12 December, 2006
by Ryan Rissmiller
| |
1st |
2nd |
Final |
| Columbia (7-3) |
35 |
40 |
75 |
| Lafayette (4-7) |
30 |
28 |
58 |
| Kirby Sports Center – Easton, PA |
Boxscore |
| |
|
Off the bench with a season high 17 points, freshman Patrick Foley went 6-of-8 from the field and junior forward John Baumann added 21 points and 7 rebounds, both game highs. Columbia scored from all over the floor, shooting a Lion season high 62.2 percent from the field for the game.
The only lead Lafayette could muster was a 4-3 early game lead before Columbia took control — never losing the lead thereafter and leading by as much as 21 points. Although the Leopards had chances early they could not capitalize, shooting only 38.3 percent from the field for the game. With inconsistent play from the backcourt, small forward Matt Betley once again led the Leopards with 13 points. The sole bright spot was a Halftime score of 35-30, a score which capped off a 15-4 Lafayette run – the closest it would be all game, with Columbia coming out with a strong second half to secure the win. Controlling the pace the whole game, Columbia moved the ball and took advantage of easy shots and open jumpers.
|
| Â |
| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
Joe Jones’s Lions to came out gunning in the second half, going on a 15-5 run in the opening 7 minutes. Three straight Lafayette turnovers and sloppy play which included 6 fouls during that stretch enabled Columbia to get points off transitions and from the foul line as well. Also, three-pointers came from Niko Scott and Brett Loscalzo.
|
| Key sign it was over |
Lafayette couldn’t recover from the quick blow delivered to start the second half. Whenever they could make a shot, which wasn’t often, Columbia would have an immediate response. The Lions pounded the ball down low and kicked out for jump shots with ease, enabling them to win because of dominate down low play which included a 34–21 rebound advantage.
|
| Key performance |
John Baumann and Patrick Foley. With fellow 6-8 big man Ben Nwachkwu receiving the most of Lafayette attention, only scoring 9 points, Baumann stepped up and produced a dominating 21-point performance which included hard slams, with 8 of his 9 field goals coming from inside the paint. The ninth field goal was a three-pointer. Foley added a solid supporting 17 points, going 6-of-8 from the field and 4-of-5 from the foul line. His play was fundamental in opening up Baumann inside as Lafayette could not rotate in time to stop easy open looks.
|
| Key statistic |
Columbia shot 62.2 percent from the field for the game, marking their season high as they eclipsed their previous high of 56 percent against Long Island University. High percentage shots and inside looks where plentiful for the Lions, as they took advantage of their size inside and quickness around the perimeter.
|
| |
| Â |
| Notes |
| – |
Although getting good looks and some open shots early, Lafayette’s shots were rimming out with regularity. The lack of an inside presence put them in a hole as they kept trying to shoot their way out, which was not a good solution. Columbia’s transition game caught the Leopards sleeping at times as well.
|
| |
| – |
Lafayette still leads the all-time series against Columbia with a mark of 25-12. They have split the previous two years.
|
| |
| – |
This is Lafayette’s 2nd and final meeting with an Ivy League team this year. They lost both, falling to Princeton 42-40 on Nov. 28.
|
| |
| – |
The Leopards and Lions both posted wins against common opponents Wagner and NJIT. Columbia will be back to the Lehigh Valley in the new year with a Jan. 2 match-up in with Lehigh.
|
| |
| – |
Both schools break for finals – Columbia comes back playing St John December 23rd in Queens. Lafayette will welcome in their second Division-III school of the year next Wednesday when King’s College comes in.
|
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
