Women’s squad wins record-high 13 games in 2008-09

The 2008-2009 women’s basketball season was primed and polished for the Columbia record books. While the Lions finished the season tied for fourth in the Ivy League with a 6-8 conference record, they secured 13 victories overall, setting a new school record for wins in a year since the program turned Division I in 1986-1987.

Columbia got off to a rough start last season with a pair of losses to Oakland and Delaware in its season-opening two-game road trip. Despite the losing weekend, Judie Lomax, who finished with 14.3 rebounds per game and became the first player in Columbia history to break the 400-rebound mark in a single season, recorded 14 boards in both contests. While Danielle Browne, who reached double figures in scoring 12 times throughout the year, led the Lions with team-highs in both games.

But when the Light Blue returned to Levien Gymnasium and to its fans for its season home-opener versus St. Francis, it was a balanced team effort that led to its first victory. 10 Lion players found the scoring column.

The Lions then continued their home campaign, splitting two of their closest games all season with a loss against Long Island and a win against Navy. Against Navy, the Lions depended on second-chance opportunities to edge the Midshipmen and, for the fifth consecutive game, the Light Blue reached double figures in offensive boards. Lomax recorded her first of 21 double-doubles for the season against LIU while Chelsea Frazier emerged as another leader with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Classic kicked off a Columbia splitting streak as the Lions split their competitions throughout the following four weeks of play starting with a win against Wagner and a loss against Drake. Lomax and Frazier continued to lead the team’s impressive rebounding effort and the Light Blue looked strong scoring in the post, although turnovers began to plague the team.

With the start of their Ivy season fast approaching, the Lions picked up four more wins against Denver, Cal State Fullerton, Longwood, and Northern Colorado, but also dropped three contests. With two consecutive wins against Longwood and Northern Colorado to close out the nonconference schedule, the Lions built enough momentum to overtake Cornell in their Ivy opener. Down by eight in the second half, Columbia responded with a 12-1 run including a 3-pointer by Sara Yee and important free throws by Kathleen Barry to capture a close 47-44 victory. The following week, however, Cornell retaliated, snapping Columbia’s three-game win streak. Although the Lions returned to the court after halftime with an eight-point lead in the rematch, Columbia lost control of the court in the second half—a problem the Lions would have to deal with for the remainder of the season.

“I think we just have to do a better job of just really being more comfortable and confident in late-game situations,” head coach Paul Nixon said.
True to early season form, the Light Blue then went on to split the following six games. After losing a 63-61 contest at Yale, during which the teams combined for 12 free throws, the Lions defeated Brown for Columbia’s second conference victory. Yee led the Lions in the game against the Bears with a career-high 20 points and controlled the pace of the game with her impressive ball-handling ability.

With momentum on their side, the Light Blue turned up the intensity against Penn. Three Lions ended the contest with 15 points a piece, led by Lomax, who also closed the game with 12 rebounds and a career-high seven assists. But Columbia’s intensity failed to translate onto the court the following afternoon against Princeton, as the Lions dropped in another second-half collapse.

In Columbia’s final weekend split of the season, the Lions fell to Dartmouth before rebounding with a close win at Harvard, the first against the Crimson since the 1999-2000 season and second in team history.

The impressive showing at Harvard sparked a three-game winning streak as the Light Blue went on to defeat Brown and Yale the following week. Again, a balanced offense led Columbia to victory with five Lions in double figures against Harvard. But it was Lomax who shone against Yale, recording her ninth consecutive double-double.

Unfortunately for the Lions, they were unable to close out the season in the same fashion.
Four consecutive losses against Harvard, Dartmouth, Princeton, and Penn ended Columbia’s season just two victories shy of the team’s first winning season at the Division I level.