Lions Jump Into Action Tuesday Night at Lafayette
11/4/2019 10:06:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Columbia opens the 2019-20 season on the road for an 8 p.m. contest in Easton.
OPENING TIP-OFF
• Columbia will begin its 119th season of college basketball Tuesday night.
• The Lions closed out 2018-19 winners of three of their final four contests and return three starters, including Mike Smith, who makes his return after missing the final 16 games of last year due to injury.
• Smith is just 31 points shy of becoming the 29th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points and six assists away from joining Columbia's top-10 list.
• Junior guard Gabe Stefanini suffered an injury during the preseason (foot) and is out indefinitely.
NEWS/NOTES
LAFAYETTE'S STATUS
The Leopards went 10-20 overall and 7-11 in the Patriot League in 2018-19. Lafayette will be without junior guard Alex Petrie for the entire season due to a medical condition. Petrie averaged 14.5 points last season and was the 2017-18 Patriot League Rookie of the Year. The Leopards do return leading scorer Justin Jaworski, who shot 48.9 percent from 3-point range, good for No. 2 in the NCAA, and 14.6 points per game. Last season, the bugaboo for Lafayette was defending the 3-point line, allowing opponents to shoot 38.2 percent from beyond the arc.
INSIDE THE SERIES
The Lions are 14-27 against Lafayette all-time. The teams have not met since a 77-67 Columbia victory on Dec. 30, 2011.
LET'S GET IT STARTED
Columbia is to 78-40 all-time in season openers. Under Jim Engles, the Lions are 1-2 in debuts, topping Stony Brook, 73-66, in 2016-17 before falling to the eventual National Champions, Villanova, 75-60 in 2017-18 and at Marist, 82-76, last season.
COLUMBIA VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
Columbia has a rich history playing teams in the Patriot League. The Lions are 130-103 against teams currently in the conference. Columbia's most common opponent is Army, who they have faced 59 times. The Lions went 0-1 against Patriot League foes last season, falling to Colgate, 64-62.
THE COMEBACK
Senior guard Mike Smith returns to the lineup on Tuesday after missing the final 16 games of last season due to a torn meniscus. Smith earned second team All-Ivy League and third team All-Met honors in 2017-18 and set Columbia's first-year scoring record with 368 points in 2016-17.
SEE THE LIONS LIVE!
Tickets for upcoming home games at Levien Gymnasium can be purchased by clicking here or calling 888-LIONS-11.
THE IVY LEAGUE ON ESPN+
All home Columbia games and most Ivy League road contests will air on ESPN+ as part of The Ivy League's new partnership with ESPN. ESPN+ is a new, subscription-based service that offers monthly ($4.99) and yearly ($49.99) plans. Click here to subscribe to ESPN+ and start your free trial! Click here for frequently asked questions about the Ivy League on ESPN.
FOLLOW COLUMBIA ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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