Jan. 15, 2005

Box Score

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Columbia made 10 of 13 three-pointers (76.9 percent) en route to a 70-61 win over Cornell in the Ivy League opener for both teams. With the win, Columbia improved to 9-4, 1-0 Ivy, while Cornell dropped to 5-9, 0-1 Ivy.

Both teams started the game shooting well, but 17 turnovers between the two teams resulted in a gritty first half. Columbia led by seven with six minutes to play in the first, but the Big Red went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 27-27 with 3:21 on the clock. The teams traded baskets for the final two minutes, until Cornell got the ball with seven seconds remaining. After a Cornell timeout, Lenny Collins missed a layup, but five players tipped the ball three times, before Cody Toppert got it to fall, giving Cornell a 36-34 lead at the break,

Cornell opened up the second half with a 5-2 run, to take a five-point lead, 41-36 at 18:11, but Dalen Cuff (Palm Harbor, Fla.) cut that lead quickly with consecutive three-pointers after the 16-minute media time-out. Cuff's second three put the Lions up one, 42-41 with 14:40 left to play. A free throw by Eric Taylor knotted the game just seconds later, but a three by first-year Mack Montgomery (Clayton, N.C.), assisted by Cuff, started a 16-7 run over nine minutes that put Columbia up 12, 61-49 with 5:25 remaining. The Big Red would not get within seven for the rest of the game.

Columbia shot 53.5 percent from the floor (23-43) and out-rebounded Cornell 34-26. The Lions' 76.9 percent three-point shooting was one of the best single-game performances from behind the arc in recent years. On Feb. 7, 2004, they shot 14 of 21 (66.7%) vs. Brown.

Jeremiah Boswell (Jasper, Ga.) led Columbia with 14 points, while Preston added 12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 30 minutes of action. It was Preston's fifth career double-double, his third of this season. Brett Loscalzo (Ridgefield, Conn.) scored 11 points with one assist, one block and a career-high four steals. This was the Lions' first win vs. the Big Red since the 2000-01 season.

Cornell's Eric Taylor led all scorers with 15 points, while Toppert finished with 13.

Columbia returns to action on Monday, when the Lions travel to Annapolis to take on Navy in a 7 p.m. game.