April Fool's Day will now have special meaning for Columbia fans. Knocked out of selection to the top tier of March Madness by two tough losses to Harvard, the Lions regrouped and won five in a row to win the NCAA's consolation tournament, the WBIT (Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament).
In the April 1 final, Columbia led all the way against Brigham Young, building a 42-24 halftime lead that stretched to 27 early in 4th quarter. Suddenly the Cougars caught fire and the Lions started committing turnovers. The lead fell to 11 with still more than 3 minutes to play but senior co-captain forward Susie Rafiu - named to the all tournament team along with brilliant guards junior Riley Weiss and sophomore Mia Broom - righted the ship with a driving layup and the Lions won going away, 81-64.
For the semi-finals held in Wichita, Kansas, it looked like a fourth meeting this season with nemesis Harvard was in the cards because if the Crimson beat Wisconsin in the quarters, they were set up to meet Columbia in the semis. But upstart Wisconsin, who lost the last ten games of the tough Big Ten regular season and limped in with a 10-game losing streak, upset Harvard with a last-minute rally that forced an overtime that the Badgers won by 3. It probably worked out for the best because my guess is that another Harvard-Columbia tussle would have left even the winner drained for the final.
As a great believer in history and karma, during Columbia's great WBIT surge I kept thinking of Christy Mathewson's aphorism: "I have learned little from winning but have learned everything from losing." There were tears in the Columbia locker room after the second loss to Harvard. But they gathered themselves and inspired by co-captain Perri Page's defiant comment that coach Megan Griffith applauded - "We are going to Wichita and winning it" - they rose to the occasion.
I love finding historical connections. The WBIT Final Four was held in Wichita where one of the heroes of the 1970 New York Knicks champion Dave Stallworth played in college and is in the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame along with Larry Bird. Stallworth was the forward rushed into action in Game 5 in 1970 and replacing injured Willis Reed he held his own against the Lakers' Wilt Chamberlain in a crucial win that set up Reed's dramatic appearance in Game 7.) There was even a more significant historical connection for Columbia's third win in the WBIT, a thrilling 74-68 victory over the U of Cal-Berkeley Golden Bears held on the Pete Newell Court. Newell is a sadly forgotten great Cal coach who in his last 8 meetings against UCLA's legendary John Wooden won them all.
Back to the main story - Three Lions made the tournament team - Susie Rafiu, junior Ivy League Player Of Year Riley Weiss, and sophomore Mia Broom who thrust into the role of point guard for the tournament also became a consistent scorer. She is also a budding wit - looking at the scoresheet during the post-game press conference after the Wisconsin victory and noticing her line - 12 points, 10 rebounds, 8 turnovers - she quipped, "I almost had a triple-double."
More seriously after the Brigham Young victory, Riley Weiss dissected the BY 13-0 4th q run. About letting the opponent's press distract the team,
"It shouldn't happen," she said, . . . "but it's only bodies." The great ones really know how to stop the moment from becoming overwhelming.
Turning to baseball, first Columbia, the Lions find themselves in the middle of the pack with a 3-3 record in the short 21-game Ivy League season. Coach Brett Boretti is happy that it is a wide open race and I believe him. It's up to the players as always to believe it, too. When I post this blog, I'm heading to Coakley-Robertson-Satow Stadium for a single game with Penn, another regular rival of the defending Ivy champion Lions. Double-header tomorrow Sat Apr 4 with rain cancelling the usual Sunday noon game. Next weekend hopefully SaSu Apr 11-12 will be consistent weather for Homecoming against Princeton.
Turning to the start of the MLB season, I am trying to keep my emotions under control about the Orioles. The offense seems improved despite the loss of second baseman Jackson Holliday to a hand injury that cost him all of spring training - he should be back later this month - and a more serious elbow injury to third baseman Jordan Westburg that might need season-ending surgery. The pitching is questionable and the defense not good. As someone who loves pitching and defense - remember what makes baseball special is IT IS THE ONLY SPORT WHERE THE DEFENSE HAS THE BALL!! - it is hard to have championship hopes for a team with so many holes.But it will be easy to root for newcomers first baseman Pete Alonso and veteran RHP Chris Bassitt who had a horrible luck in his first start, a loss to the Rangers, that wasn't helped by his throwing error. He owned it and turned the page.
Another cliche I will state in closing: YOU CAN'T WIN A PENNANT IN APRIL BUT YOU SURE CAN LOSE ONE.
More on these topics anon. For now as always Stay Positive Test Negative and Take It Easy But Take It!