Last year, the Columbia men’s basketball team beat Wagner in every facet of the game, shooting 55 percent, out-rebounding the Seahawks by nine, racking up 20 assists, and even making more three-pointers—usually Wagner’s strength.
The 79-65 win was one of the Lions’ best of the season as it came on the road against the Seahawks, which went on to finish the season 23-8 and took second in the Northeast Conference.
This year, both teams are adjusting to the loss of several of last year’s starters, but when they meet on Wednesday night at Levien Gymansium, the Lions can again look to exploit an advantage inside as none of the Seahawks’ starting forwards measure up in size to Jason Miller or Asenso Ampim.
Wagner picked up where it left off last season, winning its last four games after a loss to Lafayette in its season opener. Despite losing three of its starters, the Seahawks have had little trouble generating offense with three seniors—Llewchean Radford, Jamal Smith, and Joey Mundweiler—scoring in double figures.
Mundweiler and Smith are the team’s two returning starters and both scored in double figures against Columbia last season. Mundweiler specializes in shooting three-pointers—averaging three a game this season—and is coming off a 19-point effort against Bucknell, in which he made six triples.
Smith is the lone frontcourt holdover from last season, and he has improved his numbers, averaging 13 points and 5.6 rebounds. He is joined in the starting lineup by three other forwards, including Radford, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding.
While Wagner starts four forwards, none is taller than 6-feet-7-inches. It has won with strong shooting—the Seahawks make more than 45 percent of their shots and shoot over 37 percent from long distance.
Looking to rebound from three consecutive poor shooting performances, Columbia’s best tactic may be to feed the ball inside rather than try to win a shoot-out.
While Miller and Ampim have not had the same offensive impact since the Lions’ first game against Fordham, Miller did contribute 10 points and six rebounds in the Lions’ 62-60 loss to Stony Brook on Saturday.
Matching up against slighter players such as Radford, Smith, or junior Michael Orock should give Ampim and Miller a chance to continue the Light Blue’s edge on the boards this season.
With the Seahawks riding a four-game winning streak and the Lions entering on a three-game losing streak, Columbia has a chance to end both runs at 7 p.m.
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