Cornell Pulls Away Late, Takes 62-50 Decision

Saturday, January 25

Ithaca, N.Y. / Newman Arena

4:00 P.M.

Columbia University

6-12,1-1Ivy League

Cornell

4-11,1-1Ivy League

Columbia

Cornell

Photo by: Cornell University Athletics

1/25/2020 6:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Boxscore (PDF)

The Lions shot just 25 percent in the second half, compared to 56 percent for the Big Red.

ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell used a strong second half shooting performance to pick up a 62-50 victory over the Columbia men's basketball team Saturday afternoon. The Lions fall to 6-11 overall and 1-1 in Ivy League play, while the Big Red move to 4-11 and 1-1 in conference action.

Mike Smith led Columbia with 15 points and added seven assists to go with three steals. Randy Brumant notched 11 boards, 10 coming in the first half, and scored seven.

Reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week Jack Forrest picked up two quick fouls, which kept the Lions' second leading scorer on the bench for nearly 18 minutes in the first half. Neither team got much going offensively early, but Columbia took its first lead of the game after a Smith steal and kick-out to Jake Killingsworth for a 3-pointer with 7:53 left in the first half. The Lions went up 21-17 when Brumant dished to Killingsworth under the bucket at the 5:07 mark and held a 24-22 cushion at the midway point.

Cornell came out strong after the intermission, knocking down five of its first six shots in the second half to take a 35-30 lead at the 16:09 mark. Columbia trimmed the deficit to one after a pair of Smith free throws with 13:13 remaining, but the Big Red ripped off eight consecutive points to regain control.

Later, Smith pulled the Lions back within 45-42 after a hoop and harm before the team's traded buckets over the next several possessions. Cornell was able to pull away slightly after the under-eight media timeout and Jimmy Boeheim's triple from corner made it 57-47 with 4:10 to play to effectively put the game away.

Boeheim finished with 18 points and added 10 rebounds to lead four Big Red players in double-figures.

Cornell shot 56 percent from the floor in the second half and 47.9 for the game, while holding the Lions to just 31.7 percent from the field and 5-of-23 from beyond the arc.

The Lions remain on the road to take on Yale on Friday, January 31 for a 7 p.m. contest in New Haven. Fans can watch the action live on ESPN+.

Tickets for upcoming home games are available 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.