Clutch Play Propels Lions Past Penn

Columbia certainly knows how to keep its fans' heart rates elevated, winning both games this weekend on buzzer-beating jump shots. Head coach Joe Jones is no stranger to close games this season, going 8-2 in contests decided by fewer than five points.

"We've had 10 games..." Jones said after the win over Princeton. "Think about that, half of your season has been spent like this-so I'm kind of numb to this. It's helped me as a coach, because I'm very calm."

In recent weeks his team lost control down the stretch, letting games get out of hand in the second half. However, every time Penn threatened to run away with the game, and every time Princeton took the lead, Columbia had an answer.

Against Penn, Jones conserved his time-outs wisely, having the chance to give his players breathers and calm them down in the final minutes.

"It was big for us to have those time-outs, not burning them because we played carelessly or we lost focus," Jones said.

The timeouts also gave Jones time to draw up plays for his young players, instead of focusing on their energy and intensity.

"A lot of times in games before, we burned all our time-outs just to talk about competing," Jones said. "Before the game started, I told all of them, 'Alright guys, if I'm talking to you about playing hard, then we have no shot of being successful.' As a coach, you can't just talk about that all the time. You can talk about strategy, the next play you're gonna run."

Against Princeton the next night, Columbia led 32-22 at halftime, but guard Scott Greenman led the Tigers on a 20-8 run that put them ahead for several minutes. The Lions had been in this situation earlier in the season and, instead of holding on, let teams come from behind. Saturday night, however, Columbia responded every time Princeton tried to extend its one-possession lead.

Jones took a gamble with only 27 seconds left, intentionally fouling Princeton forward Noah Savage. Though there was a risk of giving the 80 percent free-throw shooter two free points, the sophomore missed the front end of the single-bonus attempt. Jones' call could have saved the game, with 27 seconds being a lifetime in the final minutes.

In both games, the play of sophomore guard Justin Armstrong was instrumental, as he keyed drives both defensively and offensively, hitting the game winner against Princeton on Saturday. The big swingman emerged as a closer for the team because of his ability to create shots with his size.

Jones was watching from the sidelines as his team transformed.

"We're growing up a little bit," he said. "You're starting to see a little more maturity, they're taking ownership, they're coming to the huddle saying, 'Hey, my bad.' ... If you're gonna be a good team, players win, man, player's win games."