A Year Later, March Is Still Magic

As time expired at Levien in Saturday night’s game against Yale, Sue Altman wiped away months of anguish along with her teardrops, and provided a memorable ending to an unforgettable 2004-05 season for the Lions.

Just when it appeared that the Columbia women’s basketball team would end their tumultuous year with an ignominious sixth straight loss, Altman knocked down a three to tie the game, and then, following a Bulldog turnover, took the ball straight to the basket and sunk an eight-foot floater just as the clock reached triple-zeroes. With that shot, the Lions earned a 59-57 victory to put them at 5-9 in the Ivy League, and 12-15 on the season.

“I had pictured situations like this my whole life, when you have like two seconds left in the game, for the national championship and you’ve got the ball and you take it to the rack, and it’s like ‘Ahhh!’,” Altman said. “And for like a million hours in the gym by myself, I’ve felt that.”

Altman’s shot provided a fairy-tale ending to the careers of the seven Lion seniors, who, along with the rest of the team, mobbed Altman under the basket in celebration.

The Light Blue had trailed by seven with 1:43 to go, but two free-throws by co-captain Megan Griffith, followed by an Adia Revell steal and an Altman free throw, cut the deficit to four with 1:20 remaining. After Yale guard Stephanie Marciano missed the front end of a one-and-one, Revell was fouled going to the basket, and sunk both foul shots to cut the lead to two, 56-54, with 0:25 to go. Intentionally fouled, Marciano again went to the line, where she went one for two, extending the lead to three, and setting the scene for Altman’s heroics.

Following the game, Lions head coach Tori Verdi expressed his appreciation for his seniors who now leave behind a legacy of hard work and perseverance in the face of a chaotic season.

“It just goes to show you you’ve got to give these players credit,” Verdi said. “They’re the ones who are out on the floor day after day, hour after hour, all the time that they put in, all their work ethic—it pays off, and I just wish as a coach I had more time with them.”

The affection between player and coach is mutual, and despite the Lions’ short-comings this season the players claim he always put them in the best possible position to win.

“When coach Verdi took over [for Traci Waites on Feb. 3] he restored the team concept,” senior guard Sue Kern said. “Our losses even felt better under coach Verdi. We made mistakes, but he prepared us so well for every game.”

“He believes in us, and I can feel that and I think we can all feel that” Griffith said, “and I think that’s the biggest ingredient in a winning, successful team.”

No matter how well-prepared or how much belief he had in his team, Verdi was unable to lead the Lions to victory the previous night against Brown, in a 66-56 defeat that was more indicative of the greater part of Columbia’s season. Unable to stop the Bears’ potent combination of guard Sarah Hayes and center Holly Robertson, the Lions were pushed around in the paint. Brown forced Columbia into 19 turnovers leading to 19 points.

“I was hoping that we’d start the game in the first half—come out and be a little more aggressive, take care of the ball a little bit more than we did,” Verdi said. “I just felt that we were lacking some intensity.”

In the loss, Kern led the way with 16 points and continued her hot shooting, connecting on 6-of-12 shots, including two three-pointers. But when the Lions look back on this weekend, it will be Saturday’s furious finish that will remain etched in their minds.

“There were a lot of emotions,” Kern said. “We just really wanted to end on a win, despite any previous games that didn’t go the way we would have liked. But you never give up, and we fought hard. It wasn’t pretty, this game, but we really wanted it badly.”

The game against Yale marks the end of an era in Columbia women’s basketball, as the team enters the off-season facing a myriad of questions. The largest, still to be uncovered, are the reasons for Waites’s abrupt resignation just over a month ago. Sources have told Spectator that she cleaned out her office on the afternoon of Feb. 3, was escorted out by security, and has been barred indefinitely from campus. Before her departure, Waites had boasted of a strong recruiting class which would be critical if the Lions are to have any hopes of competing next season. In addition to experience, this year’s seven graduating seniors take with them the team leaders in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks. Though unable to give specifics, Verdi said following Saturday night’s game that all five of Waites’s recruits are still expected to attend Columbia.

In the jubilation that ensued after Saturday’s game, next season seemed as distant to the Lions as the struggles of the previous night

When asked about the final 30 seconds against Yale, Altman said, “I don’t really remember specifics.” Of all the people in Levien Saturday night, she might be the only one.