Gamecenter: Cornell 99, VMI 94

	1st	2nd	Final
Cornell (4-3)	46	53	99
VMI (3-6)	54	40	94


William & Mary Tip-Off Classic
Kaplan Arena – Williamsburg, VA	Boxscore

Keys to the Game
Key sequence	Having reeled off a 9-0 run spanning halftime to trim a 10-point deficit to just one, Cornell saw VMI go on its own 10-2 run to push the margin back to 64-55 with 15:44 left in the contest. Seldom-used reserve Conor Mullen and fellow sophomore Jason Battle combined to score the next 11 Big Red points to tie the game at 66. Then freshman Ryan Wittman took over, nailing a three-pointer to give Cornell its first lead since the second minute of the game. After a Reggie Williams free throw, Graham Dow hit two at the line to increase the Big Red lead to four. Williams struck for a layup to make it a two-point game, but Wittman pulled up and sank a three-pointer in transition, then after a VMI turnover, Wittman dilled another three-pointer to finish off a 22-4 Cornell run that gave the Big Red a 77-69 lead with under ten minutes left.
Key sign it was over	VMI hit three-pointers on consecutive positions to take a one-point lead with 2:45 left, but Mullen answered with a jumper to put Cornell back on top. Louis Dale came up with a steal and hit one of two at the line, then after a missed three-pointer by the Keydets, Dale added a layup and blocked a three-point attempt at the other end. VMI’s Matt Murrer returned the favor, blocking a Mullen jumper, and Chavis Holmes hit a three to trim the Big Red’s lead to just one with 36 seconds left. However, Dow and Dale were a perfect 6-for-6 from the line down the stretch, while the Keydets could manage only a layup with 10 ticks left as Cornell claimed a wild win.
Key performance	Mullen had scored six career points and hadn’t played a meaningful collegiate minute prior to tonight’s game, but when Dale picked up his fourth foul less than five minutes into the second half, Steve Donahue called the sophomore’s name. All Mullen did was spark the run that drew the Big Red even, then hit big shot after big shot down the stretch — including the go-ahead bucket in the final minutes. His final line: 15 points, four rebounds, one assist, one block, and a steal in just 14 minutes.
Key statistic	VMI outscored Cornell from the three-point and free throw lines, but the Big Red dominated inside the arc. Cornell shot 26 of 44 (59.1 percent) on two-pointers, compared to just 9 of 23 (39.1 percent) for the Keydets. Cornell outscored VMI 44-18 in the paint.

Notes

– Williams led all scorers with an impressive 41-point performance, hitting 12 of 20 field goals, 6 of 13 three-pointers, and 11 of 16 free throws. He also grabbed 16 rebounds, 10 of which were offensive.

– Dale and Wittman tied for team high-scoring honors for the Big Red with 18 each.

– Playing with four fouls, Dale came back in the game to record seven points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block in the final 6:09.

– Rebounding continued to be a problem for Cornell, as VMI rebounded at 48.2 percent offensively. Strangely, the Keydets managed only 18 second-chance points off of 27 offensive rebounds.

– Despite its uptempo style of play, VMI failed to record a single fastbreak point on the night, as Cornell outscored the Keydets 9-0 in that department.

– The Big Red will play host William & Mary in the tournament final on Saturday, December 2, at 8:30 pm ET.

Basketball U.

Gamecenter: Cornell 99, VMI 94

Jake Wilson

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Basketball U.

Jake Wilson

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Basketball U.