In the final weekend of athletic contests before a break for finals and the holidays, the Men’s Basketball team extended their winning streak to seven after beating LIU on Saturday. A streak of seven straight is nice for more than just alliteration, it prepares the Lions for tough Ivy League contests in the new year. The Lions also saw success in the pool this weekend, with the Women’s Swimming & Diving team breaking five Uris Pool records. Bwog hopes all the athletes enjoy this short break in action, giving them the chance to focus on that student part of being a student-athlete. Bwog’s chief sports enthusiast, Kevin Powers, reports.

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Men’s Basketball (7-4)

Latest Result: Lions win their seventh straight against Long Island University 63-53.

Highlights: Coming off of six straight wins and a stellar performance in LA, the Lions entered Saturday’s game against LIU with confidence. The game was slow to start but picked up quickly with the Blackbirds taking the lead for much of the first half. With eight minutes remaining in the half, LIU led by six, but the Lions rallied with a 12-1 run before the break. In the second half, the Lions extended their lead to 38-27 with 15 minutes remaining, causing the Blackbirds to pick up the defensive pressure with a full court trap. LIU was able to cut their deficit to four with 12 minutes left on the clock, but that would be the closest they would come. The Lions found success from behind the arc late in the half, sinking a number of three pointers to put them up by ten. Though strong defense was key throughout the game, John Daniels’ emphatic dunk with just over a minute remaining was the was the highlight of this hard fought contest. Daniels, along with Mark Cisco, tallied 12 points in the win, and the Lions collectively forced 23 LIU turnovers.

Upcoming Contest: The Lions take a much needed 18-day break for finals and the holidays, returning to action on 12/28 against Marist.

Women’s Basketball (1-9)

Latest Result: Women’s Basketball loses their fourth straight against LIU 50-58.

Highlights: The Lady Lions also faced LIU this weekend after a series of disappointing losses. The Lions fell behind early in the first has as the Blackbirds went on a 9-0 run to put them up 16-8, extending the lead to twelve with 10 minutes remaining. LIU continued their offensive success in the first half, entering the break ahead 38-23. In the second half, the Lions rallied quickly, cutting the deficit to eight midway through the half. The Lions picked up the defensive pressure as well, holding the Blackbirds scoreless in most of the half and allowing a 15-0 run by Columbia. Taylor Ward capped the run with a three pointer to claim the first lead of the game for the Lions, 39-38 with 9:31 left on the clock. The Blackbirds rallied, however, in the final minutes, pulling ahead to claim the win 58-50. Taylor Ward and Melissa Shafer led the Lions with 10 points a piece as the Lions fall to 1-9 on the season.

Men’s Swimming & Diving (2-2, 1-2 Ivy League)

Latest Result: Lions drop their second Ivy League contest to Harvard, 206-92.

Highlights: Coming off of a second place finish a the Big Al Invitation at Princeton, the Lions faced a strong Harvard team on Saturday. The Lions opened the meet with a solid performance in the diving, placing second and third in the 3m event. The Crimson remained on top throughout the meet, winning all but two events. Freshman Jeremie DeZwirek took the top spot in the 200 yard backstroke for the Lions, with fellow freshman Omar Arafa adding a win in the 100 back. The Lions watched three Uris Pool records fall during the meet, all claimed by Crimson freshman Chuck Katis.

Upcoming Contest: The Lions head to Bucknell to take on the Bison after the break on 1/15

Women’s Swimming & Diving (2-1, 2-1 Ivy League)

Latest Result: The Lions crush Penn 247-51 but fall to Harvard 143-157 in Tri-Meet*.

Highlights: The Lions had a historic meet on Saturday against Penn and Harvard, setting five Uris Pool records on the day. In the 200 yard medley relay, the team of Dorothy Baker, Mikalia Gaffey, Caroline Lukins, and Stella Zhao set a new Uris Pool record. The Lions set another pool record in the 200 freestyle, with freshman Salena Huang coming in a t a time of 1:48.95. Baker picked up her second pool record of the day in the 100 backstroke, a record set over twenty years ago. After the 100 back, Columbia led in both dual meets, but Harvard would come back quickly to reclaim the lead in that contest. The Lions ended the meet with another pool record in the 400 free relay, set by the squad of Gaffey, Huang, Katie Meili, and Zhao. Despite ten first place finishes, the Lions fell to the Crimson in the closest meet in history, 143-157.

Upcoming Contest: The Lions return after the break to take on Wagner on 1/3.

*In a double dual tri-meet, all three teams compete at once, but points are tallied as if there were three simultaneous dual meets happening at once. For example, if Columbia places second behind Harvard in an event, but ahead of Penn, CU is awarded points for a second place finish against Harvard, but a first place finish against Penn. Make sense?