Fate Rests in the Hands of Light Blue Seniors

The Columbia women’s basketball team is known for its youth—sophomores Danielle Browne and Chelsea Frazier were voted to the Ivy League All-Rookie Team last season, and freshman Lauren Dwyer has exceeded expectations as the Lions’ starting center this year. While these players bring a wealth of talent to the court each night, they don’t bring the experience of being on the team for four years. That is where seniors Brittney Carfora and Michele Gage come in, balancing youth with the veteran leadership that has helped the Light Blue to a 4-2 record in the Ivy League.

Coming off the 2006-2007 season, in which she led the nation in three-point shooting and averaged 10.5 points per game, Carfora was expected to be an offensive force for the Lions. However, other teams realized her potential as well and made sure to guard her tightly during games. In Columbia’s season-opening loss to Oakland, Carfora hit just three of 10 field goals and did not make any of her four attempts from behind the arc. After experiencing some offensive inconsistency, she is now averaging a solid 7.2 points per game. Last Saturday, she made eight field goals, including two three-pointers in the Light Blue’s victory at Princeton.

Not only has Carfora had to respond to the aggressive defense of her opponents this season, but she has also had to adjust to a changing role. While she began the Lions’ campaign as a starter, Carfora became a bench player when Dwyer emerged as a key frontcourt presence. Now, with Frazier out indefinitely due to a shoulder injury, Carfora has returned to a starting role. She has made key contributions on both sides of the court during conference play, concentrating on rebounding in addition to scoring.
“Brittney is handling things with the maturity I would expect from a senior leader,” head coach Paul Nixon said. “Her effort on the boards has been outstanding. ... And I think because she started to focus a little bit more on some other aspects of the game and other ways to help the team ... her offense is starting to come back around for her.”

Carfora is complemented by Gage, who has quietly established herself as a threat in her return from an ACL tear that prevented her from playing as a junior. She is second on the Lions in rebounding with five boards per contest. Like Carfora, her scoring has been erratic, but she and Browne now lead Columbia with 10.7 points per game. Last weekend, Gage scored 20 points at Penn and a game-high 24 at Princeton to earn Ivy Player of the Week and PrestoSports/Met Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week honors.

“Because she is such a driven athlete, she wanted to be back at 100 percent right away,” Nixon said, referring to Gage’s attitude coming back from her injury. “I think at the beginning of the season, she was a little bit frustrated with herself because she wasn’t playing as consistently as she felt like she should’ve been able to. ... I feel like she’s now back to the point where she left off her sophomore year.”

Carfora and Gage have clearly gained momentum at the right time, helping to keep the Light Blue in contention for the Ivy League title. But, as seniors, their contributions have not been limited to the on-court accomplishments that show up in a box score.
“The two of them are largely responsible for our positive start in the Ivy League after a not-so-positive nonconference slate because they’ve understood the bigger picture,” Nixon said. “They have helped the younger players from getting too discouraged ... by really staying focused on the conference and our goals here within the Ivy League.”