Columbia University’s women’s basketball team secured a 68-47 win over Yale in an Ivy League matchup at Lee Amphitheater on Friday night. The Lions took control of the game with a decisive 15-0 run to open the second half, transforming a narrow 30-27 lead into a commanding advantage.
Junior guard Riley Weiss led all scorers with 26 points. She sparked the third-quarter surge by scoring Columbia’s first 11 points after halftime and finished the quarter with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Weiss ended the game making 10 of her 18 shots from the field, including four three-pointers.
“We knew that [the first half] wasn’t nearly our best basketball. We weren’t executing how we wanted to,” Weiss said in her postgame interview with Jacob Munch on ESPN+. “We weren’t defending like how we talked about all week, so we needed to ramp up the pressure and execute our stuff. We did that to start the third.”
Columbia outscored Yale by an 26-8 margin in the third period, similar to their previous meeting on January 17 when Columbia also dominated the third quarter against Yale. The Lions improved their record to 19-6 overall and 10-2 in Ivy League play, while Yale dropped to 6-19 overall and 2-10 in conference games.
Weiss has now scored at least 20 points in six consecutive games and is averaging over 25 points during that stretch. She is shooting more than 47 percent from three-point range across those games.
“My teammates really get me the ball, get me open and set good screens for me,” Weiss said about her recent performance. “They just find me. Trusting as well, trusting our offense, not forcing shots, and just trying to make the right play.”
Senior Susie Rafiu contributed across several categories with 14 points, six rebounds, three steals, two blocks, and an assist. Her presence inside helped Columbia score 42 points in the paint.
Yale was led by Cinaya Moore’s team-high of 15 points. Despite shooting just four-for-16 from the field under Columbia’s defensive pressure, Moore converted seven of eight free throws. Kiley Capstraw and Mary Meng added a combined total of 20 points and collected sixteen rebounds for Yale.
The game started slowly for Columbia after Fliss Henderson assisted Rafiu for an opening basket; however, Yale responded with a strong run to lead by ten early in the first quarter before Columbia closed the gap late in the period.
In the second quarter, Columbia improved its shooting efficiency and regained control thanks to an eleven-point run fueled by back-to-back three-pointers from Mia Broom and Weiss.
Rafiu made a buzzer-beating layup at halftime but Yale remained close at intermission trailing only by three points.
Columbia ensured there would be no comeback from Yale by shooting efficiently—making eleven of thirteen shots—in a dominant third quarter that saw head coach Megan Griffith rest her starters for much of the fourth period.
Next up for Columbia is a game against Brown University (16-8 overall; 8-4 Ivy) on Saturday at Pizzitola Sports Center. Brown recently clinched its spot at Ivy Madness following a win over Cornell.
For updates on Columbia women’s basketball, fans can follow @CULionsWBB on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook or visit GoColumbiaLions.com.
