ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell men's basketball rolled to its first 2-0 start in nearly a decade, pulling away midway through the first half and cruising to an 86-44 win over Division III SUNY Canton on Thursday evening at Newman Arena. Fifteen different Big Red players scored in winning its second straight game in the Central New York Hoops Classic.

A 23-0 first half run and suffocating defense throughout allowed Cornell to pull away. The Kangaroos shot just .238 from the floor, missed all 10 second half 3-point attempts (and hit just 2-of-19 for the game) and never threatened the home team, who took a 42-18 edge into halftime.

Senior Matt Morgan had 22 points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists and a blocked shot in just 21 minutes to pace the Big Red. Morgan has now hit 11 3-pointers in his first two games and moved past former Yale star Justin Sears for No. 15 in Ivy League history in points (1,706). Through two games, the senior guard has scored 60 points in just 50 minutes and has added 17 rebounds, five assists and seven steals. He surpassed Cody Toppert '05 for second on the school's career 3-point field goals list, ending the night with 242. 

Morgan was far from a one-man show, as Jake Kuhn added 11 points, Jimmy Boeheim had nine points and seven rebounds, Terrance McBride scored seven and seven others had at least three. Steven Julian had three points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal and Thurston McCarty had four points, two rebounds and three blocked shots in his Big Red debut. Chaz Mack notched six rebounds in just nine minutes of play and both Riley Voss and Dean Noll had two points, three rebounds and three assists in 10 minutes or less of action. 

The Big Red shot 43 percent overall and connected on 13 3-pointers, while outrebounding its opponent 53-41. It was the second consecutive game Cornell has led an opponent by at least 10 caroms to start the season.

Danny Santana had 15 points and Andrew Fitch ripped down a game-high 10 rebounds in the loss for the Kangaroos. Robert Holliday Jr. notched eight points and three rebounds.

NOTES TO KNOW
• Cornell is now 2-0 in the Central New York Hoops Classic with games against Colgate and NJIT to go.
• It was the first time Cornell defeated an opponent by 40 or more points since its 107-29 triumph over Alfred State on Jan. 10, 2015.
• With 53 rebounds, the Big Red registered its most in a single game since pulling down 56 against Clarkson on Jan. 11, 2010.
• Cornell's last 3-0 start to a season came back in 1996-97 (Buffalo, Lehigh and Haverford).
• No Cornell player saw more than 21 minutes of action, and all 16 played at least three minutes.
• Scoring their first collegiate points in the contest were Kobe Dickson (two) and Dean Noll (two), while Chaz Mack (two) and Thurston McCarty (four) scored their first points in a Cornell uniform.
• Matt Morgan now was 43 games with at least 20 points, building on his own school record.
• Morgan has now reached double figures in scoring in 53 straight games.
• Cornell is 26-0 in the last 26 seasons against non-Division I teams with the average margin of victory of more than 30 points.

NEXT UP
• Cornell will play its third game of the Central New York Hoops Classic when Colgate visits Newman Arena on Sunday, Nov. 11 at 1 p.m.
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• The Big Red leads the all-time series 73-56, though the Raiders have won two straight, including last year's 72-61 win in Hamilton, N.Y.