BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Columbia men's basketball team nearly had its second come-from-behind victory in a week, but Lehigh held off the Lions to secure a 79-72 victory Tuesday night. Columbia was led by
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa's 24 points.
Patrick Harding had a game-high 11 rebounds and
Liam Murphy chipped in 10 points and nine boards for Columbia (2-3).
Lehigh (1-4) found its way into an early offensive rhythm and build a 27-14 lead with 9:13 left in the first half.
Patrick Harding sparked a 9-2 run with a hook shot and the Lions had the deficit down to 33-29 at the 2:10 mark after a pair of free throws by
Noah Robledo. The Mountain Hawks proceeded to knock down back-to-back 3-pointers to restore a 10-point cushion, which Lehigh took into the locker room.
In the second half, Columbia continued to chip away and stayed within two possessions until the midway point until it finally made its move. Rubio De La Rosa knocked down a triple from the top of the key and
Zavian McLean knocked down a pair from the free throw line with 10:05 remaining in regulation.
Liam Murphy put the Lions in front for the first time, 59-58, with a layup off a feed from Rubio De La Rosa at the 7:30. However, the Mountain Hawks ripped off a 13-2 run over the next five minutes to put the game out of reach.
Evan Taylor led four players in double-figures with 18 points for Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks were 6-of-15 (40 percent) from 3-point range and shot 48.3 percent from the floor. Columbia was held to 38.7 percent shooting and had a season-low five 3-pointers on 15 attempts.
The Lions will remain on the road to take on Boston College at Conte Forum this Friday, November 26 at 7 p.m. The contest will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra.
Tickets for upcoming home games available by visiting
gocolumbialions.com/tickets or calling 888-LIONS-11. For venue policies at Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium,
click here.
For the latest on the Columbia men's basketball, follow
@CULionsMBB on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at
GoColumbiaLions.com.
