ITHACA, N.Y. - Senior
Dragutin Kravic hit a three-pointer with 2.5 seconds on the clock to give Columbia a 58-57 win over Cornell in Ithaca.
The Lions trailed by 11 with just under 11 minutes left to play, when Kravic hit two free throws to cut the lead to nine and initiate the Columbia comeback.
On the ensuing play, Lenny Collins missed a three and Kravic grabbed the rebound and had a quick outlet to Brett Loscalzo . Loscalzo caught John Baumann on the run for a layup that cut the lead to seven.
Loscalzo, plagued by foul trouble in the first half, hit a fast break layup at 5:58. Following a defensive rebound by Dalen Cuff , Kravic hit a three, assisted by Loscalzo, to cut the lead to one, 48-47 with 5:37 remaining.
Ryan Rourke hit two free throws to push the lead back out to three, but Mack Montgomery hit a jumper on the ensuing play to keep the Lions close. Loscalzo hit a three-pointer 3:34 on the clock to give the Lions their first lead of the game, 52-50.
Lenny Collins hit two free throws to tie the game on an intentional foul called, resulting in a Cornell possession immediately following the free throws. Cuff came up with another rebound after a missed shot and got the ball to Baumann in transition. He was fouled and Baumann made one of two free throws to give the Lions' a one-point lead.
Loscalzo hit a jumper with 1:08 remaining to give Columbia a three-point lead. Collins got the ball on the other end of the court and shot the ball in traffic. He came up with his own rebound and scored a tip-in.
Kravic was fouled on the ensuing play and missed two free throws. Graham Dow got the rebound and found Collins in transition for a three-pointer with 11 seconds on the clock to give Cornell a two-point lead. The Big Red called timeout with nine seconds remaining.
Loscalzo drove the length of the court and when he got to the Lions' free throw line, he drew Kravic's defender and Loscalzo dished to the senior forward for the open three.
Baumann finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Loscalzo totaled 12 points and three assists in 20 minutes. K.J. Matsui and Kravic each finished with 10 points. Kravic added a game-high eight rebounds.
Collins had 18 points and Cornell first-year Adam Gore totaled 17.
Columbia out-rebounded Cornell by 10 (36-26) and the Lions shot 40 percent from field, while Cornell shot 39 percent.
This was Columbia's first win in Ithaca since the 2001-02 season.
The Lions return to action on Saturday, January 28, when they host Cornell at 2 p.m.
