NEW YORK – The Columbia men's basketball team won its opening game of the 14-game tournament with a grind-it-out, 74-70, win over Cornell in front of 2,236 fans in Levien Gymnasium. Jeff Coby posted his second consecutive double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds to help the Lions improve to 12-6 overall.
Alex Rosenberg returned after a five-game absence due to injury and was superb, scoring 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 22 minutes. Kyle Castlin, Maodo Lo and Grant Mullins each chipped in 12.
The Big Red's (7-8, 0-1) Matt Morgan posted a game-high 29 points on 10-of-23 shooting. Cornell was also playing without Ivy League leading scorer Robert Hatter, who missed the game with an injury.
A 17-4 run over 5:28 put Columbia in front, 70-59, with 3:31 remaining in regulation before the Big Red made one final push. Cornell's Troy Whiteside buried a trey and after a turnover Darryl Smith made it 71-66 with 2:22 on the clock.
The final two minutes was plagued with missed shots and turnovers as Morgan nailed a contested 3-pointer to make it a two-point game with 16 seconds remaining. Cornell forced a turnover with its full-court pressure, but quickly coughed it up themselves to put Coby on the line with six seconds to play.
Coby converted on 1-of-2 to make it 72-69 and the Lions opted to foul before the Big Red could get a shot off at the two second mark. Morgan made the first, missed the second on purpose, and Columbia secured the rebound to come away victorious.
The first half was action-packed with the teams combining for 79 possessions. The lead changed hands eight times, but the play of Kyle Castlin helped Columbia go in front for the remainder of the first half with a huge block and a pair of layups to make it 20-16 with 9:14 before the break.
Grant Mullins buried a trey and knocked down a pair of free throws in the midst of a 10-2 run that gave the Lions their largest advantage of the period, 35-26, at the 4:41 mark. However, Morgan erupted for the Big Red's final eight points of the half to pull Cornell within four at the intermission.
Columbia outrebounded Cornell, 41-33, and had 15 second-chance points, compared to just four for the Big Red.
The Lions will wrap up their home-and-home series with Cornell next Saturday, January 24. Game time is slated for 4 p.m. Fans can also catch the action live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
