Javier Duren poured in 26 of his game-high 33 points in the second half to lead the Yale Bulldogs to a 72-69 victory over their Ivy League rival Columbia Lions in the quarterfinal round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament at Levien Gymnasium.
Duren knocked down 9-of-14 shots from the floor and 12-of-14 attempts at the free-throw line for Yale (18-13), which will face an opponent that will be determined as the tournament re-brackets after each round. Duren also pulled down nine rebounds, while Justin Sears netted 17 points.
Maodo Lo led Columbia (21-13) with 22 points. Alex Rosenberg chipped in 19 points, Cory Osetkowski added 10 points and Isaac Cohen handed out a career- best eight assists in the loss. Despite the loss, the Lions ended the campaign with their highest win total since the 1967-68 season.
Columbia made good on 50 percent of its shots from the floor, including an 8- of-15 clip from beyond the arc in the opening period. The Bulldogs went into the intermission trailing, 34-25, after being limited to 43.5 percent efficiency from the field in the first stanza.
The Lions cooled off to sink only 39.1 percent of their field goal attempts after the break, while allowing Yale to convert 62.5 percent of its shots from the floor. The Bulldogs scored four consecutive points at the charity stripe to take a 68-63 lead with 22 seconds left in regulation, but Lo drained a 3- pointer on Columbia's next possession to make it a one-possession game. Duren pushed the lead back up to four with a pair of made free-throw attempts before Steve Frankoski hit a 3-pointer with five seconds showing on the clock to make it a one-point game. Duren made two more shots at the charity stripe with two seconds left to put Yale ahead, 72-69, and Lo's 3-point field goal attempt in the closing moments of the contest fell off the mark.
Yale dominated the Lions on the interior as it finished with a 32-20,edge in total rebounds and outscored Columbia, 24-14, in the paint.
[SportsNetwork.com]
