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ITHACA, N.Y. – Penn shot 55 percent from the floor overall and connected on 10-of-19 3-pointers to earn a 79-71 victory over Cornell on Friday evening at Newman Arena. The Big Red fell to 13-13 (5-4 Ivy), while Penn improved to 7-18 (4-4 Ivy).

Tony Hicks was the main culprit with the hot hand, hitting 11-of-18 shots and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc for a career-high 29 points. Miles Cartwright also had a big game with 15 points, nine assists, six rebounds and two steals. The duo combined for 8-of-13 shooting from 3-point range. Penn held a 33-26 advantage on the backboards and outscored the home team 24-14 in the paint.

Freshman Nolan Cressler scored a career-high 22 points and both Dominick Scelfo and Shonn Miller chipped in with 15 points apiece. Miller added four rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Cornell shot just 38 percent in the second half and made just 3-of-12 from 3-point range (25 percent).

Penn jumped out to a 12-point lead (25-13) less than nine minutes into the first half on the strength of Hicks, who scored Penn's first eight points and 15 of their first 17.

The next 10 minutes belonged to Cornell.

The Big Red flew right past the visitors as Cornell harassed Penn into six straight misses while the home team caught fire. Cressler hit consecutive 3-pointers, then Scelfo followed suit, with his first giving Cornell a tie (28-28) and the second the team's first lead since the opening minutes (31-30). That lead grew to six twice, the last time at 43-37, but Penn scored inside the final 30 seconds and went into the break trailing by just four (43-39).

Any momentum Cornell had at the break dissipated quickly in the second half. Miller hit a jumper to push it back to a six-point game on the first possession, but Henry Brooks hit consecutive jumpers to spur a 13-2 run. Hicks scored nine unanswered and Penn was back in the lead. A Scelfo answer from 3-point range got it back within two (52-50) with 14:28 and Cornell had three possessions to tie or take the lead over the next two minutes, but each came up empty.

Greg Louis hit the first of two free throws on Penn's ensuing possession and Patrick Lucas-Perry, the shortest player on the floor at 5-11, came swooping in for an offensive rebound. His 3-point attempt was also rebounded by the Quakers, and Miles Cartwright hit a dagger trey, shooting a sign to the student section on his way back down the court. Cornell would never get back within five points the rest of the way as the patented Big Red run never came.

Cornell returns to action tomorrow at 7 p.m. when it plays host to Princeton at 7 p.m. at Newman Arena.