ITHACA, N.Y. (Interstat) — Riley Weiss scored 38 points and the Columbia Lions used a dominant second quarter to pull away from the Cornell Big Red for an 80-55 victory in an Ivy League women’s basketball game Saturday at Newman Arena.

The game, played before an announced crowd of 247, was a decisive reversal of the teams’ meeting just over a month prior, when Cornell won by seven in New York. This time, Columbia’s offensive efficiency and defensive pressure proved overwhelming.

Columbia, which improved to 15-6 overall, set the tone early with a high-scoring but tightly contested first quarter, leading just 21-20. The defining stretch of the game came in the second period, where the Lions’ defense clamped down. Cornell managed only nine points in the quarter, missing 10 of its 11 field goal attempts and committing five turnovers. During that same span, Columbia’s offense, while not flawless, steadily built its advantage, outscoring the Big Red 21-9 to take a 42-29 lead into halftime.

The Lions’ separation was built on forcing mistakes and capitalizing on them. Columbia finished the game with 13 steals, leading to 27 points off 22 Cornell turnovers. The Lions also controlled the interior, outrebounding Cornell 34-20, with a decisive 10-2 edge on the offensive glass fueling 13 second-chance points.

Weiss, a 5-foot-10 guard from Hewlett, New York, was the catalyst throughout. She played 34 minutes and her 38-point performance came on an array of jump shots and drives, including four 3-pointers. She also contributed five assists and three rebounds. Her scoring outburst followed a 23-point effort in a loss at Penn earlier in the week.

Columbia received balanced support behind Weiss. Susie Rafiu, a 6-1 forward from Ipswich, England, added 10 points and five rebounds, while Perri Page of Pittsburgh also chipped in 10 points and grabbed six rebounds. Fliss Henderson of North Curl Curl, Australia, facilitated the offense with five assists to go with six rebounds.

For Cornell, which fell to 8-13, Kelsey Langston of Wilmette, Illinois, led the way with 13 points. Rachel Kaus from Lake Bluff, Illinois, added 12 points and four rebounds, and Clarke Jackson of Columbus, Ohio, scored 10 points.

Despite the lopsided final score, Columbia’s shooting was inconsistent from the free-throw line, making just 8 of 15 attempts. However, the Lions were highly efficient from the field, shooting 57.4% overall and a sharp 55.6% from 3-point range, connecting on 10 of 18.

Cornell struggled to find any consistent offensive rhythm, posting an offensive rating of 80.8 points per 100 possessions. After their initial 20-point first quarter, the Big Red were held to 35 points over the final three periods.

The victory keeps Columbia in the thick of the Ivy League race as the season enters its final weeks. The Lions will host a crucial conference weekend against Princeton and Penn next Friday and Saturday. Cornell looks to regroup on the same dates, hosting Penn and Princeton at Newman Arena.

The most important part of the game was Columbia’s transformative second-quarter defensive performance. After a back-and-forth opening period that suggested another close contest, the Lions elevated their defensive intensity, particularly on the perimeter and in passing lanes. This defensive surge directly fueled their offensive transition game and created the separation that Cornell, with its offensive limitations on the afternoon, could never overcome. That 10-minute stretch turned a one-point game into a comfortable double-digit lead from which the Lions never looked back.