NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Jimmy Boeheim scored 22 points and Matt Morgan added 21, but Columbia shot 71 percent from the field after halftime and watched a 3-pointer rim out the buzzer to hold off Cornell 73-70 on Saturday evening at Levien Gymnasium. The loss dropped Cornell to 9-9 (1-1 Ivy), while the Lions improved to 6-10 (1-1 Ivy).

Boeheim finished one point off his career high and Morgan hit double figures for the 69th consecutive game, matching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then Lew Alcindor, for 22nd-longest in NCAA history. Morgan added three rebounds and three assists in the loss. Josh Warren scored nine points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished four assists and had a block and a steal, while Steven Julian netted seven points with three rebounds and three steals. 

Columbia made 15 of its first 17 shots in the second half, built an 11-point lead and watched Cornell all but erase it entirely. Gabe Stefanini had 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Quinton Adlesh netted 21 points with three assists and Patrick Tape had 10 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Lions. Columbia held a 36-28 edge on the glass.

The defense kept Cornell in the game in the first half, while the offense struggled. In the second half, it was the other way around. The Big Red shot 56 percent in the final 20 minutes, but the Lions seemingly couldn't miss. Stefanini scored 18 points and Adlesh netted 14 after the break on a variety of pull-ups and drives. It was an 11-point game with 8:18 remaining after a Tape basket. It was still a double figure lead with 6:41 to play, but consecutive 3-pointers by Morgan and Boeheim immediately cut it back to four with more than five minutes remaining.

Cornell brought the deficit to one with 39 seconds left after a pair of Josh Warren free throws, then again with seven ticks remaining on a driving layup by Morgan. The Big Red was forced to foul Stefanini with 5.9 left, and the Lion guard drilled both shots to make it 73-70. With one last chance, Cornell inbounded to Riley Voss, who was able to squeeze off a 3-pointer that rimmed out at the final buzzer..

NEXT UP
• Cornell returns home for a pair of league games against perennial Ivy powers Penn (Friday, Feb. 1 at 5 p.m.) and Princeton (Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m.) at Newman Arena.
• The matchup with defending Ivy League champion Penn will be televised on ESPNU.