Women's basketball completes Cornell sweep

Judie Lomax scored 30 points and grabbed 17 rebounds while guard Melissa Shafer contributed 12 points off the bench as the Columbia women’s basketball team routed Cornell 68-47 on Saturday.
Columbia also defeated Cornell 68-44 last weekend, contributing to its first season sweep of Cornell since 2005.

Lomax made sure that the Light Blue would achieve that sweep, outscoring the entire Cornell team 18 to 17 in the first half. She displayed her entire offensive repertoire, including an array of post-up moves, soft jumpers, and drive-bys.

Her dominant performance prompted Cornell to change its defensive scheme, which switched from zone defense in the first game to man-to-man in the second. This change gave Lomax more room to operate, and she exploited the opportunity, leading Columbia to a 35-17 halftime lead.

In the last game between these two teams, the Lions shot just seven of 26 from 3-point range. This time, Shafer got things going, draining her first three 3-pointers to help the Lions pull away from the Big Red early.

“She was a big spark off the bench for us,” head coach Paul Nixon said. “I was really pleased with the way she came in and hit those shots and was able to give us that separation early in the game.”

Defensively, the Lions’ full-court press suffocated the Big Red, generating seven steals and causing the Big Red to turn the ball over 17 times in the half. Cornell ended the game with 30 turnovers and a field goal percentage of just 26.1 percent.

Junior Kathleen Barry missed part of the first half with a finger injury sustained early in the game but still finished with a game-high five steals to lead Columbia’s defensive effort. The Light Blue also held Cornell’s senior Lauren Benson in check. Anticipated to become Cornell’s all-time assist leader by the end of this year, Benson was plagued by the Light Blue defense and finished with just two assists and four turnovers.

“She [Benson] is one of the best point guards in the Ivy League.” Nixon said. “I think us limiting her in these two meetings has been a big part in the victories.”
Cornell’s Clare Fitzpatrick scored a career-high 14 points to lead the way for the Big Red. Benson and Spencer Lane chipped in nine points each.

Lomax and Shafer finished in double digits with 30 and 12 points, respectively. Lauren Dwyer contributed eight points, and Danielle Browne provided six points and a game-high seven assists.
The Lions are now 2-0 in Ivy League play for the first time in head coach Paul Nixon’s tenure and now stand at 11-5 overall. Cornell has dropped to 5-10. The Light Blue play their next game at Harvard on Friday at 7 p.m.