| |
1st |
2nd |
Final |
| Cornell (3-2) |
30 |
26 |
56 |
| Binghamton (3-1) |
33 |
24 |
57 |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
Cornell raced out to a 10-3 lead and still led by seven with 11:30 left in the first half, when turnovers allowed Binghamton to erase the Big Red lead. In a span of just over three minutes, Cornell committed turnovers on six of seven possessions. Meanwhile, Richard Forbes scored seven straight points to knot the game at 16-16 at the 8:48 mark. It was the first of 12 ties and what would be 15 lead changes in a game that epitomized “nip and tuck.”
|
| Key sign it was over |
It was fitting that a game in which neither team led by more than one possession the final 29:27 was decided at the buzzer. With Cornell trailing by one, Ryan Wittman hit a jumper with 44 seconds left to put the Big Red on top. At the other end, Troy Hailey couldn’t convert a layup, but Lazar Trifunovic came up with the rebound and was fouled. The freshman coolly drained both free throws to put the home team back in the lead. Mike Gordon picked off a Louis Dale pass and was fouled, but blew the front end of the one-and-one to give Cornell one final chance. Out of a timeout, the Big Red found Brian Kreefer driving down the lane, but the sophomore forward couldn’t hit the layup. He rebounded his miss and tried a hasty putback, but it also wouldn’t fall and the Bearcats escaped with the win.
|
| Key performance |
Freshman Ryan Wittman set a new career high in the loss with 19 points to lead all scorerss. He hit 4 of 7 three-point attempts and added five rebounds.
|
| Key statistic |
The decisive points came from a reserve, so Binghamton’s 39-9 edge in bench points looms large. Cornell’s depth has been decimated by injuries to some key personnel, while former Big Red coach Al Walker got major contributions from Trifunovic and Forbes. With three of his starters going scoreless, that proved to make all the difference for the Bearcats.
|
|
| |
| |
| Notes
– Hailey was the top scorer for Binghamton with 15 points.
– Cornell dominated inside, outscoring Binghamton 20-6 in points in the paint.
– The turnover count was relatively close, with the Big Red (14) faring slightly better than the Bearcats (17). However, Cornell was much better at capitalizing on the other team’s miscues, outscoring Binghamton 18-5 in points off turnovers.
– Cornell registered assists on just 7 of its 18 field goals.
– The Big Red had a sizable edge at the free throw line, where it had more attempts (20 to 13) and made free throws (15 to 7) than the Bearcats.
– Cornell returns home to host Hartford on Tuesday, November 28, at 7:00 pm ET at Newman Arena.
|
|
