Men's Hoops Closes 2019 At Nationally-Ranked Penn State

STREAKS, STORYLINES & SIDEBARS 
• The Cornell men’s basketball team closes out the 2019 calendar year when it visits No. 20/21 Penn State on Sunday, Dec. 29 at 12 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center. 
• The contest will be broadcast on ESPNU with Mike Corey and Sydney Johnson on the call. 
• Coming off an 80-76 loss at Hartford on Dec. 22 and the Christmas break, the Big Red now turns its attention to Penn State and attempts to pick up its first win over a ranked team on the road since defeating No. 17 Syracuse on Dec. 14, 1957 - and snap a 52-game losing streak to ranked teams on the road in the process. 
• To do so, the Big Red would also need to snap a nine-game skid overall and 12 consecutive road losses dating back to last year. 
• Cornell has been ultra-competitive despite its record, losing five games by four points or less and a sixth against reigning Patriot League champ Colgate in a game it led by double digits in the second half. 
• Junior Jimmy Boeheim ranks third in the Ancient Eight in scoring (19.3 ppg., 44th nationally), eighth in rebounding (6.2 rpg.) and 13th in assists (2.3 apg.) while also ranking in the top 25 in blocks and steals. 
• Cornell earned a spot in the CIT tournament, its first postseason appearance since its 2010 NCAA Sweet 16 run. 

ABOUT PENN STATE
• Penn State is 10-2 overall and ranked No. 20/21 in the national polls while riding a three-game win streak. 
• The Nittany Lions are a perfect 10-0 at home with victories over a top 10 Ohio State team, as well as Wake Forest, Alabama, Yale and Bucknell. 
• Three players average double figures with two more posting 9.0 points or better, with Lamar Stevens (16.2 ppg., 7.6 rpg., 2.6 apg., 1.5 spg., 1.3 bpg.) leading the way. 
• Myreon Jones (14.2 ppg., 3.1 rpg., 3.3 apg., 1.3 spg.) and Mike Watkins (10.5 ppg., 9.3 rpg., 3.8 bpg., 1.0 spg.) are also posting double figures. 
• Guard Izaiah Brockington, a St. Bonaventure transfer, is posting 9.8 ppg. off the bench. 
• Penn State has hung its hat on a defense allowing opponents to shoot just 38 percent from the floor while averaging 66.5 points per outing while turning foes over nearly 16 times per game. 
• The Nittany Lions are ranked for the first time since 1996 when Cornell head coach Brian Earl’s brother, Dan, starred at Penn State on a team that went 21-7 overall and finished second in the Big Ten. 
• Head coach Patrick Chambers ranks in the top five all-time in Penn State history in victories (137) and guided the program to the 2018 NIT Championship.  

THE SERIES 
Overall: Penn State leads 6-5, first meeting in 1899-1900 
In University Park, Pa.: Penn State leads 5-0 
Current Streak: Penn State, 3 
Last Meeting: Penn State, 72-71 (11/21/2014 in Charleston, S.C.) 
Earl vs. Penn State: First meeting 
Series Notes: Both teams are a perfect 5-0 at home against the other school • the Nittany Lions have won three straight. 

LAST TIME VS. PENN STATE
• Penn State took its first lead since 4-2 in the game’s final tenths of a second and knocked off Cornell 72-71 at TD Arena in a consolation game of the 2014 Gildan Charleston Classic. 
• DJ Newbill scored after Cornell turned the ball over on an inbounds play with 4.8 seconds to play.  
• A Big Red player attempting to catch the inbounds pass was knocked to the ground and it was picked up by Penn State.  
• Newbill, the second-leading scorer in the Big Ten, drove the left baseline and was able to power a layup over a Big Red defender.  
• The play was reviewed, but the shot counted and sent Penn State off with the win. 
• Senior Galal Cancer and sophomore Robert Hatter each scored 17 points for the Big Red, with Cancer going a perfect 12-for-12 from the free-throw line.  
• Newbill scored 26 points, including the game-winner, and was credited with six rebounds and four steals. 
  
A WIN OVER PENN STATE WOULD ... 
• make the Big Red’s record stand at 2-9 on the season. 
• be the first by Cornell over a ranked team since topping No. 16 Wisconsin 87-69 on March 21, 2010 and the first vs. a ranked team on the road since Dec. 14, 1957 (60-54 at No. 17 Syracuse). 
• end a nine-game losing streak overall and a 12-game skid on the road. 
• even the all-time series between the teams at 6-6. 
• be the first for Cornell in University Park (0-5). 
• be the Big Red’s first over the Nittany Lions since Dec. 5, 1972 (74-65 in Ithaca). 
• improve Cornell’s record to 15-40 all-time against current members of the Big Ten. 
• be the 1,271st in program history (1,270-1,449 in 119 seasons, .467).

CORNELL VS. RANKED OPPONENTS 
• Cornell is 6-74 all-time against top 25 foes (one forfeit win) and has lost 10 straight. 
• The Big Red has played a vast majority of those games on the road, going 2-56 with two additional wins on neutral courts. 
• Its last win over a ranked opponent on the road came at No. 17 Syracuse, 60-54, on Dec. 14, 1957. 
• Cornell’s last win over a top 25 team came on March 21, 2010 when it defeated No. 16 Wisconsin 87-69 two days after topping No. 12 Temple 78-65 in the first two rounds of the 2010 NCAA Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. 
• The Big Red’s highest ranked win in school history came on Feb. 18, 1967 when Blaine Aston hit a 17-foot jumper with three seconds to play to stun No. 3 Princeton and Bill Bradley, 70-69. 
• Cornell is 0-3 all-time against the No. 20 team in the AP poll, falling at Dartmouth (58-48) in 1958, at Penn (83-64) in 1975 and at Wisconsin (73-40) in 2012. 

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 7.7 points, 2.2 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game in 15 contests. 

LAST TIME OUT: Hartford 80, Cornell 76
GAME STORY I BOX SCORE I BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
• Junior Jimmy Boeheim scored 26 points, but Hartford’s six double figure scorers helped the Hawks rally past the Big Red 80-76 at Chase Arena.  
• Boeheim hit 10-of-22 shots from the floor, including four 3-pointers, and added three rebounds and three assists to lead Cornell, who built a 15-point advantage in the second half and led for more than 36 minutes in the game.  
• Terrance McBride notched 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals and Jordan Jones chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds.  
• Josh Warren scored eight points with six rebounds and four assists, Dean Noll had seven points, four rebounds and two helpers and Kobe Dickson added six points, five rebounds, three steals, two assists and a blocked shot in 20 energy-filled minutes.  
• Bryan Knapp rounded out the iron seven with five points and two assists.  
• Cornell held a 38-30 edge on the backboards and handed out 18 assists on its 30 baskets. 
• Traci Carter had 21 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals while making 5-of-6 3-pointers to lead the Hawks, while both Miroslav Stafl and Malik Ellison had 14 points apiece.

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 31-13 overall when outshooting its foe. 
• Cornell has hit a 3-pointer in 870 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 916 of 920 games (5,986 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 four active sets of brothers directing Division I programs, joining Bobby (Arizona State) and Danny (Connecticut) Hurley; Joe (Yale) and James (Boston University) Jones; and Sean (Arizona) and Archie (Indiana) 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 
• Cornell will welcome Purchase College for the first time when the teams meet on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. at Newman Arena in Ithaca. 
• The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+. 
• Cornell has almost annually played a non-Division I team, going 27-0 with an average margin of victory of more than 30 points per game in the last 27 seasons

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