Columbia
HOLY CROSS
Cisco's Last-Second Free Throw Lifts Columbia to 46-45 Win over Holy Cross
12/6/2011 8:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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NEW YORK - Columbia trailed for 39 minutes and 57 seconds and had to rally from a 20-point second-half deficit to come back and defeat Holy Cross 46-45 at Levien Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
With 2.4 seconds left and the game tied at 45, Mark Cisco was fouled after grabbing a defensive rebound and sent to the free throw line for two shots. Cisco's first shot hit off the back rim but he calmly sank the second shot after a Holy Cross timeout to give Columbia its sixth straight victory.
"You have to think positively," Cisco said when asked about his clutch free throw. "If you don't think positively, nothing positive is going to happen."
After shooting a scorching hot percentage in its previous four wins, Columbia made just 16 percent of its shots in the first half. Holy Cross converted 50 percent of its field goals and went into halftime with a 30-14 advantage.
With 17:50 remaining in the second half, the Crusaders' Phil Beans made a turnaround jumper near the hoop and was fouled. After Beans converted the three-point play, Holy Cross led 35-15.
Columbia then went on a deliberate 15-0 run over the next 6:25 to get back in the game. Chris Crockett's three-pointer on an assist by Alex Rosenberg made it 35-30 at the 11:25 mark.
After Crockett's triple, Beans responded with a three ball of his own to end the Holy Cross drought but the Lions still chipped away at their deficit.
With 8:21 left, Cisco converted a three-point play to make it a one-point game, 38-37. Each team found it difficult to score in the final minutes as the game was tied at 45-45 on Cisco's jumper with 2:58 remaining.
Holy Cross had the ball with 18 seconds remaining and R.J. Evans ran the clock down and drove into the lane. He took a jumper contested by Cisco that was short. Both Evans and Cisco went for the rebound. Cisco came up with the loose ball and Evans was whistled for a foul with 2.4 seconds on the clock.
After Cisco's second free throw went through the net, Columbia led for the first time all game. After a timeout, Jordan Stevens' desperation three-pointer was off the mark and the Lions clinched their sixth straight win.
Cisco's 14 points led all scorers. Evans, Devin Brown and Dave Dudzinski each scored eight points to pace the Crusaders.
Alex Rosenberg finished with nine points and a career-high 15 rebounds for the Lions. He also added four assists.
The Lions are back in action on Saturday, December 10 when they host LIU at Levien Gymnasium. Game time is 2 p.m.
NOTES:
Columbia's six-game winning streak is its longest since the 1981-82 season ... the Lions won eight games in a row during that span ... the 20-point deficit was the largest deficit Columbia has rallied from in more than three years ... the Lions held their opponent to fewer than 60 points for the fifth time this season ... Columbia only held an opponent under 60 twice last season ... Columbia once again controlled the offensive glass, outrebounding Holy Cross 13-4 on offensive boards ... Columbia committed just one turnover in the second half and had just six in the game ... Columbia and Holy Cross had not faced each other since the season opener of the 1998-99 season ... the Lions played their fourth game in five days and won all four games.
