Physical Style Backfires on Lions in Winless Weekend

Since he took over Columbia’s men’s basketball program, head coach Joe Jones has made his mark—the Lions are now a hustling team that fights for loose balls, mixes it up inside, and isn’t afraid to get physical.

This past weekend, though, that strategy may have come back to haunt them. Despite playing tough defense in back-to-back losses to the Penn Quakers and the Princeton Tigers, Columbia’s effort may have turned into over-exuberance: opposing players took 87 free throw shots over the span of two games.

In a slow-moving first-half on Friday night, the Lions’ aggressive defense did not seem to agree with the Palestra. Playing impressively and notching up an impressive 6-for-8 from beyond the 3-point arc, Columbia was undone by the Quakers’ continual presence at the foul line, where they accounted for half (15-for-21 in a 30-point half) of Penn’s offensive output.

The second half would prove no easier for the Lions. Forward Steve Danley caused perpetual trouble for Columbia defenders inside; neither junior Dragutin Kravic (5 fouls in 16 minutes) nor freshman Ben Nwachukwu (4 fouls in 7 minutes) could avoid whistles down low against the 6’8, 225 lb. Danley, who made 17 trips to the charity stripe, sinking 14.

In the final tally, the Quakers took 47 free throws Friday night, in comparison to Columbia’s eight attempts.

“[They went] 47 times, and we went eight? I have no comment on that,” head coach Joe Jones said. “I think that speaks for itself. Penn did a good job getting the ball inside, and for whatever reason, they were able to get to the line more than we did. I’ve never seen that before.”

Penn head coach Fran Dunphy also seemed surprised at the difference in the final free throw numbers.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “Obviously part of the plan was to go inside, but you look at those numbers, and they’re kind of skewed to the Quakers’ side. I’m going to give credit [for drawing so many fouls] to the last two teams we played, who both defended us very well. We rely on passing, cutting, and screening, and sometimes that can create problems.”

Saturday, against the best free-throw shooting team in the Ivies, the Lions’ aggression again led to a flurry of whistles. This time, however, there was a more balanced feel. Against the Tigers (who shoot a robust 75 percent from the line), Columbia’s fouls were not primarily in the paint, but instead they were on hand-checks, reach-ins, and other infractions committed while attempting to slow Princeton’s backcourt duo of Scott Greenman and Will Venable—both of whom made more than 10 trips to the line.

Kravic and freshman Brett Loscalzo both reached the limit against the Tigers, who were further able to use the constant trips to the line to enforce their measured, ball control style of play. In fact, the Tigers took more shots from the free-throw line (40) Sunday night than they did from the field. The Lions themselves barely avoided a similar distinction, with 39 shots from the floor and 28 from the line.

As the Lions begin preparations to face Dartmouth and Harvard, two teams more likely to play at their own tempo this weekend, the focus will be on keeping their feet moving, arms out, and the referees’ whistles away from their mouths. The Lions barely escaped Harvard with a win in their last matchup, in which they sent the Crimson to the line a more reasonable 23 times.

In a season that has given Columbia fans new statistics to track, another one to keep an eye on may be the part of the visitor’s box score that reads “FTA.”Physical Styl