Dec. 10, 2005
Box Score
NEW YORK, N.Y. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette rallied back from a 16-point deficit in the final five minutes, but a come-from-behind victory was not in the cards for the Leopards as the team dropped a 71-67 decision to Columbia on Saturday afternoon at Levien Gymnasium.
For the first time since Dec. 1, 2001, Lafayette fell to Columbia in New York City, but still own the all-time series 25-11.
Lafayette trailed nearly the entire game, but made things interesting late in the second stanza. The Leopards came out cold in the opening half, shooting just 27 percent (6-of-22) from the floor, but rebounded to shoot 52 percent (15-of-29) after the break.
Trailing 65-49, a jumper from senior guard Pat Betley opened an 11-0 run for the Leopards, whittling the deficit down to five, 65-60, with 2:48 remaining. Sophomore forward Ted Detmer stripped Columbia's Kaskif Sweet on the defensive end and pushed the ball up to classmate Bilal Abdullah for the layin to cap the spurt. Abdullah accounted for four points and a pair of steals in the run.
Unfortunately for the Lafayette, the rally came too late despite Columbia going 4-of-8 from the charity stripe in the final minute. Rookie Andrew Brown banked in a half-court shot to cut the final to 71-67, equaling the closest margin since the opening minutes.
Lafayette struggled against the Lions' frontcourt, as center Ben Nwachukwu and John Buamann combined for 29 points and 16 boards. Conversely, the Leopards were paced by the guard play of Abdullah and Brown, totaling 16 and 10 points, respectively.
Lafayette moved to 4-5 on the season, while Columbia improved to 6-2.
With finals week approaching, the Leopards return to action after a nine-day hiatus as the 'Pards host Dickinson on Dec. 20 at 7 p.m.
Game Notes:
-Lafayette came away with a season-high six blocked shots, as Detmer and Abdullah had a pair and junior Jamaal Hilliard and sophomore Everest Schmidt swatted one apiece.
-Columbia held Lafayette to 22 rebounds--the Leopards lowest total since the season-opener at St. Joe's. The Lions ripped down 46 behind Nwachukwu's 10 to complete the double-double. Hilliard brought down a team-high six for the Leopards.
-Lafayette trailed 28-20 at the half, generating the second fewest first-half points on the season. However, the team rebounded and finished the contest just 3.2 points below their season average of 70.2 ppg.
-Lafayette did not hit a three-point goal over the opening 20 minutes, but knocked down six after the break. Brown, Abdullah and sophomore guard Paul Cummins each hit a pair from the outside.
