After jumping out with a 21-9 lead after 7 minutes and 32 seconds, the Columbia men’s basketball team was able to overcome a brief Delaware State first-half run and a poor shooting night to defeat the Hornets, 47-41, in the opening round of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Ohio State University’s Value City Arena.

Columbia was led by the trio of forward John Baumann, guard Patrick Foley, and forward Joe Bova. Baumann scored 21 of the Lions’ 48 points on 7-of-12 shooting, while grabbing five rebounds. He also helped contain one of Delaware State’s and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s best players, Roy Bright, to only eight points on 2-of-10 shooting. Foley and Bova together totaled 21 points, while Bova led the Lions in rebounds, grabbing six.

After 3:19, the Lions already led 8-0 behind three Foley jumpers. After extending the lead to 21-9, Columbia saw Delaware State go on a 10-2 run over an 11-minute stretch to tighten the score to 23-19. Despite shooting barely over 40 percent from the field in the first half, the Lions still held a 25-19 lead going into the locker room.

In the first half, only three Lions, Baumann, Bova and Foley, scored. Yet, because of Columbia’s ability to hold Delaware State to 19 points—and just under 30 percent from the field—the Lions were able to maintain a six-point lead, despite an almost 12-minute scoring drought midway through the first half.

The offensive ineptitude continued at the beginning of the second half, as neither team was able to alter the scoreboard until 4:09 had elapsed, when Baumann hit a two-point bucket. The Light Blue scored the first seven points of the second half to extend its lead to 14. It never relinquished the lead, allowing the Hornets to come within five points only once, with 1:37 remaining. The Lions iced the game with one free throw from Baumann and two more from Foley.

The offense struggled again in the second half, as the Lions shot only 29 percent and scored only 22 points. However, this lack of production was due in part to Delaware State’s methodical, Princeton-style offense, which resulted in fewer offensive possessions for the Lions.

While the offense was checked for the most part, Columbia’s defense stepped up and held Delaware State to 41 total points on 31.7 percent shooting, while forcing 13 turnovers. Since Delaware State is a relatively inexperienced team, the Lions were able to put pressure on the younger Hornets and force them into poor shots.

Awaiting the Lions in the final round of the NIT Season Tip-Off in the Ohio State region will be host school Ohio State, which is coming off a dominant win against University of Wisconsin, Green Bay. The Ohio State Buckeyes finished as runners-up in the NCAA championship last season, but lost four of their starters, including NBA first-round picks Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Jr, and Daequan Cook.

The Buckeyes did retain Jamar Butler, who averaged 8.5 points and 3.6 assists per game last season, and will be starting at point guard for head coach Thad Matta’s squad. Ohio State brought in a top-10 recruiting class, featuring 7-foot center Kosta Koufos, a scoreboard powerhouse from inside and outside of the paint.

For the Lions to be competitive against the Buckeyes, they must be able to hit shots and play a crisp offensive game, as Wisconsin was able to do in the first half. This will be a huge test for Columbia, as they take on a top-25-talent squad on the road.
The game begins at 9:00 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN.

The reporter of this article can be reached at sports@columbiaspectator.com.