Cornell’s Surge in the First Half Dashes Men’s Hoops Hopes, Concludes 86-76 Defeat

PHILADELPHIA – The men’s basketball squad of the University of Pennsylvania experienced a Cornell surge late in the first half during Saturday’s match at The Palestra, and it was too significant to counter as the Big Red claimed an 86-76 triumph.
 
Penn was leading, 27-25, with under four minutes left in the first half, but Cornell’s AK Okereke netted consecutive scores (one from long range) which initiated a 10-0 streak for the visitors, giving them a lead they would not give up. The Big Red capped the half with a 17-4 run, heading into the locker room with an 11-point advantage, and increased the lead to 20 early in the second period. Penn could not get closer than nine after that.
 
Penn’s record dropped to 4-11 overall and 0-2 in Ivy League competition, while the Big Red—under first-year head coach Jon Jaques, who played collegiately at Cornell under current Penn coach Steve Donahue—remained undefeated in Ivy play at 2-0, improving to 10-5 overall.
 
Quaker Highlights
*On Saturday, Penn forced Cornell into 14 turnovers—the Quakers made only eight—and ended with a season-best eight steals.
 
*Both squads had almost identical shooting performances from the floor, with Penn shooting 28-of-58 overall (48.3 percent) and Cornell hitting 30-of-62 (48.4); the Big Red was 9-of-24 beyond the arc (37.5 percent), while the Quakers were 8-of-21 (38.1 percent).
 
*The Quakers received another stellar offensive showing from junior Ethan Roberts, who tallied 26 points and shot 9-of-15 from the field, adding five rebounds.
 
*Sophomore Sam Brown scored 15 points on Saturday, netting two three-pointers late in the game. This marked his best offensive showing since he scored 19 points against Maine on November 30.
 
*Freshman AJ Levine started in lieu of Michael Zanoni, who missed Saturday’s contest due to health issues, contributing 13 points which is his season/career high. He also recorded three assists and three steals.
 
*Senior Nick Spinoso had another impressive outing, with 12 points, a team-leading six rebounds, and a game-high seven assists. He also recorded two steals.
 
*Cornell—with a rebounding advantage over Penn of 43-24 and a 13-0 lead in second-chance points—demonstrated the offensive balance that has characterized their season, garnering 19 points from Cooper Noard, 15 from AK Okereke, 14 from Nazir Williams, and 12 from Jack Flegen. Okereke also dished out four assists while Ryan Kiachian secured a game-high eight rebounds.
 
How It Unfolded
Both teams started strong, especially Roberts who accumulated eight points by the first media timeout. Penn’s lead was 12-8 at that moment, and the Quakers maintained that edge for almost the next ten minutes, with Cornell finally taking its first lead of the day at 23-22 when Adam Hinton scored what would be his only basket of the day. The lead changed hands three times in the next three possessions before play stabilized, with a Spinoso free throw marking the only score for either side in a 1:16 span. The free throw put Penn ahead, 27-25.
 
As the clock dipped under four minutes, Cornell heated up—Okereke, in particular. The junior guard sank a three-pointer, then scored a layup in transition, which prompted a Penn timeout coinciding with the under-4 media. Almost a minute later, Okereke converted again and then Williams followed suit with a three-pointer (ending Okereke’s personal seven-point streak). Overall, this amounted to a 10-0 run putting the Big Red ahead, 35-27.
 
Roberts halted the skid in the paint, then equalized Kiachian’s score. However, the Big Red rallied for the next five points and took a 42-31 lead into halftime.
 
Roberts commenced the second half’s scoring and matched a Flegen three-pointer. Nevertheless, Noard hit three-pointers on Cornell’s following two possessions, and then Guy Ragland Jr. converted a triple after Levine’s shot. One more unproductive possession from Penn was followed by Williams drawing a foul and hitting two free throws, with Noard completing an old-fashioned three-point play. This culminated in a 34-12 run bridging 7:22 of game time across both halves, with Cornell’s lead extending to 20 (59-39).
 
Despite this, Penn continued to fight. The Big Red went scoreless for over five minutes, and the Quakers took advantage of the drought to narrow the gap to 12. Penn even closed within nine ahead of the under-8 media timeout on a basket by Levine. However, the Quakers could only muster three points during the next 4:31 of gameplay—all from free throws—and Cornell managed to maintain their advantage, securing the win.
 
Upcoming Matches
Penn is set to travel again for a second visit to Northern New England within nine days. The Quakers visit Harvard on Monday as part of the Ivy League’s annual MLK Day contests, slated to tip off against the Crimson at 2 p.m. at Lavietes Pavilion. Harvard sits at 1-1 in Ivy play after defeating Brown on Saturday in Providence, 80-67.
 
For the latest updates on Penn men’s basketball, follow @PennMBB on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, as well as on the web at PennAthletics.com.
 

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