Preview of Friday’s Ivy League Women’s Basketball Showdown NEW YORK (Interstat) — A critical Ivy League women’s basketball rematch with conference title implications is set for Friday when the Princeton Tigers visit the Columbia Lions. Princeton (19-2, 6-1 Ivy), receiving votes in the latest AP Top 25 poll, seeks to avenge its lone conference loss this season and reclaim sole possession of first place. Columbia (15-6, 6-1) handed the Tigers a 73-67 defeat in New Jersey on Jan. 30, creating a tie atop the league standings. Friday’s winner at Levien Gymnasium will gain a pivotal head-to-head advantage. The Tigers, boasting one of the nation’s best records, are led by guard Olivia Hutcherson. She scored 19 points in a 69-50 win over Penn last Friday and had 20 points and seven rebounds in a victory over Cornell on Jan. 31. In the loss to Columbia last month, Hutcherson played 34 minutes and finished with 17 points. However, Columbia counters with one of the nation’s most explosive scorers in guard Riley Weiss. She is coming off a spectacular 38-point, five-assist performance in an 80-55 rout of Cornell on Feb. 7. Weiss also scored 40 points in just 29 minutes against Dartmouth on Jan. 24. In the Lions’ win at Princeton, she contributed 12 points in 21 minutes. Princeton’s defense, which allows just 56.2 points per game, will be tested by a Columbia offense averaging 72.2 points. The Tigers have not lost since falling to the Lions, winning their last two games by an average of 20 points. Columbia has won four of its last five, with the only blemish a 64-55 loss at Penn on Jan. 31. The Lions are 8-1 at home this season. The matchup features the Ivy League’s top two teams in both scoring offense and scoring margin. Princeton leads the series historically, but Columbia’s victory earlier this season snapped a five-game losing streak to the Tigers. Following Friday’s contest, Princeton visits Cornell on Saturday. Columbia will host Penn on Saturday.