Friday, March 1
Princeton, N.J.
8:00 P.M.
Columbia University
13-12,4-8Ivy League
70
at
84
Princeton
22-3,10-2Ivy League
1
2
F
Columbia
33
37
70
Princeton
41
43
84
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Matt Rostkowski
Men’s Basketball Falls at Princeton on Friday Night
3/1/2024 11:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Rubio De La Rosa leads Lions with 19 points
PRINCETON, N.J. — Columbia men's basketball fell to Princeton, 84-70, inside Jadwin Gymnasium on Friday night.
Columbia's leading scorer Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa had 17 of his 19 points in the second half. It was his 18th double-figures scoring performance of the season. The junior guard went 4-9 from three-point range. All six scorers for Princeton (22-3, 10-2) finished with double-figures. Caden Pierce had a team-high 19 points as the Tigers moved to 11-0 at home this season.
Zavian McLean added 14 points while Josh Odunowo chipped in 10 for Columbia (13-12, 4-8). Blair Thompson finished just shy of a double-double, posting eight points and eight rebounds. Columbia held a 34-25 advantage on the glass.
McLean dropped seven of Columbia's 11 points in the first six minutes of the game. The Lions led by as much as five during that stretch and took an 11-7 lead into the first media timeout of the night. Princeton started 3-13 shooting from the floor.
Columbia then expanded its lead to nine after Jaden Cooper drilled back-to-back three-pointers to give the Lions a 21-12 advantage with 10:20 left in the first half. The Lions made 10 of their first 20 shots 12 minutes in.
Princeton erased the Lions' lead with a Caden Pierce triple to tie it at 23-23 a few minutes later. The Tigers would eventually take their first lead since the opening minute of the game on a Matt Allocco three-pointer with just under five minutes until the break.
The Tigers flipped the script and pulled off an 18-4 run over seven minutes down the stretch of the half to lead by a game-high 11 points. McLean nailed a shot from beyond the arc as the horn sounded to make Princeton's halftime lead 41-33. The senior guard had 12 points at the break.
Princeton controlled momentum to start the final half but the Lions would trim down the lead to five with 10:42 to play. Down 52-40, Jake Tavroff flushed a one-handed slam dunk followed by a Blair Thompson and a Rubio De La Rosa three-pointer.
Columbia tried to hang around later on but fell down by as many as 16 in the final minutes of the game. The Tigers closed out the game and were a perfect 15-15 from the free throw line.
The Lions head to The Palestra Saturday night to take on Penn in the final road game of the regular season.
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.
Columbia's leading scorer Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa had 17 of his 19 points in the second half. It was his 18th double-figures scoring performance of the season. The junior guard went 4-9 from three-point range. All six scorers for Princeton (22-3, 10-2) finished with double-figures. Caden Pierce had a team-high 19 points as the Tigers moved to 11-0 at home this season.
Zavian McLean added 14 points while Josh Odunowo chipped in 10 for Columbia (13-12, 4-8). Blair Thompson finished just shy of a double-double, posting eight points and eight rebounds. Columbia held a 34-25 advantage on the glass.
McLean dropped seven of Columbia's 11 points in the first six minutes of the game. The Lions led by as much as five during that stretch and took an 11-7 lead into the first media timeout of the night. Princeton started 3-13 shooting from the floor.
Columbia then expanded its lead to nine after Jaden Cooper drilled back-to-back three-pointers to give the Lions a 21-12 advantage with 10:20 left in the first half. The Lions made 10 of their first 20 shots 12 minutes in.
Princeton erased the Lions' lead with a Caden Pierce triple to tie it at 23-23 a few minutes later. The Tigers would eventually take their first lead since the opening minute of the game on a Matt Allocco three-pointer with just under five minutes until the break.
The Tigers flipped the script and pulled off an 18-4 run over seven minutes down the stretch of the half to lead by a game-high 11 points. McLean nailed a shot from beyond the arc as the horn sounded to make Princeton's halftime lead 41-33. The senior guard had 12 points at the break.
Princeton controlled momentum to start the final half but the Lions would trim down the lead to five with 10:42 to play. Down 52-40, Jake Tavroff flushed a one-handed slam dunk followed by a Blair Thompson and a Rubio De La Rosa three-pointer.
Columbia tried to hang around later on but fell down by as many as 16 in the final minutes of the game. The Tigers closed out the game and were a perfect 15-15 from the free throw line.
The Lions head to The Palestra Saturday night to take on Penn in the final road game of the regular season.
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
PU
FG%
.482
.483
3FG%
.393
.394
FT%
.556
1.000
RB
34
25
TO
15
6
STL
5
8
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
3
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
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/ Men's BasketballG
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F/C
/ Men's Basketball
F
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