3-point shooting lifts Lions over Quakers

Propelled by a barrage of 3-pointers and junior forward Judie Lomax's game-high 19 points, the Columbia women's basketball team cruised to an 80-61 win over Penn on Friday night. With the victory, Columbia (16-9, 7-4 Ivy) is assured of finishing the season with a record of .500 or better in Ivy League play.

The Lions opened the game with a 7-2 run and held a 17-7 advantage after just seven minutes of action. With 6:20 left in the first half, a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Melissa Shafer gave Columbia a 24-14 lead. Shafer hit two more treys before the intermission to complete a 3-for-3 night from beyond the arc, foreshadowing the onslaught of Columbia 3-pointers to come.

After a back-and-forth start to the second half, junior guard Kathleen Barry sank a trey to give the Lions a 45-33 lead. Her shot started a string of six Columbia 3-pointers over a three-minute span. Barry made two more treys during that stretch to join Shafer in a 3-for-3 showing from downtown, while senior guard Sara Yee, senior guard Danielle Browne, and junior center Lauren Dwyer each hit a 3-pointer of their own. Meanwhile, Penn (1-23, 0-10 Ivy) scored only four points.

By the end of their run, the Lions had a 23-point cushion with just under 14 minutes to play and had erased all possibilities of a Penn comeback. On a night when Columbia bombarded its opponent with outside shots, it was only fitting that a 3-pointer later in the half--this time from sophomore guard Mary Beato--gave the Lions a 25-point advantage, their greatest of the matchup.

Columbia's 80 points marks a season-high and gives the Lions momentum heading into Saturday night's game against league-leading Princeton.