HAMILTON, N.Y. – For the second straight game, the Columbia men's basketball team ran into a hot-shooting opponent as they fell at Colgate, 77-71, Saturday afternoon. Lukas Meisner set a career-high in scoring for the second time in as many games with 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
The Raiders (3-2) knocked down 16 3-pointers and led by as many as 22 points in the first half. The Lions (1-4) clawed their way back and made it a one-possession game on three occasions, but Colgate never relinquished the lead and held on to improve to 3-0 on its home floor.
The Raiders raced out with a 20-2 run over the opening 7:29 to take control early. Columbia found itself down 28-6 before rattling off nine in a row, keyed by five points from Meisner. After two more 3-pointers by Colgate brought its lead back up to 19, the Lions defense buckled down and allowed just two points in the final 7:30 during a 14-2 run to close the half to make it 36-30 at the break.
In the first 20 minutes, the Raiders were 10-of-19 from 3-point range, but just 3-of-10 from inside the arc.
A Meisner triple from the left corner made it 45-43 with 15:58 to play until an 8-0 spurt put the Raiders back in control. Trailing by 14, Columbia made one last rally and went on a 13-2 spurt, capped by a pair of triples for Peter Barba to pull the Lions within 66-63 with 7:03 on the clock. Columbia had the ball down five with 2:15 remaining, but a steal led to a Dana Batt layup to bring the margin to 72-65 and Colgate converted from the charity stripe down the stretch to seal the victory.
Nate Hickman had a strong all-around game with 13 points, seven boards, four assists and three steals in 31 minutes of action.
Will Rayman was one of five Raiders' in double-figures with 15 points and added 10 rebounds.
The Lions are back in action Wednesday, November 29, when they face Connecticut in Storrs for a 7 p.m. contest. The game will be televised live on SNY. A free audio broadcast is also available on the Ivy League Network.
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Season and individual non-conference tickets are on sale now. To purchase, visit gocolumbialions.com/tickets, call 888-LIONS-11.
POSTGAME TIP-INS
- Colgate snapped a six-game losing streak to Columbia. The Lions are now 18-10 all-time against the Raiders.
- Mike Smith finished with 15 points, extending his double-figure scoring streak to 15 games dating back to last season.
- Patrick Tapé returned to the starting lineup after missing Tuesday's game at Army West Point due to illness.
