At the beginning of the season, Joe Jones emphasized that an improved perimeter defense would allow the Lions to contend for an Ivy League title, and improve on last season’s 16-12 overall record.
“I think that [defense] is a very major concern for us,” coach Jones said. “We finished fifth in defensive field goal percentage. We definitely have hopes of finishing in the top of the League this year, so we have to improve in that area.”
But after one game, the same problem is still glaring—defense. In the season-opener against Fordham, the Lions allowed the Rams to score 79 points, nearly 15 points above last season’s average, on 56.5 percent shooting, including 11 of 21
three-pointers. While Columbia’s defense was able to force nine Fordham turnovers, a combination of good perimeter shooting and 25 Fordham points off 16 Columbia turnovers hurt the Lions significantly.
Even when the Lions were stout defensively, the Rams were able to find ways to score. Columbia would often contain Fordham for 30 seconds on the 35-second shot clock, but were hurt by the Rams’ good perimeter shooters and a few lucky shots.
“They hit a lot of big shots, a lot at the end of the shot clock,” senior guard Brett Loscalzo said. “I mean that was kind of discouraging. We would play good defense, and then they’d bank a three in at the end.”
Further, because of Fordham’s ability to run their offense crisply, the Rams were able to exploit the Lions’ defense. Coming back with four starters from a year ago, Fordham’s perimeter players, in particular, were able to hit open shots.
“I think we did a great job of contesting shots. I thought they had some rhythm touches,” Jones said. “But, they’re good. They have some guys who can score it inside. They have guards that can put it on the floor and make plays.”
To combat the Fordham offensive game, the Lions continued to switch from a 2-3 zone into man-to-man defense, depending on the personnel that they had in the game. When they went with a smaller lineup, replacing Ben Nwachukwu with Joe Bova, to counteract the Rams’ athleticism, the Lions went into a 2-3 zone. But with Nwachukwu on the court, the Lions felt comfortable playing man.
This, at times, appeared to confuse Fordham offensively. But it seemed that the Lions were unable to switch their defenses quickly enough to coerce the Rams into a poor shooting night.
While the Lions will not face a team nearly as athletic or one that can shoot the ball that well from the perimeter, Columbia must pick up its defense. Whether it’s confusing teams by alternating between zone and man, or even full-court pressing, something must happen for the Lions to achieve one of Jones’ goals—allowing the lowest field-goal percentage in the Ivy League.