Lions leave Palestra still winless in conference play

Thirty-one seconds into the game, Penn freshman guard Renee Busch hit a three-point shot, and Penn grabbed a quick 3-0 lead. Busch hit another jumper 37 seconds later, putting Penn up 5-0. From then on, the Lions (2-15, 0-3 Ivy) played catch-up and were ultimately unable to close the gap as the Quakers (8-8, 1-1 Ivy) prevailed 75-50.

Busch had an outstanding game for Penn, shooting 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, netting a game-high 20 points, and grabbing eight boards.

After the Lions sprang back with two quick field goals by sophomore center Nicole Santucci and junior guard Tyler Simpson—making the score 10-6—the Quakers took off, led by Busch’s 14 first-half points. Penn sophomore guard Alyssa Baron hit a jumper with 1:05 left in the half to put Penn up 37-24 going into the intermission.

After the Quakers struck first in the second half with a layup from freshman forward Katy Allen, the Lions responded with a score from Simpson and a three-pointer from senior guard Melissa Shafer, leaving the Lions trailing 39-29.

As Columbia looked ready to mount a comeback, Baron put up five points in 28 seconds to pad Penn’s lead.

The Light Blue tried to cut Penn’s lead back down to 10. Offensive production from Simpson, who finished with a team-high 19 points, and sophomore guard Taylor Ward brought the Lions to within 13 with 10:58 remaining in the game.

The Light Blue, which took almost as many shots as the Quakers, had a steady 34 percent field goal percentage, slightly higher than its 33.2 field goal percentage for the season. However, the Lions only put in four of their 16 three-pointers, while Penn made 10 out of 21.

Columbia could not bring down the Quaker lead to under 20 points. Down by 28 points with 41 seconds remaining in the game, Columbia freshman guard Miwa Tachibana scored the final shot—a three-pointer—to finalize the score at 75-50.

The Lions, in search of their first Ivy League victory, will look to rebound in back-to-back games at home against Dartmouth and Harvard this weekend.