In front of an almost sold-out crowd at Newman Arena, men’s basketball (20-4, 9-1 Ivy) geared up for a crucial game against Yale (17-8, 8-2 Ivy). With both teams vying for sole possession of first place in the Ivy League, the game was an absolute thriller from start to finish. Coming down to the final seconds, Cornell was able to prevail, 65-62.
This win helped Cornell officially clinch its spot in Ivy Madness.
“[Clinching a spot in the tournament] weighs on everyone,” said head coach Brain Earl, later adding, “It’s a goal that everyone has set for us. I’m happy to be able to do it earlier than we have in the past.”
Early in the game, Cornell ran a much more physical offense, scoring its first eight points in the paint. In its previous matchup against Yale, the Red attempted only 11 free throws. But due to its physicality in this contest, Cornell’s free throw attempts shot up to 27.
“[Yale] is a team that has a lot of athletes. They can really guard you,” Earl said. “Our guys can embrace the physicality sometimes. That’s the way it had to go tonight.”
Neither team pulled away for most of the first half, as the opening 20 minutes saw 12 ties and four lead changes.
With Yale leading 26-25 with just over five minutes left in the half, senior guard Isaiah Gray drove to the basket for a layup to give the Red a one-point advantage. This was followed by three-pointers from senior forward Keller Boothby and junior guard Nazir Williams. Senior guard Chris Manon capped off the 10-0 run with a layup.
Up by nine, the 3,644 fans in attendance erupted into a frenzy. Newman Arena became even more raucous when Williams was fouled on a three-point shot with one second left in the half. Cornell went into halftime up 37-27.
After Williams converted on a layup to extend the Red’s lead to 41-30, Cornell would go on a scoring drought of almost five minutes to open the second half, missing six consecutive field goal attempts during this span. Yale would take advantage of Cornell’s shooting woes, putting together a 10-0 run of its own to reduce the Red’s lead to one.
Sophomore forward AK Okereke hit a three-pointer to snap Cornell out of its funk. After getting within one point on several occasions, a three-pointer by August Mahoney gave Yale the lead with 6:39 remaining.
Yale would extend this lead to as many as four. Cornell was able to tie the game at 58 points apiece with just over two minutes remaining, following a made free throw by Gray.
With just over a minute left, Gray forced his way to the basket and converted an and-one layup. He then completed the old-fashioned three-point play at the charity stripe.
“I knew [Yale] would be looking for me to pass. I knew I had to get down there and score –– when there’s contact, I feel like I have a good chance to score,” Gray said.
Down three, Bulldog junior guard John Poulakidas was fouled on a three-point attempt with 11 seconds remaining. Poulakidas made only one out of three, but after an offensive rebound following his final attempt and a timeout, Yale had the ball with a chance to take the lead.
Cornell’s swarming defense went into full effect, causing Mahoney to lose control of the ball, which then led to a backcourt violation.
With three seconds left, the Bulldogs fouled Gray, who knocked down both of his free throws to seal the win for the Red.
“I knew I had to make [the free throws]. [Williams] told me I needed to make the free throws. Sometimes you need someone to tell you that. We had to win the game. I knew I had to make them,” Gray said.
Gray led the Red in points, scoring a season-high 18 points. Gray also had five rebounds and a steal.
After getting outrebounded 41-20 in its last contest against Yale, Cornell’s 39 boards were just one shy of the Bulldogs’ total.
“It was going to be necessary to rebound effectively,” Earl said. “We did a good enough job tonight.”
With sole possession of first place in the Ivy League, the Red now controls its own destiny in finishing atop the conference in the regular season for the first time since 2010, when the team made its storied run to the Sweet 16 in March Madness.
Cornell will continue its season on Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. when it plays Brown at Newman Arena. This game can be streamed live on ESPN+.