THE STORYLINES
COLUMBIA'S STATUS
The Lions shot 62.5 percent in the second half to turn a three-point halftime deficit into a 70-59 win over two-time defending SoCon Champions, Wofford Tuesday night.
FAIRFIELD'S STATUS
The Stags set a school record with 17 made 3-pointers as they rolled to a 113-74 road victory at Maryland Eastern Shore.
Marcus Gilbert led the charge with 32 points against the Hawks and is averaging 19 on the year while pulling down 5.4 boards per contest.
SERIES HISTORY... FAIRFIELD
Friday will be the first meeting between Columbia and Fairfield.
COLUMBIA VS. THE MAAC
The Lions are 21-24 all-time against teams currently in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Columbia's most common MAAC foe is Manhattan with 24 all-time meetings, who the Lions will face on Dec. 9.
CBE HALL OF FAME CLASSIC
Friday night's contest is part of the ”host round” of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic. Northwestern, Kansas State, North Carolina and Missouri will serve as host in the preliminary games and will play in the Championship Rounds in Kansas City on Nov. 23-24. Columbia games against Kansas State, Northwestern and Wofford were also part of the event. The tournament, in partnership with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), was initially established in 2001 as the Guardians Classic.
LONGWOOD'S STATUS
The Lancers have dropped three straight after topping a pair of non-NCAA Division I schools to start the year. Longwood will play at Maine before making the trek to Morningside Heights.
Kanayo Obi-Rapu leads the Lancers, averaging 17.8, while Khris Lane is pulling down 8.8 rebounds.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will be the fourth meeting between the schools with Columbia holding a 2-1 advantage in the series. Each team has held serve at home and all three contests have been decided by 10 or more points.
COLUMBIA VS. THE BIG SOUTH
Longwood is the only current Big South opponent Columbia has ever faced.
I LIKE IKE
Senior Isaac Cohen had his strongest game of the season against Wofford, posting five points, nine assists and five rebounds in 33 minutes of action. Cohen's 253 assists put him in sole possession of ninth on the Lions' career list.
