WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Junior Robert Hatter had a game-high 27 points and freshman Matt Morgan had 19, but it was junior Desmond Fleming's eight points and first career blocked shot of a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer that saved Cornell in an 84-81 win at Howard on Wednesday evening at Burr Gymnasium. The Big Red closed the non-conference season at 7-7, while the Bison fell to 7-9.

Fleming scored a career high eight points, grabbed three rebounds and blocked a Keon Hill 3-point attempt at the buzzer, his only miss from 3-point range of the night (4-of-5). He entered the game with just over five minutes left in the first half and helped slow down James Daniel III, the nation's leading scorer, on the defensive end. After scoring 14 points in the first 14:38, he scored just eight the rest of the way.

While Fleming's contributions were the spark, the regular suspects also showed up in a big way. Hatter hit 10-of-17 shots from the floor en route to 27 points. He added four assists, a steal and a rebound. Morgan chipped in 19 points, four rebounds and two steals and junior Darryl Smith had 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting. Junior David Onuorah had seven points, 11 rebounds, a block and a steal and sophomore Wil Bathurst had nine points and three boards. Sophomore Jordan Abdur-Ra'oof, playing in front of his family and friends, had six rebounds, an assist, a steal and a putback dunk to wow the crowd.

The Big Red shot 53 percent from the floor for the game, including 60 percent from inside the arc and overcame a 10-of-18 effort from 3-point range (56 percent) for Howard.

Daniel, who entered the game averaging a Division I high 29 points per game, netted 22 points and had six assists, while Damon Collins netted 17 points with 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Hill, who attempted the game-tying 3-pointer, had 14 points. Jalen Jones matched Onuorah with 11 rebounds as Howard held a 44-42 advantage on the backboards, including picking off 20 errant shots of the offensive glass.

Despite Howard's hit shooting from 3-point range, the Big Red held the Bison under 40 percent shooting for the game (.394). The back-and-forth contest saw Cornell outscore the home team 24-8 on the fast break.  Howard led by as many as 11 points late in the first half before a Big Red run got them within one at the break, while Cornell led by 10 with just under 90 seconds remaining only to see the Bison storm back.

It was that kind of game from the tip, but Cornell's final two minutes and change was largely responsible for the win.

Trailing by 10 after Damon Collins put back a miss to make it 40-30 with just over two minutes left in the second half, Cornell made a run. Onuorah tipped in his own miss, then after forcing a miss, Fleming scored to make it a six-point game. The Big Red then forced a turnover and Hatter threw down a fastbreak dunk to make it 40-36 with a minute to play. After a pair of free throws by Howard, Matt Morgan hit a long 3-pointer as the Big Red went to play a 2-for-1 possession before the half. It paid off and then some, as Cornell stole the ball back and Morgan went in for an uncontested layup with 11 second left. The Big Red made one last defensive stand in the final seconds, with Onuorah blocking a shot to send the visitors into the break trailing just 42-41 and with heaps of momentum.

The second half started with a Cornell surge, regaining the lead with a quick 6-2 spurt. The Big Red never trailed again after Hatter was fouled on a 3-point attempt and drained all three with 17:30 left in regulation. Howard pulled within a possession six times, but each time Cornell had an answer.

Morgan hit a 3-pointer after the Bison crawled within two points, then Wil Bathurst and Hatter hit free throws and Troy Whiteside converted a layup after it was down to one. When Keon Hill hit his fourth 3-pointer of the night to make it 73-71, Hatter responded with a layup to push it back to four and triggered a 9-1 run that put the game into double figures (82-72) with 1:29 left.

From there, Howard rallied with a three-point play from Daniel before Onuorah's wide open dunk with 55 seconds left made it a nine-point game again. Cornell wouldn't score the rest of the way – missing a free throw and turning it over twice. The visitors had the ball and a three-point lead with 1.7 seconds remaining, but an inbounds to Hatter went awry and Howard got one more crack to send the game to overtime. The inbounds pass went to Hill, but Fleming perfectly traced the shot and got an extended hand on the shot as the horn sounded, giving Cornell its seventh non-leage win of the year.

NOTES TO KNOW
• Junior Desmond Fleming's game-winning block wasn't just the first of his career in 33 games, but his eight points and three rebounds were a career high.
• Junior David Onuorah had his fourth double figure rebounding game of the season (11).
• Junior Robert Hatter scored a game-high 27 points, his fifth game with at least 25 points.
• Hatter is averaging 23.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals over his last seven games.
• Sophomore Jordan Abdur-Ra'oof's putback dunk in the opening minute of the second half was the first of his career and was one of four Big Red jams (Hatter, Smith, Onuorah).
• Cornell is now 16-3 when it scores at least 80 points under head coach Bill Courtney.
• The Big Red's .530 shooting (35-of-66) was a season high.

NEXT UP
• The Big Red opens Ivy League play when it visits Columbia on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. at Levien Gymnasium.
• That contest will be the first of the home-and-home series with the Lions.