Saturday, February 24
New York, N.Y.
6:00 P.M.
Columbia University
13-11,4-7Ivy League
76
vs
84
Yale
18-8,9-2Ivy League
1
2
F
Yale
35
49
84
Columbia
33
43
76
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Josh Wang
Men’s Basketball Hangs With Yale but Drops Saturday Night’s Matchup
2/24/2024 8:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Lions’ 54.3 percent shooting mark not enough
NEW YORK — Saturday night's tilt inside Levien Court at Schiller Gymnasium featured 18 lead changes and 11 ties as Columbia men's basketball was bested by Ivy League preseason favorite, Yale, 84-76.
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa exploded for 21 of his 23 points in the second half to give the Lions a chance to overcome Yale but 64.3 percent shooting from the Bulldogs in the final 20 minutes helped seal their ninth road win of the season. Rubio De La Rosa was 5-6 from deep in the final half and had all of Columbia's three-pointers in the frame.
Zavian McLean chipped in 16 points while Blair Thompson poured in 12. Columbia outrebounded Yale, 32-26. The Bulldogs had just four turnovers on the night. Columbia falls to 13-11 (4-7) while Yale (18-8, 9-2) remains tied for first place in the Ivy League standings.
Columbia and Yale went back and forth during the first half as the Bulldogs used a layup in the closing seconds of the first half to take a lead into halftime. Both teams led by as many as five points at different moments during the first half, but the game stayed tight with 10 lead changes in the opening half.
Columbia outrebounded Yale, 22-12 in the first half, but Yale capitalized with seven points off of Columbia's seven turnovers in the frame to take a 35-33 lead into the break.
McLean led the Lions with nine first half points. Josh Odunowo and Thompson each added six points in the first half to keep the game tight.
Two McLean free throws put Columbia ahead 47-46 at the 15:08 mark of the second half. The Lions maintained control all the way until there was 8:40 left when Yale went ahead with a layup scored by Matt Knowling. Knowling and Danny Wolf would each finish with a game-high 20 points on the night.
Columbia's final lead of the evening came with 8:14 left on a Thompson free throw that made it 60-59 Lions. Then after the game was tied at 63-63, Yale broke off a 7-0 run and the Lions only got the margin to within three once more with 3:32 to go. The Bulldogs led by as many as nine in the final two minutes.
Columbia closes out its road slate for the season with a back-to-back at Princeton next Friday at 8 p.m. and Penn next Saturday at 7 p.m.
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.
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa exploded for 21 of his 23 points in the second half to give the Lions a chance to overcome Yale but 64.3 percent shooting from the Bulldogs in the final 20 minutes helped seal their ninth road win of the season. Rubio De La Rosa was 5-6 from deep in the final half and had all of Columbia's three-pointers in the frame.
Zavian McLean chipped in 16 points while Blair Thompson poured in 12. Columbia outrebounded Yale, 32-26. The Bulldogs had just four turnovers on the night. Columbia falls to 13-11 (4-7) while Yale (18-8, 9-2) remains tied for first place in the Ivy League standings.
Columbia and Yale went back and forth during the first half as the Bulldogs used a layup in the closing seconds of the first half to take a lead into halftime. Both teams led by as many as five points at different moments during the first half, but the game stayed tight with 10 lead changes in the opening half.
Columbia outrebounded Yale, 22-12 in the first half, but Yale capitalized with seven points off of Columbia's seven turnovers in the frame to take a 35-33 lead into the break.
McLean led the Lions with nine first half points. Josh Odunowo and Thompson each added six points in the first half to keep the game tight.
Two McLean free throws put Columbia ahead 47-46 at the 15:08 mark of the second half. The Lions maintained control all the way until there was 8:40 left when Yale went ahead with a layup scored by Matt Knowling. Knowling and Danny Wolf would each finish with a game-high 20 points on the night.
Columbia's final lead of the evening came with 8:14 left on a Thompson free throw that made it 60-59 Lions. Then after the game was tied at 63-63, Yale broke off a 7-0 run and the Lions only got the margin to within three once more with 3:32 to go. The Bulldogs led by as many as nine in the final two minutes.
Columbia closes out its road slate for the season with a back-to-back at Princeton next Friday at 8 p.m. and Penn next Saturday at 7 p.m.
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
Yale
CU
FG%
.532
.543
3FG%
.263
.450
FT%
.813
.680
RB
26
32
TO
4
13
STL
6
4
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
8
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
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