Men's Hoops Searches For Signature Win When It Visits Penn State Monday

STREAKS, STORYLINES & SIDEBARS 
• Off to its best start in 60 years, the Cornell men’s basketball team eyes a signature win when it visits Penn State on Monday, Nov. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pa.
• Jason Ross and Brian Butch will be on the call on the Big Ten Network.
• Cornell will be looking for its first win over a Big Ten opponent in more than a decade and its first triumph over Penn State since 1972.
• That 1961-62 Big Red team began the season with six consecutive victories, including triumphs over Syracuse (83-68) at home and Illinois (72-60) on the road, en route to a 19-5 campaign.
• Cornell is coming off a 2-0 home stand that included a win over reigning Patriot League champion Colgate (who defeated Syracuse 100-85 on Saturday evening at the Carrier Dome) and a 107-48 triumph over Division III foe Wells College. 
• The win over Wells saw the Big Red dominate on the glass (63-23 rebounding edge) while sharing the ball on the offensive end (30 assists, No. 2 in a game in school history).
• The Big Red will attempt to begin a season 3-0 on the road for the first time since winning its first nine road games to begin the 1964-65 campaign.
• Cornell’s 87.8 points per game, if maintained, would be a school record (85.2 in 1965-66).

ABOUT PENN STATE
• Penn State is 2-1 on the season under first-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry.
• The Nittany Lions have largely gone eight players deep in wins over Youngstown State (75-59) and St. Francis Brooklyn (74-59) sandwiched around an 81-56 loss at Massachusetts.
• Former Binghamton transfer Sam Sessoms leads three double figure scorers at 18.3 ppg. (with 3.7 rpg., 3.0 apg.), while Seth Lundy is at 16.0 ppg. along with 5.3 rpg. 
• John Harrar (12.7 ppg., 13.0 rpg.), an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick a year ago, is averaging a double-double and is posting 4.0 offensive rebounds per game for a team that is punishing opponents on the backboards through three contests (+11.3 rebounding margin.
• Penn State is shooting .555 from inside the arc this season and .475 overall. 
• The Nittany Lions are 2-0 at home with an average margin of victory of 15.5 points.
• Shrewsberry has previously had assistant stints in the collegiate ranks at Purdue and Butler, with a six-year tenure as assistant coach with the Boston Celtics.
• While with the Celtics, he played a key developmental role in the careers of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

THE SERIES 
Overall: Penn State leads 7-5, first meeting in 1899-1900
In University Park, Pa.: Penn State leads 6-0
Current Streak: Penn State, 4
Last Meeting: Penn State, 90-59 (12/29/2019 in University Park, Pa.)
Earl vs. Penn State: 0-1 (0-1 in University Park, Pa.)
Series Notes: Penn State is 6-0 at home against the Big Red, while Cornell is 5-0 at home vs. the Nittany Lions • PSU has won four straight between the teams • the Big Red last picked up a win over Penn State on Dec. 5, 1972, a 74-65 triumph at Barton Hall in Ithaca • Cornell is 14-41 all-time against Big Ten opponents • Cornell holds a 1-0 lead over Wisconsin and trail series against Illinois (1-4), Indiana (0-1), Iowa (0-3), Maryland (0-2), Michigan (0-3), Michigan State (1-5), Minnesota (1-5), Nebraska (0-2), Northwestern (1-2), Ohio State (3-5) and Purdue (0-1) • Cornell and Rutgers have each won one previous meeting • this is the only scheduled game between Cornell and a Big Ten opponent this season • Cornell’s last win over a Big Ten school came on March 21, 2010 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. • the 87-69 victory propelled the Big Red into the Sweet 16.
 

A WIN OVER PENN STATE WOULD ... 
• make Cornell 5-0 to start a season for the first time since the 1961-62 campaign.
• extend its win streak to six games overall, the Big Red’s longest since the 2009-10 season (won nine games from Feb. 13-March 21).
• be the first ever against Penn State in University Park and the first against the Nittany Lions anywhere since a 74-65 victory in Ithaca during the 1972-73 season.
• make it seven consecutive non-league wins, the program’s longest since winning 10 straight during the 2009-10 season.
• mark the program’s first win over a Big Ten opponent since knocking off Wisconsin 87-69 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 21, 2010 in Jacksonville, Fla.
• be the 1,281st in program history (1,279-1,460 in 120 seasons, .467). 

LAST TIME OUT: Cornell 107, Wells 48
GAME STORY I BOX SCORE I GALLERY I HIGHLIGHTS
• All 16 Cornell players dressed got into the scoring column and the Big Red rewrote the school’s record book in a 107-48 victory over Division III foe Wells College at Newman Arena. 
• The win cemented Cornell’s first perfect start after four games since 1961.
• Cornell led by 28 at the half and cruised as no player saw more than senior Max Samberg’s 16 minutes of action. 
• The Big Red’s 107 points rank as the seventh-most in a single game in school history, while its 43 field goals made (third), 63 rebounds (second) and 30 assists (second) all rank in the top 10. 
• The home team dominated all the miscellaneous and hustle stats - 69-16 in bench scoring, 34-4 on fastbreaks, 30-3 on second chance points and 56-12 in the paint. 
• Cornell had more offensive rebounds (27) than Wells had total boards (23).
• Leading scorers Jordan Jones (11 points, four rebounds, two assists) and Chris Manon (10 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals) were joined in double figures by freshman Guy Ragland Jr. (11 points, six rebounds).
• Sophomore Sean Hansen narrowly missing his first double-double with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds. 

NOTES FROM WELLS GAME
• Cornell’s 107-48 win over Division III Wells rewrote the Big Red record book in numerous single-game categories.
• The contest was the 25th in school history where Cornell surpassed 100 points, ranking seventh overall.
• It was the most points scored in a game since a 107-101 triple overtime victory over Princeton on Feb. 16, 2018 and the most in a regulation game since a 107-29 victory over Alfred State on Jan. 10, 2015.
• Cornell’s 43 made field goals ranks third in a game and is the most since making 46 shots in a 98-93 overtime win at Yale on Feb. 23,1980.
• The team’s 30 assists rank second all-time at Cornell, trailing just the 31 against Harvard on Feb. 13, 2009 in a 96-75 triumph.
• Cornell’s 63 rebounds are the second-most in a single game with the record an amazing and unreachable 87 vs. Brown on Feb. 19, 1965 — a 96-61 Big Red win.
• The Big Red ripped down 27 offensive rebounds, No. 2 on the single game list behind 31 pulled down vs. Hobart in a 99-83 Big Red victory on Dec. 11, 1994.
• All 16 players dressed scored with 15 playing double figure minutes, 14 grabbing rebounds and 12 credited with assists. 
• With 53 points in the first half and 54 in the second, Cornell scored more than 50 points in both halves of a game for just the third time in school history.
•Cornell attempted 83 field goals in the game, the first time it hoisted more than 80 shots since taking 85 at Dartmouth on March 4, 1995 — a span of 685 games.

PLAYER NOTES TO KNOW
• After starting out his career 0-for-3 from 3-point range, sophomore Keller Boothby has made 7-of-12 treys over his last three games (.583).
• No Big Red player has recorded more than 30 minutes of playing time this season, with senior captain Kobe Dickson’s 29:53 against Binghamton being the high-water mark.
• Dickson has posted a career-high eight rebounds in each of his last three games and has at least four assists, also a career best, in three of the first four contests.
• Junior Greg Dolan has eight assists and three turnovers while leading the team in minutes played at just 23.3 mpg.
• Sophomore Isaiah Gray’s assist:turnover ratio is 5:1 (10 assists, two turnovers) over his first four collegiate games, including the first game with six assists and zero turnovers off the bench in the win over Wells since Graham Dow had those same numbers vs. Keuka on Jan. 6, 2006.
• Sophomore Sean Hansen has posted 27 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists in just 49 minutes of play — averages of 22.0 points, 16.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per 40 minutes.
• Hansen had 11 rebounds in just 12 minutes of action against Wells, the Big Red’s first double figure rebounding game off the bench since Errick Peck corralled 10 vs. Longwood on Nov. 24, 2012.
• Hansen has six assists and just one turnover over his last two outings.
• Junior 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.
• Jones is the lone Big Red player to reach double figures in all four games this season.
• His 16 points comes in just 21.8 minutes per game — an average of 29.4 points per 40 minutes. 
• Sophomore Chris Manon has multiple steals in all four collegiate games and at least six rebounds in each contest.
• After attempting 20 total free throws in the Big Red’s first two contests, he has shot zero in his last two.
• Senior 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.
• Senior Sarju Patel seat out the 2019-20 season as a transfer and 2020-21 due to the pandemic after averaging 10.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.9 steals per game at VMI under former Penn State star, Dan Earl.
• Patel’s 3-pointer with 13 seconds left at Lafayette was his first in a collegiate game since March 9, 2019 when he went 1-of-3 against No. 22 Wofford in the Southern Conference Tournament.
• Patel has been credited with five assists and zero turnovers in 81 minutes of action this season.
• After playing just two total minutes over the first two games, freshman Guy Ragland Jr. has posted 14 points and eight rebounds in just 15 total minutes of action — averages of 37.3 points and 21.3 rebounds per 40 minutes.
• Freshman guard Nazir Williams has shot 50 percent better in all four games and is shooting 75 percent (9-of-12) from the floor overall.
• In his last two games, Williams is averaging 8.5 points, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals in 17.0 minutes per game.

TEAM NOTES TO KNOW
• After the Ivy League didn’t compete during the 2019-20 season, Cornell’s first game against Binghamton, a 76-67 Big Red victory, was its first in 612 days.
• The Big Red features an 18-player roster for sixth-year head coach Brian Earl that includes 11 that had never suited up for Cornell and 10 that had never played a collegiate game prior to Nov. 9.
• No player that had previously suited up for a full season for the Big Red averaged 20 minutes per game. Along with the 11 players that have never played a minute for Cornell, two of the returners combined to play 41 total minutes.
• The Big Red’s home win over Colgate on Nov. 16 was its first contest at Newman Arena since a 67-58 defeat at the hand of Harvard on Feb. 29, 2020 - a span of 627 days.
• In two different games this season, Cornell has limited opponents below 20 percent shooting from beyond the arc in more than 30 attempts - prior to this season it had never happened since the 3-point shot was instituted in Division I in 1986.
• The Big Red’s current five-game win streak is its longest since walking off the floor victorious in nine consecutive contests late in 2009-10.
• Its six-game non-conference roll is its longest since winning 10 consecutive during the 2009-10 season when it advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16.
• Cornell has made at least as many free throws as its opponents have attempted in all four contests this season and is averaging 23.5 attempts per game.
• Over its last three contests, Cornell is averaging 20.7 assists and has a 1.6 assist:turnover ratio.
• The Big Red has 42 offensive rebounds in its last two games.
• Cornell has held three of its four opponents to under 40 percent shooting, and three foes to sub-33 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
• The Big Red is averaging 38.8 points per game off the bench, including 55.5 over its last two outings.
• Cornell has outscored opponents 81-33 on fastbreak points so far this season.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES TO KNOW
• The Big Red will be one the least experienced teams in the country in 2021-22,  bringing back less than a third of its scoring, rebounding and assists from two seasons ago (Cornell and the Ivy League did not compete in 2020-21 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic). 
• Cornell has hit a 3-pointer in 891 consecutive games 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 937 of 941 games (6,150 3-pointers over that span).
• In 2019-20, the Big Red lost three games by a single point, five by a single possession, six by four points or less and eight by single digits.
• Brian Earl and his brother Dan (VMI) one of three active sets of brothers directing Division I programs, joining Bobby (Arizona State) and Danny (Connecticut) Hurley and Joe (Boston University) and James (Yale) Jones.
• Ninth-year assistant coach Jon Jaques was a starter and senior captain on the 2009-10 Cornell team that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16.
• Four 2020 Cornell graduates and Big Red starters — Jimmy Boeheim (Syracuse, 14.3 ppg., 6.3 rpg.), Bryan Knapp (George Washington), Terrance McBride (Rice, 3.8 ppg., 1.3 rpg., 2.8 apg., 1.8 spg.) and Riley Voss (Wright State, 4.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg., 1.0 apg.) — will play at Division I institutions this winter as grad students.
• 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.
• The Big Red continues to be ranked among the best according to the annual NCAA Division I Academic Progress Report (APR). 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 since the APR began in 2005, including seven consecutive (2009-16).
• Dating back to the first overtime game against Penn way back in 1922, Cornell is 41-51 in games that go an extra period. Cornell is 7-10 in multiple overtime games, with the longest game for the Big Red being a five overtime contest against Princeton, won by the Tigers 66-61 on Feb. 24, 1979 at Barton Hall. Cornell is 30-19 in home overtime games, 2-2 in neutral contests and 10-29 in road games.
 

CAPTAINS 
• A trio of first-year captains will lead the Big Red into the 2021-22 campaign.
• Seniors Kobe Dickson and Sarju Patel and junior Greg Dolan will take primary leadership roles.

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