Columbia
NJIT
Strong Defensive Effort Propels Men's Basketball to 65-56 Triumph Over NJIT
12/12/2015 9:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK – The Columbia men's basketball team played its strongest defense of the year, holding NJIT to 34.4 percent shooting from the field and 20.0 percent from behind the arc to claim a 65-56 victory Saturday night. The Lions (7-5) were led by Maodo Lo, who finished with 20 points and seven rebounds.
Columbia opened up the game with a balanced offensive attack, with eight out of 10 players to receive minutes in the first half scoring a point. However, the Lions trailed, 10-8, with 15:06 remaining before the bench got hot on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Jeff Coby and Lukas Meisner along with two key Highlander (6-5) turnovers, one forced by Coby, opened up a 10-2 run and a six-point lead with 10:06 remaining in the first, a lead that the Lions would never look back from.
After a NJIT lay-up with 5:43 remaining in the first half made it 26-21, Columbia forced a Highlanders to miss their next six shots over the next 3:48. Lo scored the next five and Kyle Castlin recorded a steal and transition layup to help the Lions go ahead by 14 after its 9-0 outburst.
Columbia opened up the second half forcing the Highlanders to take tough shots, with NJIT opening up the first five minutes of the second half shooting 2-for-10 from the field. Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the ball, Lo opened up the half with nine points and a rebound, helping the Lions take a commanding 49-32 lead with 13:43 to play in the game.
Down by 20, the Highlanders finished the game on a 21-10 run and came within 62-54 with 2:56 to go. With the Lions losing grasp of the lead, Grant Mullins weaved around a defender and found Meisner on the baseline, who hammered down the game-sealing dunk.
Ky Howard led the Highlanders with 23 points and seven assists. The 56 points was the lowest total for NJIT this season.
Castlin grabbed a team-high nine rebounds as Columbia held a 44-36 advantage on the glass. Luke Petrasek registered a career-high five blocks to go with nine points and seven boards.
The Lions will wrap up its fall semester with a Monday matinee against defending NEC Champions Robert Morris on December 14 at 2 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by clicking here. Fans can also catch the action live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
