Eleventh-seeded Columbia was no match for sixth-seeded West Virginia on Saturday as the Mountaineers throttled the Lions 78-59 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
It wasn’t how Columbia imagined its March Madness would go.
The Lions had set a goal at the beginning of the season to venture where no Ivy League team has gone.
Columbia wanted to make a Sweet 16 run after losing in the First Four of last year’s tournament.
But the Lions have plenty to be proud of.
This year marked the program’s second straight March Madness appearance.
Unlike last year, Columbia won its First Four matchup, with sophomore standout Riley Weiss helping the Lions pull off a second-half comeback win against Washington on Thursday.
But the Lions couldn’t muster the same second-half resurgence in the first round.
Columbia came out hot but quickly cooled off.
Want to tune into as much March Madness as you can? DIRECTV Stream and Hulu + Live TV both have you covered with every channel you’ll need, plus free trials.
The Lions had a whopping 11 turnovers in the first quarter alone, including a four-minute scoring drought.
West Virginia saw its lead swell from nine points at the end of the first quarter to 17 points at the half.
The Mountaineers’ press defense smothered the Lions and made it difficult for them to get into a groove.
Columbia never got within striking distance.
Riley Weiss and Cecelia Collins led the Lions with 14 points apiece.
Kitty Henderson added 11 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The Lions recorded a season-high 25 turnovers and were outscored in the paint 48-20.
The Lions will lose two key starters to graduation, Henderson and Collins.
Henderson, who picked up her 100th win on Thursday, will leave Columbia as the winningest player in program history and make an indelible mark on the Lions.
She’s one of the Lions’ best all-time defenders as well as the program’s all-time assist leader.
Despite the disappointing ending, the future is bright for Columbia.
Coach Megan Griffith has had the program on an upward trajectory for the past three years.
Weiss has two years remaining and doesn’t plan to go anywhere.
Griffith believes forward Perri Page has the potential to be the team’s best player next season.
