Monday was a night men’s basketball would like to forget.

Hoping to halt a two-game losing streak, the Lions (2-5, 0-0 Ivy) were instead trampled by Lafayette College (2-4), shooting only 28.3 percent from the floor in a 73-50 home defeat.

“Today, nothing went right,” head coach Jim Engles said. “We didn’t make any shots. We just turned the ball over. … There’s really not a lot to get out of this [game].”

The Lions fell in a quick 12-4 hole, a situation they have been in nearly every game this season. They soon fought back, though, as sophomore forward Josh Odunowu gave the Light Blue offense a sudden jolt with two successful post ups.

With just under 11 minutes left in the first half, junior guard Cameron Shockley-Okeke received a pass from junior forward Patrick Harding off a backdoor cut and tied the game up at 14. However, Shockley-Okeke’s layup would be the last time the Lions would score for nearly 6 minutes. Lafayette went on a scoring tear, sparked by guard Devin Hines’ three-point play and a turnover and foul by postgraduate Luke Bolster. Three-pointers by Lafayette forward Kyle Jenkins, guard Leo O’Boyle, and guard Eric Sondberg, along with easy layups by guard Tyrone Perry and forward Tomas Verbinskis, sent the Leopards on a vicious 18-0 run.

Columbia’s scoring drought ended when first-year guard Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa sank two free throws with 5 minutes remaining in the first half, but the Lions’ prospects did not improve as they entered the intermission down by 20 points.

The Leopards went cold to open up the second half, missing their first eight attempts from the field. However, the Light Blue did not take advantage of Lafayette’s mistakes, only coming within 12 points after sophomore forward Liam Murphy and first-year forward Noah Robledo each knocked down a triple.

Unforced turnovers by first-year guard Jaden Cooper and sophomore guard Zavian McClean coupled with hot shooting by the Leopards boosted Lafayette to a 58-34 lead with just over 9 minutes remaining in the contest. The Light Blue rallied, scoring 8 points straight to cut the lead to 16, but Lafayette rapidly shut down any possibility of a comeback by the Lions reminiscent of their victory against Binghamton. The Leopards went on a 12-3 run to seal the deal.

The Light Blue’s night was marked by its abysmal shooting from the field. The Lions converted on only 28.3 percent of their field goal attempts, their worst mark since their 28.6 percent performance against the University of Virginia in 2019.

Lafayette did not shoot the lights out, either, making just 38.6 percent of its attempts from the field. However, the Leopards’ 10 three-pointers far outpaced the Lions’ four, and Lafayette committed only eight turnovers compared to Columbia’s 14.

Despite missing eight more field goals and two more free throws than Lafayette, the Light Blue won the rebounding battle 43-40, in no small part because of Harding’s 12 boards, five of which came on the offensive end. Harding also finished the day with 7 points.

The Lions’ offense was stymied by Lafayette’s drop coverage scheme on the defensive end. Seven-foot forward Neal Quinn and 6-foot-10 forward Chris Rubayo stayed in the paint when Columbia went to the pick and roll, using their length to disrupt shots. As a result, Rubio De La Rosa made 3 of 16 shots, failing to get clean looks at the rim.

“Lehigh did the same exact thing. We learned from it,” Engles said of the drop coverage. “[Boston College] did the same exact thing. We got better at it. … We learned, we learned, we learned, and then nothing went right.”

Lafayette enjoyed a balanced scoring attack as four players scored in the double digits. Perry led the way with 14 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Guard CJ Fulton also had a strong all-around performance, notching 11 points, six boards, six assists, and three takeaways.

With the loss, the Lions dropped to 2-5 on the season, with their only wins coming against Binghamton and Division III opponent College of Mount Saint Vincent. The defeat is also Columbia’s largest this season. The Light Blue will have two more chances this week to get closer to an even record, which Harding is looking forward to.

“I think it’s cool that we play two more games this week, so that you get that taste out of your mouth and you don’t have to wait four or five days to play,” he said.

The Lions will vie for a third win on Wednesday as they face off against University of Maryland, Baltimore County on the road. UMBC is fresh off a 87-77 win against a Power 5 team in the University of Pittsburgh. The game will be televised on ESPN+ at 7 p.m.