After losing a nail-biter against Yale in its previous game, men’s basketball (19-4, 8-1 Ivy) faced off against Harvard (13-9, 4-5 Ivy) on Friday, Feb. 16 with hopes of getting back in the win column.
A quick pass to senior guard Chris Manon after tipoff gave Cornell a 2-0 lead just three seconds into the game. In the early part of this game, however, the Red was uncharacteristically cold in its three-point shooting, missing six of its first eight attempts.
Cornell would not let Harvard pull away amid these shooting woes. With several backdoor cuts to the basket, the Red was able to capitalize on some easy layups to keep the team in the game. The team’s unselfish style of play was in full effect, as Cornell’s first nine baskets were all assisted. This continued throughout the game, with the Red racking up 18 assists on 25 made field goals.
The Red was sloppy with the ball at times, turning the ball over 10 times in the first half and 17 times total.
The first half went back and forth between the Red and the Crimson, with five ties and four lead changes. With Cornell up by one with seven seconds left in the half, Manon craftily drove to the basket for a quick layup, extending the Red’s lead to three. At halftime, Cornell led Harvard, 37-34.
“We were tight and worried about playing the way that we play. … The energy picked up in the second half,” said head coach Brian Earl.
Cornell opened the second half on an 8-0 run to extend its lead to 11, courtesy of three-pointers from junior guard Nazir Williams and junior forward Guy Ragland Jr. Harvard did a good job getting to the free-throw line, cutting its deficit to four with just over 14 minutes left.
The Red would not let its lead shrink any further. After clutch three-pointers from sophomore guard Cooper Noard and freshman guard Jake Fiegen, Cornell led by 12 with under 10 minutes remaining. Cornell’s lead would not go below double digits for the remainder of the game.
The Red won by a final score of 75-62, completing the team’s season sweep over the Crimson.
“[Harvard] is historically very good,” Earl said. “Everything is so hard in this league that it’s a good feeling to have a sweep against a great program like that.”
Manon was once again amongst the team’s top performers on both ends of the floor, ending the game with 11 points, three rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
“A big part of the game for me is turning defense into offense,” Manon said. “I love energizing the team, so anytime I can get some steals and some easy points is always a plus.”
The following night, Cornell squared off against Dartmouth (5-17, 1-8 Ivy).
After a low-scoring game between these teams earlier in the season, Cornell and Dartmouth both exploded offensively in this game.
“When we’re trapping and pressing, they decided to go. … They hit a lot of shots in the first half, and that isn’t really what they [normally] do,” Earl said. “Dartmouth was willing to play at our pace”
At the beginning of this game, the Big Green seemingly could not miss from behind the arc, knocking down eight of its first 11 attempts. The Red’s defense could not find an answer for Dartmouth. Led by senior Dusan Neskovic, Dartmouth scored 43 points in less than 15 minutes and held a 14-point advantage over the Red.
Despite the Big Green’s success in its long-range shots, Coach Earl did not have the team change its tactics.
“You have to stick to your analytics — our guys did a good job of understanding that that wasn’t going to continue and that we had to lock into our normal defense,” Earl said.
A sequence that included a long three-point shot by Williams and a Manon steal that turned into an easy layup ignited the 1,703 fans in attendance and shifted the momentum back in Cornell’s favor. The Red closed the half on a 21-4 run that would give the Red a 50-47 lead.
With 14:42 left in the second half, Dartmouth trailed 63-61 and was in position to retake the lead. Freshman guard Jake Fiegen responded with a clutch three-pointer and layup to give Cornell some breathing room. Fiegen finished the game with a season-high 14 points.
“He’s dangerous,” Earl said. “Even when he’s not making [the shots], he’s a threat”
The Red would lead by as much as 14 and won the game by a final score of 89-80.
Manon, Williams, Fiegen and sophomore forward AK Okereke all reached double figures, with Manon leading the way with 25 points.
The Red will continue its season on Feb. Friday 23 when it faces Yale at Newman Arena. After Yale’s loss to Princeton, the winner of this game will have sole possession of first place in the conference as the Ivy League enters the final stretch of the regular season.
Williams believes rebounding will be a key factor in the team’s matchup against the Bulldogs.
“[In the previous game against Yale} we got out-rebounded 41-20 and lost by two points. I’m not saying if we chop it in half we win the game, but it would definitely give our team a better chance,” Williams said.