Mark Cisco scored 15 points, Noruwa Agho added 13 and Brian Barbour 12 to lead Columbia past Maine on Thursday night, 74-71, earning its fourth consecutive victory.
The Lions (7-4) led by 17, 63-46, with 7:26 left to play, but a 25-9 run pulled the Black Bears within one, 72-71, with 34 seconds left on the clock.
Free throws from Cisco and Steve Egee sealed the win for Columbia as Maine (6-6) failed to score a game-tying basket.
Troy Barnies scored 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Black Bears, but it wasn't enough as the Lions shot 48.1 percent from the floor (26 for 54) and 46.7 percent from 3-point range (7 of 15).
Raheem Singleton added 11 points for Maine, which had its four-game winning streak snapped.
The Black Bears went 24 of 52 from the floor (46.2 percent), including 4 of 15 from 3-point range (26.7 percent).
