ITHACA, N.Y. -- Senior Shonn Miller was the individual dominant force, but it was a Cornell team defensive effort that lifted the Big Red to a 57-49 victory over Harvard on Friday evening at Newman Arena. The forward had 24 points, including the 1,000th of his career, and matched a career high with 15 rebounds in knocking the Crimson from alone on its first place perch thanks to an effort that limited the visitors to 25 percent shooting.

Miller hit on 7-of-16 shots from the floor and all eight free throws, becoming the 25th Cornell player to hit the century mark when he drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 10:49 left in regulation, putting the home team up 40-28 to match its biggest lead of the night. His 15 rebounds matched a career high set three other times, including twice this season, and he added three blocks and zero turnovers in 38 minutes of action.

While Miller was the focal point, everyone that hit the floor contributed in a defensive effort that helped limit Ivy League Player of the Year candidate Wesley Saunders to 6-of-21 shooting and two-time first-team all-league pick Siyani Chambers to 3-of-10. The Crimson stayed in the game with 21 offensive rebounds and a 43-33 edge on the glass overall, but Cornell hit 20-of-21 free throws for the 10th best single-game effort in school history from the line. Cornell also blocked 10 shots, the fourth-best total in a single game in Big Red history.

Devin Cherry had 15 points and Galal Cancer notched nine points and four assists. David Onuorah had four rebounds and four huge blocked shots in the win.

Saunders, despite his tough shooting night, still ended the night with 19 points, 11 rebounds and two assists and Steve Moundou-Missi had 13 points and seven boards. After shooting just 22 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes, the Big Red limited the Crimson to 28 percent after halftime.

Cornell set the tone early with its defense and never relented. Harvard missed its first seven shots and fell behind 6-1 after Onuorah blocked a dunk attempt on one end and raced down the court to pick up a missed shot and lay it in. The five-point advantage was as big as either team would have before halftime.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair featuring five ties and eight lead changes in a 20-minute span that saw Cornell lead just 22-21. The Big Red's go-ahead basket came on a Miller reverse dunk on an alley-oop feed from Cherry with just under minute remaining.

Harvard had brief leads at 11-9 and 15-12, but both times Cornell answered – first with a Galal Cancer three-point play and the second with a 6-0 spurt that included jumpers by Cherry, Miller and JoJo Fallas.

The second half was entertaining for the national audience on CBS Sports Network. Robert Hatter got free for his only field goal of the game, a 3-pointer that extended Cornell's lead to 25-21 2:26 into the half. Harvard wouldn't score for another nearly two minutes and only after missing its first four shots and turning the ball over five times on its first nine possessions of the half.

Miller scored five straight points, including a 3-pointer, to close out the 12-2 run over the first 7:25 of the second half. Harvard twice cut the lead to three, the last time at 44-41 with three minutes remaining, but both times Cherry answered for the Big Red. He drove the lane for a tough layup and then hit a pair of free throws to get the lead back to two possessions each time.

With his second 3-pointer of the day, Miller reached the 18-point mark needed to become the program's 25^th 1,000-point scorer. He ended the night with 1,006 points and sits in 24^th place, just eight points away from jumping all the way to 21^st.His three blocked shots make him the fourth Cornell player to surpass 150 blocked shots (152) and his 15 rebounds pushed him to 16^th in career rebounds (582). Miller's 17^th double-double of his career is also just one shy of the school record of 18 by Bernard Jackson '91 and Mike Davis '80.

The win was No. 50 for head coach Bill Courtney and gave Cornell 11 wins more than a season ago – the fourth-largest turnaround in Ivy League history.

Cornell will celebrate its six seniors (Cancer, Cherry, Miller, Deion Giddens, Dave LaMore and Ned Tomic) prior to Saturday's 6 p.m. showdown with Dartmouth at Newman Arena.