NEW YORK – The Columbia men's basketball team picked up its third straight win after topping Dartmouth, 70-66, Friday night. Reigning Ivy League Player of the Week Patrick Tapé had another monster game with 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting to go with seven rebounds.
 
Maka Ellis finished with 13 points, going 3-of-4 from downtown. Gabe Stefanini dished out seven assists and posted 11 points.
 
"Tonight, was a little indicative of what we've been through during the year," head coach Jim Engles said. "You can tell the momentum and confidence is starting to build because we got down, but were able to regain control of the game and finish it out. That's the growth we're looking for."
 
The Lions (10-17, 5-8) led by 10 at the half, but the Big Green (11-18, 2-11) started the second period on 14-3 run to take the lead. However, Columbia never trailed by more than three and back-to-back buckets from Tapé and Ellis made it 54-52 with 6:42 on the clock.
 
Quinton Adlesh put the Lions up for good on a triple, 59-56, after getting a kick-out pass from Tapé with 5:26 on the clock. Gabe Stefanini made it a six-point lead, knocking down a trey from the top of the key just over a minute later, and the teams traded buckets down the stretch to keep it a two-possession game. Tapé put the finishing touches on the win with a dunk with four seconds left after Columbia broke the Dartmouth press.
 
The Lions shot 63.0 percent from the field in the first half and led by as many as 12 when Ellis and Tai Bibbs knocked down 3-pointers on consecutive trips down the floor with 4:14 on the clock. Ellis was 4-for-4 in the first half and scored 10 of his points before the break.
 
Chris Knight led Dartmouth with 18 points and added six rebounds. Aaryn Rai added 13 points and 14 rebounds. The Big Green, who came into the game leading the Ivy League in 3-point field goal percentage and makes per game, where held to 0-of-17 from beyond the arc. It marked the first time Columbia held an opponent without a triple since November 23, 2014 at Lehigh.

Columbia will close the 2018-19 season against Harvard on Saturday, March 9. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here or calling 888-LIONS-11. The contest will be shown live on ESPN+.