Illinois State made 14 3-pointers and Cornell’s last-second attempt went long as the Redbirds escaped Newman Arena with an 80-77 win on Sunday afternoon. The Big Red fell to 7-4, while the Redbirds improved to 8-4.
AK Okereke and Nazir Williams each had 19 points to lead four double figure scorers, with Guy Ragland Jr. (12) and Jake Fiegen (10) also hitting that cap. Okereke chipped in six rebounds, four assists and Williams posted seven boards and three helpers. Cooper Noard and Ryan Kiachianscored eight points apiece. The Big Red shot 53 percent from the floor, but came out on the short end on the backboards (31-26) and, in the end, couldn’t overcome the visitors’ hot shooting.
The Redbirds shot 54 percent from 3-point range as seven different players connected on at least one trey. Jack Daugherty had a team-best 16 points, including connecting on all four 3-point attempts before halftime. Chase Walker netted 14 points and seven boards, Landon Wolf scored 13 and Dalton Banks netted 10. Illinois State held a decisive 30-9 edge in bench scoring in the win.
Cornell led at halftime 45-43 thanks to a last-second tip-in bucket by Kiachian, overcoming a first half that saw the visitors hit eight of their first 10 treys and finish 9-of-14 after 20 minutes. Daugherty scored 12 to lead ISU, while Okereke scored 12 and Fiegen notched 10 at the break.
The Redbirds were able to slow the pace in the second after the Big Red led by as many as eight in the early stages. Williams scored 17 after the break, but 2-for-13 shooting from beyond the arc allowed Illinois State to take control. The Big Red scratched to within three and had the final possession, but Williams’ 3-pointer looking for the tie at the buzzer went long.
FIRST HALF
• It was a back-and-forth first half as Illinois State got comfortable shots from beyond the arc, hitting eight of its first 10 attempts, and Cornell making 12 of its 16 shots from inside the arc.
• The two teams combined for just five turnovers in a very clean first 20 minutes played at a really high level.
• Kiachian, whose late tip-in gave Cornell the edge at the break, finished the half with eight points and three rebounds.
• Illinois State made five 3-pointers during one stretch of 4:12 to pick up its biggest lead of the day at 34-27 with 7:10 left.
• Fiegen scored five consecutive points, including a driving bucket with 5:49 remaining, triggered a 7-0 run to even the score.
• Cornell took the lead with 1:36 remaining on a tough three-point play by Cooper Noard, hitting the free throw to give him eight points at the half.
• Kiachian’s putback of a Williams miss at the buzzer came just before the horn and sent the Big Red into the break with the lead.
SECOND HALF
• Cornell upped its lead to eight moments into the second half with five straight by Williams, including a run-out that triggered a ISU timeout 3:04 in.
• Leading by five (61-56) with just over 10 minutes to play, Cornell got a steal in the front court and was off to the races, but before Okereke was able to dunk it, the Big Red was called for an offensive foul away from the ball and the basket didn’t count.
• That change of momentum triggered a late Redbirds’ run.
• Two minutes later, the visitors had knotted the game and took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by J Davis with 7:08 remaining.
• The edge was six with under four minutes to play and twice got down to two points.
• The visitors missed a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left with the 80-77 lead, giving Cornell one final chance to send the game to overtime.
• Williams was able to clear himself using a screen, but his shot was off as time expired.
UP NEXT
• The Big Red closes out the 2024 calendar year when it hosts Siena on Monday, Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. at Newman Arena.
• The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• The all-time series is tied 4-4 after last season’s 95-74 victory against the Saints in Albany.
• Cornell is 2-1 in three previous contests against Siena in Ithaca.
• The Big Red is 70-59 all-time against current members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].