Light Blue Seeks Revenge Against Big Red in Second Season Matchup

The Columbia women’s basketball team (3-12, 0-1 Ivy) will try to even its league record and end a two-game skid tomorrow in its first home Ivy matchup of the season. The Light Blue is set to face Cornell (9-5, 1-0 Ivy) for a second consecutive Saturday. Last week, the Lions suffered a 73-57 loss in Ithaca, N.Y. Three players—senior guard Michele Gage, sophomore guard Danielle Browne, and freshman center Meghan Harker—scored in double figures for Columbia. Harker set a career high with her 10 points.

However, the Light Blue was unable to contain junior forward Jeomi Maduka, who contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and three steals for the Big Red while committing zero turnovers. Maduka has already been named Ivy Player of the Week twice this season.

The second time around, the Lions will need to limit Maduka’s effectiveness. On offense, Browne needs to drive to the basket for Columbia. Cornell only blocked two shots when the teams last met, so Browne should try to exploit the Big Red’s interior defense as much as possible.

Last Saturday, Columbia entered halftime down by 10 points, but the Lions were outscored by only six in the final 20 minutes of play. The Light Blue must score earlier against Cornell if it wants the game to be close.

The Lions have struggled offensively all season, shooting just less than 35 percent on the year. In their most recent game, a 59-52 defeat at the hands of Longwood, they shot a meager 28.6 percent.

One possible reason for this offensive lull is the recent poor performance of freshman center Lauren Dwyer. She leads the Lions with 10.3 points per game, but has struggled in her last two outings scoring just 10 points and making only three of 16 shots. For the Lions to come up with a victory against the league’s top team, Dwyer will need to return to her earlier level of play.

While the Lions were only outrebounded by six in their last matchup with Cornell, they failed to capitalize on their 23 defensive boards, which led to no fast-break points. Further, they allowed the Big Red to score 21 second-chance points to six of theirs, even though both teams grabbed 14 offensive rebounds. If the Light Blue improves its transition game, it will have a better shot at its first Ivy victory of this campaign.
Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. in Levien Gymnasium.