NEW YORK – Columbia men’s basketball will play three games in four days when New Hampshire (Saturday, December 3 – 4 p.m.), Sarah Lawrence (Sunday, December 4 – 2 p.m.) and UMBC (Tuesday, December 6 – 7 p.m.) o’clock) are a host at the beginning Homestand with four games at the Schillerhof of the Levien-Gymnasium. All three competitions can be seen on ESPN+. Additionally, Saturday’s match against the Wildcats will be streamed live on SNY.
OPEN TIP OFF
• Columbia have lost three games in a row, including a 52-39 loss at Marist on Monday night. The Lions shot just 25 percent from the field but mostly stayed in contention due to a solid defensive performance. Marist shot just 35 percent and was 9-of-31 (29 percent) from 3-point range.
• Following this series of games, the Lions will conclude the fall semester with a home game against Fairleigh Dickinson on December 9th and a street game in Lafayette on December 12th.
NEWS/NOTES
STATUS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Wildcats have fallen four times in a row after a 66-61 setback against Sacred Heart on Wednesday night. Clarence Daniels had 10 points and 18 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Daniels leads the roster averaging 14.7 points and 10.3 rebounds.
WITHIN THE SERIES – NEW HAMPSHIRE
Columbia is 3-0 all time against the Wildcats. The schools have not met since the Lions’ 64-61 win at Levien Gym on January 17, 2006.
COLUMBIA VS THE AMERICA EAST
The Lions are 21-28 against teams currently in the America East Conference. This season, Columbia plays five opponents (UMass-Lowell, Binghamton, New Hampshire, UMBC, Maine) from the conference. Columbia has relinquished its first three competitions to UMass-Lowell and Maine and Binghamton. The Lions went 2-2 with America East Schools in 2021-22, surpassing Binghamton and Maine and falling at UAlbany and UMBC.
SARAH LAWRENCE’S STATUS
The Gryphons are 1-6 heading into a Friday night matchup with the Pratt Institute. Liam Barry is the team’s top scorer with 15.4 points per game. Justin Bailey averages a double-double with 14.4 points and 10.5 rebounds.
WITHIN THE SERIES – SARAH LAWRENCE
Columbia won the only preview meeting against Sarah Lawrence, an 87-42 decision on January 6, 2018.
WITHIN THE SERIES – UMBC
The Retrievers are 2-0 against the Lions in the series. Last year, UMBC rolled to a 98-60 triumph in Baltimore.
UMBC STATUS
The retrievers surpassed a Coppin State, 109-82, on Wednesday night and will face Lehigh on the road on Saturday before heading to Columbia on Tuesday. Colton Lawrence is UMBC’s top scorer with 16.6 points per game and 44.2 percent shot percentage from beyond the arc.
NOTHING BUT A GANGSTER THING
second grader Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa has stepped up his game lately, scoring double digits in each of the last four competitions. During that stretch, he averaged 15.3 points on 45.8 percent shots from 3-point range. During the season, he ranks among the Ivy League leaders for goals (14.2), rebounds (6.3), free throw percentage (89.7 percent), and steals (1.6).
BUY TICKETS FOR UPCOMING MATCHES
Tickets to all Columbia home games are available now and can be purchased by clicking here or by calling 888-LIONS-11.
THE IVY LEAGUE ON ESPN+
All Columbia home games and most Ivy League street competitions will be broadcast on ESPN+ as part of the Ivy League’s new partnership with ESPN. ESPN+ is a new subscription-based service that offers monthly ($4.99) and yearly ($49.99) plans. Click here to subscribe to ESPN+ and start your free trial! Click here for Ivy League FAQs on ESPN.
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