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Josh Odunowo at Penn
Columbia University Athletics / Matt Rostkowski
72
Columbia CU 13-13,4-9 Ivy League
84
Winner Penn Penn 11-17,3-10 Ivy League
Columbia CU
13-13,4-9 Ivy League
72
Final
84
Penn Penn
11-17,3-10 Ivy League
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Columbia CU 34 38 72
Penn Penn 46 38 84

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Drops Final Road Game of Season at Penn

Lions unable to fight back from 12-point deficit at the half

PHILADELPHIA — Columbia men's basketball dropped an 84-72 contest Saturday evening to Penn at The Palestra in the Lions' final road matchup of the season.

Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa led Columbia (13-13, 4-9) with 15 points, followed by Zavian McLean (14 points) and Blair Thompson (13 points). All but one Lion to appear in the game cracked the scoresheet. Penn center Nick Spinoso poured in a game-high 23 points on 11-18 shooting. 

Columbia jumped out to an early 8-2 lead thanks to Josh Odunowo starting his night 3-3 shooting in the first 5:30 of the game. Penn (11-17, 3-10) then went on a 6-0 run within a minute and took a 17-15 lead into the under-12 media timeout.

Odunowo, Thompson, and Rubio De La Rosa started a combined 8-8 from the field and guided the Lions to a 25-22 lead with 7:09 to go in the opening half. The Lions held their final lead of the game with 5:23 left in the first half. Columbia would then go on dry spell shooting, posting an 0-5 mark for roughly the next four minutes. 

The Quakers would benefit from the drought, earning a 34-28 lead with 3:03 before the break and forcing the Lions to use their first timeout of the evening. Clark Slajchert went on a tear, draining six-straight shots to have 18 points at the half and gave Penn a 46-34 lead at the half. The Quakers finished the last 5:50 of the first half on a 22-7 run.

Columbia couldn't overcome the deficit early in the second half. The teams traded baskets in the first five minutes out of the break and Penn still held a respectable 57-48 lead.

Penn garnered another double-digit lead in the final half when the Quakers went up 68-57 with 8:27 to play. The Quakers maintained the double-figure margin all the way to the end of the game. Columbia shot 44.1 percent compared to Penn's 55.6 percent mark.

Columbia hosts Cornell next Saturday for Senior Day and the season finale from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium. Tip is set for 2 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN+.

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For the latest on Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, or on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
 
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