Columbia

Jim Engles out as head coach of Columbia men’s basketball

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Jim Engles is out at Columbia after the Lions went 71-150 overall and 24-88 in Ivy play in nine years with him in charge. (Columbia Athletics)

Hours after Steve Donahue was released from his role as the head coach of the Penn men’s basketball program, Columbia capped a busy Monday by announcing that Jim Engles has decided to step down from the head coaching role of the men’s program.

“Columbia has meant so much to me, and I’ve given everything I have to make this program the best it can be,” Engles said in a Columbia Athletics news release. “We may not have accomplished our ultimate goals, but I’m proud of the culture we built and the student-athletes we developed on and off the court. I also want to thank Peter Pilling for his support throughout the years and know the future of this program is bright.”

In his nine years in charge at Morningside Heights and eight years of competition, Engles finished with overall and Ivy records of 71-150 and 24-88, respectively.

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2025 Ivy Madness fields are set

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The field is set for Ivy Madness.

Penn finished with a higher NCAA NET ranking (No. 162) than Brown (No. 184), the Ivy League confirmed Sunday morning, making the Quakers the fourth and final team to clinch an Ivy League Tournament berth with the Bears on the outside looking into the tourney to be held on their home floor at the Pizzitola Sports Center.

The full women’s and men’s slate for the Ivy League Tournaments are below, with automatic bids going to the tourney winners:

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Quakeaways from Penn men’s basketball’s 92-87 win at Columbia

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NEW YORK CITY — In an otherwise lost season, Sam Brown delivered an evening of pure joy for Penn on Saturday night.

 

The sophomore guard accomplished something no Penn player had since Hassan Duncombe in December 1989: score at least 40 points in a game. Brown’s virtuoso 42-point showing carried the Quakers to a 92-87 win over Columbia.

 

It didn’t mean much in the standings, save for assuring that Penn (8-18, 4-9 Ivy) would avoid finishing last place in the Ivy League. That spot is now reserved for the Lions (12-14, 1-12), whose season has nosedived after a promising nonconference campaign. It seems likely that both teams will have new coaches next season.

 

Penn never trailed on Saturday, but there were more than a few perilous moments. Things got especially dicey when Columbia star Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa intercepted an inbounds pass from Nick Spinoso and drained a three to cut Penn’s lead to 86-85 with 30 seconds to play. 

 

But Brown calmly converted all six of his free throw attempts to assure the Lions would get no closer.

 

Brown was the biggest story of Saturday night. What made his evening so special?

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LISTEN: Princeton men’s basketball claws past Columbia, 73-68

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Ivy Hoops Online correspondent George “Toothless Tiger” Clark recaps a 73-68 win for Princeton (18-9, 7-5 Ivy) at Columbia (12-13, 1-11) Friday: Audio Player

Assessing the Ivy women’s hoops race with three games left in the regular season

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Another eventful weekend of women’s hoops games has set the table for a dramatic conclusion to the Ivy League season. 

The Columbia Lions (19-5, 10-1 Ivy) seized control of the race for the regular season title with another come-from-behind win over the Princeton Tigers, 64-60, at Jadwin Gymnasium on Saturday. The Lions completed a rare series sweep of the Tigers and put themselves in position to earn a third consecutive Ivy League title and the program’s first outright championship. 

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Yale men’s basketball dumps Columbia to clinch Ivy League regular season title

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Letdown? One could have happened.

After all, Yale clinched an Ivy title last night in a scintillating tilt.

But letdowns aren’t a thing with James Jones-coached teams. The Bulldogs destroyed Columbia, 90-64, at John J. Lee Amphitheater on Senior Night Saturday.

“I keep being surprised, but in awe of this group,” said Jones. “We scored 90 points and gave up 64. I just think we could be perfect.”

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Columbia women’s basketball sweeps Princeton, 64-60, to take control of the Ivy League title chase

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Two minutes defined a season so far for the Columbia Lions. And for the Princeton Tigers.

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Brown men’s basketball dominates Columbia, 86-61, for third straight win

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The Brown men’s basketball team combined unselfish offensive play with a strong defensive effort to cruise to an easy 86-61 victory over Columbia in a Friday evening tussle at the Pizzitola Sports Center.

The victory avenges a 74-72 loss at Levien Gymnasium on February 8.

Since that defeat, Mike Martin’s Bears (13-10, 5-5 Ivy) have won three in a row and moved into a tie for fourth place with Cornell.

While Bruno continues its drive towards its second consecutive appearance in the Ivy League Tournament, Jim Engles’ Lions (12-11, 1-9), which have suffered defeats in three straight games and 10 of their last 11, has officially been eliminated from the postseason.

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Previewing another epic clash between Columbia and Princeton women’s basketball

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Sole possession of first place in the Ivy League is on the line Saturday night when the Columbia Lions’ women’s basketball team travels to central New Jersey to face their biggest rival, the Princeton Tigers, at Jadwin Gymnasium. The game tips off at 5:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN+.

The clash provides Columbia (18-5, 9-1 Ivy) with an opportunity to regain control of the Ivy League regular season title chase after the Lions dropped a hard-fought battle to Harvard last week, 60-54, at Levien Gymnasium in Morningside Heights.

Princeton (18-5, 9-1) can also seize control of the Ivy race with a win and close out its home schedule on Saturday with a 12-0 record. The Tigers are currently riding a 30-game home-court winning streak, the longest such streak in the nation.

Who was the last team to defeat Princeton at home? You guessed it, the Columbia Lions. On Jan. 6, 2023, Megan Griffith’s squad strode into Jadwin Gym and took down the Tigers, 58-55, in an overtime thriller.

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Harvard women’s basketball wins round two at Columbia, 60-54

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Rebounding from a home loss to Columbia on national television 17 days ago, Harvard women’s basketball used its pressure defense and a big fourth-quarter run to take round two at Levien Gymnasium, 60-54, in front of a raucous sellout crowd and ESPNU audience.

“I’m just really proud of our team … We were obviously disappointed with what we were able to do in that last game. You saw more of who we are in this game,” Harvard coach Carrie Moore said. “This team being able to take a punch, and then give a punch, and take another punch and punch back. We just really showed our growth and maturity.”

Harvard (19-3, 8-2 Ivy), which beat Cornell by 37 points on Friday night and exorcised the demons of its lackluster performance against the Big Red 16 days earlier, remains in third place but now sits only one game out of first place.

While Columbia (18-5, 9-1) clinched a spot in the Ivy League Tournament with its 89-37 victory over Dartmouth on Friday night, Sunday’s defeat moved the team into a tie with Princeton and ended several impressive streaks for the program: 11 straight games, 19 consecutive conference games and 20 regular season home contests.

“I thought they (Harvard) were just the better team today,” Columbia coach Megan Griffith said. 

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