Columbia Frontcourt Heats Up as Conference Play Begins

With recently crowned Ivy Player of the Week Chelsea Frazier back in the starting lineup, the Columbia women’s basketball team may now have the depth and muscle in the frontcourt it needs to weather foul trouble or poor play heading into the bulk of the Ivy season.

When the season began, a quick glance down the roster revealed that Columbia has many players who stand six feet or taller. Three of those players tally about 12 minutes per game combined, leaving a strong trio of Frazier, Lauren Dwyer and Meghan Harker to anchor the inside.

With Frazier as the team’s third leading scorer from last season and two first-year centers, the inside seemed to be a potential point of strength.

However, Frazier, who was named to the All-Ivy Rookie team last season, was injured at the start of this season and was out of the starting lineup by the Lions’ third game.
In her stead, Dwyer, a freshman, snuck up on several opponents and led the Lions in scoring up until Saturday’s game against Cornell.

In just her second game as a college player, she poured in 20 points at Wagner. In addition, she led the team in scoring multiple times. While part of an offense that only scored 55 points per game, Dwyer still managed to average double figures.

During this time, Frazier slowly healed and worked herself back into game shape. She came off the bench, contributing 15 to 25 minutes per game.

Recently, Dwyer has been slowed. In the last four games she has shot just six of 25 from the field—24 percent—and has averaged just five points per game.

“She’s still a first-year,” head coach Paul Nixon said. “She’s not sneaking up on anybody anymore. Teams are scouting her. They see she’s the leading scorer.”

While Frazier was out of the lineup, two problems with the Lions’ frontcourt surfaced—an inability to rebound and a propensity for getting into foul trouble.

Dwyer prides herself on her hands and her versatility as a post player. However, she has struggled to use her size to position herself and grab rebounds, as she averages only four per game.

Nixon said rebounding is “an area [they’re] just going to have to continue to focus on.”
Dwyer and Frazier have also been plagued by foul trouble. Frazier was limited significantly at Cornell by fouls while Dwyer could only play 13 minutes on Saturday due to her foul situation.

Frazier’s return to the starting lineup has solved many of these ills. While Frazier was out, Harker saw increased playing time, which seems to have paid off. In the Lions’ 73-57 loss at Cornell, she scored a career-high 10 points. In Saturday’s victory, despite scoring only three points, she showed a tenacity that only grows with experience. This leaves the Lions with another option in the post if Dwyer or Frazier succumbs to foul trouble.

The other thing a healthy Frazier brings is a multidimensional inside attack.
Frazier is an entirely different player than Dwyer. For every move Dwyer makes from the outside, Frazier grabs an offensive rebound or finishes a tough lay-up. She is a more typical post player who, despite her limited playing time thus far, is fifth in the conference in rebounding at 6.8 per game.

If the Lions are going to collect a winning league record, success in the frontcourt will be imperative with four of the league’s top five scorers standing at six feet or taller.