Columbia
Kentucky
Men's Basketball Hangs Tough; Falls at No. 1 Kentucky
12/10/2014 9:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BOX SCORE (.html) | BOX SCORE (.pdf)
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - The Columbia men's basketball team scored the first 11 points of the game, led at halftime, but top-ranked Kentucky shook off its slow start to beat the Lions, 56-46, on Wednesday night.
In a college basketball season already marked by several big upsets, the Wildcats (10-0) got their toughest challenge yet from the Ivy League Lions. Columbia led for nearly 27 minutes before the Wildcats seized the lead for good.
Maodo Lo scored a game-high 16 points for Columbia.
The Wildcats clamped down on defense to make several stops in the second half and took the lead for good at 36-34 on Derek Willis' two free throws with 13:18 remaining.
The gritty Lions certainly succeeded in making Kentucky work all night, especially in a first half that created angst among the 22,112 fans, if not the Wildcats. Columbia jumped out to a 14-3 lead and led 25-23 at halftime through good ball movement, quickness and especially 3-point shooting with Lo leading the way.
The Lions followed a 4-of-6 start from behind the arc by missing six of their final seven in the half, but that was far better than the Wildcats' 1-for-7 showing as they were outshot 38 percent to 33 percent. Most importantly, Columbia had the tempo it wanted.
Even after the Wildcats finally went ahead, the Lions were just a few possessions away from getting back in the game until a 13-3 run put the Wildcats in control.
Harrison scored 14 points and Willie Cauley-Stein added 10 points and 10 rebounds for Kentucky.
Columbia returns to Levien Gym to take on Hofstra on Saturday, December 20 at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by clicking here. The game will also be broadcast live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
