Men’s Basketball Goes Down to the Wire at Harvard but Falls, 62-59

Friday, February 2

Cambridge, Mass.

7:00 P.M.

Columbia

10-8,1-4Ivy League

Harvard

11-7,2-3Ivy League

Columbia

Harvard

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Matt Rostkowski

Men’s Basketball Goes Down to the Wire at Harvard but Falls, 62-59

2/2/2024 9:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Rubio De La Rosa’s half-court shot for the tie at the buzzer doesn’t go

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Columbia men's basketball led for the majority of Friday night's game at Lavietes Pavilion, but came up short, 62-59, to Harvard.

The Lions (10-8, 1-4) had the ball down two with eight seconds left after a Harvard turnover, but Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa hit the rim on a three-point try. Columbia had another crack as time was expiring, but Rubio De La Rosa wasn't able to convert on a half-court attempt.

Kenny Noland led Columbia with 12 points, while Avery Brown and Zine Eddine Bedri chipped in eight in another well-balanced scoring attack for the Lions.

The second half began with a 10-5 Harvard run, but Columbia battled back to keep a 52-45 lead with 11:08 to go. The Crimson brought it to within two when it was 54-52 Lions with 6:38 remaining and then tied it with two free throws just over a minute later.

Harvard (11-7, 2-3) took its first lead since a minute and a half into the game on a Malik Mack three-pointer with 3:50 left. The Crimson's leading scorer finished with a game-high 18 points.

Down by three with 12 seconds left, Brown got fouled while heaving a three-pointer up and went to the free throw line for three shots but converted on just one to cut Harvard's lead to 61-59.

Columbia went cold from downtown in the final 20 minutes, posting a 1-10 mark. The Lions finished at 39 percent overall from the floor.

Columbia held a 12-7 advantage at the first media timeout of the night with Zavian McLean and Blair Thompson responsible for 10 of those points. The Lions then blew open a 25-9 lead with 12:12 left in the first half on a Bedri layup. Columbia drilled four three-pointers in the opening seven minutes.

Harvard closed the gap to make it 33-20 at the under-8 timeout following an and-one layup by Chisom Okpara with 7:35 to go in the first frame. Columbia was 13-23 from the field over that span.

Trailing by 18, the Crimson took off on an 11-0 run to bring the margin within nine, but a Bedri layup ended it. The Lions would take a 41-33 lead into the break on 48.5 percent shooting. Each Lion to appear in the first half notched points. Columbia's eight-point halftime lead snapped a four-game streak of the midway margin being less than five points.

Columbia heads to New Hampshire to play Dartmouth on Saturday from Leede Arena at 6 p.m.

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