Scott's 29 carries CU to win at Penn

For the second night in a row, the Lions watched as an early lead slowly turned into a second half deficit. Columbia was not interested in repeating Princeton’s methodical comeback on Friday night, and the next night in Philadelphia, it made sure Penn paid the price for allowing its visitors to jump out to a 14-5 advantage. And so after a tough 55-45 loss to Princeton, the Light Blue came away with a 66-62 win as a reward after two nights of gritty play.

After a tough loss to Yale the previous Saturday, head coach Joe Jones and his team focused on playing with heart and energy. That emphasis showed in the early going against both the Tigers and the Quakers, as the Lions competed from the tip in each game.

Thanks in large part to the contributions of senior Niko Scott, Columbia rebounded from a tough loss the night before to take command early against Penn. Scott scored a career—high 29 points, including 19 in the first half, as the Lions carved out a 35-28 halftime lead despite a 12-4 Quaker run to end the half.

“He was terrific,” said Jones. “He really stepped up as a senior…he was just outstanding. It wasn’t just his shooting, it was the way he carried himself the whole way.”

Princeton had responded to another energetic Light Blue performance in the early going, using an 11-2 run to cut a 12-point Columbia lead to 27-24 at halftime. Columbia came out in a three—fourths court press, and used a variety of defenses to cause multiple turnovers and prevent any sort of offensive rhythm. As a result, the Light Blue conceded only three points in the first eight minutes of play.

That night the Tigers would overtake a gritty Lions squad in the second half en route to a 55-45 win at Jadwin Gymnasium. Saturday was a different story, however, as Columbia knocked down shots early and often, particularly in big moments. Scott converted on 10 of 14 attempts from the field, including a red hot 7 of 9 from 3—point land.

Scott’s hot hand gave Columbia the early lead, and a determined Lions’ squad would not let another game slip away in the second half. “After the Princeton game, we talked hard about making the plays to win,” Jones said, emphasizing the importance of winning the battle of the boards.

Against Penn, the Lions led by as many as 15 points, taking a 31-16 lead off a jumper from Scott with 6:24 to go in the first half. After halftime, Scott made his sixth of seven tries— he would knock down to put his team up 11 with 17 minutes left to play. At that point, the Quakers began to fight their way back into the game, taking the lead with seven minutes to go on two free throws from sophomore Zack Rosen.

Three minutes later, sophomore Noruwa Agho delivered his first basket of the evening at just the right time. With a hand in his face, Agho knocked down a three to turn a 56-54 deficit into a one—point lead.

Agho was hounded all night long by Penn defenders, and was limited to five points on 2 for 10 shooting. He found other ways to contribute, though, pulling down 11 rebounds and handing out a career—high five assists. The night before Agho scored 15 points, but was harassed into 4-for-17 shooting by a relentless Tigers defense.

“He’s getting so much attention now,” Jones explained. “He’s a scorer—he’s not just a shooter—and we’ve got to do a better job of getting him some easier shots. I thought he showed great confidence in heart at the end of that Pennsylvania game.”

Agho was joined in the back court by senior guard Kevin Bulger. Since taking over the reins of the offense after Pat Foley was sidelined by a shoulder injury, the tri—captain has performed admirably. On Saturday he turned in a trademark steady effort, recording seven points, five assists, and two steals to go with only two turnovers in 26 minutes of play.

“We ask so much of him,” Jones said of Bulger. “Point guard is not his natural position, and he’s done a great job all year filling in that void…he came out really assertive, and he and Niko [Scott] really set the tone in that game.”

Also the team’s go—to stopper on defense, Bulger turned in a solid performance against Penn’s Rosen. Bulger frustrated the star shooting guard all night, forcing him into a disappointing 2-for-8 shooting effort.

Asenso Ampim was another major contributor for the Lions. Ampim, who did not play at all against Princeton on Friday, came off the bench on Saturday. In 18 minutes of action, he scored 12 points and turned in a crucial block on a Rosen layup with 20 seconds left and the Lions up 64-62.

Ampim’s big play reflected Columbia’s knack for delivering in the critical moments of Saturday’s game. In addition to his clutch three, Agho pulled down several important offensive rebounds and had an important bucket late in the lane. Freshman John Daniels hit two free throws to ice the game late, and Bulger picked off the ensuing inbounds pass to give the Lions their second straight win at the Palestra, Penn’s famed gym.

Talking about the difference between that win and Friday’s defeat, Jones explained, “We made some timely baskets [against Penn], and ultimately we made the plays in the Penn game that we didn’t make in the Princeton game.”

Columbia has never won at Princeton’s Jadwin Gymnasium under Jones, and despite one of the best first halves all year for the Light Blue, the big moments saw the Tigers rise to the occasion.
“I thought we played great in the first half—one of our best halves all year,” said Jones. An inability to knock down shots in the second half doomed the Lions, he explained, along with a disparity in offensive rebounds.

“They got second chance points, we didn’t,” he concluded. “And that was really the difference in the game.”

Unfortunately for Columbia, Princeton was the one who made the big plays on Friday. “We just couldn’t make shots in the second half,” Jones added. As a result, the Tigers pulled out a methodical comeback, chipping away at the Lions lead and eventually overtaking them midway through the second half.

But with Penn’s win, Columbia returns home with confidence after two solid outings.

“Even in the Princeton game, we played a good, sound game,” Jones pointed out. In the end though, Jones explained, “we’ve split the last three weekends, and that’s going to be the case until we find a little more consistency.”

With the weekend’s tough play, Jones may start to see just that. A close loss at the hands of a Princeton team that had not lost in Ivy play until No. 22 Cornell squeaked out a close win the next night, paired with a win at Penn, where that same Big Red team had lost the night before by double figures, bodes well for the rest of the Ancient Eight season.