Columbia, like most games, approached last month's match against Princeton.
The Lions put no unnecessary pressure on themselves to maintain a perfect Ivy League record.
But what about this time?
The emotions and stakes were too expensive to ignore.
“It's a big thing,” Columbia coach Megan Griffith told reporters after practice this week. “We know what the ranking is.”
The Ivy League No. 1 and potentially the conference's regular season title was on the line when Columbia traveled to Princeton on Saturday.
There was a moment when Columbia (19-5, 10-1 Ivy) felt destined.
Momentum swung wildly towards Princeton (18-6, 9-2) as the home crowds became more and more in the game in the third quarter.
The game was slipping as Princeton scored the biggest lead of six points in the final quarter.
However, Riley Weiss' heroic 16-point fourth quarter changed the trajectory of the game, bringing Columbia's 64-60 thrilling victory, and Princeton's 30-game home victory.
Weiss started the game as well as the way she ended it. Weiss created two quick three pointers in the first quarter, helping to give Columbia a 10-2 early lead.
In the fourth quarter, she drained a game-standing three-pointer from the left. And she didn't give up until the last horn rang.
Weiss chose Parker Hill's pocket and took it to the basket as it turned into a three-point play that gave Columbia a 49-44 lead.
Princeton was about to return to the game.
But it seemed that Weiss and Columbia always had an answer.
Weiss finished with a career-high 34 points, including five three-pointers.
Kitty Henderson added 14 points, three rebounds, three assists and four steels.
We credit Princeton as the Tigers pushed the Lions out of the game offensively with a double team.
The Tigers, who boldly made the Lions, looked like an orange and white traffic cone that blocked access to Columbia baskets.
But Weiss and Henderson's speeds could be too difficult to match.
Saturday was how Griffith wanted to deal with her team after suffering a tough loss to Harvard last Sunday.
Griffith believes that one of the reasons Columbia didn't finish the job against Harvard is due to the poor end of the game's end.
However, when the game fell into balance late Saturday, Weiss fed Henderson after Princeton took a timeout. Henderson dug out a 3-pointer to leave Columbia with a 60-55 lead in the game.
Rafiu and Henderson hugged, and the chant for “Let's Go Lions” broke out from a section that housed around 100 Lions fans behind the visitors' bench.
Princeton made it interesting. Cecelia Collins was taller from Fadima, who scored a three-point field goal, and reduced Colombia's lead with four seconds left.
However, Thor missed a free throw, Columbia secured the ball and Weiss opened the game with ice on the left of one second.
Columbia currently ranks number one in the Ivy League and with three of the four bottom conference enemies remaining on the Lions' schedule, Saturday's victory will ensure Columbia secure first seed in the conference tournament It could have been.
The Lions will host Brown on Friday and Yale on March 1st on March 1st and will host the season finale with Cornell on March 8th.
