PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Columbia men's basketball team erased a 10-point second-half deficit, but Brown pulled away late to secure an 81-74 victory Saturday night. Cameron Shockley-Okeke led the Lions (4-21, 1-12) with 19 points.
 
Patrick Harding was a rebound away from a double-double with 14 points and nine boards. Jaden Cooper added 12 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
 
The teams battled back-and-forth in the first half that featured four ties and three lead changes. With the score deadlocked at 26-26, Noah Robledo hit a 3-pointer and was fouled on the play to give the Lions a four-point lead with 5:22 left in the half. Columbia extended the margin to 36-30 after a nice post move from Shockley-Okeke, but Brown (13-15, 5-8) answered with a 9-1 run to regain the lead. Emmanuel Onuama's put-back just before the horn evened things up at the break.
 
The Bears scored the first six points of the second frame and took its largest lead of the night, 53-43, on a Kino Lilly Jr. 3-pointer with 13:59 on the clock. Columbia battled back to even things up, capped by Shockley-Okeke's off-balance trey from the left wing to cap a 13-3 outburst with 10:08 to play.
 
However, Perry Cowan buried a deep shot on the next possession and Brown never trailed again. The Lions were able to keep the score within two possessions until the final stretch, but went cold offensively and the Bears converted from the foul line to put the contest away.
 
Jaylan Gainey nearly had a triple-double with 25 points, going a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor, to go with 12 rebounds and a new school record eight blocks. The senior led four Brown players in double-figures.
 
The Lions will return home to host Cornell next Saturday, March 5, for a 4 p.m. contest. Columbia will honor seniors Luke Bolster, Maka Ellis, Ben Milstein and Ike Nweke prior to the contest. Tickets are available and can be purchased by calling 888-LIONS-11 or visiting gocolumbialions.com/tickets. Fans can also catch the action live on SNY and ESPN+.
 
For the latest on the Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.