Cornell men’s basketball buried 17 three-pointers and rallied from a double-digit second-half deficit to earn an 83-75 road victory over UAlbany on Sunday afternoon at Broadview Center. The win lifted the Big Red to 6-5, while the Great Danes dropped to 4-11.
Senior Cooper Noard led all scorers with 25 points, knocking down five shots from beyond the arc and closing the game at the foul line in the final moments. Cornell trailed 34-29 at the break after UAlbany finished the first half on a late surge, then fell behind by 10 early in the second half before turning the game with perimeter shooting.
Back-to-back three-pointers from seniors Adam Hinton and Josh Baldwin sparked the comeback, and a DJ Nix triple at the 10:50 mark gave Cornell a 55-54 edge, its first lead of the half. From there, the Big Red repeatedly answered UAlbany pushes and never surrendered control.
Senior Jake Fiegen finished with 15 points and delivered timely offense, including a three-pointer with just over three minutes left to extend the lead to six. Junior Jacob Beccles followed with two free throws to make it an eight-point game. UAlbany pulled within one at 67-66, but Noard responded with a runner in the lane before sealing the outcome at the line. Noard and Fiegen combined to go 6-for-6 on free throws in the final 33 seconds.
Bills' Greg Rousseau named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after clutch overtime block Cornell shot 17-for-33 from deep and totaled 23 assists against eight turnovers, outscoring UAlbany 54-41 after halftime. Jacob Beccles added five assists, while Baldwin contributed nine points and a team-high five rebounds.
Next, Cornell travels to Michigan State on Monday, December 29, for a 7 p.m. matchup at the Breslin Center.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
