What a turnaround. Cornell held serve to improve to 3-0 at home (4-4 overall) in dramatic fashion, overcoming a 14-point second-half deficit and a 55-43 hole with 11:52 remaining. How? Two words: Robert. Hatter.
The junior guard scored 25 of Cornell”s 40 points in the final 15:32 (and 32 on the night, thanks in part to 4-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc). One thing has always been true about Hatter: When he”s on, he”s really on.
Another promising development for Cardiac Cornell, which is 2-1 in games decided by three points or less this season after being projected casino to finish last in the Ivy League, is junior center David Onuorah”s play tonight. Onuorah posted nine points, nine rebounds and three blocks in 36 minutes, allowing Cornell to, for once, hold its own on the boards and actually execute within a frenetic tempo. Good stuff for Cornell against a squad 153 slots above it in the KenPom standings, and a trend that must continue from Onuorah if this undersized frontcourt is to do damage come Ivy play.
correction — Hatter is a Junior
Knew that and don’t know why I wrote senior, correction made. Thanks for reading and for the correction.
Onuorah is a solid, if limited, post player. He rebounds well and protects the rim. If he can avoid foul trouble and stay on the floor, Cornell can stay competitive on the glass. It’s when he misses time due to fouls that Cornell gets in trouble because there is no plan B. Gettings may be good one day, and JAR is an interesting project, but neither is ready to play on the blocks at the D1 level. I just wish David O. was a better offensive player, but 8-10 points is about the best CU can realistically expect from him.
Cornell’s offense is pretty good if Hatter is on or the team is shooting 40%+ from behind the arc. On the nights where Hatter goes 4 for 12 and the team hits closer to 30% of their 3s, it gets ugly.
And that’s how you get the Ivy League’s best win so far this season, and worst loss, in a span of 72 hours.