Preview: Ivy League Women’s Basketball Championship ITHACA, N.Y. (Interstat) — The Ivy League women’s basketball championship will be decided Friday night when the No. 2 seed Harvard Crimson face the top-seeded Columbia Lions at a neutral site. The title game, set for March 13, 2026, is a rubber match between the conference’s top two teams. Columbia (20-7) earned the regular-season crown, but Harvard (17-10) arrives with momentum after a 68-64 victory at Columbia just six days earlier. The Lions won the season’s first meeting, 58-55, at Harvard on Jan. 10. Harvard guard Karlee White, who torched Columbia for 24 points in last week’s win, is the Crimson’s catalyst. The junior is averaging 19.7 points over her last three games, including a 35-point outburst at Yale last month. She will need another strong performance against a disciplined Columbia defense. Columbia counters with senior forward Perri Page, who scored a game-high 25 points in the loss to Harvard. Page has been a consistent force, scoring in double figures in 10 of her last 11 contests. Her inside presence will be critical against a Harvard team that has won four of its last five. The Lions, who boast a superior overall record, have been dominant for most of the season, suffering only one other conference loss besides the recent defeat to Harvard. They feature balanced scoring, with Riley Weiss (14 points) and Marija Avlijas providing key support alongside Page. Harvard’s path included a late-season stumble against Princeton but featured decisive wins over Penn, Cornell and Yale. Olivia Jones and Katie Krupa, who combined for 19 points in the last meeting, offer secondary scoring options crucial for the championship stage. The neutral court at Ithaca adds a new variable to the fierce rivalry. The winner secures the Ivy League’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Columbia seeks its third tournament berth in four years, while Harvard aims for its first since 2023. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT Friday at the Ivy League’s championship venue.