NEW YORK — The Columbia men's basketball team largely kept up with an up-tempo FDU squad but came up just short, falling to the Knights, 76-73, in overtime Friday night. First-year Avery Brown led the way with 17 points, with five assists and five rebounds in 43 minutes of action.
 
Statistically, the teams were nearly identical in almost every category in a game that featured 10 tie scores and 10 lead changes. However, a pair of free throws by Demetre Roberts at the 1:11 mark of overtime put FDU (5-6) up for good. The Lions (4-9) were held without a field goal for the final 2:23 of the frame but had a chance at the end after a missed foul shot gave Columbia possession with 11 seconds remaining.
 
The Lions had two chances to extend the game, but both attempts were off the mark as the Knights escaped with the win.
 
In the game's early stages, the Lions did an excellent job breaking FDU's full-court press. Jake Tavroff was the beneficiary of some good ball-movement, which led to a pair of easy buckets to tie the score, 8-8, with 14:58 left in the period. Zavian McLean gave Columbia its first lead of the night with a triple from the right wing just over a minute later and extended the cushion to 19-14 after Rubio De La Rosa hit a 3-pointer and was fouled at the midway point of the half.
 
The Knights chipped away at the deficit and went back on top, 22-21, after a strong finish by Thomas, who led all scorers with 23 points, with 7:04 before the break. The teams then traded buckets over the next several minutes until a 7-0 run over the final 1:36 gave Columbia a 36-30 edge heading into the locker room.
 
To start the second half, the Lions recorded the first two buckets to take their largest lead of the night, 40-30. FDU responded again to go up 51-49 with 10:50 on the clock after a three-point play by Joe Munden Jr. and eventually built the advantage up to 55-49. On the next trip up the floor, Brown cut the margin in half with an old-fashioned three-point play to spark a Columbia rally.
 
From there, the Lions were aggressive in taking the ball to the basket, drawing contact and getting to the foul line to put momentum back on their side. A steal and layup by Kenny Noland put Columbia back on top, 59-58, at the 6:18 marker.
 
The final minutes of regulation featured both teams pressing and creating turnovers for an exciting finish. Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa hit a corner triple to knot things up at 64-64. FDU answered with a Munden Jr. drive with 1:37 on the clock to give the Knights the lead right back. After a pair of stops, Brown pulled down a rebound and sent a long outlet pass to Josh Odunowo to even things up gain.
 
Roberts made a tough layup with 20 seconds remaining, but Brown used a head of steam to get to the rim for a layup to ultimately force overtime.
 
Rubio De La Rosa was the only other Lion in double-figures with 13 points.
 
Columbia is back in action Monday, December 12 when it faces Lafayette in Easton, Pennsylvania. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
 
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