Basketball loses nailbiter at Sacred Heart

Last night, the Columbia basketball team returned to Morningside Heights weighed down by a tough 60-55 loss to Sacred Heart. Coming into the game, the Lions were 2-2 with their only two losses coming against Big East opponents on the road. Sacred Heart is now 3-3.

The game’s second half was marked by runs. The Light Blue started the half down 30-23 thanks to a nine-point run by the Pioneers to close the first stanza. Sacred Heart continued to push its advantage, scoring the half’s first five points before Columbia turned in a 23-3 run to take an eight-point advantage, 48-40. Eight straight from Pioneers evened up the score, and this time, the Lions would not be able to respond. “We had about a two-minute span where we didn’t execute well, and they ended up getting the lead back,” head coach Joe Jones explained.

Sophomore Noruwa Agho forced a Pioneer turnover and converted two free throws on the other end to bring the Lions to within two points at 57-55 with 2:27 to go. Columbia would not score again. The Light Blue defense turned in two quality possessions in the final moments, forcing two long three-pointers from the Pioneer offense. However, Columbia could not secure the rebound on either occasion, giving Sacred Heart a fresh shot clock and killing precious time.

Last Tuesday night, Columbia faced a spirited Bucknell squad in a similarly physical game low on scoring and high on emotion. The Bucknell game was also a see-saw affair, but the Lions prevailed thanks in large part to a 30-8 scoring outburst to cap off the night. So what was the difference between that Bucknell game, a 73-59 Columbia win, and last night’s Sacred Heart contest, a 60-55 loss?

The ability to come up with key plays down the stretch was a key difference, according to Jones. “We didn’t wrap up loose balls late and we didn’t make plays late. I thought in the Bucknell game, the reason we won the game was we made all those plays late, we got all those rebounds late. We didn’t do it [tonight].”

Jones also blamed some costly mistakes on offense, citing two late turnovers when Columbia still had a chance to get back into the game. In between the two late three-pointers that Sacred Heart missed, Columbia squandered two chances to knot the game on the offensive end. On two different possessions, forward Brian Grimes missed a hook shot in the lane, and Agho had the ball stolen by Jerrell Thompson. Senior point guard Patrick Foley had another turnover with only seven ticks left on the clock and the Lions down by three.

Jones seemed satisfied with the defense, though he was unhappy with the offensive production. “We held them to 60 points at home. We’ve got to be able to score more to win. We didn’t play well offensively tonight.”

The disappointing result negated another strong effort by scoring sensation Agho. Coming off a 22-point performance against then No.10 Syracuse, Agho was averaging over 20 points a game and led the nation in three-point percentage. He finished the night against Sacred Heart with a team-high 16 points on 5-14 shooting, 3-6 from long distance.

“He’s such a good player,” Jones said. “He’s a kid who’s doing a lot of different things to help his team. I’m really proud of him. He’s able to do some things to create space and quality shots … he can score in a lot of different ways”

Jones attributed some of his early success—Agho has been named Ivy League Player of the Week twice already this year—to his work ethic and the talent of the players around him. “He’s also on the floor with some very good players, guys like Pat Foley and Brian Grimes. Niko Scott’s a big threat.”

On the Pioneers’ end, a dual threat troubled the Lions. Corey Hassan came into the game having scored 20 points or more in the previous five games, a Sacred Heart Division I school record. While the Light Blue managed to end that streak, Hassan still led the way for his team, scoring 19 points and pulling down 11 rebounds, both team bests. Sacred Heart guard Ryan Litke finished with 19 points as well, including two clutch free throws down the stretch and a big three-pointer that opened up a 57-53 Pioneer lead with 3:07 remaining.

In summarizing the game, Jones explained the reasons behind the disappointing loss, citing team unity on both ends of the floor. “We got to play together to win, I think we’ve got to depend on each other. We’ve got to play better together.”

Despite the loss, he continues to look to the future with optimism.

“We saw how good we can be,” Jones said. “Anytime you put together a 23-3 run in the course of the game, the ability to play consistently is there, and we have to find it. It’s early in the year. We’ve got to get back to work and get ready for Thursday.”

The Lions are back in action at Levien Gym on Thursday night against Lehigh. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.