Reigning Rebound Champ Getting Help from Teammates

Before the 2009-2010 season even began, Columbia women’s basketball head coach Paul Nixon said that the Lions needed to improve their rebounding. While Columbia returned all-Ivy first-team forward Judie Lomax, the reigning NCAA Division I rebounding champion, Nixon felt that the rest of his team had to become more active on the boards. For Columbia to have a shot at the Ivy League championship, its effort on the glass had to be a collective one.

The Lions (15-9, 6-4 Ivy) bought into Nixon’s philosophy and excelled during nonconference play. While Lomax led Columbia on the boards in all of its non-Ivy games, she was not the Lions’ sole rebounder. Guard Kathleen Barry and center Lauren Dwyer, in particular, proved to be solid complements to Lomax on the court.

In a two-point win over Long Island, Lomax pulled down 12 boards, while Barry added 10, and Dwyer added six. In a three-point victory against Manhattan, Lomax corralled 15 rebounds, while Dwyer grabbed eight, and Barry grabbed six.

But the Lions’ greatest rebounding achievement came against Atlantic Coast Conference opponent North Carolina State. Led by Lomax’s game-high 20 boards, Columbia outrebounded the Wolfpack, 49-45, in Raleigh. Dwyer and Barry combined for 15 rebounds in the two-point loss.

“When you can go and play an ACC team on their court, and outrebound them … you’re doing some good things as a team,” Nixon said. “Obviously, since we’ve been in conference play, it [the team’s rebounding] has not been nearly as consistent as I had hoped.”

In its 10 Ivy League games this season, Columbia has been outrebounded five times. The Lions went 2-3 in those matchups, with Lomax held to nine or fewer rebounds in the three losses.

“Judie Lomax’s prowess on the boards is not a mystery or a secret to anybody, particularly not the smart coaches and players in this league, and they’re developing some game plans and placing some emphasis on that area,” Nixon said. “At the beginning of the season, we had some other players who were really taking advantage of Judie being on the floor to go get some rebounds. And I feel like here, recently, it’s been a little bit more of kind of standing around, waiting for her to get the rebounds, instead of everybody really trying to crash hard.”

Barry did not play in the Lions’ defeats against Yale and Princeton due to a knee injury. Columbia was outrebounded in both games. Barry was also sidelined for the Lions’ victory over Penn, when the Quakers grabbed 30 rebounds and Columbia pulled down 29. While Nixon considers Barry’s absence a factor in the Lions’ rebounding efforts, he noted that Columbia was outrebounded in games when Barry was healthy.

Barry re-entered the starting lineup on Feb. 19, when the Lions hosted Dartmouth. She finished the night with eight rebounds, while Dwyer grabbed six, and Lomax pulled down 17. The Lions corralled 44 rebounds overall, outrebounding the Big Green by two and achieving a seven-point overtime win against the reigning Ivy League champion. The following night, Columbia outrebounded Harvard, but lost to the Crimson by two points.

With their opponents in relentless pursuit of limiting Lomax on the boards, the Lions must continue to receive solid rebounding contributions from Barry and Dwyer in their final four Ivy League games. If Columbia alleviates some of the burden on Lomax, the Lions can remain competitive in conference play.