Men’s Basketball’s Dominant Second Half Pushes Lions Past Brown, 80-62

Friday, February 27

New York, N.Y.

7:00 P.M.

Columbia

16-10,5-7Ivy League

Brown

9-16,3-9Ivy League

Brown

Columbia

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Lem Photography

Men’s Basketball’s Dominant Second Half Pushes Lions Past Brown, 80-62

2/27/2026 10:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Postgame: Igoe, Thompson, and Noland Postgame Press Conference Game Book Photo Gallery

The Lions outscored the Bears by 19 in the final 20 minutes

NEW YORK — Columbia men's basketball dominated in the second half to cruise past Brown, 80-62, Friday night from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium.

Kenny Noland led the Lions with 23 points and six assists, playing all but the final 15 seconds. Connor Igoe followed behind with a well-rounded performance of 15 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds. Blair Thompson finished with 17 points (13 in the second half) to go along with seven boards.

"I think we had some better shots in the second half than the first but not by much," head coach Kevin Hovde said in his postgame press conference. "I thought in the first half we missed some good ones but definitely had some cleaner looks in the second half. Just proud of our guys, they took advantage of what the defense was giving them."

The Lions (16-10, 5-7) hit 11-of-26 (.423) threes and shot 30-of-59 (.508) overall. Columbia combined for 22 assists on those 30 field goals. Brown's (9-16, 3-9) shooting cratered in the second half, finishing the game with 11-of-30 field goal shooting and 1-of-9 three-point shooting.

"We've had tight games all season and you learn to play together," Igoe said postgame on ESPN+. "We practice late-game situations all the time. You just have to grit your teeth. We have a great group of guys that are willing to grit their teeth."

Brown committed five turnovers over the first four minutes but had the edge on the glass, 8-1, over that span. The Bears led 5-2 at the first media timeout of the night.

The Bears' largest lead came after a 6-0 run put them up seven with 4:40 to play before the break, but Columbia rallied late thanks to 11 early points from Noland, who played all of the first 20 minutes. With 2.2 seconds left in the half, Noland inbounded the ball cross-court into Igoe's hands for a buzzer-beating three, leaving Brown with a slim 32-31 lead.

A 7-0 Lions run to kick off the half put Columbia briefly in front before Brown directly responded with a 11-0 run. Columbia gave them another 10-0 run as the Bears went five minutes without any made field goals. Igoe splashed a three with 8:36 to give the Lions their largest lead yet at 55-47.

Another 8-0 Lions run put the game too far out of reach for Brown. Columbia finished the second half having outscored Brown, 49-30. The Lions also took over the rebounding battle with a 22-10 advantage over the final period.

Columbia hosts Yale on Saturday night at 6 p.m. from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium. Before the game, seniors Avery Brown, Kenny Noland, Blair Thompson, and Zine Eddine Bedri will be recognized in a ceremony.

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