ITHACA, N.Y. -- Senior
Jake Fiegen's 3-pointer, Cornell's 14th of the game, with 1.0 seconds remaining lifted the Big Red past first-place Yale 72-69 on Friday evening at Newman Arena. The home team improved to 13-12 (6-6 Ivy), while the Bulldogs slipped to 21-5 (9-3 Ivy). The win, coupled with the other results around the league, puts Cornell in sole possession of fourth place and the final spot in Ivy Madness with two to play.
After Nick Townsend's layup tied the game at 69 with seven seconds left, Cornell pushed the ball up the floor without calling timeout. Fiegen hit the trey after coming off a hand-off from Josh Baldwin at the top of the key and draining it to give him a team-high 17 points, tops among five Big Red double-figure scorers. The Big Red led for all but 49 seconds and never trailed. Yale had a final chance, with the Big Red tipping an inbounds pass away before Trevor Mullin missed a contested a 3-pointer to tie late, but the attempt fell short. Cornell students, especially the football team who made up a big percentage of the student cheering section, celebrated with their Big Red classmates on the floor.
Fiegen finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists, shooting 7-of-12 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Senior Cooper Noard added 16 points with four 3-pointers, while Baldwin scored 13 points and handed out four assists. Senior Adam Hinton chipped in 11 points and Anthony Nimani netted 12 off the bench. Cornell outrebounded Yale 31-28 and outscored the Bulldogs 12-3 on second-chance points.
Cornell shot .481 from the field and made 14-of-35 from 3-point range (40 percent), building a cushion with perimeter shooting in the first half. The Big Red knocked down nine 3-pointers before the break, including three from Noard and two apiece from Fiegen and Baldwin, to take a 35-30 lead into halftime.
Cornell's active defense also caused the Bulldogs fits in the first 20 minutes, limiting the visitors to 33 percent shooting overall.
The advantage swelled to as many as 13 early in the second half. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Hinton pushed the margin to 41-30, and Baldwin's triple at the 16:13 mark made it 48-35.
Yale, which shot nearly 63 percent in the second half, methodically chipped away. Casey Simmons scored 14 points and sparked a mid-half surge, while Isaac Celiscar added 14 points and eight rebounds. A 10-2 run trimmed Cornell's lead to 56-54 with 9:21 remaining.
The Bulldogs pulled within two in the final two minutes on layups by Mullin and Simmons before Townsend's drive tied the game in the closing seconds. Yale scored 42 points in the paint and 18 in transition, but Cornell countered with 12 second-chance points and 15 points off turnovers. The Big Red assisted on 19 of their 26 field goals and committed 12 turnovers.
Townsend led Yale with 14 points, five assists and two steals, while Simmons and Celiscar also scored 14 apiece.
NEXT UP
• Cornell will celebrate its seven seniors on Senior Day as the Big Red faces Brown on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. at Neman Arena.
• The Big Red will attempt to sweep the season series after its 89-67 triumph at Brown on Jan. 19 in Providence.
• Cornell leads the all-time series 86-58.
