Riley Casey makes a move against Boston College.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams both played tight games this past Wednesday. Staff writer Abby Rubel explains the results of each matchup.

Men’s basketball loses by five points in overtime:

Men’s basketball (1-5) fell to University of Connecticut (5-2) 77-73 in a heartbreaking overtime loss. The Lions led with 2:36 left on the clock, thanks in part to a 25 point effort from junior Lukas Meisner and an 11 point lead going into halftime. The Huskies then came back in the second half, taking the lead for the first time since the opening seconds with 1:40 left in the game. Two free throws from sophomore Patrick Tapé gave the Lions the lead again, and a three-pointer from sophomore Quinton Adlesh seemed to put it away. But UConn guard Jalen Adams hit a jumper with 19 seconds left to tie the game up, and first-year Mike Smith missed a three-pointer in the final seconds, sending the game to overtime.

The Huskies took the lead quickly with a three-pointer, which was answered a minute later with a layup and a free throw from Smith to tie the score again. Smith scored another three a few seconds later to answer one from Adams. But a foul by Meisner gave UConn two free throws and the lead and, despite a layup from senior Nate Hickman, Columbia couldn’t come back. A jump shot and two free throws from UConn put away the game.

Women’s basketball ends three-game losing streak by eight points:

Women’s basketball (3-5) eked out a tight victory 68-60 over Boston College (3-4). After a contentious first half, the Lions outshot the Eagles in the third quarter 20-12. Boston attempted a comeback in the fourth, but Columbia maintained its lead thanks in part to first-year Riley Casey. Casey scored only 12 points the entire game, but 10 of those points came clutch in the fourth quarter as the Lions struggled to shut down the Eagles. Her 12 point effort was the second highest personal point total of the day for the Lions, behind only Camille Zimmerman’s 14 points.

Photo via gocolumbialions.com