A historic performance by Matt Morgan leads Cornell past Towson in nonconference finale

Matt Morgan had 38 points, Josh Warren had 18, and Jimmy Boeheim had 14 as Cornell raced past Towson, 86-74, at SECU Arena Wednesday night. Cornell had trailed in the first half by as many as eight points but got hot after Morgan hit four threes in as many minutes, seizing a 22-point lead in the second half. Cornell finishes nonconference play at 8-8, after winning three of their last four games with Columbia now looming in the distance.

Matt Morgan’s insane, record-breaking night

Matt Morgan had a night. A very historic night. The records he set in this game and milestones he surpassed are as follows:

  • 2,000 Career Points
  • Career three-pointers in a single game (9)
  • Cornell record for career free-throws made (438)
  • Tied a career high in points (38, last at Binghamton in season opener)
  • His third game of the season with 30+ points
  • SECU Arena record for three pointers in a game (Previously 6)
  • SECU Arena record for points in a game (Previously 35)

He was also one of five ivies to be named to the Lou Henson Award mid-season watch list. The other four are: AJ Brodeur (Penn), Desmond Cambridge (Brown), Devin Cannady (Princeton), and Miye Oni (Yale).

Morgan is now six points away from the program record in career points, currently held by Ryan Wittman at 2,028 points.

Huge congratulations to Matt Morgan. He’s one of the best players the Ivy League has ever had, and barring injury, he still has at least 14 more games in his storied career.

A very complete, well-rounded game for the Big Red

Even excepting Morgan, Cornell played very well against Towson. The Big Red scored an early 10 points before the first media timeout of the game, then struggled as expected when Morgan was out for extended time before kicking it up with six minutes left in the first half. Joel Davis and  Boeheim remained in the starting line-up for the second game after starting in a win against Dlll Johnson & Wales last Friday. Both were extremely productive, Boeheim with 14 points and Davis with three points, four rebounds and four assists.

Steven Julian has also remained very productive for Cornell, posting 11 rebounds (five offensive) and two blocks. Josh Warren added five assists and three blocks in addition to his 18 points.

Team stats

  • Cornell shot 53 percent from the field, compared to 42 percent from Towson
  • Cornell shot 43 percent from three, compared to 33 percent for Towson
  • Cornell had 20 assists compared to Towson’s 14

Into Ivy play

Cornell has a week and a half off before they begin conference play at home against Columbia. Columbia has really struggled, currently at 4-9 and the only Ivy League team under .500. It has been rough for them, as the Lions reportedly lost leading scorer Mike Smith to a season-ending torn meniscus.

The game will be broadcasted live on ESPN+ from Newman Arena on January 19th, 2019 at approximately 4PM, or after the conclusion of the women’s game which starts at 1PM.