Jim Engles

A dominant offensive performance propels Cornell men’s basketball over Columbia, 94-83

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In a conference opening battle between the two most prolific offenses in the Ivy League, the Cornell men’s consistent production over 40 minutes proved to be the key in a 94-83 victory over Columbia at Levien Gymnasium.

By time the whistle sounded late Saturday afternoon, Cornell (9-5, 1-0 Ivy) had its first Ancient Eight victory of the year and long-time Big Red player and assistant coach Jon Jaques earned his first-ever conference win as a head coach. On the other side of the court, Jim Engles’ Lions (11-3, 0-1 Ivy) suffered its first loss in league play and home defeat after winning its previous eight non-conference contests.

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After loss at Rutgers, it may be now or never for Columbia men’s basketball

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Pictured is Jersey Mike’s Arena, the setting of Columbia’s 91-64 loss to Rutgers Monday. (Ray Curren/Ivy Hoops Online)

 

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – You won’t ever get a coach to say a season is now or never, but for Jim Engles and Columbia this season, it might be that time.


It’s Engles’ ninth year in charge of the program, and Columbia hasn’t had more than five Ivy League wins in any of the first seven seasons. On a macro level, that’s not an aberration. The Lions haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1968 and before Kyle Smith’s two winning seasons, Columbia hadn’t had a winning record in Ivy play since legendary coach Jack Rohan (who was also in charge in 1968) did it in 1991-92.

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Columbia men’s basketball uses dominant second-half performance to down Fairfield, 85-72

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After finding itself down nine at the half to Fairfield, the Columbia men’s basketball team found its offensive groove over the final 20 minutes, outscoring its opponents by 22 points to come away with a convincing 85-72 victory at Levien Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.

The win puts Jim Engles’ Lions at 11-1 on the season, including a perfect 8-0 record at home. Meanwhile, the Stags, which were undefeated when leading at the midway point this season, ended the day at 5-8.

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How Columbia men’s basketball held on for 76-75 win over Lehigh

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Up 71-58 with 2:30 left in regulation, the Columbia men looked well on their way to a comfortable victory at Levien Gymnasium, but Lehigh rode a huge 17-4 run to knot the game at 75 with seconds on the clock.

A controversial foul on the Mountain Hawks sent Lions junior guard Avery Brown to the line with 0.8 left, and the junior guard sank one of two free throws to seal the deal.

The relieved Lions are 4-0 for the first time since 2005, while a frustrated Lehigh sits at 0-3.

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Ivy men’s basketball Media Day highlights

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With the non-conference schedule set to begin in less than three weeks, the Ivy League held its annual Media Day on Tuesday afternoon. The three-hour event, hosted by Lance Medow, featured coaches and players from each of the eight programs.

Fans can check out the recording on the conference’s YouTube channel.

Below are some highlights:

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Brown men’s basketball beats Columbia, 66-64, to create three-way tie for fourth place

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Columbia men’s basketball battled back several times against Brown on Friday evening, eventually taking its first lead with 4:10 to go. But clutch defense and free throw shooting helped the Bears claim a hard fought 68-66 victory at Levien Gymnasium.

The win for Brown (8-17, 4-6 Ivy), coupled with Harvard’s loss to Princeton, leaves the Bears, Columbia (13-10, 4-6) and Harvard tied for fourth place and the final spot in the Ivy League Tournament with only four games remaining in the regular season.

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Columbia men’s basketball cruises to 83-69 win at Brown

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A career-best 17 points from Columbia men’s basketball senior forward Josh Odunowo led the Lions to a huge 83-69 road win over Brown at the Pizzitola Sports Center on Saturday afternoon.

Columbia (12-8, 3-4 Ivy) was in control for most of the game, using 11-2, 9-0 and 12-0 runs in a 17-minute period overlapping the two halves to open up an insurmountable 18-point lead and remain in fourth place in its quest for the program’s first-ever appearance in the Ivy League Tournament.

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Columbia/Harvard Friday night matchups: Crimson men and Lions women prevail

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On the first night of the Ivy League’s opening back-to-back weekend, the Columbia women hosted Harvard, while the Crimson men welcomed the Lions.

When the dust cleared on Friday evening, both home teams held serve in competitive contests.

With the wins, the Lions women (14-5, 5-1 Ivy) claimed sole possession of second place and the Crimson men (11-7. 2-3) sat in a fourth-place tie with Brown.

The Harvard (11-8, 4-2) women dropped to a third-place tie with Brown, while the Lions (10-8, 1-4) men fell into a sixth-place tie with Dartmouth and Penn.

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“Some of our best basketball of the year”: How Yale men’s basketball pulled away from Columbia

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Yale men’s basketball has been a first-half team all season.

But don’t tell that to Columbia coach Jim Engles, as the Bulldogs went on a 29-6 second-half run Monday night to turn a narrow 41-39 first-half lead into an 89-70 victory at John J. Lee Amphitheater.

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2023-24 Ivy men’s media day recap and season preview

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With the season a few weeks away, the Ivy League hosted its Men’s Basketball Media Day on Thursday. the second of two hoops-themed media availabilities. The event was hosted over Zoom for media members and is available on the conference’s YouTube channel.

The preseason media poll was released on Tuesday with Yale, last year’s regular season co-champions, securing the top spot. Princeton, which used its Ivy League Tournament title victory as a springboard to a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament run, was picked second.

The Bulldogs received 14 of 16 first-place votes, while the Tigers earned the other two top votes.

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