Women's basketball splits weekend matchups

Down by one with 20 seconds to go, Brown’s Hannah Passafuime stepped to the free throw line with a chance to lead Brown to a huge upset over Columbia. She had been eight for eight from the line headed into these free throws, but wilted under pressure and missed both.

Columbia’s senior guard Danielle Browne then shot two of her own. She displayed her composure, making both free throws to give the Lions a three-point lead. After Brown’s Lindsay Nickel missed a desperation 3-pointer, Columbia’s Judie Lomax added two more free throws to give Columbia a 65-60 win.

The Bears played aggressively throughout the game, as its swarming defense forced Columbia to make a season-high 30 turnovers. If the Bears hadn’t committed 28 turnovers themselves, they easily could have come out on top.

Early on, it appeared as though Brown would emerge victorious. As a result of Nickel’s hot hand—she had 10 points in the first half—Brown jumped to a nine-point lead in the middle of the first half. However, Columbia would make a run of its own and eventually go into the second half leading 34-33.

The second half was a back-and-forth affair, and neither team pulled away completely. Columbia began heading in the right direction when Sara Yee hit a 3-pointer to give her team an eight-point cushion with five minutes to play. However, a minute later, Brown went on an 11-0 run, capped by Nickel making a baseline jumper to give the Bears a one-point lead with two minutes to play.

Lomax, who had a game-high 23 points, then made a clutch shot near the key to give the Lions the lead again.

After Passafuime missed her critical free throws, the Lions were able to maintain enough momentum to escape with the win.

Christina Johnson led the Bears with 17 points and seven rebounds, and Nickel contributed 15 points and four rebounds.

In addition to scoring 23 points, Lomax also had a game-high 18 rebounds and four steals. Yee was next in scoring with 13 points. Center Lauren Dwyer blocked five shots in the game, and Browne had a game-high five steals. The Lions’ star defensive player Kathleen Barry was limited to 13 minutes, missing most of the second half due to a knee injury.

Barry’s absence proved more significant the next day against Yale, as the Bulldogs started out red hot, shooting 69 percent in the first half to take a 10-point halftime lead. Yale guard Yoyo Greenfield had 13 first-half points and shot a perfect three-for-three from 3-point range. The Bulldogs as a team made nine of its first 10 3-pointers on their way to a Yale season-high 10 3-pointers.

Things got worse for Columbia, as the Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run to begin the second half, increasing their lead to 18. From there, though, the Light Blue slowly clawed its way back, displaying its tenacious defense and a balanced offense to get back in the game.

After Lions sophomore Melissa Shafer drained a 3-pointer, the initial 18-point lead was trimmed to four points with two minutes to play. A few plays later, Shafer found Sara Yee wide open in the corner. Yee connected on the crucial 3-pointer to make it a one-point game with a minute remaining.

Greenfield, who scored a career-high 20 points, made sure Columbia wouldn’t complete its improbable comeback, connecting on a contested floater to give Yale a three-point lead. The next possession, Dwyer was fouled and walked up to the line with two crucial free throws ahead. However, the normally dependable shooter missed both of her free throws, and the Bulldogs escaped with an 81-74 win. Yale improved its conference record to 4-2 and is now tied with three other teams for second place.

Greenfield led the game with 20 points. Freshman Megan Vasquez scored 19 points and had seven assists.

Lomax also had 20 points and a career-high seven steals in the losing effort. Shafer scored 13 points off the bench, and Dwyer had 10 points and five blocks.

Columbia (4-2 Ivy) will play in Levien Gymnasium on Friday in a crucial matchup against the conference-leading Princeton Tigers. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.