Cornell rallied from a six-point deficit in the final three minutes to claim its seventh straight victory, a 73-68 triumph over Lafayette on Sunday afternoon at Newman Arena. The Leopards fell to 1-8 with the loss.
Greg Dolan, Chris Manon, and Nazir Williams had 12 points apiece to lead the Big Red offense that made just 8-of-26 from 3-point range (31 percent). Dolan added four assists and three boards, Manon had six rebounds and two assists and Williams chipped in five boards. Keller Boothby was a +16 in his 23 minutes, scoring seven points, and Isaiah Gray also scored seven and posted five boards. Max Watson scored six with a game-high four steals, while Marcus Filien had five big points and chipped in four rebounds along with stellar defense.
Lafayette got 17 points, eight rebounds, and five assists from Kyle Jenkins as one of three Leopard players in double figures. Leo O’Boyle netted 14 points, grabbed five boards, and dished four assists and T.J. Berger scored 11 points off the bench. Lafayette shot 41 percent from 3-point range but missed its final five behind the arc as the big Red rallied for the win.
It was far from the Big Red’s sharpest game of the season despite turning the ball over just eight times, but it again fought off adversity late. Trailing 68-62 after a conventional three-point play by Jenkins with four minutes to play, Cornell chipped away with buckets by Boothby and Williams on the break before tying it with 1:37 left on a pair of Manon free throws.
Cornell took the lead on a Dolan free throw with 68 seconds left, then Manon hit two more after a defensive stop to make it 71-68. Lafayette got O’Boyle, who made big plays all afternoon, an open look from beyond the arc, but it missed and Filien rebounded. The senior hit both shots with 10 seconds to make it a two-possession game and close out the 11-0 Big Red run over the final 3:08 to win it.
Cornell will be back in action on Wednesday when they square off with Miami at 7 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].