Monday, January 5
Ithaca, N.Y.
5:00 P.M.
Columbia University
12-3,1-0Ivy League
104
at
99
Cornell
7-7,0-1Ivy League
1
2
F
Columbia
56
48
104
Cornell
56
43
99
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Matt Rostkowski
Men’s Basketball Outlasts Cornell to Win Ivy Opener, 104-99
1/5/2026 8:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Thompson and Noland come up big with 20-point performances; Lions win at Cornell for first time since 2017
ITHACA, N.Y. — Columbia men's basketball erased a nine-point second half deficit to earn a 104-99 victory at Cornell in the teams' Ivy League opener on Monday night at Newman Arena.
Columbia (12-3, 1-0) was down 74-65 with 10:19 to play. After trimming it to a three-point game, the Lions raced in front on a three-pointer from Blair Thompson and a fast break layup from Kenny Noland to lead 78-76 with 7:13 to go.
Shortly after, Columbia's 10-0 run broke open an 88-78 lead with 5:23 left in the game. Cornell (7-7, 0-1) cut it back down to four with 2:40 left, but Columbia held on down the stretch.
With 34 seconds to play, Noland recorded his 1,000th career point with a made free throw that helped seal the win. Noland is the 31st Lion in program history to hit 1,000 career points. The senior guard finished with 23 points.
Thompson poured in a career-best and game-high 26 points. Hampton Sanders scored all of his 17 points in the first half on perfect marks from the field and free throw line. Ryan Soulis had six rebounds and six assists, while Miles Franklin posted 13 points and seven boards.
A fast start for Columbia had the Lions leading, 11-4, after Thompson hit a three 2:36 into the game. Cornell shortly stormed back with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 19-19 less than four minutes later.
Cornell's second 7-0 spurt of the night forced Columbia to call its first timeout as the Big Red led 28-24 with 9:16 until the break.
The Lions pulled back in front at 44-43 at the under-four media timeout when Sanders cashed in on his second and-one finish and Columbia's third of the half.
The high-scoring first half concluded with a Sanders triple with three seconds left to knot the score at 56-56 heading into halftime. Columbia shot 66.7 percent from the field (18-27) and was 14-14 from the charity stripe in the first half.
A 3-13 shooting start in the second half saw Columbia fall behind 69-62 with 13:39 to play.
Columbia hosts Harvard on Saturday in the Lions' conference home opener. Tip-off from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium is set for 2 p.m.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on X and Instagram, search Columbia men's basketball on Facebook, or follow on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Columbia (12-3, 1-0) was down 74-65 with 10:19 to play. After trimming it to a three-point game, the Lions raced in front on a three-pointer from Blair Thompson and a fast break layup from Kenny Noland to lead 78-76 with 7:13 to go.
Shortly after, Columbia's 10-0 run broke open an 88-78 lead with 5:23 left in the game. Cornell (7-7, 0-1) cut it back down to four with 2:40 left, but Columbia held on down the stretch.
With 34 seconds to play, Noland recorded his 1,000th career point with a made free throw that helped seal the win. Noland is the 31st Lion in program history to hit 1,000 career points. The senior guard finished with 23 points.
Thompson poured in a career-best and game-high 26 points. Hampton Sanders scored all of his 17 points in the first half on perfect marks from the field and free throw line. Ryan Soulis had six rebounds and six assists, while Miles Franklin posted 13 points and seven boards.
A fast start for Columbia had the Lions leading, 11-4, after Thompson hit a three 2:36 into the game. Cornell shortly stormed back with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 19-19 less than four minutes later.
Cornell's second 7-0 spurt of the night forced Columbia to call its first timeout as the Big Red led 28-24 with 9:16 until the break.
The Lions pulled back in front at 44-43 at the under-four media timeout when Sanders cashed in on his second and-one finish and Columbia's third of the half.
The high-scoring first half concluded with a Sanders triple with three seconds left to knot the score at 56-56 heading into halftime. Columbia shot 66.7 percent from the field (18-27) and was 14-14 from the charity stripe in the first half.
A 3-13 shooting start in the second half saw Columbia fall behind 69-62 with 13:39 to play.
Columbia hosts Harvard on Saturday in the Lions' conference home opener. Tip-off from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium is set for 2 p.m.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on X and Instagram, search Columbia men's basketball on Facebook, or follow on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Team Stats
CU
CU
FG%
.550
.440
3FG%
.435
.455
FT%
.848
.900
RB
35
34
TO
16
12
STL
5
7
Game Leaders
Pts
26
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
12
Pts
23
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballHighlights: MBK | Columbia 104, Cornell 99
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