Last Saturday’s Columbia University women’s basketball game honored Barnard College and Pride, and there was a lot to celebrate. It was conference action, and Columbia defeated Dartmouth College 89–32. Junior guard Riley Weiss had her best-ever scoring performance with 40 points and a record number of three-pointers. The lowest score to which the Lions have held an opponent was 32.
“It was a great team effort tonight,” said head coach Megan Griffith. “I know Riley shined really bright, which was obviously great to see for any player that you have on your team. Nasi [Simmons] did shine really bright last weekend for us. The best part about it is that they really don’t care about that, and it’s just about ‘Did we get better today? Did we solidify our identity a little bit more?’ I really felt we did that.”
Post-game, Weiss said, “Of course, I was a little pumped up, but it was a team effort today. I’m honestly more happy that holding the opponent to 32 points is a record.”
The full house included numerous people wearing rainbow Pride gear as well as shirts recognizing Barnard’s part in Columbia women’s basketball history. Nancy Kalafus coached Barnard’s basketball team for four years and then moved to Columbia when the Columbia-Barnard Athletic Consortium was established in 1983, remaining with the team until 1991.
“[The transition] was wonderful and different,” recalled Kalafus. “The wonderful thing was we had more opportunities, like using this big gym all the time, but we didn’t get anything near what the kids get today.”
Kalafus found joy in sitting courtside and watching Columbia play at such a high level, including the full house, the cheerleaders and dance team, and the band. “For these women to have this opportunity, it’s just fantastic to me because we started it all,” she said. “We worked just as hard as these kids … I love coming back, I love seeing this, and I love being a part of it.”
Dr. Ula Lysniak, a Barnard alumna and one of the greats of Columbia women’s basketball, was also in attendance. “It’s wonderful that they’re actually celebrating Barnard, which is a big part of this team,” she said. “I love coming to games. I love what’s happening now … It’s always fun when they’re winning.”