Women’s basketball (5-23, 3-11 Ivy) wrapped up its season Tuesday evening with a crushing 71-26 defeat in Cambridge, Mass. against the Harvard Crimson (20-8, 11-3 Ivy).
Two weeks ago in Levien, the Crimson took down the Lions easily with a final score of 61-44. Tuesday night proved to be no different.
This steep victory was the seventh in a row for Harvard and secured the team its second-place finish in the Ancient Eight, behind only Princeton.
Three Crimson players managed to reach double figures, led by forward Victoria Lippert, who finished with 14 points on the night.
Leading all scorers for Columbia was junior guard Taylor Ward, who put up nine points.
The game, originally scheduled for Feb. 8, was rescheduled for Tuesday in light of Superstorm Nemo.
In spite of the lopsided score, the Lions managed to maintain some degree of tenacity on the defensive end, blocking more shots (6-2) than the Crimson, with sophomore Lizzy Stachon swatting three shots. Ward also had an impressive defensive outing, managing four steals against a disciplined Harvard offense.
The glaring statistic for the Lions on the offensive end was their poor free-throw shooting. The Light Blue managed to hit only two out of its 10 shots from the charity stripe, while Harvard made all eight of its free-throw shots.
The Crimson’s run began five minutes into the game when the contest was tied 4-4. For the next eight minutes, the Lions were unable to score a single point, but Harvard managed to up the intensity, scoring 15 consecutive points.
The second half began in a similar fashion. The score entering the second period of play was 30-13 in favor of the Crimson. Within the first 10 minutes, Harvard went on a tear, outscoring Columbia 26-3. The only answer from the Light Blue was a three-pointer by Ward with 12:45 remaining in the half.
Other notable scorers for the Lions were senior Taylor Ball, with five, and sophomores Campbell Mobley and Miwa Tachibana, with four each.
The Lions finished their season with a final record of 5-23 overall, and a 3-11 Ivy record. The team improved slightly from last year’s overall record of 3-25 and only one Ivy League victory, but it is still miles away from claiming the Ivy crown.
The defeat also marked the last game of seniors Brittany Simmons, Diana Lee, Agata Jankova, Tyler Simpson, and Ball as members of the women’s basketball team.
