Hartford Up Next For Men's Hoops In Sunday Matinee

Terrance McBride dribbles the ball against a Colgate defender during the Big Red's 66-58 loss at Colgate on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019 at Cotterell Court in Hamilton, N.Y.
Terrance McBride and the Big Red had a lead early in the second half, but an offensive slump allowed the reigning Patriot champ Raiders rally for a 66-58 win on Dec. 11, 2019 at Cotterell Court in Hamilton, N.Y.

Cornell Big Red (1-8)
at Hartford Hawks (5-7) 
 

Dec. 22, 2019 • 2:00 p.m.
West Hartford, Conn. • Chase Arena (3,507)
Hartford leads the all-time series 3-0
Hartford won last meeting 63-61 on Nov. 28, 2006 in Ithaca, N.Y.

Game Links 
Watch LiveLive Stats • Purchase Tickets
Cornell Game Notes • Hartford Game Notes
Cornell Roster • Cornell Schedule & Results • Cornell Stats
Hartford Roster • Hartford Schedule & Results • Hartford Stats

Men's Basketball at Hartford lineup, 2019

STREAKS, STORYLINES & SIDEBARS 
• With final exams in the rearview and another holiday break right around the corner, the Cornell men’s basketball team will visit Hartford on Sunday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. at Chase Arena in West Hartford, Conn. 
• The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+. 
• Cornell will be playing just its second game in two weeks before taking another week off for Christmas break. 
• The Big Red has taken the time in practice to regroup from a 1-8 start that includes four losses by three points or less and another where it led by double digits on the road in the second half. 
• Cornell will be trying to erase the memories of its recent road contests, trying to break an 11-game skid away from home when it meets a Hartford team it has never defeated in program history (0-3). 
• In fact, Hartford is one of 17 schools Cornell is winless against in at least three meetings (its company includes Duke, Michigan and North Carolina).  
• Junior Jimmy Boeheim ranks third in the Ancient Eight in scoring (18.6 ppg.), sixth in rebounding (6.6 rpg.) and 13th in assists (2.1 apg.) while also ranking in the top 20 in blocks and steals. 

Brian Earl 

The Robert E. Gallagher '44 Head Coach of Men's Basketball

• Brian Earl is in his fourth season as the Robert E. Gallagher ‘44 Head Coach of Cornell Men’s Basketball. 
• Became Cornell’s 22nd head coach in April of 2016. 
• Earl helped his alma mater, Princeton, return to national prominence during nine seasons as an assistant and associate head coach. 
• The Tigers had posted a 143-69 overall record and a 72-26 record in Ancient Eight games since 2009-10, never finishing lower than third place and winning 20 or more games five times. 
• His Ivy League peers voted him as the league’s top assistant coach in a November 2010 FoxSports.com poll, earning the recognition prior to a 2011 season in which Princeton won the Ivy League title and returned to the NCAA Tournament.

Brian Earl
Head coach Brian Earl

ABOUT HARTFORD
• Hartford stands at 5-7 overall and will be playing its eighth home game (3-4) of the young season in its last contest prior to a week-long holiday break. 
• Hartford snapped a five-game skid its last time out, defeating Wagner 71-63 on Dec. 14 behind 19 points by Hunter Marks. 
• Marks is one of four double figure scorers for the Hawks, ranking second on the team at 12.2 ppg. to go along with 7.4 ppg. 
• Moses Flowers (11.3 ppg., 3.4 rpg.), Miroslav Stafl (11.0 ppg., 4.1 rpg.) and Malik Ellison (15.0 ppg., 9.5 rpg.) are also in double figures. 
• The Hawks are shooting 41 percent from the floor overall and hitting on 33 percent from beyond the arc while making 7.8 3-pointers per game. 
• Opponents are outrebounding Hartford by 6.6 boards per contest and are hitting shots at a 43 percent clip, including 50 percent from inside the 3-point arc. 
• Tenth year head coach John Gallagher has led Hartford to its most successful two-year stretch in the program’s Division I history — the Hawks have won 37 games in the last two seasons, including a school-record 19 in 2017-18 

THE SERIES 
Overall: Hartford leads 3-0, first meeting in 1984-85 
In West Hartford, Conn.: Hartford leads 2-0 
Current Streak: Hartford, 3 
Last Meeting: Hartford, 63-61 (11/28/2006 in Ithaca, N.Y.) 
Earl vs. Hartford: First meeting 
Series Notes: This will be the third game in four all-time meetings to be held in Connecticut • all three previous meetings have been decided by four points or less, with the last two being decided in the final minute • Cornell is 25-29 all-time against members of the America East Conference. 

LAST TIME VS. HARTFORD
• Hartford held Cornell without a field goal in the final 5:20 of the game as the Hawks rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final four and a half minutes to steal a 63-61 win from the Big Red at Newman Arena.  
• Freshman Ryan Wittman led all scorers with 22 points, while classmate Louis Dale added 15 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort for the Big Red.  
• Cornell senior Graham Dow was credited with 10 assists off the bench. 
• Joe Zeglinski had 18 points to lead the Hawks, who also got 15 points and eight rebounds from Bo Taylor.
  
A WIN OVER HARTFORD WOULD ... 
• make the Big Red’s record stand at 2-8 on the season. 
• end an eight-game losing streak overall and an 11-game skid on the road. 
• make the Big Red 1-3 all-time against the Hawks. 
• snap Hartford’s three-game win streak in the series. 
• improve Cornell’s record to 26-29 all-time against current members of the America East Conference. 
• be the 1,271st in program history (1,270-1,448 in 119 seasons, .467).

Men's Basketball at Hartford Matchup Stats, 2019
2009-10 Men's Basketball Ivy Champions
The 2009-10 Cornell men's basketball team celebrates its third consecutive Ivy League title after a win over Brown on March 5, 2010 in Providence, R.I.

10th Anniversary of the 2009-10 Sweet 16 Team
Results I Roster I Statistics

The Big Red reached new heights in 2009-10, winning the program’s third straight Ivy League title en route to an Ivy League-record 29 wins and recording not only the program’s first NCAA win, but a trip to the Sweet 16. 

Cornell closed the season ranked No. 17 in the national rankings, a first in 59 years, and set an Ivy record for 3-pointers in a season (326). The team also set single-season school records in points (2,545), field goals (913), assists (543) and blocked shots (127).  

The Big Red won the MSG Holiday Festival with a victory over St. John’s, Cornell’s first win over a Big East school since 1969 and captured a season-opening win at Alabama, the team’s first win over a school from the Southeastern Conference since 1972.  

Cornell shocked the college basketball world as a No. 12 seed, knocking out both fifth-seeded Temple and fourth-seeded Wisconsin by double figures to advance before losing to No. 1 seed Kentucky.

For his efforts, Steve Donahue was named the Clair Bee Coach of the Year and the NABC District Coach of the Year. Senior Ryan Wittman graduated as the school’s all-time scoring leader and was named the unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year and an AP honorable mention All-American, while Jeff Foote was a first-team All-Ivy pick and the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year. Louis Dale rounded out three Big Red players on the All-Ivy first team. 

Cornell Big Red senior Matt Morgan poses for feature photos in Newman Arena in Ithaca, NY on Tuesday, January 15, 2019.

MORGAN JOINS THE RAPTORS 
• Senior Matt Morgan ‘19 signed a contract with defending NBA Champion Toronto Raptors on Oct. 17. 
• He has been assigned to the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League. 
• Cornell’s all-time leading scorer who ranks No. 2 in Ivy League history, Morgan graduated with career records for points scored (2,333), scoring average (20.5 ppg.), field goals made (743), field goals attempted (1,580) and free throws made (513), season records for points scored (687 in 2018-19) and 3-pointers made per game (3.32 in 2018-19), and game records for 3-pointers in a game (9, twice).  
• In addition, he ranks in the top 10 in career 3-pointers made (second, 334), games started (second, 112), minutes played (third, 3,705), games played (third, 113), free-throw percentage (fourth, .834) and assists (eighth, 296) and just outside the top 10 in steals (12th, 126). 
• Morgan is attempting to become the first Cornellian to play in the NBA since Jeff Foote ‘10 for the New Orleans Hornets in March 2012.  
• In his first game with the 905 on Nov. 10, Morgan had 11 points (4-of-10 shooting, 2-of-7 from 3-point range) to go along with six assists, three rebounds, a block and a steal in 29 minutes during a 109-94 loss to the Grand Rapids Drive. 
• He is averaging 6.9 points, 2.3 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game in 12 contests. 

CORNELL, IVY LEAGUE BASKETBALL FEATURED ON ESPN+ 
• ESPN+ is ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer offering.
• Similar to Netflix and Hulu, fans are able to buy a subscription to ESPN+, which will be completely separate from their cable/satellite bill.
• The cost for ESPN+ is $4.99/month and $49.95/year.
• ESPN+ is available on all of ESPN’s existing platforms: Website, mobile app, OTT (Apple TV/Roku) app.

LAST TIME OUT: Colgate 66, Cornell 58
GAME STORY I BOX SCORE I BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
• Colgate used a 23-2 second half run to erase a double-digit deficit and the reigning Patriot League champions used that momentum to top Cornell 66-58 at Cotterell Court. 
• Senior Josh Warren had 12 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Big Red, while junior Jimmy Boeheim chipped in 11 points, all in the first half, to go along with five rebounds and three assists.  
• Junior Terrance McBride and freshman Jordan Jones each had nine points and six rebounds Riley Voss had seven points and Bryan Knapp was credited with four points, three rebounds and three assists as Cornell suffered its eight straight defeat.  
• The Big Red shot just 28 percent in the decisive second half after hitting on 61 percent in the first 20 minutes. 
• Four Colgate players reached double figures and three more had at least seven points as the Raiders erased a double-digit second half deficit.  
Cornell had a 38-28 edge on the glass, but the Raiders turned the ball over just six times Keegan Records had 12 points and nine boards off the bench while Jordan Burns, Nelly Cummings and Tucker Richardson had 10 each.

NOTES TO KNOW
• Over the last three seasons, Cornell is 17-10 at home (.630). 
• Cornell was 6-0 last season and 13-3 in four years under head coach Brian Earl when holding opponents under 40 percent shooting and were 10-2 in 2018-19 and 31-12 overall when outshooting its foe. 
• Cornell has hit a 3-pointer in 869 consecutive games (11th-longest streak in Division I) dating back to a contest against Denison in the 1988-89 season opener (0-for-2). Since the 3-point shot came into effect in NCAA play during the 1986-87 season, the Big Red has hit at least one shot behind the arc in 915 of 919 games (5,978 3-pointers over that span). 
• The November 5 date vs. Binghamton was the earliest start to a Cornell men’s basketball season in the school’s 121 seasons. 
• Cornell had 20 assists and just six turnovers in the win over Binghamton, just the 13th time since 1976 that Cornell had 20 or more assists and single-digit turnovers in a game. 
• Cornell dropped consecutive one-point games to Bryant (82-81) and NJIT (59-58), the first time since December 1942 when the Big Red dropped games on the road to Rochester (36-35) and Seton Hall (29-28) on December 19-21. 

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
• This year marks the 10th anniversary of Cornell’s 2009-10 NCAA Sweet 16 team with a reunion planned the weekend of February 7-8. 
• The 1987-88 squad that won an Ivy title will also return to campus that weekend to be honored for their achievements. 
• Brian Earl and his brother Dan (VMI) one of five active sets of brothers directing Division I programs, joining Scott (Baylor) and Bryce (Vanderbilt) Drew; Bobby (Arizona State) and Danny (Connecticut) Hurley; Joe (Yale) and James (Boston University) Jones; and Sean (Arizona) and Archie (Dayton) Miller. 
• Seventh-year assistant coach Jon Jaques was a starter and senior captain on the 2009-10 Cornell team that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. 
• Cornell has played in 47 different states, as well as in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Australia, France and Spain. The only states the Big Red has not played in are Alaska, North Dakota and Mississippi. 
• Junior Jimmy Boeheim is the oldest son of Syracuse head men’s basketball coach and Naismith Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim. 
• The Big Red ranks among the best according to the annual NCAA Division I Academic Progress Report (APR) for 2017-18 that was released this past May. The APR measures semester-by-semester records for every individual team in Division I with regard to each team members’ continuing eligibility, retention and progress toward graduation. The NCAA “commends” teams that have APR scores in the top 10 percent within their sport. Cornell has been recognized 10 times in the 14 years since the APR began, including seven consecutive. 
• The Big Red’s 17-man roster represents 11 states and the District of Columbia. 
• Freshman Jordan Jones’ father Max played in the NFL (Buffalo Bills) and the USFL (Birmingham Stallions), while his uncle Sean Jones played in the NFL with the Los Angeles Raiders, Houston Oilers and Green Bay Packers, winning a Super Bowl title in 1997 with the Packers and twice capturing All-Pro honors. 
• Sophomore Dean Noll helped guide Shawnee HS (N.J.), the alma mater of Cornell head coach Brian Earl, to a state title as a senior, earning MVP honors for the championship game. He broke the school’s single-season scoring record with 737 points - besting the previous mark of 675 set by Dan Earl, Brian’s older brother. 
• Junior Sarju Patel will sit out the 2019-20 season as a transfer after averaging 10.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.9 steals per game at VMI under head coach Dan Earl. 

CAPTAINS 
• A trio of first-year captains will lead the Big Red into the 2019-20 campaign. 
• Senior Josh Warren and juniors Jimmy Boeheim and Terrance McBride will take the leadership mantle. 

NEXT UP 
• The Big Red closes out the 2019 portion of its schedule when it visits Penn State on Sunday, Dec. 29 at noon at the Bryce Jordan Center. The contest will be televised on ESPNU. 
• Penn State leads the all-time series 6-5 and has won three straight, including a buzzer-beating 72-71 decision in the last meeting on Nov. 21, 2014 in Charleston, S.C. 
• The Big Red’s last win over the Nittany Lions came in a 74-65 victory on Dec. 5, 1972 at Barton Hall in Ithaca.

Photos by Dave Burbank, Madison Epperson, Eldon Lindsay, Patrick Shanahan and Darl Zehr

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