Women's Basketball Victimized by Opposing Guards

This past weekend, the Columbia women’s basketball team took on the top two Ivy League squads, Harvard and Dartmouth, at Levien Gymnasium. The Lions (13-13, 6-6 Ivy) kept both games close, but they were outplayed by opposing guards at crucial moments. As a result, Columbia was unable to win either matchup.

Towards the end of the first half against Harvard, freshman guard Melissa Shafer made two foul shots to cut the Crimson’s lead to just one point. But Harvard’s Brogan Berry, a freshman guard, came right back with a layup on the other end to give the Crimson (17-8, 9-2) a 29-26 halftime advantage. The Lions trailed by only three points with 2:45 left in regulation, but Harvard’s guards cemented the win for their team.
Sophomore Christine Matera, who saw 17 minutes of action off the bench, hit consecutive three-pointers to give the Crimson a nine-point lead with 1:55 to play. Sophomore forward Judie Lomax cut into that advantage with two free throws for Columbia, but Berry answered with consecutive layups for Harvard. Berry, a starter, played for 36 minutes and made six of her seven field goal attempts.

With 27 seconds remaining and the game’s outcome decided, Lomax fouled senior Emily Tay out of desperation. Tay, an all-Ivy first-team guard, sank both of her foul shots to finish with a game-high 23 points. When the final buzzer sounded, the Crimson walked away with a 71-58 victory.

Shafer and sophomore guard Kathleen Barry combined for 14 points off the bench for Columbia, but the Lions did not receive enough offense from their starting backcourt. Senior Katrina Cragg and junior Danielle Browne had just one field goal each, while junior Sara Yee made only two baskets. Furthermore, no Columbia player sank a three-pointer in the defeat.

Columbia seemed to have rebounded from their loss when they faced Dartmouth (15-10, 10-1) the following night. The Lions were buoyed in the first half by Browne, who led her team with aggressive play on both ends of the floor.

With just under 10 minutes left in the period, Browne made consecutive layups. She was fouled on the second one and managed to tie the game at 13 after converting the three-point play. After the Big Green turned the ball over, Browne continued her offensive display with a three-pointer. She went on to record a steal on Dartmouth’s next possession.

Toward the end of the first half, a steal by Browne led to a layup for Lomax. On Columbia’s next two possessions, Browne once again scored consecutive layups. She finished the half with 12 points, and the Lions went into the locker room ahead 31-19.

“Honestly, I thought she played like a warrior,” head coach Paul Nixon said. “She was ready to play, and that’s the Danielle Browne we know and love.”

When play resumed, however, Browne’s impact decreased. The Big Green rallied behind a guard of its own en route to a 63-61 win. Senior Koren Schram, an all-Ivy first-team player, was limited to just two points in the first period. In the second half, however, she came through for Dartmouth with 15 points.

“The way that Danielle carried us in the first half, that’s how she [Schram] carried them in the second half,” Nixon said. “It’s really a ‘tale of two halves’ situation, and that’s basketball.”

Browne led all scorers with 19 points. Cragg, meanwhile, was once again limited by the opposing defense and finished with six points for Columbia. She made just two of her 10 field goal attempts and missed five three-pointers. Barry scored eight points for the Lions, going 2-2 from behind the arc.

Columbia hits the road this weekend to wrap up Ivy play at Princeton and Penn.