Columbia senior forward Alex Rosenberg had the ball in his hands as the final few seconds ticked down on Saturday night. Here was his chance to finally beat Harvard.

It was a situation not unlike the 2014 game against the Crimson at Columbia. Rosenberg was called for a charging foul that time, the game went into a second overtime and Harvard won.

Rosenberg hit the biggest shot of his career this time. His jumper at the buzzer gave the Lions a 55-54 victory.

Columbia had not won at Lavietes Pavilion since 2008. It did so this time by coming back from a 20-point deficit against the five-time defending Ivy League champions.

“You have to make the most of an opportunity like that,’’ Rosenberg said. “What a huge win for us.’’

Harvard had a 1-point lead and the ball when Rosenberg fouled Corbin Miller with 7.2 seconds left. Miller, who had taken only two free throws all season, missed the front end of a one-and-one.

Columbia got the ball to its best player, All-Ivy guard Maodo Lo. With Harvard’s best defender, 6-foot-8-inch Agunwa Okolie coming at him, Lo gave up the ball as he crossed midcourt. Rosenberg took two dribbles to his left and hit a running jumper from 15 feet.

It was a tough shot but unopposed, as Okolie stayed with Lo and Evan Cummins was unable to get a hand up in time.

“I can make that shot. Just not usually that deep,’’ said Rosenberg, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half. “We trust [Lo] with that shot. But he saw there was a lot of [defensive] help and he dished it off to me and I was able to make a play.’’

As Columbia (15-6, 4-0) celebrated, the sellout crowd of 2,195 fell into a stunned silence.

Harvard had a foul to give and didn’t use it.

“That’s what we talked about. Obviously those situations can happen very fast,’’ coach Tommy Amaker said. “We should have [fouled] and we didn’t get close enough to do it.’’

Harvard (9-11, 1-3) has lost three consecutive conference games for the first time since 2008-09, Amaker’s first season.

“We played with a great deal of resolve and determination. So disappointed for our kids not being able to get this win,’’ Amaker said. “We talked about this game showing a lot about our character. Sometimes you need the ‘W’ to validate the things you’ve been saying.’’

Harvard scored the first 14 points of the game, playing with equal parts precision and passion. The Crimson shot 48 percent from the field and didn’t allow an offensive rebound in the first half.

“I just thought we got our butts kicked,’’ said Columbia coach Kyle Smith, whose team has won six straight and 11 of its last 12. “I knew they’d come out the way. It’s a proud program. I asked the seniors what they were going to do about it and they responded.’’

Columbia scored the first 10 points of the second half. The game further changed a few seconds later when Zena Edosomwan, Harvard’s relentless junior power forward, injured his left leg.

He came back later after a short rest but lasted only a few minutes before leaving the game for good with 8:04 remaining. Edosomwan had 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks in the first half. His only contributions in the second half were a rebound and a block.

“He wasn’t the same after he was injured and that’s why we took him out. We were concerned about him,’’ Amaker said.

Harvard was 8 of 22 from the field in the second half and committed nine turnovers. It was 2 of 6 from the foul line in the final seven minutes.

The Lions took their first lead, 43-42, with 7:25 to go when Rosenberg made an uncontested layup on an out-of-bounds play. That set up a furious finale.

“That’s a good team. They fought hard and came back,’’ said Cummins, who had 11 points and six rebounds. “What makes us successful is the defensive end and we’ve showed we can defend and be tough. We did all the things to deserve to win the game, but it didn’t end up that way for us.’’

Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.