NEW YORK – The Columbia men's basketball team shot a blistering 66.7 percent in the second half to come away with a 90-76 triumph over Harvard on Friday night. The Lions (18-8, 7-2) earned a season sweep of the Crimson (10-15, 2-7) for the first time since 2008 with the win.
Seniors Alex Rosenberg and Maodo Lo were superb, netting 23 and 22 points respectively and teaming up for seven 3-pointers.
Harvard led just once early in the game, but stayed with Columbia much of the way thanks to a strong shooting night (56.9 percent from the floor) of its own. With the score 58-56 in favor of the Lions with 10:17 remaining in regulation, Lo, Chris McComber and Rosenberg knocked down triples to spark an 11-3 run.
Jeff Coby's two-hand slam with 5:22 on the clock put Columbia ahead, 78-64, and the Crimson would only come as close as 11 the rest of the way.
In the first half, Lukas Meisner put the Lions in front, 16-6, after receiving a nice feed from his fellow countryman Lo at the 14:39 mark. Harvard tried to counter, pulling within one possession four times throughout the remainder of the half, but each time Columbia had an answer.
After Agunwa Okolie knocked down a jumper with five seconds to go, Lo made the play of the night, launching a long 3-pointer from beyond half court to give the Lions a 39-34 cushion heading into the locker room.
Columbia finished the game, shooting 57.4 percent from the floor and outscored the Crimson 38-24 in the paint.
The Lions return to the hardwood tomorrow night when they host Dartmouth at 7 p.m. There are a limited number of tickets available. Don't miss out on the action, get your tickets by clicking here. If you can't make it to the game, watch it live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
