NEW YORK – The Columbia men's basketball team shot 62.5 percent from the field in the second half to turn a three-point halftime deficit into a 70-59 win over Wofford Tuesday night. Alex Rosenberg's 14 points all came after the break to lead the Lions, who improved to 3-2 on the season.
Isaac Cohen had his strongest game of the season, posting five points, nine assists (tying a career-high) and five rebounds in 33 minutes of action.
The Terriers (1-3) opened the game with an 8-0 run, all off of a trio of Columbia turnovers and lead by eight before Jeff Coby provided a huge spark off the bench. Coby scored seven unanswered to bring the Lions within one with 11:36 left in the first half.
Grant Mullins evened the score at 18-18 with a free throw at the 7:22 mark, but Columbia squandered several opportunities to take the lead on missed shots and turnovers.
With 4:25 remaining, Nate Hickman made a move past his defender from the corner, finishing with a reverse layup to put the Lions ahead for the first time, 22-21. However, Wofford outscored Columbia 6-2 the rest of the way to take a 27-24 lead into the locker room.
Much like the game against Lehigh two days ago the Lions' “big three” emerged. Rosenberg knocked down a couple early free throws, before hitting a trifecta to spark a 10-2 run to give the Lions a 36-32 lead with 16:13 remaining.
A lay-up by Rosenberg with 13:10 remaining in the second half put a halt to a 7-0 spurt by Wofford, beginning a 14-4 run for Columbia taking a 56-47 lead with 6:13 remaining.
Coby pulled down five rebounds to go with his seven first-half points in just 10 minutes off the bench.
Justin Gordon led the Terriers with 14 points and five assists.
The Lions will hit the road to face Fairfield on Friday, Nov. 28 at 5 p.m. Fans can listen to the action live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
NOTES: After the strong start, Wofford scored just four points on the nine remaining Columbia turnovers… Maodo Lo moved into sole possession of 10th place on the career scoring list with his 11 points and has 1,228, passing eclipsed C.J. Thompkins mark of 1,217… Cohen slid up to ninth on the career assist chart and has 253.
