CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Cornell battled back from a 17-point halftime deficit to get two shots to tie, but Harvard held on for a 75-73 victory over the Big Red on Friday evening at Lavietes Pavilion. Cornell saw its six-game road win streak snapped in falling to 13-8 (5-3 Ivy), while the Crimson improved to 8-13 (3-5 Ivy).

Junior Cooper Noard scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds and Nazir Williams added 18 points and five boards, but Cornell fell behind by as many as 19 in the first half and ran out of time late. Cornell shot 62 percent from the field in the second half and 50 percent overall, but 16 turnovers and nine offensive rebounds allowed at critical times hurt the cause. AK Okereke scored 10 points to be the third double figure scorer. Adam Hinton (six points, five rebounds) and Jacob Beccles (five points, four assists) provided key second half minutes to spark the comeback.

Thomas Batties II scored 21 points to lead four Crimson players in double figures, adding five rebounds, four assists and three steals in the win. Evan Nelson (13 points, five rebounds), Chandler Pigge (13 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals) and Robert Hinton (12 points) joined Batties in double figures. The Crimson shot 59 percent in the first half, but connected on just 33 percent from the field after the break and made just 1-of-11 3-pointers. 



Cornell scored the game's first basket, but Harvard answered with a 13-0 run to take the lead. It was nearly a double-digit lead the rest of the half, with the Crimson going up as many as 19 (31-12). The Big Red seemingly had some momentum late in the half, cutting the deficit to 12 with under two minutes to go with possession, but the Crimson's Evan Nelson scored five straight to hand the home team a 17-point lead at the break. 

Harvard shot 59 percent in the first half and connected on 5-of-10 shots from beyond the arc. Batties led the Crimson with 13 points and the defense held the visitors to 39 percent shooting while forcing 10 Cornell turnovers. Noard (16) and Williams (8) scored 24 of the Big Red's 30 points 

The second half was a different story, though Cornell's engines didn't really get revving until it got within single digits to just over five to play. A Beccles block and a Chris Cain hustle tip-out rebound led to a break with the sophomore scoring on the other end to make it 66-58. A Guy Ragland Jr. putback two minutes later cut the deficit to four,  and Cooper Noard's driving layup with 54 seconds left made it a one-point game at 70-69.

Cornell would get two chances late. After Austin Hunt missed the second free throw in his one-and-out attempt with eight seconds left, Williams was fouled bringing the ball up and went to the line. The senior missed the first free throw and the second on purpose, and the Crimson got the board and was immediately fouled. Batties missed both charity shots with 2.8 seconds remaining and Williams pulled down the board. He was able to get to nearly halfcourt, and his launch for the win hit the backboard and rimmed out at the buzzer.

UP NEXT
• The will look to complete the season sweep of Dartmouth when it meets the Crimson on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. at Leede Arena.
• The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
• The Big Red will attempt to extend its win streak over the Big Green to six games.
• Cornell earned a 76-64 triumph over Dartmouth in the first meeting in Ithaca on Jan. 31 behind 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks from AK Okereke.