Lions Seek Split with Big Red

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Columbia will attempt to salvage a season split with preseason Ivy League favorite Cornell (9-5, 1-0 Ivy) on Saturday at Levien Gymnasium.

The Lions (7-9, 0-1) are coming off a tough 70-64 loss to the Big Red last Saturday in Ithaca. Columbia jumped out to a quick start, leading 12-2 at the 15-minute mark. However, Cornell responded when junior center Jeff Foote hit a layup to jump-start a 7-0 run to tie the game. The first half remained at a standstill, as the two clubs were tied at the half, 31-31.

But Cornell was able to seize the lead early in the second half behind a newfound aggression on the offensive side. The Big Red guards were able to attack the Columbia guards, and continued to get to the basket.

Cornell attempted 23 free throws, making 19, while the Lions were just five-for-six from the charity stripe. The differential in free throws helped push Cornell to victory.
The Light Blue was led by John Baumann and Mack Montgomery. Baumann was eight-for-14 from the field, with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists. Montgomery had a career-high 16 points to go along with three rebounds.

Cornell was paced by Foote and a trio of guards, Louis Dale, Ryan Wittman, and Adam Gore. The four combined for 55 of the Big Red’s 70 points.

Dale and Wittman have led Cornell throughout the season. The sophomore guards have combined for nearly 28 points per contest, while also contributing seven rebounds and six assists per game. Given their success in the last game, the Lion guards will have to do a better job on the pair and force the Big Red to beat them from the low-post. However, Cornell lost its third-leading scorer Collin Robinson (10.6 points) for the season for personal reasons. The loss of Robinson is going to affect the Big Red’s rotation, as it did during the first Ivy League game.

In order for Columbia to avoid falling to 0-2 in the Ivy League, they must be able to stop the guard play of the Big Red, while also establishing the inside-outside combination offensively. Last week Cornell was able to shoot 51 percent (23-for-45) from the field, and this number must decrease in order for the Lions to remain in contention for the Ivy championship.

A further problem for the Lions has been finding a second scorer to complement Baumann. With the loss of backup point guard Patrick Foley, the combination of Montgomery, Brett Loscalzo, and Niko Scott must step up with scoring.

Saturday’s game is as close to do-or-die as the Lions have faced in the Ivy campaign in quite some time. A win could catapult the Lions into contention and prove that they can play with the best the league has to offer, while a loss could put a league championship out of reach.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and will be televised on the YES network.