Box Score
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell put all five players into double figures and led from wire-to-wire, remaining unbeaten in Ivy League play with an 86-50 victory over Harvard on Saturday evening at Newman Arena. The Big Red improved to 18-3 (4-0 Ivy), while the Crimson had its seven-game win streak snapped and fell to 14-4 (3-1 Ivy).
Senior Jeff Foote was dominant in the paint to lead Cornell on both ends of the floor, recording 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots, while Jon Jaques netter 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Chris Wroblewski and Louis Dale each chipped in with 13 points and Ryan Wittman scored 11 to round out the lineup. Cornell assisted on 22 of its 30 field goals and turned the ball over just eight times despite Harvard's consistent pressure. Defensively, the Big Red turned the young and talented Crimson group over 25 times and collected 14 steals, while limiting Harvard to .361 shooting from the floor. Cornell owned the rebounding edge, 37-28.
Harvard's star, Jeremy Lin, had 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting, but also turned the ball over eight times with just one assist. No other Harvard player had more than Dee Giger's eight points.
While the scorers got the acclaim, the box score hid the contributions of several other players. Geoff Reeves provided his usual stellar defense and scored three points with two rebounds and an assist, while Mark Coury and Alex Tyler were their usual steady selves, but the play of Adam Wire stood out. He had five points, two offensive rebounds, two assists and three key steals in 14 energy-filled minutes. Errick Peck added two points, a rebound and an assist without a turnover.
Cornell dominated the key stats of points in the paint (32-14) and points off of turnovers (29-6), while also posting a large 18-8 edge in second chance points.
While billed nationally as an early season determination on the Ivy race, Cornell's upperclassmen treated it like any other game ... an important one in the 14-game Ivy League tournament. With a raucous sell-out crowd behind them, Cornell scored eight seconds into the game when Foote found Wroblewski for a 3-pointer. The Crimson tied the game at 3-3, then again at 5-5, but a quick 8-0 run over 1:18 that included consecutive treys by Jaques, sent the home team up 13-5 three minutes into the game. Harvard briefly got within two at 19-17 at the 11-minute mark, but that was as good as it would get for the upstart Crimson.
The Big Red exploded on a 14-0 run that spanned 7:16 as the defense created offense for Cornell. Five turnovers by Harvard during that span did damage, as did Foote, who started the run with a vicious dunk, then hit a six-footer in the lane before finding Jaques underneath with a brilliant pass that earned his senior classmate two free throws. When Dale hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with 3:43 left in the first half, Cornell more than doubled up Harvard at 35-17.
The Crimson clawed back to 14 at the break, and with two early buckets by Lin, got within 10 just 1:17 into the second half. Jaques stemmed the tide with a free throw, but the second one was missed and grabbed by Foote. That led to three consecutive offensive boards by the Big Red, and the four-shot, 30-second possession ended with Wroblewski draining a jumper to push the lead back to 13 and give the home team the momentum. Up 46-36 with 12:56 remaining, Cornell took control and turned a game still very much in question to a decisive victory. A pair of Wroblewski free throws triggered a 17-0 run over a span of just 3:08, with a three-point play by Wire being trumped by long distance bombs by Dale, Jaques and Wittman. Suddenly, a 10-point game was a 63-36 contest with 9:48 left. Harvard never got back within 24 points and watched the lead swell to as many as 37 with both team's subs in the contest.
The Big Red will stay at home to face both Yale and Brown next weekend at Newman Arena.
By Brian Delaney
Ithaca JournalJanuary 30, 2010
ITHACA - Cornell didn't play like this was just another game. Not even close.
Feeding off a frenzied sold-out crowd, the two-time Ivy League champions routed Harvard 86-50 on Saturday night in a performance worthy of a top 25 team.
Which is where Cornell may find itself come Monday.
Five players scored in double figures, led by 7-foot center Jeff Foote's 16-point, 9-rebound, 4-assist, 3-block outing, and Cornell earned a lopsided victory in a showdown that garnered rare national build-up. Both teams entered unbeaten in Ivy play in three games.
"It was obviously just a tremendous performance by their ball club," said Harvard coach Tommy Amaker, whose team's seven-game win streak was snapped. "They are very, very good. We knew that coming in, but seeing them first-hand this season- depth, talent, experience and they play very hard."
Cornell used a 16-0 run in the first half to build a big lead, then buried the visitors with a methodical 17-0 spurt in the second half. Poor decision-making killed the Crimson, whose 25 turnovers were converted into 29 points.
Cornell hasn't trailed once over the last 221 minutes, 43 seconds-- a streak that spans 5 1/2 games. The Big Red's last deficit was 31-30 in the first half of a Jan. 8 game at South Dakota.
"Obviously I thought we did a lot of things very well tonight," Cornell coach Steve Donahue said.
Harvard (14-4, 3-1 Ivy) had no answer for Foote, whose rim-rattling dunk keyed Cornell's first-half run.
When Amaker ran an extra defender at Foote, he generally found the open man. When Amaker didn't, Foote usually converted. He scored 10 points in the first half, which ended with a 38-24 Cornell lead.
"I was able to get into my moves, and the lack of a double team really helped out," Foote said.
With 38 votes, Cornell (18-3, 4-0) entered the two-game weekend on the cusp of the ESPN / USA Today top 25 coaches poll. Saturday's win was its 16th in 17th games.
"The only thing I would say is I feel very comfortable playing any team in the country on a neutral court with this group," said Cornell coach Steve Donahue when asked about a possible top-25 ranking. "I feel that we would fare well."
Harvard trailed 46-36 with 12 minutes, 56 seconds remaining after two free throws from freshman Christian Webster. Cornell then scored 17 straight points, a run that began as a trickle but ended in a flood of 3-pointers from seniors Louis Dale, Jon Jaques and Ryan Wittman.
Harvard guard Jeremy Lin finished with 19 points, including 15 in the second half, but committed eight turnovers and was largely held in check. Harvard shot 36 percent from the field and was outrebounded, 37-28. Cornell had 18 offensive boards.
By Donna Ditota
The Syracuse Post-StandardJanuary 30, 2010
Ithaca – It was billed as a matchup between elite Ivy League teams seeking national respect and recognition.
But in the end, only Cornell fans were chanting “Top 25,” and only the Big Red made a case for a mention in the weekly college basketball poll.
Cornell dominated visiting Harvard 86-50 Saturday inside a full and rollicking Newman Arena. The Big Red led by 14 at halftime and after Harvard inched to within 46-36 after the break, Cornell authored a 17-0 run to essentially close out the Crimson.
Cornell has won six straight games and 16 of its last 17. The Big Red’s lone loss during that span was a five-point defeat at Kansas. Cornell, at 18-3 overall and 4-0 in the Ivy League, has lost to Seton Hall, Syracuse and Kansas and has beaten St. John’s and Alabama.
So is the Big Red Top 25 worthy?
“I feel very comfortable playing any team in the country on a neutral court with this group,” said Cornell coach Steve Donahue. “I feel that we’d fare well. I think that we have enough experience, size, skill, toughness to compete with anybody in college basketball right now.”
Tommy Amaker would not disagree.
The Harvard coach watched Saturday as his team committed 25 turnovers, eight of them by star point guard Jeremy Lin. The Big Red used a frenetic man-to-man defense, coupled at times with a ¾ court trap, to inflict serious defensive damage on the Crimson.
The 50 points were the fewest Harvard (14-4, 3-1) has recorded this season. The Crimson shot 36 percent and because of all the turnovers, took 30 fewer shots than Cornell.
Donahue and his players said Cornell made a commitment to defense after its loss at Kansas. Against Harvard, that commitment resulted in 29 points off turnovers and a scrappiness evidenced by Cornell hands deflecting basketballs and Cornell bodies diving to the hardwood in pursuit of loose basketballs.
“They were very aggressive,” Amaker said. “They took us out of anything we wanted to run, knocked the ball (away) from us. Obviously having 25 turnovers and only seven assists is not a very good formula for positive basketball.”
“I do think we have the ability with our depth, our size, our experience, to be able to cause things like that on defense,” Donahue said. “We have guys that can guard on the perimeter, and you have a kid like Jeff just waiting there, so it’s difficult if you keep penetrating, to see that in there.”
“That,” is 7-feet and 265 pounds of Jeff Foote.
The Cornell center was a huge factor Saturday. He scored 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, made four assists and blocked three shots. Big Red players searched for him down low and after Foote caught the ball, Cornell cleared out and allowed him space to work. Foote calmly backed down a rotation of Harvard post defenders, and either lofted a baby hook or powered for a lay-up or dunk.
Harvard tried to cover him with a single man and Foote theorized that his passing skills discourage a double-team. So does Cornell’s ability to knock down shots.
The Big Red shot 44 percent from 3-point range (12-of-27) and 46 percent overall. Five Cornell players reached double-figure scoring, led by Foote’s 16. Cornell prides itself on its selflessness and the 22 assists on 30 baskets attest to that.
Cornell’s 86 points were the most Harvard has surrendered this year.
“I think we had great poise,” Donahue said, “a great sense of what we needed to do on offense, at times pushing it, getting it down low to Jeff, sharing the ball when we had to.”
The Ivy League does not hold a post-season tournament to determine its representative to the NCAA Tournament. The regular-season champion earns that distinction. Cornell and Harvard, which sit atop most Ivy statistical categories, had been considered the league’s aristocracy. The Big Red dominated the first of two anticipated matchups, but Cornell must still visit Harvard on Feb. 19.
If the teams finish tied for the Ivy League title, a one-game playoff at a neutral site will determine which Ivy team earns the automatic NCAA bid.
On Saturday night in Ithaca, Cornell was clearly the class of the Ivies.
“Depth, talent, experience. And they play very hard,” Amaker said in assessing the Big Red. “There’s nothing else to really say. I think they’re an outstanding basketball team. One of the better teams in the country, from what I’ve been able to see.”
The students at Cornell, the ones that stood and cheered for much of Saturday’s game, want more. On Monday, when the national polls are released, they want to see Cornell included on those lists.
So do Cornell’s players.
“Coach says all the time that the ratings and all that don’t really matter to us. We have to focus on ourselves and get better every day,” Foote said. “But it would be kinda cool to be in the Top 25.”
Cornell Hammers Harvard To Remain Atop Ivy League Standings
By Matthew Manacher
Cornell Daily SunJanuary 30, 2010
It was billed by many college basketball analysts as the early season Ivy League game that will ultimately decide the 2009-10 conference champion. It was the game that would decide which of the eight Ivies will be dancing in March. Although Cornell has 10 conference games remaining, the Red took a significant step forward in claiming its third-consecutive Ancient Eight championship tonight with an 86-50 drubbing of Harvard.
The Red (18-3, 4-0 Ivy) snapped the Crimson’s (14-4, 3-1 Ivy) seven-game win streak with a complete team effort. All five Cornell starters posted double figures while senior center Jeff Foote registered a team-high 16 points and nine rebounds. Foote proved to be a dominating inside presence on both ends of the court.
Harvard’s sloppy play was exploited by a stout Cornell defense, which has vastly improved in recent weeks. The Crimson turned the ball over 25 times, including 14 steals. Harvard senior guard Jeremy Lin, a leading candidate for Ivy League Player of the Year honors, dropped a game-high 19 points. However, Lin’s ballhandling was problematic as he withered under the Red’s pressure and committed eight turnovers.
“They were very aggressive,” said Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker. “They took us out of anything we wanted to run and knocked the ball off of us. You can see that with eight turnovers by Jeremy and five by [freshman forward] Kyle [Casey]. Obviously, having 25 turnovers and only seven assists is not a very good formula for positive basketball.”
There was certainly an elevated sense of importance attached to this game as the sold-out 4,473 raucous fans in attendance were well aware that early season Ivy League bragging rights were on the line. The Red remained dominant on its home floor in the Ancient Eight, extending an 18-game home conference winning streak with the victory.
“I would compare it to the first time we won the Ivy League title,” Foote said. “The crowd was rocking. They gave us tremendous energy and made it a great college basketball atmosphere. It really fires us up and we really like to play in front of a lot of people.”
By Didier Morais
Boston Globe January 30, 2010
ITHACA, N.Y. - Jeremy Lin and Ryan Wittman were supposed to steal the show. As the front-runners for Ivy League Player of the Year, the Harvard point guard and Cornell forward were expected to make their cases for the award.
But both stood - literally and figuratively - in Cornell center Jeff Foote’s shadow in last night’s showdown of the marquee teams in the league, as Foote finished with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks.
With Foote leading the way, Cornell (18-3, 4-0) ended Harvard’s seven-game winning streak, routing the Crimson, 86-50, to preserve its six-game winning streak and 18-game conference home winning streak.
“I’m not very happy with our performance, obviously,’’ said Harvard coach Tommy Amaker. “We didn’t play up to our capabilities. They played outstanding basketball. They are very, very good. We knew that coming in, but seeing them firsthand this season - depth, talent, experience, and they played very hard.’’
From the opening minute, the Big Red abandoned their typical perimeter-oriented game plan, opting instead to take advantage of the interior mismatch with Foote, who at 7 feet is 4 inches taller than Crimson starting center Keith Wright.
And Cornell’s senior wasted little time rewarding Big Red coach Steve Donahue for his confidence. Each time Foote received the ball on the block, he immediately posted up Wright and often scored or dished for an open 3-point attempt.
“I thought this was the game where we knew we needed to utilize Jeff,’’ Donahue said. “We talked about it because [Harvard] scrambled around so well. I told him to slow it down and take it in and he’s one of the best passing centers in the nation.’’
Foote became an instant nightmare for Amaker. Following a series of buckets, the Harvard coach tabbed 6-7 forward Doug Miller to guard the Big Red’s catalyst, but Foote countered with a flurry of hook shots.
With 9:11 remaining in the first half, guard Louis Dale threaded a pass into Foote, who soared over Miller for a thunderous dunk. And when Foote wasn’t jamming on defenders or dishing assists, he made himself valuable on the defensive end with his blocks.
“From scouting, I always thought [Foote] was the key of the team,’’ Amaker said. “He scores on the inside. He’s a great passer and he’s a very unselfish player. I’m very fond of his game and I admire how he plays. I mentioned to the kids that he’s the guy that makes them go.’’
Despite knowing that, Amaker still had no answer for Foote. After rotating between Miller and Wright, he eventually substituted Andrew Van Nest and Kyle Casey midway through the half to attempt to slow the Big Red’s behemoth. But like their starting teammates, the reserves suffered the same fate.
“I don’t think they exactly knew how to guard me,’’ Foote said. “I just knew that I had an advantage with size and strength. They do a much better job of defending. They do a terrific job all-around. I was able to get into my moves more and the lack of a double team really helped me out. I was able to get in my groove today.’’
When the Crimson (14-4, 3-1) crowded the paint and eventually denied Foote the ball, Cornell simply returned to its bread and butter - shooting the long ball. Led by senior Jon Jaques’s four 3-pointers, the Big Red finished 12 for 27 from beyond the arc.
Foote’s presence in the paint allowed Cornell’s guards to pressure Lin. As a result of the stingy defense, Harvard’s point guard was rendered relatively ineffective early on and finished the first half with a mere 4 points.
Even though Lin finished with a game-high 19 points, the suffocating defense forced him into eight turnovers. By the end of the night, Harvard had 25 turnovers.
“They were very aggressive,’’ Amaker said. “They basically took us out of anything we wanted to run.’
ITHACA, N.Y. – Turnovers plagued the Harvard men’s basketball team at Newman Arena on Saturday night as Cornell won the battle of first place by a score of 86-50. Cornell used a 16-0 first half run and a 17-0 second half run to secure the win.
Harvard (14-4, 3-1 Ivy) returns to action next weekend with a pair of pivotal games against Princeton (11-5, 2-0 Ivy) and Penn with both games being anticipated sellouts.
Cornell (18-3, 4-0 Ivy), winners of 16 of its last 17 overall and its last 18 Ivy games at home, will return to Newman next weekend against Yale and Brown.
The good news for Harvard is that it did not have to win in Ithaca. The Crimson got its weekend split and will have a home date against the Big Red on Feb. 19.
In the first half, Harvard looked every bit the young team on its first lengthy Ivy road trip. The
Crimson turned the ball over 14 times in the first 20 minutes and Cornell took full advantage in using a 16-0 run for a comfortable 38-24 halftime lead.
Cornell hit on its first six from the floor (three 3’s) in grabbing a 15-8 lead at 15:55 and 19-10 less than seven minutes in. Harvard rattled off seven straight to trail by just two following a second chance triple from Dee Giger but more turnovers led to Cornell’s decisive run.
Harvard got within 10 points twice in the second half with plenty of time remaining but followed its spurts with more turnovers as Cornell kept the Crimson at an arm’s length. The last time Harvard got within 10 was at 46-36 with 12:55 left only to see Cornell scored 17 straight. From that point on, Cornell rode the good feelings as virtually everything that happened went in its favor.
All told, Harvard committed 25 turnovers and Cornell responded with 12 3-pointers.
Jeremy Lin led Harvard with 19 points (6-9 FG, 7-8 FT) while Jeff Foote led Cornell with 16 points and nine rebounds.
The WVBR Sports Blog: The Voice of the Big RedJanuary 30, 2010
In the most anticipated Ivy League game in decades, the Cornell Big Red defeated the Harvard Crimson 86-50.
A balanced effort propelled the Cornell offense. Center Jeff Foote led the team with 16, but forward Jon Jaques had 14, guards Louis Dale and Chris Wroblewski had 13 each, and forward Ryan Wittman had 11. Cornell's 86 points were the most it has scored in a non-overtime game this season.
Except for a couple early ties, Cornell led throughout. Harvard cut a 19-10 Cornell lead to 19-17 with ten and a half minutes remaining in the first half, but Cornell responded with a 16-0 run to push the lead up to 35-17, and led 38-24 at the half. The Crimson got to within ten with just under thirteen minutes remaining, but a 17-0 Cornell run, capped by a Wittman three, over the next three minutes put the game out of reach.
Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker noted that on defense, us Cornell “was very aggressive… [they] took out of whatever we wanted to run.” The Red “keyed on [star Harvard forward] Jeremy Lin, did a lot of things to limit his touches.” Amaker's counterpart, Cornell head coach Steve Donahue, echoed those sentiments, saying “we have the ability with our depth, our size” to play tremendous defense.
Although the individual scoring totals were fairly even for Cornell, the offense ran through Jeff Foote. Donahue noted that before the game, “what we wanted [Foote] to do, look to score.” Foote, at 7'0”, was able to score at will against the smaller Harvard defenders.
Foote noted that he “felt like I had a little bit of an advantage… the lack of double team really helped out.” He added, “I think they weren't sure how to guard me at first.” When given the ball, he was very efficient, making seven of his eleven shots from the field. Besides the scoring, though, Foote was able to take advantage of the attention Crimson players gave him in order to rack up four assists. Amaker reflected that “Foote's the key to their team…scores on the inside, is a great passer.”
Cornell shot 45% from the field for the game, compared to 36% for Harvard.
When asked afterward if he'd like to see Cornell, who was ranked 27th in last week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, crack the Top 25, Foote replied, “the ratings and that kinda stuff doesn't matter to us…but it would be cool” to be in the Top 25. Cornell may have a good case. Despite shooting only 64% from the foul line, well below their season average, and seeing Ivy League Player of the Year Candidate Ryan Wittman play only 23 minutes due to foul trouble, the Red blew out a Harvard team that was supposed to be their stiffest competition in the Ivy League.
The game was being hyped as the biggest Ivy League game in years, one that featured two teams that could be deserving of at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. The atmosphere at sold-out Newman Arena was electric, with constant chants of “Let's Go Red,” and “Overrated” when Harvard guard Jeremy Lin touched the ball. Amaker did not believe the atmosphere affected his young team, but noted that “the atmosphere was electric.”
Cornell and Harvard will meet again, on February 19, in Cambridge, and there is a ton of basketball for each team to play between now and then. But for one night, Cornell-Harvard looked less like a battle between heavyweights than a bully's beatdown on the schoolyard.
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