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ITHACA, N.Y. -- Sophomore Nolan Cressler scored a career-high 34 points and junior Devin Cherry just missed the first triple-double in school history, but Brown was able to hold off the Big Red for an 81-75 overtime victory on Saturday evening at Newman Arena. The Big Red dropped to 2-22 (1-9 Ivy), while the Bears improved to 14-10 (6-4 Ivy).

Cressler buried 6-of-9 3-pointers and 10-of-14 from the free-throw line, while Cherry notched 17 points, a career-high 10 assists, seven rebounds and just one turnover while playing all 45 minutes. The Big Red shot just 39 percent from the floor overall, but hit nine 3-pointers and held a 42-39 edge on the backboards against one of the Ivy's top rebounding teams.

Dave LaMore scored a career-best eight points for the Big Red off the bench and David Onuorah had four points and eight rebounds. Dwight Tarwater chipped in three points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots and Darryl Smith had six points and five rebounds.

Brown got 30 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks from Cedric Kuakumensah and 23 points, 12 rebounds and four assists from Leland King. Sean McGonagill had nine points, but the Big Red defense held the Ivy League's leading scorer to 2-of-12 shooting, though the senior did bury one of the game's biggest shots, a stepback 3-pointer to put Brown up six with 50 seconds to play.

It was a thriler from the tip with neither team leading by more than seven points in regulation. Most of the way the two teams were spearated by two possessions or less in a contest that featured eight ties and 16 lead changes. It made for high drama, particularly in the final minutes.

Brown led by four points with 2:31 remaining before Cherry hit Cressler for a 3-pointer and then took it himself in transition for a conventional three-point play to flip the script and give Cornell a two-point lead just over a minute later. Kuakumensah answered with a short jumper in the lane to tie it, but Cressler went to the line twice sandwiched around a key offensive rebound by Darryl Smith after a missed free throw. The sophomore put the Big Red up 67-65 with 35 ticks left. Just 12 seconds later, Kuakumensah again tied it up when Tavon Blackmon found him for a layup to knot it at 67-67. The Big Red got a last opportunity, with Cherry missing a jumper from the top of the key as time ran out and the teams went back to the bench for overtime.

The Bears scored the first five points of overtime and Cornell couldn't get all the way back despite all efforts. Cressler hit a pair of free throws to cut a Bears lead to three for the second time, but McMonagill hit his second trey of the night and only the second for Brown in 45 minutes of action to effectively seal the visitors win.

The first half saw the Big Red take its second halftime lead over Brown this season due to the heroics of Cressler, who had 17 points. Kuakumensah effectively kept the Bears within striking distance with a dominant 16-point, 10-rebound, four-block effort in 18 minutes of court time, while King had 15 points and five rebounds, The rest of Brown's lineup, including McGonagill, had three points on 1-of-13 shooting. The home team led by as many as seven points with 99 seconds left in the first half, but the visitors scored five points before the final buzzer, with King hitting a layup and Kuakumensah finishing off a three-point play as Cornell went into the break leading 36-34.

Cornell will play its final road contests of the season next weekend when it visits Harvard and Dartmouth on Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, March 1, respectively.