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Killingsworth at Nova
Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin
69
Columbia COL 0-4
70
Winner Fordham FOR 4-1
Columbia COL
0-4
69
Final
70
Fordham FOR
4-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Columbia COL 34 35 69
Fordham FOR 33 37 70

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Fordham Stuns Lions on Buzzer-Beater, 70-69

The Rams' Jalen Cobb hit a floater as time expired to give Fordham a dramatic victory to close the Johnny Bach Classic.

BRONX, N.Y. – Fordham erased a four-point deficit in the final seconds to steal a 70-69 victory over the Columbia men's basketball team Sunday to wrap up the Johnny Bach Classic at Rose Hill Gym. Jalen Cobb's floater just inside the paint as time expired secured the Rams' (4-1) win to make it three in a row at their weekend tournament.

Mike Smith knocked down a pair of free throw with 13.8 seconds to go, giving the Lions (0-4) a 69-65 advantage. Ivan Raut made it a two-point contest with a 3-pointer in the right corner with eight seconds remaining. Columbia inbounded the ball cleanly, but an errant pass wound up in the hands of Chuba Ohams with time winding down. Cobb took the ball down the left wing and lofted up a shot before the horn sounded that found nothing but net.

The game was a back-and-forth battle that saw the teams exchange the lead 14 times. Columbia held a 34-33 edge at halftime, despite Fordham starting the contest 6-for-8 from the floor and leading by as many as ten, 18-8, midway through the frame.

Jake Killingsworth provided a boost off the bench with nine points in the first half, including a 3-pointer to put the Lions in front 22-20 with 7:23 remaining to cap a 12-2 run. Gabe Stefanini extended the cushion to six with a 3-point play with 4:41 on the clock, but the Rams closed within one after getting a layup, getting an offensive rebound off a missed free throw and Antwon Portley draining a long-contested trey. Fordham took the lead back, 33-32, lead after another bomb from Portley. However, Smith scored his first bucket of the game off an acrobatic layup with eight seconds left to give the Lions a one-point lead at the half.

The Rams shot the ball well again to start the second half, draining a trio from beyond the arc to go up 41-36 just over three minutes in. Columbia stayed within two possessions for the next 12 minutes and back-to-back three's from Killingsworth and Adlesh put the Lions back in front, 60-58, with 4:05 on the clock.

Smith converted in the lane twice during crunch time, and Patrick Tapé's steal and slam dunk with 23 seconds to go seemed to put the game away for the Lions. However, Fordham pushed the ball up the floor and pulled within two before fouling Smith to set up the wild finish.

"I thought we had a lot of great individual contributions," head coach Jim Engles said. "It was a very well-played game. We did a good job keying in offensively and defensively. We played well enough to win, but it just didn't go our way today. That's the game of basketball sometimes. Crazy stuff happens."

Columbia held a 39-27 advantage on the glass and outscored the Rams' bench, 43-15.

Smith finished with 15 points, going 7-of-8 from the charity stripe and added five rebounds to go with four assists. Killingsworth was 4-of-5 from downtown and registered a season-high 13.

Fordham was led by Nick Honor, who netted 17 points and dished out five assists.

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