Columbia vs Seton Hall | NCAA Women's Basketball | 11.10.23

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NEW YORK - It was a night full of milestones for the Columbia women's basketball team, which raised its first-ever Ivy League Championship banner and pulled away late to defeat Seton Hall, 72-61, in its home opener at Levien Gymnasium. Abbey Hsu led the way with 21 points and became the Ivy League's all-time leader in made 3-pointers.
Hsu broke the triples record Friday night with the 288th make of her career, passing the previous record held by Harvard's Katie Benzen (2016-19). Her record-breaking shot came with just under seven minutes to play and gave the Lions (1-1) a 55-50 lead.
"I don't really feel any different," Hsu jokingly said during the postgame press conference. "It is cool … Obviously, it's been a thing. A couple of weeks ago it was brought up to me and I thought 'Oh, that's pretty cool,' but I try to not think about it. I don't want to hyper-focus on one thing because then I'll just obsess over it. I just have to play the game, stick to the game plan and I know those shots will come to me."
Additionally, head coach Megan Griffith picked up the 100th victory of her career. In doing so, she became the 11th coach in Ivy League women's basketball history to win 100 games at an Ivy League school.
"I was most proud of our defense tonight," said Griffith to begin her postgame press conference. "We've been harping a lot on stringing together stops … I'm super proud of them. I'm really proud of my staff for getting us to this point. Every one of those 100 wins [associate head coach] Tyler Cordell has as well. They make me so much better as a coach."
Cecelia Collins added 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go with six rebounds. Kitty Henderson posted 11 points, six boards and four assists. Paige Lauder pitched in 10 points off the bench, going 4-of-5 from the floor.
The game was a tale of two halves with both teams shooting above 45 percent and then struggling to string together baskets in the second. The Lions led, 62-59, with 3:22 to go, held Seton Hall (1-1) without a field goal the rest of the way and knocked down free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
After a back-and-forth start, Hsu tied the record with a triple from the right corner with 6:45 left in the first quarter to start a 7-0 run. Two minutes later, Fliss Henderson capped the rally with a strong take down the left side and completed the hoop-and-harm to make it 13-7. Cecilia Collins put down the exclamation point with an open 3-pointer from the top of the key to put the Lions up 23-13 after the opening frame.
Seton Hall shot 53.3 percent in the second quarter and rallied to tie the game on three occasions, but Columbia had the answer each time. Hsu converted on a layup with 1:00 left in the half and the Lions took a 39-37 cushion into the locker room.
The strong shooting for the Pirates carried over into the second half, knocking down three in a row to start the third quarter to go in front, 43-39. Columbia was held without a field goal for over half of the frame but was able to stay within striking distance after playing strong on the defensive end. Nicole Stephens ended the drought with a 3-pointer from the left wing to pull the Lions within one with 4:35 left in the third.
Baskets were tough to come by for both teams the rest of the way until Hsu pulled up from the left corner to put Columbia back in front, 50-49. The Lions took a three-point advantage heading into the final frame.
Hsu took her place atop the Ivy League list after a trifecta from the left wing with 6:47 on the clock in the fourth quarter. More importantly, it extended the Lions' lead to 55-50. Seton Hall continued to apply pressure, but could not pull any closer after the stifling Columbia defense shut the Pirates down in the waning moments.
Azana Baines led the Pirates with 14 points and added eight rebounds.
The Lions look ahead to a home against No. 19 Duke on Tuesday. Opening tip at Levien Gymnasium is set for 6 p.m. ET.
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For the latest on the Columbia women's basketball, follow @CULionsWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, or on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.

[@demimjae]

where’s the lsu vs kent state game? 🥲

[@waldolydecker8118]

it was played at lsu