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1st |
2nd |
Final |
| Columbia (7-8) |
26 |
38 |
64 |
| NJIT (0-18) |
15 |
37 |
52 |
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| Fleisher Athletic Center – Newark, NJ |
Boxscore |
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| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
Near the midway point of the first half, Columbia was clinging to an 11-7 lead, but NJIT wouldn’t score for nearly five minutes, during which time the Lion offense got untracked. Kevin Bulger put Columbia up seven with a three-pointer at the 10:16 mark, then Niko Scott was fouled shooting a three and converted all three free throws for a double-digit advantage. Bulger then tipped in Ben Nwachukwu’s missed jumper, and Kashif Sweet capped off an 11-0 Lion run with a conventional three-point play off a fastbreak.
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| Key sign it was over |
Kraig Peters’s three-pointer made it 51-40 in Columbia’s favor with just over four minutes to play. Brett Loscalzo only could get one of two at the line, but NJIT couldn’t capitalize, as Paulis Skema missed a jumper and Joe Bova scored inside. After an offensive foul on Peters, John Baumann’s layup made it a 56-40 game with 2:39 remaining, and way the Highlanders were shooting the ball, the Lions were on their way to the win.
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| Key performance |
Niko Scott tied for high-scoring honors with 15 points for the Lions. Scott was cold from the outside, hitting just 1 of 7 from three, but was 6 of 7 at the line, and added four rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes.
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| Key statistic |
Columbia shot a chilly 8 of 23 (34.8 percent) from the field in the first half, but NJIT made that look downright efficient at a frigid 2 of 20 (10.0 percent), as the Lions built up an 11-point halftime lead.
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| Notes
– Mack Montgomery was the only other double-digit scorer for Columbia, finishing with 11 points.
– Peters led NJIT with 15 points largely on the strength of 9-for-10 free throw shooting — not his 2-of-14 field goal shooting — while Nesho Milosevic had 10.
– The Lions only had two fewer turnovers (20) than the Highlanders (22), but had a big 21-9 edge in points off turnovers.
– Columbia scored 1:19 into the game and it was never tied after that, and NJIT never enjoyed a lead.
– The Highlanders made good use of the free throw line, attempting 32 free throws to 24 for Columbia, and outscoring their guests 22-19 from the stripe.
– Columbia opens league play at Cornell on Saturday, January 19, at 3:00 pm ET.
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