Box Score Box Score
ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell men's basketball team continued its suffocating defense, surrendering 28 percent shooting and limiting the Big Green to 13 first half points in an impressive 71-37 victory over Dartmouth on Friday evening at Newman Arena. Cornell improved to 17-3 (3-0 Ivy), while the visitors fell to 4-13 (0-3 Ivy). The win also sets up a showdown Saturday with conference unbeaten Harvard, a 74-45 victor at Columbia.
Max Groebe scored a career-high 15 points in 16 minutes to lead Cornell's offense, while Ryan Wittman (12 points) and Louis Dale (10 points) also hit double figures as the home team shot 49 percent overall and 63 percent in the second half. Cornell made 11 3-pointers and outrebounded the Big Green 41-31. Senior Jeff Foote was a dominating defensive presence in the lane, blocking six of Cornell's eight shots and collecting a steal. The perimeter defense was just as good, holding Dartmouth to 1-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. Jon Jaques had seven points and five rebounds and Errick Peck scored six points and grabbed three rebounds in the victory. Junior Adam Wire was impressive in an 11-minute stint, scoring two points, grabbing three rebounds, dishing off two assists and stealing two passes.
Dartmouth was led by Josh Riddle with six points and David Rufful and Ronnie Dixon with five points apiece. Matt LaBove notched four points and six rebounds. The Big Green defense forced 17 turnovers and gathered eight steals.
Cornell ran off seven straight points to open the contest and never looked back. The Big Green cut the deficit to 8-6 briefly, but when Dale hit the first of his two 3-pointers to make it 11-6 at the 12:01 mark, it was off to the races for the home team. Dartmouth was in single digits until Jabari Trotter hit a jumper with 2:56 left to make it 23-10 Big Red, and then only got to 13 points at the half whenTrotter found Rufful for a trey with 1:09 left. The visitors were shooting just 23 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes and made just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. Dale had eight to lead both teams as Cornell struggled offensively as well, hitting on just 37 percent itself in the first 20 minutes, but had a 10-4 edge in points in the paint and a 15-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
It didn't get any better for the Big Green after halftime. The highlight may have come on its first possession, a running jumper by Dixon 11 seconds into the half to make it 27-15. Wittman hit a pair of shots from beyond the arc to spur on a 10-2 run over the next 2:31 to push the advantage up to 20 (37-17). Dartmouth had just 28 points into the final media timeout and the lead, which grew to as many as 39 points behind the strength of Cornell's reserves, never dipped below 31.
The Big Red and the Crimson will have its showdown in front of a sold-out Newman Arena crowd on Saturday evening at 7 p.m.
