ITHACA, N.Y. -- Sophomore Matt Morgan had a career-high 34 points, including the go-ahead basket with 19 seconds left, to lift the Big Red men's basketball team to an 80-77 victory over Northeastern on Wednesday evening at Newman Arena. Cornell improved to 2-5 on the year, while the Huskies slipped to 4-3.

Morgan nailed a career-high seven 3-pointers, matching a Cornell record at Newman Arena, to lead three double figure scorers in a back-and-forth affair that featured 20 lead changes and 11 ties. Senior Robert Hatter played a terrific floor game with 15 points, eight assists and four rebounds and freshman Josh Warren chipped in 12 points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench. None were bigger than Warren's two pressure-packed free throws with seven seconds remaining that gave Cornell some breathing room.

Cornell was crisp on offense all evening, dishing off 22 assists on 29 baskets while hitting 51 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arc. Northeastern was no slouch itself, shooting 49 percent from the floor and assisting on 19 baskets while connecting on 12-of-13 free throws. The visitors got 27 points, nine assists and five rebounds from TJ Williams and 24 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot from Alex Murphy.

The home team got its first home win for first-year head coach Brian Earl thanks to an all-out effort against the 2016 NCAA qualifiers who already own victories over Connecticut and Kent State. Senior JoJo Fallas had six points and was credited with a key steal in the final 30 seconds, sophomore Troy Whiteside had a key steal late in the contest and every one of the nine players who saw action contributed in an important moment.

The Big Red trailed with a minute to play, but regained the lead on a great find from Hatter to Warren underneath for a bucket. It was answered immediately by a Murphy layup, setting up Morgan's go-ahead basket that was the final lead change of the night. The sophomore faked a high-post entry pass and finished over a late-arriving defender to give Cornell the 78-77 advantage. The Huskies gave the ball to Williams, but Northeastern's leading scorer was walled off by Fallas. Morgan and Fallas swiped at the ball, which ended with Warren in possession. The rookie was fouled and hit both free throws to extend the home team's lead to 80-77. Northeastern was able to get off a final shot, but Jeremy's Miller 3-pointer for the tie was off the mark.

Notes to Know
• Morgan's 34 points surpassed his previous high of 33 set last season in a win at Harvard.
• The sophomore's seven 3-pointers ranks sixth all-time at Cornell for a single game and ties a Newman Arena record for a Cornell player, previously reached three times, most recently by Drew Ferry against Albany during the 2011-12 campaign.
• Warren set career highs in points (12) and assists (four) in the victory.
• The Big Red improved to 2-4 all-time against Northeastern with the win.
• The victory was the first in front of the home crowd for first-year head coach Brian Earl.
• Eight of the nine players who saw action logged double figure minutes.
• The Big Red's bench outscored Northeastern's reserves 21-9.
• In its two wins this season, Cornell has connected on 25-of-50 3-pointers (50 percent) and assisted on 41 baskets with just 23 turnovers.
• With his 15 points, senior Robert Hatter is now just 20 points shy of becoming the school's 26th 1,000-point scorer.

Cornell Laces Up 4 Pediatric Cancer
• Cornell players and staff wore gold shoelaces as part of the Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer to support the Go4theGoal Foundation.
• Visit www.go4thegoal.org to donate or for more information.



Next Up
• Cornell will take a 17-day break for final exams before resuming non-conference season with a four-game road trip prior to the holidays.
• The Big Red will head to Wyoming and USC before ending in Las Vegas for a two-game event as part of the Las Vegas Invitational.