After an impressive win over Wagner, in which Columbia (3-5) put out it’s highest offensive output of the young season—79—the Lions head home, ending a seven-game road trip. Awaiting the Lions will be Lafayette (5-3), which is coming off a 90-79 loss to Rutgers on Wednesday.
During its contest against the Scarlet Knights, Lafayette was able to hold its own offensively. The Leopards shot 45.3 percent from the field, while shooting 43.5 percent from three-point range. They were led by the tandem of senior forward Everest Schmidt and junior guard Andrew Brown. Schmidt scored 14 points on 7-11 shooting, while grabbing five rebounds. However, Lafayette was unable to stop Rutgers down low, as JR Inman scored 26 points.
Prior to the tough loss, Lafayette had won four straight, including an 81-69 victory over Penn. The Leopards had six players score in double figures, and again, were led by Brown. The junior scored a team-high 15 points on 5-10 shooting, including four three-pointers. The Leopards also got strong contribution from Michael Gruner, who scored 13 points and had four assists. Against the Quakers, Lafayette attempted 28 three-pointers, hitting 11 of them.
As evident in the two games against Rutgers and Penn, Lafayette is led by Brown. Another strong contributor has been Bilal Abdullah. Abdullah is averaging 13.3 points per contest, while starting in only half of the Leopard’s contests. He is second on the team in minutes played, averaging 27.5 per contest, and rebounds, with 4.9. The senior guard is shooting 40.6 percent from beyond the three-point line, and 45.6 percent overall from the field.
Brown, however, will continue to be the focal point of the Lafayette offense—especially from the perimeter. The 5-foot-11 guard is leading the team in points per game with 15.8, three-point field goal percentage with 44.6 percent, and assists with 2.9. The Lions will look to throw a combination of Brett Loscalzo and Niko Scott at him to stop him behind the arc. Columbia must not allow Brown any open looks from beyond the three-point line as he will tear up the Lions.
As a team, the Leopards are the mirror opposite of the Lions. While Columbia’s staunch defense, which only allows 64.2 points per game and opponents to shoot 41.1 percent from the field, and interior play has lead the Lions to three wins, Lafayette’s success comes from the offensive fire power of its guards. Lafayette averages 79.6 points per contest, while shooting 46 percent from the field, and an impressive 42.4 percent from three-point range. Columbia must contain the Leopards from behind the three-point line, and force them to go inside against the Lions’ bigger front court.
In last year’s contest against Lafayette, the Lions stifled the Leopards, en route to a 75-58 win in Easton, Penn. John Baumann dominated the post, scoring 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while grabbing seven rebounds. Then-freshman guard Patrick Foley also had a big impact, scoring 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting. However, Foley may not be in uniform for this year’s matchup, as he continues to rest because of a shoulder injury. Columbia had success on both ends of the court, forcing Lafayette to shoot only 38.3 percent from the field, while the Lions shot 62.2 percent for the game. Granted, Lafayette has a much different lineup this campaign, starting only Adbullah and Matt Bentley from last season’s contest.
For the Lions to build on the Wagner win and move to 4-5, they must stick to the same game plan as they did last year against the Leopards. Columbia must contain Lafayette’s potent three-point offense, while being able to dictate the offensive pace through an inside-outside combination.
Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday at Levien Gymnasium.