Columbia crushes competition over break

After winning only six Ivy League matchups and finishing with a 13-15 overall record last season, the Columbia women’s basketball team has become virtually unstoppable in its current campaign. The Lions (10-5, 1-0 Ivy) have been 6-1 since Dec. 8, with the only defeat in that stretch being a two-point loss to Atlantic Coast Conference opponent North Carolina State on Jan. 4.
Columbia lost a 60-58 decision to the Wolfpack, a team that enjoyed a 20-point victory over the Lions at Levien Gymnasium last season. This year, in Raleigh, the Lions showed that they were no longer a guaranteed win. Columbia trailed North Carolina State (11-7, 1-2 ACC) by just four points at halftime, and the Lions had several chances to tie or win the game in the final minute.
“They [North Carolina State] definitely handled us last season,” Columbia head coach Paul Nixon said. “And for us to be a bit significantly more competitive…really is a testament to how far this year’s team has come.” The Lions also showed their strength by out-rebounding the Wolfpack, 49-45. Junior forward Judie Lomax led Columbia’s effort on the glass with 20 boards, a career high for her.. She currently leads the nation with 14 rebounds per game after finishing the 2008-09 season as the NCAA Division I rebounding champion.
On Dec. 30, the Lions began their winter break schedule on the road against Robert Morris (11-6, 5-1 NEC). Columbia erased an eight-point halftime deficit to win 64-63 in the final second of regulation, when junior center Lauren Dwyer beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer.
“When Lauren takes on-balance shots, she’s just a tremendous shooter,” Nixon said. “And the thing about the shot she hit…at Robert Morris is, even though it was last-second, it wasn’t off-balance. Like, she caught it, she was straight up, she shot it, and it banked in, but it still was an on-balance shot. And when she takes on-balance shots, I feel like she’s as good a shooter as probably anybody in our league.”
Dwyer continued to show her range in the Lions’ next game, a tilt with American (10-7, 3-0 Patriot) on Jan. 2. She sank numerous jumpers and extended Columbia’s lead to seven points with a trey at the start of the second half. Dwyer made six of her 12 attempts and finished with 15 points.
Columbia opened the matchup with an 11-4 run and led by as many as 12 points in the first half. Although American cut its deficit to just four points at halftime, Columbia built another comfortable advantage in the second half. Lomax led scorers with 24 points, and the Lions avenged last season’s 87-66 loss to the Eagles with a 66-56 win that afternoon.
The Lions returned to their winning ways at St. Francis (NY) on Jan. 11. Last year, Columbia overtook St. Francis by 24 points. The Lions easily beat the Terriers (1-16, 0-6 NEC) again this year, 68-56, but Columbia struggled at the start of each half. St. Francis began the game with a 4-0 run and opened the second half with five unanswered points.
Lomax had another dominant performance, scoring 22 points and grabbing a career-high 23 rebounds—a Columbia single-game rebounding record—despite getting fouled almost every time she touched the ball.
“I think it would be a shame for one of the most prolific rebounders in the history of the game to not have the school [single-game] record as well,” Nixon said. “So I’m glad she was able to get that done.”
Columbia opened Ivy play with a bang on Jan. 16, beating Cornell (5-9, 0-1 Ivy) 68-44 on the road. The Lions scored the first five points of the matchup and never looked back, stretching their advantage to as many as 37 points in the second half before achieving the victory. By halftime, Columbia had scored 43 points while holding Cornell to 20.
“The first half, we did a really great job of moving the basketball against their [Cornell’s] zone defense,” Nixon said. “I thought the ball movement continued to be solid at the beginning of the second half, and once we were able to extend our lead to 30-plus points, we really started substituting [players] pretty liberally.”
Lomax and junior guard Kathleen Barry scored a game-high 17 points apiece for Columbia, while sophomore center Allie Munson led Cornell with 11 points. Lomax also pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds to finish with her 13th double-double of the season. She will likely be a top candidate for Ivy League Player of the Year honors as conference play continues.
Columbia returns to action on Jan. 23, when it hosts Cornell. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m.

Tags: Sports, Sarah Sommer, Jasper L. Clyatt, Women's Basketball