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CORNELL INFORMATION
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HOWARD INFORMATION
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ALFRED STATE INFORMATION
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GAME INFORMATION
Game #15: Howard at Cornell
Tip off: Thursday, Jan. 8, at 7:00 p.m.
Site: Newman Arena (4,473), Ithaca, N.Y.
2014-15 Records: Howard (7-8, 1-1 MEAC); Cornell (6-8, 0-0 Ivy)
Series Record: First-ever meeting between the programs
Last Meeting: Teams have not met
Radio: 98.7 FM The Buzzer (Barry Leonard, Eric Taylor '05)
TV: None
Game #16: Alfred State at Cornell
Tip off: Thursday, Jan. 10, at 2:00 p.m.
Site: Newman Arena (4,473), Ithaca, N.Y.
2014-15 Records: Alfred State (2-9, 0-0 USCAA); Cornell (6-8, 0-0 Ivy)
Series Record: First-ever meeting between the programs
Last Meeting: Teams have not met
Radio: 98.7 FM The Buzzer (Barry Leonard, Eric Taylor '05)
TV: None
HEAD COACH BILL COURTNEY
Cornell head coach Bill Courtney is in his fifth season at Cornell (43-86, .333; 19-37 Ivy, .339) ... Courtney became the fifth Robert E. Gallagher '44 Coach of Men's Basketball at Cornell on April 23, 2010.
Cornell Game Notes I Howard Game Notes - Alfred State Game Notes I Ivy League Game Notes
Purchase Tickets I Live Video I Live Audio I Live Stats
Facebook I Twitter I YouTube
Sign up to receive text messages I Sign up for weekly newsletters
CORNELL INFORMATION
Roster I Schedule & Results I Statistics I History
HOWARD INFORMATION
Roster I Schedule & Results I Statistics
ALFRED STATE INFORMATION
Roster I Schedule & Results I Statistics
GAME INFORMATION
Game #15: Howard at Cornell
Tip off: Thursday, Jan. 8, at 7:00 p.m.
Site: Newman Arena (4,473), Ithaca, N.Y.
2014-15 Records: Howard (7-8, 1-1 MEAC); Cornell (6-8, 0-0 Ivy)
Series Record: First-ever meeting between the programs
Last Meeting: Teams have not met
Radio: 98.7 FM The Buzzer (Barry Leonard, Eric Taylor '05)
TV: None
Game #16: Alfred State at Cornell
Tip off: Thursday, Jan. 10, at 2:00 p.m.
Site: Newman Arena (4,473), Ithaca, N.Y.
2014-15 Records: Alfred State (2-9, 0-0 USCAA); Cornell (6-8, 0-0 Ivy)
Series Record: First-ever meeting between the programs
Last Meeting: Teams have not met
Radio: 98.7 FM The Buzzer (Barry Leonard, Eric Taylor '05)
TV: None
HEAD COACH BILL COURTNEY
Cornell head coach Bill Courtney is in his fifth season at Cornell (43-86, .333; 19-37 Ivy, .339) ... Courtney became the fifth Robert E. Gallagher '44 Coach of Men's Basketball at Cornell on April 23, 2010.
STORY LINES:
The Cornell men's basketball team will settle in at home for much of the next month, starting a string of seven home games in its next eight contests as the Big Red returns home for its first-ever meeting with Howard on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. at Newman Arena, Barry Leonard and Eric Taylor '05 will provide coverage on 98.7 FM The Buzzer, with live video available on the Ivy League Digital Network.
Saturday's game against Alfred State will be the Second Annual Fred Geise Memorial KIDS DAY. Activities, including a bounce house, a basketball shooting game, facepainting and a poster creation startion, begin at 1 p.m. and culminate after the contest with a meet and greet and autograph session with the team. Admission for all kids and members of Cornell Federal Credit Union (CFCU) is free, while giveaways (while supplies last) include free CFCU Big Red water bottles, basketball drawstring bags and mini basketballs.
Head coach Bill Courtney's team is already one of the most improved in the country, already tripling its win total from a year ago (2-26) en route to its 6-7 start. It has sextupled its win total from a year ago against Division I teams and has the looks of a team on the rebound, playing suffocating defense (.389 field goal percentage defense, .332 3-point percentage defense, 64.8 ppg. allowed, 4.4 blocked shots per game) in its 14 contests. The Big Red has limited foes to under 40 percent shooting in nine of its 14 games. Half of its eight losses have come by five points or less or in overtime.
The biggest difference from last year is the return of first-team All-Ivy selection Shonn Miller, who missed the 2013-14 season with a shoulder injury. The 6-7 forward returned with a bang, recording 21 points and 13 rebounds in the upset of George Mason and has been especially dominant over his last five games, averaging 22.0 points and 10.0 rebounds with a career scoring high of 28 points at Radford and a best of 15 rebounds at Siena. The two-time Ivy League Player of the Week has season averages of 16.7 ppg., 8.3 rpg., 1.9 bpg. and 1.1 spg. to make him an early contender for top Ivy League honors.
Other big differences in Cornell's quick turnaround include the return of senior Galal Cancer (9.3 ppg., 3.8 rpg., 3.4 apg., 1.1 spg.) after a year away from basketball, the move of senior Devin Cherry to point guard (10.1 ppg., 4.7 rpg., 3.6 apg., 1.0 spg.) and the maturation of sophomores Robert Hatter (11.9 ppg., 2.6 rpg., 1.1 spg.) and David Onuorah (2.4 ppg., 3.9 rpg., 1.3 bpg.). A number of other players have added key minutes as reserves over the first 14 contests. Among them are sophomore guards JoJo Fallas, who has become one of the conference's most dangerous shooters off the bench (4.0 ppg., 15 3-pointers, .375 3-point percentage), and Darryl Smith (3.1 pg., 1.9 rpg.). Together with the starting trio, the five make for one of the most talented and deepest backcourts in the Ancient Eight. The senior big man trio of Deion Giddens, Dave LaMore and Ned Tomic are combining to average 4.2 ppg. and 4.6 rpg. and have provided leadership on and off the court.
A WIN OVER HOWARD WOULD:
• give the Big Red a 7-8 record.
• snap a three-game losing skid.
• make Cornell 4-1 in home games this season.
• win the first-ever meeting with the Bison.
• be the 1,218th in program history (1,217-1,360 in 116 seasons, .472).
ABOUT HOWARD:
• Howard brings a 7-8 overall record and a 1-1 record in MEAC play into the contest and will be playing its first game in 11 days since dropping a 74-59 contest at Fordham on Dec. 28.
• The Bison are a perfect 5-0 at home, but just 2-8 away from Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C.
• James Daniel leads the way in scoring at 16.8 points to pace three in double figures. James Miller (12.4 ppg.) and James Carlton (11.9 ppg.) lead the three James men.
• The Bison have limited opponents to 36 percent shooting and 30 percent from 3-point range while outrebounding foes by more than six per game.
• Howard has struggled shooting the basketball over the first third of the year, connecting on just 28 percent from beyond the arc. They are also turning the ball over 16.9 times per game.
• Fifth-year head coach Kevin Nickelberry previously had head coaching experience at Hampton and for the Libya national basketball team.
THE CORNELL-HOWARD SERIES:
• This will be the first-ever meeting between the Big Red and the Bison on the hardwood.
CORNELL VS. MID EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE:
• The Big Red is 1-1 all-time against members of the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference and will be meeting Howard for the first time in school history.
• The Big Red has faced Coppin State (0-1) and Norfolk State (1-0).
• Cornell has never met Bethune-Cookman, Delaware State, Florida A&M, Hampton, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Morgan State, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, Savannah State and South Carolina State in men's basketball.
• This game is the only scheduled meeting between the Big Red and a MEAC team this year.
• Cornell's last win over a team in the MEAC was a 92-89 overtime win over Norfolk State on Dec. 21, 1999 in the first round of the Trend Homes Classic hosted by Fresno State.
ABOUT ALFRED STATE:
• The Pioneers are a Division II school located in Alfred, N.Y.
• Alfred State will be playing its first game since defeating SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry 69-55 at home on Dec. 14.
• The Pioneers held the Mighty Oaks to 33 percent shooting and held a dominant 46-34 edge on the backboards.
• A pair of players, Adam Fezza (11.5 ppg., 5.9 rpg.) and Tommy Hutson (10.0 ppg., 3.6 rpg.), are averaging double figures in the scoring column, while Tyler Elliott paces the team in rebounding (7.1 rpg.).
• Alfred State has struggled on the offensive end with a young team that features eight freshmen and sophomores on a 13-man roster, shooting just 38 percent from the field, 30 percent from 3-point range and 58 percent from the free-throw line in scoring 58.1 points per game.
• Defensively, the Pioneers are allowing opponents to shoot just 39 percent overall and 32 percent from 3-point range.
• Head coach Jerry Jusianiec played collegiately at Elmira College and previously served as an assistant coach at LeMoyne, Washington & Lee and SUNY Potsdam. He has won 197 games on the sidelines at Alfred State.
THE CORNELL-ALFRED STATE SERIES:
• This will be the first-ever meeting between Cornell and Alfred State.
CORNELL VS. NON-DIVISION I OPPONENTS:
• Cornell has almost annually played and beaten a non-Division I team, going 21-0 with an average margin of victory of more than 30 points per game in the last 22 seasons.
• The 2010-11 season was the only year in the last 22 seasons where the schedule was made up completely of Division I teams.
• Each of the team's 21 wins came by double figures except for in 2004-05, when Ithaca College made a 10-point run against Cornell reserves in the final minute in a 69-67 Big Red victory.
• The Big Red is 156-61 against teams that are non-Division I foes after last year's 77-55 win over Oberlin.
LAST TIME OUT:
• Seniors Devin Cherry and Shonn Miller combined for 43 points, but Buffalo's second half spurt was too much to overcome as the Bulls topped Cornell 92-73 on Jan. 3 at Alumni Arena.
• Cherry posted a season-high 23 points, including a career-best five 3-pointers, and added six assists, while Miller posted 20 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double in the last five games.
• Miller added three assists and three blocked shots in the loss.
• Freshman Wil Bathurst established a new high with his eight points.
• Cornell shot 44 percent from the floor, made 10 3-pointers and outrebounded the Bulls 36-32.
• Shannon Evans torched the Big Red with an explosive display, pouring in 33 points, including eight 3-pointers, and added five assists and four rebounds in the victory.
• Buffalo became the first team to hit 50 percent of its shots against the Big Red (.509), placing four in double figures and a fifth with nine.
• Lamonte Bearden and Rodell Wiggington each had 14 points and Justin Moss notched 11 points and four boards.
DEFENSIVE TURNAROUND:
• Cornell's defense has spearheaded the Big Red's turnaround, as its points per game allowed, field goal percentage defense overall and from 3-point range are significantly down, while its steals and blocked shots are way up over last season.
• The Big Red is limiting opponents to .389 shooting over its first 14 games. In all, Cornell recorded a .495 field goal percentage defense mark in 2013-14
• Cornell has allowed opponents to shoot 50 percent or better 15 times in 28 games a season ago, while this year it has held nine of its first 14 opponents under 40 percent shooting and just one opponent has hit 50 percent of its shots.
Scoring Def. FG% Def. 3pt FG Def. Steals Blocks
2013-14 78.4 (331) .495 (341) .409 (345) 4.2 (338) 3.5 (267)
2014-15 64.8 (151) .389 (57) .329 (214) 5.9 (244) 4.4 (84)
NOTES TO KNOW:
• Cornell has already won four more games than the entire 2013-14 campaign when it went 2-26. Only eight teams in the country have won more games this season than last year, topped by Cornell's +4. TCU, which is 13-0 after going 9-22 last season, is also at +4 on the year. The other teams are Lamar (+3), Maryland-Eastern Shore (+2), Temple (+2), Sacred Heart (+1), Southern Utah (+1) and UC Davis (+1).
• Over the team's last five games, Cornell is shooting an outstanding .800 from the free-throw line (84-of-105).
• The Big Red has posted two of the top nine free-throw shooting percentage efforts in school history over the first 14 games. Cornell tied a school record with a 13-for-13 effort (one of eight perfect nights with at least 10 attempts) against UMass Lowell and had the best day with a miss in going 21-of-22 for .955 against Penn State. Ironically, Cornell has shot under 50 percent from the free-throw line in two other games this season.
• Cornell's 14-point margin of victory over Binghamton (68-54) was its largest in a road game under head coach Bill Courtney and the most by any Cornell team since a 79-59 victory at Yale on March 6, 2010. That mark didn't last long, as the Big Red dropped Siena by 17 (75-58) in Albany 23 days later.
• Senior Shonn Miller blocked a pair of shots against George Mason to surpass the 100 career block milestone. He became the fifth player in Cornell history to reach that plateau and now has 126 to his name.
• Miller had three steals at Radford, pushing his career total to 101. He became the first player in Cornell history to post 100 career steals and 100 career blocks.
• Miller is averaging 22.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in his last five contests.
• In his last seven contests, senior Galal Cancer is averaging 5.4 assists. He had just 10 total assists in his first seven games.
• The rally from a 17-point deficit against Colgate was the largest overcome by a Big Red team this century. It is the largest overcome by a Bill Courtney-coached team, besting the 14-point first half deficit it rallied from in an 85-84 win over Yale on Feb. 10, 2012.
• When Cornell knocked off George Mason, the Big Red defeated its 35th program that has advanced to an NCAA Final Four. The Patriots reached the national semifinals in 2006.
• The Big Red hit 11 3-pointers in the win at Binghamton, the most in a game since hitting 16 in an 83-70 loss at Western Michigan on Nov. 29, 2013. Cornell then hit 10 in its next game against UMass Lowell.
• Second-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 will play 10 games against teams coming off 20-win seasons and 11 against teams who competed in postseason last year (three vs. NCAA teams, five vs. CIT teams, four vs. CBI teams).
• Dwight Tarwater '14 graduated from Cornell last spring with a degree in Applied Economics and Management and is playing an extra year at California-Berkeley. Through 15 games (11-4), Tarwater is averaging 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds while playing 15.2 minutes per game as a reserve.
• It is the second straight year a Big Red men's basketball player has used his fifth and final year of eligibility at a BCS school, as Errick Peck '13 spent the 2013-14 campaign at Purdue. He served as a captain and part-time starter for the Boilermakers while averaging 4.6 points and 4.4 rebounds and shooting 48 percent from the floor in 32 contests (10 starts).
• Members of the Cornell basketball team represent 13 states and one Canadian province.
• Cornell has played in 45 different states, as well as in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Australia and France. The only states the Big Red has not played in are Alaska, North Dakota, Mississippi, Texas and Wyoming.
NEXT UP:
• Cornell opens Ivy League play at home against Columbia on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 4:30 p.m. at Newman Arena.
The Cornell men's basketball team will settle in at home for much of the next month, starting a string of seven home games in its next eight contests as the Big Red returns home for its first-ever meeting with Howard on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. at Newman Arena, Barry Leonard and Eric Taylor '05 will provide coverage on 98.7 FM The Buzzer, with live video available on the Ivy League Digital Network.
Saturday's game against Alfred State will be the Second Annual Fred Geise Memorial KIDS DAY. Activities, including a bounce house, a basketball shooting game, facepainting and a poster creation startion, begin at 1 p.m. and culminate after the contest with a meet and greet and autograph session with the team. Admission for all kids and members of Cornell Federal Credit Union (CFCU) is free, while giveaways (while supplies last) include free CFCU Big Red water bottles, basketball drawstring bags and mini basketballs.
Head coach Bill Courtney's team is already one of the most improved in the country, already tripling its win total from a year ago (2-26) en route to its 6-7 start. It has sextupled its win total from a year ago against Division I teams and has the looks of a team on the rebound, playing suffocating defense (.389 field goal percentage defense, .332 3-point percentage defense, 64.8 ppg. allowed, 4.4 blocked shots per game) in its 14 contests. The Big Red has limited foes to under 40 percent shooting in nine of its 14 games. Half of its eight losses have come by five points or less or in overtime.
The biggest difference from last year is the return of first-team All-Ivy selection Shonn Miller, who missed the 2013-14 season with a shoulder injury. The 6-7 forward returned with a bang, recording 21 points and 13 rebounds in the upset of George Mason and has been especially dominant over his last five games, averaging 22.0 points and 10.0 rebounds with a career scoring high of 28 points at Radford and a best of 15 rebounds at Siena. The two-time Ivy League Player of the Week has season averages of 16.7 ppg., 8.3 rpg., 1.9 bpg. and 1.1 spg. to make him an early contender for top Ivy League honors.
Other big differences in Cornell's quick turnaround include the return of senior Galal Cancer (9.3 ppg., 3.8 rpg., 3.4 apg., 1.1 spg.) after a year away from basketball, the move of senior Devin Cherry to point guard (10.1 ppg., 4.7 rpg., 3.6 apg., 1.0 spg.) and the maturation of sophomores Robert Hatter (11.9 ppg., 2.6 rpg., 1.1 spg.) and David Onuorah (2.4 ppg., 3.9 rpg., 1.3 bpg.). A number of other players have added key minutes as reserves over the first 14 contests. Among them are sophomore guards JoJo Fallas, who has become one of the conference's most dangerous shooters off the bench (4.0 ppg., 15 3-pointers, .375 3-point percentage), and Darryl Smith (3.1 pg., 1.9 rpg.). Together with the starting trio, the five make for one of the most talented and deepest backcourts in the Ancient Eight. The senior big man trio of Deion Giddens, Dave LaMore and Ned Tomic are combining to average 4.2 ppg. and 4.6 rpg. and have provided leadership on and off the court.
A WIN OVER HOWARD WOULD:
• give the Big Red a 7-8 record.
• snap a three-game losing skid.
• make Cornell 4-1 in home games this season.
• win the first-ever meeting with the Bison.
• be the 1,218th in program history (1,217-1,360 in 116 seasons, .472).
ABOUT HOWARD:
• Howard brings a 7-8 overall record and a 1-1 record in MEAC play into the contest and will be playing its first game in 11 days since dropping a 74-59 contest at Fordham on Dec. 28.
• The Bison are a perfect 5-0 at home, but just 2-8 away from Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C.
• James Daniel leads the way in scoring at 16.8 points to pace three in double figures. James Miller (12.4 ppg.) and James Carlton (11.9 ppg.) lead the three James men.
• The Bison have limited opponents to 36 percent shooting and 30 percent from 3-point range while outrebounding foes by more than six per game.
• Howard has struggled shooting the basketball over the first third of the year, connecting on just 28 percent from beyond the arc. They are also turning the ball over 16.9 times per game.
• Fifth-year head coach Kevin Nickelberry previously had head coaching experience at Hampton and for the Libya national basketball team.
THE CORNELL-HOWARD SERIES:
• This will be the first-ever meeting between the Big Red and the Bison on the hardwood.
CORNELL VS. MID EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE:
• The Big Red is 1-1 all-time against members of the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference and will be meeting Howard for the first time in school history.
• The Big Red has faced Coppin State (0-1) and Norfolk State (1-0).
• Cornell has never met Bethune-Cookman, Delaware State, Florida A&M, Hampton, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Morgan State, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, Savannah State and South Carolina State in men's basketball.
• This game is the only scheduled meeting between the Big Red and a MEAC team this year.
• Cornell's last win over a team in the MEAC was a 92-89 overtime win over Norfolk State on Dec. 21, 1999 in the first round of the Trend Homes Classic hosted by Fresno State.
ABOUT ALFRED STATE:
• The Pioneers are a Division II school located in Alfred, N.Y.
• Alfred State will be playing its first game since defeating SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry 69-55 at home on Dec. 14.
• The Pioneers held the Mighty Oaks to 33 percent shooting and held a dominant 46-34 edge on the backboards.
• A pair of players, Adam Fezza (11.5 ppg., 5.9 rpg.) and Tommy Hutson (10.0 ppg., 3.6 rpg.), are averaging double figures in the scoring column, while Tyler Elliott paces the team in rebounding (7.1 rpg.).
• Alfred State has struggled on the offensive end with a young team that features eight freshmen and sophomores on a 13-man roster, shooting just 38 percent from the field, 30 percent from 3-point range and 58 percent from the free-throw line in scoring 58.1 points per game.
• Defensively, the Pioneers are allowing opponents to shoot just 39 percent overall and 32 percent from 3-point range.
• Head coach Jerry Jusianiec played collegiately at Elmira College and previously served as an assistant coach at LeMoyne, Washington & Lee and SUNY Potsdam. He has won 197 games on the sidelines at Alfred State.
THE CORNELL-ALFRED STATE SERIES:
• This will be the first-ever meeting between Cornell and Alfred State.
CORNELL VS. NON-DIVISION I OPPONENTS:
• Cornell has almost annually played and beaten a non-Division I team, going 21-0 with an average margin of victory of more than 30 points per game in the last 22 seasons.
• The 2010-11 season was the only year in the last 22 seasons where the schedule was made up completely of Division I teams.
• Each of the team's 21 wins came by double figures except for in 2004-05, when Ithaca College made a 10-point run against Cornell reserves in the final minute in a 69-67 Big Red victory.
• The Big Red is 156-61 against teams that are non-Division I foes after last year's 77-55 win over Oberlin.
LAST TIME OUT:
• Seniors Devin Cherry and Shonn Miller combined for 43 points, but Buffalo's second half spurt was too much to overcome as the Bulls topped Cornell 92-73 on Jan. 3 at Alumni Arena.
• Cherry posted a season-high 23 points, including a career-best five 3-pointers, and added six assists, while Miller posted 20 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double in the last five games.
• Miller added three assists and three blocked shots in the loss.
• Freshman Wil Bathurst established a new high with his eight points.
• Cornell shot 44 percent from the floor, made 10 3-pointers and outrebounded the Bulls 36-32.
• Shannon Evans torched the Big Red with an explosive display, pouring in 33 points, including eight 3-pointers, and added five assists and four rebounds in the victory.
• Buffalo became the first team to hit 50 percent of its shots against the Big Red (.509), placing four in double figures and a fifth with nine.
• Lamonte Bearden and Rodell Wiggington each had 14 points and Justin Moss notched 11 points and four boards.
DEFENSIVE TURNAROUND:
• Cornell's defense has spearheaded the Big Red's turnaround, as its points per game allowed, field goal percentage defense overall and from 3-point range are significantly down, while its steals and blocked shots are way up over last season.
• The Big Red is limiting opponents to .389 shooting over its first 14 games. In all, Cornell recorded a .495 field goal percentage defense mark in 2013-14
• Cornell has allowed opponents to shoot 50 percent or better 15 times in 28 games a season ago, while this year it has held nine of its first 14 opponents under 40 percent shooting and just one opponent has hit 50 percent of its shots.
Scoring Def. FG% Def. 3pt FG Def. Steals Blocks
2013-14 78.4 (331) .495 (341) .409 (345) 4.2 (338) 3.5 (267)
2014-15 64.8 (151) .389 (57) .329 (214) 5.9 (244) 4.4 (84)
NOTES TO KNOW:
• Cornell has already won four more games than the entire 2013-14 campaign when it went 2-26. Only eight teams in the country have won more games this season than last year, topped by Cornell's +4. TCU, which is 13-0 after going 9-22 last season, is also at +4 on the year. The other teams are Lamar (+3), Maryland-Eastern Shore (+2), Temple (+2), Sacred Heart (+1), Southern Utah (+1) and UC Davis (+1).
• Over the team's last five games, Cornell is shooting an outstanding .800 from the free-throw line (84-of-105).
• The Big Red has posted two of the top nine free-throw shooting percentage efforts in school history over the first 14 games. Cornell tied a school record with a 13-for-13 effort (one of eight perfect nights with at least 10 attempts) against UMass Lowell and had the best day with a miss in going 21-of-22 for .955 against Penn State. Ironically, Cornell has shot under 50 percent from the free-throw line in two other games this season.
• Cornell's 14-point margin of victory over Binghamton (68-54) was its largest in a road game under head coach Bill Courtney and the most by any Cornell team since a 79-59 victory at Yale on March 6, 2010. That mark didn't last long, as the Big Red dropped Siena by 17 (75-58) in Albany 23 days later.
• Senior Shonn Miller blocked a pair of shots against George Mason to surpass the 100 career block milestone. He became the fifth player in Cornell history to reach that plateau and now has 126 to his name.
• Miller had three steals at Radford, pushing his career total to 101. He became the first player in Cornell history to post 100 career steals and 100 career blocks.
• Miller is averaging 22.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in his last five contests.
• In his last seven contests, senior Galal Cancer is averaging 5.4 assists. He had just 10 total assists in his first seven games.
• The rally from a 17-point deficit against Colgate was the largest overcome by a Big Red team this century. It is the largest overcome by a Bill Courtney-coached team, besting the 14-point first half deficit it rallied from in an 85-84 win over Yale on Feb. 10, 2012.
• When Cornell knocked off George Mason, the Big Red defeated its 35th program that has advanced to an NCAA Final Four. The Patriots reached the national semifinals in 2006.
• The Big Red hit 11 3-pointers in the win at Binghamton, the most in a game since hitting 16 in an 83-70 loss at Western Michigan on Nov. 29, 2013. Cornell then hit 10 in its next game against UMass Lowell.
• Second-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 will play 10 games against teams coming off 20-win seasons and 11 against teams who competed in postseason last year (three vs. NCAA teams, five vs. CIT teams, four vs. CBI teams).
• Dwight Tarwater '14 graduated from Cornell last spring with a degree in Applied Economics and Management and is playing an extra year at California-Berkeley. Through 15 games (11-4), Tarwater is averaging 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds while playing 15.2 minutes per game as a reserve.
• It is the second straight year a Big Red men's basketball player has used his fifth and final year of eligibility at a BCS school, as Errick Peck '13 spent the 2013-14 campaign at Purdue. He served as a captain and part-time starter for the Boilermakers while averaging 4.6 points and 4.4 rebounds and shooting 48 percent from the floor in 32 contests (10 starts).
• Members of the Cornell basketball team represent 13 states and one Canadian province.
• Cornell has played in 45 different states, as well as in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Australia and France. The only states the Big Red has not played in are Alaska, North Dakota, Mississippi, Texas and Wyoming.
NEXT UP:
• Cornell opens Ivy League play at home against Columbia on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 4:30 p.m. at Newman Arena.
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