By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — The last 17 seconds of regulation epitomized the type of game this was, a display of knock-em-down intensity.
During those final ticks of the clock, there were two challenges for out of bounds calls. In the end, Seton Hall came up short as Columbia earned a hard-fought 54-53 victory at Walsh Gymnasium. Tuesday’s game saw the Pirates fall to 5-3, while the Lions improved to 7-4.
Points of Emphasis
The last seconds: Seton Hall led 30-26 at halftime. Tony Bozzella’s Pirates started the third period strong, building a 10-point lead. Columbia would not go away. In a game with three ties and four lead changes Seton Hall led, 53-52, with 17 seconds left. An out of bounds call giving possession to Columbia was challenged by The Hall, and the officials reversed the call. On the ensuing possession, Seton Hall came up dry.
“We diagrammed a play during the timeout,” Bozzella said. “We had a chance from point blank and missed.”
With eight seconds to play, there was another out of bounds call challenged by Bozzella. The officials upheld this decision, and Columbia had the ball. On the Lions’ final possession, Perri Page scored on a layup with 0.7 seconds left to give Columbia the lead.
“I thought (Bozzella) was going to go zone,” Columbia coach Megan Griffith said. “He’s done that before, so we had a zone play and a man play. We used Riley (Weiss) as a decoy and Perri just made a great read and got to the rim.”
Bozzella was most upset over his team having four fouls to give and not using one.
“We discussed that in the final timeout,” he said. “We never did it, so that’s on me.”
Following the timeout after Columbia took the lead, Seton Hall took a desperation shot well off the mark.
Road warriors: Columbia has now captured 13 straight road games dating back to last season. Maybe there is a touch of good fortune. In the final analysis, the Lions’ ability to win away from home is not accidental, but part of the process.
“Our players are super cerebral,” Griffith said. “They are able to compartmentalize what they are doing. It’s part of being a student-athlete in the Ivy League. You can get on the road and it’s like, ‘alright, this is where our focus needs to be.’”
Second half dilemma: In its three most recent losses, Seton Hall saw second half leads dissipate.
“We keep blowing second-half leads,” Bozzella lamented. “I am very disappointed. We shot 2-of-14 in the final period against NC State and 2-of-16 (Tuesday). It’s not effort, it's all about execution.
“Give Columbia credit. With their best player (Weiss) struggling, they stuck together. They’re a good team. In the end, they made the plays and we didn’t.”
Misleading statistic: On the night, Seton Hall led for 34 minutes. The Pirates have been leading the majority of their games of late without getting in the win column.
“It’s the third straight game we dominated time with the lead and lost,” Bozzella observed. “But we are 0-3 (losing to Princeton, NC State and Columbia). You really have to wonder about that at this point.”
Praise for the Pirates and Eads: “I have a lot of respect for Tony,” Griffith said. “This is a rivalry I've enjoyed. They always bring it and I think they have a nice team.”
Specifically, the Columbia mentor was most concerned about Jada Eads, the Seton Hall sophomore guard who scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
“She concerned me the most,” Griffith said. “Watching the film against NC State, I was concerned with (Mariana Valenzuela) and (Savannah Catalon). But after I watched NC State, I
was like, ‘wow, this kid can really go.’ She’s a heckuva player, and after the game I told her, ‘you are the best point guard I’ve seen all season.’”
Final thoughts: Studies have shown if you have a higher offensive efficiency than your opponent, you win the game 98 percent of the time. To add salt to the wound, Seton Hall won the offensive efficiency by an 80-78 count, but fell in the dreaded 2-percent category.
Page led Columbia with 15 points. Fliss Henderson and Weiss added 10 each. Weiss, a 19-point scorer, was hounded into a 4-for-14 shooting night, largely due to the defensive work of Seton Hall’s Shailyn Pinkney. Seton Hall was paced by Catalon, with a game-high 16 points.
Seton Hall won the rebounding battle, 45-36 (16-10
offensive). Mariana Valenzuela, Jordana Codio and Columbia’s Page had 10 boards each. Despite the rebounding difference, Columbia enjoyed a 34-26 advantage in points in the paint.
Seton Hall hosts Auburn on Sunday, while Columbia hosts UTSA on Saturday.
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