OSU Blows Past CU in Second Half

In the game with the best media coverage that Columbia basketball will receive all season, ESPN announcers discussed the University’s most prominent alumni while Vegas set a 24 1/2 point spread. In short, few people believed Columbia men’s basketball would be any threat to Ohio State.

But for 30 minutes, Columbia men’s basketball entertained notions of an upset—staying in striking distance until a late Ohio State run put them out of contention. After cutting the lead to as little as one, the Lions lost control, losing 68-54.

The Buckeyes jumped out to a 9-2 lead five minutes into the game. Columbia responded by frustrating Ohio State with a rarely-used zone defense. Defenders quickly collapsed around open Buckeyes on the perimeter, challenging each shot. The Lions used a strategy typical of Ivy teams facing top-tier talent, using a slow, deliberate offense to wind down the clock on each possession. They were most successful, however, with a transition game that gave them open looks on the outside.

After misfiring on several easy shots, Columbia took off on a 10-0 run of their own, capped by a John Baumann dunk over two Ohio State defenders. Columbia led for most of the period, until Jamar Butler three sparked a 12-0 Ohio State run to give the Buckeyes a 10-point lead. A three pointer by Patrick Foley at the end of the first half broke a streak of 10 straight missed field goal attempts for Columbia, which went into the locker rooms trailing by seven.

Unable to get any good shots in the key, the Lions kept close with their outside game, compensating for 26% first half shooting.

Three-pointers by Mack Montgomery and Patrick Foley cut the lead to three to start the second half. Baumann’s second dunk of the night, and a single free throw, capped Columbia’s last real push of the night as the Buckeye’s lead slipped to one. Baumann’s score was Columbia’s first two-point field goal since the first 10 minutes of the game.

After that point, Ohio State took control of the tempo of the game, and Butler’s outside shooting heated up, cracking the Lions’ zone. 7-foot center Kosta Koufos took advantage of defensive mismatches in the paint to lead all scorers with 19, including ten in the last ten minutes of the game.

The Buckeyes’ went on a 12-0 run in less than three minutes, and Columbia would never come closer than eight points. With 1:21 and the game out of reach, Joe Jones emptied his bench and gave some athletes perhaps the only chance of their career for coverage on ESPN.

Butler finished with 18 for Ohio State, while Baumann and Joe Bova paced Columbia with 12 apiece. The Lions could never find their offensive stroke, finishing the game with 30 percent shooting—almost all of it coming from the perimeter.