By NIKITA DUBNOV
The men’s basketball team had another tough weekend on the road against conference opponents. At 0-4 in Ivy League play going into the matchups, the Red was looking for its first conference victory. The first obstacle in its way was Penn, another team at the bottom of the Ivy conference.
Cornell took on the Quakers in the Palestra in Philadelphia, in a high-scoring affair marked by impressive stat lines.
Penn secured an early lead with the play of its leading offensive threats. Sophomore guard Tony Hicks led the Quakers with his efficient scoring and dishing of the basketball. Cornell’s poor shooting percentage in the first half did not help alleviate the effect of the Penn offense. After hitting only 39 percent of shots from the field — compared to the Quakers’ 51 percent — Cornell trailed, 50-32, at the half.
After the halftime break, the Red came out strong on the offensive end. Cornell hit 51 percent of its shots from the field, along with some acrobatic plays in the paint. Sophomore guard Nolan Cressler hit several tough layups against Penn’s interior defense. Freshman forward David Onuorah had a highlight putback dunk en route to a career-high 11 points and nine rebounds.
Enoch Newkirk / Staff PhotographerRoad trip | Frehsman guard Daryl Smith started and scored 15 points against Penn, but the Red was unable to come out on top at the Palestra.