Judie Lomax dominated the paint with 25 points and 17 rebounds and Kathleen Barry posted a superb all‑around game, helping women’s basketball improve to 6-4 with a 70-54 rout versus Monmouth.
The Lions had question marks on two of their key players. Judie Lomax was injured during practice, making her status uncertain, and Lauren Dwyer hurt her shoulder diving for a loose ball a minute into the match.
However, Columbia showed its grit with Dwyer and Lomax making shots early on as Columbia stormed ahead. After that, Columbia forward Barry nailed a 3‑pointer to make the score 12-0.
Monmouth center Chanel Gomez, who finished the game with 12 points and 10 rebounds, scored a layup to finally put the Hawks on the scoreboard.
Their celebration was short‑lived as Lomax found Columbia guard Danielle Browne cutting into the lane for a layup to extend the Lions’ lead to 14-2. Barry then displayed her defensive versatility, intercepting a pass and blocking a shot in the next few plays.
“She fills the entire box score all the way across,” Columbia head coach Paul Nixon said of Barry. “She’s just a great player. She’s the unsung hero of the team because she doesn’t necessary put up monster numbers but she just gives us so much.”
Following Barry’s stretch of defensive plays, Browne contributed to Columbia’s shutdown defense, intercepting a long ball that Monmouth freshman Adriana Allen tossed to try to get past the Light Blue full‑court press. The play after that, Columbia sophomore Melissa Shafer heaved the ball across the court to lead a streaking Tyler Simpson in for a layup to make the score 16-2 with ten minutes left in the half.
With seven minutes left in the half, after Monmouth freshman Alysha Womack made a tough jumper, Lomax took over. Following on her own miss, Lomax secured the offensive board and found Shafer for a 3‑pointer. Lomax was then the recipient of a great assist, as freshman Simpson, who saw a season‑high 17 minutes because of Dwyer’s injury, had a beautiful dish to give Lomax the layup. This made the score 28-8 with six minutes left in the half.
Columbia went on an 8-0 run to end the half, which was capped by Barry making a tough contested shot on the left baseline to increase the Light Blue lead 40-18.
In the second half, although Columbia had what Nixon described as “mental lapses” which required him to send Sara Yee and Barry into the game again, the Lions were able to come out on top.
Lomax led the game in scoring despite battling nagging injuries. She credits her recent dominance—she had 30 points and 16 rebounds in a win against Wagner on Tuesday—to her teammates.
“My teammates have really done a great job of getting me the ball in places where I can be effective,” Lomax said. “We’ve been working in practice a lot on our offenses and finishing and really setting each other up.”
Barry had 16 points, five rebounds, two blocks, and a steal, continuing her impressive season. Senior center Caitlin Stachon and Simpson also stepped in to provide solid minutes as usual starter Dwyer played just two minutes in the game due to injury.
Columbia also did a better job taking care of the ball, turning the ball over just 12 times. They had committed 68 turnovers the past three games.
For Monmouth, Womack played well on the perimeter, contributing 14 points and three assists and Gomez was solid in the post with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lions do not play again until Dec. 30 at Robert Morris (5-3). Senior guard Angela Pace leads the way for the Robert Morris Colonials, averaging 17 points, six rebounds, and six assists a game. Key to the Light Blue beating Robert Morris will be to limit Pace’s contributions as well as to provide a solid team effort.
“There are a lot of areas we can still improve on,” said Lomax. “Hopefully with the 17‑day break, it’ll be a perfect time to improve in the areas that we think are necessary.”
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