On the road, Cisco's late baseline jumper defeats Big Green

HANOVER, N.H.—The men’s basketball team (13-9, 2-4 Ivy) had led Dartmouth since 8:34 left in the first half when Big Green forward Jvonte Brooks hit two free throws to give his team a two-point lead with 3:28 to play. The Lions tried to scramble back over the next three minutes but could not retake the lead and found themselves tied.

With 49 seconds to go, the Light Blue got a crucial defensive stop when Dartmouth’s Gabas Maldunas was denied a layup. With 24 seconds remaining, head coach Kyle Smith called for a 30-second timeout to draw up a play for the Lions. The plan worked, as junior point guard Brian Barbour found his classmate center Mark Cisco, who banked in a jump shot, putting Columbia up for good, 64-62.

“That’s how we drew it up,” Cisco said. “We knew they were going to help off me to try to stop Brian, and when they did, I was pretty open and just knocked it down.”

Cisco, who has become an increasingly central part of the team, led all scorers with 18 points on Friday and was 7-of-8 from the field.

“It takes a big-time player to make that type of shot, and that’s what he’s turned into this year for us,” Barbour said of Cisco. “I expected him to make that shot, and I was proud of him tonight.”

Cisco only played 10 minutes in the first half after getting into early foul trouble. In the second half, fouls continued to be a problem for the Light Blue, as junior forward John Daniels and freshman forward Alex Rosenberg both fouled out in the final four minutes of the game.

Smith attributed the high foul count to the play of Dartmouth’s Brooks. In addition to playing tough defense, Brooks led his squad with 17 points and eight boards.

With Rosenberg, Daniels, and even Cisco seeing less time than usual, several bench players had their chance to leave their mark on the game. While seniors Blaise Staab and Steve Egee each made important buckets, the biggest contribution came from sophomore guard Van Green, who posted a career-high 10 points.

“He’s been practicing well and coming on,” Smith said of Green. “I’m really proud of him, because it’s not an easy situation that he’s been put in—you never know when your number’s going to get called. His got called, and he’s played well.”

Green made all three of his field goals—two of which were from beyond the arc—and both of his free throws.

“I was just fortunate enough to have Barbour,” Green said. “He found me open on two occasions, and I hit two threes.”

While Barbour did not shoot well himself—he was 3-of-11 from the field—he had four assists and orchestrated several key plays for the Lions. He finished with 13 points after going six-of-six from the charity stripe.