CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — In one of the most dramatic games in recent memory, Columbia men's basketball and Harvard battled for 55 minutes in a 98-96 win for the Crimson Friday. The teams traded clutch shots throughout the end of regulation and the overtimes, but Harvard's Bryce Aiken scored the last of his 44 points from the foul line with 15 seconds left in the third overtime to lift Harvard to victory.
 
Gabe Stefanini led the Lions (6-13, 1-4 Ivy League) with 26 points and added seven boards and four assists. Quinton Adlesh registered 24 points and a season-high six assists in 52 minutes of action, a new Columbia single-game participation record. Patrick Tapé posted a career-best 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor and 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the year.
 
The Lions erased a nine-point deficit in the second half with an 11-0 outburst to claim a 61-59 lead with 5:10 left in the period after Adlesh drained one of his five 3-pointers from the top of the key. Neither team recorded a field goal over the final 3:20 of regulation until Randy Brumant tipped one home to give Columbia a 64-62 advantage at the 1:50 mark.
 
Aiken, as he did numerous times in the contest, answered with a big 3-pointer with 46 seconds left and Harvard came up with a stop. With 5.5 seconds left, Robert Baker sank a pair of foul shots, but Stefanini raced down the floor and scored on a  last-second trey before the horn to force overtime with the game knotted at 69-69.
 
In overtime, Adlesh and Stefanini both converted from downtown to help the Lions tie its largest lead of the night, 77-71, at the 1:46 marker. However, Aiken was fouled shooting a 3-pointer with 48 ticks to go and Columbia came up empty on the other end. The Lions opted to foul with a three-point lead down the stretch and the teams traded foul shots until there was five seconds to go. This time, it was Harvard's turn for a big shot and it turned to none other than their junior guard, who drilled a double-clutch 3-pointer from well beyond the arc to make it 81-81 after 45 minutes.

Harvard scored the first two buckets of the second overtime before Columbia rattled off five in a row, capped by a backdoor layup from Adlesh to put the Lions on top, 86-85, with 56 seconds left. Aiken made a tough finish in traffic to put the score back in favor of the Crimson and two free throws from Christian Juzang extended the lead to three with 27 seconds left before Jake Killingsworth assumed the role of hero to force the final frame.
 
Adlesh dished off to the junior on the left wing and calmly sank the 3-pointer to make it 89-89.
 
Harvard finally got some offense from players other than Aiken in the third overtime and Noah Kirkwood hit a back-breaking trifecta from the left corner, giving the Crimson a 96-93 cushion with 1:08 on the clock. A pair of Adlesh free throws set the table for the final act. Brumant blocked a shot with 24 seconds left, but Harvard secured the loose ball which forced Columbia to foul with the shot clock off. Aiken converted on both tries and the Lions made one more plea to extend the game.
 
Stefanini shot a jumper from the left corner with six seconds left, but was blocked and came away with his own rebound. He passed to Adlesh, who was fouled with 0.5 seconds to go. Adlesh was short on the first try, made the second and deliberately missed the final shot for a tip-in, but the ball did not hit the rim. Harvard heaved the ball down the court on the inbounds to let time expire to conclude the instant classic.
 
Aiken converted 12-of-28 field goals and 16-of-18 free throws, while Bassey notched 17 points and 10 boards.
 
Harvard capitalized off of five early Columbia turnovers to race out to a 16-7 lead eight minutes into the contest. The Lions settled in and used two Adlesh treys and another from Tai Bibbs to start a rally. Tapé gave Columbia its first lead of the game with back-to-back buckets in the post and Bibbs capped a 9-0 spurt to put Columbia in front, 31-25, with 5:15 left in the period.
 
Harvard's next six points came from the free throw line to stay close and a Chris Lewis dunk put the Crimson back in front as they took a slim 37-36 advantage into the locker room.

Columbia wraps up the weekend at Dartmouth Saturday, February 9 at 7 p.m. The contest will be shown live on ESPN+. Tickets for upcoming home games can be purchased by clicking here or calling 888-LIONS-11.

POSTGAME TIP-INS
- Friday's game is the first known three-overtime game in Columbia men's basketball history.
- The Lions are now on a 15-game losing streak in road Ivy League contests, dating back to the 2016-17 season.
- Columbia fell to 3-7 in games decided by six or fewer points.