CU Falls Behind Yale Early On, Fouls Keep Light Blue From Coming Back

Maybe it was the Gothic façade. Maybe it was the considerably larger Yale crowd. Maybe it was the Yale band heckling the Lions after every mistake. Whatever the reason, the Columbia women’s basketball team came out flat on Saturday at Yale, and its lack of intensity and aggressiveness all but ended its chance at an Ivy crown.

“That was by far the most disappointing loss I’ve experienced as the coach at Columbia,” head coach Paul Nixon said. “I thought after last night, we would come out ready to play and get revenge for a loss in New York.”

“Last night” was the Lions’ 81-55 drubbing of Brown. For a game against the league’s worst team—it has won two games all season—Nixon’s players came out ready. From Brittney Carfora’s three-pointer to start the game all the way to Katrina Cragg’s triple to end it, whoever was on the floor for the Lions came out in the way that Nixon wanted.

“I really thought the team learned a lot from the first meeting,” Nixon said after the Brown game. “You need to come out intense and focused for any Ivy League game.”

Both Carfora and Cragg are seniors who are playing their way through the Ivy season for the last time. Against Brown, Columbia led by at least 10 for the final 29 minutes of play. The Lions started quickly and dictated the pace all game.

“I was equally pleased with coming out in the second half equally intense,” Nixon said.

On Saturday against Yale, a Light Blue lineup that relies heavily on sophomores and freshmen fell behind early and never got back in the game.

Yale sophomore forward Melissa Colborne, who scored 20 points, started the game off with two easy layups. After Columbia’s first possession ended with a turnover, its next two resulted in a missed layup and an offensive foul. Less than four minutes into the game, the Lions were staring at an 11-2 deficit with their second-leading scorer, Danielle Browne, on the bench with two fouls.

“They had an early run and played with that nine-point margin the rest of the game until the end where they had another run,” Nixon said.

Columbia has made a habit of falling behind early this season. Last Saturday against Harvard, the Lions trailed by as much as 27 in the first half. Three weeks ago, with Brown visiting New York, the Bears led by 10 at the half.

In both cases, the Light Blue rallied, beating Brown in overtime and tying Harvard in the second half before falling 73-65.

“We were committed to coming out with a different mindset [in the second half],” Nixon said.

In New Haven, no rally would come. There was no surge of forced turnovers and transition baskets. Michele Gage tried her best, nailing three threes and leading the Lions with 21 points, but the younger Lions failed to generate a rally.

Danielle Browne did score 10 points, but only played 22 minutes due to what Nixon called “silly” fouls. An injured foot limited Chelsea Frazier to just 14 minutes. Sara Yee sank seven free throws, but did not make a field goal. Freshman Lauren Dwyer, coming off of a 12-point performance at Brown, had four turnovers while fellow 6’3” freshman Meghan Harker failed to score from the field in a foul-plagued 19 minutes.

Playing in what Nixon said was the biggest game of his tenure, the women he has brought in to be the future of Columbia women’s basketball have shown that the future does not look bright.

“I try to stay positive, encourage my teammates and keep a good energy,” Gage said of leading her team facing a deficit.

Every member of the team trudged out of the cathedral-like gym, head pointed at the floor, with the same lack of energy she exhibited during the game.