Columbia pulls off improbable upset

NEW YORK -- The impossible has happened. Few Quakers fans figured the first game of this weekend's road trip would be one to watch out for. Apparently, that's what Columbia thought as well. The last-place Lions got the better of a Penn team that just lost focus, tipping in a last-second shot to take a 59-57 win. Steve Danley had an opportunity under the basket with one second remaining on the clock, but could not get a shot off. Penn (15-7, 7-1 Ivy) led by as many as 13 in the first half and 10 in the second, but the Lions (9-13, 2-7) chipped away thanks to a little slopiness from the league leader. With 33 seconds to play and the Quakers clinging to a one-point lead, Mark Zoller went up for a layup, but was called for a questionable offensive foul. Columbia chewed up all but five seconds of the game clock before launching a jumper that was off the mark. A battle for the ball ensued, and the Lions got the tip-in. Columbia's 2-3 zone kept Penn off balance all night, with Danley lobbing passes to nowhere more than once. The Quakers shot 44 percent from the floor, but couldn't score in the last four minutes. Some key misses on three-pointers late in the second half kept Penn from maintaining its edge. It was upset night in the Ancient Eight, as Dartmouth stormed back to topple Yale, 72-64. Princeton handled Cornell in double overtime, 76-68. Brown extended Harvard's losing streak to five games with a 79-66 road win. For a complete log of tonight's game, visit the DP's sports blog, The Buzz.