With only two weekends left in the season, the Lions’ Ivy title chances are slipping. The team needs consecutive weekend sweeps, and the prospect for the first championship since 1968 looks bleak.
But just one win this weekend will assure the Light Blue its third consecutive .500 Ivy campaign—something that has not been done since the 1977-79 seasons. To accomplish that, Columbia will need wins in the northernmost reaches of the league, traveling to Harvard and Dartmouth for the team’s second straight road trip.
Last weekend at Brown, Columbia fell behind early, allowing its opponent to race out to a 17-10 first-half lead, before Patrick Foley’s seven points sparked a 17-4 run to end the half. The Bears never made up that six-point margin as the Lions cruised to a 70-57 victory.
Foley provided the Lions with a career-high 21 points and five assists. Noruwa Agho (17 points on 6-of-10 shooting) and KJ Matsui (14 points on 5-of-10 shooting) also chipped in double digits to the victory.
The Light Blue’s defense during the first half, particularly during the run at the end, helped propel it to victory. During that nine-minute stretch in the first half, the Bears went only 2-for-13 from the floor.
Columbia was unable to duplicate its solid performance down the stretch the following night against Yale. Once again, Columbia’s opponent jumped out on an early lead, going up 14-4 after eight minutes of play. Following a time-out, Columbia played like a title contender, outscoring Yale 23-11 en route to a two-point halftime lead. The Light Blue carried that momentum into the second half, extending its lead to as many as nine points.
But Columbia could not put away the Elis. Trailing 41-32, Yale mounted a furious comeback and intensified its defense, outscoring Columbia the rest of the way, 25-6, and winning 57-49.
In the second half, the Lions shot only 34.6 percent from the field, and over the final 14:03, went 4-for-19 (21.1 percent). Foley again led Columbia with 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists in 30 minutes.
The first weekend of play against Harvard and Dartmouth showcased a defense that clamped down at crucial moments. The Light Blue mounted a late rally against the Crimson, erasing an eight-point lead with 6:21 remaining. A Kevin Bulger one-handed floater with only 4.2 seconds remaining gave the Lions the 60-59 victory. The Lions defense tightened down the stretch, holding the Crimson to no field goals and only two free throws in the final seven minutes of the contest. Jason Miller led the way, scoring 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting and grabbing eight rebounds. Matsui caught fire in the first half, culminating in a 15-point night.
The Lions must play with the same defensive intensity and force turnovers in order to duplicate this success. Against the Crimson, the Light Blue forced 15 turnovers, including six by all-Ivy candidate Jeremy Lin. If Columbia can force Lin to make poor decisions again by rotating Bulger, Agho, and Niko Scott on him, it has a solid chance of prevailing.
Columbia didn’t need a second-half comeback in its first matchup against Dartmouth. The Big Green controlled the first half of play, leading throughout, until a Matsui 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Lions a halftime lead they would not give away.
Asenso Ampim and Foley entered the lineup alongside Miller, Agho, and Bulger in a halftime adjustment. That lineup led the Light Blue on a 17-2 run over the first seven minutes, which turned into a 30-5 run over a nearly 18-minute stretch.
Columbia received a stellar all-around performance from Agho, who scored 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting with nine rebounds.
If the Lions can keep Alex Barnett at bay, they have a good chance at winning Saturday’s matchup. While Barnett scored 20 points in the team’s first outing, he struggled in the second half as Agho, Ampim, and Bulger clamped down on the defensive end.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. for both nights.