CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Columbia men's basketball team dropped a 60-42 decision at No. 9 Virginia Saturday afternoon. Mike Smith scored a game-high 16 points in the defeat to lead the Lions, who fell to 1-3.
 
"Obviously, not happy with the result, but this was a great experience for our guys to go up against the defending national champions," said head coach Jim Engles. "Virginia basketball definitely has a mystique about it now and I think we were a little nervous to start the game. We competed better as the game wore on, but they are extremely talented and some of the things we were trying to accomplish, we just couldn't."
 
The Cavaliers (3-0) ripped off a 10-0 run to start the game and never trailed in the contest. Columbia trimmed that deficit in half before Jay Huff's back-to-back buckets made it 17-7 at the 9:01 mark. Randy Brumant converted on a triple from the right wing brought the Lions back within single digits, but UVA answered with six unanswered and took a 31-17 advantage into the locker room.
 
Virginia's defense, as they do to most teams, continued to limit the Lions offensively and Huff knocked down a 3-pointer to put his team in front, 44-23, with 12:56 left. The Cavaliers led by as 26 on their way to improve to 3-0 on the season.
 
Huff finished with 13 points, six rebounds and five blocks off the bench. Columbia's defense played a strong second half, limiting UVA to 11-of-31 (35.5 percent) shooting and held the Cavaliers to 5-of-15 from beyond the arc for the game.
 
Brumant chipped in nine points, knocking down a career-high three 3-pointers, and Ike Nweke posted seven points and nine boards.
 
Next up, the Lions make the short trip to Queens to take on St. John's on Wednesday, November 20, at 6:30 p.m. in game two of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament campus round games. Fans can also catch the action live on FS1.
 
Tickets for upcoming home games can be purchased by visiting gocolumbialions.com/tickets or calling 888-LIONS-11.

For the latest on the Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.