Gaziano Nets 26 Points, Women’s Basketball Drops 83-81 Decision to Columbia

Saturday, February 16

Providence, R.I.

7:00 PM

Brown University

9-15, 1-7Ivy

Columbia

7-14, 3-5Ivy

Columbia

Brown

Gaziano Nets 26 Points, Women’s Basketball Drops 83-81 Decision to Columbia

2/16/2019 9:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Junior guard Justine Gaziano scored a game-high 26 points, and the Bears had two chances to tie the game at the end of regulation, but Brown University women's basketball dropped an 83-81 decision to Columbia University on Saturday night at the Pizzitola Sports Center.

The Bears (9-15, 1-7 Ivy) held a 77-76 lead with under a minute to play, but the Lions (6-15, 2-6 Ivy) hit two 3-pointers inside of the final 54 seconds to earn the victory. In the final five seconds, two Brown shot attempts fell off the rim in an attempt to send the game to overtime.

"We had much better intensity and energy tonight," Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. "We came close to tying the game there at the end but couldn't quite get the ball to fall in. Overall, we had a lot of people step up and make plays tonight and showed resiliency. Columbia just made a few more plays down the stretch."

In a fourth quarter that saw five ties and two lead changes, the Bears and Lions remained tied at 72-72 with 2:51 to play before a layup from Gaziano and 3-point play from junior center Haley Green (Salem, Va.) pushed Brown ahead 77-74 with 1:46 on the clock. Brown remained ahead 77-76 before Columbia's Madison Hardy hit a 3-pointer to give the Lions a 79-77 lead with 53.3 seconds left.

A pair of free throws from Gaziano knotted the score at 79-79 before another trey from Hardy gave Columbia an 82-79 edge with 15.1 seconds to go. Two free throws from sophomore guard Dominique Leonidas (Stone Mountain, Ga.) made the score 82-81, and after a Columbia free throw, shots from Leonidas and senior forward Mary Butler (Bangor, Maine) rolled off the rim at the buzzer.

Gaziano (Natick, Mass.) made 4-of-6 3-pointers and 8-of-9 free throws as part of her 26 points, while adding six rebounds. She scored over 20 points for the 11^th time this season and 30^th time in her career. Gaziano now has 1,312 career points, moving into eighth place at Brown in career scoring and passing Michelle Smith '86 (1,291 points) and Lauren Clarke '14 (1,304 points).

Senior forward Erika Steeves (Montreal, Quebec) totaled 15 points and nine rebounds, while making 5-of-9 field goals and 3-of-5 triples. She now has 780 career rebounds, moving into fifth place all-time at Brown and passing Nyema Mitchell '04 (776 rebounds).

Senior guard Shayna Mehta (San Francisco, Calif.) finished with 17 points, five steals, and four assists, while connecting on eight field goals. She now has 1,700 career points, (14^th all-time in Ivy history), 247 career 3-pointers (fifth in Ivy history), 622 career field goals (tied for third in Brown history), 247 career steals (fifth at Brown), and 88 steals on the season (third at Brown).

Green netted nine points on 4-of-4 field goals and 1-of-1 free throws and grabbed eight rebounds. Leonidas dished out a season and game-high seven assists with six points, Butler added three points and four boards, and freshman guard Traiva Breedlove (Rochester, N.Y.) chipped in five points on 2-of-2 shooting.

Brown scored over 80 points for the eighth time this season.

For Columbia, Sienna Durr netted 23 points. Janiya Clemmons (16 points), Lillian Kennedy (13 points), and Hardy (11 points) all scored in double figures. Riley Casey contributed team highs in rebounds (10) and assists (seven).

After Columbia opened the game with a 14-3 lead, Brown responded with a 19-1 run that pushed the hosts ahead 22-15 with 1:14 to play in the first quarter. During the run, Gaziano hit two 3-pointers, and Steeves and Mehta each made a trey. Consecutive layups from Breedlove helped Brown take a 24-17 lead at the end of one.

Treys from Gaziano and Steeves kept Brown ahead 32-23 at the 5:55 mark of the second quarter before a 3-point play from Butler made the score 35-29. Two baskets from Steeves allowed Brown to maintain a 39-37 halftime advantage.

In the first half, Brown hit 7-of-16 shots from 3-point distance (43.8 percent), including 5-of-9 triples in the first quarter.

Brown maintained a 44-42 edge early in the third quarter before a 7-0 run pushed Columbia ahead 49-44. A corner 3-pointer from Gaziano cut the deficit to 57-53 with 1:57 to go in the frame before a layup from Mehta brought Brown back within 57-55 heading to the fourth quarter.

The Bears made seven of their first eight field goal attempts in the fourth quarter, pulling ahead 72-66 with 4:48 to play. Leonidas started the period with back-to-back hoops before Gaziano converted a 3-point play, and Green capped the stretch with a layup.

After Columbia tied the score at 72-72 with 2:51 remaining, Gaziano's layup and Green's 3-point play pushed Brown ahead 77-74 with 1:46 left. Still ahead 77-76 entering the final minute, the Lions' Hardy hit her two 3-pointers to give Columbia an 82-79 lead with 15.1 seconds left. Leonidas' two free throws trimmed the margin to 82-81, and after a Columbia free throw, Leondias and Butler both had shot attempts fall off the rim inside the final five seconds.

As part of the Bears' celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, WPRI 12 sports reporter Ruthie Polinsky, Brown women's soccer sophomore Maria Guerrero, and Brown gymnastics junior Erin Howell spoke to the crowd at halftime about their experiences with sports.

Next, Brown hosts Columbia tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 16, at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+/NESN) to close the first half of its Ivy League round-robin schedule.

Video of all Brown women's basketball home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Tickets for all Brown women's basketball games can be purchased online, by calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or by walking up to the box office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.