The story of this Cornell men’s basketball season begins, as it has each of the past several seasons, at the three-point line. The Big Red lead the nation averaging 14.2 three-point field goals made as of Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Cornell kicked off the month of December with a three-game losing skid in which it conceded 90+ points each game. Only 15 Division I men’s basketball teams are currently allowing more points per outing than the Red. Entering Sunday’s matchup at Albany, the defense had been struggling especially in the second half.
Cornell got the season back on track with an 83-75 victory against the Great Danes, overcoming a mediocre start to do so.
In the opening stanza, a one-dimensional Cornell offense missed seven layups and four free throws while committing five turnovers. The effort yielded just 29 points, Cornell’s lowest-scoring half of the season.
On the other side of the court, Albany’s top scorer Amir Lindsey and secondary scorer Isaac Abidde carved up the Cornell defense en route to a five-point halftime lead for Albany.
In the second half, the Cornell defense sought to take the ball out of Lindsey’s hands, with mixed results at first, as Albany built a 10-point lead.
On offense, better lane penetration and crisp ball movement created open looks from the perimeter. After barely nine minutes, Cornell had hit eight three-pointers and retaken the lead.
A more disciplined defense, meanwhile, limited Lindsey to one assist and a layup heading into the closing stretch of the game.
With Cornell seemingly in control following a 7-0 run, a pair of Josh Baldwin turnovers handed Albany one last chance to secure its first home win of the season versus a Division I opponent.
Lindsey beat Anthony Nimani for a layup, reducing Albany’s deficit to one point. The next trip down the court, Lindsey drew a foul from Adam Hinton before missing the front end of a 1-and-1 at the free throw line with a chance to tie the game.
Over the next four minutes, Cornell played nearly flawless basketball to seal the win, punctuated by hustle rebounding from Nimani, clutch shooting by Jake Fiegen, two blocks from DJ Nix, and a 3-point dagger also from Nix.
For the game, Cornell made 17 three-pointers with contributions from seven players, led by Cooper Noard, who converted five of six attempts. The Ivy League later selected Noard as its Player of the Week, his second such award this season.
Next for Cornell comes a Dec. 29 visit to No. 9 Michigan State, an elite defensive squad that generally holds opposing teams below 31% from the three-point line. This will be Cornell’s first matchup with a ranked team under second-year coach Jon Jaques.
Cornell’s last win against a ranked opponent came during Jaques’ playing career when the Red defeated Wisconsin, earning a spot in the 2010 NCAA Sweet 16.