Sophomore guard Jake Fiegen emerged as the hero in Friday night’s exhilarating 88-86 victory, sinking a clutch three-pointer with just 0.8 seconds remaining on the clock.
This 2024-2025 men’s basketball schedule features several opponents that may be unfamiliar to Cornell fans, including Samford University. Coming from Homewood, Alabama, the Bulldogs traveled east to face off against the Red for the first time, marking the Red’s first Division-I game of the season. The Bulldogs, preseason favorites to win the Southern Conference, faced off against a Cornell squad ranked fourth in the Ivy League preseason standings.
Before the game, Athletic Director Nicki Moore and the team unveiled the 2024 NCAA National Invitation Tournament banner, which is now displayed in the rafters of Newman Arena. The team also debuted new black uniforms, an alternate color recently adopted by several Cornell teams.
The Red’s starting lineup featured senior guard Nazir Williams, junior forward AK Okereke, senior forward Guy Ragland Jr., junior guard Cooper Noard and Fiegen. Samford won the opening tipoff and quickly got on the scoreboard. The game’s first points came from Samford’s free throws after Fiegen committed a foul under the basket.
In the opening minutes of the first half, the Red struggled to establish its signature fast-paced, transitional offense due to Samford’s relentless man-to-man, full-court pressure. The Bulldogs’ defense forced the Red to spend additional time setting up plays, often leaving the shot clock in single digits before it could initiate any offense.
Nearly three minutes into the first half, Cornell was held scoreless as Samford established a 9-0 lead. In an attempt to shift the momentum, sophomore guard Jacob Beccles and junior guard Josh Baldwin were subbed into the game. Beccles immediately impacted, breaking the scoring drought and finally putting points on the board for the Red.
Cornell quickly found itself in foul trouble, with team fouls piling up just minutes into the first half. By the four-minute mark, Beccles recorded Cornell’s fourth team foul, giving Samford repeated trips to the free-throw line. The early free throws proved pivotal in helping Samford maintain its lead.
Cornell’s momentum shifted when Fiegen returned to the court, scoring on drives to the basket and from beyond the arc. Fueled by this surge, Beccles stole the ball, drove for a dunk, drew a foul and scored a free throw. Okereke soon followed, driving to the basket, with Samford called for goaltending.
11 minutes into the half, Cornell seized its first lead of the game with a reverse layup by Okereke, marking a turning point as Samford reached ten team fouls, putting them in further trouble.
The Red managed to build a solid lead for a few minutes but soon found itself in foul trouble, accumulating ten team fouls. With five minutes left, the game turned scrappy and increasingly disorganized, with both teams committing unnecessary fouls and allowing easy transition plays.
Fortunately, Noard stepped up, hitting two crucial three-pointers to help the Red regain its lead. Fiegen followed with another three-pointer, and junior guard DJ Nix added one of his own, keeping Cornell in control as the half progressed.
The first half concluded with Cornell leading 50-39, having held its largest lead — 13 points — just seconds before the buzzer. Ten players saw action and nine contributed points. Noard scored 11 points, followed by Okereke and Fiegen with eight each in the opening 20 minutes. However, the half was marked by foul trouble, which was evident in the free-throw disparity. Samford capitalized, shooting 18-22 from the line, while the Red managed only 7-12, highlighting the impact of fouls on the game’s flow.
Returning from halftime, both teams seemed to regain composure, steadily adding points while playing solid defense. However, a few defensive lapses, including turnovers on inbound plays and lack of ball security on offense, culminated in Cornell’s lead starting to slip.
Ten minutes into the second half, Samford turned on its engine, generating more steals and securing offensive rebounds that chipped away at Cornell’s advantage. The gap narrowed to just a few points, and Samford scored 18 second-chance points throughout the game. Both teams found themselves back in foul trouble at this stage, leading to a string of free throws that disrupted the game’s pace and momentum.
Samford held a lead for the final two minutes and thirty seconds. With 57 seconds remaining, a layup by the Bulldogs extended its lead to 86-83. Shortly after, Okereke was fouled and calmly sank both free throws, narrowing the score to 86-85. On the next possession, Samford’s Rylan Jones attempted a three-pointer but missed, and Okereke secured the rebound.
Driving down the court, he passed to Noard, whose three-point attempt missed, but Okereke grabbed the offensive rebound. With the clock winding down, he found Fiegen, who drained the shot under intense pressure, giving Cornell its second win of the season.
Fiegen led the scoring effort with 21 points, followed closely by Okereke with 16. On the defensive end, Ragland Jr. and Fiegen anchored the rebounding effort, while Fiegen also contributed three steals, proving his talent on both ends of the court.
The Red’s first road test will be on Tuesday against La Salle University in Pittsburgh. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.