NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Six different players reached double figures, 10 hit at least one 3-poointer and seven had multiple assists as Cornell ran past Columbia 102-85 on Monday afternoon at Levien Gymnasium. The Big Red improved to 14-4 (4-1 Ivy) with the win, while the Lions fell to 6-14 (1-4 Ivy).
The Big Red's 4-1 league start is its best since the 2009-10 Ivy championship squad, and its 102 points marked the third time this season it surpassed the 100-point threshold.
Guy Ragland Jr. scored a game-high 14 points, with both
Chris Manon and
Isaiah Gray scoring 13 apiece.
Keller Boothby (11),
Sean Hansen (10) and
Nazir Williams (10) rounded out the double figure scorers, while both
Josh Baldwin and
Marcus Filien scored seven. Williams added six assists and Filien and Manon each grabbed five boards. Cornell was credited with 22 assists and 10 steals while hitting 12-of-26 from beyond the 3-point arc. Three days after making 31-of-34 free throws, Cornell's relentless attack yielded 33 more attempts (28 makes) in the victory.
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa had 12 points and four rebounds to lead Columbia, while Zne Eddine Bedri and Jake Tavroff scored 11 apiece. Kenny Noland was the fourth Lion in double figures with 10 points, six assists and three rebounds. Columbia made 12-of-33 3-pointers and held a 41-31 edge on the backboards, but turned it over 22 times.
The win was Cornell's fourth straight against the Lions. It came after a first half that saw the Big Red fall down early, ultimately lead by 17 before the Lions got within four at the break and then run away with it in the second half.
First Half
• Columbia jumped out to a 7-2 lead before Cornell got its legs under itself.
• A 14-0 run turned a tie game into a 25-11 Big Red lead and, though the Lions went on a late flurry, Cornell held a 42-38 edge at the break.
• The Lions stayed in the game thanks to a dominant 21-11 edge on the backboards to overcome 12 turnovers.
• All 11 players scored for the Big Red, with Ragland Jr.'s eight points leading the visitors.
• Cornell's defense held the Lions without a field goal for a span of 6:43, but the home team closed on a 21-8 run to get within four at the break.
• Avery Brown's long 3-pointer from near halfcourt was the punctuation mark on the comeback.
• The Big Red assisted on 10-of-11 baskets and hit 5-of-11 from beyond the arc, but the Lions matched their five 3-pointers.
• The physical Lions tried to slow down Cornell with 14 first half fouls, sending Cornell to the line 19 times.
• Kenny Noland had seven points, while Jake Tavroff and Blair Thompson scoring six apiece.
Second Half
• The Big Red put the game away early with a 15-3 run out of the locker room and never saw the lead dip below 11 the rest of the way.
• Cornell hit 7-of-15 from beyond the arc over the final 20 minutes with six different players connecting over that span.
• Hansen hit a 3-pointer and then assisted on a Boothby trey seconds later and the Big Red lead was back to 10 less than a minute into the second half.
• It was still an 11-point game with 14:44 to play before a 9-0 Big Red spurt over 1:57 allowed the visitors to grow the lead to 20.
• Columbia twice got within 16 points, but the Big Red was never seriously threatened over the game's final 12 minutes.
Next Up
• The Big Red returns to the road to face Harvard on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. at Lavietes Pavilion.
• Cornell leads the all-time series between the teams 96-85 with the teams splitting the past six meetings.
• The teams each won on their home floor a year ago, with the Crimson winning 77-72 in overtime in Cambridge, Mass. in the last meeting.
