Men's Basketball Back in Action at Home vs. Long Island on Saturday at 2 p.m.
12/8/2011 9:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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NEW YORK - On Saturday, December 10, the Lions will host Long Island University, the defending Northeast Conference champions, at 2 p.m. at Levien Gymnasium. Columbia has won six straight games after rallying from 20 points down in its victory over Holy Cross on Tuesday night at Levien Gymnasium.
In the 46-45 win over Holy Cross on Tuesday night, Mark Cisco's free throw with 2.4 seconds left gave Columbia its first lead of the game as the Lions hung on for their sixth straight victory. Cisco finished with a game-high 14 points and eight rebounds.
Students are admitted free with Columbia or Barnard ID. Tickets to the game are available online or by calling 888-LIONS-11.
Fans can also watch or listen live to the game via SideLION Pass with Jerry Recco and Dalen Cuff on the call. WKCR 89.9 FM, Columbia's student radio station, will also call the game. Live stats and game notes are available.
HOW ABOUT SIX?
Columbia's win over Holy Cross was its sixth straight victory after beginning the season at 0-4. The six-game win streak is Columbia's longest since the 1981-82 squad won eight straight games. Seven of those wins came during Ivy League play.
COMEBACK KIDS
Trailing by 20 points early in the second half vs. Holy Cross, Columbia closed out the game on a 31-10 run to win it. It was the largest deficit the Lions have rallied from to win in more than six years.
COLUMBIA, COAST TO COAST
The win vs. the Crusaders was Columbia's fourth win in five days, 48 hours after the Lions flew back from California after a three-game sweep.
BACK TO D
Columbia's defense has been its calling card early this season.The Lions have not allowed a team to score more than 70 points this season and have held their opponents to fewer than 60 points on five occasions, all during the current five-game win streak. Last season, Columbia held its opponent under 60 points in just two games.
MEIKO LYLES NAMED IVY LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Columbia sophomore Meiko Lyles was named the Ivy League Player of the Week on Dec. 5 after he shot 79.2 percent from three-point range in four starts this week, helping lead Lions to a 4-0 week. Lyles scored in double figures in each game, averaging 15.8 points per game in 25.8 minutes. At a point during the three-game weekend set at Loyola Marymount, Lyles connected on 12 straight three-pointers. In Columbia's 72-57 win over North Texas, Lyles hit all five of his shots from three-point range, scoring a career-high 18 points and grabbed four rebounds.
THE HISTORY NOTE – LONG ISLAND
Columbia and LIU will renew a local series that has not been played in four years. The Lions and Blackbirds have only met five times with Columbia holding a 3-2 advantage. The Blackbirds won the last meeting, 70-60, on November 20, 2007 in Brooklyn. Columbia had won the previous three games in the series, including a 90-63 win in the last game at Levien Gymnasium on November 21, 2006.
LIONS AT LEVIEN
Columbia has won its last two games at Levien Gymnasium and is 12-6 over the last two seasons at home.
BARBOUR'S SHOP
Junior guard Brian Barbour has had an outstanding early season. He has scored in double figures in seven of Columbia's 10 games. Barbour is Columbia's leading scorer and assist man this season.
YOU'RE ON THE MARK, CISCO
Junior center Mark Cisco is averaging 8.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this season. Against Holy Cross on Tuesday, Cisco was the game's high scorer with 14 points. In his last two games, the 6-9 center is averaging 14.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
GO, JOHNNY, GO
Junior forward John Daniels has provided a big lift recently in Columbia's frontcourt. Against Loyola Marymount on Dec. 2, Daniels had six points and matched his career high with 12 rebounds, a number of them coming in big spots down the stretch of that game.
THE BLOOM IS ON ROSENBERG
Rookie Alex Rosenberg has had a strong start to his first collegiate campaign. Rosenberg stuffed the stat sheet vs. Holy Cross on Tuesday, coming up with a career-high 15 rebounds. He also scored nine points and dished out four assists with just one turnover.
CROCKETT ROCKS IT
Senior guard Chris Crockett has provided instant offense off the Columbia bench early this season. In the win against North Texas on Dec. 3, Crockett scored a career-high 12 points on four three-pointers. A day later vs. La Sierra, Crockett matched his career best with four assists and added eight points.
BLAISE OF GLORY
Senior forward Blaise Staab has recorded two double-doubles this season. In the season opener at UConn, Staab posted 11 points 12 rebounds. In Columbia's win vs. La Sierra on Dec. 4, Staab finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass.
NOAH'S ARC
Rookie Noah Springwater has seen significant action lately and had an outstanding game on Dec. 2 at Loyola Marymount. Springwater scored a season-high 10 points, and had two rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes.
SCRAMBLED EGEE
Senior Steve Egee has given Columbia a boost off the bench in recent games. He hit a first-half three-pointer vs. Holy Cross after scoring six points in the previous game vs. La Sierra. Against Swarthmore on Nov. 28, Egee poured in a career-high 13 points in 15 minutes.
OSETKOWSKI'S BLOCK PARTY
Rookie center Cory Osetkowski leads Columbia with 10 blocked shots in nine games this season. Osetkowski is averaging 2.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game. Osetkowski also has handed out eight assists from the post with just four turnovers.
DEFENDING THE THREE
Columbia's defense on three-point shots has been impressive in recent games. In their last four games, Columbia's opponents made just 12 of 55 three-pointers (21.8 percent). On Tuesday, Holy Cross made four of 14 from downtown.
LIONS CONTROLLING OFFENSIVE GLASS
In seven of its first 10 games, Columbia has totaled more offensive rebounds than its opponents. In the game vs. Holy Cross on Tuesday, Columbia controlled the offensive glass by 13-4 margin.
TURNOVER A NEW LEAF
During its brilliant second-half comeback on Tuesday night, Columbia valued nearly every possession. The Lions committed just one turnover in the final 20 minutes and had just six turnovers in the game.
CISCO AMONG TOP OFFENSIVE REBOUNDERS
Junior Mark Cisco ranks among the top ten all-time at Columbia in career offensive rebounds. Offensive rebounds were kept as a separate stat beginning in the 1990-91 season.
| 1. | John Baumann | 2004-08 | 189 |
| 2. | Chris Wiedemann | 1999-03 | 166 |
| 3. | Ben Nwachukwu | 2004-08 | 164 |
| 4. | Jim Tubridy | 1992-96 | 150 |
| 5. | Boris Piskun | 1992-96 | 145 |
| 6. | Asenso Ampim | 2007-11 | 144 |
| 7. | Gary Raimondo | 1995-99 | 143 |
| 8. | Matt Preston | 2001-05 | 138 |
| 9. | Mark Cisco | 2009-pres. | 128 |
| 10. | Jason Miller | 2005-09 | 112 |
