Columbia women get first NCAA Tournament win ever, rallying to beat Washington 63-60 in First Four
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Riley Weiss scored 14 of her 24 points in the fourth quarter to help Columbia rally from a 13-point halftime deficit and beat Washington 63-60 on Thursday night for the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.
Cecelia Collins added 12 points for the Lions (24-6), who won the First Four matchup of 11-seeds. They'll face sixth-seeded West Virginia on Saturday.
Columbia trailed most of the game until the fourth quarter when Weiss got hot. Her two free throws with 18 seconds left gave the Lions a 61-57 lead. Elle Ladine came back hitting a deep 3-pointer a few seconds later to make it a one-point game.
Weiss then swished two free throws to make it 63-60 with 12 seconds left.
Washington (19-14) had one last chance but this time Ladine's 3-pointer was off. Perri Page grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 1.7 seconds left. She missed both free throws, but Washington had no timeouts left and their heave from 80 feet was short.
That set off a wild celebration by the Lions at midcourt.
Weiss completed a four-point play and made two other 3-pointers in the opening few minutes of the fourth to give the Lions their first lead of the game.
The game was tied at 54 before Susie Rafiu hit a layup just before the shot clock expired and then after a steal by Kitty Henderson, Marija Avlijas hit a 3-pointer from the wing to make it 59-54.
Columbia was playing in the First Four for the second straight year. Last season Columbia lost to Vanderbilt.
Coach Megan Griffith has turned the Lions into an Ivy League power over the past few seasons. The former Columbia point guard has led the program to three consecutive regular-season conference titles, including this year’s outright crown.
Now the team has an NCAA Tournament win under its belt.
This was Washington’s first NCAA appearance since 2017 when the Huskies reached the Sweet 16.
Sayvia Sellers finished with 21 points to lead Washington. Dalayah Daniels added 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Washington hit nine of its first 12 shots to go up 19-6 early. The Lions struggled from the field, missing their first nine 3-point attempts and were down 21-10 after the first quarter. The Huskies increased the advantage to 34-21 at the half as they held Columbia to just 30% shooting in the opening 20 minutes, including 2-for-15 from 3.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
Topics
-
Columbia women get first NCAA Tournament win ever, rallying to beat Washington 63-60 in First Four
Riley Weiss scored 14 of her 24 points in the fourth quarter to help Columbia rally from a 13-point halftime deficit and beat Washington 63-60 and earn the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victoryABC News - 16h -
2025 Women's March Madness First Four scores: Columbia rallies past Washington, William & Mary will face Texas
Columbia and William & Mary both won NCAA Tournament games for the first timeCBS Sports - 16h -
Harvard wins Ivy Tournament beating Columbia 74-71 to earn first NCAA Tournament bid since 2007
Harmoni Turner scored 24 points and Harvard beat Columbia 74-71 on Saturday to win the Ivy League Tournament for the first time in school history. Harvard led by five with 17.6 seconds left before ...Yahoo Sports - 5d -
William & Mary women notch school's first NCAA basketball tournament victory with 69-63 win
Bella Nascimento scored 24 points and William & Mary edged High Point 69-63 Thursday night for a victory in the Tribe's first NCAA Tournament appearance in either women's or men's basketball. The ...Yahoo Sports - 16h -
Pascal Siakam scores 29 points, has key late steal to help Pacers rally past Mavs 135-131
Pascal Siakam scored 29 points, Bennedict Mathurin scored 16 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and the Indiana Pacers rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final six minutes to beat the ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
March Madness: Xavier rallies to beat Texas 86-80 in First Four
DAYTON, Ohio — Marcus Foster scored 22 points and Zach Freemantle added 15 while overcoming foul trouble as Xavier rallied past Texas 86-80 in the First Four on Wednesday night.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Trey Kaufman-Renn scores 21 to help Purdue hold off High Point in the NCAA Tournament
Trey Kaufman-Renn had 21 points and eight rebounds, and fourth-seeded Purdue held off High Point for a 75-63 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
March Madness: Xavier rallies to beat Texas 86-80 in First Four
Marcus Foster scored 22 points and Zach Freemantle added 15 while overcoming foul trouble as Xavier rallied past Texas 86-80 in a First Four game at DaytonABC News - 1d -
Duke women capture first ACC title since 2013
No. 11 Duke rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat No. 7 N.C. State 76-62 on Sunday for their first ACC title since 2013.ESPN - Mar. 9
More from Yahoo Sports
-
QB Aaron Rodgers leaves Pittsburgh without a contract
Aaron Rodgers left Pittsburgh without a contract in place.Yahoo Sports - 29m -
QB Aaron Rodgers leaves Pittsburgh without a contract
Aaron Rodgers left Pittsburgh without a contract in place.Yahoo Sports - 29m -
Pitcher Julio Urías suspended through the All-Star break by MLB under domestic violence policy
Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías was suspended through the All-Star break by Major League Baseball on Friday under its domestic violence policy with the players' association. Urías ...Yahoo Sports - 31m -
Pitcher Julio Urías suspended through the All-Star break by MLB under domestic violence policy
Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías was suspended through the All-Star break by Major League Baseball on Friday under its domestic violence policy with the players' association. Urías ...Yahoo Sports - 31m -
England vs Albania LIVE: Thomas Tuchel takes charge of first game at Wembley
The Three Lions begin their journey under Tuchel as qualifying for the 2026 World Cup gets underwayYahoo Sports - 32m
More in Sports
-
QB Aaron Rodgers leaves Pittsburgh without a contract
Aaron Rodgers left Pittsburgh without a contract in place.Yahoo Sports - 29m -
QB Aaron Rodgers leaves Pittsburgh without a contract
Aaron Rodgers left Pittsburgh without a contract in place.Yahoo Sports - 29m -
Pitcher Julio Urías suspended through the All-Star break by MLB under domestic violence policy
Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías was suspended through the All-Star break by Major League Baseball on Friday under its domestic violence policy with the players' association. Urías ...Yahoo Sports - 31m -
Pitcher Julio Urías suspended through the All-Star break by MLB under domestic violence policy
Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías was suspended through the All-Star break by Major League Baseball on Friday under its domestic violence policy with the players' association. Urías ...Yahoo Sports - 31m -
England vs Albania LIVE: Thomas Tuchel takes charge of first game at Wembley
The Three Lions begin their journey under Tuchel as qualifying for the 2026 World Cup gets underwayYahoo Sports - 32m