The Columbia men's basketball team's bus arrived at the Palestra shortly after seven for the seven o'clock tipoff Friday night. After a first half -- which began at 7:45 p.m. -- that at times appeared to be a comedy of errors, coach Armond Hill might have wondered why they fought through the traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike at all.
"Anything that can go wrong this year just keeps going wrong," Hill said.
Columbia (2-24, 0-12 Ivy League) had 16 turnovers against just 15 points in the first half on its way to a 63-39 loss to Penn (20-5, 12-0). Brown defeated Dartmouth as well, meaning that Penn still needs to win one more game, or have the Bears fall in their final Ivy game against Harvard to clinch an NCAA Tournament berth.
Penn started off strong, jumping to a 16-4 lead just six minutes into the game behind five points apiece by Jeff Schiffner and Koko Archibong.
With Penn leading 19-6, Columbia's futility reached epic proportions. The Lions turned the ball over on five consecutive possessions at one point, giving them a total of 10 in the first 10 minutes of the game.
Ugonna Onyekwe had his way in the post for much of the game against Columbia center Chris Weideman. The Lions senior gave Penn trouble in the first game with 14 points and 11 boards but was held in check with a very quiet 11 points Friday.
Onyekwe finished with 14 despite sitting out much of the second half, which basically amounted to an extended garbage time. Archibong's speed down low also gave Columbia fits, as he shot 6-for-7 from the field and had 13.
But it was Columbia's offensive futility that was the most overwhelming factor in its defeat. The Lions finished the game with 25 turnovers contrasted against just 13 field goals. Also stunning were the two airballed free-throws by Marco McCottry.
With Penn leading comfortably throughout, coach Fran Dunphy inserted little-used seniors Duane King and Andrew Coats with 13:43 and 9:09 remaining in the second half. King's breakaway dunk drew by far the largest roar from the Palestra faithful during an otherwise dreary second half that was dominated by whistles and turnovers.
Senior guard Andrew Toole, who has been battling various injuries all season, rebounded a missed free-throw with fifteen minutes remaining and came down awkwardly on his ankle. Toole limped off the court and would not return.
"He's been banged up most of the year with nicks and bruises and this is another one," Dunphy said. "We'll see how he plays tomorrow."
Tomorrow the Quakers have a chance to clinch a spot in the tournament with a win over Cornell, who Penn defeated in Ithaca, N.Y., earlier this season by a 70-67 margin. Should Penn lose and Brown win, Penn would need to defeat Princeton on Tuesday night in Princeton to avoid a playoff game against Brown.
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