Friday, February 28
New York, N.Y.
7:00 P.M.
Columbia University
12-13,1-11Ivy League
68
vs
73
Princeton
18-9,7-5Ivy League
1
2
F
Princeton
37
36
73
Columbia
40
28
68
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Lem Photography
Men’s Basketball Comes Up Short to Princeton on Friday
2/28/2025 9:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Lions led at the half and took the Tigers down to the wire
NEW YORK — Columbia men's basketball lost a nail-biter to Princeton that ended 73-68 on Friday night inside a packed Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium.
Zine Eddine Bedri led the Lions with 16 points and five rebounds. Avery Brown and Kenny Noland each added 12 points. Blair Thompson grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
Princeton (18-9, 7-5) was led by Xaivian Lee, who recorded 21 points, nine rebounds, and five assists to lead the Tigers to victory.
Columbia (12-13, 1-11) spent 16:40 of the first half in the lead. The Lions strung together multiple runs en route to an early 10-point lead. With 6:21 left in the half, Princeton tied the game and briefly took the lead, but the Lions had a 40-37 advantage heading into the locker room. The Lions shot an efficient 17-of-31 (.548), but Princeton's seven threes to Columbia's two kept them neck-and-neck after 20 minutes.
The final frame had the crowd of 2,574 on the edge of their seats. Princeton led most of the way, but neither team was ever more than two possessions away from taking or losing the lead until the end. With 3:31 left in the game, the Tigers held a 60-59 lead and held on.
Heading into the final minute, Princeton was up two and had possession. After running out the clock, Princeton's Blake Peters scored a layup to extend that lead to four, forcing Columbia to call a timeout. Columbia missed a three coming out of the timeout, and Princeton made enough of their free throws to pull away with the victory.
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa returned to action and added seven points. Columbia hosts Penn on Saturday at 6 p.m. for Senior Night.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on X, Instagram or on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Zine Eddine Bedri led the Lions with 16 points and five rebounds. Avery Brown and Kenny Noland each added 12 points. Blair Thompson grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
Princeton (18-9, 7-5) was led by Xaivian Lee, who recorded 21 points, nine rebounds, and five assists to lead the Tigers to victory.
Columbia (12-13, 1-11) spent 16:40 of the first half in the lead. The Lions strung together multiple runs en route to an early 10-point lead. With 6:21 left in the half, Princeton tied the game and briefly took the lead, but the Lions had a 40-37 advantage heading into the locker room. The Lions shot an efficient 17-of-31 (.548), but Princeton's seven threes to Columbia's two kept them neck-and-neck after 20 minutes.
The final frame had the crowd of 2,574 on the edge of their seats. Princeton led most of the way, but neither team was ever more than two possessions away from taking or losing the lead until the end. With 3:31 left in the game, the Tigers held a 60-59 lead and held on.
Heading into the final minute, Princeton was up two and had possession. After running out the clock, Princeton's Blake Peters scored a layup to extend that lead to four, forcing Columbia to call a timeout. Columbia missed a three coming out of the timeout, and Princeton made enough of their free throws to pull away with the victory.
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa returned to action and added seven points. Columbia hosts Penn on Saturday at 6 p.m. for Senior Night.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on X, Instagram or on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Team Stats
PU
CU
FG%
.419
.455
3FG%
.370
.222
FT%
.846
.824
RB
34
35
TO
11
12
STL
8
4
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
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