CU rallies in second half to beat Long Island

In a game of shifting momentum, the Columbia women’s basketball team used a timely offense and shutdown defense to achieve a 64-62 win over Long Island on Wednesday. With the victory, the Lions (2-1) rebounded from a three-point overtime loss to Oakland.

“We did a much better job buckling down defensively,” Columbia head coach Paul Nixon said. “I thought in the Oakland game, we allowed too many scores down the stretch.”

Long Island (0-2) scored the first four points of the matchup, but Columbia responded with a jumper and a three-pointer. The first half remained a back-and-forth affair as neither team could build a comfortable lead. With just over nine minutes left in the period, the Blackbirds held a six-point advantage—the greatest lead for either team thus far. At halftime, the score was 37-32 in favor of Long Island.

The Blackbirds opened the second half with a 6-0 run that gave them an 11-point lead after less than two minutes, but Columbia then scored six unanswered points of its own. Long Island continued to lead until sophomore guard Mary Beato, who did not play last year due to an ACL injury, sank a trey with 8:35 to play. The three-pointer gave the Lions a 55-53 advantage and started a 9-2 Columbia run. With just over six minutes remaining, Columbia held a six-point lead.

True to the game’s form, the Lions’ comfort did not last long. Long Island scored four points during a Columbia scoring drought of over four minutes. Junior forward Judie Lomax extended the Lions’ lead with a layup, but a three-pointer by Long Island sophomore forward Ashley Palmer cut the Blackbirds’ deficit to one point with just under two minutes to play.

Columbia almost lost its advantage after junior guard Kathleen Barry fouled sophomore guard Kiara Evans. With 17 seconds left, Evans went to the free throw line with the chance to give Long Island the lead. But she did not convert either one of her foul shots, and Barry was fouled after grabbing the rebound. Barry gave the Lions their final point on a free throw with 12 seconds remaining.

“The clutch free throws were few and far-between, so her hitting that last one at the end was really big,” Nixon said.

Junior center Lauren Dwyer overcame early foul trouble to finish with a game-high 19 points for Columbia, including her second three-pointer of the year.
“In some ways, I think sitting on the bench for a little bit there in the first half might have helped her get into the flow of the game,” Nixon said. “She did a really nice job, when she came back in after the second foul, of finding her shot.”

Senior guard Danielle Browne, who Nixon considered unlikely to see action due to a wrist injury, not only played but started against Long Island. She finished with five assists in 30 minutes.

Columbia continues nonconference play on Nov. 24, when it hosts Manhattan.