For the second straight year, the Cornell Big Red gave the Syracuse Orange all they could handle but ultimately fell short again, this time, 72-53. The final score hides the fact that Cornell (1-4) was within three points with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
Nathan Solomon
Cornell falls at DePaul, 75-54
The Cornell Big Red fell to the DePaul Blue Demons, 75-54, at Wintrust Arena Saturday as they struggled to shoot all game and piece together stops in the first half.
The Big Red actually got off to the start that they wanted, holding a 21-20 lead with nine minutes left in the first half. Then, the Blue Demons finished the half on a 23-7 run to take a commanding 43-28 lead into the locker room.
Cornell pieced a few stops together in the second half, but it didn’t matter as it was unable to come back to the now 5-0 Blue Demons. The Big Red have now lost three straight and sit at 1-3.
Cornell women blow second-half lead to Colgate, lose 62-58
Much like the men’s game the night before, the Cornell women’s squad jumped out to a sizable halftime lead but failed to close it out as they lost to the Colgate Raiders, 62-58.
The Big Red held the Raiders to just 28% shooting in the first half, including 22% in the first quarter while Cornell shot over 50% in the first half. Cornell took a 15-point advantage into the locker room at the half.
Samantha Widmann scored a layup just six seconds into the third quarter, but after that it was all Colgate. They cut a 41-24 Cornell lead to just three points with 3:42 remaining in the third quarter. The Big Red made just two shots in the third quarter. However, they were still clinging onto a three-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Big Red led by eight with seven minutes left in the game, but it didn’t seem to matter to the Raiders, who went on a 11-1 run and took a one-point lead with 2:55 remaining in the game.
But Kate Sramac hit an enormous three-pointer with 1:36 left to put Cornell back on top by one. Then the Big Red got a much needed stop but couldn’t take advantage of it as Widmann was called for an offensive foul with 52 seconds remaining.
Colgate went down on their end and Haley Greer drilled a three with 37 seconds left, and that was the shot that put the Raiders ahead for good. Colgate made four free throws in the final 25 seconds, and that would be about it.
The Big Red scored just 19 points in the second half and made just five field goals.
“They (Colgate) didn’t change anything (in the second half). We stopped executing our offense, we rushed shots, we didn’t get second chances with boards, we let the refereeing get in our heads, we didn’t finish when there was contact, and we didn’t really get stops on the defensive end,” said Cornell coach Dayna Smith. “We’ve gotta dig down, we get some of those defensive rebounds and not give up five (offensive rebounds) in one possession.”
Despite the fact the Big Red lost, they won the rebound margin (47-34), but allowed 16 offensive rebounds. They gave up nine of those offensive rebounds in the final five minutes of the third quarter.
“I just expect more out of our upperclassmen, our captains, our veterans; they played a lot of minutes (and) there was no putting a foot down and carrying our team over that emotional ride they (Colgate) were on,” Smith said.
The Big Red did a nice job of guarding the Raiders star Rachel Thompson in the first half. She was limited to just four points on 2-for-7 shooting. Abby Schubiger led the Raiders with 11 points in the first half but was contained in the second stanza. Thompson went off, scoring 17 second-half points.
Widmann and Laura Bagwell-Katalinich led the way for the Big Red, scoring 15 and 14 points respectively. Bagwell-Katalinich also had 11 boards, and Widmann had seven. Also chipping in was Shannon Mulroy with nine points, and Kate Sramac and Dylan Higgins with six apiece.
The Big Red continue their three-game homestand on Saturday when they host the NJIT Highlanders. Game time will be at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Cornell blows 20-point second-half lead, suffers last-second loss to NJIT
The Cornell Big Red had a 20-point lead with 18:06 left in the game but choked it away as the NJIT Highlanders left Ithaca with a 59-58 win despite leading for just 46 seconds.
The Highlanders scored just 16 points in the first half off of 21% shooting. It was a combination of both great defense and awful offense. The Big Red (1-2) shot a decent 46% in the first half and held an 18-point lead at the break.
Cornell’s improbable comeback falls just short at Bryant
Cornell trailed by seven with 13 seconds left. When the buzzer sounded, they were a bucket away from walking away winners.
The Big Red’s improbable comeback fell just short Sunday against the Bryant Bulldogs, as they fell, 82-81.
With the score 82-75, Thurston McCarty drew a foul on a layup, converting the three-point play. McCarty fouled Charles Pride with 11 ticks left, and he missed he front end of the one-and-one. Cornell (1-1) ran it down the floor and then Jimmy Boeheim connected on a three all the way from Ithaca. This quickly cut it to a one-point game.
Now here’s where things get a little funky.
Cornell dominates Binghamton, 84-64, in season opener
The Cornell Big Red responded to the negativity entering their first season without Matt Morgan in a big way, dominating the Binghamton Bearcats, 84-64, at Newmsn Arena. The Big Red had four players scoring in double figures, led by 24 from junior Jimmy Boeheim.
Cornell has large shoes to fill as it moves on without Matt Morgan
It’s no question that the Cornell Big Red will look a lot different on the floor this season. The Big Red no longer have their four-time leading scorer in Matt Morgan, as well as their top defender and rebounder in Steven Julian. Both are now professionals, and have extremely large shoes to fill.
Junior Jimmy Boeheim and senior Josh Warren are in leadership roles in 2019, also expected to be the Big Red’s top scoring options. The two are team captains along with junior guard Terrance McBride.
Morgan facilitated the Big Red offense all four years on East Hill, but now Terrance McBride will be doing so.
However, those three won’t be able to take over the scoring load alone. The Big Red will rely on a variety of players to do so.
Ivy 60 for 60: Matt Morgan
Ivy Hoops Online announces the next entry in Ivy 60 for 60, our series running through 60 of the greatest players in Ivy League men’s basketball history after a hiatus to continue celebrating six decades of modern Ivy League basketball. An Ivy 60 for 60 for Ivy women’s basketball will follow.
Scoring 2,333 points, Matt Morgan had not only one of the most historic careers in Ivy League history but all of NCAA history. His sheer dominance as a member of the Cornell Big Red greatly contributed to the continuing rise of Ivy League Basketball over the last four years.
Cornell men’s basketball 2018-19 season recap
With Stone Gettings transferring from Cornell, expectations went from a possible contender to a team that may not even get 10 wins. But despite not getting into the Ivy League Tournament, the Big Red had a pretty solid season and they far surpassed their expectations. Matt Morgan was still Matt Morgan, but forwards Jimmy Boeheim and Josh Warren stepped it up and each had big roles as secondary scorers while seniors Steven Julian and Joel Davis anchored the defense. The team played some great games, including almost-upsets over Yale and Syracuse and a sweep of Harvard.
A lot of Cornell’s problem throughout the season was poor rebounding. The Big Red could hold teams to 35-45 percent from the field most nights, yet still lose. For context, they were 352nd out of 353 Division I teams in offensive rebound percentage.
Three-pointers abound as Cornell falls in the first round of the CIT
Jimmy Boeheim went off for a career-high 31 points on a very efficient 14-for-20 shooting night and Matt Morgan stuffed the stat sheet one last time, but the Robert Morris Colonials couldn’t miss in overtime, beating the Big Red, 98-89, in the first round of the CIT. The loss has ended the Big Red’s season at 15-16.