PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Columbia opened its season with a 75-35 setback to Rutgers in front of a raucous sellout crowd at the Jersey Mike's Arena to open the 2022-23 college basketball season.
Rutgers jumped out to a 15-0 lead and led 21-5 midway through the first half. But the Lions fought back and cut the deficit to 25-21 with 1:48 left in the first half after a 16-4. Columbia would trail 31-21 at the break.
"I thought we came out, and we responded well to come back," coach Jim Engles said.
Columbia (0-1) welcomed a talented incoming class of four first-years in Zine Bedri, Avery Brown, Kenny Noland and Blair Thompson and transfer Lukas Yurasits. All are expected to see significant action this season on a team that returns nearly 75 percent of its scoring. "I thought it was definitely going to be a big experience for them, playing in front of a packed house," Engles said. "Obviously, it's a Big Ten team. We knew it was going to be a different environment for them, but I was proud of the way the guys responded."
Bedri led the way with eight points and five rebounds.
"It felt good," Bedri said of his debut. "Obviously, the outcome is not what we want it to be, but the first one [game] was good. It was good to be out there with my family, my teammates and just play. It feels good to play."
Sophomore Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa added four points and seven rebounds, while junior Josh Odunowo had five points and four rebounds.
Columbia faced an arduous task in Rutgers (1-0), a team out of a Power Five conference with its eyes set on a third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Scarlet Knights responded to the Lions clawing back by running away in the second half, outscoring them 44-13 in the second half.
"We just turned the ball over too much," Engles said. "We got to be a little more sure with the basketball and control the game a little more offensive than we're doing right now."
Columbia hosts Umass Lowell in the home opener on Thursday at 7 p.m. on Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium. Tickets can be purchased here. The game can also be viewed on ESPN+.
Matt Sugam '23 SPSÂ has been covering sports in the NYC Metropolitan area for over a decade. He has spent the last eight years covering college and professional sports as a stringer for the Associated Press and contributing to The New York Times, USA Today Network, NJ.com, and SNY.tv. He's been covering Lions Athletics for gocolumbialions.com while pursuing an M.S. in Strategic Communication at Columbia's School of Professional Studies. Follow him on Twitter @MattSugam or visit his website at www.mattsugam.com
