Men's Basketball Drops Its First Two Games To Fordham And Marist

Upper West Side NY

15 November, 2021

11:54 AM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY MILES SCHACHNER NOVEMBER 14, 2021 Before the Lions took the floor in the Bronx on Tuesday night, the last time Columbia basketball played a game was March 7, 2020. Almost two years later, with two games in its opening week, Columbia's men's basketball sought to improve on 2019-20's disappointing end with a squad that is almost completely unrecognizable from the underachieving team from two years ago. Uneven play and hot-shooting opponents spoiled the return of head coach Jim Engles' Lions (0-2, 0-0 Ivy), who fell in both of their first two contests against Fordham (1-1) and Marist (1-1) 67-77 and 67-82, respectively. While scoring outbursts from young players provided bright spots, inconsistent performance and injuries cast a shadow over the squad's debut, particularly with the loss of senior forward and captain Ike Nweke. Tuesday night was also the first game this season for the Rams, who were looking to forget a 2-12 finish last year and start strong in their new head coach Kyle Neptune's first game. Guard Darius Quisenberry got the Rams off to a blistering start: He connected on six threes in the first half, boosting Fordham to a 16-point lead at the break. The Lions shot above 50 percent in the first half, and Nweke added 11 points in the period to lead the Light Blue. However, Columbia could not keep up with the Rams' offensive output—the whole Fordham team shot 11-22 on three-pointers in the first 20 minutes. "[Quisenberry] was playing out of his mind," Engles said. "They came out, and it seemed like they were shooting 90 percent. Every time they got the ball, loose ball, they made a three. So it was a tough 20 minutes." The Lions' young talent began to shine in the second half against the Rams, in which Columbia outscored Fordham by six points, although the team was ultimately unable to overcome the lead that the Rams held for the entire game. First-year guard Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa impressed in his collegiate debut, leading the Light Blue with 16 points on 6-14 shooting and four three-pointers. Sophomore forward Liam Murphy also contributed in his first minutes as a Lion, tallying 13 points on 6-10 shooting. "[It was] refreshing, definitely had a lot of fun. It was just great being with the whole team that has been together two years now for the most part and just battling and competing," Murphy said. "Obviously, we have a ton of stuff that we have to correct and work on, but it's definitely awesome being out there." The second half was the defensive peak of the week for the Lions, who held Fordham to just 26 percent shooting from the floor and only allowed one three-pointer while out-rebounding the Rams by two. Nonetheless, the roster's inexperience shone through against the Fordham squad, which capitalized on Columbia's 16 turnovers to score 20 points off turnovers throughout the game, while the Lions only added four points off the Rams' 10 turnovers. Engles recognized the drawbacks that come with such a young roster but was encouraged by his team's second-half effort. "I thought everybody gave us decent contributions when they were in there. I looked around at one lineup I had in there and it was basically five freshmen. The last game they played was in high school," Engles said. "The fact that we were able to compete and we never gave in, I thought we showed a lot of toughness and … we did show a lot of execution as we started to go along." Rubio De La Rosa was also excited by his team's play in the second half. "That was way better than the first half," he said. "If we play like that, we're going to win the Ivy League championship." While the second half was the strong point of Tuesday's game, Friday's home opener against Marist was the opposite. The Lions hung with the Red Foxes in the first half but struggled in the second period, allowing a tight game to slip away. Once again, a barrage of three-pointers from their opponent put the Lions in a hole, as the Red Foxes shot 52 percent from beyond the arc in Friday's matchup. With Nweke's absence—which appears to be due to a significant injury, given that the senior was on crutches and wearing a boot—a number of players took advantage of the open minutes in the frontcourt. Junior forward Patrick Harding capitalized on more opportunities in the post, adding 13 points on efficient 6-8 shooting. Perhaps most encouraging was the play of sophomore forward Josh Odunowo, who scored 14 points and notched five rebounds in 21 minutes, making the most of his time on the court after he played just two minutes in the loss to Fordham. Odunowo said that scoring is not the only way he tries to make an impact when he gets minutes. He described his role as "mostly just defensive rebounding [and] energy." "I've never really been a guy that's worried about scoring," Odunowo said, "because I felt like defense and rebounding leads to a lot of other stuff for my teammates, and it just helps put my team in the best position to win." Despite the promising development in the frontcourt, the Lions could not stop a balanced attack from the Red Foxes, who used an 18-4 run in the second half to break the game open. Six different Marist players ended the game in double digits, led by guards Raheim Sullivan and Ricardo Wright, who scored 17 and 16 points, respectively, and hit seven combined threes. The Red Foxes also succeeded in containing Rubio De La Rosa, limiting the explosive guard to five points on 2-7 shooting, though he added seven assists. For the Light Blue, the game against Marist was an important homecoming, as the Lions have not been cheered on by their own fans in almost two years. For Harding, a transfer from Bryant University, it was an unforgettable moment. "I always dreamed of playing here, and [it] was cool to finally get the opportunity," Harding said. "To finally have fans was a special moment." After two games, it is clear that this year's Lions have talent. Dynamic guard play from Rubio De La Rosa and strong debuts from Murphy, Harding, and Odunowo have all impressed Engles, who said that the challenge is now figuring out how to put the pieces together. "We're showing we have things that we can work with," Engles said. "It's just about building around the whole court." Deputy Sports Editor Miles Schachner can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @milesschachner. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.