Box Score I Box Score (PDF) I Game Highlights

ITHACA, N.Y. -- On Senior Day, it was sophomore Nolan Cressler and junior Devin Cherry who tried to will the Big Red to a win to honor their three teammates playing their final game for Cornell. It just wasn't enough as Penn claimed a 69-65 victory over the home team on Saturday evening at Newman Arena. The Big Red closed its season with a 2-26 overall record (1-13 Ivy), while Penn moved to 8-19 (5-8 Ivy).

Cressler scored 28 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Cherry notched 12 points and seven assists, but the Big Red shot just 38 percent as a team overall and from 3-point range. Cornell's three seniors each got the start, with Dwight Tarwater scoring eight points and grabbing five boards, Dominick Scelfo hitting an early 3-pointer and also grabbing a rebound and adding a steal, and Jake Matthews hitting a pair of treys for six points. He added a rebound, an assist and a steal in the loss. Junior Ned Tomic added six points and five rebounds and freshman David Onuorah had two points, three rebounds, four blocks and a steal despite battling foul trouble all night.

Dau Jok scored a career-high 21 points and hit six 3-pointers for the Quakers, who were playing without leading scorer Tony Hicks. Fellow senior Miles Cartwright had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists and a third senior, Fran Doughertym had 14 points and five boards. Penn shot 55 percent in the second half and 48 percent for the game and connected on an impressive 19-of-21 from the free-throw line.

The contest was back-and-forth throughout and featured seven ties and five lead changes. The Quakers largest lead was eight and the Big Red's was just five, and neither team could pull away.

Jok, a replacement starter for Hicks, nailed three 3-pointers in the game's first four minutes, but Cornell had plenty of momentum with seniors Tarwater and Scelfo opening the game with treys of their own. Jok's fourth 3-pointer of the night, just 5:21 into the game, gave Penn a six-point lead (17-11) and the lead grew to eight (19-11) after a pair of Rennard free throws.

Like it would all night, and all season during such a tough year, the Big Red answered. A quick 7-0 run featuring 3-pointers by Matthews and one by Cressler, got the home team back to within one. A 3-pointer by Cressler tied the score with 7:28 remaining in the half. Cornell went up five with the highwater mark coming at 28-23 at the end of a 15-2 Big Red run punctuated by a pair of free throws and a tip-in by Tomic.

Penn regained the lead on a layup by Jamal Lewis and built an edge of four points while inbounding the ball with 2.7 seconds left. After a failed attempt and a five second violation in the backcourt, Cornell took over. Cherry, the inbounder, found Cressler 10 feet from the top of the key. The sophomore raised up after one dribble and connected on his fourth 3-pointer of the half to cut the Penn lead to one (36-35) at the break.

Cornell took the lead on consecutive buckets by Cherry and Cressler to open the second half, but the Quakers answered with a 10-1 run to regain the lead for good. The Big Red got back within two points on two different occasions, but couldn't make it all the way back.

Head coach Bill Courtney was able to call a quick timeout with two seconds to play and the Big Red down four to sub out his three seniors, earning them a standing ovation as they walked off the court for the final time in a Cornell uniform with both teams and the entire Newman Arena crowd on their feet.