Lightning struck twice this weekend.
Columbia stunned Princeton tonight when Justin Armstrong hit the go-ahead 10-foot jumper with 11 seconds left to give the Lions a 65-64 win and the team's first sweep of Penn and Princeton since 2001.
The Tigers had one chance with three seconds remaining, but Noah Savage missed a three-point attempt and his team's chance at winning its seventh conference game.
"I'm happy for our guys," head coach Joe Jones said. "They have been through a lot."
Columbia came out strong in the first half and took a 32-22 lead into the lockerroom. But the Tigers hung on. Princeton guard Scott Greenman led the team on a 20-8 run. The Tigers took a definitive lead with 7:39 remaining and remained ahead until the final seconds when Armstrong hit a layup with 45 seconds left to close the gap to one at 64-63. He was given another opportunity after Savage missed the front end of a one-and-one with 27 seconds left. Armstrong was intentionally given the last opportunity.
"We really wanted Justin to take the shot, because even when guys are on him, he can still make the shot," Jones said. "I had to scream at him to go, but he's just so good at clearing space with his body. He's got great confidence in himself, he really does."
Columbia has become used to winning down-to-the-wire games this season. Each of team's three Ivy wins came on final shots.
Armstrong and John Baumann led the Lions with 15 points apiece, and point guard Brett Loscalzo was lethal from three-point range, hitting four of five attempts. On several occasions, his shots kept Princeton from getting too far ahead.
For enhanced coverage of Columbia's weekend victories, see Monday's edition of Spectator.
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