Columbia women’s basketball will face Manhattan on Wednesday at Draddy Gymnasium, marking the first meeting between the two teams since 2010. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, with Jason Guerette and Chris Williams providing commentary.
Columbia enters the matchup with a 4-4 record, while Manhattan remains winless at 0-7. The Lions recently participated in the Cancun Challenge, playing three games in as many days against Kansas State, South Dakota State, and North Carolina. Columbia lost to Kansas State but responded by defeating South Dakota State, which was ranked No. 1 in the Mid-Major poll. Against North Carolina, Columbia stayed competitive before UNC pulled away late in the fourth quarter.
Riley Weiss has been recognized for her performance during the Cancun Challenge, where she averaged 27.3 points per game and was named Ivy League Player of the Week. Weiss scored 30 points against Kansas State, followed by a season-high 31 against South Dakota State and added 21 more versus North Carolina. She was also selected for the Cancun Challenge All-Tournament team.
Weiss currently leads the Ivy League in scoring with an average of 20.4 points per game and ranks among the top scorers nationally. Teammates Perri Page (14.1) and Susie Rafiu (13.3) are also among the top ten scorers in the Ivy League.
Senior co-captains Page and Rafiu are notable for their efficiency, ranking second and third respectively in field goal percentage within the Ivy League and both appearing inside the NCAA’s top 100 for this statistic. Page is also among league leaders in steals (2.6 per game) and rebounding (6.9 per game).
Columbia leads its conference in assists (15.9 per game) and steals (10.5 per game). Assistant coach Allie Bassetti returns to Draddy Gymnasium after spending six years on Manhattan’s coaching staff under Heather Vulin.
During the Cancun Challenge, Columbia scored a program-record 92 points in a loss to Kansas State, surpassing its previous high from a defeat against Penn in 1987. Other highlights included career-best performances from Marija Avlijas against Kansas State.
The team’s non-conference schedule features nine games against programs that qualified for last year’s NCAA Tournament or other postseason events such as WBIT or WNIT, including matchups with Richmond, Seton Hall, Saint Joseph’s, UTSA, Butler, Florida Gulf Coast, as well as all three opponents from Cancun.
Columbia has maintained a winning streak of 32 consecutive games when leading at halftime—a run that dates back to January 2024.
The Lions’ roster includes nine international players representing nine different countries—one of only four Division I programs nationwide with such diversity—alongside six players from within the United States.
Now beginning its 41st varsity season—and its 39th at Division I—the program returns most of last year’s roster but will play without key graduates Kitty Henderson and Cecelia Collins who contributed significantly last season.
Riley Weiss is Columbia’s top returning scorer after posting one of the best single-season point totals in team history last year; she also made nearly one hundred three-pointers during that campaign.
Five newcomers have joined this year’s squad: four first-year students plus junior transfer Hilke Feldrappe from Missouri.
For more information about Manhattan Jaspers women’s basketball or updates on Columbia women’s basketball throughout their season visit GoColumbiaLions.com or follow @CULionsWBB on social media platforms.
