announced its major women’s awards Wednesday, but we know this is the moment you’ve all been waiting for: Ivy Hoops Online’s 2022-23 All-Ivy Awards, as determined by IHO’s contributors:

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2022-23 IHO Men’s All-Ivy Awards

The Ivy League announced its major men’s awards Tuesday, but we know this is the moment you’ve all been waiting for: Ivy Hoops Online’s 2022-23 All-Ivy Awards, as determined by IHO’s contributors:

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Rookies spark bounce-back win for Brown women over Penn

Ivy back-to-backs can bring out the worst and best in teams, often in the same weekend.

Coming off an 80-37 drubbing against Princeton at the Pizzitola Sports Center in which it got outscored 33-2 in the third quarter, Brown rebounded 22 hours later with a 68-59 win over Penn.

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Thoughts on Dartmouth men’s 83-76 win over Princeton

Dame Adelekun’s highly efficient 25 points on 10-for-14 field-goal shooting helped lift Dartmouth past Princeton at Leede Arena Saturday. (Photo by Erica Denhoff)

Dartmouth’s been a resilient team throughout this season, bouncing back from a 13-point second-half deficit to push past Penn last month and overcoming a four-point overtime deficit almost midway through the extra period to top UTSA in November. So Dartmouth blowing a 76-71 lead with 70 seconds left in regulation to drop its first meeting with Princeton at Jadwin Gym in an 83-80 overtime decision last month was never going to be the final word on the Big Green’s season.

In its rematch with Princeton at Leede Arena Saturday, it was Dartmouth that delivered a second-half comeback, climbing out of a seven-point hole early in the second stanza to notch an 83-76 win. Dartmouth’s now tied with a quickly cooling Cornell at fifth place in the Ivy standings,

Some thoughts on how Dartmouth got there and where they could be headed:

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