NEW YORK—On Friday night, Harvard women’s basketball (17-8, 9-2) traveled to Columbia University’s Dodge Fitness Center and showed the Lions (13-13, 6-6) that it is more than comfortable butting heads...literally. The Crimson defeated Columbia, 71-58, in the contact-laden bout that was a battle of rebounds, fast-breaks, and hard-earned trips to the foul line. Though Harvard held onto the lead for the entire game, its hands were slippery. The Lions made it clear that “it ain’t over till it’s over."

Columbia attacked inside early on, immediately implementing its strategy of establishing strong presence down low, both offensively and defensively. Its perimeter players in the opening minutes were merely decoys looking to spread the defenders and dump the ball to prolific sophomore forwards Judie Lomax and Lauren Dwyer. Notably, Lomax, a transfer from Oregon State, is the top rebounder in the NCAA Division I this season, averaging 14.1 rebounds per game. She finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds.

“Once she steps in on you, it’s like moving a mountain,” Crimson coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said.

After eight minutes of play, Harvard had gained a commanding 17-6 lead by hitting shots from all over the floor and getting to the free throw line. If the ball wasn’t being fed to sophomore forward Emma Markley inside on the post, freshman Brogan Berry and co-captain Emily Tay were waiting on the perimeter, feet squared to the basket, ready for the quick catch-and-shoot. If a defender rotated up, forwards like sophomore Claire Wheeler and senior Katie Rollins were waiting for the feed back inside.

The game was a tug-of-war over momentum. Each time the Crimson approached a double-digit lead, the Lions came roaring up court, zipping chest passes to each other as if it were the middle of practice drills. These Columbia stampedes were led by junior guard Sara Yee, who weaved through defenders with great speed and control. At 5’1”, the quick-footed Yee was one of the Lions’ principal energy sources in the first half.

“They’re run and gun,” Delaney-Smith said. “Their system is simple. They just drive.”

With nine minutes remaining until halftime, Berry confirmed the notion that Harvard was the faster overall team. Cradling the ball at the top of the key, she made an Iverson-esque step fake to her left side, paused momentarily, and froze her defender as she exploded to the hoop and finished over two Lions with a lefty scoop layup.

The Crimson got comfortable with their early lead, however, and Columbia capitalized. With 4:26 left in the first half, the Lions had taken control of the pace of the game. Harvard suddenly appeared disoriented and its lead dwindled to three points at halftime.

The second half proved that accuracy was the key. Both teams again came out of the locker rooms in attack mode, yet the Crimson was able to supplement inside scoring with perimeter target practice as well. Harvard shot 49 percent from the field overall and 44 percent on 4-of-9 from downtown. Columbia shot just 37 percent from the field and were brick masons from beyond the arc, shooting 0-10 from three point range.

As she often does, Tay turned on the afterburners in the second half. The Crimson created many fast break plays, isolating the Lions for 2-on-1 sprints to the basket off of heads-up outlet passes. More often than not, Tay was streaking down the left wing, waiting for the easy layup and the and-one.

“I could always play better,” said Tay of her 23 point, six assist performance.

The Columbia defense engaged in an aggressive full-court press in the second half, attempting to cause some arrhythmia in Harvard’s offense. But after being caught off guard in its 74-71 loss to the Lions in Cambridge earlier this season, the Crimson anticipated Columbia’s aggressive defensive strategy this time around.

“Last game, we choked up when they started pressing us,” Markley said. “[Tonight] we were ready to take on whatever they gave us.”

With 11 minutes remaining in regulation, Harvard’s 53-43 lead seemed comfortable on the scoreboard, yet the feeling was never so. The Lions kept forcing turnovers with energetic inside play and kept marching to the foul line with a confident swagger about them. Columbia shot just 12-20 from the line, while the Crimson shot 15-17. Seeking to return the favor by winning on the Lions’s home floor, Harvard players relied on one another to maintain motivation and hold on to their unstable lead.

With 3:10 left in regulation, the Crimson’s lead was only three points. Harvard sophomore guard Christine Matera demonstrated crowd-silencing heroics by draining two three’s in a row with two minutes remaining. Because Columbia was resilient and relentless in its multiple comebacks, the Crimson bench was still tense with a nine point lead in the closing minutes.

Berry finally blew out the Lions’ trick candles by hitting two easy layups with under a minute to go, sealing the game for Harvard.