NEW YORK – The Columbia men's basketball team outlasted Maryland-Eastern Shore, 81-75, Wednesday night in a back-and-forth affair. The Lions (10-6) were held without a field goal for a 9:02 stretch in the second half, but Jeff Coby and Maodo Lo helped Columbia respond and pick up the win.

Coby ended the long drought with a 3-pointer from the top of the key to spur an 8-1 run to put the Lions back in front, 52-51, with 10:26 to play. A pair of free throws by Grant Mullins made it 62-58 at the 6:04 juncture before the Hawks (3-14) rallied once again.

Bakari Copeland scored five key points to help UMES restore a 67-64 cushion with 3:53 remaining when Lo took over. The senior guard netted eight of his 25 points in a stretch of 2:38, including a steal and layup in transition to make it, 76-69, with 1:45 on the clock.

The Hawks drew fouls on their next two possessions to pull within two points at the 46 second marks. However, Columbia knocked down 5-of-6 from the charity stripe down the stretch to preserve the victory.

The Hawks converted on six of their first seven shots and held a 16-10 advantage with 13:29 remaining in the first half. Columbia responded by scoring the next eight to take its first lead of the night just 2:13 later.

Grant Mullins spurted a 15-2 run with eight points during the stretch to help the Lions grab their largest cushion of the half, 39-27, at the 4:45 mark. Lo put the final touches of the half with a step-back trey with one second remaining to give Columbia an eight-point lead at the break.

Coby posted 11 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench. Lo also added six assists and two steals. Mullins finished with 15 points.

The Lions wrap up non-conference play against Central Penn on Saturday, Jan. 9 at 7 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.