Lions overcome first half deficit to beat Bears

Behind Noruwa Agho’s first career double-double, Columbia came back from a big first half deficit to down Brown 65-54 in Levien Gymnasium. Agho scored 18 points to go with 10 rebounds, and received a vital boost from the bench in Asenso Ampim’s 17 points, 11 of them coming in the second half.

The second half was the story for the Lions. After an ugly first half left them down 35-27 at the break, the Light Blue used a 16-3 run to break complete the turnaround. Ampim scored five straight points to finally take a 51-49 lead that Columbia would not relinquish.

The Bears used a strong opening five minutes from big man Matt Mullery to jump out to an 11-0 lead. Mullery showed his versatility, draining a three, one of seven made by Brown in the first half.

Agho kept the hosts in the contest in the face of the Bears’ offensive success in the first half. The team’s leading scorer on the night and on the season turned in a balanced effort. After halftime his teammates turned up the intensity, forcing Brown into 16 turnovers on the night and 25 percent shooting in the second half.

Columbia’s hustle paid dividends on both ends of the floor, with 19 of their points coming off turnovers—including a thunderous dunk from Ampim in the open court that set off the crowd in Levien. The Lions also pulled down 13 offensive rebounds, leading to 16 second chance points. With the win Columbia moves to 8-11 (2-3 Ivy) and looks to add their third straight conference win tomorrow night at home against Yale.