Lady Lions Record First Ever Road Sweep

For the first time in the history of Columbia women’s basketball, the Lions (7-13, 4-2 Ivy) completed a road sweep, overtaking Penn and Princeton this past weekend to rise to fourth in the conference standings. The Light Blue’s offense came through in a big way, as the team scored at least 70 points in each game.

Although guards Danielle Browne and Michele Gage combined for 41 points against Penn (3-16, 0-4 Ivy), the game was a rocky one for the Lions. After building a 13-point lead with 3:57 to go in the first half, Columbia watched i dwindle to just a four-point advantage by halftime. Junior forward Carrie Biemer, who finished with a game-high 28 points, led the Quakers’ run with a jumper, a three-pointer, and a layup.

The Lions did not lead by double-digits at all during a second half that included four ties and five lead changes. However, with 1:03 left in the period, freshman center Lauren Dwyer hit a layup to give the Light Blue a three-point advantage, and Penn, whose last basket came at the 1:59 mark, could not stop the Columbia. The Lions scored six more points to win, 70-61.

Despite the back-and-forth nature of the game, head coach Paul Nixon was pleased with the 20-point performance from Gage, a senior.

“She really set the tone for us,” he said.

Columbia had a much easier time against Princeton (4-17, 1-4 Ivy) the next night. The Lions took their first lead of the game with 15:13 to go in the first half but could not get a run going until the 9:09 mark. After a layup by Browne at that point, the Light Blue outscored the Tigers 27-2 to take a 45-18 lead at halftime.

The Lions cruised in the second half and had their greatest offensive output of the season in the 78-64 victory. After the Lions extended its lead to 28 points three times during the period, the Tigers clawed their way to within 12, but the Light Blue never let Princeton get any closer. Gage’s hot hand brought her a game-high 24 points, while Browne, Sara Yee, and Brittany Carfora chipped in with 13 apiece.

“We were successful in both games ... in playing at our tempo,” Nixon said. “I think the team has figured out what works for us.”

The Lions return to action this weekend at Levien Gymnasium to face Dartmouth on Friday and Harvard on Saturday. Both teams are tied with Cornell for first place in the Ivy League at 5-1.