Monday, December 11
Hackensack, N.J.
7:00 P.M.
Columbia University
8-3,0-0Ivy League
87
at
83
Fairleigh Dickinson
6-6,0-0NEC
1
2
F
Columbia
39
48
87
FDU
41
42
83
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Matt Rostkowski
Avery Brown’s Clutch Floater Seals Men’s Basketball’s Win at FDU
12/11/2023 9:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Four Lions drop double-figures as they surpass last season’s win total
HACKENSACK, N.J. — Columbia men's basketball toughed out an 87-83 victory at FDU on Monday night, thanks to Avery Brown's floater with 14 seconds remaining and huge nights from Josh Odunowo and Noah Robledo at Stratis Arena.
Trailing by a point with 54 ticks left after Ansley Almonor's layup gave FDU the advantage, Brown was fouled and hit two big foul shots to re-give Columbia (8-3) a slim 84-83 lead.
Then with 14 seconds left, Brown drove the lane and nailed a floating jump shot to keep the Lions in front 86-83 and lead Columbia to its eighth win of the season, surpassing last season's total. Brown finished with a team-best and season-high 16 points. Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa chipped in a free throw in the final second to put the Knights (6-6) away.
"I thought Avery just did an unbelievable job handling the pressure and just constantly being able to be that common force for us," head coach Jim Engles said. "FDU is a challenging team and I think they're very good and to come into this place and win is huge. It was good to see the guys make the plays they needed to make in order to put us in a position to win."
Noah Robledo made his first career start and made an immediate impact, drilling his first three attempts from beyond the arc. He tied his career-high with 15 points and finished 5-7 from three-point range. Rubio De La Rosa and Josh Odunowo each added 15 points. Odunowo went 7-7 from the field, contributing to Columbia's 53.6 percent mark from the floor. All but one Lion cracked the scoresheet on Monday. Arop Arop also contributed a key seven points in just eight minutes of action.
"It's great, the guys are playing well," Engles said. "We're gaining confidence with every practice and it's good to come out here and respond. A lot of the things our guys are doing are fun to watch."
Columbia took its first lead of the second half at 48-46 on a Rubio De La Rosa three-pointer with 15:38 to go. The Lions then opened a 58-51 lead following Arop's first career collegiate made three-pointer.
FDU hung around, trimming Columbia's lead to 64-61 with 7:55 remaining. The Knights kept the margin slim over the next three minutes, bringing Columbia's lead to 72-70 with just under five minutes to play.
Columbia opened a six-point lead late but it was quickly erased by the Knights after an 8-0 run to take an 83-82 lead with 54 seconds to go.
In the first five minutes of the game, Columbia made all three of its first three-pointers and was 6-7 from the field to have a 16-12 lead at the first media timeout of the evening.
Later in the half, FDU broke out an 14-4 run to bring its lead to 31-24 before an Odunowo free throw ended the spurt. Odunowo would go 4-4 from the field for nine first half points.
After a back-and-forth battle the rest of the opening half, the Knights would take a 41-39 lead into the locker room. It's the most first half points the Lions have given up since the UAlbany game on Nov. 11. Each team shot over 50 percent from the floor and over 40 percent from downtown in the first half.
The Lions have a 19-day break before returning to non-conference action at Fordham on Dec. 30 at 1 p.m. in the Tom Konchalski Classic. Fordham and Columbia will honor the memory of the legendary Tom Konchalski, FCRH '68, a longtime scout and historian of the game who posthumously earned the Basketball Hall of Fame's John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, or on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Trailing by a point with 54 ticks left after Ansley Almonor's layup gave FDU the advantage, Brown was fouled and hit two big foul shots to re-give Columbia (8-3) a slim 84-83 lead.
Then with 14 seconds left, Brown drove the lane and nailed a floating jump shot to keep the Lions in front 86-83 and lead Columbia to its eighth win of the season, surpassing last season's total. Brown finished with a team-best and season-high 16 points. Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa chipped in a free throw in the final second to put the Knights (6-6) away.
"I thought Avery just did an unbelievable job handling the pressure and just constantly being able to be that common force for us," head coach Jim Engles said. "FDU is a challenging team and I think they're very good and to come into this place and win is huge. It was good to see the guys make the plays they needed to make in order to put us in a position to win."
Noah Robledo made his first career start and made an immediate impact, drilling his first three attempts from beyond the arc. He tied his career-high with 15 points and finished 5-7 from three-point range. Rubio De La Rosa and Josh Odunowo each added 15 points. Odunowo went 7-7 from the field, contributing to Columbia's 53.6 percent mark from the floor. All but one Lion cracked the scoresheet on Monday. Arop Arop also contributed a key seven points in just eight minutes of action.
"It's great, the guys are playing well," Engles said. "We're gaining confidence with every practice and it's good to come out here and respond. A lot of the things our guys are doing are fun to watch."
Columbia took its first lead of the second half at 48-46 on a Rubio De La Rosa three-pointer with 15:38 to go. The Lions then opened a 58-51 lead following Arop's first career collegiate made three-pointer.
FDU hung around, trimming Columbia's lead to 64-61 with 7:55 remaining. The Knights kept the margin slim over the next three minutes, bringing Columbia's lead to 72-70 with just under five minutes to play.
Columbia opened a six-point lead late but it was quickly erased by the Knights after an 8-0 run to take an 83-82 lead with 54 seconds to go.
In the first five minutes of the game, Columbia made all three of its first three-pointers and was 6-7 from the field to have a 16-12 lead at the first media timeout of the evening.
Later in the half, FDU broke out an 14-4 run to bring its lead to 31-24 before an Odunowo free throw ended the spurt. Odunowo would go 4-4 from the field for nine first half points.
After a back-and-forth battle the rest of the opening half, the Knights would take a 41-39 lead into the locker room. It's the most first half points the Lions have given up since the UAlbany game on Nov. 11. Each team shot over 50 percent from the floor and over 40 percent from downtown in the first half.
The Lions have a 19-day break before returning to non-conference action at Fordham on Dec. 30 at 1 p.m. in the Tom Konchalski Classic. Fordham and Columbia will honor the memory of the legendary Tom Konchalski, FCRH '68, a longtime scout and historian of the game who posthumously earned the Basketball Hall of Fame's John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, or on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Team Stats
CU
FDU
FG%
.536
.475
3FG%
.448
.371
FT%
.700
.800
RB
29
28
TO
10
11
STL
6
8
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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