This past weekend, the men’s basketball team (13-6, 5-1 Ivy) secured sole possession of second place in the Ivy League standings after a 76-64 victory over Dartmouth (9-10, 3-3 Ivy) on Friday and a significant comeback to win 75-60 against Harvard (7-12, 2-4 Ivy) on Saturday. The Red trails Yale (13-6, 6-0 Ivy), which is still undefeated, with eight games left until Ivy Madness.
Before Friday night’s action, senior guard Nazir Williams was recognized for scoring 1,000 career points, becoming the 28th men’s player in the program to achieve this milestone.
The contest between the Big Red and the Big Green was a tough offensive night for both teams, as both shot close to 40 percent.
Although scoring was difficult for Cornell, the team held an advantage for the first half due to its extra defensive efforts. Junior guard AK Okereke dominated the court throughout the night and was a key contributor to the offense and defense. He started the match with a block, a steal and two points within the first fifty seconds.
Cornell managed to edge a slim two-point lead in the initial ten minutes before junior guard Cooper Noard hit two back-to-back three-pointers, extending the Red’s advantage to 21-14 by the 11-minute mark. Strong defensive plays by senior forwards Guy Ragland Jr. and Chris Cain helped the Red maintain their momentum, and they went into halftime with an 11-point lead.
In the second half, the Red expanded their lead significantly thanks to an impressive offensive performance by Okereke, who led Cornell’s scoring with 19 points for the night. Dartmouth was propelled by guard Ryan Cornish, who contributed a game-high 28 points and six rebounds, yet it was insufficient to close the gap, resulting in a victory for the Big Red.
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The matchup against Harvard sparked tremendous interest from both the student community and beyond, with the stands overflowing with support for the Red. Additionally, throughout the night, several teams, including volleyball, men’s soccer and women’s sailing, were honored for their historic fall seasons.
It was also a friendly competition between two brothers: freshman guard Robert Hinton from the Crimson and junior guard Adam Hinton from the Red. Last fall, the brothers secured a groundbreaking international NIL deal to endorse Nike campaigns across Asia. They are also members of the Chinese Taipei men’s basketball team, which enhances their passion for the sport abroad.
The first half of Saturday’s game significantly differed from the previous night’s action, as the Crimson managed to maintain a first-half lead. Similarly to the matchup with the Big Green, Okereke emerged as the spark, facilitating offensive plays for himself and his teammates, tallying eight first-half points and a steal. The Red reduced the Crimson’s lead to two, and though they hoped to tie it up when Harvard called a timeout with nine seconds left in the half, they couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity. Cornell went into halftime trailing 30-32.
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Just two minutes into the second half, the Red secured its first lead of the game thanks to a three-pointer by Noard. From then on, the Red extended its lead.
The Hinton rivalry made an appearance when the brothers took the court together. Adam Hinton scored four points and grabbed three rebounds, while his younger brother recorded eight points and one rebound.
Play by play, the Red capitalized on the Crimson’s faulty offense, eventually securing its second victory of the weekend. On Saturday night, Okereke and Ragland Jr. scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, and Noard and Williams each tallied six rebounds.
The Red will return to Newman Arena on Saturday at 2 p.m. to take on league-leaders Yale. The game will also be televised on ESPN+.