News and Notes: Saturday Edition

Get all the information you need about the Cornell Big Red's visit to Penn, Saturday, February 2, 2013, 7 pm, with The Cornell Basketball Blog's Game Preview Center. Below, news and notes for Saturday...

• Above, Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) boards a flight on Friday evening with his Zalgiris club of Lithuania.  They are traveling to Moscow for a February 3 game at the world's top team, CSKA Moscow.  The match is part of the Eastern European VTB League. 

•  NBC Sports writes on Friday night:

Important Outcomes

Princeton 76, Cornell 59

The Tigers rolled past Cornell on Friday night, which was important for Princeton. They keep a four-game winning streak alive and remain one of 2-0 in conference — making Princeton and Harvard the only undefeated teams in the Ivy League. It was a must-win for the Tigers, who have a tough next week. On Friday, Princeton plays a good Brown team, followed by Yale the next day.

• Check out StatSheet.com's Report Card for the Cornell roster from Friday.
  
  
• Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated profiles Bucknell's Mike Muscala, a Minnesota native.  Muscala almost landed at Cornell and is an example of how Cornell recruited hidden talent to build its 2008-2010 dynasty.  Thamel writes:

Minnesota has earned a unique recruiting niche as a place savvy mid-majors coaches mine for overlooked talent. There's just one Division I basketball school in Minnesota, and the Gopher have 13 scholarships like everyone else. Consider that everyone from Troy Bell (Boston College) to Jordan Taylor (Wisconsin) has slipped out of Minnesota. But perhaps more apt are players like Ryan Wittman (Cornell), Matt Janning (Northeastern), Noah Dahlman (Wofford) and Nate Wolters (South Dakota State) becoming program altering players.

"In the last 10 years it's really taken off," said Minnesota-native Dane Fischer, who found and recruited Muscala to Bucknell. "It went from a state with three or four Division I kids every year to now where there's 15 to 20 almost every year."

[Bucknell coach, Dave Paulsen] got a tip on Muscala from a coach he'd hired at Division III Williams to be with him, Alex Lloyd, who he couldn't take to Bucknell. Lloyd, now with the Atlanta Hawks, worked Harvard's camp that summer and talked up Muscala. Paulsen immediately called Fischer, who hails from Rochester, Minn. Fischer told Paulsen that he'd spoken to Muscala on the phone the week prior.

"Good," Paulsen joked, "you've got a job for another week or two."

Fischer scouted Muscala at an off-the-beaten path AAU tournament in Indianapolis. Fischer's old college teammate, then-Cornell assistant Zach Spiker, spotted him there. "He looked like he swallowed a canary," jokes Spiker, now the head coach at Army... "I'm like, this kid is way better," Paulsen kept saying about Muscala as he watched prospect after prospect. Paulsen didn't waste any time. Muscala essentially visited Bucknell the day Paulsen's moving truck arrived in Lewisburg, Pa. Muscala committed in his office the summer of his junior year, with Bucknell beating out Santa Clara and Cornell.

• Below, links to our recap sections from each of Cornell's games during the 2012-2013 season. 

1. 11/10/12 vs. Western Michigan W 63-55
2. 11/14/12 vs. St. Bonaventure L 68-72
3. 11/16/12 vs. St. Peter's  L 64-68
4. 11/18/12 at Wisconsin (Las Vegas Invitational) L 40-73 
5. 11/20/12 at Arizona State (Las Vegas Invitational L 53-64
6. 11/23/12 vs. Presbyterian (Las Vegas Invitational) at Las Vegas W 89-55
7. 11/24/12 vs. Longwood (Las Vegas Invitational) at Las Vegas W 84-78
8. 11/28/12 vs. Stony Brook L 53-76
9. 12/1/12 vs. Colgate W 70-63
10. 12/17/12 at Vanderbilt L 55-66
11. 12/19/12 at Duke L 47-88
12. 12/22/12 at Boston U. L 57-70
13. 12/28/12 at St. Francis (PA) W 79-67
14. 12/30/12 at Binghamton W 79-77
15. 1/2/13 vs. Bucknell L 56-72
16. 1/6/13 at American W 68-60
17. 1/12/13 vs. SUNY Old Westbury W 103-84
18. 1/19/13 vs. Columbia L 58-67
19. 1/26/13 at Columbia W 66-63
20. 2/1/13 at Princeton  L 59-76

• Cornell RPI Watch: The RPI (Rating Percentage Index) is a measure of strength of schedule and how a team does against that schedule. It does not consider the margin of victory, but only whether or not a team won and where the game was played (home/away/neutral court). The formula is 25% team winning percentage (WP), 50% opponents' average winning percentage (OWP), and 25% opponents' opponents' average winning percentage (OOWP). (See: CollegeRPI.com for a further explanation of the formula.) The RPI may be the most influential factor in NCAA Tournament seeding. Cornell's RPI rank as of February 2 is No. 220 out of 344 total Division I teams. While neither the Ken Pomeroy or the Sagarin Rankings (USA Today) are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, the KenPom.com site ranks Cornell No. 250 in the nation, while the Sagarin Rankings (USA Today) have Cornell at No. 227.  Both sites are predominantly used by fans and the media.

• Here is a look at Ivy League results and upcoming games. A full Ivy composite schedule may viewed by clicking here.

IVY LEAGUE COMPOSITE SCHEDULE

Friday, November 9
MIT 54 Harvard 69 Box Score - Recap
UMBC 75 Penn 80  Box Score - Recap

Saturday, November 10
Western Michigan 55 Cornell 63 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 57 Buffalo 53 Box Score - Recap
Yale 82 Sacred Heart 85 (OT) [SNY] [Conn 6] Box Score - Recap  
Columbia 68 Furman 47 Box Score - Recap
Maine 54 Dartmouth 67  Box Score - Recap

Sunday, November 11
Brown 58 Binghamton 49 Box Score - Recap

Monday, November 12
Yale 35 Saint Joseph’s 61 (Coaches v. Cancer) Box Score - Recap
Penn 69 Delaware 84 (Preseason NIT) Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, November 13
Harvard 64 Massachusetts 67 (ESPN Tip Off Marathon) [ESPN] Box Score - Recap
Penn 53 Fairfield 62 (Preseason NIT) [ESPN3] Box Score - Recap
Northeastern 67 Princeton 66 Box Score - Recap
New Hampshire 72 Dartmouth 58 Box Score - Recap
Haverford 40 Columbia 74 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, November 14
St. Bonaventure at Cornell [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap

Thursday, November 15
Brown 71 Central Connecticut State 86 Box Score - Recap

Friday, November 16
Saint Peter’s 68 Cornell 64 Box Score - Recap
Rutgers 58 Princeton 52 Box Score - Recap
Manhattan 45 Harvard 79 Box Score
Yale 56 Evansville 66 (Coaches v. Cancer) Box Score - Recap

Saturday, November 17
Drexel 61 Penn 59 Box Score - Recap
Yale 63 Buffalo 59 (Evansville, Ind.) (Coaches v. Cancer) Box Score
Brown 70 Maine 68 Box Score - Recap
Marist 67 Columbia 62 Box Score - Recap

Sunday. November 18
Yale 47 Western Illinois 59 (Oakland City, Ind.) Box Score - Recap
Cornell 40 Wisconsin 73 (Las Vegas Invitational) [ESPN3]  Box Score - Recap

Monday, November 19
Penn 68 Fordham 70 (Preseason NIT, Bethlehem PA) Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, November 20
Columbia 75 Villanova 57 [ESPN3] Box Score - Recap
Harvard 56 Saint Joseph’s 75 [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap
Penn 66 Lehigh 73 (Preseason NIT) Box Score - Recap
Cornell 53 Arizona State 64 (Las Vegas Invitational) [PAC-12 Sports Network] Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, November 21
Bryant 68 Brown 61 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 53 Syracuse 73 [TIME WARNER] Box Score - Recap
Yale 52 Vermont 65  Box Score - Recap

Friday, November 23
Cornell 89 Presbyterian 55 (Las Vegas Invitational at Las Vegas) Box Score - Recap
Columbia 75 Wayland Baptist 63 (SF Hilltop Classic) Box Score - Recap

Saturday, November 24
Saint Francis (N.Y.) 76 Brown72 (OT) Box Score - Recap
IPFW 70 Dartmouth 66 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 72 Lafayette53 Box Score - Recap
Army 83 Yale 86 (2OT)  Box Score - Recap
Cornell 84 Longwood 78 (Las Vegas Invitational at Las Vegas) Box Score - Recap
Columbia 59 San Francisco 79 (SF Hilltop Classic) Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, November 27
Dartmouth 49 Bucknell 62 Box Score - Recap
Vermont 85 Harvard 78 [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, November 28
Columbia 61 LIU Brooklyn 70 Box Score - Recap
Stony Brook 53 Cornell 76 Box Score - Recap
Binghamton 54 Penn 65 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 42 Wagner 48 (OT) Box Score - Recap

Thursday, November 29
Sacred Heart 56 Brown 69 Box Score - Recap
Hartford 60 Yale 51 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 1
Brown 50 New Hampshire 63 [WBIN/FCS] Box Score - Recap
Fordham 64 Harvard 73 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 61 Longwood 53 Box Score - Recap
Penn 47 Penn State 58 [ESPN3] Box Score - Recap
Colgate 63 Cornell 70 Box Score - Recap
Bucknell 65 Columbia 57 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 50 Kent State 62 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 4
Dartmouth 49 Elon 71 Box Score - Recap
Harvard 79 Boston College 63 [ESPN3] Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 5
Yale 64 Bryant 62 Box Score - Recap

Friday, December 7
Harvard 49 Connecticut 57 [SNY] Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 8
Yale 56 New Hampshire 64  Box Score - Recap
Drexel 64 Princeton 57 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 56 Holy Cross 67 Box Score - Recap
Brown 57 Notre Dame 84 [ESPN3] Box Score - Recap
Villanova 68 Penn 55 [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap

Sunday, December 9
Columbia 54 American 42 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 11
Boston University 64 Harvard 65 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 12
Dartmouth 50 Vermont 52 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 15
Princeton 60 Fordham 63 (Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival) [YES] Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 42 Arizona State 61 Box Score - Recap

Monday, December 17
Cornell 55 Vanderbilt 66 [ESPNU] Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 18
Albertus Magnus 63 Yale 112 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 19
Cornell 47 Duke 88 [ESPNU] Box Score - Recap

Thursday, December 20
Rider 45 Princeton 62 Box Score - Recap

Friday, December 21
Penn 60 Delaware 83  Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 22
Cornell 57 Boston University70 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 66 Bryant 79  Box Score - Recap
Holy Cross 65 Harvard 72  Box Score - Recap
Elon 70 Columbia 79 Box Score - Recap
Bucknell 67 Princeton 79 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, December 23
Brown 42 Northwestern 63 [BTN.com] Box Score - Recap

Friday, December 28
Providence 68 Brown 69 [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap
Cornell 79 Saint Francis (Pa.) 67  Box Score - Recap
Yale 75 Nevada 85 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 29
Manhattan 58 Columbia 69 Box Score - Recap
Penn 63 Wagner 68  Box Score - Recap
Harvard 67 California 62 [PAC-12] Box Score - Recap

Sunday, December 30
Cornell 79 Binghamton 77 [TIME WARNER SPORTS] Box Score - Recap
Yale 62 Saint Mary’s (Calif.) 78 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 58 Akron 62 Box Score - Recap

Monday, December 31
Dartmouth 58 Boston College 79 [ESPN3] Box Score - Recap
Brown 50 Albany 57 Box Score - Recap
Harvard 69 Saint Mary’s (Calif.) 70 [ESPN2] Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, January 1
Yale 70 Iowa State 80 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, January 2
Colgate 59 Columbia 66 Box Score - Recap
Bucknell 72 Cornell 56 Box Score - Recap
Penn 57 Butler 70 Box Score - Recap

Friday, January 4
Brown 47 Rhode Island 59 [OSN] Box Score - Recap
Yale 61 Holy Cross 54 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 5
Princeton 74 Elon 64 Box Score - Recap
Penn 57 La Salle 74 Box Score - Recap
Columbia 64 Army 52 Box Score - Recap
Rice 62 Harvard 92 Box Score - Recap
Colgate 78 Dartmouth 62 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, January 6
Cornell 68 American 60 Box Score - Recap
Florida 79 Yale 58 [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, January 8
Niagara 74 Brown 75 Box Score - Recap
Columbia 69 Holy Cross 78 Box Score - Recap
Army 58 Dartmouth 75 Box Score - Recap
Lafayette 85 Penn 83 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 12
Daniel Webster 34 Brown 71 Box Score - Recap
College at Old Westbury 84 Cornell 103  Box Score - Recap
Oberlin 39 Yale 104 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 75 Dartmouth 65 Box Score - Recap
*Penn 53 Princeton 65 [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap

Thursday, January 17
Colby-Sawyer 42 Dartmouth 80 Box Score
Penn 54 NJIT 53 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 19
Harvard 50 Memphis 60 [FSN] Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 58 Cornell 67 NBCSN] Box Score - Recap
Saint Joseph’s 79 Penn 59 [ESPNU] Box Score - Recap
*Yale 51 Brown 65 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, January 23
Penn 69 Temple 76 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 26
*Dartmouth 77  Harvard 82 OT [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap
*Brown 64 Yale 76 OT Box Score - Recap
*Cornell 66 Columbia 63 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, January 27
The College of New Jersey 33 Princeton 71 Box Score - Recap

Friday, February 1
*Brown 62 Dartmouth 50 Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 58 Penn 62  Box Score - Recap
*Cornell 59 Princeton 76 Box Score - Recap
*Yale 64 Harvard 67 Box Score - Recap

 Saturday, February 2
*Columbia at Princeton, 6 pm [NBCSN]
*Brown at Harvard, 7 pm
*Cornell at Penn, 7 pm
*Yale at Dartmouth, 7 pm

Game Recap: Cornell 59, Princeton 76

 

Princeton Pulls Away From Men's Hoops After Halftime

Cornell Athletics

Box Score

Box Score (PDF)

PRINCETON, N.J. – Princeton shot 62 percent from the field after halftime and turned the ball over just 10 times against Cornell's pressure to seal up a 76-59 win on Friday evening at Jadwin Gymnasium. The Big Red slipped to 9-11 overall (1-2 Ivy), while Princeton improved to 9-7 (2-0 Ivy).

Ian Hummer and Denton Koon each scored 22 points for the Tigers, with Hummer adding rebounds and four assists and Koon collecting three steals. Will Barrett also reached double figures with 14 points to go along with his six rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. Princeton shot 53 percent from the floor overall and had steals on 11 of the Big Red's 14 turnovers.

Sophomore Shonn Miller led the Big Red with 12 points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks, while senior Josh Figini had 13 points and three rebounds. Eitan Chemerinski scored eight points with three rebounds in just 17 minutes of action.

Cornell got the pace up early, running out to a nine-point edge (17-8) early, but it was apparently to the liking of Hummer. The senior got a backdoor layup, hit a long jumper and got to the line, ultimately hitting 7-of-8 shots from the field for 18 first half points. Cornell threw multiple looks at the big man, sending a variety of defenders and defenses at him, but in the final 10 minutes of the first half, Hummer had 14 points and five rebounds all by himself in helping turn a six-point deficit into a five-point halftime lead.

The second was more of the same, though the Big Red had a quick burst early to get within 41-40 three minutes into the second half. Miller got two steals, a dunk that turned into a three-point play and a 3-point basket in the first three minutes. The 3-pointer was immediately answered in a big way – a 15-0 Tiger run over a stretch of 5:25 turned a narrow decision into a runaway. Cornell wasn't able to get within single digits the rest of the way.

The Big Red will get right back at it when it visits Penn on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Palestra. Cornell has won seven of the last 10 meetings between the teams, thought the Quakers swept a pair from the Big Red a season ago.

Tigers maintain Ivy League perfection

Daily Princetonian

Princeton men’s basketball (10-7 overall) stayed perfect in the Ivy League this weekend, defeating both Cornell 76-59 on Friday and Columbia 72-66 on Saturday to attain the perfect 3-0 mark.

The Tigers got off to a slow start against Cornell, trailing 17-8 early. But they rallied to take a 35-30 lead going into halftime and continued to build the lead, which was as large as 21 points with two minutes to go in the game. Despite feeling the pressure of the Cornell defense early, Princeton still shot 53 percent from the field on the game.

After the cold stretch, first year coach Mitch Henderson ’98 said he “just really liked the way the ball moved and the way we handled ourselves.”

The Tigers took advantage of the halftime adjustments Cornell made to try to stop senior forward Ian Hummer, who made 18 of his 22 points in the first half. Hummer’s strong play in the first half opened up looks for his teammates, especially for sophomore forward Denton Koon, who had a career-high 22 points in the win. This is the third time Koon has reset his career high this season. He also had three steals on the night.

“I played well in the first half, and then they changed a few things up and that opened up stuff for my other teammates, so Denton was one of those recipients, and I think it was overall just a great team effort,” Hummer said.

Koon’s classmate, freshman forward Hans Brase, co-led the team with nine rebounds in the game.

However, while the Tigers were able to pull away convincingly from the Big Red, this would not be the case the following night against the Lions.

The Tigers’ three-point shooting ability kept them in the game early as they were a perfect 7-7 from deep in the first half, including basketss by junior forward Will Barrett, junior guard T.J. Bray and senior forward Mack Darrow.

Princeton started the second half slowly offensively, shooting only 1-7 in the first five minutes of the half, and Columbia was able to hold the game close up until the end, when Bray hit a big three-pointer as the shot clock expired to give Princeton a 64-59 lead with two and a half minutes left to play. Bray would go on to lead the team in scoring for the game with 17 points and was named player of the game. Koon also stepped up big offensively for the second night in a row.

“They kinda doubled down on Ian a little too hard there with the clock ending, and he made a great kick out to me and felt a guy coming, so I just pump-faked and then let it fly, and luckily it went in,” Bray said. “We shoot every day in practice; we get a ton of shots up , and they’re just starting to come, they’re coming within the flow of the offense more, which is good. a lot of inside-out stuff, and when you’re stepping into shots, they’re a lot easier to make.”

Despite being second on the team in scoring with 16 on the night, Hummer had only four points from the field on 2-8 shooting, with the rest coming from the foul line. Hummer was the only Tiger to miss from the field in the first 10 minutes of the game but was still able to get to the free throw line, where he went 12-14, and had seven assists on the night. However, this still moved him up into sixth overall on the Tigers’ all-time point list as he passed assistant coach Brian Earl ’99.

The Tiger defense, after being unable to stop Columbia’s penetration into the paint for most of the game, finally showed itself with 45 seconds left to go in the game to seal the 20th consecutive home Ivy League victory for Princeton. Princeton and Harvard are the only two undefeated Ivy League teams with the Tigers only three games into league play.

“We just lost some of our principles a little bit, but when we needed some huge stops, we got them. I thought we got some really big stops right at the end of the game, but it’s something we’ll have to take a close look at,” Henderson said. “I really feel like down the stretch we made the right plays.”

The Tigers have now won their last five games, and seven of their last eight games overall. They look to continue this streak on Friday night against Brown at 7 p.m. in Jadwin Gymnasium.

Tigers beat Cornell to stay undefeated in Ivy play

Times Herald

PRINCETON — What looked like it was going to be a close game didn’t turn out that way in the end.

Challenged early, the Princeton Tigers were able to pull away from Cornell Friday night late, beating the Big Red 76-59 behind a pair of huge performances by Ian Hummer and Denton Koon. The win keeps Princeton undefeated in Ivy League play at 2-0.

The Big Red — known for their deep bench and trying to push the tempo — played to their reputation early, pressing the Tigers in the full court and playing at a frenetic pace. The Tigers looked rushed on the offensive end, starting the game just 1-9 from the field.

That allowed Cornell to build a 17-8 lead midway through the first half.

“Watching this Cornell team on tape, you get a sense of what they do,” coach Mitch Henderson said. “They play a lot of different guys and they are tough to prepare for. Their pressure has bothered some of the recent teams they’ve played, and it got to us a little bit early.”

Princeton, however, had the answer in the form of the 6-foot-7 Hummer. Playing with visible emotion, the senior forward took control of the game down low. With 2:20 left, Hummer pulled up and knocked down a baseline jumper, his third consecutive basket, to tie the game at 30.

The Tigers went into the half up 35-30.

“Being that this is my fourth year, you realize how critical each game is,” said Hummer, who scored 18 of his eventual 22 points before the break. “We didn’t come out well, and then we got into our stride and started playing Princeton basketball.”

That momentum continued into the second half. After Cornell was able to pull back within a point at 41-40, Princeton was able to reel off 15 straight points to open up a 56-40 lead. It was a margin the Big Red was never able to recover from.

With the Cornell defense focusing on Hummer, the Tigers got a huge contribution from 6-8 sophomore guard Denton Koon, who was able to use his size to score over the smaller Big Red defenders and get to the foul line. Koon also finished with 22, a career high.

“Some guards probably don’t really play too much post defense, so it helps us down there, getting some looks around the rim,” Koon said.

Koon has also shown a knack for knack for finding seems underneath the hoop, a trait his teammates certainly appreciate.

“He’s able to get behind the defense, which makes it really easy for guys to pass it to him,” Hummer said. “The fact that he is able to finish in traffic with a couple of hands in his face is very important for us.”

Junior forward Will Barrett also had a nice day for the Tigers with 14 points, six rebounds and a couple breakaway dunks. Point guard T.J. Bray was also effective using his size, scoring nine while also grabbing six boards.

Forward Josh Figini led Cornell with 13 points, while sophomore Shonn Miller had 12 and six rebounds. Nine different Big Red players scored baskets.

Princeton doesn’t have long to enjoy the win. It will host Columbia at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Lions lost to Penn 62-58 Friday night, so will be desperate for a win to salvage their roadtrip.

“Columbia is a good team too, so it’s right back at it,” Henderson said.

Princeton men's basketball slows down Cornell in victory

Trenton Times

PRINCETON — When you play basketball in the Ivy League, being smart sometimes leads to success more than being good.

That seemed to be the case last night as Princeton put away Cornell, 76-59.

Getting off to a horrid start and leading by only a few points at halftime, the Tigers came out in the second half and shot out the Jadwin Gym lights.

They also slowed down Cornell’s offense.

“The key for us was after (trailing 17-8), from that point forward I really liked the way we moved the ball and how we handled ourselves,’’ head coach Mitch Henderson said, “and the emphasis on getting the ball inside and how we got to the line.

“I just thought we got a little smarter in the second half.’’

The Tigers made 17 of 25 free throws and in the second half shot 61.5 percent from the field.

The win sends Princeton into tonight’s 6 p.m. game against Columbia (9-8, 1-2) with a 2-0 Ivy League record (9-7 overall).

Cornell fell to 1-2 (9-11).

Ian Hummer and Denton Koon scored 22 points each, combining to shoot 16-for-25.
Hummer had 18 by halftime and finished with a career-high nine rebounds.

 “Being my fourth year, you realize how critical each game is,’’ Hummer said. “We didn’t come out very well and then we got into our stride and started to play Princeton basketball.

“They changed a few things up in the second half and that opened things up for my teammates, and Denton was one of those recipients.’’

The sophomore had seven points at halftime and finished with seven baskets and seven free throws. He also had three steals and a block.

“I like the way he finished around the rim, and he made a nice three in the corner,’’ Henderson said about Koon. “There’s a lot he can do. Just maintaining that pace is his next step, and I think his defense tonight was terrific.’’

Princeton held a 41-40 lead when the game suddenly turned into a rout. As Cornell became as cold as the parking lot, Princeton pinballed 15 straights points.

Cornell cut the deficit to 11, but Hans Brase dunked a put-back, and after a miss at the other end, Will Barrett pulled up for a three to make it 61-45.

Barrett also had a nice game, making half of his eight shots, going 5-of-6 from the line, and had six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals.

Guard T.J. Bray had a solid game, scoring nine points, with four assists, four steals and six defensive rebounds.

Brase had nine rebounds and made two of four shots.

Cornell, which shot 47 percent in the opening half, hit on only 34 percent in the second half.

The Big Red had a big effort from its bench, outscoring the Princeton subs, 27-3.
On this night, however, backup was not an issue. Intelligence proved more than enough.

Koon's Career-High 22 Co-Leads Men's Hoops to Win Over Cornell 
Princeton Athletics 

Overcoming a slow start, the Princeton men's basketball team beat Cornell 76-59 Friday night to improve to 2-0 in the Ivy League with Columbia coming to town Saturday night. Saturday's game against the Lions will be televised on NBC Sports Network. Columbia fell 62-58 to Penn Friday night, dropping to 1-2 in the Ivy League, as did Cornell with the loss to the Tigers. With the win, Princeton extended is home Ivy League winning streak to 19 games, the program's longest since 26 straight from 1996-99. It'll have the opportunity to extend two streaks to 20 Saturday, the Ivy home win streak and the number of consecutive years in which Princeton has defeated Columbia in Jadwin Gym. The Lions' last win on campus was in 1993. After half the league split with its travel partner during Princeton's finals break, along with Princeton's win over Penn, the Tigers and Harvard are the only two Ivy-undefeated teams just two or three games into the league schedule. Princeton (9-7) missed nine of its first 10 shots against Cornell (9-11) and fell behind 17-8 with nine minutes gone in the game, but the other 30-plus minutes went Princeton's way. The Tigers shot 63.4 percent from the field (26-41) after the slow start, shooting 52.9 percent (27-51) even with the cold stretch. Ian Hummer had 14 of his 18 first-half points after that eight-point deficit, and the Tigers caught Cornell at 21-21. Princeton scored the last seven points of the half to take a 35-30 lead into the break, and the Tigers outscored the Big Red 41-29 in the second half. That included a 15-0 run as Princeton turned a 41-40 lead into 56-40 edge, holding Cornell scoreless for more than six minutes. Princeton's largest lead was 21 points with two minutes to go in the game. Postgame Notes • Denton Koon had a career-high 22 points to co-lead Princeton along with Ian Hummer's 22. Koon, whose best last season as a freshman was 13 points, has reset his career high three times this season, first with 15 points on Dec. 20 against Rider, then the next game on Dec. 22 at Bucknell with 17 points, and now with 22 against Cornell. All three of those games have come in Jadwin Gym. • Hummer moved closer to assistant coach Brian Earl '99 for sixth place on the school scoring list, Hummer is now just four points back of Earl, 1,424 points to 1,428. • Hummer figures to move from seventh to fourth on the school scoring list in short order, with Craig Robinson '83 at 1,441 points and Pete Campbell '62 at 1,451 points. • Princeton has won three in a row against Cornell in Jadwin Gym after the 2010 Big Red, who went on to the NCAA Round of 16, won 48-45 in 2010. Princeton has won 4 of 5 from Cornell over the last three seasons. • Ian Hummer missed a double-double by just one rebound. It would have been his first double-double this season. His next double-double will be the 10th of his career after five as a sophomore and four as a junior. • It was the fifth time this season, and first time since Dec. 22 against Bucknell, that Princeton shot better than 50 percent from the field. Princeton hit 52.9 percent of its tries against the Big Red. • Princeton's 11 steals were its second-most of the season after 14 in an overtime loss at Wagner on Nov. 28. • Princeton has won four in a row for the first time this season and first time since winning five straight from Feb. 25 at Dartmouth to Mar. 13 at Evansville last season, the last of those wins coming in the College Basketball Invitational first round.

News and Notes: Friday Edition

Get all the information you need about the Cornell Big Red's visit to Princeton, Friday, February 1, 2013, 7 pm and visit to Penn, Saturday, February 2, 2013, 7 pm, with The Cornell Basketball Blog's Game Preview Center. Below, news and notes for Friday...

• The Ivy League Office notes of tonight's game:

Princeton (8-7, 1-0 Ivy) also looks to keep pace with Harvard to start League play but has a tall order with Cornell (9-10, 1-1 Ivy) and Columbia (9-7, 1-1 Ivy) coming to Jadwin for the weekend. The Tigers have an 18-game home Ivy League winning streak on the line in their Friday night battle with the Big Red. A key matchup will be on showcase as Princeton senior forward Ian Hummer (15.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg) meets Cornell sophomore forward Shonn Miller (10.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg) in a frontcourt battle.

• Cornell Athletics announced via Twitter, "Newman Nation Jersey Night: Feb. 9 vs. Dartmouth. Earn yours by coming to Harvard Feb. 8 #bigredblackout"

• The Ivy League Office announced:

2012-13 Capital One Academic All-District® Men's Basketball Teams

PRINCETON, N.J. -- It is repeat performances for Brown senior guard Matthew Sullivan and Cornell senior forward Eitan Chemerinski earning recognition for a second-straight year on the Capital One Academic All-District® first team in District 1, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

As first-team Academic All-District® honorees, Sullivan and Chemerinski advance to the Capital One Academic All-America® Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.

Holding a 4.0 grade point average in economics, Sullivan (Wilmette, Ill.) has been an iron man for the Bears this year by averaging 38.4 minutes per game through 16 games. He is the Ivy League's third-leading scorer at 14.8 points per game and ranks seventh in school history with 145 career three-pointers.

Chemerinski (Potomac, Md.) is averaging 7.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.3 blocks for the Big Red this season in 19 games, including 12 starts. He is Cornell's career leader in field goal percentage (.624), including an impressive .658 this season. Chemerinski earned his second-consecutive spot on the District 1 team with a 3.86 GPA in Applied Economics and Management.

• Cornell Athletics also issued a release on Chemerinski:

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell senior Eitan Chemerinski has been named to the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District team for the second straight year. He was one of just two Ivy League players to advance to the Academic All-America ballot, joining Brown's Matthew Sullivan.

Chemerinski's 3.86 grade point average in Applied Economics and Management played a large part in earning a second straight spot on the District I team. He will now be among 40 players to vie for a spot on the prestigious Capital One Academic All-America squad. The Big Red has had five Academic All-Americans in program history, including two-time pickChris Wroblewski.

Chemerinski is averaging 7.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.3 blocks for the Big Red this season in 19 games, including 12 starts. Cornell's career leader in field goal percentage (.624), including an impressive .658 this season. Chemerinski posted 17 points (7-of-7 shooting) and two key offensive rebounds in the final minute in the win at Binghamton and scored a career-high 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting to go along with six rebounds, a block and a steal against Longwood. He scored 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor in the win at Saint Francis (Pa.).

The Big Red, with Chemerinski starting at center, will continue Ivy League play on Friday, Feb. 1. at 7 p.m. when it faces Princeton at Jadwin Gymnasium.

• Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) played 5 minutes last night and scored 1 point as Zalgiris picked up a must need win over Alba Berlin in the EuroLeague.

• Below, links to our recap sections from each of Cornell's games during the 2012-2013 season. 

1. 11/10/12 vs. Western Michigan W 63-55
2. 11/14/12 vs. St. Bonaventure L 68-72
3. 11/16/12 vs. St. Peter's  L 64-68
4. 11/18/12 at Wisconsin (Las Vegas Invitational) L 40-73 
5. 11/20/12 at Arizona State (Las Vegas Invitational L 53-64
6. 11/23/12 vs. Presbyterian (Las Vegas Invitational) at Las Vegas W 89-55
7. 11/24/12 vs. Longwood (Las Vegas Invitational) at Las Vegas W 84-78
8. 11/28/12 vs. Stony Brook L 53-76
9. 12/1/12 vs. Colgate W 70-63
10. 12/17/12 at Vanderbilt L 55-66
11. 12/19/12 at Duke L 47-88
12. 12/22/12 at Boston U. L 57-70
13. 12/28/12 at St. Francis (PA) W 79-67
14. 12/30/12 at Binghamton W 79-77
15. 1/2/13 vs. Bucknell L 56-72
16. 1/6/13 at American W 68-60
17. 1/12/13 vs. SUNY Old Westbury W 103-84
18. 1/19/13 vs. Columbia L 58-67

• Cornell RPI Watch: The RPI (Rating Percentage Index) is a measure of strength of schedule and how a team does against that schedule. It does not consider the margin of victory, but only whether or not a team won and where the game was played (home/away/neutral court). The formula is 25% team winning percentage (WP), 50% opponents' average winning percentage (OWP), and 25% opponents' opponents' average winning percentage (OOWP). (See: CollegeRPI.com for a further explanation of the formula.) The RPI may be the most influential factor in NCAA Tournament seeding. Cornell's RPI rank as of February 1 is No. 210 out of 344 total Division I teams. While neither the Ken Pomeroy or the Sagarin Rankings (USA Today) are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, the KenPom.com site ranks Cornell No. 248 in the nation, while the Sagarin Rankings (USA Today) have Cornell at No. 223.  Both sites are predominantly used by fans and the media.

• Here is a look at Ivy League results and upcoming games. A full Ivy composite schedule may viewed by clicking here.

IVY LEAGUE COMPOSITE SCHEDULE

Friday, November 9
MIT 54 Harvard 69 Box Score - Recap
UMBC 75 Penn 80  Box Score - Recap

Saturday, November 10
Western Michigan 55 Cornell 63 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 57 Buffalo 53 Box Score - Recap
Yale 82 Sacred Heart 85 (OT) [SNY] [Conn 6] Box Score - Recap  
Columbia 68 Furman 47 Box Score - Recap
Maine 54 Dartmouth 67  Box Score - Recap

Sunday, November 11
Brown 58 Binghamton 49 Box Score - Recap

Monday, November 12
Yale 35 Saint Joseph’s 61 (Coaches v. Cancer) Box Score - Recap
Penn 69 Delaware 84 (Preseason NIT) Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, November 13
Harvard 64 Massachusetts 67 (ESPN Tip Off Marathon) [ESPN] Box Score - Recap
Penn 53 Fairfield 62 (Preseason NIT) [ESPN3] Box Score - Recap
Northeastern 67 Princeton 66 Box Score - Recap
New Hampshire 72 Dartmouth 58 Box Score - Recap
Haverford 40 Columbia 74 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, November 14
St. Bonaventure at Cornell [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap

Thursday, November 15
Brown 71 Central Connecticut State 86 Box Score - Recap

Friday, November 16
Saint Peter’s 68 Cornell 64 Box Score - Recap
Rutgers 58 Princeton 52 Box Score - Recap
Manhattan 45 Harvard 79 Box Score
Yale 56 Evansville 66 (Coaches v. Cancer) Box Score - Recap

Saturday, November 17
Drexel 61 Penn 59 Box Score - Recap
Yale 63 Buffalo 59 (Evansville, Ind.) (Coaches v. Cancer) Box Score
Brown 70 Maine 68 Box Score - Recap
Marist 67 Columbia 62 Box Score - Recap

Sunday. November 18
Yale 47 Western Illinois 59 (Oakland City, Ind.) Box Score - Recap
Cornell 40 Wisconsin 73 (Las Vegas Invitational) [ESPN3]  Box Score - Recap

Monday, November 19
Penn 68 Fordham 70 (Preseason NIT, Bethlehem PA) Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, November 20
Columbia 75 Villanova 57 [ESPN3] Box Score - Recap
Harvard 56 Saint Joseph’s 75 [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap
Penn 66 Lehigh 73 (Preseason NIT) Box Score - Recap
Cornell 53 Arizona State 64 (Las Vegas Invitational) [PAC-12 Sports Network] Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, November 21
Bryant 68 Brown 61 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 53 Syracuse 73 [TIME WARNER] Box Score - Recap
Yale 52 Vermont 65  Box Score - Recap

Friday, November 23
Cornell 89 Presbyterian 55 (Las Vegas Invitational at Las Vegas) Box Score - Recap
Columbia 75 Wayland Baptist 63 (SF Hilltop Classic) Box Score - Recap

Saturday, November 24
Saint Francis (N.Y.) 76 Brown72 (OT) Box Score - Recap
IPFW 70 Dartmouth 66 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 72 Lafayette53 Box Score - Recap
Army 83 Yale 86 (2OT)  Box Score - Recap
Cornell 84 Longwood 78 (Las Vegas Invitational at Las Vegas) Box Score - Recap
Columbia 59 San Francisco 79 (SF Hilltop Classic) Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, November 27
Dartmouth 49 Bucknell 62 Box Score - Recap
Vermont 85 Harvard 78 [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, November 28
Columbia 61 LIU Brooklyn 70 Box Score - Recap
Stony Brook 53 Cornell 76 Box Score - Recap
Binghamton 54 Penn 65 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 42 Wagner 48 (OT) Box Score - Recap

Thursday, November 29
Sacred Heart 56 Brown 69 Box Score - Recap
Hartford 60 Yale 51 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 1
Brown 50 New Hampshire 63 [WBIN/FCS] Box Score - Recap
Fordham 64 Harvard 73 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 61 Longwood 53 Box Score - Recap
Penn 47 Penn State 58 [ESPN3] Box Score - Recap
Colgate 63 Cornell 70 Box Score - Recap
Bucknell 65 Columbia 57 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 50 Kent State 62 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 4
Dartmouth 49 Elon 71 Box Score - Recap
Harvard 79 Boston College 63 [ESPN3] Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 5
Yale 64 Bryant 62 Box Score - Recap

Friday, December 7
Harvard 49 Connecticut 57 [SNY] Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 8
Yale 56 New Hampshire 64  Box Score - Recap
Drexel 64 Princeton 57 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 56 Holy Cross 67 Box Score - Recap
Brown 57 Notre Dame 84 [ESPN3] Box Score - Recap
Villanova 68 Penn 55 [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap

Sunday, December 9
Columbia 54 American 42 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 11
Boston University 64 Harvard 65 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 12
Dartmouth 50 Vermont 52 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 15
Princeton 60 Fordham 63 (Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival) [YES] Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 42 Arizona State 61 Box Score - Recap

Monday, December 17
Cornell 55 Vanderbilt 66 [ESPNU] Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 18
Albertus Magnus 63 Yale 112 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 19
Cornell 47 Duke 88 [ESPNU] Box Score - Recap

Thursday, December 20
Rider 45 Princeton 62 Box Score - Recap

Friday, December 21
Penn 60 Delaware 83  Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 22
Cornell 57 Boston University70 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 66 Bryant 79  Box Score - Recap
Holy Cross 65 Harvard 72  Box Score - Recap
Elon 70 Columbia 79 Box Score - Recap
Bucknell 67 Princeton 79 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, December 23
Brown 42 Northwestern 63 [BTN.com] Box Score - Recap

Friday, December 28
Providence 68 Brown 69 [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap
Cornell 79 Saint Francis (Pa.) 67  Box Score - Recap
Yale 75 Nevada 85 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 29
Manhattan 58 Columbia 69 Box Score - Recap
Penn 63 Wagner 68  Box Score - Recap
Harvard 67 California 62 [PAC-12] Box Score - Recap

Sunday, December 30
Cornell 79 Binghamton 77 [TIME WARNER SPORTS] Box Score - Recap
Yale 62 Saint Mary’s (Calif.) 78 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 58 Akron 62 Box Score - Recap

Monday, December 31
Dartmouth 58 Boston College 79 [ESPN3] Box Score - Recap
Brown 50 Albany 57 Box Score - Recap
Harvard 69 Saint Mary’s (Calif.) 70 [ESPN2] Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, January 1
Yale 70 Iowa State 80 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, January 2
Colgate 59 Columbia 66 Box Score - Recap
Bucknell 72 Cornell 56 Box Score - Recap
Penn 57 Butler 70 Box Score - Recap

Friday, January 4
Brown 47 Rhode Island 59 [OSN] Box Score - Recap
Yale 61 Holy Cross 54 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 5
Princeton 74 Elon 64 Box Score - Recap
Penn 57 La Salle 74 Box Score - Recap
Columbia 64 Army 52 Box Score - Recap
Rice 62 Harvard 92 Box Score - Recap
Colgate 78 Dartmouth 62 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, January 6
Cornell 68 American 60 Box Score - Recap
Florida 79 Yale 58 [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, January 8
Niagara 74 Brown 75 Box Score - Recap
Columbia 69 Holy Cross 78 Box Score - Recap
Army 58 Dartmouth 75 Box Score - Recap
Lafayette 85 Penn 83 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 12
Daniel Webster 34 Brown 71 Box Score - Recap
College at Old Westbury 84 Cornell 103  Box Score - Recap
Oberlin 39 Yale 104 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 75 Dartmouth 65 Box Score - Recap
*Penn 53 Princeton 65 [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap

Thursday, January 17
Colby-Sawyer 42 Dartmouth 80 Box Score
Penn 54 NJIT 53 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 19
Harvard 50 Memphis 60 [FSN] Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 58 Cornell 67 NBCSN] Box Score - Recap
Saint Joseph’s 79 Penn 59 [ESPNU] Box Score - Recap
*Yale 51 Brown 65 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, January 23
Penn 69 Temple 76 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 26
*Dartmouth 77  Harvard 82 OT [NBCSN] Box Score - Recap
*Brown 64 Yale 76 OT Box Score - Recap
*Cornell 66 Columbia 63 Box Score - Recap


Sunday, January 27
The College of New Jersey 33 Princeton 71 Box Score - Recap

Friday, February 1
*Brown at Dartmouth, 7 pm
*Columbia at Penn, 7 pm
*Cornell at Princeton, 7 pm
*Yale at Harvard, 7 pm

Saturday, February 2
*Columbia at Princeton, 6 pm [NBCSN]
*Brown at Harvard, 7 pm
*Cornell at Penn, 7 pm
*Yale at Dartmouth, 7 pm

Penn Athletics Game Notes for Hosting Cornell

Men's Basketball Opens Ivy Gauntlet This Weekend

Penn Athletics

PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team ended the non-conference portion of its season with a loss at Big 5 rival Temple. After the game, Head Coach Jerome Allen wrote down "3-15" (Penn's overall record) on the dry-erase board in the locker room. Then he erased it. He replaced it with "1-0" and said, "this is our goal going forward. What's past is past. We look ahead." The first two of those 1-0 opportunities come this weekend, as Columbia and Cornell come to town to start the Ivy League gauntlet.

GAME 19 - PENN (3-15, 0-1) vs. COLUMBIA (9-7, 1-1)

Friday, Feb. 1, 2013 * 7 p.m.

The Palestra (Philadelphia)

TV: PennAthletics.com (there is a charge for this service)

Radio: WXPN 88.5 FM (Brian Seltzer, Vince Curran)

GAME 20 - PENN (3-15, 0-1) vs. CORNELL (9-10, 1-1)

Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 * 7 p.m.

The Palestra (Philadelphia)

TV: PennAthletics.com (there is a charge for this service)

Radio: WFIL 560 AM (Brian Seltzer, Vince Curran)

Click here for Live Stats!

Penn Game Notes (PDF) / Columbia Game Notes (PDF) / Cornell Game Notes (PDF)

The Columbia-Cornell Home Weekend

Penn has hosted its New York Ivy rivals, Columbia and Cornell, on the same weekend 53 times; the Quakers have swept this weekend 40 times, split it 11 times, and been swept twice (most recently in 2009). Penn swept this weekend last year, after splitting it the previous two seasons (in both cases winning the Friday game, but losing the Saturday contest).

The Columbia Series

*The Quakers and the Lions have met 221 times previously, with Penn holding a 136-85 lead in the series.

*Penn swept this series last year, winning 66-64 in New York City and then grabbing a 61-59 victory in overtime here at The Palestra. Overall, the Quakers have won three in a row over Columbia.

*As a sign of how close this series has been in recent years, not only have the teams almost evenly split the last 13 meetings (Penn leads, 7-6), but six of those games have been decided by two or fewer points.

The Cornell Series

*The Quakers and the Big Red have met 216 times, with Penn holding a 143-73 series lead.

*Penn won both games last year, taking a 64-52 decision in Ithaca before holding on for a 58-55 victory here at The Palestra. Prior to that, Cornell had won seven of eight in the series; prior to that, Penn had won 18 in a row.

Welcome Back, Doc

Penn has played the last eight games without junior captain Fran Dougherty, but he is expected to return to the lineup this weekend. So what have they been missing?

*Dougherty has missed nearly half the season (8 of 18 games), yet he is still second on the team in points scored (157). Classmate Miles Cartwright is the only player ahead of him (230), while Darien Nelson-Henry is a distant third behind Doc with 126 points.

*He leads the Ivy League in overall rebounding (8.8 rpg), and is third in both scoring (15.7 ppg) and field-goal percentage (52.5).

*He led Penn in rebounding in each of the first eight games this season; in his absence, five different players have led the team in boards.

Quaker Notemeal From Temple

*Penn scored 69 points, its second-best output in a game in its last 16 games (bested only by the 83 scored against Lafayette on Jan. 8).

*Penn shot 45.3 percent from the field, its second-best performance in the last 13 games (bested only by the Quakers' 59.6 performance against Lafayette on Jan. 8).

*One game after shooting a season low at the foul line, Penn was a season-best .938 (15-of-16) at the free-throw line Wednesday night.

*Penn had more assists (16) than turnovers (13) for the second straight game, the third time in five games, and the fourth time this season.

*Penn had fewer turnovers (13) than its opponent (15) for the second straight game and the seventh time this season.

*Penn had six steals, giving the Quakers six or more thefts in each of the last eight games.

*Junior Miles Cartwright tied a season high with 21 points, his team-leading 11th double-figure scoring game this season and team-high fourth 20-point game of 2012-13.

*It was the first 20-point game by a Penn player since both Cartwright and junior Fran Dougherty had 20 against Fordham, a span of 13 games.

*Cartwright led Penn with six rebounds, the first time this season he has led the team outright in boards in a game.

*Freshman Darien Nelson-Henry tied his season/career high with 17 points, the second straight game and third time in five games he has hit that mark.

*Nelson-Henry has scored in double figures in five straight games (14.8 ppg) and has shot 64.0 percent from the field in that span (32-of-50).

*Nelson-Henry also set a season/career high with three assists.

*Sophomore Patrick Lucas-Perry tied a season/career high with 15 points, and set a career best with four three-point baskets.

*Sophomore Henry Brooks scored 10 points, his second double-figure scoring game this season and fifth at Penn.

*Junior Steve Rennard tied a season/career high with three assists.

*Sophomore Camryn Crocker had four assists and one turnover; in the last six games, he has 19 assists and 6 turnovers (3.17 ratio).

Trentonian Previews Cornell at Princeton

Princeton has payback on its mind facing Cornell

The Trentonian

PRINCETON — The Princeton Tigers know all too well what kind of game they can expect Friday night against the Cornell Big Red.

Last season, the Big Red put the Tigers behind the Ivy eight ball with a 67-59 win in Ithica, N.Y., in Princeton’s league opener. Though some of the faces have changed, Cornell and coach Bill Courtney continue to employ the same up-tempo style that gave the Tigers issues a year ago.

“It’s two different teams, but it’s important to have a long memory,” coach Mitch Henderson said. “I certainly do. They did what they do against us last year. They sped us up and the pressure got to us.”

Cornell is led by 6-foot-7 sophomore forward Shonn Miller, an extremely versatile athlete who leads the Big Red in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. Though the Tigers have one of the best individual defenders in the league in senior forward Ian Hummer, stopping Miller will be a team assignment.

“I think we’ll probably try to guard him with a few different guys,” Henderson said. “He’s versatile enough where he plays all over the floor, so everybody needs to be aware of him.”

Perhaps the biggest strength for the Big Red, however, is their depth. Ten different Cornell players average more than 10 minutes per game, with some of its most effective scorers—particularly sophomore Galal Cancer and senior forward Errick Peck—coming off the bench.

“Cornell plays 12 guys,” Henderson said. “In the kid Miller, they’ve got a really good player, but I think they’re good all across the board. I’m not sure if their first five is that much better than their second five. Their strength is in their numbers.”

Cornell Daily Sun Previews Big Red at Princeton/Penn

With First Ivy Win Under Belt, Red Battles Princeton, Penn

Cornell Daily Sun

After Harvard’s basketball program was battered by a school-wide cheating scandal at the beginning of the academic year, the Princeton Tigers (8-7, 1-0 Ivy) willingly stepped in as the Ivy League media’s preseason favorite in the conference. In a two-game road trip this weekend, the Red (9-10, 1-1) will try to take down the top-ranked Tigers at Jadwin Gymnasium before heading to Philadelphia, Pa., on Saturday for a bout with the struggling Penn Quakers (3-15, 0-1).

Coming off its first conference victory in a back-and-forth battle on the road against Columbia last weekend, the Red hopes to continue its success away from the familiar floorboards of Newman Arena.

“Anytime you win on the road you get confidence,” senior guard Johnathan Gray said. “Everyone has to be mentally prepared to try to tough out another couple wins. We have to have a swagger about us knowing we can win on the road.”

The Tigers, however, have been a recurring roadblock for the Red on the road. The squad has not beaten Princeton at Jadwin since its Sweet Sixteen run in 2009.

According to senior forward Eitan Chemerinski, Princeton’s length in the paint will likely pose the biggest problem for the Red.

“They’re a big team, they’re disciplined and I think that’s one of their big advantages,” he said. “If we speed them up and keep up the defensive intensity we brought at Columbia, that’s the best way to take away their offensive threats.”

The Tigers’ most dangerous offensive threat comes from forward Ian Hummer, who has already earned four Ivy League Player of the Week awards this season and has scored double figures in 13 of his 15 starts. The 6-7 senior is second in the conference in scoring with 15.5 points per game and fourth in rebounding with 6.5 boards per game. With Hummer’s formidable presence on the low block, the Red understands it needs to make a conscious effort to keep the ball out of the paint.

“In general, it’s going to be important to limit the post touches and to keep the ball out of the post,” Chemerinski said. “We can do that by denying the ball and not letting entry passes into the post and staying in front of [Hummer], making it difficult for him to catch [the ball].”

Hummer’s threat also comes from his ability to create his own shot, an uncharacteristic but particularly impressive talent from a post-player, Gray said.

“We have to have all five guys understand where he is on the court,” Gray said. “Princeton wants to go to him, he’s the one guy who can break the offense and look to score. He can make plays any time, and we need to make sure we’re there to help when he tries to attack.”

The infamous Princeton offense that has been shaped and fit into countless college basketball programs across the country consists of a very specific mentality. The Tigers’ game plan is relaxed and looks to move into an offensive set that features constant motion with back-door and off-ball screens which can free shooters and post players.

“They’re going to try to slow the game down. They have a particular set offense that they’ll use to get us out of our rhythm,” Gray said. “They’ll try to throw the ball in the post a lot and keep it in the 50-60 point range. Whoever dictates the tempo will win this game.”

The Red, however, thrives on attacking the basket in transition, as demonstrated in its 66-63 victory over Columbia. The Red went to the free-throw line 29 times in the win, with 12 of those opportunities coming from sophomore guard Galal Cancer.

“We’re always trying to play aggressive on offense,” Chemerinski said. “When we’re driving, trying to get to the lane, that’s often when we’re at our best so hopefully we can keep that up.”

Though the Red has relied heavily on its outside shooting this year and in the past, the squad only shot 25 percent from beyond the arc against Columbia and was much more successful when the ball went inside.

“We’re a better team when we’re attacking the basket,” Gray said. “We’re a good shooting team, but we have to make sure that we start inside and work out.”

After matching up against the Tigers on Friday, the Red will head to Penn’s home court on only half a day of rest. The Quakers are coming off a 12-point loss to Princeton in its last Ivy game.

Penn was a contender for the Ivy title last season, losing a disappointing tie breaker game to Harvard to decide the conference champion. However, the Quakers lost a good portion of its scoring in Zack Rosen and Tyler Bernadini, who combined to score over 30 points per game in their senior campaign.

“Playing at Polestra is always tough,” Gray said. “[Penn] lost two big parts of their offense, but we understand that other guys will step up. [Miles] Cartwright will be a lot more aggressive in the offense, and they have shooters and guys who know how to play.”

Cartwright — the lone starter returning from last years’ team — is averaging 13.5 points and 3.4 rebounds for game. Junior forward Fran Dougherty is averaging just under nine boards per game in only 10 games.

Though the Quakers have struggled to find their offense so far this year, Gray said his team understands that the Ivy League is no place for underestimations — especially when a team is playing on its home court.

“Hey, it’s a road game; we have to treat it like any other team in this league,” he said. “We know each other inside and out, so we’re prepared. We have to make sure we take care of Princeton first.”