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Kenny Noland
Columbia University Athletics / Lem Photography
75
Lehigh Lehigh 0-3,0-0 Patriot
76
Winner Columbia CU 4-0,0-0 Ivy League
Lehigh Lehigh
0-3,0-0 Patriot
75
Final
76
Columbia CU
4-0,0-0 Ivy League
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Lehigh Lehigh 37 38 75
Columbia CU 40 36 76

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Survives Late Run to Edge Lehigh on Tuesday, 76-75

Reigning Lou Henson & Ivy League Player of the Week Rubio De La Rosa drops 24 points

NEW YORK — Columbia men's basketball moved to 4-0 for the first time since 2005 with a 76-75 victory over Lehigh on Tuesday night inside Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium. The Lions outlasted a 17-5 run from the Mountain Hawks over the final 2:29.

Columbia led for nearly 38 minutes in the win. Lehigh (0-3) only tied the game twice, with the second time coming with five seconds left in the game. A three-pointer by Keith Higgins Jr. knotted it at 75-75. Avery Brown was fouled with under a second left after driving the lane and converted on one-of-two free throws to seal the win.

"I thought we stopped them enough but then we have to finish the end of the game with the situation," Engles said. "We are an experienced team, we've had situations like that in the past so we will be better at the end."
 

Fresh off a slew of weekly accolades, Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa poured in a team-high 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He finished 4-8 from beyond the arc and shot 9-17 overall. Kenny Noland and Blair Thompson (11 points each) and Zine Eddine Bedri (10 points) rounded out Columbia's double-figure scorers.

"We are resilient, we kept playing our game and executed well at the end," Rubio De La Rosa said postgame. "We had to be strong and physical to get some rebounds so we could get second chances and win the game."

Columbia put together a 15-3 run spanning over five minutes midway through the second half put the Lions in control at 65-53. The spurt was capped by a Thompson lay-up with 6:33 to go. Lehigh was able to cut the Columbia lead back down to one possession at 72-69 with 33 seconds to go and then to 74-72 with 16 seconds left.

The Lions held a 40-37 advantage at halftime thanks to Bedri converting on all his points in the first 20 minutes of play. Columbia shot 53.6 percent from the floor in the first half, compared to its 38.2 percent mark in the second.

The Lions host Mercyhurst on Saturday at 12 p.m. The game will air live on ESPN+ and tickets can be purchased by clicking here.

Postgame Notes:

- Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa posted his eighth straight double-figure scoring game dating back to last season and his 13th career 20-point game on Tuesday
- Rubio De La Rosa (1,163 career points) is now tied for 19th place on Columbia's all-time scoring list. He passed Darren Burnett (1,159 points) and is knotted with Walter Budko (1,163 points).
- Rubio De La Rosa is now tied for second place on Columbia's all-time three-pointers made list (189) after knocking down four on Tuesday night. He is tied with Matt Shannon.
- Columbia is 4-0 for the first time since 2005
- Columbia has won its first two home games in a season for the first time since 2019-20

Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on X, Instagram or on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
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