The Fightin’ Blue Hens (6-2) fell to the Lions (8-2) in the fourth quarter after an incredible 27-point performance by Columbia’s Abbey Hsu (CC ’24).

Although the Lions had messy second and third quarters, with 13 turnovers leading to some easy buckets for the Hens, their impressive ball movement and determination in the paint ultimately put them over the top. Abbey Hsu was a standout player for Columbia, scoring 27 points in 37 minutes on the court, while teammate Kitty Henderson (CC ’25) pitched in 11.

Quarter 1

Both teams got off to a slow start in the first quarter, with Delaware scoring less than 25% of their field goals, while Columbia seriously struggled to make their 3-pointers. Abbey Hsu instantly showed that she was going to be dangerous for the Hens this game, scoring nine of Columbia’s 19 points for the quarter, while Tyi Skinner lead Delaware with five points for the quarter. Although Delaware had the lead for the first few minutes of the game, Columbia scored four successive layups in order to get a definitive hold on the lead for the last seven minutes.

End of Q1: Columbia leads 19-14

Quarter 2

The Lions started the quarter with an easy seven-point run led by Kitty Henderson, who would go on to score 11 points for the game. This put Columbia at their largest lead of the game, 28-17, but it didn’t last long. The streak was broken with a 3 from Skinner, followed by an impressive steal into a full court turnaround and layup by Tee Johnson of Delaware. The Hens’ Jasmine Dickey began to score in the paint at the tail end of the quarter and teamed up with Skinner to bring the Hens within four points of the Lions at the end of the half, following a 12-6 run. The Lions began to struggle with turnovers in this quarter, a theme that would continue for the rest of the game. They gave up eight turnovers to the Hens’ three, resulting in nine points needlessly lost.

Halftime: Columbia leads 35-31

Quarter 3

Although Columbia had the lead in the first half, the third quarter of the game was dominated by Delaware. Columbia started the half with a few messy passes and careless turnovers, giving the Hens space to dominate on turnover points. Dickey came alive this quarter, scoring 12 points in this quarter alone, mostly off of shots in the paint. An easy layup by Ty Battle gave Delaware their first lead since early in the first quarter, with 2:25 remaining on the clock. Although both teams had a similar number of fouls, all of Columbia’s fouls happened in the paint, and as a result Delaware was able to score nine free throws against Columbia’s two. Despite their best efforts, the Lions fell behind the Hens and were unable to answer the barrage of points in the paint, ending the quarter down by six.

End of Q3: Delaware leads 56-50

Quarter 4

After a brutal third quarter, the Lions came out roaring in the fourth. Hsu and Henderson led Columbia on an unanswered 14-point run early in the quarter, bringing Columbia back in the lead 64-58 with just over three minutes remaining in the game. During this run, Hsu stole the ball from Delaware’s point guard for an insane full-court turnaround and layup to tie the game at 58, making the crowd go wild. For the remainder of the game, most of the spectators were on their feet and cheering for the Lions all the way to the finish. Skinner and Dickey were both putting up most of the points for Delaware this quarter, while Hsu was absolutely unstoppable for Columbia. The teams traded the lead for the final three minutes of the game, leading to a very high-energy and anxious atmosphere in the gym. With 29 seconds left, Hsu made a bucket through a foul and scored the accompanying free throw to put the Lions in the lead by two. Delaware tried utilizing the age-old strategy of fouling in order to get the ball back post free throw, but Hannah Pratt (CC ’23) made both of her free throws to put Columbia up by four. With 11 seconds left, it was Delaware’s ball, but a steal and layup by Henderson quickly put an end to the Hen’s chance at a fight.

Final Score: Columbia wins 73-67

The Lions will return to Schiller Court on Saturday, December 11 at 2 pm to play UMass Amherst (8-1), in what’s sure to be an exciting and intense game.

Hannah Pratt making a free throw via Bwog Staff