PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Brown used a 12-0 run to erase a four-point deficit to claim a 72-66 victory over the Columbia men's basketball team in a back-and-forth affair Saturday night. Mike Smith finished with 20 points and tied a career-high with nine assists, while Ike Nweke added 14 points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks.
 
The Lions (6-14, 1-3) trailed by as many as 10 in the second half, but rallied to take a 62-58 lead with 5:02 remaining before being held without a point for nearly five minutes down the stretch.
 
With Brown (9-8, 2-2) up 38-28, Nweke took over with six consecutive points and a rejection to pull Columbia within four with 16:10 left in regulation. The Lions threated several times, but could not get over the hump until a pair of Nweke free throws tied the score, 56-56, at the 6:45 mark. After another defensive stop, a Tai Bibbs layup put the Lions on top for the first time since the 15:05 mark of the first half.
 
A Smith layup made it a two-possession game before the final surge from Brown.
 
After a fairly even opening first half, the Bears closed the stanza with the final six points to grab a 36-28 lead at the midway point. Brown shot 4-of-9 from 3-point range and went to the foul line 10 times, compared to 1-of-3 shooting by the Lions, which was the difference.
 
Columbia did a nice job distributing the basketball, with Smith registering six first-half dimes and the Lions assisting on eight of 12 made field goals. However, Columbia's frontcourt was plagued with foul trouble with Nweke and Randy Brumant picking up two early fouls and registering just eight and three minutes, respectively.
 
The Lions finished shooting 45.2 percent from the field and held the Bears to 39.7 percent for the game. Columbia also held the Ivy League's second leading scorer Brandon Anderson to 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting. Brown held a 40-33 edge on the glass.
 
Tamenang Choh paced the Bears with 18 points, 10 boards and also dished out five assists.
 
The Lions return to Levien Gymnasium to take on Penn Friday, February 7 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available by visiting gocolumbialions.com/tickets or calling 888-LIONS-11. The game can also be seen on ESPN+.

For the latest on the Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.