LAST TIME OUT: Harvard 67, Cornell 58
GAME STORY I BOX SCORE I HIGHLIGHTS I GALLERY
• Harvard held Cornell to under 40 percent shooting and kept the Big Red at bay throughout the second half to clinch a 20-win season with a 67-58 triumph at Newman Arena.
• Terrance McBride (15 points, four rebounds) and Bryan Knapp (10 points) highlighted the box score, but it was a night to honor Noah Gear, Thurston McCarty and captain Josh Warren in their final home game.
• Kobe Dickson added eight points and four rebounds and Dean Noll notched seven points, four boards and four steals.
• Both fouled out, two of the three Big Red players to be disqualified.
• Cornell was whistled for 27 fouls leading to 33 Harvard free throw attempts.
• Robert Baker scored a team-high 12 points and Rio Haskett notched 11 to lead the Crimson.
• Justin Bassey scored seven points and grabbed seven rebounds.
• Harvard held a 34-28 edge on the backboards and outscored Cornell 14-5 on second chance points - the difference in the game.
NOTES TO KNOW
• Junior Bryan Knapp, who reached double figures in scoring once in his first 53 career games, has now hit for at least 10 points in nine of his last 11 (averaging 10.4 ppg. over that span).
• Knapp is averaging 14.3 points, 2.8 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals over his last four games.
• Junior Terrance McBride is posting 19.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists on .600 shooting (36-of-60) over the last five games.
• Freshman Marcus Filien is averaging 4.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 steals over the team's last four games.
• Sophomore Kobe Dickson is posting 9.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting .667 from the floor (12-of-18) over his last three games.
• After shooting .402 from the floor (209-520) and .257 from 3-point range (57-of-222) over the first nine contests, the Big Red has connected on .453 shooting overall (402-of-888) and .341 beyond the arc (117-of-343), respectively, over the last 16 outings.
• Cornell has hit a 3-pointer in 885 consecutive games (12th-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 931 of 935 games (6,095 3-pointers over that span).
• The Big Red has lost three games by a single point, five by a single possession, six by four points or less and eight by single digits.
• 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.
• The Big Red played just seven players against Hartford on Dec. 22, the fewest in a game by a Cornell team since prior to 2000.
• Cornell had just three turnovers against Lafayette, matching a Cornell record for fewest in a single game (SMU on Dec. 30, 1980 and Penn on March 5, 1983) and establishing a Newman Arena mark.
• The Big Red’s 54 rebounds vs. Coppin State were the most in a single game since grabbing 56 against Clarkson in 2010 and the highest total against a Division I opponent since hauling in 59 in a 69-45 triumph over Dartmouth on Feb. 20, 2004, while the squad’s 26 offensive rebounds are tied for the second-most in a single game in school history behind only 31 against Hobart on Dec. 11, 1994.
• With victories over Purchase (100-68) and Elmira (70-33) in January, the Big Red posted consecutive 30-point wins for the first time since dropping Dartmouth (71-37) and Harvard (86-50) on Jan. 29-30, 2010.
• In two games against Yale and it’s league-leading scoring defense and field goal percentage defense unit, the Big Red shot .482 (53-of-110) overall and .444 (20-of-45) from 3-point range while scoring 75.5 points.
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 (Boston University) and James (Yale) 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 16-man roster represents 10 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.
• Jeff Foote '10 will be honored as a Legend of Ivy League Basketball along with 15 other greats at the 2020 Ivy League Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments on Saturday, March 14, at Lavietes Pavilion in Cambridge, Mass. Foote, a two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year and NABC All-District selection, helped lead Cornell to three conference titles and an appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2010. A three-time All-Ivy pick, he was a first-team selection as a senior after capturing a spot on the second team as a sophomore and junior. Foote was a five-time Ancient Eight player of the week.
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 will attempt to complete its first season sweep of Princeton since the 2009-10 campaign when it visits the Tigers on Saturday, March 7 at 6 p.m.
• Cornell will be attempt to snap a nine-game skid at Jadwin Gymnasium after winning five of its previous six against the Tigers in New Jersey.
• The Tigers lead the all-time series 148-82 despite the Big Red's 73-62 victory on Feb. 8 in Ithaca.
