NEW YORK – A month after playing a triple overtime classic, Columbia and Harvard put on another show to conclude a wild Ivy League season with the Crimson escaping with an 83-81 victory. Harvard (17-10, 10-4) led by five with less than 10 seconds to go before the Lions (10-18, 5-9) nearly pulled off a miraculous comeback.  
 
Trailing 83-78 with seven seconds remaining, Gabe Stefanini drained a pull-up trey from the right wing with 2.7 seconds left to keep the Columbia alive. The Lions forced a quick turnover to regain possession under its basket, shaving just 0.3 seconds off the clock. Stefanini found Quinton Adlesh with some space in the left corner, but the senior's try bounced off the back rim and out to give the Crimson the win and a share of the Ivy League Championship.
 
Bryce Aiken poured in a game-high 36 points and was 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. The rest of Harvard shot just 1-of-14 from 3-point range.
 
For Columbia, Patrick Tapé posted 18 points, going 6-of-10 from the field. Stefanini added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Adlesh was in double-figures with 10. All 10 players that checked into the game for the Lions scored at least three points.
 
Despite shooting just 6-of-27 (22.2 percent) in the second half, Columbia led 65-59 with 4:00 to play after Jake Killingsworth drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Aiken had the next four points to make it a two-point contest and a missed shot and turnover by the Lions gave Harvard a chance down the stretch. Noah Kirkwood gathered an offensive rebound, was fouled and sank a pair of free throws to even the score, 67-67, with 18 seconds left. Adlesh's number was called again at the end of regulation, but his contested triple was off the mark as the teams went to the extra frame.
 
Both teams converted at a high-rate in the first half with the Lions connecting on 64 percent and the Crimson at 52 percent. After going back-and-forth for much of the period, Columbia used a 9-2 spurt capped by a dunk from Randy Brumant and Tapé going coast-to-coast for a layup before the horn, to take a 44-37 advantage into the locker room.
 
Columbia played its fifth overtime game in 2018-19, establishing a new single-season record for the program. The Lions played 17 games decided by two or fewer possessions (5-11).
 
The Lions honored seniors Adlesh, Peter Barba and CJ Davis along with team managers Eric Li and Natalie Moncayo pregame. The three senior players all earned the starting nod.