NEW YORK, N.Y. — Columbia flipped the game in the second half Monday night, using stronger defensive pressure, rebounding and timely three-point shooting to beat Stonehill 75-55 at Levien Gymnasium. The Lions trailed 36-34 at halftime before outscoring the Skyhawks 41-19 over the final 20 minutes.
Early on, the two teams were feeling each other out. Columbia tried to create offense with shooters coming off screens, touches to the big men in the post and extra passes to the open man. Stonehill looked to attack through pick-and-roll actions, finding cutters toward the basket and shooters in the corners. Both teams opened in man-to-man defense, but the Skyhawks switched to a 2-3 zone at the 16:22 mark of the first half, an adjustment that slowed Columbia’s rhythm.
Stonehill took advantage of its early opportunities, shooting 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three in the first half. The Skyhawks pushed their lead to 27-16 with 7:10 remaining. Felipe Patino was a major part of that stretch. The junior guard scored 12 first-half points, knocking down corner threes and cutting to the basket when the defense lost track of him.
Columbia kept fighting to get back into the game. Gerard O’Keefe was comfortable shooting off screens and helped the Lions make a late push. Gabe Hornberger also hit back-to-back three-pointers to briefly give Columbia a 34-31 advantage. However, Ewan Steele answered with a buzzer-beating three that sent Stonehill into halftime ahead by two.
Coming out of the locker room, neither team could get much going offensively. The first 4:22 of the half went scoreless before O’Keefe connected from deep, and the Lions started to settle in. Columbia made its biggest difference on the defensive end, where its physicality and pressure disrupted Stonehill’s ball handlers and kept the Skyhawks from getting the same clean looks they had in the first half.
Columbia started sending double teams toward Stonehill’s guards around the 12:30 mark, then returned to man-to-man around 11:50. Stonehill stayed in its zone looks before shifting from a 2-3 to a 3-2 around 8:15. But the Lions continued to find ways to score, while Columbia’s big men controlled important rebounding possessions.
Hampton Sanders provided a spark off the bench with timely shooting and good decisions moving the ball. He finished with 14 points, four assists and three steals, hitting four three-pointers. Josiah Cunningham added 12 points off the bench, and Connor Igoe finished with nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Columbia held a 45-35 edge on the glass and converted Stonehill’s 14 turnovers into 16 points.
O’Keefe closed the game with authority. Over a stretch late in the second half, he scored three straight Columbia baskets, including a transition three, to help stretch the lead to 70-49. He finished with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. His movement without the ball and confidence as a catch-and-shoot threat stood out throughout the night.
Patino finished with a team-high 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including three three-pointers, but Stonehill could not maintain its earlier offensive production. The Skyhawks shot just 25 percent in the second half and made only two of 13 three-point attempts after the break. Columbia, meanwhile, made 14 threes overall and held Stonehill to 19 second-half points.
The biggest takeaway was Columbia’s ability to change the game defensively. Stonehill had the better offensive flow early, but the Lions adjusted, won the rebounding battle and leaned on their shooters to turn a halftime deficit into a convincing win.
This article was written by Jarrett Pinckney of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Instagram, or on twitter. We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.
