HANOVER, N.H. (Interstat) — The Columbia women’s basketball team delivered a commanding performance Saturday, defeating Dartmouth 81-42 at Leede Arena. The Lions seized control early, building a 40-14 halftime lead and never relenting. Mia Broom led Columbia with 16 points and seven assists. Riley Weiss added a game-high 20 points. The Lions improved to 18-6 overall. Cate MacDonald had seven rebounds for the Big Green, who fell to 10-14. A crowd of 923 watched the Ivy League contest. Columbia shot efficiently from the floor while Dartmouth struggled, managing only three points in the opening quarter. The Lions have now won both meetings between the teams this season by wide margins.

HANOVER, N.H. (Interstat) — The Columbia Lions delivered a defensive masterclass from the opening tip, holding the Dartmouth Big Green to a historically low first-half output en route to a dominant 81-42 victory in an Ivy League women’s basketball game Saturday at Leede Arena. The tone was set immediately and decisively. Columbia’s defense was impenetrable in the first quarter, forcing nine Dartmouth turnovers and holding the home team to just a single field goal attempt in the first seven minutes. Dartmouth did not score from the floor until Clare Meyer’s layup with 2:21 remaining in the opening period, by which point Columbia had already built a 20-3 lead. The Lions closed the quarter on a 17-0 run, capped by a Fliss Henderson layup just before the buzzer, to take a 20-3 advantage. The suffocating pressure continued in the second quarter. Columbia extended its lead, entering halftime with a commanding 40-14 margin. Dartmouth’s 14 first-half points, on 5-of-22 shooting, underscored the Lions’ defensive intensity. The Big Green struggled to find any offensive rhythm against Columbia’s active hands and disciplined positioning, finishing the game with 22 turnovers which the Lions converted into 25 points. While the defense set the table, Columbia’s offense feasted inside, scoring 50 points in the paint and capitalizing on 14 offensive rebounds for numerous second-chance opportunities. The Lions shot 51.5% from the field overall. Guard Mia Broom, the top star for Columbia, orchestrated the victory with precision. The junior from Seattle played 31 minutes, scoring 16 points and dishing out a game-high seven assists, consistently breaking down the Dartmouth defense. She was complemented by a balanced scoring attack. Riley Weiss added 20 points, while Nasi Simmons came off the bench to contribute 10 points, a block, and three steals. Susie Rafiu anchored the interior with seven points, seven rebounds, and two steals. Dartmouth, which fell to 10-14 overall, showed modest improvement after halftime, scoring 15 points in the third quarter, but never threatened Columbia’s lead. The Big Green were led by Cate MacDonald’s four points and seven rebounds. As a team, Dartmouth shot just 33.3% and made only two of its 10 attempts from three-point range. The victory improved Columbia’s record to 18-6 overall and solidified its position in the upper tier of the Ivy League. The 39-point margin of victory followed a 57-point win over Dartmouth just four weeks prior in New York, highlighting the stark gap between the two programs this season. The most important part of the game was unquestionably the first-quarter defensive clinic put on by Columbia. By establishing an insurmountable lead in the opening ten minutes through relentless defensive pressure and capitalizing on Dartmouth’s early mistakes, the Lions rendered the final three quarters a formality. This early knockout punch demoralized the home team and allowed Columbia to control the tempo and rotation for the remainder of the contest with ease. Columbia next travels to face Yale on Friday, Feb. 27. Dartmouth will host Princeton on the same date.

Preview: Columbia Lions at Dartmouth Big Green HANOVER, N.H. (Interstat) — The Columbia Lions, riding a four-game winning streak and sitting atop the Ivy League standings, visit the Dartmouth Big Green in a women’s basketball matchup Saturday at Leede Arena. Columbia (17-6, 9-1 Ivy) has been dominant in conference play, with its last loss coming on Jan. 31. The Lions are coming off a decisive 69-56 victory over Penn on Feb. 14, preceded by a 70-56 win against Princeton. Their offense has been potent, averaging 72.5 points per game in Ivy play. Dartmouth (10-13, 2-8) looks to halt a five-game skid and seeks redemption after a lopsided 89-32 loss at Columbia on Jan. 24. The Big Green have struggled offensively during their losing streak, failing to score more than 54 points in any of those games. A player to watch for Dartmouth is forward Cate MacDonald, who is coming off a strong individual performance in a loss at Yale on Feb. 14, where she posted 10 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes. MacDonald will be a key factor if the Big Green hope to contain Columbia’s frontcourt. The Lions won the first meeting this season by 57 points, shooting 50% from the field while holding Dartmouth to just 23% shooting. Columbia’s balanced attack features guards Mia Broom, Fliss Henderson and forward Eirny Erinugha, who were instrumental in the recent win over Penn. For Dartmouth, support for MacDonald must come from guards Zeynep Ozel and Clare Meyer, who combined for 17 points in the Yale game. The matchup is critical for Columbia to maintain its league lead, while Dartmouth aims to play spoiler and build momentum for its final home weekend next week against Princeton and Penn. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST Saturday at Leede Arena.