NEW YORK - Columbia had four score in double-figures as they came back to force overtime before falling to Maryland-Eastern Shore 74-67 in the non-conference finale on Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium on Wednesday afternoon.

Zine Eddine Bedri continued his strong start to his rookie season with 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals, while Zavian McLean had 13 points, including a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa added 11 points and first-year Kenny Noland added 10 points.

After Columbia took a quick 2-0 lead, Maryland-Eastern Shore went on a 15-0 run. Columbia went on a couple of runs to the deficit to 28-19 at the half. Outside of a pair of free throws, all of the Lions' points came in the paint until Noland hit a 3-pointer to close Columbia's scoring in the first half.

UMES would come out of the half strong, extending the lead to 37-21 with 17:47 remaining. From there, Columbia (5-10) began to chip away at the lead. A 12-2 run cut the deficit from 16 to six with 15:04 remaining. A pair of free throws from McLean made it 50-45 with 9:55 remaining. A 3-pointer from Rubio De La Rosa, followed by a steal and layup by Noland made it 52-50, causing UMES (6-7) to call a timeout while clinging to the lead with 8:53 left.

McLean tied the game at 59-59 on a driving layup with 3:39 remaining. The teams would trade blows down the stretch, with Columbia coming up with the stop on the UMES jumper and follow-up dunk in the waning moments of regulation to send the game to overtime.

McLean hit a pair of free throws with 3:58 remaining in overtime, giving the Lions their first lead since 2-0 at 63-61. The teams would go back-and-forth before the Hawks pulled away late, thanks to a 10-0 run.

Winning three of its last six and already eclipsing the previous season's total victories, Columbia now sets its sights on Ivy League play, starting with a home game vs. Yale on Dec. 31 at noon on Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium. Tickets for the game can be purchased here. The game will air on ESPN+.

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

Matt Sugam '23 SPS  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