The Cornell men’s basketball team overcame a slow start and used a strong defensive effort to claim an 81-63 victory over Monmouth on Friday afternoon at OceanFirst Bank Center. The Big Red won its fifth straight to improve to 5-1, while the Hawks slipped to 0-6.
The Big Red held the Hawks to 38 percent shooting, including 29 percent from beyond the arc, and collected 12 steals and six blocked shots in its first-ever win over Monmouth.
Four players scored in double figures for the Big Red, which shot 52 percent overall and made 14-of-35 3-pointers. Cornell assisted on 23 of its 31 baskets and shot over 50 percent in both halves. Keller Boothby and Chris Manon scored 12 points apiece, with Nazir Williams scoring 11 and Max Watson netting 10. Manon added three rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Greg Dolan scored nine points and added five rebounds, four assists, and three steals in the win.
Monmouth got 17 points, four rebounds, and four steals by Jack Collins and 15 from both Tahron Allen and Klemen Vuga. The rest of the team shot just 5-of-25 from the floor, and Monmouth turned the ball over 23 times total. The Big Red outscored the home team 42-15 on fastbreaks and 30-13 off turnovers.
Cornell will remain on the road to face its second consecutive CAA opponent when it visits Delaware on Thursday, December 1 at 7 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].