Year in review: Women’s basketball earns first winning season in program history

Combining solid team play with stellar individual efforts, the 2009-10 Columbia women’s basketball team achieved the program’s first winning records in both overall and Ivy League play. The Lions went 18-10 on the season, with nine of their wins occurring against Ivy opponents. Columbia ended the year in third place in the conference standings, the highest finish in program history.

The Lions showed their strength from the start of the season, compiling a 3-1 record in their first four games. Their only defeat in that stretch was a three-point overtime loss to Oakland. After a loss to Nevada on Nov. 27, Columbia was competitive against Iowa the next night but fell by three points to the Big Ten squad.

Columbia regrouped in December, winning four of five games. The Lions’ only loss came against Big East opponent St. John’s. Columbia’s offense was virtually unstoppable throughout the month, with the Lions scoring 70 or more points in three of their December victories. In their Dec. 8 win over Wagner, junior forward Judie Lomax led all scorers with a career-high 30 points. The Lions beat Robert Morris in thrilling fashion on Dec. 30, when junior center Lauren Dwyer hit a buzzer-beating trey to give Columbia a 64-63 victory.

The Lions continued their winning ways with a 10-point victory over American on Jan. 2, but their efforts did not prove as fruitful against North Carolina State. On the Wolfpack’s turf in Raleigh, Columbia fought to the finish but ultimately suffered a 60-58 loss. Lomax and junior guard Kathleen Barry contributed respective game highs of 20 rebounds and 18 points, while Lomax also added 16 points of her own.

After setting a program record of nine nonconference wins at the Division I level, Columbia continued to experience unprecedented successes during Ivy competition. The Lions opened league play with a sweep of Cornell, recording a 68-44 victory in Ithaca before achieving a 68-47 win at home. Lomax scored 30 points in the second of the two games, while sophomore guard Melissa Shafer added 12 points off the bench in that same matchup.

In addition to Cornell, Columbia swept Dartmouth, Brown, and Penn. In Hanover, the Lions led the defending Ivy champions by 15 points at halftime and finished with a 72-59 victory. Lomax was her dominant self that night, contributing 26 points and 16 rebounds. When the Lions hosted Penn, four Columbia players scored in the double figures.

The only Ivy squads to sweep Columbia this season were Princeton and Harvard, the top two teams in the league. The Lions came close to beating the Crimson in the teams’ second meeting, but Harvard escaped with a 69-67 victory. Likewise, Columbia was competitive in its second matchup with Princeton before falling to the Tigers by 12 points.

Columbia finished the season in style, beating Yale and Brown at home to achieve its first weekend sweep of the year. The victory over Yale guaranteed the Lions the best Ivy record—and first above .500—in Columbia women’s basketball history, while the win over Brown assured them of being the outright third-place Ivy squad. The Lions built a case for an at-large bid to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, but they ultimately were not selected to participate in postseason play.

Exceeding or even replicating its success next season will be a challenge for Columbia, which will enter the 2010-11 campaign with only two returning starters. The Lions will lose guards Danielle Browne and Sara Yee to graduation, while Lomax—an honorable mention All-American—forfeited her final semester of eligibility when she signed a training camp contract with the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. Lomax was statistically Columbia’s best player and was named the 2009-10 Ivy Player of the Year, yet all three starters saw significant playing time and leave major holes in the lineup.

The Lions’ returning starters, Barry and Dwyer, should continue to excel next season. Barry proved herself on both ends of the floor this year, averaging 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while also using her speed to thwart opponents’ fast-break attempts. Despite only one season as a starter and a knee injury that sidelined her for part of Ivy competition, she received all-Ivy honorable mention. Meanwhile, Dwyer contributed 10 points and 1.7 blocks per game in her third season as a starter.

While Columbia’s starting lineup will undergo massive changes, the Lions will enter the 2010-11 campaign having had their most successful season in program history. If Columbia finds a way to reshape its identity in the aftermath of the three high-profile departures from its roster, the Lions can remain Ivy championship contenders next year.