Columbia
LONG ISLAND
Columbia Rides Balanced Attack to Win Seventh Straight Game, 63-53 over LIU
12/10/2011 4:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Box Score | Photo Album | VIDEO: Postgame Interview With Coach Smith
NEW YORK - Columbia used another strong defensive effort, in which the Lions forced 23 Long Island turnovers and held the Blackbirds to 36.7 percent shooting in a 63-53 victory at Levien Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
It is the seventh straight win for Columbia, which received 12 points each from Mark Cisco and John Daniels. Brian Barbour added 11 points and six assists in the win.
LIU came into the game averaging 77.6 points per game while Columbia's defense allowed opponents to average 56.7 points per game so it was a game of contrasting styles.
After it took both teams a few minutes to warm up offensively, the high-scoring Blackbirds jumped out to a 17-12 on a Kenny Onyechi jumper at the 11:12 mark.
LIU led 22-16 with eight minutes to play when Columbia's defense clamped down. Two possessions later, Cory Osetkowski hit a turnaround jumper from the foul line, sparking the Lions on a 12-1 run to end the half. The Blackbirds went without a field goal for the last 8:59 of the first half.
Columbia opened up a 38-27 lead with 15:33 remaining in the game when Mark Cisco scored in the paint. LIU then tried to accelerate the pace, switching to a full court trap and zone defense.
The Blackbirds cut their deficit to 40-36 with 12 minutes left but Noah Springwater's three-pointer gave Columbia a seven-point cushion. Steve Egee also made a pair of threes in a spurt that pushed Columbia's lead back to 10 points, 53-43, with six minutes to play.
LIU's Jamal Olasewere converted an acrobatic layup after Egee's second triple to bring LIU back within seven. Brian Barbour then responded with a three ball from the top of the key to put Columiba back in front by 10, 56-46, with 5:26 remaining.
Columbia still led by six, 59-53, with 1:11 left but John Daniels broke away for an uncontested dunk to put the exclamation point on the Lions' seventh straight win.
"It was another gritty performance," head coach Kyle Smith said after the game. "I was really impressed with LIU and we limited alot of what they can do. I really liked our effort."
Olasewere led all scored with 18 points but committed six turnovers. Onyechi added 12 for LIU, which also received 11 points off the bench from Arnold Mayorga.
Columbia will have an 18-day break for finals and the holidays and will return to action on Wednesday, December 28 at Marist for a 7 p.m. game.
NOTES:
Columbia held an opponent under 60 points for the sixth time this season ... the Lions are 6-0 in those games ... Columbia also won its third straight game at Levien Gymnasium ... the Lions are 13-6 at home during the past two seasons ... Brian Barbour's six assists are a season high ... Cisco is averaging 13.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in his last three games ... Cisco's three blocked shots in the game matched his career best ... Meiko Lyles had a career-high four steals ... Matt Johnson played eight minutes during Columbia's run late in the first half to regain the lead.
